Agala and his men rode through the streets of Kabaka as the people cheered on both sides. His horse however was not a tame one. It swayed wildly from side to side and Agala was drained of his strength, trying to control it. As he got closer to the palace, his horse got wilder and he was bathed in sweat, trying not to get thrown off. He had to jump off its back and try to lead it by its birdle, but the stupid horse broke away and galloped off, neighing wildly. Good riddance to bad rubbish!, he thought. But he noticed that the people had stopped cheering. Even his men had stopped moving on their horses and everyone seemed to stare at him with mockery in their eyes. Surprised at their reaction, he kept moving to the palace. He heard them laughing at him wildly and he grew furious. How could they, and his men too!, treat a hero this way?. He reached the palace alone, but the chiefs and generals were not out to welcome him. The palace guards grabbed him roughly, seized his weapons and shoved him forward before he could protest. He entered the throne room and found the chiefs and generals seated, but the throne was empty. A servant came, and to his surprise, ushered him to the empty throne. In a daze, he walked to the throne and sat on it. The chiefs and generals began to laugh at him and point at their heads. He touched his head and realized the cause of their mockery: he had no crown. Then they all rose, still laughing, came to him and yanked him off the throne. Much to his dismay, they began to undress him.

He woke up with a start, sweating profusely. What a horrible dream!, he thought. He got out of his tent and made for Loco's tent. He needed to know the meaning of his dream. He and his battalion were camped at the outskirts of Kabaka. He got into Loco's tent and found her awake, sitting upright and staring into space.
'I had a horrible dream', he began. Loco smiled.
'Your spirit is awake Agala, it knows what awaits you'.
'Glory awaits me!', he yelled and she smiled again.
'Do you remember the parable of the hunted lion?'
'I do, he replied, what about it?'
'Glory does not await you, she said, what lies ahead of you is envy, conspiracy and treason'.
Agala felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
'You never seem to see anything good these days'
'I only see what the spirits show me'.
He turned and began to leave her tent.
'Agala, she called, he turned back. A new king has been crowned'. The old king passed on last night.

Agala let the news sink in. Old king Zama who had shown him much kindness and made him a general had passed on. It was king Zama who had promised to make him supreme commander if he conquered the Massada.
'Who is the new king?', he asked
'Daman, the king's eldest son'.

Agala left the tent, brooding. Daman hated him with passion.





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