The Betrayal
(Episode 24)
Hayakharet swung around. However, before her warriors could do anything, spears ran through them, and they crashed to the ground beside her. I looked at the direction the arrows came from, and my heart ran to my mouth when I saw warriors surrounding us—supreme commander’s army no doubt!
Hayakharet turned back to look at me. I saw disbelief written all over her face. How on earth did they find us? She must have been wondering. We didn’t have to wait for long to find the answer. The fierce-looking warriors parted, and Headward—the big-headed general—came forward.
Holy God in Heaven! One of Hayakharet’s trusted generals just betrayed us. I had always known that idiot was up to no good the moment I first saw his big head. Hayakharet could not believe her eyes.
“Bind them up!” The bastard ordered in their language.
I turned back towards the bush that separated us and our freedom. The honking noise now sounded like refreshing music in my ears. It seemed like ages since I had heard or seen any semblance of the real world—our world.
* * *
Our captors bound us and led us back, leaving Ubong’s body for the vultures to feast on. After we crossed the tortuous path, they transported us back to the settlement in the cattle-driven wagon. When they dumped us into the cage, I found myself next to Michael’s bag. With my bound hands, I discreetly searched the bag for anything that might be useful in this situation. I found his pistol, and I slid it into my pocket.
When we arrived at the village, it was dark. There were burning torches everywhere. The people jubilated at our return. Apparently, Hayakramah had made the people believe that great calamity awaited them if the sacrifices were not carried out. They now saw him as the saviour but saw their rightful king as one who had betrayed the gods and his people. When our captors presented us to the supreme commander who had now pronounced himself king, he ordered that preparations for the HAYAKUNNAH began immediately. The longer they waited, the angrier Hayak would be.
The chief priest and the priests, now dressed in their full priestly regalia, were forced to conduct the ceremony against their wish. Because there was little time before the full moon, they hastily prepared us for the sacrifice. They painted our faces and drew patterns on our bodies with a white substance. After that, they led us to the Temple of Hayak. There were drummers in two rows at the front of the procession followed by ten warriors in two rows of five each carrying torches. After them was the chief priest and the priests, chanting ritual songs, while we—the sacrifices—came next. Several other warriors were behind us and at the tail of the procession were the people in their numbers singing and dancing.
The temple was built inside a cave that was far more massive than it looked from the outside. The temple was enormous and scary too. Several drawings detailing the history and victories of the Hayakites were engraved on the walls and massive sacred pillars made from stones towered intimidatingly above us. There were giant sculptures of their gods, past kings and warriors arranged in a particular pattern. The most impressive of them was the one at the middle and towered high above every other one. It carried a bow and a quiver full of arrows. No doubt that was Hayak the Great Hunter.
I turned my head in different directions, and the more I looked, the scarier I became. There was a big hole high up through which the moonlight entered into the temple and from where the full moon would be visible. There were five sacrificial slabs arranged in an arc form at the centre of the temple.
Each of us was tied to a pole erected on each slab. Laying before us, on each slab, were a dagger and a calabash meant to collect our blood and the organs harvested from us. I had an idea of how this would go because I had seen it on the drawings on the wall. The chief priest would rip our hearts from our chests while we watched and present them and our blood to Hayak the Great. Princess Hayakharet, not part of the sacrifice, was tied to one of the sacred pillars instead.
Hayakramah, the self-proclaimed king sat on the throne meant for the king. The rightful king, Hayakharet’s father, and the queen were in fetters and made to watch the ceremony as prisoners. Guards were everywhere. And the people gathered to see the most significant celebration in fifty years. The king pleaded for the life of his daughter, but the maniac only responded with a burst of sinister laughter.
The chief priest danced and chanted as if he were in a trance. As he moved his theatrics towards Lilian, I began to grind the rope around my wrists against the edge of the pole they tied me. I wasn’t going to allow these savages to feed my heart to one lifeless stone of a god. I trained my gaze on the chief priest as he picked up the dagger before Lilian.
He raised his head upwards, and the full moon became visible in the hole above. The light shone on the sacrificial slabs and illuminated the fear on everyone’s face but the determination on mine.
“Hayak has arrived to claim his sacrifices,” the chief priest announced in their language.
“HAYAKUNNAH!” he then yelled.
“HAYAKUNNAH! HAYAKUNNAH!! HAYAKUNNAH!!!” The ecstatic crowd responded.
The chief priest raised the dagger high above Lillian’s head. Lilian closed her eyes and held her breath. She did not want to see the dagger sink into her chest. The drummers beat harder until the sound reached a crescendo. The drums only added to the trepidation that hung in the air. But before the dagger could come down, an owl flew into the temple and perched on Hayak’s head. It hooted three times, and the chief priest’s hand froze in mid-air. He turned around. The crowd hooted and immediately became apprehensive.
To be continued … Watch Out for the Next Episode!
