Slaughter Lambs: Vassal Tour

By Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor

Faced with the dilemma of not yet declaring her vocation, fifteen-year-old Kate Curie struggles with many heavy questions. How to explain her attraction to her friend's boyfriend? What does she want to do after graduation? How can she save her favorite lamb from sacrifice? Who knows who is right and wrong in the uprising of riots and warnings of civil war?
In Slaughter Lambs: Vassal Tour, Kate dives into the unsteady, transitionary phase of leaving school and exploring the states outside her home of Stafflegon. Accompanied by her friend Jake and a prince incognito, Kate will witness foreigners first-hand, challenge the ethics of the workforce, and suffer mysterious blows of violence and terror. While she embraces the thrill of seeing faraway lands, will home always be as she remembers it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9781528908870

Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor

E. O. Kuffuor is a graduate student but still possesses a child's sense of wonder and creativity. He was born in the tropics but currently, lives in the United States. Kuffuor started writing during a period of great turmoil in his life; out of his pain and anguish, he turned to words and created worlds he could escape to.

Book preview

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About the Author

E. O. Kuffuor is a graduate student but still possesses a child’s sense of wonder and creativity. He was born in the tropics but currently lives in the United States. Kuffuor started writing during a period of great turmoil in his life; out of his pain and anguish, he turned to words and created worlds he could escape to.

Dedication

I dedicate this to my dear brother, Nana Asafo Boateng.

Copyright Information ©

Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor (2018)

The right of Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781786933010 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781786933027 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781786933034 (E-Book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2018)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd™

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank God.

Chapter 1

It was the third time Jake had landed himself in trouble. He was sentenced to join The Watchers for two nights. Kate wasn’t mad at her friend however, not even disappointed. In fact, she was pleased with him. He had punched the meanest school bully, Joey, in the face for calling Asaf a worthless cripple. She would have confronted Joey herself, anyway, if Jake hadn’t, because she had promised herself not to let anyone disrespect her younger brother again.

She along with Bizzy, Jake’s girlfriend, had met up with him at the watch tower by the main city gate at the end of his watch on the first night. Kate thought it a nice gesture seeing that the boy had stood up for her brother. As for Bizzy, it was nothing more than a show of support for her boyfriend. On this second and final night, however, Kate was the only one who came out. She had always wanted to see what the area outside the city walls looked like from the high watch towers, but only watchers were allowed up there. Fortunately, Jake had promised to sneak her up there this night and her heart bubbled with anticipation. She had never been this eager for anything, slipping quietly out the house and taking a lonely walk all the way to the tower. She was now a few meters from the city gates, a fool’s grin spread across her face as she imagined the views from the watchtower. The city was unusually noisy; smoke from lamb fires rose from various spots along the stream that run right down the middle of the city, accompanied by loud chatter and drunken eruptions of laughter from excited crowds. Lamb fires were one of the city’s foremost pleasures; it was simply a bonfire with tons of lamb meat and drinks for anyone that attended. It wasn’t rare to find a few of the oldheads sitting around blabbering about how the times had changed and that their younger days were more glorious. She felt an urge to stop by one of the fires but she dismissed the idea quickly, marching on towards her destination.

She stood staring at the gate for a spell, admiring its grandeur--It looked even more intimidating at night, she thought. Giant light tubes shot warm rays all about the area around the wall. It had been cast with diamonds hewn out of the rocks of the city’s vassal lands south of their border. The gate was hundreds of feet high, towering the surrounding city wall by just a few inches. It was decorated with the mosaic of a giant lamb formed with gold-plated bamboo sticks also from the vassal lands her city controlled. Kate had seen the gates open very few times every year, and she had never gotten over that subtle feeling of being trapped anytime the gates closed after being opened. When she was younger, she used to wish for a chance to explore the outside; see the vassal lands that she had heard so much about. She had it all planned out; by sixteen, she would embark on the tour of the vassal lands, which was organized annually. She remembered how devastated she felt when the tour was cancelled three years ago, for security reasons. Her desire had died along with it. Most of her friends then never shared the same fascinations anyway; instead they were interested in looking pretty and attracting the most attention. She hated to admit it, but overtime, she along with her best friend, Bizzy, became the queens of everything vain. Now, waiting to ascend the tower, it seemed as if something inside her had been revived, and a fresh interest for adventure was suddenly brewing again.

