20/07/2025 – Into the Mountains (3)
The Great Bundari’s Last Words
The Great Bundari tells them important convergences are soon to happen. The cult is gathering now and they must go to the Mountain of the Black Wind as soon as possible.
Cassandra and Agatha ask about the Eye of Light and Darkness. He says it can chain the God of Evil, but it can be broken. Cassandra attempts to draw the eye that they found in Egypt, but doesn’t do a great job. The Great Bundari tells them he has never actually seen this symbol, so he cannot be sure.
He tells them to seek out H’san, in the Far East, who has the knowledge. Then he closes he eyes and goes quiet. They soon realise that his spirit has left his body. Okomo tells them it is time to leave.
Making Plans
When they get outside, Tiger looks tired and impatient. He asks what the delay was. Agatha tells him they had to do a wonderful chant. Okomo tells them that if he is to be their guide, they must learn to obey him and follow his instructions. Tiger tells him they are in charge, but Okomo tells them they will not reach the Mountain of the Black Wind without his help. If the cult finds them, they will die on the way. Tiger does not like the sound of this at all, but the others are prepared to do so.
He tells them to bring two weeks’ worth of food. He will lead them north via Mount Kenya and then west to the Mountain of the Black Wind. It will take longer, but N’gai, the God of Mount Kenya, will give them his protection.
Eddy asks if they can use a car, but Okomo tells them this is not England, there are no roads suitable for cars in the mountains. They could hire people to carry, but they are unlikely to want to go to the Mountain of the Black Wind. Okomo tells them he will wait for them here and to return as soon as they can.
Return to Nairobi
The man with the Rolls Royce is still waiting for them. He starts up the car and they travel back to Nairobi, realising the distance is about 25 miles. During the journey, they talk about bringing pack animals. They will need to hire a truck to bring the animals and other vehicles to transport them and their supplies, have drivers take them there and then drive back. They will then proceed on foot to the Mountain.
When they get back to the hotel it is late. They have missed dinner, so they have some sandwiches at the bar then go to bed. Tiger spends time checking all the guns in his bag. When Agatha comes back to their shared room from the bar, they are all over his bed. he leaves him to it and goes to bed.
Cassandra has horrible dreams about Hypatia Masters, whose “burden” is some disturbing monster who she is pregnant with. She is very shaken by this. Jeziah notices and they have a late start to the morning.
Gathering Supplies
Over breakfast Jeziah agrees to arrange the vehicles, while Eddy goes to procure food and supplies. There is a big warehouse and shop for supplying hunting and going on safari, which Eddy uses and negotiates a good price. Jeziah arranges the payment, which takes most of the day, as the sums are large enough he has to wire London.
It is evening by the time they meet up at the Kikuyu Central Association, with a truck for transporting people and a truck for transporting animals and a trailer with their supplies. They meet the man with the Rolls Royce and follow him out of Nairobi to the village of the Great Bundari. Along the way, the Rolls breaks down, but Monty and Jeziah are able to get it up and running again.
When they reach the village, they find Okomo, who is carrying a backpack and has been waiting for them. They unload the animals, pack them up with the supplies and then the trucks drive back. Tiger takes responsibility for looking after the animals.
Okomo chides them for having too much equipment and mumbles something about soft Westerners. They have so much the pack animals cannot carry it all and some of the Investigators will have to wear back packs, which Okomo provides in return for some food for the village.
Across the Savanna
Okomo tells them they will mostly be travelling by night. They will head first for Mount Kenya then turn west along the hills. They set off as soon as it gets dark, following Okomo’s lead. They walk through the dark as the night goes on, which is exhausting for the Investigators as they were awake all day. Cassandra and Agatha are particularly struggling and reluctantly, Okomo agrees rest and slow down, but mutters about Westerns not being used to hard work.
Before they reach the foot hills at the base of Mount Kenya, Jeziah insists that they stop as the women are exhausted. Okomo tells them they are exposed and in danger on the grass plains and as it gets lighter, they realise that they can be seen for miles on the flat plains. Cassandra and Agatha soldier on with willpower alone and they make it to the foot hills. They camp in an isolated area that Okomo has obviously used before.
