In the dark of night, bare feet splattered into potholes as they ran across them. It was raining torrents and thunder rumbled after lightning struck somewhere far away sparing his sight with a flash of light that only lasted a fraction of a second. It wasn't enough, he still could barely make out his way but he just had to keep going and not waste time on caution. He was running for dear life after all, his dear brother's life.
He slammed into wooden doors and shoved them open, rendering the locks and bolts broken. Every step of his left puddles of water in its wake as he hurried to the bed that looked to contain a figure sprawled in peaceful slumber.
He let out a sigh, Hali was only asleep. The letter and his suspicions had all been false. No harm was looming over his brother and certainly no danger was on his life.
Relieved and stunned by his sporadic actions and baseless paranoia, he turned quietly, careful not to disturb Hali's sleep and walked to the bursted doors. But just as he reached the thresholds, something stopped him and he could feel it tugging at his tunic as well as his heart. It only released him when he brought himself to a stop and walked back to his brother's bed.
"Halidu?" he gently nudged Hali's shoulder wanting to wake him up.
"Halidu!" gentle nudges had transformed to violent shakes and whispers amplified into screams but Hali remained unmoving until finally, Hali's head slumped over to reveal an almost dry, white residue of something that looked to have bubbled out from his mouth.
"Halidu!" thunder rumbled but this time from the depth of the roar that came out of his lips and lightning struck but this time it shot through the veins that squeezed at his heart as he was startled to a jolt and his brain shocked his whole body to arise in cold sweat.
It was only a dream.
A nightmare of the past rather, Muhammad Ala corrected his thoughts as he propped himself up unto the headboard of his bed and tried to steady the uneven breaths caused by the waves of spasm that had overtaken him.
A headache was hacking his brain into pieces and neither his throbbing back nor parched throat were of help. He stretched his hand and reached for the jug of water on the cupboard. He gulped down half of its contents in no time and poured the remaining on his face wishing for it to calm his quaking nerves.
But nothing could.
It was in moments like this that he realised joining with the Foulah wasn't a risk of much magnitude, living like this was a much more greater risk. Even if he would end up suffering the same fate as his brother, it was better that he stake his life on a stick courageously instead of living in royal comfort and cowering before his father. He had done that for far too long now.
Kallam had ruled his life and dominated him for the whole of his life. What he would do once he figures his own son, his Muhammad was behind the siege -- when Abu inevitably carries it out -- Ala would done anything to witness. He wanted to see what other names the King would curse at him instead of his ususal "worthless" or "disgrace". He wanted to see how he would react knowing, even if it had been with stealth and betrayal, that same son had had the heart to battle his own father and overthrow his own kingdom.
But perhaps he couldn't. Perhaps he won't be able to do it once he was face to face with his father which was what made the Foulah's plan perfect. To prevent any second thoughts, any change in priorities and emotions that could sway them from their purpose, a swap in position was proposed. Ala would take Razf while Abu would take Indarari.
"Simple" Madu had exclaimed in light of his eureka moment.
"But Sire, I see not how that is remotely possible." Ala countered.
He knew Abu was thinking the same thing but he did not voice it. For Abu could never oppose Madu's words. He could never even attempt to step out of line for he owed it to him for this acceptance he had gotten.
"Our nations are sworn enemies, we will end up losing our lives before even..."
"Fear unites people young Prince," Madu cuts Ala off in his usual condescending manner. "Use their fear against them. They fear we might attack them and they fear we might win. You two are not so dimwitted that I'll have to explain further, are you?"
And it was sealed, for the two Princes had caught on to their Generals orders and so connived their next step.
Besides his life, Ala understood clearly what was hanging in the balance. His status would fall to that of a commoner. His future as King of Indarari would be nonexistent. He would be a traitor to his people. His family would loath him. What hung in the balance was everything.
Except Dije. No way was he letting her be married off to that loon of a shaman and barbaric boxer under Kallam's rule for some absurd purpose of making spawns of spirits. But no way was he letting her be taken off and exiled to Gobir under the Foulah rule either.
She was the only thing he could not sacrifice for she was even more of a victim than he was, she had lost Hali more than he had lost him. She had witnessed the death of her twin and sufferered from it more than him.
What he knew he would leave her with was a Tuareg's promise and that was the most powerful shield he could possibly provide her. Abubakar would not fail him, that he was ready to bet his everything on.
The view from beyond his window provided him with a peek of the faint wisps of light that had started to crawl up from the horizon. He got up from his bed and stretched his eager muscles in preparation. That was his cue. Razf awaits to fall.
~•*•~
Glorious.
Dije thought, she could have described this day as glorious for the sun was in its highest point of the day, basking its light upon her, the wind was whistling melodiously past her and the crowd of masses around her all seemed merrily indulged in their businesses.
