It is passed eight markets days now and yet the fate of the Ptolemaic Kingdom is still indecisive. People can no longer go ahead with their normal market day life since the start of the coup. Carthage is always filled with people from far and near kingdoms in the exchange of goods and other human activities in earning a livelihood. The boarders are closed which denies entry to anyone who travels from either from their respective kingdoms or town, with intentions of having their goods sold to other people. This has taken a deep cut in the economic progress of the kingdom as well as the rest of the towns and kingdoms that surrounds it. This is beginning to create space for unemployment and starvation in the other kingdoms. Ptolemaic is not occupied yet by the Punt soldiers, but yet they are not able to sell their products since no one could have entry access into the kingdom, talk less of getting to the market centre for their usual business deals.
The people who stands to be affected greatly by this situation is the Mapungubwe people, since they are under the control of the punt army, as well as their properties forcibly taken away from them. The boarders are under serious and strict guidance since it is feared that the enemy might sneak his way in which will eventually assist them in taking over the kingdom. Knowing so well of the consequences that will befall them, the king had no option but take this excruciating decision for the safety of his people and the throne.
The captives in Azurethra have gone through excruciating pain of torture yet they refused to let out the name of the traitor assisting them in this sudden and unworthy coup. They were finally taken to Carthage to face the king, and to say to him all that they have said to her. The captives were taken to Carthage by some soldiers chosen by Amanirenas, and Hakeemi was made to escort them. Their torture continued even on their way to Carthage, and they will surely go through more torture on their arrival to the king's palace. The commitment and devotion of the soldiers is something one would not want to tame with, if only you don't want to face the punishment of the king.
As they arrived at the palace, the king ordered they should be given some food and water to refurbish them before they are brought back to him. The order of the king was executed with no excuse. They were then taken to the palace by Hakeemi and some of the warriors. The soldiers of Ptolemaic seem not to be threatened since their arms have been seized by Amanirenas in Azurethra right after their capture. They matched them straight to the king and made them to kneel before him, assigning to them that no one will be able to take over the throne nor the kingdom nor its people. That will surely not be made easy or possible for them so far as Masinissa Linette Duah still rules.
As they were made to kneel to pay their homage to the king, they were immediately recognized by Emissary Boateng, as he stands still beside the king, looking like an innocent human who has nothing to do with anything that has been happening. The captives then recognized him upon locking eye contact with him. As he pretends not to know them, they understood the message and decided to keep their distance and glance away from him. The king confined in Emissary Boateng to command them to speak, as he was eager to know the main reason for their coup. Emissary Boateng then starts to shout at them as the king has commanded him to. As he interrogates them, the guards were also ordered to punish them whenever they refuse to talk or answer to any questions posed to them by the king. The torture continued as they almost said everything they know about the coup, and the last thing they could not speak about was revealing the identity of the traitor, who was standing right next to the king. By doing so, they uphold the other end of their deal by respecting the orders of the king in Punt. Their reward was that even if they will be tortured to death, the secret identity of the traitor should be kept hidden, for their families will be rewarded handsomely. And if they are to come out of it successfully and win the war, then their positions will be upgraded. After a long and thorough interrogation before the king, they were then taken to the prison in the kingdom and were made to suffer until they agree on revealing the identity of the traitor.
Things are beginning to get a little bit dangerous for Emissary Boateng, as they are taking quiet a time to arrive at Carthage, after all information is given to them on how to attack and take down the soldiers at the boarders. Time is running out for him, as he stands the risk of getting exposed since he knows the kind of torture they will be made to go through just to get them talking again. He is even plotting to get them eliminated in the prison so as to keep their mouth forever shut. His plot to killing them came as the result of the arrested warriors of their enemy warning him of what they will say to the people if they are not treated kindly and fed well. As he knows that it does not lie in his powers to determine how they are treated, it began to create a space of worries for him and he cannot stand to lose his chances, as he is almost close to achieving all that he has promised and sworn to his dead mother. And also, the only way to keep them mute is taking their lives, and this can easily be done through the food they will be given by the prison guards.
The visit of Emissary Boateng to the prison is beginning to get more frequent, as it has begun raising some questions amongst the prison guards. As they are all aware of his position, it is obligated upon them not to question his visit, nor do they have any right to say to the rest of the people of his visit to the prison. As this continued, they begun suspecting whether or not Emissary Boateng know them. And whenever he visits, the prisoners are fed with best of foods and treatment from him and the guards could not say anything regarding it.
Emissary Boateng is blessed with a boy and a girl and plans on taking them out of Ptolemaic. As he tried and planned to take them out, that was the moment the king ordered that no one should leave the town nor the kingdom, neither should anyone have entry, in other to secure the wellbeing and the safety of the kingdom as a whole. It has since become his greatest problem if the Punt soldiers do not get access to the kingdom.
Emissary Boateng have been the one attending to the meals of the prisoners since he knows what his intentions are. He either get rid of them as soon as possible or stand the chance of getting exposed even before his goals are achieved. He continued this same routine till the prisoners felt ill and finally died of food poisoning.
The time has come for the captives to appear before the king and make to speak, but to the surprise of the king and the cabinet, they were announced dead, and that will take back the king and his cabinet since the only people who could have helped in revealing the traitor are dead. The news hit the king so hard that he did not know what to do but rather go have a look for himself to be sure of the news he was given. Emissary Boateng, who is standing right next to the king, plays the innocent role and he claims not to have anything or have any knowledge about their death. The prison guards tried to explain to the king, but he will not listen to their excuses, since he has charged them of negligence. They will have to face some punishment by the king, and yet Emissary Boateng will not step in and say anything in their defense.
The king has decided to deal with the guards later as they are not the priority at the moment. Their worries and unrest continues as they have no idea as to when the next attack will happen, as the Punt army are getting much closer and stronger in their approach to the kingdom. Emissary Boateng is still given the mandate to decide on the next plan of attack to take in preparing for their untimely arrival, and that is buying him more time since its going in his favour. It will be the shock of their lives to finally get to know who the traitor was and how much they have entrusted the safety of the kingdom in his hands.