Chapter One hundred and twenty: A Deadly Fight
“Run!” screamed Ana and they all fled, dodging the burning vegetation until they were in the undamaged forest. Desperate to get away from that dreadful hill, they ran on until their legs ached and their lungs were bursting.
Kiya was the first to tire. She slowed to a stop and bent over, gasping for breath and clutching her cramped chest. The others noticed her distress and also stopped.
“Are you wounded?” asked Ana.
“No, just winded.”
“Then hurry up, we must get away.”
“I cannot keep this pace up. Go without me.”
Yidini looked at his mistress, awaiting instructions, but she said nothing.
“We cannot leave one of our number,” said Ogjeno. “In my tribe this is not the custom.” He came to Kiya’s side and put an arm around her.
“Help her,” Ana commanded Yidini and he stepped forwards and supported Kiya on the other side.
They made slower progress and, when the path narrowed, Kiya thanked the two men and assured them that the cramp had gone and she no longer needed their help.
By now they had reached the thicker part of the jungle and night was falling. Nobody suggested that they should stop, for sleep had been banished on wings of terror. Kiya could smell the smoke of the burning forest behind them and in the distance she could hear the crashing of animals escaping the flames. Whether spotted dogs, huge cats or monsters she did not want to discover.
The others were tired now and their pace had been reduced to that of Ogjeno’s loping stride. They continued through the darkness and Kiya was grateful that the men had cleared the path on their outward journey for they were able to maintain a good speed and not get lost.
By dawn, Kiya was exhausted. Ahead of her Ogjeno stopped and held up his hand. Ana and Yidini stopped behind him and peered through the bushes. Kiya caught them up and discovered that they had reached the edge of the forest. Ahead of them was a stretch of grass and then the gorge.
“We must be sure that nothing lies in wait for us,” said Ogjeno.
Kiya stared up at the sky, but could see no sign of the fiery snake-dragon, not the bird with knife-like feathers.
“Quick,” said Ogjeno and started to run across the grass.
“Wait,” said Ana, grabbing Kiya’s arm. “Let’s see if anything gets him before we move.”
Ogjeno reached the edge of the gorge safely and so Ana, Yidini and Kiya ran to join him. Kiya looked over the edge. Far below them the river glinted and Kiya felt a moment’s vertigo.
“Here is the path,” said Ogjeno and started the descent. “The first few steps are the hardest as there is no cliff face to lean against. Be careful, do not fall in your haste.”
Kiya followed him and then Ana. Yidini brought up the rear with his sword drawn.
Kiya was still unsteady from the exertions of the escape. Her foot slipped and had it not been for Ana’s restraining arm, she might have fallen.
“Thank you, Ana,” she said.
“The brave should only die in battle,” replied Ana.
And such a battle could be all too soon, thought Kiya. She scanned the sky anxiously for any sign of the winged snake but it was not until they were on the bridge that it attacked again.
It came swooping down upon them, the span of the leathery wings so wide that they almost scraped the sides of the gorge. It opened its mouth to reveal huge pointed fangs and from its throat roared a spear of fire that ripped into the bridge behind them.
“Run!” yelled Ogjeno. The slats bounced and jolted beneath Kiya’s feet as she tried to follow him but she had scarcely gone three paces when the bridge collapsed. She grabbed at a rope but it whipped from her grasp and she briefly felt the sting of flames before she felt herself falling.
Below her she saw the plummeting bodies of Yidini and Ana. Above her she heard Ogjeno’s screams as he followed her down. “This is the end for us all,” she thought and then she hit the water with a jolting splash that knocked the breath out of her body.
The cold of the water brought her to her senses and she struggled upwards until her head broke the surface and she took in a gasping lungful of air. Then she was swept along, tumbled and rolled by the churning torrent, until the river slowed and became shallower. Kiya felt herself grabbed and was able to stand up, the water level to her waist. She tried to thank Ana, who had saved her, but coughed and choked and then nearly fell again as she was hit by the flailing body of Ogjeno. The Nubian managed to find his feet and stand beside the two woman. Kiya gazed at the sky, ready to duck below the water if there were any sign of the incendiary snake.
“Yidini!” screamed Ana.
Kiya looked downriver towards the mouth of the gorge and saw that a huge, multi-tentacled creature had risen from the water. It was confronting Yidini, the swollen tips of its tentacles curving in for the attack. The brave old soldier still had his sword in his hand and stood before it without flinching.
“The inkanyamba,” breathed Ogjeno. Kiya turned to him and saw that even his deep brown skin had paled.
Kiya looked again at the creature and saw that what she had thought were tentacles were many necks, each carrying a hideous head with a wide mouth. The head were focussed upon Yidini and they snarled in unison, revealing rows of teeth.
Yidini showed no sign of fear. He stepped forwards and lopped off one of the heads with his sword. Immediately the other heads swooped upon him and he was torn to pieces.
The creature busily fed upon the remains of Yidini. Even the severed head joined in the feast, wriggling like an eel as it burrowed into the torso of the corpse. Sickened, Kiya lifted her eyes to where some of the heads had stopped feeding and were raised to glare at her.
More heads turned in her direction as the monster became aware of new prey. The whole attention of the inkanyamba was now on Kiya and her companions. A score of mouths opened, drooling blood-stained saliva.
“There is no escape,” cried Ana, reaching for her sword as the heads drew back to attack.
Suddenly the inkanyamba’s many heads screamed in agony and the creature turned around. Something must be attacking it in the rear, thought Kiya. Now was the time to get past it.
“Follow me,” she yelled. She flung herself forwards and let the speed of the current carry her towards the monster. There was a fight going on. She felt herself buffeted by the writhing body of the inkanyamba. Then she was beyond it and managed to scramble onto the narrow sandbank at the mouth of the gorge.
An incredible sight met her eyes. Sobek, as a crocodile, was battling with the monster. He was but half the size of the inkanyamba but he held one of the necks in his mouth. Other heads were trying to bite him and could not penetrate his hide. He closed his jaws with a crunch and the head fell off into the river. There it began to swim, using the stump of its neck as a tail.
Kiya watched in dismay as the severed head wriggled towards Ana, who was struggling up the sandbank. Kiya pulled the javelin from her belt and managed to spear the severed head through the top of the skull, pinioning it to the bed of the river.
She helped Ana up the bank. “Where is Ogjeno?” she asked.
“He is following,” said Ana. Kiya pulled out her javelin and the head drifted away down the river, dead.
“Escape you fools, I can’t hold this thing off much longer,” yelled Sobek.
“Our friend cannot be far behind!” called Kiya. They waited a moment longer and then watched in horror as Ogjeno’s body swept past them, carried away by the rushing water out of the gorge and down the river.