BEAUTY IN EXILE

||CHAPTER 6

Gitahi swallowed once and again. The magnitude of her authoritative voice was high enough to send self-proclaimed brave men back to their dens. She was a literal picture of raw power. And as much as he hated to admit it, it scared him a little. The fact that she was also a witch scared him more. However, his little fancy about her didn't waver. It was still there and continued to grow by the second.

"Did she just do that?" he asked a stunned Ndegwa.

"You are asking as if you didn't see it," he stuttered.

Truth be told, at that exact moment, he started envisioning a future with her. Mayhap it was a ludicrous thing to do considering he was an enemy she could eliminate any time she felt like. But that didn't stop him from entertaining his little fantasies. He even thought of how they would both fight their common enemy side by side. Though he doubted that she needed any help. She was powerful enough and if he forced his way with her, she would be forced to think faster.

"You can come out now," she called to them.

Gitahi snapped back and both stumbled on each other as they struggled to stand. Squatting had made their legs numbs. She dragged the man with two arrows into the pitfall trap. After emerging from the thicket, they took it upon themselves to help her with the other messenger. As they did so, she collected the tails and attached them to the arrow she didn't use. Once done, she placed them back in the quiver and handed it back to Gitahi along with the bow. He smiled as he took it. His smile was an antidote to her lonely heart. She didn't like it one bit. Or maybe that was what she was trying to convince herself.

"That was extraordinary," Ndegwa complimented looking at the dead men in the pit.

Wangui assumed him and walked away to gather dry leaves and branches which she then used to cover the pit to the brim. Gitahi was contemplating as he watched her handle the task. With every move she made, she felt his eyes on her. It thrilled and nagged her. Though she couldn't admit it yet. Ndegwa decided to help to fasten it.

"So, who are these women you're looking for?" she asked them once they were done. Ndegwa shoved his elbow at Gitahi. The latter choked on his saliva.

"You better not lie or I'll get angry," she added as they started walking.

"We were going to look for a witch. Her name was initially Mwende Musangi," he responded. Her steps faltered. They were looking for her dead mother. She stopped and turned to look at them. "We thought she was the one who saved the village but we learnt that she wasn't. Another woman along with Njeri did. And we suppose that the woman--" she interrupted them. She was so good at it.

"--is me. You're right. I'm her daughter, Wangui. Please, be quick to tell me why you're looking for me," she urged.

"Do you know where Njeri is?" Ndegwa asked in excitement.

"Be patient!" she ordered. He snapped shut and followed. "You," she pointed at Gitahi. "Keep going."

"We wanted to know who you were. Why you protected the village that decreed your family's doom and what your plans with it were," he told her.

She smiled wickedly. They were clever to figure that she didn't do it as a charitable act.

"I protected what is mine. You do not let what is yours be savaged on by vultures. Instead, you salvage it. As for my plans, you should have figured that out by now," she said.

"You want to take it all back," he answered the question that he had little doubt on.

"That's right. I want to take everything back that belonged to my family. It would be my brother's right now but his best friend, the son of the chief who ruled us out is on line to sit on the stool. Not going to let that happen," she said with a more cautionary tone.

Gitahi was moved by her words. They sounded threatening. He looked over at Ndegwa, he too seemed a little scared. It would be foolish of him to stand in her way. Her determination on her course was so deep and strong and it looked like she was ready to strike every stupid person who stood in her way. He cleared her throat and decided to change the topic. It would be good for them and it would lighten the heavy atmosphere.

"What happened to your mother?" he asked hesitantly.

"She grew ill and died two years ago," she answered with a hitch voice.

It was the first time Gitahi felt her vulnerability. He felt sorry that her life had all been a mess just because his family decided to meddle. He felt as if he owed her and Njeru, the great brother she never met, his right to be chief.

"I'm sincerely sorry to hear that," he said solemnly.

She hated that her enemy captivated her. Every time she looked at him, she felt attracted. She couldn't help but hate herself for feeling so. He was a distraction that she didn't need. It would take her a second to deal with him but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She felt the need to keep him with her. Besides, his sincerity didn't make it any easier for her. Nor did her mother's heroic tales of a little Gitahi help in her quest of wanting to get rid of him. Feeling conflicted, she chose to ignore him and continued walking. Ndegwa was impatient. He wanted to know about Njeri but he knew if he dared to ask, Wangui would just shut him up. So he decided to ask a less specific question.

"Why are you taking us?"

"To meet my friend," she responded much to his relief. Njeri was her friend. "That's if you do not think of doing fishy things that will anger me and I'll be forced to kill you two before you meet my friend," she added in a warning tone.

"How long?" he asked.

"Days," she responded.

Gitahi and Ndegwa looked at each other. Instead of getting annoyed at her rude answer, they broke into a burst of hard laughter. Wangui was left with no choice but to smile. They were a good company even if she didn't like it.

They patiently followed her as they discussed her plans on the chiefdom as if she wasn't right in front of them. She let them. After all, it was not like they could do anything about it. It was official, she was going to do whatever it took to regain everything back.