A Blade for the Emperor

Ngena ngesinyenyela esigodlweni sombusi ongafi, uthole ukwethenjwa kwakhe, bese umbulala! Ukukhetha kwakho kungasindisa umbuso, kuwunqobe, noma kuwubhubhise unomphela.

[i]I-Blade for the Emperor[/i] iyinoveli yenganekwane emnyama exhumanayo kaSamuel Gohra, lapho ukukhetha kwakho kulawula khona indaba. Isekelwe ngokuphelele kumbhalo—amagama angu-600,000 kanye namakhulu ezinketho—ngaphandle kwemidwebo noma imisindo, futhi iqhutshwa amandla amakhulu, angenakuvinjelwa omcabango wakho.

Esihlalweni sakhe samandla, uMbusi u-Erid Virdeus ubusa amazwe akhe ngemithetho ecindezelayo neziqalekiso ezisontekile. Akukho ngozi enkulu kunombusi onomlingo ezandleni zakhe—futhi wena ungumbulali onomsebenzi wokuqeda lolu songo olukhona. Ama-runes aqoshwe emathanjeni akho akunika amakhono angaphezu kwawemvelo ngaphezu kwalawo abantu abaningi.

Kodwa inhloko-dolobha isivele iphazamisekile. Onogada bahlasela abantu, abavukeli bahlela emthunzini, ubuthakathi buthulisa amazwi abahlubuki, kanye nezidalwa zokufa okubolayo ezicashe emihumeni eqopha umhlaba ngaphansi kwemigwaqo yedolobha.

Khetha abalingani bakho ngokucophelela, ngoba wonke umuntu lapha unezimfihlo zakhe. Omunye wezindlalifa zombusi usevele edingisiwe ngenxa yokumdelela—uzobambisana naye futhi uvuse amalangabi okuvukela umbuso? Noma ungase ume nesinye izihlobo zombusi: usopolitiki ocwengekile, noma iqhawe elinamandla.

Njengoba ususa izinceku zombusi ngamunye ngamunye, wena nabalingani bakho kumele nihlele ikusasa elilandelayo. Ngubani ozohlala esihlalweni sobukhosi? Ingabe uzoshiya umbuso ngokuthula noma ngencithakalo echithekile enegazi?

Letha ukufa kulabo obabona bekufanele, yakha izivumelwano nezikhulu noma izihlubuki, nesibindi sokulandela inhliziyo yakho futhi uthole uthando phakathi kokukhohlisa nokubulala, uhlole izimfihlo zomlingo ukuze uvule amandla agijima kuwo wonke amaqabunga nezimpande edolobheni.

Uzoshiya bani ngemuva kwakho, njengesidumbu esinegazi, isidalwa esinamabala, noma ithuluzi elilahliwe neliphukile? Futhi ubani ozomqondisa esikhathini esizayo, njengomuntu okhululiwe noguquliwe, umngane ovikelwe eduze, noma umbusi onamandla onke?

• Dlala njengowesilisa, owesifazane, noma ongeyena ungqingili; ungqingili, oqondile, noma owesilisa.
• Yenza ubuciko bombulali wakho buphelele: yiba ummese othule ebumnyameni, umdlali wezinja okhuluma kabi, iqhawe elinesibindi se-rune, inhloli ye-chameleon, noma isela elinolimi lwesiliva?

• Ukuthanda udadewabo wombusi ohlakaniphile nonolwazi kwezepolitiki; umzala wasebukhosini othanda impi; noma udadewabo ohlubukayo odingisiwe, ube amandla ngemuva kwesihlalo sobukhosi esisha – noma ubabulale bese ubeka umholi omusha.

• Bumba umbuso ovuka emlotheni: yiba umsindisi onesihe, umbulali wegazi, noma isidalwa esingaphezu kwamandla ayisisekelo.
• Susa idolobha ebuthakathini obuyingozi – noma wembule imfihlo yokungafi kombusi bese uziphathela yona.

Bangaki okumele bafe, ukuze baqede umbuso ongafi?