Makandi ne sali toma= The Makandi knows all
Chapter 17
It was a long, hard road, but they brought the rest of Kai's followers back to the Azbani palace. Everyone was exhausted so after they brought the missing family back home and the prisoners were securely locked away. The king and queen let Don and April stay in the palace for as long as they needed in order to recover. The followers would be questioned tomorrow. For now, it was time to rest up.
They both slept until early afternoon, slightly sore the next day, but feeling good now that their current problem was solved. He opened his door and was met by one of the palace servants who handed him his chaltiga that needed to be cleaned after trudging around in a swamp for so long. "Thank you." he put it on and began to make his way to April's room.
On his way there, he ran into Tasura and seven others. "Hey guys, what's going on?"
"Do you recall that question I wanted to ask you once we were done in the swamp?" Tasura asked.
"Oh right, what is it?" Don gave them his full attention.
"Well, we all know that you are still looking for vao, so we were wondering if we could come with you when you go back home."
Don just blinked in surprise. "Really? Are you sure?"
"Aye, we are. To learn under the Rowandi that liberated an entire territory would be an honor." Tasura said.
"Do Katu Soane and Masuna Aquilia know about this?" Don asked.
"Yes, we asked them before you had even arrived here and they gave us permission to do so as long as you allowed it." he rubbed the back of his head, nervously. "I suppose we got a bit overzealous when we heard that one of you would be arriving. Let us ask you formally." all of them bowed to him. "Donatello, Great Rowandi of Ezdic, please teach us your ways and in return we will assist you in protecting your people."
"That would be great and it would help us out a lot. Thank you." Don said. "But I have to warn you. Leo and Raph are tough teachers. Are you sure you can handle that?"
"We can handle anything you give to us." Tasura assured him.
Don shrugged. "Okay. Two things though."
"Anything."
"It's just Donatello, the title isn't necessary." he walked up to them. "And, outside of training, the bowing is not needed either." All of the vao stood up straight at hearing those words. "I've never been one for formalities, I'd like to keep it somewhat casual among us vao, okay."
"Of course, as you wish." Tasura said. The rest of the vao could barely hold in their excitement.
With a smile of his own, he moved past them. "I'll be ready to leave when I get back from Arazue's cave."
"Oh, about that." Don stopped again. "I feel it is only fair that I tell you about the trick to getting on her good side."
"I'm listening."
"You can keep her happy by giving her something shiny."
"What did you have in mind?"
"I am sure the village children gave you some rocks that they found underwater."
"Oh yeah, they gave me plenty of those." he said as he patted his bag.
"Give her a couple of those, let her sniff you and you should be fine. Being a vao also helps. A very simple trick, but not many people know about it."
"Thanks, I appreciate that." he left them and made his way to April's room and knocked on her door.
It took a few minutes before April opened up, also ready to go. Without saying a word, they both left the palace. They said goodbye to the vao outside just as Luna came up to greet them, ready to go with them.
"Hey Luna." Don said. "Listen, why don't you stay here? Save the rest of your energy for the hike back home." she responded by nuzzling up against him and he laughed lightly. "I'll be okay. You've done a lot for us, I just want to make sure that you're okay. So, stay here and we'll be back soon." Luna whined a little bit, then chuffed. Letting Don know that she would stay put, but wasn't happy about it.
With a final pat, they went on their way. "So now, we're going to that cave you were talking about earlier?" April asked.
"Yep, Arazue's cave. She protects the jewels hidden inside. She makes sure that each person that enters only leaves with one gemstone."
"What happens if someone takes more than one?"
"Then she will try to kill you." he stated firmly. "Unless you give it back."
April pushed some moss covered branches out of the way as she walked. "How does she know if someone takes more than one?"
"She can sense when someone is or is going to be deceitful or greedy in some way, so she keep an eye on that person."
"So, she's kind of like you with your sight."
"Yeah, kinda like that."
They followed a path along a stream that brought them to a slow moving large river. "The cave is across this river." Don said as he crossed the stone bridge.
Once they crossed, they could clearly see the cave's entrance and standing there, right outside the entrance was Watamu. Don stopped in his tracks. It didn't look like he had any intention of going inside, it looked like he was waiting. What he was waiting for, Don had a pretty good idea. Silently praising himself for making Luna stay behind, he walked up to the cave entrance and Watamu immediately went from waiting to being curious about the cave's inside. Trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Don quickly used his sight to see if there were any other people around waiting.
"It's that guy again." April said.
Don hummed thoughtfully before putting on a friendly face. "Hey," he called out to him. "we meet yet again."
"Oh, Vao Donatello. I am glad you made it here safely. I did not expect to get here before you though. Especially, since you left so quickly."
"Yeah, well, you wouldn't wake up and I had something important to do in the swamp, but it's been taken care of."
