Ariana Burgess

Seventeen-year-old Mzuri Mwangi feels a primal pull towards the ancient Rift Valley, a yearning that clashes with the concrete pulse of her Nairobi life. Drawn by a rhythm only she can hear, she stumbles through a tear in reality and into the breathtaking Ancestral Rift—a timeless realm of vibrant savannas, sky-piercing mountains, and whispering forests where Kikuyu legends come alive. This isn't a vacation; she's the last Bone Drummer, tasked with maintaining the delicate harmony between worlds, a balance now threatened by a rogue ancestor.

Mzuri’s guide is Nyarai, a rebellious lioness spirit whose wisdom bites as sharply as her claws. Their unlikely alliance is joined by Wendo, a trickster god whose riddles and illusions hide a dangerous edge, blurring the line between ally and manipulator. Together, they must navigate a landscape teeming with mythical creatures—benevolent sky-weavers and malevolent shadow beasts—as Mzuri masters the ancestral drum, its rhythms echoing with the power to reshape destinies. But each beat exacts a price, eroding her memories and threatening to unravel her identity.

The rogue ancestor, merging stolen European technologies with dark African magic, seeks to erase history. He has twisted familiar myths into grotesque parodies and corrupted the very essence of the Rift, his power threatening to spill into the mortal world. Adding to the turmoil, Mzuri discovers she’s not alone. Her twin sister, Anika, kidnapped years ago, is now a weapon in her ancestor’s hands, a bone flute player whose melodies mirror Mzuri’s power but serve a destructive purpose. Their paths are destined to collide in a heartbreaking battle of drum against flute, sister against sister.

As the Rift contorts into a nightmarish reflection of its former glory, Mzuri must confront not just external foes, but the seductive allure of her own power. Can she master the drum's magic without losing herself? Will she reclaim her sister from the clutches of darkness? Or will the rogue ancestor succeed in silencing the drums forever, plunging both worlds into eternal chaos? Mzuri's journey is a breathtaking exploration of heritage, sacrifice, and the enduring power of memory, a mythopoetic odyssey where the fate of two worlds rests on the beat of a drum.