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Greedy, long-fingered hands snatch the apples out of mine. “Mmm, winter apples!” Braima, the black-striped equus exclaims, crunching into his. Suddenly, he doesn’t seem dangerous at all – more like an overgrown puppy playing at being fierce.
“Zerizards!” I gasp, excited. Another type of creature Mother told me about. They’re found only in the South, where the sun is warm and the forests are endless. I squint, trying to take in their feathery blue tails, the bright red plumage crowning their heads. “My mother loved riding them when she was young,” I say. “They’re beautiful,” Britta replies, in awe. Braima sniffs, tossing his black-striped hair. “They’re not as impressive as us, are they, Masaima?” “Certainly not,” Masaima agrees. “You’re both very beautiful too,” I soothe.
I love them
Stern golden eyes are peering down into mine. Recruit Keita’s. He’s my new partner.
A soft hand settles over mine. “Bloodsisters,” Britta declares when I look up, startled. She grins. “Now and for ever, but ye already knew that, Deka.”
Their friendship is everything
I stare at his outstretched hand, confusion rising. No man has ever offered me his before, as if we were equals, but that’s exactly what Keita’s doing.
Finally, he composes himself, turns back to me. “I’m sorry, Deka,” he says. “From the bottom of my soul, I’m sorry for what was done to you, sorry for what was done to all of you. I know it doesn’t make a difference, but I just want to say it, so you know how I feel.”
His eyes seem to glow as he glances sideways at me. “Am I your friend, Deka?” “Do you want to be?” I say this part so softly, I don’t think he hears it. But then he whispers in my ear, his breath stirring the short mop of curly hair above it. “I think I’m something much better. I’m your uruni, now until the day of our deaths.” It’s the nicest thing I’ve heard in a long time.
“Well, I’ve always known you were odd,” she says by way of explanation. I decide not to ask any further questions.
Keita, meanwhile, moves his horse closer to mine, the other uruni swiftly mimicking him so they’re a barrier between the crowd and us. “I would never have imagined it,” he says with a laugh. “Our little Deka, finally showing her teeth.” “Keep twittering on like that, and they’ll sink right into you,” I humph.
The physical body – it heals. The scars fade. But the memories are for ever. Even when you forget, they remain inside, taunting you, resurfacing when you least expect.”
He points to the glistening portion of the lake, where the alaki are now gathering, their uruni by their side. They are partners, after all. And Keita and I… Well, Keita and I are something else altogether. Something that almost feels like…sweethearts.
“Not our problem you don’t know about delicate bits,” says Asha, grinning at him. “That would be because I’m an Oyomo-fearing man,” Acalan sniffs. “You mean an Oyomo-fearing virgin.” Belcalis laughs, elbowing him.
My anger builds as I realize how thoroughly my mind has been poisoned that I would be shocked to see women in these positions.
Once, long ago, I wondered what it was to be loved so deeply, I could take that devotion to the Afterlands and back. Now, I have my answer, and it is sweeter than anything I have ever known.