Watamu noticably flinched at hearing that. "Well, I am glad that it all worked out for you."
"Right, thanks." Don could see right through this facade he was putting on. He didn't have to, but just to make sure he was making the right assumption he used the goddess' sight. What he saw basically confirmed everything he already suspected. Multiple colors surrounded him. From a cautious yellow, to the angered red, to the inky blackness of one with evil intentions. And to top it off, brown which means he was lying. I knew it. You can't be trusted. He probably thinks that he's on my good side after I saved him back in Lullin Territory. I'll use that to my advantage for now. "I'm glad that you made it here safely as well." he said with a smile. "Are you going to head inside? You seemed like you were waiting for someone."
"Oh no, I wasn't. I was just trying to gather enough courage to step foot in there. Just the thought of facing a beast like Arazue is not something I wish to do."
Don nodded. "Understandable, but you have nothing to worry about as long as you only take one stone like you're supposed to."
"I admire your bravery. I wish I could be like you, but Arazue is terrifying even while she sleeps."
"This doesn't have much to do with bravery and more to do with common sense." he paused to let that sink in. "Well, don't worry. I'll be in there with you so there's nothing to worry about."
Watamu bowed. "Thank you, Vao Donatello."
"Sure, no problem."
Watamu slowly entered the entrance of the cave. Before April stepped foot inside Don stopped her. "He can't be trusted. I knew something was off about him before, but now there's no doubt in my mind that he is up to something."
"So what do you want to do?" she asked.
"I'll handle him if need be, just stay alert around him." was all he said before stepping in behind Watamu.
"You know, you really worried me when you left without saying anything."
"I'm sorry, but it's like I said, I had something to take care of and you weren't waking up. I figured that since it was morning that you would be fine. And I was right." he shrugged. "You're fine."
"Yes, it was tough, but I believe I did well."
"And not a single scratch on you." Don stated with only a little bit of snarkiness.
Watamu heard that tone and quickly changed the subject. "If you do not mind my asking, what did you have to take care of at Myazima Swamp?"
Don glared at the back of Watamu's head. He really was trying to pretend that he wasn't part of this. "There were some of the false king's men running around out there, hurting people and lakras. We couldn't let them continue what they were doing."
Watamu tensed up. "And... what happened to them?"
"Some of them were taken in."
"Some?"
"Yes, the rest are dead." he said, bluntly. "One of them was swallowed whole by the myazima queen."
"I see." he could feel the tenseness of the air around him. There was a small moment of silence. "Are you the one travelling here for Tailaga ne gaido?"
"Yes, that would be me." Don answered. "You know, you're asking a lot of questions."
"My apologies. I was merely curious."
"How about I ask you something? You never told me where you're from, Watamu."
"I am from Kelna village in the Lullin Territory." he answered confidently.
I don't even need to use the goddess' sight to know that was a lie. How long do you plan on keeping this up? Don thought. He decided to wait and see what he was planning on doing because he definitely wasn't here for a lover.
The trio followed the trail until they could see light at the end of a cavern. Walking toward it, they came up to a cliff. Down below was a cave full of sparkling jewels. The roof of this cavern was wide open letting in the natural light and in the middle of the cavern was a large sleeping creature. A massive black furred beast with an elongated face and three, sharp antlers sprouting from the top of her head. Two more horns sprouting from each side of her face. She has an underbite and many razor sharp teeth. Her body is thick and pretty bulky with sharp spines running along her back and paws.
"Arazue, I assume." April said.
"Yep, that's her." Don responded. "Hotris' companion and guardian of the caves."
At the sound of the voices, the beast woke and looked up at the people staring down at her. She growled at them, warning them. "She doesn't seem very happy." Watamu said.
"She doesn't know us and we're essentially invading her space. Of course she's not happy." Don explained. He pulled a rope from out of his bag and tied it securely around a sturdy rock, tossing the other end over the cliff. April was going to be the one to repel down first, but Don stopped her. "Watamu, you can head down first."
Watamu looked to him, not expecting him to say that. "Oh no, I-"
"I'll make sure it's secure from up here." Don said, interrupting him with a genuine smile. "Don't worry, I got it."
Watamu, almost hesitantly, repeled himself down the cliffside, followed by Don and April. Watamu didn't waste any time going to explore the sparkling cavern. Don led April up to the cautious beast in the middle of the cavern.
Her growl grew deeper as they got closer. Don held out a hand to her as a sign of friendship and gestured for April to do the same. Arazue sniffed the hands before easing off on the growling. Don opened up his bag and pulled out the shiny stones that the kids gave to them when they first got here. Curious, Arazue sniffed at the stones in his hand before purring gently. Don placed them down in front of her and she gently pawed at them while continuing to purr.
