Chapter 16 - Chapter 14

The chief walked to the gathering of the other eight chiefs in the south. They all waited for him wondering why had called for a meeting this early time of the day. He had been regarded the wisest chief of all the eight clans but since his interaction with the queens some of the chiefs had been too angry to just let it all pass. The chief sat down on his chair as he nervously prepared to speak about helping the queens in the war that was coming. He could see that some of the chiefs were not pleased at all for being summoned by him at this meeting. The chief cleared his throat and he spoke, "My fellow chiefs I humbly thank you for agreeing to this meeting and therefore I greet you all." The chiefs didn't respond to this. He cleared his throat in preparation to speak but he was interrupted by one of the chiefs, "If this is about the war that is brewing among those mythical beings then do not waste our time." Muney's father sat there and looked at the chiefs who began mumbling among themselves. "It is about the war that is brewing among those mythical biengs. It affects us as much as it affects us.", he told them. The chiefs kept on mumbling among themselves and one of them argued, "When has what happens in Agasah not affected us? They were given this realm and we were moved to the south, if the war breaks out and they kill each other the better." They all echoed in agreement. The chief sat there with nothing to say but one of the chiefs interrupted the other chiefs and said, "We had good rains when the queens were here. Do you not remember? What do you want from us my friend?" Muney's father smiled and replied the other, "The queen visited my son in a vision and they need an army to help fight in the war." The other chiefs mumbled among themselves. "If the two queens want an army, Diablo must also need an army. I will join the winning side.", said the other chief. The others also echoed in agreement. Muney's father took off his beads and threw them on the ground as a sign he would help the queens. Four more chiefs threw their beads to the ground to show they would also pledge their loyalties to the queens. This made five clans out of nine that would support the queens. The other chiefs stood up and left. "You forget we are outlanders because of those Agasians! I will not fight with them!", one chief spat as he left with the others. Muney's father thanked the chiefs and they all left to prepare their best men to leave by boats at noon to help the queens. These chiefs had maintained a good relationship with Muney's father and they knew about the young queens' relationship with Muney. Maybe he would marry Wanday and they would have one of their own on the throne. This would help their people so helping the queens now would mean a longtime alliance between the clans and Agasah. Muney waited for his father by the entrance of his royal court. When he saw his father he ran to meet him and he could see that there would be both good and bad news. "How many chiefs agreed to help us father?", he asked. His father replied, "Only four agreed to help, hurry and prepare the men because you leave at noon with the other men. I will have the boats prepared we can not waste anymore time. I will ask you mother to prepare some provisions for you and the men." Muney could see his father was nervous about him joining the war but he also knew deep down his son would join the war with or without his blessing. However just like the other chiefs who had agreed he knew an alliance with the queens would benefit their people and if his son would marry Wanday it would be better. The men from the four clans prepared to leave and at noon they all had gathered by the river. The boats were filled up with men who left for Mount city, they were two thousand men who left for Mount city with Muney.

Amandla and her guards were still searching for a spell that would create an army that couldn't die for her. She was growing inpatient since it had been over a couple of days since they had started looking for the spell. She also had not been to her throne room and it was infuriating her. Harunah had walked into the throne room and seen the young girl painting. She had not left the room since she had started painting it and this was madness to Harunah. She went to ask her adaughter to let the young girl rest or hire more people to help the girl paint the throne room. "Did she ask you for this favor mother? Or is she dead?" her daughter had responded to her. Harunah had quietly left her daughter to continue with her madness. She was out of control and now nothing could stop her. The guards from the throne room sent for the queen to come see her throne room. "She is already done with painting the room?", Amandla asked with so much surprise. She hadn't thought the girl would paint such a big room in just three days. She walked out of her chambers towards her throne room. She grabbed her sword in preparation to kill the girl if she didn't like the way she had painted the walls. The guards were in fear of their lives too if this girl had not done a good job. Amandla opened the doors of the throne room and she was taken aback by what she saw. The girl had done exactly what the young queen had wanted her to do. She had painted the walls with black paint and had a rattle snake painted in red with a white rose above in the skies. She walked around her throne room looking at the long rattle snake on the wall that covered from one end to the other. She felt in her heart she had found another person she could actually call a friend. She saw that the girl clearly understood her and she left no room for mistake. The girls stood in the centre of the room shaking, she was afraid of what the queen would do if she want satisfied by her work and she was also tired. "Well you have done a great job and I am impressed. What do they call you?", Amandla asked the girl. She had grown a sudden interest in the girl, who stood there and mumbled, "Miranda. My name is Miranda your highness." Amandla smiled and she stretched her hands to shake the girl's hand and said, "It's a pleasure Miranda. The guards will take you to the maids who will help you look beautiful. Rest and join me for supper please." Everyone in the throne room looked shocked and the girl nodded. She was taken away by the guards to freshen up. Harunah walked to the throne room and it looked like mane innocent people had been killed in ti. It was dark and had no colors, It was