“When we saw the mask crawl onto your face, we knew it could not be allowed to remain there,” said Tuatat. “It had to come off. And, thanks to you, we knew it could be done.”
“The Three-Faced One made us many promises when it first came among us,” said Zuburi. “He told us that with him at our side, we could take anything we wanted from the cattle-herders.”
Tuatat and some of the other Nubala scowled in response to those words. But no one interrupted the umad.
“What you Nubala did not know was that Itu-Nusani Mujo took what he wanted from us, as well, Zuburi went on, looking directly at Tuatat as he spoke.
Tuatat nodded solemnly.
“The taunting, the excessive Gifts ... all of that was by Itu-Nusani Mujo’s command,” said Zuburi. “You do not want to know what he would have done to us if we had not obeyed him.”
Again, Tuatat nodded. Zuburi turned to Imaro.
“Is the Three-Faced One truly dead, outlander?” the umad asked. “Can we ever be certain he will not come back?”
“There is one way to be certain,” Imaro replied. “Find every piece of the mask, and burn them all.”
“This, too?” Tuatat asked, gesturing toward the body of the Jijiwi Champion.
“No,” said Imaro. “Bury him. Whoever he truly was, he must have been a great warrior before the mask stole his spirit.”
“We will do that,” said Tuatat. Then the wachik turned to Zuburi.
“What now, umad?” the Nubala headman asked. “Do we continue the Shindas, or go back to the way it was before we started them?”
“Neither,” Zuburi said flatly. “We are leaving Muyum. For us, this place is accursed. If you want it, it is yours.”
With those words, the umad turned on his heel and walked away. The other Jijiwi followed him. Then they mounted their camels and rode to the west. For a moment, Imaro and the Nubala thought they could see the shadow of a gigantic desert cat stalking alongside the Jijiwi. Then the shadow vanished.
* * *
Imaro stood with Tiba and Tuatat at the base of the High Rocks. The sun hung low, casting long shadows across the Nubala pastures and fields. A lingering, noisome odor wafted from the distant dark patches that marked the places in which the pieces of Itu-Nusani Mujo’s mask were burned. Flattened grass showed where the Nubala had danced in celebration of Imaro’s victory over Itu-Nusani Mujo, and the imminent departure of the Jijiwi from Muyum.
“You are going away,” Tiba said to Imaro.
“I never stay long in one place,” the warrior returned.
“You are welcome to stay here as long as you want,” said Tuatat.
Imaro glanced at his smooth skin, then at the rows of mbama-marks that marched across the bodies of the Nubala.
Different, he thought. Always different ...
Then he thought of Miryat, and the night they had spent together before the Shinda.
“I will stay,” he told Tiba and Tuatat. “For a time.”
Griots Bios
Mrembo Aliyenaswa (Captive Beauty) Milton Davis, Author – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC. As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari.
Winston Blakely, Artist – Winston Blakely is a Fine Arts/Comic Book artist, having a career spanning 20 years, whose achievements have included working for Valiant Comics and Rich Buckler’s Visage Studios.
Awakening Valjeanne Jeffers, author – Valjeanne Jeffers is the daughter of writers Lance and Trellie Jeffers, a graduate of Spelman College, North Carolina Central University and is a member of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective (CAAWC). She has published in LuneWing, Specular Mythseed, Liberated Muse: How I Freed My Soul Vol. I, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Pembroke Magazine Vol. 39, Revelry, PurpleMag No. 7, 8 and 9, Drumvoices Revue Vol. 15 and 16, The Obamas: Portrait of America’s New First Family, and Genesis: An Anthology of Black Science Fiction and Horror (2010). Valjeanne is the author of Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend, and Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, and has recently finished writing Immortal IV. She is also the author of The Story of Eve (nonfiction).
Paul Davey, Artist – is a Jamaican artist with a feel for the surreal and a mastery of light.
Lost Son Maurice Broaddus, Author – Maurice Broaddus is the author of the novel series, The Knights of Breton Court (Angry Robot). His dark fiction has been published in numerous magazines, anthologies, and web sites, most recently including Dark Dreams II & III, Apex Magazine, Black Static, and Weird Tales Magazine. He is the co-editor of the Dark Faith anthology (Apex Books). Visit his site at www.MauriceBroaddus. com.
Stacey Robinson, Artist – I live in Fayetteville, NC, and am a fulltime non-traditional college student and freelance artist. I illustrate what I feel. I love Life, God and Art, which are in my limited life experience, one in the same.
In the Wake of Mist Kirk Johnson, Author – Born in Trinidad in 1971, he credits his love for fantasy (particularly Sword & Sorcery and Heroic Fantasy) from watching old movies with his dad at a very young age. In 1989 he attended New York City Tech majoring in Liberal Arts, and in 1993 transferred to Brooklyn College to major in Film Production. “In the Wake of Mist” is his first publication.
Wayne Parker, Artist –Wayne (Nino) Parker, who hails from Virginia Beach, VA, began his Illustrative career serving as a Draftsman-Illustrator for the U.S. Navy. While serving he was the Art Director for various military Magazines and Papers. He illustrated commissions for high ranking officials including Commander U.S. Central Command Admiral William Fallon, and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Shortly after his military tenure, Wayne attended the Prestigious Ringling College of Art and Design for a degree in Computer Animation and afterwards, The Academy of Arts University for Illustration. He has since freelanced for such clients as AEG, WMS gaming Hallmark, and any commission in between.
Skin Magic P. Djeli Clark, Author – Djeli is a
