The night sky was alight with fire.
Flames devoured the thatched roofs of the small village, turning homes into crumbling husks of smoke and embers. The scent of burning wood and blood mixed with the cries of the dying, a haunting melody of ruin. Metal clashed, screams echoed, and the once peaceful night was torn apart by the brutality of war.
Njuwa had been asleep when it began.
He awoke to the screams first—his mother's, sharp and desperate. Then came the shouts of men, the clash of steel, and the heavy thudding of boots against the dirt paths outside. Confusion gripped him, sleep's haze still lingering as he sat up on the straw mat he shared with his little sister, Jua.
She was only five, still curled up beside him, her breathing slow and peaceful despite the chaos outside.
Then their door burst open.
"Njuwa! Jua! Hide!" Their mother's voice was urgent, her face drenched in sweat and terror. She rushed to them, pulling Jua into her arms while grabbing Njuwa's hand. The small hut trembled as heavy footsteps approached outside. The warriors of the village were fighting, but their screams were fewer now. The raiders were winning.
"Mother, what's happening?" Njuwa asked, his voice shaking.
Her grip on his wrist tightened. "There's no time. Run to the storage hut and hide in the grain sacks. Don't make a sound. No matter what happens, stay hidden!"
The thatched walls of their hut exploded inward as a massive figure crashed through, the force of his entrance sending wooden beams flying. Njuwa barely had time to register the monstrous warrior standing there, covered in steel-plated armor, his helmet adorned with the skull of a beast. His eyes gleamed like those of a predator.
Their mother screamed and lunged at him with a knife, but the man swatted her aside with brutal ease. She hit the ground hard, coughing up blood.
"Mother!" Njuwa cried out, but she turned to him with desperate eyes.
"Run!"
The warrior reached for them.
Jua sobbed as their mother pushed her toward Njuwa. He grabbed her hand and ran, stumbling over the broken wood and debris as they bolted into the night. The village was a battlefield—warriors in simple leather armor lay lifeless on the ground, their blood soaking the dirt.
The raiders were everywhere, their dark armor gleaming under the firelight. Some were on horseback, running down the fleeing villagers, while others dragged women and children from their homes, throwing them into wooden cages on wheeled carts.
Njuwa's heart pounded. He had to find the storage hut.
His feet carried him forward, his mind blank with fear. But Jua's sobbing pulled him back to reality. He turned, lifting her into his arms, forcing himself to run faster.
The storage hut was close—just beyond the elder's house. But as they neared it, a shadow loomed before them.
A tall, gaunt man in dark robes stepped into their path, his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes, cold and calculating, studied them with a chilling detachment.
"A boy and a girl," he mused, his voice smooth, almost amused. "Healthy, strong… they'll fetch a fine price."
Njuwa turned to run in the other direction, but the man moved impossibly fast, appearing behind them in the blink of an eye.
Jua screamed as a heavy hand gripped Njuwa's shoulder, fingers digging into his flesh like iron.
"Let us go!" he shouted, struggling against the grip.
The man ignored him. "Quiet, boy. Your fate has already been decided."
A sharp pain blossomed at the back of Njuwa's head. His vision blurred, the world spinning into darkness.
The last thing he heard was Jua's terrified cries before everything faded.
---
Njuwa awoke to the rhythmic creaking of wooden wheels.
His head ached, the dull throb pulsing behind his eyes. The ground beneath him was rough wood, and when he tried to move, his limbs were stiff, heavy. Chains clinked around his wrists.
The realization struck him like a blade to the gut.
He had been captured.
He forced his eyes open. The night sky stretched above him, stars barely visible beyond the thick smoke that still hung in the air. Around him, other villagers sat in the same cart, their faces hollow with despair. Women, children, a few injured warriors—all bound in chains.
Jua.
Panic surged through him as he turned, frantically searching. Then he saw her, huddled near the front of the cart, her tiny form trembling.
"Jua!" he called, but his throat was raw, his voice barely above a whisper.
She turned, her wide, tear-streaked eyes locking onto his. "Njuwa!" she sobbed, trying to crawl toward him, but the chains kept her from moving far.
He clenched his fists. He had failed to protect her.
Beyond the cart, the raiders rode alongside them, their dark armor gleaming under the cold light of dawn. Some laughed, others counted coins, and a few glanced back at their captives with cruel amusement.
Njuwa turned his gaze to the road ahead. A fortress loomed in the distance, its towering stone walls a prison waiting to swallow them whole.
He didn't know what awaited them beyond those gates, but one thing was clear—his life, as he had known it, was over.
But even as fear tightened around his chest, another emotion burned in his heart.
Hatred.
One day, he swore, he would break free from these chains.
One day, he would make them pay.