exactly as Amandla wanted and it left an awful taste in Harunah's mouth. Amandla sat on her throne marveling at the new walls that had been painted by Miranda. She loved every part of the walls and she loved the young girl. She couldn't wait to have supper with her and when supper was served she could not eat. Miranda was not comfortable around the young queen and she hardly touched her food. Amandla kept staring at the young girl she was just about her age and she thought she had found someone who would be able to fill this void she had inside. "Miranda you haven't touched your food, does it not meet your taste?", the young queen asked. The young girl shook her head and took a spoonful of the soup in front of her. Amandla could see the fear from the young girl she decided to make the girl comfortable. "Walk with me Miranda.", she said to the girl and they left together and went for a walk. They walked around the garden silently and they stood by the walls at the edge of the garden. Amandla and Miranda stood facing the city. They were both silent, she called her and said, "Do you see what I see Miranda? I see a great kingdom that we could build into something more beautiful if you choose to stay here with me. I will make you my sister and together we can sit side by side and rule the universe." She walked away from Miranda and walked back into the tower. She left the young girl to see the world from the top part of the tower. Amandla bumped into her mother in the hallway and she walked rightpast her but she grabbed her hand. "Do not underestimate her like Arub underestimated you in the past Amandla.", she warned her daughter. Amandla replied, "I am not going to underestimate her mother, I know exactly how she thinks." Harunah feared for another evil being born into this world again. The great empress had not understood how one single girl would have painted the whole throne room alone in three days. She had a bad feeling and she knew she was never wrong. Miranda walked from the gardens and she went to the queen's chambers. She knocked on the door and the guard inside opened for her. The queen sat on her chair, smiling and waiting for her.

Sharay and the other warriors drew closer to the northern villages, they left their dragons and walked in the forest on feet. They walked quietly and closely together. They all didn't know how the people in the north would respond to their call for help. The young queen walked with the warriors. They walked in the forest and the hunting grounds of the Northerners. As they walked in the middle of the forest Sharay stepped on the booby trap and she was ensnared in one of the traps. She screamed and the other warriors surrounded the young queen. She found herself hanging from the tree in the trap, she started to laugh at herself as the other warriors tried to cut her down. They found them surrounded by the northern warriors. Their held out their spears, bows and arrows to them they all stood there whilst Sharay continued to laugh. She hadn't seen the warriors and when she heard silence she turned and looked to the ground. She saw them surrounded by warriors and she swallowed hard. One of the Northern warrior cut her from the tree and she fell to the grounds. They noticed her white hair and tattoos and they knew she was the queen from Agasah. "Bring out your hands.", they commanded them. They all brought out their hands and they were tied. "Where are you taking us?", Sharay asked the warriors. They didn't respond to her question but they pushed them in a single line. They all walked towards the village quietly. They could hear drum beats and ululations from a distance, the people of the north were dancing and singing in the village. They walked past the people and everyone stood and marveled at Sharay's white hair, tattoos and beauty. They all stopped dancing and singing when she passed by them and this scared the young queen. "Tafuh why are they looking at me like that?", she asked her warrior. One of the northern warrior who had captured them replied, "They have heard stories about the white head queen of Agasah, her beauty and white hair. They are admiring you." Sharay chuckled and she continued walking with the warriors. They got to the center and there sat the captains of the warriors. They were three of them, one female and two males. They looked at their captives and it amused them. "What brings the queen of Agasah to the north?", the lady asked. Sharay looked at Tafuh whether she should answer the question or not and Tafuh nodded. The captains laughed among themselves and the male teased Sharay, "I see that our young queen has to seek for permission from her warriors." Sharay replied the captain, "I respect my warriors and I need guidance from them. I came here to ask for your help in the war." They warriors of the north laughed at Sharay and this irritated her. "Why do you think we would want to help you royals in a war? We don't need a queen or king. Besides are you worthy enough?", one of the captains asked. Sharay remembered what the king of Mount city had told her about the people of the north, they didn't believe in being ordered around so she wasn't going to speak to them as the queen of Agasah or the keeper of this realm but as a warrior. "I will earn your respect if need may be., she told them. The female captain walked up to her and asked, "How will you earn our respect?" Sharay sat there thinking and then she remembered she too was a warrior and she could fight without her powers. "I will challenge one of you to a dual and if I win you will help me in the war but if I lose you can turn your backs on me. I will not use any of my powers or the golden sword.", she told them. They all looked at each other and after a great deal of deliberating one of the captains replied, "Very well, you shall fight me at dawn tomorrow. If you win you can take as many man as you need but if I win you will leave your most favored warrior here." The young queen looked terrified but she agreed to the fight. They were untied and showed to a tent where they could rest. Sharay paced up and down in fear, she was afraid of losing the fight and Tafuh. She had to fight the male captain. He was tall and strong and she was just a girl without her powers. Tafuh took the young queen's hand and said, "You are going to do alright. Just remember what I taught you and you will be fine." She knew how afraid the young queen would be of losing another familiar face after her mother.

