Yasuka: Legend of the African Samurai, Volume 1 feature

It is the year 1557. Drought has brought the South-East African Empire of Dande to its knees, and their Supreme Ruler, the Mwene Mutapa (Lord of the Land) fails again to “bring” rain after beating the sacred rain-making the drum that thunders aka "ngoma-lungundu.” Tensions are at an all-time high and insurrections are squashed with lethal force in the magnificent stone cities that dot the land. In the midst of this, Yasuka, a young apprentice of the Barwe Tonga Order of Knights, sworn to protect the drum and the king, is finally initiated into the warrior class. But on his first night watch as a warrior, the "ngoma- lungundu" he has sworn his life to protect is stolen, and all his brother-warriors are massacred by a masked assassin, who leaves Yasuka alive by a lucky twist of fate.
Embittered and vengeful, Yasuka sets off to find the killer, retrieve the drum, restore honour to his order, and protect the kingdom from imploding in civil war. Alas, there are others who want the drum just as badly, and seem to stay a step ahead of him at every turn. One in particular proves to be more than a match for Yasuka - a female warrior and high priestess named Dzugudini, from the Chidima tribe.
Against his will, Yasuka forges an uneasy alliance with her and the two set off on a journey to retrieve the drum, across the grasslands and forests of the empire. The two encounter sorcerers, high priests as well as wild animals on the path. However, distrust stands in their way, as well as their different beliefs about loyalty, the legitimacy of the empire and the rightful owners of the drum. As their chase culminates in the ruins of ancient Africa's most sacred temples, Yasuka will have to confront the lies upon which his entire life has been founded, discover the real meaning of loyalty, and lay everything he has ever fought for on the line.