Diurnal had stopped the airship and there was a smile on Daniel’s face. Daniel had told me his real name but for some reason, Daniel stuck.

“Sisekhaya, Mprofeti. – We are home, Prophet.” Diurnal said with a smile, looking at the mountains that lay before us.

Daniel smacked Diurnal on the back of his head playfully with his staff. “Ndiyayibona loo Diurnal. Enkosi. – I see that Diurnal. Thank you.” Daniel said, walking up the row between the seats and raising his staff towards the mountains.

The mountains began to move! The ground began to rumble and even the skies were being shaken by the force pulling the mountains apart. I was the only one that had never seen mountains move because Diurnal was pleased and Themba was smiling! The more time I spent with these people, the more I witnessed some extraordinary events.

“Le nto ayigugi. – This thing never gets old.” Themba smiled, again!

“Ukholo luya kuhlala lushukumisa iintaba, uThemba. Ungalibali ukuba uTamari – Faith would always move mountains, Themba. Don’t forget that Tamari.”  Daniel smiled at me for the first time since we boarded the airship.

As the mountains began to move, I could see land! It wasn’t just land, there was a forest far off and a waterfall that looked like it was made of diamonds and then I saw the buildings and the people! It was nothing like the view from above The Sands, this was different, it looked different. The people were not as much as I expected but it was a wonderful place.

“Welcome to the Resistance, Tamari.” Daniel said.

I didn’t have the words to describe what I was seeing so I just gave him a silent nod and Daniel laughed.

“It is the same for everyone when they come here for the first time. The moving mountains are still a shock to some people who have lived here for a while but I guess you would become used to it.” Daniel said.

“Mexelele ukuba avale umlomo okanye utya iimpukane ngesidlo sangokuhlwa. – Tell her to shut her mouth or she would be eating flies for dinner.” Themba whispered to Daniel but just loud enough for me to hear and consciously shut my mouth.

She couldn’t blame me, the view was breathtaking, it looked like something out of a magic book. We flew past a market and the people there waved at us from the ground. We saw the children playing in the streets and the mothers getting their meals ready and those that were picking up their children from school, trying to get the little ones to stay together. It was home away from home for these people because they all dressed the same as people from The Sands and they looked the same. I had even more questions.

Who were these people? How in heaven’s name did they make mountains move and how had Asani not found them out yet? My questions were burning through my mind and I wanted so badly to ask them but Daniel had promised me answers to all my questions so I had to wait. 

We came to a large clearing beside a three-floor building and Diurnal landed the airship there.

Turning to us with a smile on his face, Diurnal spoke. “Esi sisikhulu sethu sokugqibela kuhambo Iwethu! – This is our last stop on our journey!”

Tapping Diurnal on his right shoulder with his free hand. “Enkosi Diurnal – Thank you Diurnal.” Daniel said.

Diurnal gave a simple nod and opened the doors.

“After you, Nkosazana- Princess.” Daniel bowed a little, stretching his hand toward me. I took his hand and he pulled me out of my seat, walking me to the doors.

The view up close was far different from that in the air. The resistance looked like an entirely different place from The Sands. There was still the hot, scorching sun but the sand was not much. It was predominantly mountains and very few forests with a few water bodies, if anything, it looked like a different kingdom.

“It is a safe haven given to us by God. It isn’t a permanent place, we are to take shelter here and prepare ourselves to take back our kingdom when the time comes and right now, the time has come Tamari. You are the missing piece to all this!” Daniel gestured all around us.

“How can I be the missing piece to something I can’t even see?”

“Oh Tamari, you mustn’t see the bigger picture, you just have to believe that your little thread is essential to it all. Faith must never be lost Tamari, after all, you are the one that had the vision.” Daniel chuckled, running into the building in front of us. “Come on Tamari!” He laughed. He was acting like a child!

I ran after him, not wanting to get lost or stay behind with Themba as she might impale me if I ticked her off in the slightest way. The interior of the buildings spoke wonders! It looked so futuristic and there was a blue liquid running through the wall. When I looked closer, the blue liquid was rushing through every square inch of the place.

“That is what we call faith essence. It flows through everything in the resistance. Everything you see here was given to the people who started the resistance because they had faith. Faith in God. They didn’t doubt nor did they panic. They believed that if He could hide them from Asani in the mountains, then He would keep them alive till it was time to take back our kingdom. That blue liquid is proof that faith can do wonders. So Tamari, have a little bit of faith.” Daniel smiled, jumping up the stairs and leaving me to my thoughts.

I walked up the stairs, tracing a flow of faith essence on the walls with my fingers. I didn’t feel the liquid pulsing, I didn’t feel the temperature, I could only feel the hope and faith of the people that lived within these walls. I could feel the stories their hearts told but their lips did not speak. I felt the longing to take back what was rightfully theirs and at the top of the stairs, I felt it so strongly that I shed tears. I didn’t understand what I was feeling, I just knew that all of it was beyond me.

