Two: Salvation

Libertas

Sa'na screamed from the pain.

"Shut up jor!" Ejiro hissed as he pounded into her. Her anus burned as his penis ripped her apart. "You no ge even tank your luck say I no go for the main tin. An your yansh I dey hit, you still dey complain." He grunted as she cried. The air in the small room grew musty with the smell of sweat, fear and exhilaration. Her cries and pleas for help went unheeded and after a while of slaps and punches and shouts for her to be quiet, she reduced to whimpering.

Sa'na grabbed the amulet she had. It was a gift from her nana. A woman she never knew. A woman she wished she'd known. She desperately wished she could find her. All she wanted to do was throttle the woman till she choked and died. Again. Why would anyone bring a child into the world only to leave them alone? Why was she born and allowed to live? She could easily have been tossed into the Oyo. Drowning at infancy sounded like a better fate than what she had now.

Tears running down her face, her mind shut itself out from the present. She went back to when she had actually enjoyed life a little. She had lived with Habiba. An old woman. And an outcast like her. Old Habi was considered a witch but the city folk and had been forced into reclusion back in her little house at the edge of the desert. There was a farm about three leagues from the place. That was where they got their food and help from.

There was a boy who lived on that farm with his mother. He used to be her friend. After Habi's passing, the Kaavi came and took over the house and forced her out. The small hut was torn down and all of Habi's things were burned. She had only managed to save a few items from the wreckage. Including the amulet on her neck. It was a beautiful work of silver with a red ruby carved in the form of a dragon. Or Phoenix. She had no idea exactly. It had some ancient runes inscribed around it all done in the most exquisite calligraphy. The chain was a gorgeous bronze and caught the light magnificently. But her favorite part of the amulet, was the diamonds used to represent the eyes of the dragon. They were beautiful and when she looked closely, sometimes, she was sure she saw fire flickering in them.

Around the dragon, in a circle of some sort, were symbols. Seven in number. Habiba said they stood for the seven gods of their world, and their elements. From the symbols, were single lines, running into the dragon in front and back, to the single large symbol at the back.

It looked like the symbol for Aetheros, the Great God-King, who in the beginning, was forged from the Aer, the great well from which all things draw existence. She loved those times. She'd sit by the small fire place and listen to Habiba as she spun her tales of a time long ago.

A time of light and darkness...

Of magic and wonder...

Of gods and demons and the magnificent beasts and palaces they rode and owned...

Of heroes and valiant deeds...

Of wars of great import.

And while still young and unknowing of the truth of life, she had believed.

Well those days were gone and this was now. She had grown up and realized that there was nothing beautiful about this world. It was all about getting all you could get, and scramming as fat as your feet can go. Oh yes she missed those days. But those days were gone.

Habiba had taught her about wonder and magic and light and beauty. And for that, she was grateful.

But life had taught her about disappointment and hopelessness and darkness and ugliness. And for that, she was hateful.

"Dear child. Life would not be easy for you as it has been while we were together. The people out there, den no like us."

The voice of a friend long forgotten, whispered softly into her ears. Her mind zeroed I'm on that memory, seizing it....

"Why? What did we do?" the little child asked, confusion in her pretty browns.

The old woman chuckled. She raised a weak hand and pet the child softly on the head. "Mi cal, it's not what you did. It's what you are that is the problem."

"What I am?"

"Yes."

"What am I?"

Habiba raised herself weakly and the child rushed around her in alarm.

"Nana! Don't stress yourself. I go help you. I dey here na! Your body neva strong yet!" Hahbiba chuckled at the reprimand.

"No vex abeg."

"Is alright. Just tell me wetin you want and I go do am. Shey you dey hear me so?"

Habiba chuckled which lead to another spasm of coughing fits. The girl brought the small cup halfway full of water, sitting on a small stool table beside the bed, to the old woman's lips.

"Sorry. Is okay. Oya drink eh? Is okay." Habiba drank while the little girl ran her small hand over her head. After a few sips, Habiba lay back down and the girl returned the cup to the small table. The room was silent for a while as neither female spoke. All that could be heard was the light wheezing sound coming from the dying woman on the bed. Finally, she spoke.

"Do you remember that thing you did once, that made me so angry?" Habiba asked the girl. The girl scrunched her face up cutely Asia's she wracked her brain for what exactly her nana was talking about. She was always doing things that made Habiba mad. Finally, after a few moment, she gave up.

"Which one?" she asked. Habiba suppressed the chuckle that was on its way out, opting instead, for a smile.

"Oh you precious little thing," she whispered softly. "I'm talking of that thing you did with that raven," she clarified for the child. The little girl's eyes brightened.

"Oh. You mean when I healed it's broken wing?"

The old woman nodded.

"Oh. What about it?"

Habiba's smile turned rueful. "Now is not the time to know such things. But the day is coming when you will understand. Till that time comes, abeg, listen wella, no try anything like that oh." She pointed at the amulet and said, "One day, something go happen. Something unusual, wey go change your life. When that day come, hold this amulet tight for hand and—" A coughing fit seized her and she spasmed. The child panicked asking all sorts of questions. Eventually, she calmed down and got her wheezing under some control.

"You no need to continue nana!" the child said fervently wishing she could just kiss nana's pain away. But Habiba had told her to never do that again.

"I do. I no get time again. If only I bin do as den tell me. All this wahala no for dey."

"What are you talking about?"

"Listen, when the day I was talking about comes, hold this amulet tightly. Like your life depends on it, and say,

Vu Aeth,

I Resh

Mi gaheem vella bios.

Jo Jaru,

Gorken mi drvenen blautch.

Vo Aese,

Mi blava sin'blane.

Sho Zhe'ru,

Mi slact'rr corshgi veili.

Jo Shinar,

Mi sala baurndr vella'han

Vo A'in

Mi jhen drumhardst prostra

Sho Nyra,

Mi scoldks vlig'th jard'mo.

Jo Salis,

Mi enterva valum bernights..

{From Aeth,

To Res,

The twinborn is life.

By Jaru,

My blade shall burn hot like prime fire.

With Aese,

My body moves like divine seas.

From Zhe'ru,

My mind speaks aloud with the majesty of thunder.

By Shinar,

My spirit sings like heavenly wind

With A'in

My voice quakes like the mountains of Aethereus.

From Nyra,

My soul blanks like celestial underlight.

By Salis,

My whole enlightens the Cosmic expanse.}

The words washed over the girl as she repeated them and somehow, seemed to implant themselves into her memory. She pondered on the words for a while as she held on to the old woman's weakening grip.

"What happens when I say the words nana?" she asked puzzled.

Habiba smiled. Already she could see Salis standing at the foot of her bed, one godly hand on the child's head. Her golden eyes had tears in them as she waited for her sister to come home. Habiba sent her sister a warm smile. Salis nodded in reply. Her eyes carried a message.

It was time.

Habiba turned to face the child and noticed the poor thing was crying. She had been calling out to her for a while.

"Mi cal," Habiba called out weakly. "Forgive me. But I must leave you soon."

The girl was puzzled. "Leave? To where? But you're sick! Can't it wait?" Habiba shook her head.

"No mi cal. Remember those words. If you forget all I've said, don't forget them. When the right day comes, say them."

"What happens when I say them?"

Habiba patted the space beside her and the child sat up beside her. The old woman gathered the young child into her arms and kissed her hair.

She whispered, "Salvation."

Sa'na heard a soft sigh and looked up. The old woman was asleep. She decided to go to sleep too in her nana's arms.

When she woke up the next morning, Habiba wasn't breathing.