Chapter 154 - Masks of Kongo
The city of M’banza-Kongo was louder than they expected.
Markets rang with iron and shouting. Portuguese banners fluttered over new-built churches. The scent of roasting cassava mixed with the sharp tang of European wine. But behind the rhythm of daily life, something was off.
Something darker.
Faizah, Kiprop, Zara, Mwinyi, Sarai, and Taban had come in quietly, posing as pilgrims and traders. They knew little KiKongo, just enough Portuguese to survive. They didn’t need to speak much. They were here to listen.
And they were here to find Lumingu Mbemba.
Week One
The mission was already proving harder than expected. Lumingu was a noble, but no one knew exactly where he stayed. His name was never said in public. Yet his influence lingered—in the side glances of court attendants, in the sudden silence when Portuguese officers walked by.
Each day, they split into pairs to gather intel:
Kiprop and Taban watched the ports and tracked movements of foreign merchants.
Zara and Sarai followed whispers in the palace courtyard, pretending to clean floors and carry water.
Faizah and Mwinyi spent time near a Jesuit chapel where slavers and priests often talked freely.