The Night Rider

Chapter 3

The watery sun lights up hundreds of houses in front of us.  It's in the late afternoon so the city is full of life.   You see the people as small as ants walking through the streets and talking to each other.  It was once unthinkable for me to sit here like this.  I was more of a hated figure than the king's girlfriend. 

I let my attention slide back to Rafiki who is silent beside me.  Her dark brown hair is moved by the wind.  Her dark blue eyes stare into the distance.  'Raf, why are you here?' The girl looks up and looks deep at me with her blue eyes.  'I wanted to feel the wind,' is her simple answer.  You may wonder why a ten-year-old girl sits on the roof for this reason, but to me it's as clear as water.

'You know you can go into the garden for that, too?'. She looks at me like I just said something completely idiotic. 'That's different' She's looking back at the city below us.  'And Mom's driving me crazy,' she continues her explanation.  No matter how crazy it is that Nuri and Rafiki are very similar in essence, their bond isn't as strong as you would think.  Nuri has changed with the birth of her first daughter, more than anyone ever thought.  Her change will not have improved the bond with her daughter, Rafiki is Nuri as she once was.

'I know your mother differently than you know her.  How stately and sweet she is now, so dark and ruthless she once was'. Rafiki looks surprised at me. 'Your mother used to be known as the black spirit of the Andes, no one saw her without meeting the death'. Rafiki's gaze is one to be expected, stunned. 'What happened to her?', a logical question.  'She wanted children'. I won't give the girl any more explanation today.

'Come on, it's been good for today.' I'm getting up slowly.  The girl leaves a single sigh and gets up.  Together we move over the high roof tiles back to the door.  We continue our way down the stairs until we are back in the long corridors of the palace.

'May I go to my room?'. Rafiki asks almost with a begging tone in her voice.  As much as I would like to say yes to her, I know it's better to take her back to her mother.  It feels unfortunate that Nuri and Rafiki don't have the bond I have with both of them.  Rafiki feels like a daughter to me, the daughter I could never have.

'No, we'll visit your worried mother first,' I share her.  Before Rafiki can protest I see Nuri walking towards us at the end of the corridor with a quick pass.  Rafiki 's attitude changes with the sight of her mother.  From the sweet innocent girl of ten she changes to shy and with a small form of aggression.

'Rafiki!  Where have you been?  You know you have to stay with your uncle when I tell you'.  Nuri comes in with a titillating serenade.  You'd expect a ten-year-old child to swoop in, Rafiki's growing up.  The girl stands up straight and raises her chin.

'I don't want to stay with Elieen and I don't always have to listen to you', the girl defends herself.  By now Nuri has stopped her way a meter away from us.  Nuri has also taken a position that will not promote the bond between mother and daughter.  I stand there and look at it, this is something I would like to interfere with, but it seems better not.

'Listen little lady, you've got to listen to me.  I'm your mother and you're the child, you do what I say'.  I would like to intervene as a mediator since I dare to predict the outcome of this.  I can't fully explain what went wrong between these two, from the beginning the bond is not great.

My eyes glide to Rafiki who kept her mouth shut above expectation.  I expect to see an angry girl but my eyes fall on something she enlarges.  The whole aura of the girl has turned into a black haze, her eyes are a dark black color and the lifelines running through her body are as deep black as her eyes.  At first glance I might recognize this as something normal, but I know that this is very different.

I stand perplexed looking at the scene until I am awakened by a scream that glides through my whole body.  It hurts my ears, a shiver glides through my body and the ground seems to shake.  'Leave me alone!' Sounds from Rafiki's mouth.  I put my hands on my ears and the candlesticks on the roof start rocking.  Not only does the sound that leaves her mouth hurt, but the intense anger that can be felt throughout the whole room also gives me goose bumps.

Again Rafiki repeats her shouted words and the candlesticks start to move harder.  If no one stops her now, the whole palace may collapse.  Because of the intense pain that runs through my lifelines I still hold out my hand to Rafiki.  I grab the girl firmly and shake her.  I look deep into her eyes and get another shiver down my spine.

The deep blue eyes I know have changed to the deadliest black.  No emotion can be seen anymore, it's like looking into the eyes of death.  I've seen this once in my whole life.  It brings out the most painful memories in me, years full of death and fear.  This little girl of ten who feels like my own child wears the Ravelium curse, the curse of death.