Chapter Text
In the days and weeks that followed, Makeda gained back her strength and young Wamala proved himself both healthy and eager to grow. Gradually, the rains lessened and the mud began to dry. Isimbwa gained another hour of daylight each day. Makeda took to tending the gardens with the other women, Wamala firmly tied on her back and sleeping peacefully.
It was just after midday one day when the homestead received unexpected visitors. A dozen warriors armed with shields and spears marched into the homestead of Odongo. They were met by the aged mother with her four sons and their well-sharpened spears. Makeda’s heart raced as saw them approach and she quickly hid within the nearest hut. Isimbwa followed closely after, shielded from suspicion by his toad form. She could see her worry shared on his face.
It was some long hours later, after the men were fed and rested, that they departed and Mama Odongo called out to find them. The old woman hobbled to one side of the hut and collapsed onto a mat with a groan. Then, she gestured for Makeda to sit alongside her.
“Daughter, did you recognize those men?” She asked.
Makeda shook her head.
“They are poor-mannered and have large appetites,” she grumbled. “Those were soldiers from the army of the King of the Shilluk. Have you heard of this kingdom?”
Makeda’s eyes grew wide and her heart began to pound in her chest. Instinctively, she reached out for her son and cradled him closer against her shoulder.
“Yes,” she answered.
“Tell me, where is your husband?” Mama Odongo asked.
“He is out tending the animal traps,” Makeda answered. It was even the truth. Isimbwa had appointed himself the task of watching for game and tending the traps – a task he could accomplish even as a toad.
“Yes. He travels out most days, does he not?” Mama Odongo observed. “He enjoys his solitude. He does not keep the company of my sons during the day, though they often ask him to go with them.”
Makeda kept silent. She feared lest her reaction reveal their secret. Mama Odongo merely plucked a blade of grass from the base of the tree and twirled it within her weathered, calloused fingers. Her dim, ancient eyes remained fixed on the distant hills in the horizon, rather than meeting Makeda’s bright, young eyes. Then Mama Odongo leaned back farther on her elbows with her feet stretched out in front of her and spoke as if she were commenting on the weather or her neighbor’s latest calf.
“Did you know, our king who first founded the Shilluk kingdom was said to be half-crocodile? It is said he embodied the form of a crocodile during his nights and that of a man during his days. He married the daughters of a magician and many say sorcery is still strong in their lineage—even in our current king.”
Makeda shook her head. “That is a tale I have not heard, but I am unfamiliar with the ways of people in these lands.”
“No, I did not expect you had. Your people have little cause to bring you this far south. The reason I speak of it is the soldiers have heard tales of just such a man and they were sent to find him. They told me many stories — such tales! In one, a distant cousin of the king sought to exact tribute from a pair of travelers. He came upon them somewhere between the lands of the Shilluk and those of the Funj. He told the king that the woman was a great sorceress who threatened to turn them all into beasts and make them her slaves. The man and his companions saw her turn a man into a toad with their own eyes!”
Mama Odongo paused her tale to break into a throaty peel of laughter. Makeda gave a half-hearted attempt to join, but the way her heart pounded all the way from her head to her toes made the sound come out forced.
“Can you believe it?” Mama Odongo continued, “When the king heard this tale, he fell into such a fury he beat the men for their cowardice and for not killing the travelers on sight. The king has been seeking the strange travelers ever since. He believes the man to be no ordinary man, but the only son of the King of Bunyoro, cursed with a powerful enchantment.
“Rumors say that some seasons back, the King of Bunyoro wished to forge an alliance with the King of the Shilluk. The Shilluk King was greedy. He wished to become the strongest ruler in all the lands watered by the Father of the Rivers and he acted to incite a war instead of forging an alliance. The guests present at the marriage of the daughter of the Shilluk to the son of the Bunyoro said powerful magic was cast on the unfortunate groom. With their own eyes, they saw the tall, strong prince transform into a toad. It is quite a fantastic tale, is it not?” Mama Odongo said with a blatantly false sense of wonderment and a wide, nearly toothless grin.
“The King of Bunyoro must have found some truth in the tales,” she continued. “They say that when he received news of the shameful treatment of his son and the deaths of his sons’ companions, was furious and declared war immediately. It is said he is preparing his army, even now, in order to invade the lands of the Shilluk as soon as the dry season is upon us again.”
“It a story that is beyond belief,” Makeda said as she met the old woman’s eyes. The old woman harrumphed and gave a rasping chuckle.
“That is what I told the Shilluk soldiers. Rumors say he has taken a wife from the peoples of the Blue Nile. Of course, I have not seen such a man nor his wife, who they say was heavy with child. I have sent the soldiers farther east to seek their luck amongst the Sultanate of Darfur.”
“That is very wise,” Makeda said. “Perhaps there they will find what they seek.”
Mama Adongo chuckled again and patted Makeda’s head. “Ah, daughter, it is very strange. The Shilluk are a small kingdom. Yet I have only seen our own king a mere handful of times and only from a distance. What do I know of the great men of other lands? Yet I find my humble house receives illustrious messengers from great kingdoms my eyes will never look upon. Did I not speak to you of the tales I heard some months before our paths crossed?”
Makeda shook her head, though she well knew that Mama Odongo’s theatrics were to aid in her story-telling.