“Ufanele ukuba ngu Tamari – You must be Tamari.”  A young lady said to me, stretching her hands out towards me and breaking me from my trance. She held a smile so endearing it was hard not to trust her.

I didn’t take her hand, I just stood there, looking at her with tears in my eyes and wondering if she could feel all that I was feeling right there and then. Then she withdrew her hand, blushing with embarrassment.

“I am sorry, I just assumed you spoke Xhosa, I didn’t even ask. I am Khanyiswa, you must have met my sister, Themba. Come with me please.” The young lady smiled again, the smile that made it impossible not to trust her, and stretched her hand forward again.

I gently placed my hand in hers and she tilted her head to smile a little wider. We walked into the building and it was beautiful. It was like the lights danced all over the room and gathered where people were. I realized I had not processed what the lady had said so I asked her name again.

“Lithini igama lakho? – What is your name?” I asked, stopping in my tracks.

“I see you speak our tongue quite fluently for a foreign princess.” The lady smiled. “Ndingu Khanyiswa, usisi kuThemba. – I am Khanyiswa, sister to Themba.”

The lady with the hypnotizing smile was Themba’s sister! I did not see the resemblance. She felt and sounded like butterflies in a flower garden and Themba felt like a lion about to rip its prey to shreds, like a…

“Njengomphumi-mkhosi? – Like a warrior?” Khanyiswa completed my sentence smiling.

“Yes, like a warrior.”

"It’s okay, we get that all the time but because the insides of the lychee are soft, and it is encased with a prickly, hard shell doesn’t mean it is not from the same tree.  Even the peach has a hard seed on the inside.” Khanyiswa smiled, tilting her head towards a group of people inside, beckoning me to follow her.

I followed her and we stooped at a round, low table where people were sitting, waiting to eat.

“Ahh, Tamari, we were beginning to wonder if you had decided not to join us for dinner.” Daniel smiled at me, he was sitting at what looked like the head of the table with two sitting pillows under him while everyone else had one.

There was a space right beside Daniel on his right and I was guessing that was reserved for me.

“Nceda, uhale. - Please, sit.” Khanyiswa motioned to the pillow beside Daniel. I muttered a ‘thank you’ under my breath before taking my seat.

When I sat, the food was brought in and Khanyiswa with a few other ladies were serving everyone. Diurnal and Themba walked in and Diurnal took a seat opposite Daniel while Themba stood by Daniel, her spear ready to strike.

“Yhoo, lahla umkhonto utye ukutya Themba! – Oh, drop the spear and eat some food Themba!” Khanyiswa scolded her sister and everyone laughed.

“Sonke siyazi ukuba uThemba akawazi ukuwuyeka loo mkhonto ngokwasemzibeni. -  We all know that Themba cannot physically let go of that spear."  Diurnal said, slowly unwrapping his moi-moi from the leaf.

Everyone at the table burst out laughing, Themba even let a gentle chuckle out.

“Elinye igama kwaye bendiza kubeka lo mkhonto apho bekungafanelanga ukuba ubekho ngokwasemzimbeni. - One more word and I'd be putting this spear where it physically cannot be.” Themba said.

Everyone at the table gave a loud ‘out’ and they all chuckled, getting a proud grin out of Themba. Diurnal didn’t say any more smart jokes the remainder of the dinner and Themba didn’t let go of her spear till everyone was done eating and gone, neither did she put it in places where spears are not meant to be.

After the meal, Daniel whispered into my ear to wait back and I did. He called Khanyiswa and asked her to show me to my room. I had a lot of objections to that.

“You promised I was going to get answers to my questions! Taking me to a room and locking me in there isn’t giving me answers to my questions!”  I ignored Khanyiswa’s plea for me to just take a look at the room first.

“Patience Nkosozana – Princess, patience. You need rest after all the adventure and fun we have had today!" Daniel smiled with glee. “And besides, it is nighttime, we cannot start another journey at this time. Listen to Khanyiswa, go and take a nice bath, and rest. Tomorrow, we would go in search of answers.” Daniel yawned, trying to prop himself off the ground with his staff before Khanyiswa lent him a helping hand.

He smiled at her, taking her hand and pulling himself up before mouthing a silent thankyou and Khanyiswa gave a gentle nod.  Daniel walked past me and gently tapped my back.

“Ulale kakuhle, Nkosazana. Khumbula ukuthandaza. – Goodnight, Princess. Remember to pray.” Daniel walked past me into a  corridor and disappeared around a bend.

“Come with me, I would show you to your room, Tamari.” Khanyiswa smiled.

We walked for a while down the corridor, taking a few bends. It was unusual how big the house was from the inside. We finally stooped when we got to a double door.

“This is your room, if you need anything, I'm opposite you.” Khanyiswa smiled.

“Thank you Khanyiswa, and goodnight.”

“Goodnight Princess Tamari, sleep well. You have answers to hunt tomorrow.”