Kate spotted Jake as she neared his assigned tower. She slipped into the shadow of the watch tower, and lay face up in a grassy patch as she waited to be summoned. Moments later, she spotted Jake’s head poking from the edge of the tower, a tiny sphere set against the dark grey starry sky. He whistled softly signaling for her to move towards the tower’s lift. She observed her wristwatch; enough time for a good sightseeing, she smiled. She watched as he descended in the metal box along the side of the tower. She held her breath as he came hoping no one spotted them. As old as the metal lift looked, it made little noise as it descended except for a slight whistling. And the sound of music and singing from the city masked any other sound anyway so she felt reassured. As she stepped into the lift, a strange glee filled her stomach as they moved quietly in the lift back up the tower.

She let out a soft gasp when she finally arrived at the top. She dashed towards the edge of the tower, her big brown eyes bulging with excitement. Floods of lights reached more than twenty meters out from the walls, revealing parts of the outside she had never seen, not even from atop the Lambswood in her yard.

This is awesome, she said, almost shouting.

Keep it down, he whispered, pointing towards the other side along the gate where a gun tower hosted a city guard.

Sorry sir, she whispered back, performing an exaggerated salute.

He frowned lightly and then went back to gazing at the watch area.

Kate pointed downwards at the shimmering water below them.

Is that the crocodile moat I’ve heard so much about?

He nodded. Yes… some of the crocs were out on the bank last night,

She strained as she inspected the moat whose water seemed deep, stretching wide several meters outward. A pile of rocks and a white sandy bank bordered the opposite side of the moat.

Tonight was meant to be…The sky is starry and the moon is full, Kate said, pulling out her cell phone and aiming at the scene.

Is the flash off? Jake inquired, pointing at her phone.

Of course! I’m not even taking pictures, I’m recording a video, Kate said, her voice full with sarcasm as if his attitude suddenly annoyed her.

Just making sure… Jake raised both palms, pointing again at the gun tower. I’ve taken enough risk bringing--

sOkay, okay, I get it! Kate interrupted rolling her eyes at him and then went back to admiring the scenery.

The starlight left the crowns of the rows of Lambswood grey, revealing a detailed pattern in the way they grew along the sides. They guided both sides of a massive stone bridge that stretched from the city exit over the wide moat.

So, what are you to watch for? she whispered idly, aiming her camera at the moat below.

Intruders, I guess… maybe rebels—if they’re stupid enough to come out this far, he chuckled, weaving his fingers through his thick, wavy white hair.

Really, two probations later and you still don’t know what your job is? she teased, pinching the flesh under his arm.

Ouch! He yelled, slapping her hand playfully.

Kate pointed towards the gun tower as if to remind him of his warning.

He frowned, rubbing his sore bicep. Stafflegon has great defenses. It is not going to fall because I wasn’t watching properly, he said, lifting his chin to the sky, as if he had just said the most evocative sentence.

What if there are beasts out there? Things that can rip you up piece by piece; oh, imagine even giant crawlers that could scale walls as high as these. Kate lowered her voice into a hiss, wiggling all ten fingers in his face.

Jake chuckled. Shut up! I’m not scared at all… nothing is getting within a hundred miles without those sensors picking them up. He pointed to a crudely shaped metal box with red lights on the side of the wall. I’m just here to serve a stupid punishment!

Anyway, talking of watching, he warned me not to get distracted or he was going to shove a fist down my throat, Jake said.

He glanced at his watch, and then frowned some more, angry at how slowly the time seemed to pass.

Kate turned her attention back to the moat. Her eyes drifted off, now wandering about the strip of forest known as the Fallen Lands, which extended from the shore of the city’s moat. It was the only piece of land that connected the city to its vassal peninsula. She strained her eyes wishing in vain to spot something, anything to excite her, but nothing. The area stood still and peaceful, crowns of trees forming a thick ceiling over the rows of whitewashed gravestones. Something about the scenery tickled her spine--not the kind that scared her but that piqued her curiosity. Maybe because of what she had been told happened there fifty years ago, or what it had become now: eerie and almost deserted.

