Chapter 46: Jimi II

(Many years ago)

"Listen to me People of The Kongo!" A man said commanding a large group of warriors. "Today is the ritual of the ascendant!"

"YEhhhh!!!"

100 men in an pit gathered all around heeding his words. He stood on a higher plane above, looking down at them. Behind the massive group of warriors screaming and shouting, a crowd of thousands watched as the ritual for there next chief began.

"Today we will find out who is the rightful heir to this artefact!" The man said raising a golden set of chains. They sparkled in the sunlight as he rotated them for all to see. "Our Cheif Luqueni has passed! Which one of you will take his place!"

"Me!" "No it is me!" "No me!!"

The voices of the warriors crowded the air as the chieftain signaled for them to calm down.

"All of you are of worthy blood! The question is which one of you is the strongest! Today, whoever can bring back the biggest lion head will become the next chief! Go now! And let the creator bless you!"

"Yehhhhh!" The man yelled running into the African jungle.

As all of the men ran away a single man was left standing in the pit.

"Mbokani! Why do you wait? Is it not true you wanted to fight for this prize!" The man said.

"Mwene! You loved my brother! But you always hated me! I know this is nothing more than a trap! You have tried 28 times to kill me but your assassins' failed!" Jimi said.

"Mbokani what is it that you speak of?" The man said with an evil smile. "I know nothing of assassins'! And I love you like I loved your brother! Now go and make us proud." He said smiling.

"You are a pig who should have never been made advisor! Thank god you are not of my brothers blood or our people will be doomed! Mark my words! When I become chieftain I will regain our peoples dignity and end all slave trading with the Europeans! How can we sell our own people!"

"Very well, if that is your wish you may command it..."Mwene said scratching his chin. "That is if you become cheiftan," Mwene said

"Mwene!" Jimi said running into the jungle.

"You can do it Mbokani!" A woman cried.

Jimi stopped looking back at the woman.

She was a beautiful African woman with skin as rich as chocolate, and curves like waves on the ocean.

"Fatima! My love, I will bring you this lion body and all, and you can wear its fur for all to see!"

"Win and I will marry you! I will finally become yours!" She yelled.

"You will be mine" Jimi said. "Because I never lose battle!"

With just a spear in his hand Jimi ran into the planes searching for a lion.

"Yusaeid!"(Help!) A voice yelled in the distance.

Making his way towards a large rock formation, he saw a young boy being attacked by a lion. The lion was a huge monster nearly twice his size, resembling more of a bear than a cat.

"Get back!" Jimi said lunging at the lion with his spear.

The lion let out a ear piercing groan as Jimi's spear went into its side.

The little boy broke free running away. "Thank you!" He cried.

Kimi came face to face with the beast flipping his bloody spear in his hand.

"Your big, but my brother was even bigger!" Jimi yelled attacking the beast.

Lunging his spear at the beast again, he aimed for the heart. The beast bit down on his spear breaking it into two pieces as Jimi fell back and regrouped.

"Your strong," Jimi said amazed. "But my brother was stronger!"

Running at the beast once more, he dodged its razor sharp claws seemingly instinctively and forced it back.

Roar!

The lion strode forward, trying for a bite at Jimi. Jumping over its head, Jimi positioned himself on top of the lion strangling it from behind with the broken spear.

The lion roared again trying to shake Jimi off with all its might, but it couldn't escape Jimis grasp.

Taking the sharp end of the spear, Jimi jabbed it into the lions throat.

The lion now bleeding from its neck made a last ditch effort to get Jimi off, throwing itself onto the ground. As the lion flipped Jimi around to the front of its neck it swiped at Jimi with its razor sharp claws.

"Ya rab!"(damn) Jimi cried trying to contain his pain as blood ran down his chest. He wrestled with the lion jabbing his spear further into its throat.

After a few moments of struggling the lion finally died.

"Yes!" Jimi cried lifting up the lions head. "I have won!"

"Have you won?" A voice called out from behind him.

Behind him all 100 warriors drew there weapons readyto fight.

"What is this?" He asked.

"You have committed a sin against the advisor! You who wants to change our ways should not become vhief!" The man yelled.

"So all 100 of you are going to fight me?" Jimi asked.

"Ya Haraam"(I'm sorry) The man said. "But this is our way!"

"Hehe HAhahaha!" Mwene laughed back at the village. "By now Mbokani must be dead! We will never change our ways! We cannot afford war with the white man!"

"What... what is this?" Someone in the crowd said.

Walking alone, with the head of a giant lion, Jimi approached the pit.

"Mbokani!" the woman from earlier cried out to him.

"Impossible!"

Walking into the center of the pit, Jimi threw the lions head in front of the chieftain.

"I am now your chieftain" Jimi said. "Give me my birthright!" He declared.

The thousands of people clapped and danced as Jimi approached Mwene.

"Mbokani! Mbokani! Mbokani" They cried

"No... there's no way... How! He must have cheated!" The chief cried "He's the only one who returned! He must have done something!" He said. "Where is the little boy from earlier who shamelessly gave up! Bring him here!"

The little boy Jimi saved approached Mwene shaking as he made his way.

"Tell them he poisoned the warriors and stole the lion head, or I will kill you and your family!" Mwene whispered to the boy.

"Mbokani was a cheater! He poisoned the warriors and stole the Lion head!"

"No that's a lie! Its a lie I tell you!" Jimi said

"EAR! EAR! EAR!"(Shame) The people chanted as a set of warriors apprehended him.

"Mbokani!" Mwene yelled. "For your punishment! I will sell you to the Europeans tomorrow! And as for Fatima. He said seizing the woman who called out to Jimi. She will become my wife!"

"No!" Jimi called out to her. "Fatima!"

(present day)

"Woah! That's an insane story! How the hell did you get the artefact back?" Marlin asked.

A tear came to Jimi's eye, but somehow he forced it back into his eye.

"That was all Fatima..."

( The next day after the ritual.)

"A pleasure doing business with you," Bishop Clay said tipping his hat off to Mwene. Stepping onto the ship he did a roll call of all the slaves before departure."

Jimi was shackled to a dozen other men naked awaiting his name to be called when Bishop Clay stopped.

"Who is this?" Bishop clay asked looking at a woman who was bound in golden chains.

"She has chains of gold? And she is absolutely gorgeous! But she is not on the roster?" He said scratching his head.

"Heh maybe its a special present from the king? Something for the long Journey" The soldier said raising his eyebrows.

"Heh, I don't care either way! Lets take off before he changes his mid!" Clay said

"I love you Mbokani!" She mouthed to Jimi.

"I love you too" He mouthed back.

(Present day)

"She became a slave... to be with you?" Marlin said. "That's.. amazing."

"Even worse, she became the concubine of that disgusting man Bishop Clay!" Jimi said becoming resentful.

"What happened to her after that?" Marlin asked.

"That's enough" Jimi said.

"You can't just leave me with-"

"I said That's enough!" Jimi said raising a fist to Marlins cheek. "That's why I don't like talking to you westerners! Everything is a spectacle to you guys! Well let me tell you this! My life isn't a play! What about yours? Your asking all these questions and you haven't told me anything about your life! What's your story!" Jimi screamed at Marlin.

"My story isn't worth telling" Marlin said shaking his head.

"I'll be the one to decide that!" Jimi said.

"Oh really?" Marlin said.

"Yes, really" Jimi said.

"Fine..." Marlin said. "But don't say I didn't warn you."