The River's Silence

The land of Okhulu and Bashoro has always lived by the rhythm of the River Kenda. Its rise and fall marked the blessing of the ancestors, a covenant that bound two kingdoms together despite rivalries and disputes. But when the rains return and the sacred river fails to rise, both peoples see only omen and imbalance. In the silence of the waters, unity begins to wither.

As Okhulu and Bashoro search the soil, smoke, and song for meaning, shadows from beyond arrive. The Global Compliance Agency, veiled as humble traders, offers seeds that promise survival and medicines that whisper hope. Yet every gift carries hidden weight. Where the ancestors sow reverence, the outsiders sow dependence.

Children at the border, innocent and unknowing, kindle bonds the kingdoms themselves have forgotten. But their laughter is soon swallowed by rumor, grief, and blood. Ceremonies collapse, markets turn hostile, and once-sacred pacts fall to ash. Beneath it all, foreign eyes watch, mapping every fracture, feeding every doubt.

The River's Silence is the first movement in the epic saga of Umoja a tale of soil and spirit, of memory and betrayal, of kingdoms lured into division while the true battle for legacy unfolds unseen. It is an African story woven from myth and modernity, asking what endures when the river dries, the drums fall silent, and the children of tomorrow inherit a land of fractured soil.