Beasts of Prey (Beasts of Prey #1)

by Ayana Gray

“Nightmares hunt like beasts of prey, vanquished in the light of day.”

“It is an allegory. Those beasts of prey represent our worldly troubles,” Brother Ugo explained. “Often, we run from painful things and hope that they will tire of chasing us. But in truth, avoiding our troubles simply gives them more sustenance, allowing them to eventually consume us whole. Only when we cast light on them and acknowledge them can they truly be vanquished, allowing our spirits to be free.”

“Destiny is not a single path, but many, Ekon. Some are as straight as an arrow, others twist and tangle like thread. Our duty is not to question them but to follow them.”

“A wise man keeps his weapons sharp, but his mind sharper.”

“Maybe there’s a beauty in the scars,” she said. “Because they’re a reminder of what’s been faced, and what’s been survived.”

“Like the word splendor, it comes from the old tongues we gods gave to mankind. Its meaning is simple: bridge.”

“The splendor is a spiritual energy similar to the air you breathe—it is constant, pervasive, vital to all living things. As a daraja, your body is uniquely equipped to draw it from the earth itself and redirect it. In doing so, you act as a physical conduit between the mundane and the divine.”

“They’re two letters: S and A. Together, they look like sanda.” “The S could be for Satao, that was Master Nkrumah’s first name,” said Ekon. “But I don’t know who the A is.” “Adiah.” They both looked up. Badwa was standing across the campsite, watching them. “The A stands for Adiah.”

Ohhh Satao is Tao...Adiah's best friend. How am I just putting two and two together?! *face palm*

“You should never apologize for being who you are,” he murmurs. “Or make yourself small so that others feel big.”

“There’s something I want to show you,” he says with a small smile. “Tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?” For a moment, I’m pulled from the reverie of him, genuinely curious. “But the Bonding is tomorrow—”

Wait...is Dakari really Fedu?

“I know I have asked a great deal of you, Kamau,” Father Olufemi murmured softly. “I know that, at times, my orders have been challenging. But it will all be over soon. Once the Shetani is dead, you and your brothers will not have to kill anyone else.”

Wow! So it's not Fedu...the god of death?! Or is the Father being used by Fedu like Adiah was? Hmmm...

Ekon shuddered. There was no other monster, there never had been.

“There’s something I still don’t understand,” she said. “Why would Father Olufemi do this, Ekon? What does he have to—?” They stilled, coming to the same understanding at once. They said the name at the same time. “Fedu.” “Badwa said whatever was really killing Lkossans would come from him,” said Ekon. “What if he’s already here, controlling Father Olufemi?”

“I wasn’t with my baba when he died,” he said. “By the time the Sons had found him and brought him back to our home, he was long gone. The coroner believed he’d been dead for hours, that there was no chance he could have been saved.” He held his mentor’s gaze. “So how did you see the light leave my father’s eyes?” Brother Ugo frowned. “I—” “And a second ago, you called the Shetani a she,” Ekon continued, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Why would you do that?”

“You killed my father.” He could barely speak the words. “You killed Master Nkrumah.” “Yes.” Brother Ugo bowed. “I did.” “I—I don’t understand,” Ekon stammered. “I thought the Kuhani—” “The Kuhani?” Brother Ugo actually stopped pacing to give Ekon a considering look. “You thought Father Olufemi would be clever enough to orchestrate such things? You thought he could compel warriors to kill their own for nearly a century undetected?” He shook his head ruefully. “You overestimate him, Ekon.”

“Where is the real Brother Ugo? What have you done with him?” The old man’s expression was almost pitying. “You stupid boy.Brother Ugo never existed.”

Oh dang! Didn't see that coming!

All his life, he’d been taught the same things. Men didn’t cry. Warriors didn’t cry. He’d wanted to be a warrior, believed that the title and rank would give him something he wanted, needed. Emotion had been a thing to bury without remorse because that was how to show strength. So, he’d buried his pain. He’d spent years burying anything that made him uncomfortable, upset, or nervous, and he’d run from his own nightmares until they’d hunted him down like beasts of prey.

While I did at one point consider using a “conlang” (a constructed language) for Beasts of Prey, I ultimately decided that to do so was a form of Othering. Growing up, I saw many languages from the European continent used in fantasy, but never saw any languages based from the African continent, and I wanted to change that.

Much appreciated! Respect.

Lastly, the lore of the Shetani—which means “demon” in Swahili—was partially inspired by a real occurrence that took place in Kenya between March and December of 1898. As it happened, for several months, two brother lions systematically stalked and brutally killed construction workers who were trying to build the Kenya-Uganda Railway that was meant to bring the two countries together. Lions in the Tsavo area weren’t an unusual occurrence, but the behavior of these particular lions was what made them strange (male lions usually don’t hunt, and they certainly don’t hunt together). At one point, the killings became so bad that the railroad was in danger of not being finished. Eventually, the brother lions—nicknamed “The Ghost” and “The Darkness”—were hunted down and killed, but the mystery of why they started hunting humans remains unsolved more than a century later.