I was taken back to my holding cell and I didn’t miss the smug look on Malundama’s face. She was more than pleased to see the guards dragging me like a commoner back to my holding cell, for someone whose name translated to ‘hidden things’ she was horrible at hiding her thoughts.  I trashed any part of my body that I could, trying to get free and at least walk on my own two feet but the hold on me was strong and only Daniel didn’t latch onto me like I was some filthy thief being dragged to her execution.

I was flung into my holding cell and the doors were jammed. The guards grunted at me, mocking me.

“Ndilapha ndikwiphulo lokufuna - I am here on a quest.” The guards mocked me, mimicking my stance and making their deafening base voices sound like a choking bird.

“Noko ndinesibindi sokuthetha ingqondo yam! - At least I am bold enough to say my mind!”  I screamed at the guards, shaking the bars of my holding cell with so much force but they didn’t budge and neither did the guards.

They just stood there, watching me as they pitied me like I was some sick experiment gone wrong. They didn’t try to mock me anymore, they all kept solemn faces, and one by one, they took a pitiful last glance at me and walked away.

“You should be happy King Asani did not demand your head for this treason you have committed.” A guard who was dressed in more gold than the others said; I’m guessing he was the chief guard.

“You speak the unified tongue?” I was shocked that anyone here could speak the unified tongue, they all spoke Xhosa, no matter what.

“I speak whatever language would help me pass my message across to you, any tongue that would be clear enough for you to understand that you do not do such things in The Sands, Princess Tamari. Tazama mgongo wako Princess – Watch your back, Princess.”  The chief guard glanced at me, he was looking for the shock in my eyes and it was there.

“Unaongea lugha ya The Gates! – You speak the language of The Gates!  Please! Talk to me! Come back!” I screamed at the chief guard, trying so desperately to get his attention but he didn’t turn back.  “Ungemfunga Princess yako mwenyewe?! – You would imprison your Princess?!”  That caught the attention of the chief guard but he didn’t face me, he didn’t look me in the eye when he declared his new loyalty.

“Nimeapishwa kwa mfalme Asani, simtumikii binti yoyote ila nimekupa ushauri. Baki hai Tamari – I am sworn to King Asani; I do not serve any daughter but I have given you advice. Stay alive Tamari.”  And that was the first day I was betrayed by one of my own, a son of The Gates. He had sworn his loyalty to another land, he had deserted his roots, just to stay alive.

The world was harsh and I was beginning to get the motive of that.

The prison block was quiet and soulless. It felt like I was the only one that had been imprisoned in The Sands. A great princess was reduced to a common prisoner in another land just because of a vision I was pursuing.

“It wouldn’t be wrong to quit now, would it be, God?” I looked up at the ceiling of my cage.

There wasn’t an answer of course but I already knew the answer. If I wanted to give up, I was free to do so but I didn’t think I was ready to just throw away the responsibility He had placed in my hands. I was going to finish this quest even if it killed me.

I needed answers and I needed them fast so I pushed my head as far out as the bars of my holding cell would let me and I screamed.

“Daniel! Daniel! I’m not going to stop screaming till you answer me! I don’t think King Asani would appreciate me making a racket in his prison now would he?” If I couldn’t go to my answers, I was going to make them come to me.

Daniel came in panting, and I smiled to myself. Mission accomplished.

“The Chief Warden nearly chopped my head off because you were screaming my name. Are you trying to get me beheaded!?”

“Nothing of the sort. Now, let us talk.” I smiled at my warden, offering him a seat beside me on my plank.

“You are one thrilling woman.”

“I’ve been called worse.” Daniel shook his head in defeat and agreed to my invitation and he unlocked the gates and sat beside me in my cell.

“What do you want to talk about Princess Tamari?”

“Tell me what is going on in The Sands. Nothing makes sense here! What happened since queen Eliza?’”

Daniel didn’t move, he was just quiet beside me, like he was weighing the options he had. I just wanted someone to talk to me. Queen Eliza had died five hundred years ago, some perverted king was sitting on the throne, and a son of The Gates just denied his princess and threw her in a holding cell. If anything, this wasn’t how I pictured this whole scenario and I needed answers and the only person that could give them hadn’t decided to do so.

“Daniel, please. I’m in a city where I know no one, where I know nothing! Do a troubled girl a favor and give me answers?”  The temptation to look into those eyes of his was no small pressure but I did what I could. I held his hands and shed a tear onto his hand, wiping it off with my free hand. The tear was fake and so was the drama but if women were to not use our gifts then the world would be a boring place.

“It would be easier if I just showed you. Look into my eyes, if you dare, Princess Tamari.”

The way Daniel spoke, it sounded like he was daring me to venture into the mouth of the dragon, pushing to see how far I would go in my search for information and I was ready to go very, very far. I stared into those deep, soul-grasping eyes and in that moment, my soul was sucked into the black holes that were Daniel’s eyes.

I was sucked into a channel and all I could see was the darkness and evil, I could feel nothing but pain and sadness, I was in the worst place on earth and then, I was back in The Sands. But this time, it was years ago and I was at the beginning of this story.