“There was another visitor from the peoples of the far north,” Mama Odongo continued. “In all my days, I had only met one or two of the peoples of the Blue Nile. It is in my twilight days that I find them fairly raining from the sky. This one, he came seeking not only a woman of his lands, but one of royal blood, sister even to their proud emperor. This princess of Abyssina, it was said, was so much a danger to her kin that she was locked in an impermeable mountain prison, cut off from all peoples. Not even so great a prison could contain her, for she was a great sorceress who managed to escape by turning herself into a bird and flying out the window.
“The man told me that the emperor of his lands has been seeking her ever since. He sent legions of soldiers to comb through the lands in every direction to find this dangerous sorceress and ensure her quick death. Such a woman must be a fearful sight to behold! I am sure I would shake till my teeth chattered from fear if I came across such a sorceress! Of course, I told him I had seen no such woman.
“Well, when the same man returned to seek my son’s counsels, not even a fortnight ago, he told him the same when they met at the market. The man traveled farther west, no doubt to seek the wisdom of our great King, who is no stranger to the works of sorcery,” Mama Odongo said.
“Do you believe the King will aid him in his quest?” Makeda asked in what she hoped sounded a disinterested curiosity.
“Oh, no doubt, no doubt,” Mama Odongo said with a wide yawn. The old woman, now emptied of her stories, turned to coo at the baby. Wamala, just waking again, blinked his small, dark eyes and grabbed her finger with his own tiny hand. “That’s a handsome boy,” Mama Odongo said and she took him from Makeda’s arms to cradle him and sing to him in a song in another tongue. When she finished, she gave the babe back to his mother and rose to depart. Before she left, she turned to tell Makeda one more thing.
“When your husband returns from his journeys ‘out,’ please have him seek me. I wish to discuss his route from here with some of our well-traveled kin who will know the best ways to traverse the marshlands and beyond. Now that the rains have nearly passed, it is a fortuitous time to make your departure and seek safety in the lands of your husband’s kin. With all these tales of missing royals and talking animals and sorcery and vengeful monarchs, it is surely dangerous for you both to be far from the lands of your peoples.”
“He will be most grateful,” Makeda said and she released the breath she had been holding.
Mama Odongo chuckled to herself again and raised one hand in a motion of farewell. Then she returned to her garden, still singing to herself as she walked.
Isimbwa emerged from his hiding place and watched the old woman’s unsteady steps tread the well-worn path.
“She knew who we were all along,” he observed. “And I thought we were skilled in discretion and concealment.”
“Indeed. We ought to take lessons from the dear grandmother, for she is the master. We are more indebted to her than I imagined.”
“If I had heard the tale of the Crocodile King, perhaps I would have been more cautious in my agreement to wed into such a line,” he remarked.
“At least your son was not born a tadpole,” Makeda responded with a half-smile. Isimbwa laughed and hopped closer to gaze fondly at his strong, fine son.
“We owe Mama Odongo much. I will reward this family to the utmost of my ability when we return to my father,” Isimbwa said. “However, with so many seeking us out, she is wise to suggest we move on. Even if her kin hold their counsels to themselves, their neighbors may not be so frugal with their tales and we cannot hope to remain hidden forever. You and Wamala are strong enough to continue on again.”
“I have no wish to tarry here. Now that I have news of my brother’s scouts, I will feel uneasy with every strange set of footsteps that come this way.”
“As soon as the sun sets, I will seek our hostess and set plans for our departure,” Isimbwa said.
Oooooo
Mama Odongo was kneeling on a mat and pounding cassava in the company of three of her granddaughters when Isimbwa sought her. She did not meet his eye as he came upon them, but casually addressed him all the same.
“Yes, sir, you are here.”
“I am here,” he responded.
“It is good. I have news for you. My third son’s firstborn son is planning to visit the kin of his wife, south of Dinka lands, far beyond the marshes of the Sudd. He leaves tomorrow, along with a few of his brothers. If you are anxious to return to your people, my grandson is a skilled guide, a strong warrior, and he is well-adept at negotiating with the peoples you may come across on your journey.
“He wishes to spend some few weeks with his kin and, though it is some days out of your way, you will receive a warm welcome and time of rest if you chose to accompany him. If your kin are so generous as to grant him and his brothers supplies for the return, they could then accompany you the remainder of your journey and bring me tidings of your safe return.”
“It is a wise and generous suggestion, good mother,” Isimbwa responded. “My father would happily grant them all they require, and more, once they reach the lands of my people. If ever it is within my power to repay you for your kindness, I owe you a debt greater than I can ever hope to clear,” Isimbwa said to the old woman.
She gave him a gapped-tooth smile but she did not respond at first. She stopped the work of her mortar and pestle long enough to look up at him with a slight nod of her head.
“Our king is as power-hungry as an old lion and as reckless as a hungry hyena. I would ask you not to let the shame and treachery of our king fall upon the heads of all his people. While he wishes to sow war, the elders of our people know he has acted without wisdom and honor and have no desire to see bloodshed fall upon these lands in this generation. Those of us who have lived to see our hair turn white have already seen too many wars. Peace is the greatest reward you may repay us with.”
It was Isimbwa’s turn to only nod silently.
“Then you have repaid me enough,” she answered.
Ooooo