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A fter a grueling couple of days’ journey, Sholei and Tula reached the outskirts of Mukuru Kingdom. They avoided the route to the Keseve Market and the Dembe Army. Exhaustion took a toll on them, and Tula could barely sit upright anymore. Her health had deteriorated during their escape. She struggled to maintain her seat and nearly slipped from the saddle. Sholei tied a rope around Tula’s slender waist to secure her in place.

“Hold on, we are about to reach home,” Sholei reassured her friend. They hadn’t spoken much after Tula accused her of betraying Mukuru. Sholei told herself she didn’t want to argue with Tula, but her friend’s words cut deep. In a time of war, she chose the enemy’s side to reap benefits for her selfish needs. Didn’t that make her a traitor?

Radi neighed and raised its head. Sholei shielded her eyes from the evening light setting in on the horizon. She saw the caves where Ojore held her sometime back. Sholei couldn’t push Radi, their faithful steed, any further. It was time to release and let it return to Ojore’s side.

She chose a secluded spot and helped Tula off the horse. Their limited food supplies were exhausted. Besides the clothes on their backs, they didn’t carry a lot to cover more ground.

With a gentle touch to Radi’s nose, Sholei whispered, “You can go now.” The horse neighed in response, its warm breath fanning her face. Radi turned and galloped away and disappeared into the dense foliage. Sholei watched him depart, her heart heavy, and she prayed for his safe reunion with Ojore.

Sholei turned her attention back to Tula, who slipped in and out of consciousness. She failed to notice the men who approached her from all sides. They were dressed in bright armor, the same as the soldiers in the alliance, with weapons in hand.

A cold blade pressed against her neck, and before Sholei could react, she found herself in a chokehold as she struggled for breath. Her fingers dug deep into a meaty arm, but her assailant didn’t let go.

“State your name and your purpose here,” a voice demanded. His warm breath was unpleasant and caused her stomach to turn .

“I’m not your…enemy,” Sholei gasped. She couldn’t see the one holding her. Her eyes darted to where Tula lay. She hoped her friend wouldn’t be hurt.

“She’s dressed in Dembe’s clothes. She must be a spy,” another voice chimed in. Sholei shook her head, but the arm around her tightened, making it hard to breathe or speak. Someone else began to pat her down with rough hands and caused her to vomit as his rough fingers violated her body.

”She must be sneaking in. We must inform the capital guards,” another voice declared.

”Let…me…explain,” Sholei whispered, her voice barely audible.

The hands searching her found Ojore’s golden crest, and the men screamed in her face.

“She’s holding the crest of the General of Dembe. A spy.” Sholei fought hard, but she couldn’t match the man’s superior strength.

“Drop your weapons now before I shoot,” Tula’s voice interrupted, surprising everyone. Amid the chaos, Tula rose from her slumber, an arrow aimed at the man who choked Sholei. Sholei struggled to break free, but her strength waned, and someone hit her head from the back.

“Sholei,” Tula shouted as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Sholei tried to sit up, and with great effort, she propped herself up against the wood wall. She was in a prison cell. The floor, strewn with dry straw, offered a meager semblance of comfort to those unfortunate enough to be held within the small enclosure.

“You have to let me see her,” Tula’s voice called from outside. Sholei paused and strained to hear her friend.

“No one is permitted to visit the spy. Leave,” a brusque voice answered, the accent similar to Mukuru residents. She was back in the city. The very place she had struggled so hard to return to now held her in a cell. She had exchanged one prison for another.

“Move before I am forced to make my way in,” Tula shouted before the sound of blades echoed in the air. Tula was injured during her captivity in Dembe’s camp and was in no condition to engage in combat.

“Tula!” Sholei called out. Her voice echoed in the cell.

The next moment, she heard the guard grunt, and the wood door was kicked open. Tula stormed in, wielding a sword, her face a mixture of anger and apprehension. She changed her clothes and washed her face, her unruly hair braided into two thick plaits. It gave her a lethal look, and Sholei hated to see her carefree friend change into a soldier right before her eyes.

She rushed to Sholei’s side. “You should be hailed as a hero for surviving captivity in Dembe’s camp, not treated as a traitor,” Tula complained. “Once my identity was confirmed, I was allowed to pass, but you’re being held for questioning.”

Sholei wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. She had comforted Tula days ago, and now the roles were reversed. She was imprisoned, and Tula broke down the cell door to rescue her .

“Didn’t you call out my betrayal a few days ago?” Sholei asked. “How come you have changed the tune when the rest of Mukuru capital labels me a traitor?”

Tula averted her eyes, and it confirmed Sholei’s suspicions. It would be naive for Sholei to expect a warm welcome back home. She hadn’t thought about the reception she’d receive. At that time, her focus had been to rescue Tula.

“The patrol guards are unaware of the circumstances,” Tula explained. “I’m sure if we meet with Prince Gane, he could explain everything to the court and the alliance leaders. He was the one who sent me to bring you back.”

“That is if Gane survives the battlefield,” Sholei shook her head. “If I get to present myself to the king and plead my case, I might avoid persecution, which will only work if I don’t try to escape.”

