Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Zoe gave me a worried look.
I gritted my teeth. “Can you tell me more about the trick, instead of show me?”
“I scream, but in a special way.” She frowned. “And when I do, the dark liquid leaves his eyes and he begs me to stop. Once I do, he gives me candy and leaves.”
“This is scary.” Zoe shook his head. “We should go to the Outer Realm.”
“I won't go without Azar—”
“Jade is a weapon, Fatou. Adae and this vampire must have been training her—”
“She's not a weapon. She is my daughter—”
“If she can drain vampires just from a scream, Adae will never stop searching for her.”
I pursed my lips and hurried on.
“Fatou?”
“I hear you, Zoe.”
“He won't stop searching—”
“And I won't go anywhere without helping Azar.” My heart ached.
Zoe was about to speak and then paused at the sight before us.
My father's castle loomed and sparkled several feet up ahead. It was made from obsidian stone and had existed so long ago that no one knew who created it first. Many legends pointed to God as the builder.
On the left side of the castle was the Paps—two hills that resembled a woman's shapely breasts. It had been said long ago that huge gods would come to this area to masturbate to those hills because they were so turned on by the nature. This was to explain why the land was so fertile with magic.
The right side of the castle showed a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Goree Island—a place haunted with the blood-filled memories of human slavery.
Usually, the castle lay quiet and covered in mystical mist.
Tonight, thousands of yumboe—men, women, and children—stood outside waiting. They wore the classic robe of Welcome—the festival to greet a guest of royal nature.
They knew I was coming, before I did? They. . .must have felt it days before. . .
Zoe gasped. “Oh my.”
We walked forward.
All of the robes shimmered in the moonlight. They were sewn from a single piece of fabric around fifty-nine inches wide and ran 117 inches long, stopping past the ankles.
The robe was made by folding the shimmering fabric in half, fashioning a neck opening, and sewing the sides halfway up to make flowing sleeves.
For women, the neck was large and rounded.
For men, the opening formed a long V-shape and had pocket.
Regardless, the colorful robes draped over their bodies, giving them all the appearance of being stately, elegant carriages of majestic power.
They dressed for my welcome. . .
Up ahead of the thousands of yumboe, my mother and father stood. Large gold crowns topped their head and were shaped like pointy cones and covered in diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.
We continued forward.
Zoe whispered, “How do I greet the king and queen? Do I bow or say something special?”
I grinned. “My parents are humble and down-to-earth. In fact, we yumboe, especially my father, would rather live beneath a hill than in a castle.”
“Why?”
“The earth's soil is the most comforting thing to our soul. It lives. It heals. It protects us.”
“I. . .I never knew you were a princess, Fatou. What do I call you now?”
“Friend.” I grinned. “Don't start acting differently, Zoe.”
“How can I not? You're royalty.”
I chuckled.
We approached my parents and stopped.
I slowly set Jade down. So nervous, she held close to me. I kept my hand on her shoulder.
Like the centaurs, it was always best to stay quiet and let my parents assess us first and then wait for them to speak.
My father stood as regal as ever. However, his silver dreadlocks now appeared more powder white. My mother's dreadlocks were just as white too.
Wrinkles crept along the edges of their eyes. It took a long time for yumboe to show aging. Therefore, these past years of my missing and their battling vampires must have worn them down.
I'm sorry. I didn't know. . .
My father turned his view to Jade. My mother followed the action too. While her gaze warmed at her granddaughter, my father's eyes ran cold.
Quickly, my father returned his view back to me. “We thought you were dead.”
“You told me to stay away.”
“Yet, you are here with a child that smells like a vampire.”
My mother frowned and stepped forward. “There is so much to say, but tonight we must celebrate your return.”
My father pursed his lips.
My mother spread her hands out and yelled to our people. “The princess has finally come home!”
All cheered and clapped. Those that didn't roared with joy.
“Tonight!” My mother yelled. “We will do as traditions require. We will feast and dance in the moonlight!”
Chapter 22
A Moonlit Feast
Fatou
I really wish they didn’t have a welcome feast. I don’t have time for this.
The celebration began.
On the ground, we all lounged on tons of soft pillows. My parents were the only ones who sat on low golden stools. They were positioned across from me with their various advisors resting on pillows on either side of them.