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CHAPTER 41
Counting his fingers did not work, so Jide kept track of time by paying attention to the cocks, whose voices were announcing the break of dawn. He had given up sleep since the princess brought him here and that was because his racing heart would not let his body relax. The guards might be looking for him; it was hard to tell. But Jide hopes they would not find him. Deep down, he prayed he had left no evidence or sign for the palace guards to track. He couldn't imagine what they would do to him if they find him here. And this place was comfortable, but for the...
Jide stood and dusted the straw from his body, trying to keep down the nauseating feeling. The straws were old and soaked with urine that could almost draw tears from the eyes. Looking at them, Jide could not help the thought of the decaying antelope his father had shot dead some months back. If someone had told him otherwise, he would have argued with them, but now, he was not sure. Were there no servants in the kin
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EJIMA CHAPTER 42
The drummers and their music took the lead again, with the old women dancing in circles, following the Diviner who was behind the King’s guards and the warriors of the village. The palanquin of leaf and wood danced with the sack clothes of the hefty men who had rings, going through their nose and ears. There were six of them, dark-skinned and with scars all over their body. Each side of the palanquin held some white wool, looking sleek and smooth, it was hard to tell which animal skin it was. And, this was the first time Jide had seen a royal palanquin. It also made him wonder why the princess had decided to ride on an ostrich instead of joining the family in their ostentation of wealth, power, and prestige. Well, maybe she was different from her father. Maybe she was not as foolish as Jide had presumed initially. Golden glows herald the gentle wind that came rushing in. It was comforting. The heat was by no means backing down and the afternoon might last for another six to
EJIMA CHAPTER 43
She swam through the wet foliage, using her free hands to keep the wetness from her skin. It was a futile effort since the wetness drove a chill from her barefoot to every part of her body. The sun had given way for the dark clouds, and the drizzling rain was just too cold on her skin. Since she assumed the role of working on the shrine, she has not been drenched by a downpour. And that was partly because she hated the rainy season for some odd reason. Plus, her experience with these people the last two years, was not a pleasant one. Even as she walked through the familiar path, she could feel her muscle and strength turning to water. If she had her way, she would have forgotten this mission and focused on winning the hunt. That would change the world. It would change her world for good. Wining the hunt would make her the rightful heir to the throne. It would be an amazing experience. A delightful splendor crawled through her stomach and she wanted to swell with the alluring
EJIMA CHAPTER 44
It took one last flash of lightning for Ejima to see the empty streets. The drizzling rain had fogged into a mist but was spirited by the torches slitting from the windows. Her wet clothes were glued to her body and plunging cold into her soul. Save for the lack of water and food, she preferred the dry season to wet season. It did not ruin things and activities like this. "It's been like this all year," the muscular woman said as if reading her thoughts. "But we thank the gods for their mercies. Better to have wet season than live like a desert rat" Ejima did not respond, they had crossed the muddy parameter and were breaking away from the heart of the village. Not even a dog was outside. If the torches burning inside every house were not lit she could have sworn that this village was inhabited by ghosts. “Dry season is like its name, dry. But it's time for harvest. A time for plenty of food.” Ejima said. “Ah, what about water?" The woman asked just a
EJIMA CHAPTER 45
Ugomma swam through the bodies and screams of the people who kept jumping and calling out to the eleven gods. The ceremony had eaten deep into the evening, breaking the sadness that kept meddling with her soul. Nothing will remain the same, even though the happiness on the faces of these people seemed to keep the fear at bay. She knows deep down that the world would change after today. It was politics like her father would say. This was the last blow that would give the heated iron its shape. The king had pried with the affairs of the people; he had stretched his hands into a furnace and only time will tell if he will get burnt or not. Rubbing off the smell of sweat, Ugomma shouldered past some group of men who were drinking away what was left of the evening. They seemed not to care, even though her struggle had spluttered the wine on their clay mug. She didn't care either, her eyes just kept track of the red and white animal skin, bouncing back and forth on the princess's s
EJIMA CHAPTER 46
"This is the end of the road," Jide said and turned his attention to the girl. "I think it is time you head back to the village before your father notices your absence" "And I still think this is a bad idea," Adaku muttered, speaking for the first time since they left the village. The cloud of darkness had wrapped their teenage features, leaving the tongue of fire from the torchlight to lead the way. It was only a few hours since they left the village, yet the awkward silence seems to have stretched to eternity. With the increasing fog of darkness that hazed the parameter, Adaku could only guess how far she was from the walls of the palace. This was the first time she had risked traveling without the shoulders of the palace bodyguards. What will her father say? "We've discussed this before, Ada. This is the only way. You know it is," "I don't, Jide." Adaku frowned, "This is absurd. How can you return to that enemy village? That's the reaso
EJIMA CHAPTER 47
The goal was to try and frustrate her life, to take away everything she held dear, and finally bring her crawling on her knees. It was the original plan and maybe the only plan. That would keep her away from him, and set him free too. But it was harder than he had thought. All his effort to make sure he drives the nail of affliction into her struggling soul had ricocheted. If he didn’t know better, he would have believed in the supernatural forces, fighting her battles. But he was no fool. The gods do not fight for men. They only eat goats and chicken and whatever pleases their palate. And given the situation, he had offered his gifts to the gods and had sacrificed the best animal in his barn. So why have his plans not yielded fruits.“Someone chose this lovely night to be worried. Again.”Uche blinked himself back to reality. He took and kissed the extended hand before pulling the dark lady closer to himself. Her shoulde
EJIMA CHAPTER 48
Years have passed since Uche last saw the oscillating skeletons and the feathers that fetter his emotions. Every step forward made him reminisce about how bad an idea coming here was. That someone could live so long in isolation, with horrendous looking creature and still have their sanity was a mystery to him. He had laid so many excuses over the last few years to save himself the horror of living in nightmares and delusion. Last time was bad enough, the diviner—who was also his sister-in-law—claimed that she had everything under control and had assured him that Ejima would be a sorry story. It was soothing words for a hurting soul, or rather, the fuel in a fire. And now he was forced to lay aside his hate and work with the same woman he had sworn to destroy. The sudden crow on the right side of the road caught Uche’s attention, but he eased his hands from his sword when he saw a raven, pitch-black and looking like hell itself. It was not strange that he had seen two ravens
EJIMA CHAPTER 49
It took an eternity for the light of the sun to break over the horizon. She had waited for it, like a wolf, waiting to pounce on their prey, but it had delayed long enough for her anger to diminish. Plus, her husband had not returned. He had stayed with her sister and now the group was about to leave for the hunt without them. What on earth was he doing? Was he safe?Nneamaka yawned and stretched herself. It was time to play her card and if she was not careful enough, her plans were going to shatter even before they came to limelight.She tried picking the mattress but ended up breaking the loose ends of the animal skin, ruining the material. She hissed and dropped it only to curse when she accidentally knocked her water skin, spluttering the content on the dusty floor. Her attempt to save what water was left in the container was useless as the dust seemed to gulp everything. Her frown deepened, knowing that there w
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