“We can’t wait for Gane to return from the battle. We must act now. I’ll plead with my father to grant me an audience with the king. I’m sure I can convince him.” Tula whispered the last sentence to herself.

“You need to focus on your recovery,” Sholei insisted, concerned about Tula’s fragile health. “You haven’t healed from the interrogation at the camp.”

“Look who’s talking. You can’t even sit, and here you are, worried about a soldier like me.” Tula slapped her chest, and despite the pain that coursed through her side, Sholei laughed. Tula joined in. For a moment, their predicament was forgotten.

“Isn’t it strange how life takes us in circles?” Sholei asked after the laughter died down. “I’ve always wanted to be a reputable medicine woman, and just when I was about to earn that respect, I turned around and betrayed the person who could have made it possible.”

“You are talking about General Ojore, aren’t you?” Tula’s eyes narrowed. “You still haven’t told me how you got away.”

Throughout their journey back to Mukuru, Sholei lost count of the number of times she turned around and wondered if Ojore gave chase. If he caught up to her, what would he do? The poison must have faded from his body. Sholei made sure the dose was the correct amount to put him under for several days.

As she worked on an antidote for the malady that spread in the camp, the men had prepared to attack the Keseve Market again. In those grueling days, Ojore had held endless closed-door meetings with his generals. He would move south as soon as he was up. He could even be at the Keseve Market already or somewhere nearby.

“Sholei.” Tula walked to the door and peeked out. “How did you get away from General Ojore?”

“I went against my principles and committed the worst kind of offense a medicine woman can.” Sholei slumped against the wall.

“You poisoned him.” Tula’s voice turned into a whisper. She had spent enough time in the medicine yard to know that poison-making was a taboo for a physician. For Sholei even to consider that as an option in her escape plan meant she was at her wit’s end.

“It was the only way to incapacitate him so we could escape.” Sholei couldn’t erase the haunting image of Ojore’s fall and his piercing stare laden with betrayal. She blinked back the tears that clouded her eyes.

“I haven’t seen you cry for a long time. Is it because you used poison against your principles, or is it something else?” Tula pushed for more answers.

“What else could it be?” Sholei’s response lacked conviction. She behaved like a heartbroken woman who lost her love. Heartbreak? Love?

“You have feelings for him,” Tula whispered, and realization struck Sholei like lightning.

“Impossible,” Sholei whispered back as her voice trembled. She looked anywhere but at Tula’s face.

“He must have done something to you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be thinking about him like that.” Tula raised her voice.

“Ojore might look fierce, and I won’t deny he can be cruel, but he has been nothing but respectful toward me.” Her voice softened. To speak about him brought her strange comfort, as if she were with him again, even though she had left him incapacitated.

She had betrayed him in the worst way possible.

“Seeing as you are on a first-name basis with him, you two must have been close in the camp.” Tula’s anger flared. She stood up, and her hand reached for her sword. “How could you harbor feelings for a man who threatens our kingdom’s very existence? I almost died by his sword!”

“But you didn’t.” Sholei tried to rise and failed. She leaned against the cold wall and took deep breaths. “We managed to get away from him, didn’t we?”

“We can’t discuss your relationship with General Ojore now,” Tula declared, and paced before the wood door, her gaze vigilant. “I came to get you out of here, and I am sure more guards are on their way.”

Sholei sighed, thankful for the change of topic. She didn’t want to think about why speaking about her growing attraction to Ojore lifted some weight off her shoulders. The timing couldn’t be less than ideal. She needed to regain her composure to survive her current predicament.

“I don’t think breaking out of prison is my best option,” she explained when Tula grabbed her arm and pulled her to the door.

“We have to try.” Tula linked arms with Sholei, the sword in her other hand.

“Where will I go after escaping here? Certainly not to the medicine yard.” Sholei pushed Tula away. She didn’t want to drug Musembi. “Our best solution is for you to track down Prince Gane. When the king and the alliance offer me a chance to plead my case, the prince will vouch for my innocence.”

”It was Prince Gane who ordered me to rescue you. With him, no one will doubt your story,” Tula nodded. With the scar of Ojore’s sword on her body, Gane wouldn’t deny her, would he? Doubts clouded Sholei’s mind, and she shook them off.

“You must reach him. I’ll stay here and wait.” Sholei said.

“But these guards will continue to torment you. It’s been three days, and you’re injured,” Tula protested, her eyes roving over Sholei.

”I can endure it. Once my identity is confirmed, everything will be fine.” Sholei offered a brave smile to ease her friend’s concerns .

She contemplated the uncertain outcome of her situation. In her mind, jail might be the safest place in the kingdom, given the heightened alert and the presence of soldiers from the alliance. The ongoing conflict with Dembe placed everyone on edge. Sholei couldn’t blame them for arresting her when she was clad in Dembe clothes. She looked every bit like a Dembe woman. Changing her clothes had never been part of her escape plan, and now she realized the gravity of her oversight. But again, would different clothes change the outcome of her predicament?

“Take this. If anyone tries anything, use it.” Tula conceded as she handed Sholei a small dagger.

Sholei accepted the weapon, though she doubted its effectiveness compared to the guards’ armaments.

“I’ll be waiting for you,” Sholei said.