[]Chapter Nine
Fiona
(Episode 21)
Our eyes met, and I gasped.
I became riveted to a spot. The rod in my hand dropped to the ground, and my eyeballs were like they were going to fall off. Fiona flung the wrapper away and ran towards me, screaming my name. I was too dumbfounded to call her name. I stood there like a tree. By the time I realized I was not dreaming, I screamed so loud that the birds on the trees near and far scattered all over the sky.
Fiona jumped at me, and I caught her in mid-air. I swung her around in circles and hugged her affectionately. I kissed her forehead several times and wrapped my hands around her again in what looked like an everlasting hug. She cried on my chest, and I wept over her shoulder. Others expressed their emotions in different ways.
Amitabh jumped at her and wrapped his little arms around her neck. He kept smiling and calling, “Aunty Fiona … Aunty Fiona!” Michael, Ubong, and Lilian took turns to hug her. Sister Elizabeth had started crying even before she hugged her. She wrapped her big arms around her so tightly that I feared she might suffocate her. I saw unadulterated joy glowed in everyone’s eyes. Hayakharet too felt our joy because her lips extended into a benign smile.
Fiona walked back to me and hugged me once more. In each other’s armed, we closed our eyes and allowed our hearts to beat in unison. The warmth felt so good; the feeling was indescribable. I felt like remaining there for all eternity. I opened my eyes and cast a glance at Hayakharet, and there she was staring at us with malicious envy brewing in her eyes.
We remained wrapped in each other’s embrace until Lilian deliberately cleared her throat to bring us back to earth, and we let go of each other. I removed the necklace from my neck and placed it where it truly belonged. We clasped our fingers together and swung our arms to and fro as we walked to the hut.
Later, we all gathered together to have a well-deserved rest. Fiona would never leave my side. I stroked her back and felt the three arrow scars. I looked at Hayakharet and asked in wonderment, “But how?”
She explained that after our capture, she felt a strange urge to safe Fiona as she held on to the last thread of life left in her. Hayakharet believed that it must have been Hayak talking to her. So she had her taken from where she was lying and being that the Hayakites were great healers, she knew the right types of leaves to use to heal her wounds quickly. She then had her brought here where the two women nursed her to full recovery. I felt deeply indebted to the princess for what she did.
After a while, we proceeded with our journey. I carried my rod like Moses held his staff while leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The joy of having Fiona back with me made me forget all the hardships of this journey. The heat from the sun had begun to subside. When we got to a particular part of the forest, Hayakharet warned us to tread carefully.
She had hardly finished talking when I took a step, and she shouted, “Akin stop!”
I froze. But I saw nothing. Hayakharet picked a piece of wood from the ground and flung it towards me. The moment it swung past me, something snapped, and leaves began to rustle. A rupturing sound followed. Then it was as if the ground was moving towards me and suddenly, a man-length board of pointed spikes sprung out of the earth and stopped a step away from me. I almost fainted. Everyone gasped.
“Booby traps everywhere. Careful now. Follow my lead.” Hayakharet stressed.
We carefully navigated our way through until we burst out into the open. From here on, all we saw were rocks and mountains. I complained about this unfriendly route, and Hayakharet explained that we stood a better chance of not being found by the supreme commander and his army on this route than the other popular and more friendly one. She was right.
We headed up a hill. The tortuous path wound around a mountain. It was so narrow that it might be safer to walk through with one’s back pressed against the mountain. A misstep might mean falling off the cliff, and looking down was the surest way to the grave. Sister’s Elizabeth’s drama was another thing we had to contend with. Even little Amitabh displayed more guts. How could someone be this chicken-hearted with all that excess fat?
But I soon realized that she was not overreacting the moment I made a mistake to look down. It was as if something sucked out all the air in my lungs. I screamed but quickly put myself together when I thought of the effect my reaction might have on others. Amitabh was behind Michael, carefully calculating his steps. Frighteningly, Amitabh missed a step. Tiny stones rolled down the edge of the cliff. He wobbled and began to fall over the cliff…
To be continued … Watch Out for the Next Episode!