_____________________________

“In the name of He who rules the heavens, I command you to leave these people alone! Asani!”

Asani laughed.

“I am not enslaving them against their will, they want me! Your people have chosen their path and now, you must choose yours too or perish by my hand. Queen Abangenalukholo.”
Asani stood in his glory, emitting pure evil, and death. There was a quick flash and blood was everywhere; the queen was dead. Her head rolled slowly to Asani's feet and her sun vanished from the skies, leaving The Sands in complete darkness and Asani laughed with such happiness, reveling in the evil he had raised.

“Is this your queen?!” Asani raised the head of Queen Abangenalukholo to her people, and the people laughed in mockery and some women in the gathering ululated in joy. These sick demons were happy about the death of their queen!

Asani threw the head of Queen Abangenalukholo to one of his servants, wiping his hands on his garments before turning to address the people of The Sands.

“The Queen is dead and I am king now!” The people of The Sands cheered. “We shall emerge into a new era! An era of hope and happiness! An era where we are free to do as we please without the laws of a burdensome woman to tie us down. Let me show you how a man does it here!” King Asani’s new nation cheered with joy, the women pushed themselves on the men, and the battlefield was turned amuck with the stench of lust and lustful actions.

A slim, tall man walked up to Asani and whispered something into his ears and Asani smirked with evil delight.

“I have been informed by Iliso Elibi that there is a little rabbit that was next in line to the throne and their sun rests in the far end of the sky. I know you’re here little rabbit.” Asani looked through the crowd, licking the blood of the queen off his blade. “You have two options; one, you leave The Sands peacefully, never to return, or two! You allow me and my men to hunt you like the little rabbit that you are. You have ten seconds to choose, if you still wield your sun in MY skies, I would take it as a challenge and acceptance of my hunt. It’s all up to you little rabbit, your life is in your hands now, literally.”

Asani kept his eyes on a hooded figure in the crowd and the hooded figure kept their eyes on Asani. After ten seconds, of intense staring, there wasn’t a single sun in the skies and the hooded figure bowed and left. Asani was mad with laughter. He laughed till he couldn’t stand any more; Asani had conquered The Sands.

Iliso Elibi! Lixesha! Phambili! – Iliso Elibi! It is time! Forward!

_________________________

I was back in my holding cell and Daniel was standing over me.

Holding my aching head and trying to get off the floor. “What did you do?” I asked, looking up at Daniel. He didn’t answer me, he just waited for me to get to my feet.

“I showed you what you wanted to know.” Daniel said, smiling at me with hidden intent.

“Your name isn’t Daniel, and you’re not a prison warden. Are you?”

“You’re a smart woman Tamari, let us hope that for the sake of this kingdom and your head that you are indeed as smart as the gods have shown. Now get up, we have a prison to escape!” Daniel laughed with such excitement. “O what fun we shall have! Themba!” Daniel shouted and the walls of my holding cell were blown to pieces.

“Themba! Usoloko ugqithisa iziqhushumbisi! – Themba! Always overdoing the explosives!” Daniel screamed gleefully.

“What is going on?!” I screamed, crouching in a corner with my hands over my head to prevent the flying debris from crushing my skull while Daniel stood there, laughing! When the debris cleared, the wall of my holding cell was gone and there was a six-foot woman in a warrior’s attire standing there with her spear and shield.

“Themba! Lixesha lokudibana nabantu! Baxelele ukuba amasango avuliwe! -  Themba! It is time to meet the people! Tell them the gates have been opened!”  Daniel said to Themba and she replied with a grunt, tossing Daniel a rope that he secured around his belt. 

I raised my brows in confusion. “What do you want from me?” I asked Daniel.

Smiling and stretching out his hands towards me. “Nothing at all, it is who has brought you here that interests me. I believe you Tamari, that you are not in The Sands by accident. You are here on a quest! A quest for the betterment of The Sands and I do sincerely hope that you live up to God’s expectations because a lot is at stake here…princess.”  Daniel said.

I looked at Daniel and his outstretched hand. Was he asking me to take his hand? I didn’t have much time to consider if that was the safest option or not because the real prison wardens were getting closer and I could hear them; they didn’t sound pleased that Themba had broken their walls and their prisoner was escaping.  

Looking back at the arriving guards and dogs about to send me to my impending death, I grabbed Daniel’s hand.

“If you in any way try to betray me, I would kill you, Daniel!” I said and the psycho laughed and jumped. Yes, we jumped from the tallest prison in The Sands and we were plummeting to our deaths.

But Daniel was having more of a happy time than I was, considering we were about to plummet to our certain death!

Smiling to the winds and enjoying every single moment of our near-death experience, Daniel screamed. “Themba! Phambili! – Themba! Forward!” And I closed my eyes and prayed to God, confessing my sins and begging to be let into heaven once this was done.

“You have to learn to live a little Tamari!” Daniel said, his voice being whipped by the wind. We were flying!

“Siyabhabha!”