The Female Warrior

part ii

The heavy raindrops were now beating on my head, obscuring my vision. My eyes tried to scan the carriage, but I could not see much. When I scooted to the left on my seat, I found a corner that was not raining. Removing the water droplets from my eyes, I saw that half of the cart was still intact.

"Amana?!"

"Roland!"

She was sitting there, huddled in the other corner, her eyes wide with shock and fright.

"Are you ok?!"

She nodded, looking about the broken carriage that we were in. Her eyes suddenly widened, before she yelled out loud.

"Bakari!"

She ran out into the rainy night, and I jumped out too. The rain was heavy, and it was next to impossible to see what was a few feet away. I called out for her, and I got no reply. That made me worry more about the whole situation. We were in the middle of nowhere with a broken carriage and now I couldn't find Amana.

I walked to the front of the carriage, where the horse was no longer attached and the front was entirely damaged. My heart found peace again when I saw Amana, but that peace was quickly taken when I saw her closing her mouth with her hand.

"What's wrong, Amana?!"

She just shook her head, looking at the destroyed part of the carriage. I went to her side and looked at the carriage. My eyes widened at the sight that was in front of me.

Was that a.........a hand? But what was-

"Bakari......"

I quickly shifted my gaze to Amana who was shaking as a reed. I took her in my arms and hugged her to me. Her shaking became more violent, and I knew that she was crying now. She had lost a member of her tribe, of course she would be in pain at the loss.

I pulled her with me to the carriage, and made her get inside first. After we had sat in there for a while, I decided to talk, since Amana was just sitting still where she was.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at me, sorrow etched on her features. I went to sit next to her, to be the pillar of comfort she needed at the moment. I draped a hand over her, and pulled her towards me.

"Do you remember when I told you that things happen for a reason?"

She nodded after a few seconds.

"Then, I want you to know that what is happening now is for a reason. I know that Bakari is dead, but know that he is finally rested."

Silence reigned in the carriage, then it was finally her voice that was heard.

"But why did he have to die in such a cruel way?"

I looked around us, seeing the destroyed carriage, rain pouring in, and also the idea that a dead body was a couple of feet outside kept on playing in my mind.

"Life is never fair, Amana. Good people suffer, yet the bad people live a good life. Innocent people can die while the guilty ones live a long life. That's just how it is."

She rested her head on my shoulder and didn't say anything. I chose to be silent too, because I really did not have anything to say.

I did not know how sleep came to me, but I was shocked to find myself opening my eyes to the sun's rays. Wiping the sleep out of my eyes, I realized that Amana was not there. I quickly stood up and ran out of the carriage.

I felt relief when I saw her taking up a bag from the back part of the carriage, slinging it on her back. She was no longer wearing what she had on yesterday, but had a black warriors' attire instead. Her hair was covered up in a head wrap that matched the attire, giving her this exotic look I'd never seen on her before.

"Good morning, Amana."

She quickly turned to look at me, her hand already on her weapon. I quickly raised my hands in front of me towards her, trying to calm her nerves.

"Woah there, girl! It's me...."

A small smile crept on her face that also made me smile at her. Shaking her head slightly, she said that she was just nervous.

"What's wrong, Amana?"

She took my bag and tossed it at me. If I had been caught unawares, the bag would've hit me square in the face.

"We have to start moving whilst there's still time. The rains will return again tonight, of which we need to find shelter before then. Hopefully, we can get to a cave that's ahead of us. Let's go."

Just as she was about to pass me, I held onto her hand and pulled her to me. Shocked brown black eyes looked at me, and I couldn't help but smirk at her response to my touch.

"I need to change. My clothes are still wet."

She blinked for a couple of seconds, not taking her gaze off of mine, before she looked down to the ground and nodded her head.

"I'll be back soon."

I gave her hand a squeeze and let it go. I walked a little bit further away from the carriage, where I saw disturbed land that was at least six feet long. I wondered why it was there.

Taking off the top shirt, I suddenly stopped when I realized why the sand was like this; Bakari had been buried there.

I let out a sigh and wore the dry clothes. I got to her and we began our long walk to the other tribe. We were quiet most of the time, and I was grateful for the silence because I really needed time to think about what I was to do after this.

I very much wanted to go with Amana back to my home, but I feared that if I did tell her of my intentions, she wouldn't want to go. I also thought of the whole 'becoming the viscount' thing. I had had a heated discussion with father before I left home, and we had ended it by me walking out on him and going straight to the ship.

I loved exploring, but I had to think of my future children's life. Would I have to constantly travel with them and keep them in danger? I wanted them to have a good life, like the one I had growing up.

I looked ahead of me to see Amana was a few feet ahead, so I had to run a little to catch up.

"I see that you're a slow poke when it comes to walking."

I shook my head and laughed softly. She was trying to tease me.

"I had a lot of thinking to do. I kinda got sidetracked a little. Don't worry, I can keep up."

She turned and gave me a sly smile before she looked ahead and broke into a sprint.

"Amana! That was not fair and you know it!!"

She laughed, but continued on running. She suddenly took a turn and I couldn't see her anymore.

"Amana!?"

I began to run now, so that I could catch up with her. After running for a few seconds, I stopped and looked around. The road stretched ahead, but there was no one in sight.

Suddenly, I couldn't stop the smirk from playing on my lips. She was playing a game with me.....hide and seek?

"Amaaanaaa......when I find you, I will-"

There was a sudden rustle behind me. The smirk turned into a full on grin. It seemed like I had a playful cat in my life. I quickly turned to see her, but was shocked to see a middle-aged black man holding a big stick in his hand. Before I could do anything, a sudden pain exploded in my head, and I lost consciousness.

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