Kadian

The Great Riot

"Let me go!" Kadian wriggled and squirmed frantically, trying to break the men's iron grips. She could hardly twist her wrists or ankles. They were getting closer and closer to Shango, leaving her with only mere minutes to escape. She fought and struggled against the villagers with all her might before going limp. Even if she did break free, she was outnumbered, and the villagers would either trample her, or snatch her up again.

She resorted to using her voice. "PUT ME DOWN!" she roared. The people ignored her cries- they were too caught up in their own fear and determination. "I swear to God I'm not a devil!"

"We pray to Onile!" Kadian heard Alaba shout, once again gaining the approval of the people.

Kadian looked to see(as best as she could in uncomfortable position) if anyone was coming to her aid. Sister only watched tearfully from The Log. Mohassen was close behind, yelling and struggling against his father.

"Stop!" he shouted. "Put her down!"

The chief had his son locked in a tight bear hug. "Mohassen!" he snapped. "Stop this bullshit at once!"

"This is bull! We don't kill innocents!" Mohassen broke free, and was immediately met with a fist to his jaw. Mohassen hit the ground and covered his head as his father continued to pound on him. The two continued on like that for a while, but Kadian quickly closed her eyes. It was not a view she wanted to take to the grave with her.

She faced back to the front and opened her eyes only to find that they were right at the tip of Shango's path. She could tell by its soil-it was pitch black with streaks of red and white, very unlike the rest of the Azurayan soil. It had an intimidating, yet subtle presence to it. Something about the soil looked as though it would swallow you whole without a care in the world. It was then that Kadian realized that what had said been about Shango was no slight possibility or ancient lore- it was nothing but the monstrous truth. If a part of her so much as even tapped a grain of the soil, capture was inevitable. No one could pull her back down or save her afterwards.

Kadian waited until the men dropped her legs to begin kicking and struggling. She managed to break free, and tried to jostle through the barricade of villagers. She pushed and ran crazily against them with all her might as they worked together to see that she did not get past. Kadian was only a few inches away from the fine border that separated Shango's ground from the village's. Any step that was even a little too far back would end her life.

A woman and her husband grabbed Kadian's arms and attempted to drag her forward. Just as her body began to tire, and she allowed a few tears to fall, a vulture swooped down and began circling the village, letting out an ear piercing screech as he did so.

The villagers immediately began to cry out and cover their ears. Kadian heard the vulture, but didn't experience any of the pain that those around her were feeling. In fact, the noise sounded muffled to her. The vulture stopped screeching and flew off into the woods, and Kadian was positive that it was the same one that she had been chasing when she first came to Azuraya.

Everyone slowly turned around, silent. When the couple released Kadian's arms, she also turned, and standing before them all with her hands on her hips was Elder Zee. The short woman's facial expression was indescribable- it was a terrifying mix of shame, disgust, and fury, with a dash of fear.

The villagers stared down at their feet as though they were little children who had just gotten reprimanded. Some looked at Kadian apologetically, while others looked bitter that she was still breathing. A few started to cry, and Kadian was one of them. She had just grasped the fact that she nearly died moments ago.

Kadian had almost died. Died. She had almost perished from the face of the earth that she had had only occupied for fifteen years. That wasn't nearly enough time for her to be able to leave any kind of mark on the world, or become a whatever she wanted to be, or to get married. And children- Kadian wasn't sure if she wanted them, but not having a choice seemed tragic. Now that she thought of it, Kadian wasn't completely sure of what she wanted at all. How was it that she had been thinking about life in the long run, without actually knowing what the long run contained? Without knowing what she should've been wanting before she even made it to that point? Perhaps it would not have meant much had she died. All of this made her tremble and cry even harder.