Arazue turned her attention to Watamu, keeping a close eye on him as he explored the cavern. "Come on, April." he closed up his bag. He guided her to a wall on the opposite side of where Watamu was standing and began examining the many options to choose from.
He was in search of what he thought the best one for Nati would be. "What's her favorite color?" April asked.
"Hm?" Don asked.
"Nati, what's her favorite color?"
"White, actually. A pearl white."
April examined the walls, looking for something that remotely looks like a pearl colored gem. She stopped when her eyes locked on to an oval shaped white gem. When the sunlight hit it just right she could see an array of other colors reflecting off of it. "What about this one?" she asked.
Don glanced over at the one she pointed out. "That's perfect." he pulled out a small pick axe from his bag and began chipping away at the rock around the stone until it finally came loose. He ran a finger over the smooth gem as he admired it. "Yep, she'll love this. Thanks April." he hid the gem safely in one of the smaller pockets of bag and handed the mini pickaxe off to her. "You want one? You can pick one if you'd like."
"Are you sure? I'm not getting married or anything like that." she asked, making sure.
"Arazue shouldn't mind. You're just taking one. Think of it as a souvenir from this trip."
April had to admit, she did kind of want one. They were all so pretty. She took the pickaxe from him and looked to the giant beast in the middle of the cavern. She didn't seem to mind. Although most of her attention was focused on Watamu, she still took a moment to make a sound of approval toward the red head. "Okay. I think I will." she excitedly went to explore the walls in search of her own jewel to take with her.
While April was doing this, Don would steal glances toward Watamu as he wandered around the cavern walls. He had yet to make a decision. Watamu turned in his direction and Don responded with a friendly smile.
"I think I like this one." April had her eyes on a square shaped, red cat's eye gemstone.
Don turned his attention back to April as she said this. "Here, I'll help you."
As Don turned away from him, he could hear Watamu doing the same. It only took a couple seconds to dislodge the red gemstone from the wall. They both went back to the rope and climbed up, leaving Watamu inside to finish what he was doing.
With them gone, Watamu took a moment to decompress. He didn't realize how much pressure he would feel now that he was so close to his goal. It seemed like Don had no suspicions about him, so it was now or never. He quickly ran through his plan in his head again. He took a deep breath and bent down to grab a loose gem that had already fallen out. He then quickly climbed the rope and ran out as quickly as he could, ready for what was inevitably about to happen.
Don and April had made it all the way out of the cave and was starting to head back when a loud roar emanated from inside. The roar itself shook the land that they stood on and scared some nearby wildlife into hiding. "What was that?" April asked, worriedly.
"That... was a seriously ticked off Arazue." Don answered. Watamu came running out of the cave in a panic. "What happened?"
Before Watamu even answered, Arazue came barreling out of the cave as well, every step she took felt like a mini earthquake. Her large body plowed through the trees, knocking them over in the process as she quickly caught up to the purple skinned man who had now taken up a spot hiding behind Donnie. "Protect me, vao."
To Arazue's credit she did stop before trampling over Don, but she really wanted to get to Watamu. "April, step away." he said as he stared up at the massive beast. She did as she was told. "Watamu, return what you took." he said knowingly to the person currently using him as a shield.
"I did not take anything."
Don looked back to him, this time not hiding the disdain. He was getting really tired of the lies. "Seriously, you know why she's out here and it's not for me."
Watamu was not expecting that reaction out of him and honestly neither was April. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the gems that he took. Don snatched it out of his hand and showed it to Arazue, who sniffed at it and turned her attention back to Watamu with an angered growl. "Give the other one to her too."
"But this is the one I need."
"You've already proven that you can't be trusted. As punishment, you get nothing." Don said. "You should be happy that's your only punishment."
Watamu glared at him before taking out the other one and throwing it to the ground in front of him. Arazue took both in her mouth and ran back to her cave. Her rumbling footsteps shook the ground on the way back.
"What were you hoping to accomplish by doing that?" Don kept his back facing Watamu as he began lecturing the native Verterran. "You could've died doing that. You could've gotten other people killed. You are a native to this world. Did you really think you could get away with that?" despite what had just happened, Don managed to keep his cool. He wanted Watamu to show his true colors. Sure enough, without another word, Watamu whipped out the poisoned knife and quickly slashed at him, but Don just turned and grabbed his wrist.
"Donnie!" April almost ran in to help, but Don stopped her by holding out his other hand, his eyes never leaving Watamu.
A small smile spread across Don's face as he already knew. "But of course, Kai's followers don't really care about the lives of others."
Watamu took the knife in his other hand and began to slash at Don with it, but the vao easily dodged out of the way.
