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Chapters (102)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Map
  5. DRAMATIS PERSONAE
  6. BOOKI
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. BOOKII
  30. 1
  31. 2
  32. 3
  33. 4
  34. 5
  35. 6
  36. 7
  37. 8
  38. 9
  39. 10
  40. 11
  41. 12
  42. 13
  43. 14
  44. 15
  45. 16
  46. 17
  47. 18
  48. 19
  49. BOOKIII
  50. 1
  51. 2
  52. 3
  53. 4
  54. 5
  55. 6
  56. 7
  57. 8
  58. 9
  59. 10
  60. 11
  61. 12
  62. 13
  63. 14
  64. 15
  65. 16
  66. 17
  67. BOOKIV
  68. 1
  69. 2
  70. 3
  71. 4
  72. 5
  73. 6
  74. 7
  75. 8
  76. 9
  77. 10
  78. 11
  79. BOOKV
  80. 1
  81. 2
  82. 3
  83. 4
  84. 5
  85. 6
  86. 7
  87. 8
  88. 9
  89. 10
  90. 11
  91. 12
  92. 13
  93. 14
  94. 15
  95. 16
  96. 17
  97. 18
  98. Glossary
  99. Acknowledgments
  100. Also by Andrea Hairston
  101. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  102. Newsletter Sign-up

People gape at the Elephant, drop baskets and buckets, and holler. The guards talk faster to the seaman. Someone throws a knife toward her. It bounces off her shoulder. The Elephant flinches at the sharp pain. More blades appear, shovels and axes, and a fiery torch. But when family or friends (even people) are in danger, the Elephant can’t abandon them. She takes another step.

“No. Go. At least one northerner should triumph today.” Djola shouts and flails. The crowd is ready to pounce, but hesitates. “Run. For me,” he pleads.

Reluctantly the Elephant backs into the wise-woman passageway. She fades from view to a chorus of gasps. The woman carrying fire takes a step closer to the entrance. “Kyrie’s mountain shadows attacked me before, right here.”

“Witch-woman shadows, yes, but no elephant,” a man says. “The Master of Poisons must have conjured her.”

Djola laughs, in a better mood. The Elephant is glad, but also sad as the guards throw Djola on a pirate ship bound for the floating cities. Other seamen shrink away from him, as if he were fire or a gang of sharp fangs. The Elephant hovers at the entrance of the corridor until the sails catch the wind and Djola is carried out to sea. When the ship is a pale memory on a deep blue horizon, she turns away from the water and back to decisions. This corridor led her to the sea, but a branch goes up the mountain. The Elephant has never climbed a mountain. No matter. There are too many hungry people by the sea guarding sweet water, grain, and fruit trees. The Elephant sends a message into the ground. If anyone is listening, if anyone is alive to hear her voice, they will know and understand the choices she makes, they will know the direction to take to find her. They will hear her and hope.

The Elephant doesn’t forget this day. Hope is what she carries with her on the steep climb.

15

Filled with Now

Smokeland saved Awa. When she first joined the Green Elder enclave, she wanted Father, her two middle brothers, and even Kenu and Mother to die a thousand deaths. She also ached to hug them to her heart. This back-and-forth hate-love tormented her. She woke from dreams of her family with balled-up fists and an aching jaw.

Father had sneered at Awa’s artistry, at her useless stories and dancing bees, but her sale had garnered enough jewel, cowry shells, and coin to send three sons from Holy City to the capital for grand opportunities—no matter how stupid or cowardly they were. Did Father wonder at her fate? Did Mother poison his bread? Would brother Kenu ever pour libations for her sacrifice or just laugh at a green-land freak?