The Fire Festival: Transcendent

By Tim Ronald O.

Fini Kiri is the land of fire where citizens worship the mysterious beings that rule over them and force people to adhere to their tyrannical reign. An unyieldingly valiant youth, Tee is only twenty fire festivals old when he damns the consequences in order to defy the so-called gods. They took something from him that can never be replaced.

Tee was born into a world where his mother and father were eventually killed by the superlative beings they once trusted and adored. Now that Tee has finally come to terms with being an orphaned prince and king-to-be, the fire gods strike again and steal his beloved, Tonye. Tee digs into the depths of his heart to find the bravery he needs to fight back.

His rebellious valor challenges the foundation of Fini Kiri as he prepares to attack the powers that be. With a little help from cryptic creatures and against deathly odds, Tee strives to rescue his love, uncover inconceivable truths, and free his land from the cruelty of both the fire and rain gods. It takes but one voice to ignite change, and Tee will scream to the heavens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532031694

Tim Ronald O.

Tim Ronald O. first discovered his passion for writing while earning a master of science degree. After achieving a Nidan black belt in Shotokan Karate-do, his love for martial arts blossomed into a thirst for adventure and evolved into a ravenous passion for arts and sciences in general. He is also the author of Hollow Flash and The Princess and the Little Man.

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Copyright © 2018 Tim Ronald O..

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-3170-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-3169-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017918776

iUniverse rev. date: 07/12/2018

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 Shaba

Chapter 2 God of the Land

Chapter 3 Land of Rain

Chapter 4 River of Death

Chapter 5 Gods of Rain

Chapter 6 Rain Magic

Chapter 7 Nengi

Chapter 8 The Fire Festival

Chapter 9 Ascension

Epilogue

With inexorable love for Tonye, Biedima, and Mini.

PROLOGUE

Tee took in a deep breath; the salted, humid spray that had kissed his skin from time to time was more than welcoming as it filled his lungs now, not so far from the shore. His heart was racing, and his breaths were increasingly becoming fast and short. Fear was far from his thoughts; the inevitable repercussions did not sway his mood. Tee knew he was defying the fire gods. He imagined that Tonye must have been thinking the same thing too. But he did not care about anything else at the moment. They were together, and that was all that mattered.

That night, the blissful embrace of their forbidden love warped every reasonable thought in Tee’s mind. They were in a secret place, and he had been planning this for a while. Here, he had erected stones a foot high and placed fresh scented leaves on the wool beneath the soft skin that was on each stone. He decorated the bed with assorted wildcat skin and made pillows of chrysanthemums, which he wrapped in a neat bundle using a thin twine. From the glow above on the stands, the beckoning bed was lovely, and several tree branches covered it. Just a few two-hand strides into the forest was where it stood in hiding. Deep within him, a voice of reason was stirring up. Yes, he knew the fire gods would be displeased.

He didn’t care.

The breeze in this part of the forest had always been soothing to him, almost like a caress from the rain gods, forbidden but sweet. It was only right that he put the bed here. He had known full well the implication of what he was about to do but had been waiting for this night for five fire festivals, and not even the recurrent voice of his father in his head could change his mind about it now. The fire festivals were always done on nights of full moon, and in trying to make the night special, instead of planting torches, he had caught fireflies in nets and hung the nets on sticks that were posted on each corner of the bed. Each net was almost as long as the span of his hands. They reached five feet high and glowed like little suns beneath the full moon. The oblivious fireflies were excited by the constant wind that forced them to let off pulsing glows intermittently and made the bed beckon like a blossoming chrysanthemum.

It was beautiful. He knew Tonye would like it. She often spoke of wonderful views and how they made her feel good. He had hoped that she would look through the corners that the glowing nets would form, into the sky, and tell him it was beautiful. All this he had done that day after fishing.

There was an earthen pot of palm wine and fresh fruits waiting at the foot of the bed. Just in case it took them far into the night, that night was sure to be a special one. Tee was ready to give it his all and hoped she would do the same for him.

He shook his head as his heart almost softened at the thought of his love. Tonye had been a marvelous sight earlier in the evening. The glow from the tall fires at the square bathed her in gold, but she looked even more enchanting in the moonlight as she stood before him now. The pale light bathed her, capturing what he thought was the same effect as the shine of the Bekin Apu’s skin.

He had taken her far from the square, away from the fire. She had fallen silent.

Tonye, he whispered.

Yes? she said, her voice soft and full of emotion.

He put his face close to hers to breathe the breath of dreams as he kissed her lips. He swept her into his arms. They stood motionless, silent.

