Empress Dosha

Chapter 9

Apologies for the late update

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"I love your sketchings, it really tells a story." Jummai complimented, admiring Dosha's drawing.

"Thank you." Dosha appreciated her.

"I want to ask. Where did you learn how to sketch?" Jummai questioned.

"Back in my village, when I was a girl. It just came as a talent. I do it to calm myself, if I am not in a good mood." She answered bringing a bowl.

"Da kyau (It is good)." Jummai said tracing the lines of the drawing.

"Me zan koya yau? (What will I learn today?)" Dosha asked.

"Poison," Jummai answered making Dosha's eyes widen. "Remedy for poison. I will teach you how to make poison and the remedy." She added, her eyes dancing in mirth as Dosha, kept the sketching away.

"Toh!" She replied nodding.

"Bring the bowl and those liquid things," Jummai ordered and she brought it. "You will have to be careful with these. Do not touch all with bare hands. And if you mistakenly touch it, I will show you how to heal it." She added.

"Toh!" Dosha repeated sitting and folding her legs.

"Erm...you know there are different kinds of poison, there are the ones that are slow killers and the fast killers. After that, you will know how to heal it. It is simple, if you focus very well, you can master it within a day." Jummai said opening a bottle.

It reeked, she held her stomach as a bile crept it's way up. She gagged suppressing it down.

Jummai laughed, "Za ki saba da shi (You will get used to it)."

"I hope so," She said quickly, closing her mouth. "Am I going to fall sick?"

"Likely." Jummai answered smirking giving her tattoo a quick look. Dosha's eyes widen. The woman was strange, sometimes creepy.

Jummai had once asked her if she was of royal blood because she saw her tattoo, the woman was experienced and knew many things. Dosha's answer was a 'no', and the woman never asked again.

She tried her best to concentrate on what she was taught and when the time came when she had to practice it, she groaned in frustration. It was either measurement of the ingredients was less or much.

"You don't start something and want the perfect it in a day, you've to keep trying," Jummai encouraged her. "To know you got it right, the mixture has to be black in colour. Remember how many months it took you to know how to cure a high fever?" She asked her. It took Dosha six months to know how to get it right. Jummai was very direct in her teachings and was very at what she did.

Dosha laughed, "I wouldn't want this to be another six months."

"Da kyau, cigaba da iyawa (Good, keep trying)." Jummai said scooping some substance for her.

They stayed there till midday till the sun was blisteringly hot. They were both famished. And Dosha needed to get going for the afternoon.

"Hajiya zan tafi (Hajiya I want to go)." She announced packing her stuffs, she was late.

"Toh! Make sure you change your clothes. They smell and they are dirty." Jummai said scrunching her nose.

Dosha smiled, "Toh! Sai anjuma." She bided her exiting the house.

She walked very fast to her house, nodding and forcefully smiling at anyone who greeted her. She didn't have time to waste.

Bursting through the house door, she headed straight to her room and searched through her box. She came across the clothes Rashid bought her two years ago. She has never worn them.