Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen: The Gorge of the Inkanyamba
They reached the cliffs at mid day and rested beside the river, where it emerged from the gorge in a frothing cascade. Ogjeno took a cup from his belt, dipped it in the water and drank. He passed the cup to Kiya, who followed his example and then passed the cup to Ana.
“Have you brought food?” asked Ogjeno.
“No,” Kiya shook her head.
Ogjeno opened a pouch he wore around his waist and brought out some biscuits and strips of dried meat. “You are welcome to share mine,” he said.
“We are grateful,” said Ana. She took a biscuit and tried to bite into it.
Ogjeno laughed. “You will beak your teeth, Princess. The biscuit needs to be soaked.”
Kiya bit into the meat but found it as tough as salty leather. Hunger made her persevere and with much chewing and soaking of biscuits she managed to make a satisfactory lunch.
“The hard part of the journey lies ahead of us,” said Ogjeno. “Once we are in the gorge we must move silently and without talking.”
“Why?” asked Ana.
“There is something in the water we do not want to alert to our presence,” said Ogjeno. Kiya wanted to ask what that creature might be but Ogjeno was busy giving instructions. “Inside the gorge there is a strip of sand along this side of the river. We must walk along it to where the pathway up the cliff face begins. It little more than a narrow ledge - very steep and uneven. You will have to climb sideways with your backs to the wall for support.”
Kiya opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Ana rose to her feet and said, “Let’s go.”
They followed the young man into the shadow of the gorge. Kiya was aware of the hidden creature in the river and she walked beside the water scarcely daring to breathe. The ledge up which they had to climb had been roughly hacked from the rock and sloped at a sharp angle. Ogjeno started upwards without hesitation, his back to the wall and feeling carefully with his feet before each step. Ana went next, and then Yidini. Kiya paused, nervous of the dangerous-looking ascent. Something stirred beneath the surface of the river and she hurriedly followed her companions.
She copied Ogjeno’s example and shuffled sideways, bringing one foot up to the other and leaning against the rock. Even Kiya’s small feet were too long for the width of the ledge. There was nothing to hold on to if one should lose balance and she felt giddy with anxiety. The others showed no sign of fear and soon Kiya struggled to keep up with them. They were climbing higher and, when Kiya looked down to the river below, she saw a giant shadow moving under the water. Frightened, she quickened her pace and caught up with her companions.
The ledge came to an end half way up the wall of the gorge and was connected by a flimsy-looking bridge to a pathway that continued up the opposite side.
“We must cross here,” said Ogjeno, pointing to the fragile construction of slats and rope, which stretched across the chasm.
Kiya watched Ogjeno step onto the bridge, and heard it groan as it shifted beneath his weight. He kept his balance by holding onto two ropes that ran at waist height on either side. When he was safely on the other side Ana followed, then Yidini and then it was Kiya’s turn. She hesitated. She had not realised before how frightened she was of heights. Her head was spinning and her knees felt like water.
“Hurry up, Kiya,” said Ana.
Kiya braced herself and stepped onto the bridge. The slats beneath her feet bounced and swayed. She forced herself to walk forwards, fearing that at any moment the slats would collapse and send her hurtling into the abyss. She clung to the hand ropes and dreaded losing her balance on her wobbling legs. Thoughts of the creature lurking in the water below made her blood run cold and she almost froze in her fear. Only the critical eyes of her watching friends made her continue to place one foot in front of the other until she managed to join them.
“Well done,” said Ana.
They continued their careful progress up the rock-ledge until, at last, they reached the top of the cliff. Kiya joined the others who were lying flat on their backs on the grass. “I never want to do that again,” she said and lay down beside Ana.
Ogjeno laughed. “You will have to,” he said, “for there is no other way off the plateau.”
Kiya felt the sun on her face and gradually her tense muscles relaxed. The thought of facing that journey again was not a pleasant one, but she had survived it once.
“I thought I saw something in the water as we crossed the bridge,” said Ana.
“Me too,” said Kiya.
“Ah, yes. It was important to pass it quietly,” said Ogjeno. “It is a inkanyamba, a huge water monster with many heads. It rarely attacks those on land as it prefers to eat water creatures or those who fall in the river.”
“I am sure Yidini would have protected us,” said Ana.
“You cannot fight it,” said Ogjeno. “If you cut a head off it will swim by the stump of its neck and continue to attack. The inkanyamba will swiftly grow a new head so nothing will be gained and one monster will become many.”
Ana and Kiya sat up, their tiredness forgotten. “Why did you not tell us about the monster earlier?” demanded Ana.
Ogjeno grinned. “You might have refused to accompany me. What does it matter? As long as we did not fall from the ledge we were safe.”
Ana looked displeased but said nothing.
Kiya stared at the thick forest that surrounded them. “This is like another world,” she said. “How can one get through such a tangle?”
“There are paths,” said Ogjeno. “But they become overgrown and it is easy to get lost. If you have recovered from your climb, I suggest we make a start.”
As she followed Ogjeno towards the trees, Kiya could see the extraordinary amount of vegetation growing in the forest. Branches were covered in vines which looped like snakes. Lichens and mosses grew in abundance and plants had established themselves upon the trees and bushes as though they grew on soil. The verdant wall looked impenetrable.
“The path should start here,” said Ogjeno. He peered into the undergrowth. “I think this is it.” He took a machete from his belt and started to hack at the greenery.
This is going to take a long time, thought Kiya but, when Ogjeno cleared the entrance, she saw that the path was clearly visible, stretching into the darkness of the forest.