I watch Tau clothe himself in his ancestral skins for the challenge of the crown. The lion skin is pulled tight over his shoulders, the sigil of his family. The sigil of his name. A sign heralding his strength and power over kingdoms of men and animals alike. His spear and shield are in his left hand. He holds it with a grip so firm, it is as if he was born to fight for his place in the world.

“They say the man you’re fighting is not strong, but skilled beyond his years. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in speed,” I say, apprehension and excitement sparring on my face. I know he cannot win this, but part of me does not want to see him fall.

“It matters not, my love. He will lose all the same. I have been training my entire life. He is a boy still green with youth.” His arrogance makes me fume, but it is nothing new. He thinks his size will save him. If only he knew …

Tau finishes his horn of beer before we exit the hut. A sea of brown faces cheer and beat their drums as we walk towards the fighting square. I follow behind as is my duty as the chief’s wife. I am paraded as if I am to fight in the tournament as well. Ever since father’s death, none of these people has even spared me a single glance. Shame or pity I do not know, but yet I accept the feigned love of the people I plan on saving.

We reach the fighting square and the challenger already waits for Tau. He is not yet a man grown, a boy no older than twenty and yet he defies and challenges the chief like no other. He stands with his shield and spear the same way Tau does, but his frame is like that of a child compared to Tau. I have no faith that this boy will end Tau’s life.

Andiswa and her mother are amongst the crowd, but her mother quickly moves to the centre of the fighting square. The diviner’s hand goes up and the crowd goes silent.

“We are gathered here today to witness one of our own’s attempts to mock our beloved chief’s brute strength and power. The fight is to the death. May the ancestors decide their fates,” she says, her voice echoes across the crowd. “You may commence.”

The young boy wastes no time and strikes immediately. His spear floats over Tau’s head with unrelenting speed. Tau pushes him to the side and strikes back, his spear bangs against the boy’s shield, a blow that nearly knocks the boy over. The boy regains his footing and the spears collide with a crack as loud as a whip. The crowd goes wild.

“Hah, you’re not bad for a boy who is still so green,” Tau jests, and throws his shield out of the fighting ring, a clear sign of his confidence and arrogance. The boy grunts, angered by the chief’s nonchalant attitude. He moves forward and strikes again, without success.

The chief laughs at the boy and throws his spear out of the ring as well.

“Is this what I am supposed to fight?” he yells at the crowd, his hands in the air, “is this the best the Eland people have to offer?”

Tau moves with the speed of a cheetah and lands a blow in the young boy’s gut. The boy staggers backwards and loses his footing. The chief’s strength is all he needs to the end the fight and take the boy’s life. He saunters slowly towards him, like a predator stalking its prey. He kicks the boy’s spear and shield to the side and crushes the boy’s hand with his foot. The boy’s screams reverberate in the air.

Tau taunts the boy; he wants to kill his spirit before he kills his body. He is like a child playing with its food. The cruelty will not go unpunished.

The chief picks up the boy’s spear and walks towards him, but as he reaches him, he goes into a fit of coughing. The spear falls from his hand and he clutches his chest.

“Something is wrong,” I scream, “stop the fight.”

Tau falls to his knees and the coughing continues as blood splashes all over the sand. The diviner reaches him before I can and her hand gently falls on his chest as it heaves.

“He was poisoned. Someone poisoned him before the fight,” she says and a wave of whispers rush through the crowd, as if everyone simultaneously let out the breath they were holding.

“Carry your chief to his hut,” I command the guards, “and bring this boy forward for questioning.” I see Andiswa in the crowd. No emotion painted on her face. We both know who the culprit is.

***

Tell us: How do you think Andiswa poisoned Tau? Will she get away with it?