Feven and the Treasure of the Golden Vault

Feven and the Treasure of the Golden Vault

A Sleeping Dragon Has Been Awakened

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. As a matter of fact, dragons hadn’t been seen in Abyssinia for hundreds of years. But lately, seven dark green dragons with yellow menacing wings circled high above Addis Ababa like vultures waiting to swoop down on its dying prey. There had been rumors that the Italian army was going to invade Abyssinia, but no one knew for sure. Perhaps these dragons were harbingers of the evil that was to come. Their presence should have stricken terror in the people of Addis Ababa except for one thing - they were invisible to the naked human eye. No one could see their green scaly bodies, their immense yellow wings, and their fiery red eyes except for one person – Feven. Feven was a precocious 12-year-old who loved sweets and sunny days, but not dragons. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the terror in the skies above them. The dragons flew in a circle around the sun, momentarily blotting out the light and creating a series of macabre shadows on the landscape. Feven’s mother Jamila saw her daughter staring into the sky, as if she were in a trance. Jamila touched Feven’s arm, but she didn’t respond.

“Feven! Feven are you all right?” asked Jamila frantically.

Just then, an old woman named Abeba walked up to Jamila. Abeba almost always appeared out of nowhere, as if she arose from the early morning mists. Abeba could explain to Jamila what Feven was seeing, but she doubted that Jamila would believe her.

“She sees dragons in the sky,” Abeba stated with confidence.

“Dragons?” Jamila remarked, “I see nothing but dark clouds in the sky overhead. Nothing more. Why do you keep trying to tell my daughter she can see things that simply aren’t there? Why won’t you leave us alone?”

“Your daughter has a powerful gift – great powers that could help Abyssinia in the future,” Abeba implored.

“Feven is just a child. Let her be a child!” Jamila shrieked.

“You should let me train her – I could show her how to use her gifts,” Abeba begged.

“You have caused us enough trouble. Our neighbors are afraid when you come around. They say that you are evil.” Jamila snapped, “And that you are a witch.”

“Feven, what do you see in the sky?” asked Abeba.

“I see seven dragons high in the sky. And there is a woman riding on the back of one,” Feven whispered.

“This is a spell you have cast on her! Leave me and my daughter alone!” Jamila screamed as she yanked Feven away. As Feven was being dragged from Abeba, the woman on the back of the dragon looked her directly in the eye and smiled. Abeba looked up in the sky and also saw the woman dressed in black. Suddenly, the caravan of dragons came hurtling toward the earth with great speed. Just before they crashed to the ground a large hole opened in the Rift Valley, which swallowed the dragons and its rider deep into the belly of the earth. Down they went, into the deepest darkness of the ground. Darker than a hundred moonless midnights in the middle of a desolate desert. The only light that led their way was the flames that intermittently spewed from the mouths of the dragons. The woman riding the lead dragon furiously yanked at the reins of her dragon, making it flaps its wings faster and faster. Once they reached the bottom of the abyss, they gingerly landed near the skeleton of a dragon that dwarfed the dragons like tiny sparrows. This was the skeletal remains of Wainaba, the dragon-king who once ruled the Kingdom of Kush. The woman dismounted her dragon and walked towards the skeleton of the dragon. She took out a grayish bag, reached into it, grabbed a handful of dust, and began sprinkling it all around the dragon’s bones, chanting as she went.

“Rise, O mighty dragon-king, live again once more, claim your rightful throne again, through times large open door.” The woman continued to sprinkle the dust as she walked around the dragon’s bones, continuously chanting. All at once, the ground began to shake – the entire area rumbled like an earthquake and the air thundered like a coming storm. The dark abyss they had flown into began to glow with fiery red light. Within minutes, flesh began to appear on the dragon’s skeleton; scales began to sprout on the dragon’s body like menacing flowers. Wainaba’s chest began to heave with huge gusts of air. At last, the dragon opened its red fiery eyes. Wainaba stood up on its hind legs and whipped its tail around, sending the other dragons flying across the cave.

“Who has awakened me?” Wainaba bellowed. “Who has dared to come to this dreadful place to face my wrath?”

“It is I,” the woman said in a small voice.

“What is your name, and why have you summoned me?”

“My lord, my name is Doña Dolorosa, and I am your humble servant.”

“Why have you brought me back to life? State your purpose!”

“For your revenge, my lord! You have slept lo these many years and those who brought about your demise were never punished.”

“But, how long have I slept?”

“Hundreds of years, my lord.”

“Then how can I avenge my death when those who caused it are gone?”

“The descendants of your tormentors live, my lord. And they have been ruling Abyssinia in your absence.”

“The one who deceived me? The one they call Agabos?”

“Yes my lord. The one who promised you his daughter for your yearly sacrifice. The one who gave you a lamb, dipped in poison for you to consume. Do you remember?”

“Yes. He told me to feast upon the lamb until he fetched his daughter for me. When he left, I felt such a flame in my throat, and I felt my insides melting away. I yelled his name, but he laughed, while running away. Agabos claimed that he was now king and that the dragon was dying, and would soon be dead. I tried to summon one last flame from my throat to kill him, but everything went black.”

“That is why now is the time for revenge! Agabos, your tormentor was supposed to bring his first-born daughter Makeda, to you for sacrifice. After Agabos died, his daughter became queen – they called her the Queen of Sheba. The Queen of Sheba traveled to Israel and met with the great King Solomon. The two of them courted, and later they had a son together – they named him Menelik. Menelik ruled in your absence as well. Over 40 years ago, your son Arwe helped the Italians overcome the Abyssinians. He was nearly successful, but was defeated at Adwa.”

