The revenge of Sinai

Chapter 05 - The next village

Chapter 05: The Next Village

The sun was at its highest point when we arrived in the village. The day was already halfway over. I felt more uneasy as we drew closer. It appears that a tragic event has taken place in this village. Ash and burned debris are flying our way. Maybe a fire broke out. However, there were numerous freshly dug graves near the village's entrance.

Adama noticed the graves and asked, "What happened here?"

"I'm not sure; let's find out,"

We dismounted the horse when we reached the village's entrance and started walking while holding their bridle. The village was deserted; some of the huts had been partially burned and others had been reduced to ashes. The streets were deserted, and the trees bore the marks of arrows and blood. All the indicators suggested that they had been attacked.

Two men suddenly appeared in front of us and yelled, "Stop now!" They had spears pointed at us.

I explained, "We come in peace, we are from Amhara, and we were sent here to bring the bride's wedding attire,"

The two men apologized and put their weapon down. "We mistook you for a bandit,"

"What happened here?" Adama ask

"Follow us," one of the men said.

We followed them to the heart of the village, where all of the villagers, or what remained of them, were gathered. Twenty people at most were still present.

"Chief, these folks came from the village of Amhara; they were sent here to bring your late daughter's wedding clothes,"

The elderly man on a tree truck said, "I'm afraid it won't be needed anymore,"

"What happened here?" I inquired and peered around, but all that was left of the village were ashes. Both the adults and the kids appeared to be traumatized and exhausted.

"A group of bandits attacked us two nights ago. They appear out of nowhere and destroy our village. Without hesitation, they killed men, women, and children. Some of us were kidnapped, mostly children and women," The elderly man clarified

Because of what we had just heard, Adama and I were both speechless. "What will you do now?"

He continued, "Would you have come a day later? You would have found no one,"

"We're leaving for Abyssinia's great city; there we'll be protected, and you should do the same before they come... and they will,"

"Who are those men?" asked Adama.

"They are the most dangerous and brutal bandits we've ever seen. My daughter was sexually assaulted and had her throat cut in front of her soon-to-be husband. They kidnapped a newborn and murdered him in front of his mother. They idolize the goddess of death and have no fear." He clarified, "They called themsleves the Moti Yemyamet'a,"

"The death bringer," I said.

It was old Mansa who first told me about these men. He told me what those men had done to the city where he once lived. They are well-known for being the worst of humanity on the east side of the country. They have attacked kingdoms, destroyed cities and villages, and have no fear other than the god they serve, the goddess of death Iku.

It will only be a matter of time before they come to us. We must return home and warn the villagers. Even though I despise the village, I care about the people and do not want to see it destroyed. My village shouldn't suffer the same fate as this one, in my opinion.

I told them, "We must return home and alert our village; thank you for everything, and travel safely to Abyssinia,"

"May the Gods and the Ancestors protect you until you reach your destination," added Adama.

We mounted our horses and set off on our journey to the village. The further we traveled from the village, the more worried I became. We should have asked more questions, such as how many there were, when they attacked, and where they went afterward. We didn't have enough time to go back to the village and ask for more details, but I wanted to. We had to move quickly to get home before dawn.

Adama questioned, "Do you believe we can defeat them?"

There was no way we were going to survive this attack, according to what old Mansa told me. There is no chance that we could repel their attacks; stronger cities and villages barely escaped their assaults. I didn't want to frighten Adama any more than she already was, so I decided to first discuss it with Old Mansa.

"I really have no idea," I lied. "The sun will set soon, so let's head home quickly," I added.

***

Our village was only a few kilometers away, but because the horses were exhausted, we had to slow down. The veil would soon be lifted for a short period of time as the darkness closed in on us. We each had something to protect us from the evil spirits thanks to Fatim.

"The horses are agitated," notice Adama's "Shh" she tried to calm her horse by caressing him.

While all I could see around us was darkness, I had a feeling that somewhere there might be danger. Someone or something is observing us. The horses were becoming more agitated, and I could tell that whatever was keeping an eye on us was about to attack.

"Adama," I commanded, "Ride as fast as you can,"

I immediately heard a cheetah's sound after saying those words. I started to ride faster after spotting his eyes twinkle behind a particular tree. Everything happened in a matter of seconds. The cheetah was approaching us, outpacing our horses in speed.

"Adama!" I yelled, "Grab my horse and don't stop!" I ordered her.

"What?"

I drew my sword and faced the cheetah as I spun around. Now that I was face to face with the wild animal. As the horse galloped, I attempted to balance myself by crouching on my feet. It was difficult, but I was able to do it.

"Sina! "What are you doing?" yelled Adama.

"Just trust me, go!"

I awaited the cheetah's approach before leaping on it while still holding my sword.The animal had rolled over and was now on top of me. Her paw was on my left shoulder, and my sword was wedged between his teeth. The animal was stronger than me; my right hand was bleeding from holding the sword. I had to do something now, or I was going to die here. I forced the sword deeper into the animal's mouth with all the remaining strength. As I started to cut through and the animal began to bleed, the cheetah stepped away from me. I had enough time to get away before it came back to attack me. I waited for the cheetah's next attack. I had to move at the perfect time for my plan to succeed. My right eye was covered in blood, and my heart was thumping out of my chest. My hand was still bleeding, and my shoulder hurts. I needed to stay alive, at least long enough for Adama to get safely home and warn our villagers.

I stood in the position the old man taught me. One knee was bent, and the other one was straight. dominant hand on top of the sword and the other one beneath. Once the target arrives, move your feet until you make a semicircle, then strike with all of your strength.

I did everything as I was taught; the cheetah's body fell as my sword pierced through his body and cut him in half.

"This sword is made of the best steel in the whole land," I said to myself.

Once I turned around to be on my way, I felt a sharpening pain on my chest. My vision was blurry, and all of a sudden I felt weak. All I remembered was seeing a horse come my way before my eyes closed and darkness took over my body.