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
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
"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
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
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
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
Bozo found a stone from the fallen building and relaxed his weight. He tucked his sword under his armpit and with his free hands took out his snuff-box from his pouch. He taped the coverlid and scooped a large portion into his nostrils with his index finger. The electrifying rush that went from his brain to all parts of his body made him shiver as he groaned with pleasure. The people of Umunta have become his favorite. They were skilled in grinding the tobacco smoothly and the lack of adulteration made him fond of their product. Unlike his previous sellers who often mix the tobacco with colorants and other useless leaves, this was the best anyone could ever ask for.Sneezing twice, he wiped the tears before dropping his finger into the snuff box again, ready to begin the process all over.Before him, sizzle and frizzles of burning buildings and roofs sang the melody of his conquest. Smokes rose in all directions, raining
Like every other day, the cloak of darkness had descended upon the earth, leaving the crickets to their song. The day before had been stressful for Adaku, all thanks to her father who would stop at nothing until he married her off into some village whose name she only got to know about five minutes ago. The queen had rejected the idea, and that was because of the distance from home. She would have preferred that Adaku remained within the sphere of the prominent villages around them. That way, they would not only monitor the marriage but also strengthen their political power. Five years ago, Adaku would have agreed with her mother. After all, the queen was just looking out for her wellbeing. But that was five years ago. Things have changed. She had changed. The once shy girl that would bow to every idea was now mature and would follow the path she deems fit. She was out for herself and not even her father’s decision could stop her.She dropped
“Great,” Ugomma hissed and slumped on the floor, “We are finally lost.” “Don’t be so sure.” “I am certain, Jide. Look around you. Do you know where we are going?” “Maybe, but this path could lead us to the queen.” “Lead us to the queen?” Ugomma smirked, “You said that last month. And it's two years now, yet we haven’t found this mysterious white queen. How are you sure the path wouldn’t lead to an evil forest or worse to our death?” Jide didn’t argue, she had expected him to say something nasty or funny, but he didn’t. He just walked further into the forest and watched the treetops as if he could read the language of the birds. He closed his eyes and opened them again, muttering some silent words. Ugomma folded her hands over her chest as she watched the slagging shoulders. She wasn’t convinced, but a little part of her wanted to trust him. Perhaps he knew what he was doing. Besides, he had led them to six different villages over the l