MUKUNDA Chapter 13–The Day I Faced the Death of Darkness and Found That Love Was the Only Weapon I Needed

The night was full in Magodo, the wind moving softly, the way that the wind moves when the land is resting, when the work that needed to be done has been done, when the battles that needed to be fought have been fought, when the darkness that had risen has been shown that it is not the enemy, when the light that had been joined has become the thing that shines brightest because it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. But I was not at rest in my spirit, was not settled in the peace that had come, was not able to close my eyes and drift into the kind of sleep that lets the mind forget, even for a few hours, the weight that has been placed on it. I felt that the inheritance of Magodo had been strengthened, had been built, had been taught, had been passed from my hands to the hands of the children who were learning, to the young people who were becoming, to the ones who would carry it when I was gone. But the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy, the darkness that had been the thing that was the other half of the light, the darkness that had made the light know that it was light, that had made the light shine brightest when it had passed through it and come out the other side, still had a little that was left, a little that was still troubling the land, a little that had not been shown, that had not been taught, that had not been joined, that was still waiting, still watching, still hoping that the light would fall, that the light would break, that the light would be the thing that was the fire that burned the things that should not be burned. My inheritance was strength, love, and teaching, the things that had been given to me, the things that I had carried, the things that I had passed to the ones who would come after. But today, I knew that I had to meet with a great problem, a thing that had been waiting, a thing that had been hiding, a thing that was the Death of Darkness, the thing that was the last part of the darkness that had not been shown that it was not the enemy, the thing that would be the final test, the thing that would show whether the light that had been joined was the light that would last, that would be there when the darkness came again, that would be the thing that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

The morning began to come, the light that was not the bright light of the sun, but the kind of light that comes when the darkness is still there, when the thing that has been waiting is still waiting, when the battle that needs to be fought has not yet been fought. I walked into the old caves of the palace, the caves that had been there since before the first people came, the caves that had been the place where the ancestors had gone when they needed to meet the darkness, when they needed to be tested, when they needed to be shown that the light that they carried was the light that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. Taru followed me softly, the way that she had been following me since we were children, the way that she had been standing beside me since the fire spoke and the prophecy was told and she knelt in the court and told my father that she would be my keeper, that she would stand beside me, that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that she was the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. She showed her support, the support that had been the thing that made her stand beside me, that made her promise to protect me, that made her say that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that made her the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. She was ready to intervene with me, to stand beside me, to be the one who would hold my hand when I met the thing that was waiting, when I faced the Death of Darkness, when I was tested in the way that I had been tested before, but in a way that was deeper, that was harder, that was the thing that would show whether the light that I carried was the light that would last, that would be there when the darkness came again, that would be the thing that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

The people were waiting at the doors of the caves, the doors that had been there since before the first people came, the doors that had been the place where the people had waited when the ones who carried the light went into the darkness to be tested, to be tried, to be shown that the light that they carried was the light that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. Their eyes were filled with the fear and the hope that I had seen in their eyes before, when the fire spoke, when the prophecy was told, when the darkness rose, when the light was joined, when the land was saved, when the inheritance was passed, when the children were taught, when the young people were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. They were afraid of the thing that was waiting, of the Death of Darkness, of the thing that had not been shown that it was not the enemy, of the thing that would be the final test, of the thing that would show whether the light that had been joined was the light that would last, that would be there when the darkness came again, that would be the thing that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. But they were also hoping, hoping that the daughter who had been born when the kingdom was waiting for a son, the daughter who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who had joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who had met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, the one who had saved the land that had been given to them to protect, would be the one who would meet this last thing, this Death of Darkness, and would show it that it was not the enemy, that it was the thing that was the other half of the light, that it was the thing that made the light know that it was light, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

"Today, we will face the truth," I called out, my voice carrying the strength that had been given to me, the strength that was the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the strength that was the light that showed the people where to go, the strength that was the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who had joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who had met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, the one who had saved the land that had been given to them to protect. "The Death of Darkness is not to frighten, is not to make people afraid, is not to be the thing that destroys the land that has been saved, that takes the inheritance that has been passed, that makes the light that shines brightest go out. It is to teach that strength and love are not to oppress, are not to make people suffer, are not to be the thing that holds them down, that tells them what to do, that makes them into something that they are not. They are to protect, to build, to be the thing that makes the land strong, that makes the people strong, that makes the love that is in all of us the thing that is the foundation of everything that we build, everything that we protect, everything that we pass to the ones who come after. If we know these things, if we build the thing that the ancestors have been waiting for, if we are the people that the land needs us to be, Magodo will always shine, will always be the land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after."

