THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 351: 351: IT BEGINS

The celebration continued long past midday. By this time, what had begun as a small gathering at dawn had now become a sea of people. Every street, every balcony, every rooftop, and every wall overlooking the festival grounds was occupied. There was no room to even look at one’s feet. Travelers from distant lands of the south stood shoulder to shoulder with the citizens of Thazir.

It was the perfect picture of a festival. Merchants abandoned their stalls to watch. Children sat atop their fathers’ shoulders, and even the surrounding canyons marred into the walls of the city had become crowded with spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of the man who owned a beast.

Music filled the air without pause. Drums thundered, and the sound somehow reminded Sagiri of the festivities of the north. Dancers spun through the streets. Feasts stretched across entire squares. Yet despite the joy, everyone knew the true purpose of the day had not yet arrived. The festival grounds had been built around a massive stone platform overlooking the city. Upon it stood dozens of seats reserved for chiefs, elders, and honored guests. Above them all sat a single seat. Larger. Higher. Untouched since the celebrations had begun.

The Seat of the Supreme Chief.

As the sun climbed overhead and the final performances came to an end, a hush slowly spread across the festival. Conversations faded. Musicians lowered their instruments. One by one, thousands of eyes turned toward the great staircase leading to the platform. It was finally time. The Chiefs rose from their seats. Elders straightened their robes. The crowd parted as guards opened a path through the center of the square. And there, hidden behind a calm expression and steady posture perched on Zaira, Sagiri prepared to take his place as the most honored guest of the festival.

None of the thousands gathered below could see how exhausted he was.

"You’d better wear your most lovely face behind your mask and go let your people see you," Koru said.

"I don’t think they have waited enough," Sagiri said sarcastically. "They made me wait a year to even enter the city. I should keep them waiting for a week.

"Why not keep them waiting six months so hell can break loose?" Koru returned with sarcasm of his own. Sagiri sneakered.

"You give slightly better advice than my sandshade," Sagiri said.

"He even left you sick and went North. Such a sandshade." Koru’s nose turned upwards. He always changed his tone to one of distaste when he talked about N’varu. He could still not agree with Sagiri’s plan of letting N’varu return north.

"He needs to bring all his men with him, and I need them when I go north to kill that man in the supreme chief’s council."

"It is still stupid. Now I am stuck babysitting and doing half of your tasks. You should have stayed with your cowardly dad and stubborn mother." Koru said.

"My father is not a coward. How do you know my parents?" Sagiri asked.

"Who do you think left you in those two’s care? So they finally got married? Weird match-up." Koru shook his head. Sagiri did not know how Koru met his parents.

"Tell me how you met Bakuru and Rusha? I should bring them south soon."

"You have a festival to attend." Koru snapped. "Or do you want to wait till it’s dark so no one can see your unchiefly look.

Down below the welcoming drum had long gone silent, and everyone was clearly holding their breath waiting for Sagiri’s arrival. A moment before the silence could become uncomfortable, something stirred atop the Chief’s Fortress. Thousands of heads turned as Zaira slowly lifted its massive head from where it had been resting. The colossal serpent uncoiled itself with deliberate grace, scales glinting beneath the afternoon sun.

Then, at a silent command from its master, the beast released a roar. The sound rolled across Thazir like thunder. It echoed from walls, rooftops, and towers, sweeping through the city with enough force to silence every lingering conversation. Children froze, and everyone stopped breathing. Many had now heard of the beast or seen it from a distance. They had also heard of the fi Sagiri pulled, and they were beside themselves wanting to see for themselves the last N’folu, keeper, and supreme chief.

Even seasoned warriors felt a shiver crawl down their spines. The roar lingered long after it ended, announcing to the entire South that its Supreme Chief was coming.

"You are teaching the beast bad manners," Koru said before he spoke to the beast in the way he always did. The way he spoke to Myama and his mate. In sagiri’s absence, he had been teaching the beast.

Then Zaira began to move. Kiru remained behind Sagiri, dressed in all white, a harsh contrast to the dark clothes Sagiri wore. It was clear he was there as his sandshade and bodyguard.

Despite its immense size, the serpent flowed through the city with an almost unnatural elegance. Streets had been cleared for its passage long before the festival began, and now the beast occupied that space like a river reclaiming its course. Its body wound between buildings and through avenues while countless citizens pressed themselves to the edges of the roads to watch.

Some stared in awe, others pointed excitedly, and many simply stood speechless. Some had seen the beast before, but seeing it in the bright light of day was something else entirely. Sunlight danced across scales so black they seemed carved from obsidian, while faint chestnut and bronze hues surfaced whenever the light struck them just right.

The serpent’s crimson eyes remained fixed ahead as it approached the celebration square. People bowed as it passed. Others dropped to one knee. A few children waved enthusiastically from rooftops and balconies. And above it all, standing upon Zaira’s head, was Sagiri. Cloaked in dark robes that shifted in the wind, he appeared calm and untouchable from a distance.

The city saw a ruler arriving to claim his place; they did not see the effort it took him simply to remain upright. By the time Zaira entered the square, tens of thousands of eyes were already waiting. The beast raised its head slightly, towering over the crowd as it approached the great platform, and a wave of wonder swept through the gathered people like a living thing.

The beast roared again when it reached the square before it lowered its head to allow Sagiri to descend.

Koru was first to alight, and he took his position to the side. Sagiri paused for a moment, anticipating the lengthy jump with his now sensitive body. He sank to a crouch and finally jumped, managing to land gracefully. Even that took a lot of his strength.

"Go play." He said in a strong voice, patting Zaira’s huge head. The beast blinked its huge eyes before its head rose. With another obedient screech, it turned swiftly and headed for one side of the wall. Now that Sagiri was no longer perched on it. It was not careful in its movement, and with one violent jump into the air, the beast was gone. It took it only a second to cover the massive distance to the wall. It turned around once before it disappeared. The move was scary. Seeing such a huge beast move that fast.

Only then did Sagiri finally move.

It was time for the festivities to finally begin.