Do you miss him? Kate suddenly said, almost absentmindedly.

She looked at Jake, as if the answer was to be read from his features. He looked confused for a second, before realizing who she was referring to. She was talking about his brother, Kobby. He had enlisted to join the occupation in the vassal states after a great insurrection by the Free Southern Rebels three years ago. Insurrections were nothing new within the vassals; ever since the armies of Stafflegon stepped foot in The Southern lands, there had been resistance from the local people. The Free Southern Rebels were a manifestation of that resistance. They had been demanding freedom from Stafflegon for over a decade, yet to no avail. Their modes of operation spanned random acts of violence against Stafflegon’s occupying interests in the vassal lands, to formal and diplomatic appeals; but they never got the full attention of the Stafflegon till about three years ago, the Mad Year, as most called it. Kate knew the system; the abundance they enjoyed because of their control of the vassals, but she didn’t know the extent of their dependence on the vassals till that year. Apparently, her city obtained most of its water supply from rivers that run through the vassal lands. The vassal states were also their biggest supplier of oil and gas, rice and other important commodities. The rebels started by attacking the water pipelines. The next target was oil and gas pipelines, shutting them down for about a week. Then the attacks on food trucks as well. All these were brought under control very easily by the occupying soldiers but the rebels were not done. It all came to a head when the rebels attacked and killed a high official from the city, who was then on official business in the vassal lands. Kobby, despite strong resistance from his mother and Jake, opted to join the reinforcement that was sent to quell the uprising. He was now part of the army special forces and neither Jake nor their mother heard anything from him except that he was alive and well.

Kate nodded absentmindedly. Yes… I wish he hadn’t left.

Kate smiled as an image of the tall, muscular boy flashed in her mind. She had a slight crush on the boy even though he was much older. Kobby had oil black hair with a thick beard to match. He always had a twinkle in his eyes and they looked like tiny shiny marbles whenever he smiled. She had always insisted that Kobby was much more handsome and Jake vehemently disagreed.

She looked over at Jake, noticing sadness clouding his features.

He’ll be back safe and sound, Kate assured. She took his hand and caressed it.

That’s if he is not dead already, Jake said absently.

Don’t say that! Kate scolded, letting go off his hand as if to show her disgust.

Jake said nothing, almost as if he hadn’t heard her. His face suddenly flashed with awe. Hey, did you see that? He pointed towards the edge of the fallen lands.

Kate’s eyes darted. "What?

Jake laughed. Trokan…

Kate gave him a dirty look. You know better than to be playing like that… not funny at all.

Jake snickered. Oh, someone is a scared

That is every kid’s nightmare, Kate said.

No, that was your nightmare, not mine. He laughed some more.

She rolled her eyes again, shuddering at the mere thought. Word from the old heads was that the barbarians their ancestors had confronted when they first settled, the Troks, had strange creatures—hybrids of man and beast. And those words had lived on with her even till this day. Kate used to find tales of that sort ridiculous, yet when she had started hallucinating after her fall from the old Lambs wood tree in her yard, those were the shapes that haunted her—images of the mythical half human-half avian creatures. She shook her head and closed her eyes, as if to prevent those images from returning.

You don’t believe any of that old Priest’s strange tales, do you?

Jake started but Kate cut him off, Gods! What is that? She yelled.

Jake chuckled. Nice try... I’m not scared.

No, really, look down there. She pointed toward bridge over the moat.

Jake looked in the direction she pointed—he squinted and then screwed up his face.

You’re kidding—

His sentence was cut short by the sound of a gunshots. They both jumped, startled at the sudden sound of rapid gunfire. They spotted something running at top speed across the bridge towards the city gates. Two more gunshots rang out, lighting the area around the bridge. The running object left a trail of blood before slowing down to a halt and dropping down lifeless.

"What was