A Small Measure of Vengeance

Odmudo was bitter. He hadn't found Asha in any of the villages he had been ransacking all the way from Aku. Something told him she was being hidden in Aku village. If only he had found his way in, he would drag the little wench to Maribah by her hair after he must have killed whoever was protecting.

"We must head back to Aku Village and find a way to get in this time. That little senseless girl is being protected in there. After we check on the men we stationed at the forest, then we must find a way into Aku. Let's go!" He ordered. His anger enveloping him as he mounted on the horse. His mission had been a futile one. The king of Maribah would not be happy with him. Out of anger, he spanked his horse to get it to move faster as they headed back to Aku village.

"What is this? Who did this?" Odmudo quivered with fury when he got to Aku forest to see his men lying on the floor dead. He knew what it meant. Whoever was traveling with Asha was a great killer and he didn't know who it was.

"Hmmph! They've bitten off more than they can chew. For this, I'll hunt them down and claim their heads!"

"Look at the tracks, Odmudo! They must have fled this way. What if they're heading back to Maribah?"

"Shut it! I didn't ask for your opinion. Obviously, I know those tracks are theirs. Who else would butcher my men like this if not my enemies? Enough is enough! Let's find them!"

With his massive frame pulsating with rage, Odmudo leaped back onto his horse, tracking Elim and Asha's footsteps to catch them as swiftly as possible.

————

There was a nagging feeling urging him to return to the rich man's house, even though it seemed unlikely the man could offer any assistance. They had spent a day in the unfamiliar village waiting for him to recover, but now it was time to head back to Maribah. He wrestled with the decision of either heading straight to Maribah or detouring to visit the rich man again, to discuss once more the plan to find allies in Maribah.

However, his thoughts were immediately diverted when he laid eyes on Asha, dressed in a new robe. He could tell she had just bathed. Water dripped from her fine down her ebony skin and he wished he was that very tiny droplet of water with the freedom to touch every part of her body. She looked beautiful, innocent, while he was a fugitive, a killer. What kind of future could they possibly have together?

"Stay focused, Elim! You must," he scolded himself. He tried to refocus, but as Asha approached him, memories of their conversation from the previous night flooded back. She had listened attentively to his story, staying close to him. For the first time, he had felt a sense of freedom after sharing his tale with her. Now, more than ever, they needed to return home. Maybe there would be some hope for a great future for the two of them after that. 

"I'm ready to leave, and I'm sure you are too. Shall we head back to Maribah? Maybe we can hide by the river while we try to contact my family."

"No, not Maribah yet. I have a contact, the rich man who was banished by the king. Something tells me he might have a solution to our problem. I need to speak to him again."

As he rose to retrieve his bag and secure his sword, Asha moved toward the bed, and they nearly collided.

"I'm sorry, I..." Asha apologized as Elim steadied her from falling.

"You don't need to..." His words trailed off, and suddenly his gaze shifted to her lips. He wanted to kiss her, but the memory of Nse doing the same pierced his heart, and he released her.

"We need to hurry and leave! Our enemies could be on their way as we speak. Cover your face. We don't want anyone recognizing us!" He instructed.

Asha nodded, feeling a twinge of disappointment that he hadn't kissed her. She sensed it had something to do with what he had witnessed between her and Nse. Maybe she should explain herself to him. She began to turn towards him to speak, but he was already at the door.

"Come, we must leave now and quietly," he urged.

She nodded and followed his lead. Her heart felt both heavy, knowing that Elim no longer felt the same way about her, and yet she was excited at the idea of soon reuniting with her family.

Quietly, they departed from the town and hastened towards the village where the rich man lived. At the same time, Nemere and her protector were also making their way into the village.

"The queen didn't give me specific instructions on how to find this man. She simply said he would recognize us as being from Maribah and come to us! We need to find a place to relax and wait," Nemere remarked to her companion as they arrived at the bustling village. They entered the same inn where Asha and Elim were seated, unaware that they were all in the same location.

——-

"Where are you headed?" Zeep asked.

"You startled me," Nena whispered, her heart pounding. For a moment, she had thought it was someone else who had caught her sneaking off to check the river for any sign of Nemere.

"Don't tell me this is nothing. I am your sister, and you must let me in," Zeep insisted, sensing Nena was doing something secretive from the look on her face.

"Come with me. We can't let anyone see us," Nena urged hurriedly as she pulled Zeep along into the early morning. Unbeknownst to them, Soma was watching from afar.

