6 Yisithupa

After dinner, Junaid called me and mine to his office. Riley brushed my shoulder with her own as she walked ahead of us. Melissa raised an eyebrow at me. I released a frustrated sigh and walked on.

"So, he's the king?" Sam finally asked.

"Why do you think I keep calling his daughter 'princess'?" I asked incredulously.

"Figured you were making a jab," he said with a shrug.

"Trust me I have a few choice nicknames for her. None of them nearly so flattering," I quipped under my breath.

"You know I can hear you right?" Riley interjected, sass present as always in her voice.

"You know its bad manners to spy on others' conversation," Melissa countered. Sam and I shared an impressed look. I took the moment to loop my arm around her waist and pull her towards myself. Riley glared at us before turning on her heels and marching towards her father's office.

He paused for a fraction of breath before he asked: "Why do you call him chief and not King then?"

"Kings don't last long around here," I said shortly, clenching my jaw.

We all managed to squeeze into the Chief's office. Riley easily claimed the remaining beside the mammoth of a desk.

Melissa was reprimanding her brother for touching shit he didn't understand. He only rolled his eyes and continued to fiddle with the artefacts of the shelf near the office's window.

"That one of there can double the size of your … weapon," Riley said with a laugh hidden in her voice as she carelessly directed Sam towards a Rhino statue on the third shelf. It was almost comical how quickly Sam grabbed at the carving. Melissa huffed and returned to my side. She nearly reached me before she came across a very conveniently placed statue.

"What's this one?" she asked. She turned the tall ash wood carving in her hand and traced the etched symbols with the tip of her finger. I smiled and carefully took the statue from her hand. I ran the pad over my thumb over the etchings in the double-sided axe. I remembered the first time I tried to forge a similar weapon. It took me a week, but it was a poor foil to the majesty of the axe of Shango.

"It's my father's," I managed to get out before my grief caught in my throat. With a shaky breath, I returned the idol to its former place on the Chief's table. I felt Riley's eyes on me but instead, I intertwined my fingers with Melissa and kissed her forehead. She was looking at me with pity, but I chose to ignore her and focus on the warmth of her skin.

"Good! You are all here," Junaid said as he entered his office.

I reached towards Sam with my free hand and captured his attention. He quickly ironed out his spine as soon as he saw the King.

"Your grace," he blurted out. Junaid looked at me quizzically, but I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. Ghosts were strange.

"Now, that everyone is at peace in my home I would like to officially welcome you to the Mpande pride and say thank, Melissa and Samuel, for saving my daughter's life," he walked over to them and touched each other their shoulders. Lissa shuffled closer to me and I brushed my thumb over her knuckles delicately to comfort her. She was always safe by my side – that was a statement I would give my life to prove true.

"While you are here, I will ensure that you are well fed and that you can rest in peace. In fact, I have selected the finest rooms for you both to sleep in while you stay here. Zizwe usekhaya (make yourself at home)!" he spoke with a bright smile.

"Ntombazane, show them to their rooms. Lalani kahle! (good night)," he said, wishing them well for the night.

Once we were alone, he turned his attention towards me. I looked into his slightly glossy eyes and recognised the soft-hearted man who raised me. He engulfed me with an inferno hug. My brother used to joke that he hugged us the way the sun swallows its favourite planets.

"Ngiyakukhumbula," he said in an emotional voice. I could hear the slight tremble in his voice.

"I missed you too, tata," I said finally relaxing into his arms. Junaid was a cedar tree trunk with more storied than leaves.

"I am happy that you are the one that the ancestors chose to protect our little Riles," he said in a fluffy voice.

"She's not a little girl anymore, tata," I said with a little edge. He chuckled lightly and pulled away.

"She will always be my baby girl. Just like you," he said cradling my face in his huge palm. I savoured the warmth. It ended and his face was suddenly sullen and stone.

"You have to protect her, Nik," he urged.

"I will. I always have," I promised. He shook his head.

"This is different than when you were little girls sneaking onto patrols. This time you need to protect her from people who want to hurt her and our pride." The gravitas of the situation was slowly setting in.

"They're back, aren't they?" I said was a hollow voice.

"Yes, my girl. They are back," he admitted. I could hear the fear in his voice, and I couldn't blame him. The last time demons walked on Africa, even the ancestors shed tears of grief. They already stole my parents from me. I wouldn't let them take anyone else.

"Don't worry. I'm not a child anymore. This time I will burn all those who threaten us where they stand," I said with conviction. I words felt more like a prayer than a statement as I spoke them. Perhaps it was. If I was going to protect Knysna from fiends and soulless men, I would need all of the blessings of the Orisha and their descendants as well.

There was a moment of ease between us as I moved to leave.

"Sleep well, tata," I said softly, giving the chief a loving hug.

"Ulale kahle, ntombi yami," he said in his usual soothing voice, kissing my head softly.

I walked away from him, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. The void that had built over the last seven years felt slightly less empty. Before I could leave his office, the chief stopped me once more.

"Nikola, I don't get pleasure from saying this to you, but those ghosts are your burden to bear. If they step out of line, I will be the one to reunite them with their ancestors. Am I understood, ntombi yami?" he spoke calmly.

I knew that this was not an empty threat. Junaid Mpande did not make empty threats. Melissa and Samuel were my first priority. I needed to ensure they stayed in line if I was going to ensure their safety.