Three days ago, Nabirye had been called into the great man’s presence. He had been a disciple for years, listening to his sermons, kneeling before him, giving thanks to him for their victories. But this had been different. The great man had spoken to him directly. Called him by name. Touched his shoulder. And given him a sacred mission.

Nabirye inched forward, staying beneath bushes that were in turn hidden beneath the jungle canopy. It was a gift from God that neutralized the Whites’ aircraft. And without their machines, they were nothing. Weak. Cowardly. Faithless.

Gideon Auma had told him so.

The force behind him—seventy men in all—would hold their positions, following the plan Auma had devised. He, on the other hand, would continue forward, privileged to carry out the most critical part of the mission.

He glanced at the GPS in his hand, following the course it laid out for him. Only ten more meters, but he didn’t let his pace increase with his growing excitement. Auma had warned against that. Discipline. God was watching. And God could be trusted to guide the faithful.

Even without the Sacrament—what the rest of the world disparagingly called ajali—his senses heightened. The scent of the trees and mold became overwhelming. He could discern the scrape of individual rocks beneath his stomach and chest. Differentiate the buzz of the insects around him.

Two more meters.

He almost laughed when he saw the obvious line of churned earth and chopped roots. The Whites were even stupider than Auma had prophesized. Dependent on their technology, but not the masters of it. He would turn it against them. He would gouge their eyes out and leave them blind.

Nabirye fantasized about his reward as he slipped a small spade from the thigh pocket of his fatigues. It seemed almost certain that he would be brought into Auma’s inner circle—the small group of disciples who had personal access to the man. Would there be more, though? Rumors were endless. Some said these men had been given the power to read minds. To conjure storms. That they could meld with the souls of animals to gain their strength. Some even said they could fly, but he wondered if Auma would gift such an ability even to his most trusted followers. It seemed something that he would reserve for himself.

Nabirye chose a place in the disturbed earth that seemed free of rocks and began to dig. The wire he was looking for was hidden only a few centimeters beneath the surface. Sheathed in black plastic, it looked like nothing. But that was deceiving. In fact, it was everything.

His fingers trembled as he typed a text into the phone he’d been given.

WIRE FOUND

The response was almost immediate and likely from Gideon Auma himself.

CUT IT