The remaining chiefs in the south knew they had to pick a side to help in the upcoming war among the queens and they had to choose quickly which side to choose. They hated the people of Agasah and would not help them in this war but however they had never been fond of Diablo either. They heard of the new queen who did not belong neither with the people of Agasah nor with the valoyees and they saw it fit to join her side. They began preparations for their men to leave for Agasah. The chiefs wrote down a letter to the queen that would accompany the men to Agasah. It had been three days since Muney and his men had left for Mount city and they began their journey to Agasah. The four clans were going to fight their fellow men for a place in the new Agasah that would be formed by Amandla. Muney and his men drew closer to the mountains of Mount city when the raven his father caught up with him. It informed him of how the other clans had decided to join in the war but on Amandla's side. He felt his heart break, he was forced to fight his brothers. Ever since the Agasians came to this realm the fate of Muney's people had always been in the hands of the people of Agasah, he didn't know that their fates would come to this. He had never imagined fighting against one of the clans. He showed this note to some of the chiefs sons in the boat and they all felt a heavy burden come over them. The boats that had left for Agasah would take more than five days to get there. Muney and his men were only a day away from the Mount city. He would prepare his men for the war against mythical beings who were evil enough to be cast out by the gods. He feared Amandla's wrath striking down his men and he just hoped they would win this war for everyone's sake. The night came and the boats kept on going to Mount city. The mountains were quiet and dark at night. The trees were green and the dense. The people of the south had not seen such a sight before, they had been raised on dry lands with no dense bushes. They travelled miles away to hunt for game meat and gather berries. Seeing how much the people of Mount city had the men quite understood why their ancestors and fathers had loathed the Agasians. They had been forced to leave all this behind live in a place were there was nothing but dry grounds. It seemed reasonable for the other clans to join Amandla on her quest to rule and get rid of the Agasians. Muney lay awake all night and he saw the sun rising from the east. He saw the walls of Mount city and he knew they had arrived. His men blew the horn to let the people of Mount city aware of their arrival. Wanday heard the sound from her sleep, she ran to her window and saw the ships. She knew the men from the South had arrived and she ran out of her room heading towards the entrance. She met the king with his guards on their way to the gates to welcome the Southerners. Wanday was still wearing her morning robe when they all ran to meet the men from the south. She was excited to see Muney the king smiled. They got to the gates and they saw the men from the south walking towards them. They reached to where the king and Wanday were waiting for them and they knelt before the king and queen. The men from the south all said, "We are here to offer our services and pledge our allegiance to the queens." Wanday was not used to people addressing her but her sister. She stood there smiling looking for Muney. When she saw him she ran and hugged him tightly, she was so excited to see him that she forgot to address the men who kept bowing down. Andrew coughed and cleared his throat for the queen t realize her presence was needed by the men. "Oh, I nearly forgot because Sharay usually does this. I humbly accept your services and allegiance men of the south." She addressed the men. They all stood up and the palace guards marched with the men away from the queen and king to show them were they would stay. Muney stayed with the queen and the king of Mount city. "This is Andrew the king of Mount city. I didn't expect you to bring as many men as you brought Muney.", the young queen addressed him. He stretched his hand out and greeted Andrew who shook his hand smiling. Muney smiled at the king, he had noticed the king had been looking at him and Wanday the whole time that he assumed the king had been told by Sharay about his felings for her sister. "I would have brought more men but the other clans refused to join you in the war and instead have left for Agasah to join Amandla." He replied the queen. She looked at king Andrew and the king said. "You have done more than enough Muney, we will have to wait for Sharay to return so we know how many men we have for this upcoming war. For now lets get you settled in." Muney liked the king, he had a good heart and he was certainly a good ally for the girls. He would make a good husband to either of the sisters and he would also be able to protect them from the evil in the world. They all walked back to the palace and Wanday kept glaring at Muney the whole time it made Andrew giggle like a young girl.

