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CHAPTER 27
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EJIMA CHAPTER 28
Nnaji stretched his hands to the right, just where the tubes of the sun's rays pierced the leaves of the forest and bashed down towards the earth in a cascade of intricate glow. He frowned as he perused his own shadow which had left the distance ahead and was coming behind him now, following the direction of the sun. Telling time using shadows was something his father had taught him long before he was old enough to wear his first pelt. It was a custom in Umudike which every good parent imbibes in their children at a ripe age. Even though he had mastered the skill and could tell the exact time of the day with his shadow, Nnaji still finds it hard to distinguish how much time has passed between two events. Differentiating the morning from afternoon and evening was easy, but between those times, it was difficult to tell the exact hour in which an event had happened. Nnaji returned his hands to his side. He never liked shadow time. It has so many flaws and errors in it compared to the ti
EJIMA CHAPTER 29
“So, how did it go?” The tension that draped on King Nnaji’s features receded when his brown eyes failed to pick any tension on the face of the forest or the leaves. The muscular features of Kalu followed behind, holding that swagger that portrayed strength and authority. And royalty too. No palace guards were hanging on their shoulders. The two men were alone, like always, and the curiosity that streaked the edges of their aging brows sent a lovely wave of satisfaction down Jide’s stomach. If he had his way, he would rigmarole and enjoy watching the men sit on that fence of perplexity. “They took the bait, I presume?” The disappointment in Kalu’s tone dispatched a chill down Jide’s spine. It was as if the man had wished they would not come back. As if deep down he wanted them to perish there in the enemy’s camp. But…no, it can’t be. Jide shrugs off the thought. Kalu was not just a trusted servant, he was the King’s brother. The finest man in the kingdom and the meekest. And I trust
EJIMA CHAPTER 30
Hawk rested his hands on his sword, rolling on the floor and back to his feet, even before he could think of jumping off his saddle. Ji had run off to the other side of the forest, away from harm’s way. Hawk had not instructed it to wait behind, but the animal had lowered its head and was watching them from the corner of its eyes. Uneasiness was hanging on its shoulders yet it had stood its ground like always. It had waited for him, doing what it was trained to do. Hawk sucked his tongue with a little hint of remorse streaking the side of his heart. Ji’s devotion will never cease to amaze him. The animal had been nothing but faithful ever since King Bozo gave it to him. They had fought many battles together, some of which, Ji, had been directly or indirectly involved. The animal was a perfect friend, but on the other hand, Hawk doubts if he would do the same for the animal if kick comes to shove. “Well, well,” Hawk’s hands tightened on the hilt of his sword as the owner of the voic
EJIMA CHAPTER 31
“Drop your weapon or I will kill you,” Jide shouted, or so he thought, for the sound of his heart which swelled his head and ears, made it impossible for him to iron his thoughts correctly. His throat was like the face of a desert, and he could feel his tongue perching on the roof of his mouth and causing a painful sensation that almost peeled the skin from his palate. Tightening his grip on the sword, he locked his gaze with the older man and advanced. The sword felt strange in his hands too but he didn’t let them go, not while the other man’s gaze still boggled down at him as if they knew all the sins he had committed. Jide did not care though. His blood was already boiling. All he wanted to do at the moment was to shoo the Hawk man away from the King’s brother. If he had not acted immediately, perhaps Kalu would have been a dead man. But you will be a dead man too if you continue. Jide shook off the thoughts and tried with all willpower, to swallow down the fear. He was going to di
EJIMA CHAPTER 32
The footfalls echoed through the nights again as they had done the day before. It was guesswork, for the darkness that enveloped her made it difficult to keep track of time. There was not even a cock nearby to announce the birth of a new day or the maturity of an aging one. Her captors must have done so on purpose. Possibly to keep her on the bridge of incognizance while they waited patiently on the other side of knowledge, hoping she would lose her senses and snap to insanity. Not knowing. She hated not knowing things. The fact that her captors had hung her on the fence and had rid every knowledge of the outside world from her, was more painful than death itself. Nobody had visited let alone tortured her. Yes, they had allowed her thoughts to do so for them. The only time she gets a glimpse of the world outside was whenever footfalls like this one, begin to echo over some distance away. It was often seconded by the sound of a plate, which always slid on the floor as if they had been
EJIMA CHAPTER 33
Mmiri (water), yes, that's the word. The notorious word that has circulated the village since time immemorial. It has even become a swear word and used by angry parents to scare their children away from the claws of weakness. The reason was still a mystery to Ugo. Even though her mother has repeated the story countless times, it still did not make any sense. Live to fight another day. That was another side of the puzzle that appears not to fit. Yes, it made no sense, because the one man that had taken those words into action had been labeled a coward. The people had called him a fool for saving his life. His own life. Ah, what else is more precious than life itself? Honor? No, only the living speak of honor. The grave yearns and longs for the chaplet, but indeed, only the living are worthy enough to wear the festoon and perceive its marvelous fragrance. Well, here they are. According to her mother, it was twenty years since the incident. The 'blessed twenty', as mother always puts it.
EJIMA CHAPTER 34
Kpa ngoloKpa ngolo, kpa ngoloDudume, ogheneDudume, ogheneOnyamara Dudu yayaya, duduya…The moonlight songs faded Ugomma's ears as the words of her father resonated, spreading through her chest and making her shift her weight to the other foot. It was hard to keep Jide off her mind. Nothing was right. The village square was not fun and will never be fun if Jide was not around. Most of the children were happy of course or perhaps pretended to be. The space of Jide was still empty and that void could never be filled by anyone. And as if to add more salt on the injury, nobody was saying anything. Its true rumors were like harmattan fire, but so far, none of it was burning through the dry straws of curiosity. It’s as if what the King’s messenger had told her father yesterday were false. She had tried to observe some of the elders within their vicinity. There was nothing odd about them; the only extraordinary thing was that aura of joy and celebration hanging on their shoulders which Ug
EJIMA CHAPTER 35
“By the heavens!"Adaku jerked away, but her elbow caught the calabash by the right, knocking it off from the rack and spluttering the black liquid. Nnenna’s eyes broadened as she tried to jump away, but Adaku did not give her the room. She caught Nnenna by the collar and landed two hot slaps on the older girl’s cheeks.“My…princ…”“One more word from you and this Uri (local pencil) would be the last thing you remember when I have your head hanging on the crimson pole.”Tears were already dripping as Nnenna held her cheeks. She muttered something under her breath but did not make any reasonable sound. Adaku was tired of Nnenna’s foolishness. She had taught the girl how to hold the pencil so that it wouldn't hurt. But every time, Nnenna would push the pencil with so much pressure that it often sent a stinging sensation through Adaku’s skin.“Are you stupid?”“I am so sorry, my princess. It won’t happen again.”“Yes, of course, it won’t.” Adaku breathed out, not realizing she had been h
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