THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

7:45pm at the Imperial Palace

“Hello sir,” answered Naa Aku. She waited for the voice to talk. She responded “Everything is going according as planned sir.” She paused again and listened. “Yes sir. The ring will be ours soon,” she answered.

9:30pm outside the Imperial Palace

Agent Sitso’s phone rang. He was outside the palace. He picked his phone from his pocket and answered. “Hello,” answered Agent Sitso. The voice on the other side explained, “We’ve got him.” “Where…?” asked Agent Sitso. “Attawaazi Memorial Hospital” answered the voice on the other side. “Sit tight and wait for me. I will be right there.” Agent Sitso and Adomaa got into his car and drove towards the hospital.

Inside Nomposuro:

Edua was looking dumbfounded while he watched a unique cave. This cave had a unique entrance – water that sparkled completely sealed the entrance to the cave. He watched the entrance and looked back. He turned to the entrance again and looked back again before running towards the entrance. The thirteenth shinko and Kaki emerged from the bushes. The two shinkos chased Edua. Edua run as fast as he could. Kaki stopped running and shouted, “Stop!” But the thirteenth shinko was stubborn and followed Edua. He jumped but was a shade too late. Edua disappeared behind the strange entrance. The thirteenth shinko was already close to the sparkling water surrounding the entrance to the cave. It screamed in pain while he looked like being electrocuted and was pushed away from the entrance. He fell far away from the entrance and did not open his eyes.

8:25pm at the Storage Facility under the Imperial Palace:

Four of the members of the Akati clan waited. Suddenly, the lights flickered and everything shut down; the lights went off; the cameras went off; the sound of moving machines stopped. They turned on the flash lights on their foreheads and walked towards the steel entrance of the underground storage facility. One man just walked through the right wall and joined them. It was Edua. While the five men walked towards the entrance, Sako remarked, “It is always easy — like taking candy from a baby.” They arrived at the entrance. Edua was about to touch the entrance when he turned and asked, “What was that?” His four partners quickly went on their knees and aimed their guns.

The plan to stop the Akati clan was an ambush. It was a plan to back them into a corner where they cannot escape. So you know what happened next, the shootout that killed four of the best thieves ever known in history. One of them, the man perceived to be their leader escaped — Edua the bearer of Kodua’s ring. He escaped into the storage facility. He found the safety box 81. He stretched his arm and felt something inside. He took it and withdrew his arm. He examined what he had stolen and realized he had been tricked. It was a cube alright but a fake vuduwadu (Vudu’s cube). He angrily threw the cube away and started considering a way out of his current predicament.

8:45pm on the day the delegates arrived for the peace summit in Nibooman:

Edua managed to escape but his left shoulder was still bleeding. He was losing too much blood. He feared he may die and checked himself into the nearest hospital. A beautiful and kind nurse treated him. She removed the bullet stuck in his shoulder. While she removed it, she asked, “How did you get shot, anyway?” Edua answered, “I was in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time.” She gave him a suspicious look which Edua found was cute. Edua asked, “What is your name, beautiful nurse?” She answered, “That will cost you.” Edua smiled and said “I am willing to pay.” The nurse stood upright and said, “All done. She had removed and bandaged Edua’s shoulder. “You are a very lucky man Edua, it was not deep and you will survive.” Edua said, “I will count myself lucky if you tell me your name.” The beautiful nurse asked, “What are you doing tomorrow night?” Edua answered, “Anything you want to do.” She smiled and said, “I will tell you my name over diner. I left a paper by your side. My address and phone number are on it. Pick me up at seven and don’t be late. I hate it when people are late.” Edua smiled and said “it’s a date.” The beautiful nurse smiled back and exited Edua’s room.

9:15pm on the day the delegates arrived for the peace summit in Nibooman:

Edua took the paper and smiled. Her residential address and cellphone number was on it. He was however in a hurry. He got up and looked outside his window. He noticed some vehicles he was certain belonged to the Imperial Crimes Agency. He picked up his shirt and walked out hurriedly. He looked right and then left. Coming from his left was Agent Sitso and two other men from his unit, and, from his right were two other men. The five men pulled out guns and Agent Sitso shouted, “Freeze, Edua of the Akati clan.” Edua’s left shoulder was bandaged. He lifted only the right. Then he quickly stretched and touched a wall directly in front of him with his left and passed through it. Two doors were on the left and right of the wall he touched. You can imagine the shock on the faces of the other four agents. They completely froze, amazed at what they saw. Agent Sitso shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Go after him!” They opened the doors to those rooms and searched thoroughly. On the beds inside the rooms were sick people enjoying peaceful sleep. Edua was gone.