Sharay sat by the rocks near the camp looking back to the south. She missed home and as she sat there she thought of the consequences if she were to lose the fight against the northerner. She would have to leave Tafuh behind, she began removing all of her accessories including her mother's necklace. This was the first time she had ever removed this necklace since her mother had passed on. The female captain came to her and handed her a sword. It was heavier than the golden sword and it made her groan. She lifted the sword to the skies and the captain laughed. "I see you are really going through with this dual. I admire you for being a warrior and not a queen." She teased the young queen. She walked away smiling at Sharay who in turn asked, "What is your name?" The northerner smiled and she walked away without replying her. Tafuh came out of the tent and saw the young queen sitting by herself holding the sword in her hands. "It looks heavy, will you be able to use it?" She asked the queen. Sharay smiled and nodded her head. The drums began to beat and they knew it was time for the dual. Tafuh held the young queen's hand firmly and the other warriors joined them. They all left and went to the arena to see their queen face it off with a great warrior. The northerners were singing, dancing and cheering on their warrior. The young girls were dancing with the boys whilst the others sang and ululated. He came from the crowd and the cheering grew louder and this made Sharay nervous. He was tall, strong and he was handsome. She swallowed hard and she walked slowly into the arena to fight this great warrior. The people became silent and then one of the captains beat the drum hard to start the fight. The two faced off and the fight began. The sword was too heavy to lift and the captain kicked Sharay in the chest and she fell to the ground. She tried to lift her sword but he stepped on it and again kicked her. She rolled over to the other side and she could hear cheers from the northerners. The female captain stood there shaking her head in disappointment. Sharay grabbed her sword and she fought the warrior but she was pushed back to the ground. He hit her with his fist and she fell to the ground spitting blood. Tafuh wanted to intervene but was stopped by other northern warriors. The Agasian warriors whispered in her ear, "You have to let her do this herself so she can prove she is a warrior and a queen to them." Tafuh stepped aside and watched as her queen was being bit. Sharay crawled away from the northern warrior spitting blood and as she tried to rise he kicked her in the stomach and she lay there lifeless. People were heard screaming and cheering but she still didn't move. Tafuh kept calling her but she didn't move, the other two captains stood in fear that their brother had killed the queen. They surely didn't believe in queens but they heard rumours of this queen who lay there lifeless. Sharay was in a deep slumber when she heard her mother's voice calling her, "Sharay queen of Agasah, the great river of Agasah, the warrior of Agasa, daughter of Nadine and Harunah remember who you are." She saw Nadine's face and then heard Tafuh call out her name in panic. She began crawling from where she was to the sword. The northerners went silent and the captain noticed his opponent move. He followed her and as tried to grab her she turned over and kicked him hard. She remembered she was magic and she had all the strength she needed in herself. She grabbed that heavy sword and striked the captain's sword with hers. She ducked and fought back and she did a spin and kicked the captain in his chest. He fell to the ground and she grabbed his sword and pointed both her sword and his at him. The captain lay there in awe and Sharay could see the female captain smiling at her. The northerners cheered on the young queen and the captain stood up from the ground. The other captains came to join him and they all bowed to the ground with all of the northerners. They praised th queen of Agasah for being a warrior and one of them but before they stood they all addressed her as their queen. Sharay bowed down to the northerners with her warriors and she addressed them as one of her people. The captains rose and the female one came to Sharay and said. "The name is Natay my queen. Would you like to join us in the celebrtiions?" Sharay smiled and replied, "Yes of course but I have to do something first." She left the arena and headed towards the river. The female captain followed the queen and they walked together. Sharay took off her clothes and sat in the river. Tafuh followed with the queen's clothes and found Natay sitting by the river waiting for the queen. "She is healing now." She told the warrior. "She will make a great queen, I hope the other sister is just like her. They are different from their mother. She didn't care for anyone else but Agasah." The northern warrior told Tafuh. Tafuh saw the queen coming from the river she went and wrapped her with a cloak. She returned and replied the young warrior, "Harunah was raised in the heavens she knew only her people. The girls were raised among the southern people and learnt to interact with everyone besides their mother was just a commoner so they can relate to anyone." The captain saw the loyalty in Tafuh to the queen. She was the empress's warrior but had a deeper bond with the young queens. She could tell that Tafuh knew that Harunah only cared for her people but the young queens wanted a better world for everyone. "The veil between worlds was torn it wont be long until Amandla tries to get humans in the war." The young female captain said as they walked back to the camp. "We don't have time, Tafuh shoud return to Mount city with the warriors. I will travel with the northerners." Sharay told them. Both Tafuh and the northern warrior looked shocked at this. "You know I can't leave your site your highness." Tafuh protested. Sharay smiled at her and replied. "I have three more captains here with me. I will be safe, I need you to tell my sister that I am fine and we will be travelling to the valleys of the gods in a day's time. You will take some of the northern warriors with you." The two warriors had no idea what Sharay was upto but they didn't ask. They got to the camp and the warriors of Agasah prepared to leave with more man from the north. Tafuh would march with these man back to Mount city and she left her queen behind with the three captains and a few warriors. Sharay watched Tafuh leave, this was the first time she had been apart from both Tafuh and her sister. "Do you trust us enough to remain behind?", one of the captains asked. She smiled at him and replied, "I trust you enough to equip you with one of the most dangerous weapons the gods used in their war long before they were gods. We must leave at dawn." The captains nodded at the young queen and Natay sat next to her.