Prologue
*
The darkness of the forest curls around me as I run, tripping over my own feet and scrambling up before setting off again. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, and I could hear the men behind me, their snarls and howling so close that I could almost smell their foul breaths. I clutched the little bundle tighter to my chest, dashing through the thickets and the dense bushes.
They will kill us if they find us. I have to keep going, because stopping would be an instant death warrant. Nakiya had fallen already, and the pain of her loss was still ripping through me with each step I took. But there was no time to stop and grieve. All I could do was run, and listen to the beating sound of the drums which were so far away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The hunt was on, and I was the main target. These men would stop at nothing to capture me. But I couldn't go back. I couldn't return to the horrors I had just left behind in that cursed place.
"THERE SHE IS!"
My heart literally sank when I heard that, and the howling of a dozen wolves accompanied the scream. I spurred on even faster, my feet covered in blood and my vision blurring. Tears swam in my eyes, and I knew that sooner or later, they would catch up to me.
The moonlight pierced through the canopy overhead. I looked up at the luminescent orb, feeling its power coursing through me. My tattoos were glowing, but my body was exhausted and I couldn't keep on going.
"Oya, please save us," I cried out, keeping my eyes on the moon. "Save us from the men who will destroy us and plunge Damara into chaos and calamity. Vanquish our enemies, and save the future so that we might not be forgotten."
Oya must have heard my prayer, because I suddenly emerged onto a lonely path, an a cart materialised in front of me. I stopped and looked over my shoulder, and the hunters were closing in. There was only one thing to do.
Quickly, I ran towards the cart and deposited the bundle carefully in the back. Thankfully, the driver wasn't nearby. I placed the crystal inside, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. I prayed to Oya that she would be safe, and that those who were after us would not succeed.
"Watch over her," I cried, looking up at the moon once again before I turned away and led the hunters down the other path.
The wheels of destiny were set in motion that night. My little girl, only a few hours old, now carried the hope of thousands on her tiny shoulders. And even though she didn't know it, she had a significant role to play in the course of our history.
That was why her father and I had chosen her name even before she was born:
Oya.
*