The Spirit of Darkness came out again, the spirit that had been shown that it was not the enemy, the spirit that had been the thing that was the other half of the light, the spirit that had made the light know that it was light, that had made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. But this time, it was not the same as it had been before, was not the spirit that had been taught, that had been shown, that had been joined. It was taking a form that was clear but was not good, a form that was showing the strength that was left of the disagreement, the strength that had not been shown that it was not the enemy, the strength that was waiting, that was watching, that was hoping that the light would fall, that the light would break, that the light would be the thing that was the fire that burned the things that should not be burned. It looked at me, the way that something looks at the person who has been chosen, who has been tested, who has been tried, who has been pushed to the edge and has not fallen, who has been the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.

"You want to meet me, Mukunda?" it called, its voice filling the wind and the spirits of the people who were waiting, the people who had been saved, the people who had been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, the people who had learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the people who were waiting to see if the daughter who had carried the fire, who had joined with the water and the stone and the wind, who had met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, who had saved the land that had been given to them to protect, would be the one who would meet this last thing, this Death of Darkness, and would show it that it was not the enemy, that it was the thing that was the other half of the light, that it was the thing that made the light know that it was light, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

I stood strong, the way that a person stands when they have been chosen, when they have been tested, when they have been tried, when they have been pushed to the edge and have not fallen, when they have been the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. My hand was holding Taru's hand, the hand that had been holding mine since we were children, since the first time we sat by the river and let the wind carry away the things that were too heavy to hold, since the light rose from the earth and the elder Vengai said that the second spirit had joined, since we stood on the stone at the River of Stones and the spirit of the stone asked if we were the ones who could carry the courage of the stones, since we stood on the hill where the sky falls and the wind released the love that had been carried, since we walked through the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, since we stood in the land of Mainini Mucha and the darkness fell on me and the light came out of me and showed it that it was not the enemy. I told the Spirit of Darkness that I was there to protect my land, to teach my people, and to bring love in the place of darkness, that today the Death of Darkness would meet the light of my spirit and my inheritance, the inheritance that had been given to me, the inheritance that I had carried, the inheritance that I had passed to the ones who would come after, the inheritance that was strength and love and teaching, the inheritance that would be the thing that would show the Death of Darkness that it was not the enemy, that it was the thing that was the other half of the light, that it was the thing that made the light know that it was light, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

In that moment, the wind began to breathe with strength, the kind of strength that comes when the thing that has been waiting is finally moving, when the battle that has been waiting is finally being fought, when the test that has been waiting is finally being given. The darkness began to move, pressing against my spirit, trying to find the place where I was weak, trying to find the place where I was afraid, trying to find the place where the light that I carried was not as strong as it needed to be, trying to be the thing that would break me, that would make me fall, that would show that the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son was not the thing that the kingdom needed, was not the thing that could carry the fire, was not the thing that could join with the water and the stone and the wind, was not the thing that could meet the darkness and show it that it was not the enemy, was not the thing that could save the land that had been given to her to protect.

But the warriors who had been taught by my spirit, the warriors who had learned the ways of controlling their strength without threatening, who had learned that the strength that is used to protect is not the strength that is used to dominate, that the strength that is given by the spirits is not the strength that is used to make the people afraid, but the strength that is used to make them safe, to make them know that they are protected, to make them know that the land that has been given to them is the land that will be there for their children and their children's children, came, came to the place where the battle was being fought, came to the place where the darkness was pressing, came to the place where the light was being tested. They held the strength of the Spirit of Darkness, the strength that had been shown that it was not the enemy, the strength that had been the thing that was the other half of the light, the strength that had made the light know that it was light, that had made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. They were protecting the people so that they would not be shaken, so that they would not be afraid, so that they would be the ones who watched, who waited, who hoped that the daughter who had carried the fire, who had joined with the water and the stone and the wind, who had met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, who had saved the land that had been given to them to protect, would be the one who would meet this last thing, this Death of Darkness, and would show it that it was not the enemy, that it was the thing that was the other half of the light, that it was the thing that made the light know that it was light, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

I breathed softly, the way that a person breathes when they are joining their spirit with the love, the strength, and the teaching that have been given to them, when they are letting the fire that is in them be the light that shows them where to go, when they are letting the water that is in them be the life that makes the land grow, when they are letting the stone that is in them be the foundation that holds them, when they are letting the wind that is in them be the breath that moves through them, when they are letting the darkness that has been shown that it is not the enemy be the thing that is the other half of the light, the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. I let the love that had been given to me, the love that had been waiting for me, the love that would be there for me when the darkness came and I was not sure which way to go, be the thing that was the fire that was in me, the water that was in me, the stone that was in me, the wind that was in me, the thing that made me the light that showed the people where to go, the thing that made me the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, the one who saved the land that had been given to her to protect.