Then he put her down.

Are you tired? she asked.

With you, I can never grow weary, he said.

He had told her that it was a surprise, and he guessed she must have been imagining what the surprise might be. Chrysanthemums? she asked, eyes closed.

Tee laughed. She had a keen sense of smell. My wife! he said, not answering the question. Keep your eyes closed. And they settled into the bed he had made for them.

Her ravishing body came alive under the glow of the fireflies, shimmering like a blade in the moonlight. The skin she had worn over her breast was well set, her bosom welcoming. He moved his head close to her bosom and felt at home as the warmth of her body filled him with love. His hand slid down her back easily, and he undid the skin; luscious breasts like gold fruits dangled lower. Twins of ecstasy they were. How succulent they seemed. He kissed them gently and dropped the skin. Her eyes were still closed, and again she remained quiet.

He knew there would be consequences. The voice in his head reminded him repeatedly. Still, he did not care.

He moved closer to her and slid his fingers down her waist as he kissed her lips. Her eyes opened instantly. She gasped. It’s … beautiful, she said as he kissed her and pulled down the skin underwear that had covered her waist and hugged its curves graciously, alerting the strength between his legs. At first it was difficult, and he pictured his sword in his hand, cutting the knot free, but he took his time, savoring every second of the challenge. He smiled when they had both stripped completely.

Tee! she said, her voice now husky and filled with passion.

My wife, he said. I love you.

It was momentous, like every sweet dream. Tee tried his best to linger in the moments. He savored every thrust, every touch, and by the time it was over, he was not the same again.

Subsequent events jolted his mind out of the sweet ocean of bliss of that night and into this cruel world of the fire gods in the early hours of the next day.

It took an instant, just a flash for things to go from bliss to scorching inferno. One moment he was admiring her from afar, after their encounter, and then the next moment the fire gods were descending.

He found himself struggling to get to her, balked by some men. It all seemed strange, but it was as real as a heavy blow to his gut. The pain was harsh and throbbed with each passing second. The men were trying to stop him. They were trying to keep him from getting to her and from saving her as the ominous flames fell freely from the sky and engulfed her.

Knife in hand, Tee lunged at his attackers. How could they dare to stand between him and her? Did they not know of what could befall them? he thought as he shoved the second guard aside and took to his feet. Tonye was already slipping away from him. In horror, Tee watched as she floated into the flames of death. The cruel fire gods had descended from the sky again to wreak havoc and cause excruciating pain to the people of Fini Kiri. A great burning flame tongue, seemingly in the shape of a giant hand, was reaching down over her.

They were taking her away.

No! He would not let this happen to him. Who were they to decide whom he could love?

The attackers, the guards—they both were on him. They were strong guards, but they had not expected him to cut them so deep. They were his father’s men as much as his now and were in a better position to keep him from danger, which in this case was the all-consuming flame of the fire gods. More than ever, now that the flame tongue threatened to take Tonye away, he did not care about his safety, gods or no; nothing was worth more than her.

Tonye screamed. He could see the terror in her eyes. He could hear it in her voice as she ascended into the flames. Tee! she yelled, a maiden of the fire gods on her day of ascension.

Tonye! he screamed. He felt paralyzed—powerless, as he could not rush into the flames fast enough to save her from the terrible mystic fire that was taking her away from him forever. It seemed like a countless crowd of drummers were confined within his heart, beating their drums as hard as they could so that they would be heard and freed. The sound was loud in his head, each strike monstrously thunderous to endure. Anger swelled within his inner being, the soul that was in control of his flesh, the owner of his heart.

All around him, screams filled the air. The flames of the fire gods festered as they delivered justice in their cruel way. He did not care about that, and never did he glance away from her in that extended moment.

Not even once.

His right hand was grasping the hilt of the knife that had bled the guards and set him free, his left hand swinging in front of his body to give him enough thrust. But she kept on drifting farther and farther away, like a splendid dream at the yawning of sunrise. The flames created by the fire gods licked her beautiful skin away, ever so slowly, ever so undying. The fire tore off the beautiful skin that he had once held, felt, touched, and kissed whilst making unforgettable love to her. He would not let her go, not while he was still alive.

The tenderness in her eyes, the love he could see, and the belief she held of him made his agony worse, for he could not get to her yet. He pushed one foot, leaping hard onto the other, hoping to come close enough to snatch her down from the flames and save her or to burn with her if that would unite them in the end.

Such was the love that he felt for her that he would risk his own life for hers and throw it away if hers was doomed as well.