"What exactly was your plan here? Were you hoping that I would get trampled? Or were you just using her as a distraction to attack me from behind?" he antagonized Watamu as he continued to dodge out of the way. He knew that devout followers of Kai were easily angered when anyone speaks ill of him. And after living with Raph for as long as he had, he knew that the more angry someone got, the sloppier their moves became. "Either way, it didn't really work out in your favor did it."
"Silence, you filthy makandi! Do not speak ill of my king!" his wild swipes were getting way easier to dodge the more agitated and desperate he got.
Watamu wanted to at least scratch him. That would be enough to do him in. Finally Don just grabbed him by the wrist and twisted his arm roughly behind his back. He then pried the knife out of his hand and followed it up by kicking him in the back, knocking him to the ground. "Give that back!" he yelled back.
"Yeah, that's not happening." he said calmly. "Now, tell me, did you really think that I wasn't suspicious of you? Because there was no way you could've thought that I wasn't." He remained silent at that. "Not a very bright one are you, Watamu?"
Watamu glared at him and stood up. "How did you know?"
Don smiled and spoke. "Makandi ne sali toma." he winked and turned away from him. "Now, I'm going to give you a choice. You can give up now and no one else has to get hurt, but if you continue this way then I'll have no choice but to kill you and I really, really don't want to do that."
"For Kai, my death will be worth it if I can kill you in the process." he dashed at him, ready to attack. In his agitated state, however, he forgot about one important thing.
Don shook his head. "That's unfortunate." He dodged out of the way. "Just give it up, Watamu. I really don't want to do this."
"I will never give up. Not until you and your brothers have perished." He punched and kicked at Don only to miss every strike as the more experienced fighter nimbly moved away from him.
"You could change. Beloose will give you another chance if you want, but you have to give up on Kai."
"I want nothing to do with that fake. He will die just as soon as I get through you."
"This isn't worth your life. Kai isn't worth your life."
"I will risk anything for my Katu."
"So you'll risk your life for someone that doesn't care about you? As soon as he feels like you're of no use to him, he'll get rid of you."
"That is a sacrifice I am willing to make."
Don rolled his eyes. He really didn't know why he bothered trying to convince him otherwise. He was clearly too far gone. "I really don't get you guys, but if that's the way you want to play. Then I have no other choice."
"Only one of us will leave here alive." without thinking Watamu charged, momentarily forgetting the location of the poison dagger. He remembered just a second too late.
Don swiftly moved to the side and before Watamu could turn around, Don plunged the knife deep into his side. "You're right about that, unfortunately, it won't be you."
Don didn't flinch as the body suddenly convulsed before falling still and slumped against him. Don was surprised at how instant the death was. He let the body fall to the floor and just looked at it. He shook his head sadly as April walked up to him. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I could be better." He sighed. He studied the dagger in his hands, silently wondering why he died so quickly. He sniffed the knife and aside from the smell of blood, there was a noxious odor that caused him to pull the blade away from his face.
"What is it?"
"It's laced with a poison. A really potent one."
"So, he was really trying to kill you. And trying to do it quickly."
"As I suspected. He probably knew he couldn't fight me, so being underhanded was his best option."
She shivered, knowing that she was around someone who wanted to kill her friend in the name of their king. "It's like they're in a cult."
"Yeah." Don stated simply.
They could hear yelling coming from the forest. There were some people coming their way, calling out for Don as they got closer. When they finally emerged, they could see the wreckage left behind from the angered Arazue. Luna, Tasura, a few other vao and their lakra came running. Luna was the first one to him, making sure he was okay as she nuzzled up against him. "I'm okay, Luna." he reassured her with head scratches.
Tasura surveyed the damge done to the forest. "What happened here? We heard Arazue all the way from the palace and assumed the worst for you."
"It's fine, Tasura." Don said then looked down at the body on the ground.
"Who is this?"
"One of Kai's guards. He had been following us since Lullin and I suspected him of trying to hurt me and Luna." he held up the bloodstained knife for everyone to see. "And I was right. He was the one that angered Arazue."
Tasura collected the knife with a sigh and then ordered the other vao to collect the body. "I'm sorry you had to resort to this, Dontello."
He just shrugged. "Can't go back now. I just want to get back home to Nati as soon as possible." he rubbed his temple.
Tasura nodded. "Very well. We have prepared most of the items that we need and we are ready to depart when you are."
They made their way back to the palace in relative silence. Don was especially quiet as the thought of killing someone weighed heavy on his mind. It's not like he's never done it before, but it never gets easier when he has to resort to it. April noticed this and wrapped an arm around him. "You did what you had to, Don. Don't beat yourself up over it."
Don took a deep breath. "I know and I know I shouldn't be this upset about it, but between the raid at the swamp and this, I think I've seen enough death for a while."
"Yeah, that's fair."
As they arrived back to the palace, the plan was to take a bit of a break to rest before leaving on their hike back to Ezdic Territory, but their troubles were not over yet.
Sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy.