Agent Sitso inserted his left index finger into his left ear and said “units in position, look out for a man who will walk through the walls in your direction. Be on high alert!” Two agents were watching one side of the wall outside. One of them told his partner, “I still think this is crazy. Nobody can walk through...” He had not even finished his statement when they saw someone just pushing his way through the wall as if it was not there. He looked left and right again and walked coolly. After he had put some distance between himself and the wall, the two men pulled out guns and shouted, “Freeze!” Edua looked around but there were no walls to run through. He went on his knees, surrendered and was arrested. The other man asked his partner, “What were you saying? Call Agent Sitso and tell him we got him.”

Sitting in a car at a safe distance was Naa Aku. She picked her phone from her purse and made a call. She spoke, “Hello, sir. He has been arrested. How should I proceed?” She listened to the instructions from the other side and after about thirty seconds of listening, she responded, “Yes sir!” and hung up.

Agent Sitso finally came down to greet his nemesis. He looked down on Edua whom was still kneeling and said, “Finally we meet, Edua of the Akati clan.” “I can’t say it is pleasure to meet you, Agent Sitso of the Imperial Crimes Agency,” answered Edua. “You know who I am?” asked Agent Sitso. “You have been chasing me around the world for five years now. So, yes I know who you are,” answered Edua. Agent Sitso took Edua’s ring off his left ring finger and felt the power of the ring as a vibration. He commanded the two arresting agents to take him away. They stood Edua up and walked towards their vehicle. On their way, Agent Sitso received a phone call. Agent Sitso answered, “Hello sir. We have got him.” Draco answered, “Take him to Dwenmoda. He is to be transported to Nomposuro tonight.” Agent Sitso protested, “But sir, he must be tried first. That is the law.” Draco shouted, “That is an order!” The engine of the vehicle started. Agent Sitso waved and shouted, “Wait!” He got close and commanded one of the agents to step out of the vehicle. “The prisoner is to be taken to Dwenmoda where he will be prepped for his journey to Nomposuro.” Agent Sitso got into the vehicle and journeyed to Dwenmoda with Edua.

Naa Aku got out of her car and whispered “but that was not supposed to happen.” She made another call to her mysterious boss and complained that Agent Sitso was travelling with Edua to Dwenmoda. She waited once again for instructions before getting into her car and pursuing the vehicle conveying Edua to Dwenmoda.

Agent Sitso sat in silence next to Edua for about three minutes. Finally, he decided to break the silence. He said, “You should have been tried first.” Edua responded, “I didn’t expect a trial.” Agent Sitso said, “But no one will know your story.” “I do not plan on telling it,” answered Edua. “But I want to know,” protested Agent Sitso. Then some more silence followed.

Agent Sitso again decided to break the silence. He said, “Fine, I will tell you my story and then maybe you will tell me yours.”  

Agent Sitso’s Story:

“My biological father left my mother even before she knew she was pregnant with me. I don’t know him and I never want to see him. I hated him even though my mother insisted he had a very good reason for leaving us. My mother got married to another man and had two sons with him. My step father hated me. He blamed me for all the bad things that happened in the house and took the slightest opportunity that came his way to give me a good beating. My mother tried to protect me but she was not strong enough. When I was twelve, she could not take it anymore. She packed my things and ran away with me. She left her husband and abandoned two of her sons just to protect one — me.

“Leaving my step father came with financial challenges but she weathered the storm perfectly. She worked when she was healthy and worked twice as hard when she was sick to educate me. She wanted me to become an Obenfo (medical doctor in this context). She wanted me to save lives and become rich and famous. And what I wanted was for her to be proud of me so I worked twice as hard in school. I graduated top in all my classes and was admitted to Wolotso (School of Medicine). But on the day I was supposed to make the trip, my mother was killed. The investigators called it a robbery gone-bad. But I always wondered “who will rob a poor woman. She had nothing. She invested everything she had in my education. I sensed foul play. I abandoned her dream and my dream to become an Obenfo. I enrolled and graduated from Banbobia (Imperial Crimes Agency Academy).

“The first case I solved — or almost solved — was my mother’s murder. I found the man whom supposedly robbed and killed her. When I first interrogated him, he told me he was only following orders. I was interrupted and told he had to be transferred to a more secure facility. I paid him a visit the next day only to be informed that he had conveniently committed suicide. I am a man with many questions and maybe if I also knew about the Vuduwadu, I will try to steal it to change time — to save my mother. So whom or what did you want to save? Tell me, Edua of the Akati clan,” asked Agent Sitso.

Inside Nomposuro:

Kaki waited for Edua and her patience was rewarded. She heard footsteps. Someone was coming out. It was the first time she had heard footsteps coming from inside the cave. People who enter the cave often just jump out of it already transformed into Rahasima (guardians of hell). The footsteps got closer and closer until Edua took his first step outside the cave of tears. He paused and gazed at Kaki. He took four more steps and stopped.

Kaki growled and snarled at him. He whispered, “I am no longer afraid of you,” and shouted, “The running stops now!” He pointed the kafunde to the dark Nomposuro sky with his left hand and the black thread around the hilt of the kafunde crawled very quickly like a snake wrapping itself around his arm.