“My son? I had a son?”

“Yes, my lord. Before you breathed your last breath, one of your teeth came out of your mouth when you hit the ground. Your mouth began to bleed, and the tooth lay there in a puddle of blood. From this puddle of blood, your son Arwe was born. He swore to avenge your death.”

“And what happened?”

“The descendant of Agabos, Menelik II struck him down and drove the Italians from their land. The Italians were shamed and the Abyssinians mocked them with their victory.”

“They killed my son, too?”

“Yes, my lord. That is why I summoned you. The Abyssinians humiliated my grandfather on that day. He was a high-ranking officer in the Italian army. When he returned home, he was but a hollow shell of a man. My grandfather died a broken man. But he did leave me with something very valuable.”

“What did he leave you?”

“Your son’s ashes. It is those ashes that were used to resurrect you back to life.”

“You and I are the same.”

“Yes, my lord – you and I are one in the same.”

“We must avenge the deaths of our loved ones. The sons of Solomon must die. Let us seek them out and destroy them!”

“There is something even greater than the killing the sons of Solomon.”

“What could be greater than the destruction of the sons of Solomon? The death of a son of Moses?”

“The death of the of the daughter of Moses. The first-born. A descendant of Princess Tharbis, the wife of Moses, who also hated you.”

“A daughter of Moses. A first-born girl who would make my perfect sacrifice. Then I would be complete again.”

“But she is powerful, my lord. I have felt her presence. She can see right through me.”

“This woman can be no match for you.”

“She is not a woman – she is child.”

“A child? Surely, you mock me! A child? You cannot be afraid of a child!”

“Not just any child – a daughter of Moses. She has special powers. But she can be defeated. And I can deliver her to you, O great Wainaba.”

“What will this cost me? What is your price for this bargain?”

“There is a man that I serve, nearly as great as you my lord named Mussolini. He believes in ruling the land with an iron fist as you do. If you become the king of the Kingdom of Kush again, he will conquer his enemies in Abyssinia. Whatever outcome happens in the Kingdom of Kush will mirror what happens in Abyssinia.”

“This, Mussolini sounds like a man after my own heart.”

“And once I deliver the girl as a sacrifice to you, you will never be defeated again.”

“But what if we should fail?”

“There will be no fail my lord. When I gain possession of the treasure of the Golden Vault, we will both be powerful beyond measure. And then we will rule and reign below the Earth and above the Earth.”

“Swear it then – in blood.” The dragon pricked his finger open with his blade-like claws and a small trickle of flood flowed down. Doña Dolorosa took out a small knife and slit the palm of her as blood trickled out of her hand. She put her hand to Wainaba’s finger and pledged her undying allegiance to him.

“Now my lord, it is time for you to be restored to the Kingdom of Kush. Follow me.” Doña Dolorosa mounted her dragon and began to fly upward. Wainaba flapped his enormous wings in pursuit. Up, up, they began to fly until they saw a light at the top. Once they reached the top, Wainaba recoiled in fear.

“I have not seen the light in so long – it frightens me. And I am so tired. I have not flown for many years. I cannot catch my breath!”

“Have no fear, my lord – it is time for you to be restored to your rightful throne.”

“Where are we? What is this place?”

“It is your home my lord – the Kingdom of Kush.” Once he was able to fully open his eyes, Wainaba was able to gaze upon his former land. It was lush with green fields, rolling mountains, and flowing streams.

“Bring the sons of Solomon and the daughter Moses to me now!”

“As you wish my lord, but not immediately. We shall return shortly. You are weak. Rest for a while.”

“I do not wish to rest! I want to have my revenge! What is the name of the son of Solomon who sits on the throne of Abyssinia now?”

“His name is Haile Selassie, and he is the emperor.”

“And what is the name of the daughter of Moses?

“Her name is Feven.”

“I need to know their names, so I can pronounce their judgment upon them. Let us go to them.”

“In time my lord, in time.” Doña Dolorosa mounted her green dragon, kicked its side and the dragon spread its yellow wings to fly.

“Where are you going?”

“To prepare my leader in the other world as I have prepared you. Patience my lord, patience.”

“I shall be patient.”

“Good. My leader desires revenge for his defeat as well. Even as we speak, his troops are on their way to Adwa, the place of their defeat at the hands of the Abyssinians so many years ago.”

“Well, where am I?”

“The place where your tormentor Agabos poisoned you – the place of your defeat. In the meantime, I need you to rest for the impending battle my lord. You will need every ounce of strength for this battle. When the time is right, you will be victorious is in the Nether Realm and I will be victorious in the Earthly Realm. Then we will merge the two realms together, as in the days of old. And then we shall rule and reign over the entire world!”

“I cannot wait! My blood boils with revenge, right now!” Doña Dolorosa picked up a dandelion from the ground and blew the fuzzy seedlings into Wainaba’s face. The dandelions spread across his face like a natural shroud. Soon, his eyes began to droop, his head dropped, and the rest of his body crumpled to the ground.

“We shall be victorious, my lord. Sleep for now. This a great battle ahead.” Doña Dolorosa and her dragons flew high into the skies of the Kingdom of Kush and disappeared with a flash of lightning. Wainaba curled his body into a serpentine circle and fell asleep in the middle of a green meadow in the bright Kush sun.