HALF A LION Excerpt

 

THE DISTANT MUSIC gradually faded as Adah walked into the Haunted Forest overran with ancient trees. The tribesmen believed the spirits of those who died fighting the Guth Honkai lingered here, hence the name. She had come to savor these private moments, away from the gossiping of the women. There were moments she truly felt like an outsider. She did not even look like one of them. Where they bore large bosoms and firm breasts, she had a tiny frame and small buds on her chest just enough to convince everyone she was a girl. After all these years, she would still see a few tribesmen staring at her with fear and suspicion.

Her only true friend was Sakhan, her bone brother and earliest memory. Adah had little recollection prior to the night the Lions found them wandering the outskirts of the village, tired and starving. She still remembered the chief pale with sickness. At six, Adah emptied her bladder when she saw the head of a lion staring down at her from the huge man's shoulders. It was a long time ago, but the memory was still fresh in her mind. Even though they were on the brink of exhaustion, there was no pity in the chief's eyes as the council debated, his hands lingering over a wound on his chest. If he had thrown them out, it would have meant certain death. The Lions were still agitated after their recent clash with the Abun raiders. But just when the chief was about to pronounce a verdict, a lanky boy sneaked from behind the throne and ran up to Adah.

''Who let him in here?'' the chief snapped.

Before the guards could grab the boy, he held out a small piece of meat to her. ''Are you hungry?'' Sakhan asked.

The men watched in a trance as she took the chunk of beef and shared it with her mother.

Before any of them recovered, Sakhan grabbed her arm and led her away. If the chief had truly wanted them to stay remained a secret between the chief and the skyfather.

The events of that night came back to Adah whenever her mother had her sudden fits of fever. The old woman was sick that night as well and every turn of the moon since. So Adah had to find spirit flowers for her healing tea. pa Wukhem had always allowed her in his farm to harvest some. But for some reason, the man denied this time.

Adah was still hopeful though. Her mother always said everything could be found in the Haunted Forest if one knew where to look. These woods were sacred to the Lions through the generations. There was even a popular story of how Sakhan's mother healed the chief by following a sick dog around the woods and taking note of the grasses it ate. One of them was  a spirit flower.

The grey orb was bright overhead as Adah cut through a small pine grove, itchy grasses brushing against her shin. She had a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver strapped to her hip. If beasts prowled here, they would not make a meal of her. Adah was about to clear the grove when, out of nowhere, the woods began to whisper. She halted and listened. The Haunted Forest was not a place for night-time meetings. They must be runaway lovers, she thought. Giggling, Adah quietly tip-toed toward the voices.

''And the general wants me to bring it to him?'' a familiar voice asked.

''The ancestral blade will lift the curse, he is certain. When should we expect you?'' There was no reply, only the chirping of crickets.

''I will come as soon as I can. Tell him the boy and his mother are well.''

The voices came from behind an enormous pine tree. The ancestral blade? This meeting was a deliberate secret, she realized, and a dangerous one as well. Adah backed away, trying to slip into a nearby bush when she stumbled on a half-buried root and crashed into a pile of cones. The whispering stopped and a strained silence followed her fall. Then she heard movement behind  the  tree. Adah quickly stood up and sprinted into the darkness.

The tall grasses whipped and lashed at her, the moaning of the wind in her ears. She leaped and ran, stumbled and staggered, pine needles and cones pressing underfoot. Before long, Adah cleared the pine grove and was racing into the thicker woods. She heard the pounding of hooves gaining on her. Adah tried to remember the direction of old Charchar's cabin but her mind was blank. All it said was run. She sprinted blindly now and tripped over a fallen sapling, tumbling onto her chest just as something zoomed past inches from her head. Her face scrubbed the forest floor and pain blazed in her head.

The bow had jolted from her grasp, and when Adah struggled to her knees again, three horses encircled her, their riders cutting dark silhouettes in the moonlight. For a moment, she caressed her sprained wrist, moaning. None of the riders made to move. The drummers could barely be heard now. The chase had led them further away from the palace. Adah looked up at the faces and recognized they were not Lions. What was happening?

A fourth rider trotted up to the scene. ''Kill her,'' the familiar voice commanded and a bow began to creak, picking its mark.

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