The Death of Darkness began to fight with my spirit, the way that the darkness had fought with my spirit before, but this time it was deeper, was harder, was the thing that would be the final test, the thing that would show whether the light that I carried was the light that would last, that would be there when the darkness came again, that would be the thing that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. It pressed against me, trying to find the place where I was weak, trying to find the place where I was afraid, trying to find the place where the love that I had released was not as strong as it needed to be, trying to find the place where the teaching that I had given was not as deep as it needed to be, trying to find the place where the inheritance that I had passed was not as strong as it needed to be, trying to be the thing that would break me, that would make me fall, that would show that the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son was not the thing that the kingdom needed, was not the thing that could carry the fire, was not the thing that could join with the water and the stone and the wind, was not the thing that could meet the darkness and show it that it was not the enemy, was not the thing that could save the land that had been given to her to protect.

But the strength of love and the inheritance that I had passed, the inheritance that had been given to me, the inheritance that I had carried, the inheritance that I had taught to the children, that I had passed to the young people, that I had given to the ones who would carry it when I was gone, was strengthening the spirits of the people, was making them strong, was making them the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. They were not afraid, were not shaking, were not running, were not hiding. They were standing, were watching, were waiting, were hoping that the daughter who had carried the fire, who had joined with the water and the stone and the wind, who had met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, who had saved the land that had been given to them to protect, would be the one who would meet this last thing, this Death of Darkness, and would show it that it was not the enemy, that it was the thing that was the other half of the light, that it was the thing that made the light know that it was light, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

Taru came close to me, the way that she had been coming close to me since we were children, the way that she had been standing beside me since the fire spoke and the prophecy was told and she knelt in the court and told my father that she would be my keeper, that she would stand beside me, that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that she was the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. She took my hand, the way that she had taken my hand when we were children, when we sat by the river and let the wind carry away the things that were too heavy to hold, when the light rose from the earth and the elder Vengai said that the second spirit had joined, when we stood on the stone at the River of Stones and the spirit of the stone asked if we were the ones who could carry the courage of the stones, when we stood on the hill where the sky falls and the wind released the love that had been carried, when we walked through the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, when we stood in the land of Mainini Mucha and the darkness fell on me and the light came out of me and showed it that it was not the enemy, when we stood in the caves where the ancestors had gone to meet the darkness and be tested and be shown that the light that they carried was the light that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. She showed her support, the support that had been the thing that made her stand beside me, that made her promise to protect me, that made her say that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that made her the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. And she told me that I was the final strength, that my inheritance would always shine, that the thing that I had built, that I had protected, that I had passed, would be the thing that would be there when I was gone, that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that would be the thing that the children would learn, that the young people would carry, that the ones who came after me would hold, that would be the thing that would shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go.

The people began to sing, the way that people sing when they are joining their spirits with love, strength, and inheritance, when they are letting the fire that is in them be the light that shows them where to go, when they are letting the water that is in them be the life that makes the land grow, when they are letting the stone that is in them be the foundation that holds them, when they are letting the wind that is in them be the breath that moves through them, when they are letting the darkness that has been shown that it is not the enemy be the thing that is the other half of the light, the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. Their voices joined, joined with my voice, joined with Taru's voice, joined with the voices of the warriors who had been taught, joined with the voices of the children who had learned, joined with the voices of the young people who were becoming, joined with the voices of the ones who would carry the inheritance when I was gone, and the sound that came out of them, the sound that was the joining of all their spirits, the sound that was the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the sound that was the light that showed the people where to go, the sound that was the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy, the sound that was the love that had been released, the sound that was the inheritance that had been passed, was the thing that the Death of Darkness had been waiting for, was the thing that would show it that it was not the enemy, was the thing that would make it know that it was the other half of the light, was the thing that would make it know that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

The Spirit of Darkness began to fall, the way that the darkness had fallen before, the way that the darkness had been shown that it was not the enemy, the way that the darkness had been the thing that was the other half of the light, the way that the darkness had made the light know that it was light, that had made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. It showed that the darkness is not the enemy when the strength is joined with love and peace, when the thing that was fighting, the thing that was pressing, the thing that was trying to break the light, is shown that it is not the enemy, that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, that it is the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