But there was nothing glorious about her mother forcing her out of the palace's gates and into the fair grounds. Dubu had claimed she could not take it any longer, she would not watch her daughter turn herself into a hermit for a tragedy that couldn't be changed. It was gone over, Dije must learn to live past it.
"Mistress," Kulu stopped before a stall much to Dije's chafe but the merchants delight. "Aren't these beautiful?" she picked up a pair of purple velvet gloves.
"They are but what am I to do with them?" Dije answered disinterested and walked away from the stall. Her guards walked ahead of her clearing the Princess a path amidst the crowds of people.
"These are enchanting!" Kulu exclaimed making Dije stop in her tracks and turn towards her. She held a string of sea corals in her hands.
"But Kulu what am I to do with them?" Dije sighed.
"Adorn them on your waist of course." the attendant stated smugly.
"Well I don't want to." and again, Dije walked off. She had no intention of purchasing anything. There were no items she had interest in after all.
It took only a few steps ahead before Kulu stopped again and this time was so excited that she pulled her Mistress's arm towards the cause.
"Talking birds!" she exclaimed with her hand pointing at the tens of creatures in their cages.
"Oh yes yes mistresses these here them be talking birds." the merchant chirped excitedly as if he were a bird himself. He spoke in broken Hausa and had a heavy accent on his tongue.
Their accent wasn't identical but the fact that the merchant did have an accent reminded Dije of a certain no one.
The stall contained an assortment of different species of birds but the merchant motioned them towards those that had caught Kulu's eyes, -- or rather ears -- the parrots.
"These here have been bringing them from there across the oceans, from down there the forests too. These here them be talking birds, I teach them talk in my tongue and I teach them talk in your tongue too."
Dije had yet to have her fill of watching all the creatures trapped in their cages. They were of a rainbow of colours, they were of different sizes but most looked bigger than her head.
"You look this one here," the man placed a parrot on his forearm and presented it to a fearful Dije. "Oh no no mistress, no scared, them not bite you."
Dije slowly loosened her apprehension and leaned closer to inspect the bird. It's body transitioned over three colours. The head was a bright red while the middle, a vibrant yellow and finally its lower parts dropped to a striking blue. It was beautiful and what made it more so were the bits of words being chirped out from its beak.
"Kallo, kallo kallo" the bird said, Dije's long stare on him had made him chirp out the word watch.
"This here name is Fadyl. He my finest parrot and best for you mistresses. He not cost much, he only five hundred."
"Five hundred sounds like a swindle if you ask me." Kulu said, ruining the merchants antique at gaining a handsome profit from who he could visually tell was royalty.
"Mistress five hundred is good price but for you, I make it four hundred." the merchant offered.
"Two hundred and fifty cowries." Kulu placed a pouch before him, she rode a harder bargain than he. "Take it or leave it."
"Mistresses we no do this, Fadyl best bird, he best parrot I train only for you I ready take three hundred and fifty for him but Fadyl more..."
Dije zoned out of the rest of the senseless haggling. She had no idea why Kulu always insisted on bargaining since she knew there was nothing within these grounds that she couldn't afford. Dije let her eyes continue roaming through the stall and her feet followed for she soon found herself inside, where the multitudes of cages had thinned until there was only one.
A gray bird stood within the confines of the cage. Its beady eyes raised up to her face and Dije saw it looked to be a parrot too but she noticed just as quickly the flap of his right wing that had a tiny cloth wrapped around it and unlike Fadyl, it held no colour except the bit of red in his rare that coated his tail.
"No mistress that there name is Waz, he no good Fadyl better bird for you. Waz wing break he no fly but Fadyl fly very up." the merchant said having noticed Dije's staring and stance by the cage.
"How much for it?" Dije asked lost in her own thoughts, she had paid no heed to his earlier words.
"For Waz only one hundred but I tell you he no good Fadyl better, I agree give you Fadyl three hundred only." He continued to insist but Dije's mind was already made.
"Kulu give him five hundred and take Waz." Dije ordered.
At first glance, she had felt a strange connection to the creature. It's broken wings seemed to have mirrored her broken soul and it's pallidity, her lacklustre life. It had the wind under its wings, the sky above its head but still, it could not soar as it was it's nature just the same way as she had the blood coursing through her veins and air in her lungs but still she could not live as it was in her nature.
The man's face had lit up with joy. Of course he was more than happy with such a transaction, luck had smiled down upon him today. He was to be rid of a worthless merchandise and still be given five hundred cowries for it.
"Thank you mistresses. I thank you." he said once Waz was in Kulu's hands and the five hundred cowries were in his own hands.
"Thank you!" he continued in shouts as they walked away back towards the palace.