Tee knew that there was no way he could make it, but he pushed and tried with all his strength. He would not give her up, not yet, not while he was alive. This was the time for his muscles to work; this was the time for all the vigor he had to come into play. So many contests he had won, so many knife bouts he had championed, and yet the flames of the fire gods defied his legs. What use would they be after now? he wondered.

Still he pushed on; such was the love he felt for her. Such was the pain of her going away forever. He would embrace all consequences willingly. Relentless flames, friends to none but enemy to all, they carried her farther and farther away from him. What useless extensions I have for legs. Why have they failed me so? Are they not the same legs that enabled me to shoulder four full seed sacks in one haul? Why have they chosen to fall short on me today? Why now when my love, Tonye, is the price at hand?

As the seconds stretched on, he remembered her voice. Tee! Her sweet voice echoed in his thoughts. The voice of angels in the heavens, the sound of happiness, companionship, hope, all at once, the sound of two heartbeats … synchronizing into one steady pulse.

The sound was euphoric, the pulse of sweet, pure, boundless, and undying love.

Tee! Tonye screamed in pain now.

Such was the power of her words as the flames finally engulfed her. He felt its strength and yet was crippled by it instantly.

"I will free you, Tonye! Mark my words!" Tee yelled as he kept on racing toward the flames in vain. Tee sought to oppose the fire gods, knife stiffly in hand as the mighty flame rose higher and higher and higher until it was like a golden star in the black of the night.

Just like that, in less than a minute to the rest of the world but an eternity to him.

She was gone.

1

SHABA

After the fire gods took Tonye, Tee seethed with anger for many nights. He was unsure of what to do in the face of the overwhelming power of these cruel beings. Gradually an idea formed within him. It symbolized the defiance he’d felt for a long time, long before his father, the late king of the land, had defied the gods. In fact, it seemed to Tee that he’d borne a grudge against the gods ever since he could remember. He knew the legends of the rain gods; the eternal feud between them and the fire gods was a deep part of the folklore of the people of Fini Kiri. The rain gods were rivals of the fire gods. They often were in opposition, and this also led to a bad relationship between the people of Fini Kiri, the land of fire, and Ene Kiri, the land of rain. Considering the history of both lands, the rain gods might make themselves known to him if he chose to visit Minji Fii, the River of Death, and thereafter cross into the mysterious world of the rain gods.

A strong feeling within him made Tee believe that Tonye was still alive. In his mind, he was not sure if there was anything within his power to aid her rescue from the fire gods. He began to search, knowing that such a rescue had never been done before. Tee, in his youthful zeal, believed he might be the first to do it—to bring a maiden back home after the gods had ascended her.

Maybe there is a way. If only I could just see it, if only I were wiser. What would other great kings have done? If only I could speak with one of them … hmm.

After the death of the most feared king in Fini Kiri, Amayanabo Tamunoimi, it was established that no member of the royal family would take part in séances. Amayanabo Tamunoimi was a king very much in touch with the spirit realm. It is said that he was the first king to acknowledge the spirit god and also the first king to enter the spirit world and return unscathed. His reign was fraught with séances, alleged reincarnations, and spirit travelers. Amayanabo Tamunoimi was known as the spirit king.

Spirit travelers became revered with time; they had an attitude that seemed to others like they believed they were demigods. The situation escalated, and several incidents led the once very powerful and spiritual king to fight the same spirit travelers that aided his elevation into otherworldly strength.

Before his death, he ensured that spirit travelers were banished from the land of fire, and now they were either all gone, or if any remained, they only practiced their art in secret. Toward the end of the eightieth fire festival of his reign, the spirit king had passed on his crown to his second son and was said to have been teleported by the spirit god to an unknown land sometime that same night.

It was believed that the spirit king lived on in the spirit realm. Most said he was meant to die early, as he had sold his soul to the spirit god; others say the banished spirit travelers had plotted against him and killed him, but all agree that the patronage of spirit travelers was one of the reasons behind his demise. One of the elders had told Tee that the spirit king had become a god. Tee had readily dismissed this at the time, as everyone in Fini Kiri knew that becoming a god was not something that was attainable to humans. Gods just were; gods were made, some of them were born that way from the beginning of time.

It was said that the all-powerful and all-knowing spirit god frowned at the manipulation of the soul and that all spirit travelers were damned after death by the spirit god, never to be reincarnated or remembered.

But Tee knew better.

He had come to understand that in these times, spirit travelers, or those with the gift of the spirit, as they were often called, only wanted to make a living. Tee also understood that whilst others considered consulting with the dead as fun or necessary, it had no true merit to the living, save for the information the dead could provide. Spirit travelers