If he captured tributes, he would earn the praise and admiration of his kin. By sundown, when the hunt drew to a close, Benu would either return home in triumph or die at the hands of a rival tribe.Įach outcome was honorable in its own way. It was this ancient ceremony that had allowed his people and their faith to endure for generations. There was no greater honor than to battle in the Igani. He had longed for this day throughout the years of his training. Ungate lightly gripped Benu's shoulder in approval. If I hide from it, that emotion will control me," the young witch doctor responded. My hand is still because I know this truth. "Do you fear the battle to come?" Ungate edged closer, lowering his voice. He was pleased to see that his hand was motionless. A single ivory horn, crowned by violet plumage, extended from the top of his fearsome wooden mask.īenu breathed to calm his nerves before obeying. "Do you tremble at the battle to come?" Benu's elder, Ungate, whispered at his side. Two witch doctors slipped through the trees ahead to scout for signs of their enemies. The Seven Stones war party stopped to rest within the borders of the Five Hills. Elsewhere in the wilds, perhaps close by, rival witch doctors from the Five Hills and Clouded Valley tribes were hunting as well, called to action by their high priests just as Benu and his kin had been. It was Benu's first ritual war, and his heart thundered like a drum in anticipation. The Igani Bawe, the Harvest of Souls, had come. Benu pricked up his ears at every sound, listening for any hint of movement. Soon the emerald canopy grew thick, leaving the undergrowth in perpetual gloom. Striped in white, yellow, and red paint and decorated in bright bokai feathers, their bodies blended with the vibrant jungle around them. Only the faint rattle of bone and iron charms dangling from their tribal masks warned of their presence. The war began at sunrise, as it always did.īenu and ten other witch doctors from the Clan of the Seven Stones stalked into the heart of the Teganze as swift and silent as panthers.
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