"Something is going on. Those sisters are plotting something, and I must find out quickly. Who knows they might be plotting their escape?" Soma thought to herself as she quickly sought out one of her maids to spy on Zeep and Nena and report back to her.

"I promised not to tell, but it seems I might have to now," Nena whispered as she made her way to the riverbanks, scanning for any sign of Nemere and Asha. It had been three days already, and Nemere was expected to return either that day or the next. That was why she had been hurrying out when Zeep caught up with her.

"Tell me already. I am your sister. Don't hide whatever it is from me. The last time we spoke, you were so confident that our family would soon find peace. Why were you so hopeful? Who gave you that confidence?" Zeep pressed.

"The queen! Come closer," Nena drew her sister in as she whispered into her ear about their plan to reunite with Asha and Elim.

"You mean the same man who tried to kill the king is the Queen's forgotten son... the same man who rescued Asha? This is all so strange!" Zeep exclaimed a little too loudly before Nena hushed her. Even though it was early in the morning, someone might still be within earshot. Someone... Nena immediately caught sight of movement behind the bushes.

"So you understand the importance of keeping this mission a secret until we take the king and his sons by surprise," Nena continued, casting cautious glances towards the bush.

"And the queen sanctioned this? This isn't some trap, Nena?"

"She didn't just sanction it. She's the mastermind behind all of this. She's endured more than you have, being married to the king!" Nena explained, her eyes still scanning their surroundings while Zeep remained unaware of the unfolding events.

"If this is true... if we can truly take our vengeance on the king, that means I don't have to suffer anymore..." 

"Zeep, There's someone watching us. Don't move so she wouldn't know we've seen her. If we're discovered, everything will be ruined, and we might be killed by the king," Nena cut in abruptly upon noticing a servant's head peeking out from behind a bush.

"We must do everything possible to ensure this plan succeeds. For our family! For Asha and for Maribah!" Nena declared with determination.

"So, what do we do about the spy?"

"Catch her, of course, and stop her!" Nena exclaimed. With the words still on her lips, she dashed towards the servant, who was taken by surprise to see both sisters running towards her with speed. The servant attempted to flee to report her findings to Soma, but she had barely run a short distance before Nena pounced on her, and they both fell to the ground. Zeep caught hold of her legs while Nena covered her mouth.

"Who sent you?" Nena demanded.

"I know who sent her. It's Soma's personal maid. What do we do now? If we let her go, she'll spoil everything," Zeep remarked.

Nena's eyes locked with the girl's, who struggled to break free. She was Soma's spy, and she would ruin their plans. But violence wasn't in their nature. Could they truly accomplish this mission? Doubts began to cloud Nena's mind.

"Don't worry yourself Nena.I know what we'll do. I won't let what happened to Asha happen to us. If we release her, she'll be our downfall. We must tie her up and leave her in the house at the other end of the river. Once our mission is complete, we can then set her free," Zeep proposed.

"But what about..." Nena began.

"We'll bring her food, and Soma will never know her whereabouts. We must do this for our family. And I promise to keep this mission a secret," Zeep said 

Nena nodded in agreement with Zeep's suggestion, and together they dragged the girl to the edge of the cliff. When the girl attempted to scream, Zeep silenced her with a harsh slap.

"You won't be the reason I remain imprisoned in that marriage. I don't understand why you serve Soma, who treats you so poorly!" Zeep scolded.

After tying the servant up, they concealed her in the abandoned house on the opposite side of the river. Nena felt uneasy about their actions, but she knew releasing the girl would jeopardize their safety. Zeep, however, felt triumphant—it was a victory for her.

"Soon, Nemere will arrive with Asha, and together we'll find a way for the Queen's son to enter the kingdom and deal with the king!" Nena declared.

Zeep smiled at the idea of victory and that hope made it easy for her to endure whatever the prince would do to her until help came. 

"Here," Nena handed a container of liquid to Zeep.

"What you asked for. A potion from the queen. It won't kill Mayo, but it will make his night a troubling one, just like the king's days have been since the queen began giving him this!" Nena explained.

"You mean that was the queen's doing?" Zeep inquired.

"Yes! And everyone thinks it has to do with the food. Even the healer believes so, but it is the queen's potion," Nena confirmed.

"Thank you, Nena," Zeep hugged her sister. "You don't know what burden this will take off me tonight. I can't wait to see Mayo's stomach grumble while he farts uncontrollably," she laughed, and Nena couldn't help but smile at her sister's joy. Zeep had suffered too much, but this was only a small measure of revenge against Prince Mayo.

They walked away happily, ready to face their difficult circumstances with the hope that it would all be over soon.