I looked at Taru, the way that I had been looking at her since we were children, the way that I had been looking at her when the fire spoke and the prophecy was told and she knelt in the court and told my father that she would be my keeper, that she would stand beside me, that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that she was the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. My eyes were filled with the quiet and the pride that comes when the thing that has been carried has been passed, when the thing that has been protected has been given, when the thing that has been saved has been taught, when the people who will be there when you are gone have learned, have become, have taken the inheritance that was given to them and made it their own, when the last test has been passed, when the last darkness has been shown that it is not the enemy, when the light that shines brightest has passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

"The Death of Darkness does not end the inheritance," I said, my voice filled with the spirit and the strength that had been given to me, the strength that was the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the strength that was the light that showed the people where to go, the strength that was the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who had joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who had met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, the one who had saved the land that had been given to her to protect. "Our inheritance is not just strength, is not just the fire that burns, is not just the water that rises, is not just the stone that holds, is not just the wind that moves. It is love, teaching, and the unity of the people, the fire that is in each of you, the water that is in each of you, the stone that is in each of you, the wind that is in each of you, the love that has been given to you, that has been waiting for you, that will be there for you when the darkness comes and you are not sure which way to go. If we hold these things, if we protect these things, if we teach these things, Magodo will always be a land of shining and peace, a land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after."

At the end of that day, Magodo was filled with the people who had learned, who were happy, and who were strong. The wind was calm, and the land showed that my inheritance had been strengthened completely, that the thing that had been built, the thing that had been protected, the thing that had been saved, was the thing that would last, that would be there when the darkness came again, that would be the thing that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. My spirit joined with the spirits of all the people, the people who had been saved, the people who had been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, the people who had learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the people who had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. And I knew that today, the Death of Darkness had been destroyed completely, and Magodo had entered the everlasting part of the true shining, of peace, and of the love that never ends, the thing that would be there when I was gone, the thing that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, the thing that was the land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after.

Taru came close to me, the way that she had been coming close to me since we were children, the way that she had been standing beside me since the fire spoke and the prophecy was told and she knelt in the court and told my father that she would be my keeper, that she would stand beside me, that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that she was the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. She took my hand, the way that she had taken my hand when we were children, when we sat by the river and let the wind carry away the things that were too heavy to hold, when the light rose from the earth and the elder Vengai said that the second spirit had joined, when we stood on the stone at the River of Stones and the spirit of the stone asked if we were the ones who could carry the courage of the stones, when we stood on the hill where the sky falls and the wind released the love that had been carried, when we walked through the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, when we stood in the land of Mainini Mucha and the darkness fell on me and the light came out of me and showed it that it was not the enemy, when we stood in the caves where the ancestors had gone to meet the darkness and be tested and be shown that the light that they carried was the light that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. She told me that today I had shown the strength of the daughter Mukunda, that my inheritance would always be protected and taught from generation to generation, that the thing that I had built, that I had protected, that I had passed, would be the thing that would be there when I was gone, that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that would be the thing that the children would learn, that the young people would carry, that the ones who came after me would hold, that would be the thing that would shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go.

I smiled, the way that a person smiles when they have found something that they did not know they were looking for, when they have become something that they did not know they could become, when they have been given something that they did not know they needed, when they have received the thing that the prophecy has been waiting for since before they were born, since the fire was lit, since the water rose, since the stone was placed, since the wind was waiting to receive the love that would make it complete, since the darkness was shown that it was not the enemy, since the light was joined and became the thing that shines brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. The wind was moving softly, the way that the wind moves when the battle is over, when the land is resting, when the thing that was waiting has been shown that it was not the enemy, when the inheritance has been strengthened, when the last test has been passed, when the darkness that was left has been destroyed, when the light that shines brightest has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. I looked at the land that was filled with the people who had learned, who were happy, and who were strong, the people who had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I knew that today, my inheritance had been strengthened, the Death of Darkness had been destroyed, and Magodo had entered a new part of the true shining, of peace, and of the love that never ends. The land was safe. The people were strong. The inheritance was being taught. The darkness had been shown that it was not the enemy. The light had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. And I was Mukunda, the child who was freed by the Spirit, the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who became the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, the one who saved the land that had been given to her to protect, the one who taught the people, who built the inheritance, who passed the strength from her hand to theirs, who faced the Death of Darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, who watched as the people became the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.