The last song of the ancestors

Around the Discharge Barrier, the former sages, Fadala and Spin Bomb were watching Axé inside the dome. The girl felt a hammering in her chest as she observed the young medium in this situation. The zimbas inscribed on his body and on his supporting exoskeleton gave off a whitish glow.

Feruzi approached her and lit his pipe. He blew rings of gray smoke into the air and said:

"You're worried, aren't you? Don't worry, I don't think the treatment is doing you any harm."

"That kid gets on my nerves, but I want him to be all right. He seems to have suffered a lot before we met in Chrome Hill."

"Let's help him…"

Fadala and Nyatui stepped forward. They gestured for the others to be quiet.

"Listen."

Tchutchutchu… was the high-pitched noise of the propellers in the atmosphere. The helicopter soared over the waterfall, flying in circles around the perimeter. The force of the wind tore down the thatched roofs of the huts, kicked up dust from between the stones. The aircraft landed in front of the Spin Bomb group.

Ngare, Kanjuchi and Popo descended from the back of the helicopter. Ngare gave orders for the pilot to take off, and return some thirty minutes later.

"Are you sure, Colonel Ngare? We can provide air support. There are unidentified people in the area."

"Obey my orders, pilot. We have everything under control, we're General Gahiji's Wilderness Unit. We've never failed a mission.

"Roger that, sir. Over, out."

The helicopter flew away. Nyatui looked at Mashal. The former sage man said through his teeth:

"You should have destroyed the helicopter; you can return with reinforcements."

"He's gone, Nyatui, one problem at a time."

Ngare smoothed down his dreadlocks. Popo twisted his neck and began to stretch. Kanjuchi was the most attentive of all, he wouldn't underestimate three ex-sages. The presence of the Discharge Barrier caught his attention.

"Colonel Ngare, there's a barrier formed by Axé. They must be performing some kind of purification ritual, what they call an unloading."

"Even for that kind of ritual, the amount of Axé particles emitted is too great for an ordinary person. Unless… there's a sage in there."

Nyatui looked at Fadala. They both nodded. The medium ordered his companions:

"Cross defense formation. Get in the formation too, girl. You'll be our secret weapon!"

Working hard, Spin Bomb placed herself between the barrier and Nyatui. Fadala was on the right, Mashal behind and Feruzi on the left. Their enemies went into a 'V' formation, with Ngare as the spearhead.

Nyatui looked around. He and the other ex-sages were being targeted by the military. They had no way of predicting the arrival of Fadala, Spin Bomb and Akachi. The old sage was experienced enough to know that they wouldn't just bring three fighters, there would have to be another.

“.repins a s'eh ebyaM .gnidih nam a s'ereht ,nepo seye ruoy peeK”

Feruzi recalled the scene of his opponents' arrival. He hadn't seen any other soldiers jump out of the helicopter. He didn't believe that anyone had climbed the wall. For Colonel Ngare to give up air support, there must have been a fourth man hiding. The hard part was knowing where he was.

“.aera eht fo peews éxA na od ,lahsaM .iutayN ,egalfuomac fo dnik emos gnisu eb dluoc eH”

Ngare pointed at Nyatui with his index finger. In a provocative tone, he shouted:

"You're so scared you've lost your mind, hohohoho. I came here expecting a challenge, and I find a bunch of old geezers."

Feruzi and Nyatui looked at each other and laughed loudly.

“.izureF ,toidi na si yug sihT”

“.secroF demrA eht ot sgnoleb ti yhw s'that”

Veins popped out of the colonel's temples. He felt provoked by his enemies. Kanjuchi had noticed that the mediums spoke in code, even if he couldn't decipher it. He tried to alert his superior.

"Sir, they're speaking in…"

"Shut up! Kill those vermin."

The trio advanced towards the mediums. Mashal was able to identify the location of the hidden soldier by reading the flow of Axé in the environment.

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“.thgir s'aladaF ot gnidih dratsab taht pu wolb ,bmoB nipS”

The girl dropped her chin. She hadn't understood the mediums' ruse until then.

"What? Speak my language, okay?"

“.lahsaM ,em ot ti evaeL”

Fadala had understood that an execution team wouldn't just send three soldiers. There was always a hidden scout as a guarantee. With extreme speed, the assassin moved towards his target and emerged on top of a rock on the other bank of the river. He pointed his gun at the ground and threatened:

"Aren't you going to show up for the party, buddy? Don't reject our hospitality."

The soldier deactivated his camouflage, it was Chandu. He was armed with an anti-material rifle with a telescopic sight. Fadala was astonished to see a bloated man lying on the rock. Beads of sweat ran down his flushed face. Most impressive of all was that the camouflage came from his skin, not his clothing or equipment. His dermis became fatty and purplish.

"Who would have thought that mediums are also intelligent…"

"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm not a medium."

Bang-bang, Fadala fired his gun. In self-defense, Chandu put his arms in front of his face. His limbs were severed. The soldier's cheeks inflated to the point of turning red, his eyes rolled back in their sockets.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

The answer came in a jet of dark ink, expelled by Chandu. Fadala's glasses were hit by the ink and he couldn't see anything for a few moments. His face and the entire top of his suit were soaked. He removed his glasses from his face and looked down at his dyed suit. He loosened his tie and took it off. He twisted it and wrapped it around his right hand.

He pulled out his other pistol. He gritted his teeth, furious. Chandu had disappeared, but the drops of his blood showed where he had fled to.

"I'm going to eat octopus paella, my favorite dish."