That day they rest and sleep. Someone is on watch throughout the day. There is a beautiful view and they see groups and herds of animals moving around on the grass plains below them. Okomo says streams coming from Mount Kenya are safe to drink from, but any coming from the Mountain of the Black Wind should be avoided. While Monty is on watch, he sees a group of people heading west.
Native Village
As the day comes to an end, they have a large meal and they head off. Okomo says they will be travelling all night until they reach a village that he knows well. Their pace is slower as the hills are more difficult to traverse. At one point, Jeziah stumbles, hurting his leg. Okomo apologies for the difficulty, but this route means they will not be seen.
After another long night, they reach a village. Okomo goes ahead to speak to the villagers in their language. He returns and tells the Investigators they can stay in the village, but do not tell the locals where they are going. They are just on a safari enjoying the landscapes. They sleep in some huts. None of the villagers can speak much English. In the morning the villagers stare at them, but they offer an odd, stew-like breakfast. Jeziah does not like the food at all.
After breakfast, the village elders come to speak to Okumo. The Investigators recognise the name Bundari. Okumo tells the Investigator some of what the elders say. A number of villagers have been kidnaped by the Cult of the Bloody Tongue and taken to the Mountain of the Black Wind.
Apparently M’weru cursed a great magician who mocked her. Now his hair has fallen out and he is gone mad. There have also been groups of white people heading into the mountains too. The site of the massacre of the Carlisle Expedition is nearby, but the elders do not recommend they go there, it is cursed.
Someone above Them
They stay in the village most of the day, but in the evening they leave. Okumo tells them they are now approaching the mountain ranges. The Mountain of the Black Wind is about two days walk from here. The land begins to rise sharply and the going gets difficult. A couple of hours after dark, while they are on a path passing under some bluffs, Tiger thinks there is someone above them on the bluffs. Tiger decides to go head, but after a while a voice out of the darkness calls out to him in Swahili, but he does not understand.
He instead points his rifle and tells them to come out with their hands up, but whoever it is does not understand him either. Tiger thinks he can see the man holding some sort of long, thin weapon, which he raises to his mouth and blows, but misses. Tiger shoots back at him, hitting the man, while the loud shot echoes around the mountain side.
The man is wounded but when Tiger closes in, he attacks with a knife, but misses. Tiger hits him in the face with the butt of the gun and knocks him out. Monty, Eddy and Jeziah rush forward at the sound of the gun shot and catch up. They keep a look out for others. Tiger picks the man up and takes him back to where the others are, hiding under the bluff.
A Steep Climb
Cassandra turns on her electric torch and Okumo examines him. He says the man is not a Nandi. There is a necklace, which looks like a red tongue. He is clearly a member of the cult. Okumo says they must immediately go and change direction. Tiger keeps the man’s blow pipe and darts, then rolls the body down the mountain side.
Okumo leads them at a fast pace up a steep side of the mountain, quickly exhausting some of the party. Cassandra slips, bangs her head and falls. Jeziah rushes down to help her and stops her from falling any further, then gives first aid. Cassandra is unconscious. Monty comes to pick her up and carry her up the mountain, over the objections of Jeziah, as Okumo insists that they cannot stay here.
The boy continues to lead them up the mountain, but at a slower pace. Still Agatha and the pack animals are struggling. Tiger and Okumo have to help them. They then rest, while some are on watch.
Higher and Higher
On Eddy’s watch, he sees a small group of men moving around lower down the mountain, but they do not see him. Once they have passed, Okumo says it is time to continue west. They trudge on, with Tiger staying behind briefly to make sure the men below do not see them and follow.
They slowly proceed until the morning. Okumo tells them they must go over one more mountain, then they will come to the Valley of the Black Wind. He decides to risk keeping moving, as they mountain gives them cover. They continue for a few hours, going high up but as the vegetation on the mountain becomes sparse, they lose their cover and Okumo has them stop until evening.
Valley of the Black Wind
That evening they climb to the top of the mountain and begin to head back down. It is steep and at one point some of them lose their footing and slide down, but no one is badly injured. Okumo apologies, as they are using a path he has not used before. At one point they find a short cliff side and are required to use rope to climb down. They are forced to leave the pack animals behind.
They continue to descend as the sun starts to rise, until they realise they are heading down into a valley. At the bottom of the valley are a number of camp sites, with over 100 people camped in different groups. At the end of the valley rises a large mountain, which Okumo says is the Mountain of the Black Wind.