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029 A VOW AND A PROMISE
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2022-02-16 18:09:46Related chapters
Rayuwa 030 IN THE WILDERNESS (The second and Final request)
SAFIA "What do you need my heart for?" I asked the woman. She smiled. "What is it used for?" She asked me, and I knew that was my answer. "What will happen to me if I share my heart with you?" I asked. "Well, nothing apart from the fact that I will be forever connected to you. It is not a bad thing, dear; in fact, you need me now and very soon." She replied. "For the third thing, whatever it is, here are my demands," I said, and she raised her eyebrows. "I see you are learning fast. I will listen, but I will not promise you." She said. "You will tell me why I am here and what has happened to me. You will help me get out of here. You will help me retrieve my son and protect my children and me, along with their descendants, forever." "Hehe hehe he," she began to laugh, and I felt stupid. "You are so demanding. I love your spirit. You see, unfortunately, I can grant you all but one. I am a deity, not a jinn, I have my limits, and I am weak. I am sorry, child, but no one can get yo
Last Updated : 2022-02-16Rayuwa 031 SWEET ADAM
BINTA I spent the entire day at my father's compound. Nana and Kawu were worried about my mother and Aisha's journey. I tried to calm them down and assured them that they would return. My brothers' condition had not improved, and that was a serious cause for concern. Gogo was glad to see me and asked if she could pay me a visit at the palace. They had questioned me about my upcoming wedding. They wanted to know when Adam and his family would come to ask for my hand officially. I hadn't really thought about it until they asked. It was something I was looking forward to discussing with Adam. I wasn't an orphan after all. Adam needed to ask for my hand from Kawu. When I arrived at the palace, the atmosphere was different. Most of the maidens looked like they were afraid of something. They all seemed like something had happened. I needed to know what was going on. I decided I wouldn't ask anyone; instead, I would ask Adam. "Come in," I called out. Someone had knocked on my door. I had
Last Updated : 2022-02-16Rayuwa 032 THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
32 THE FORBIDDEN FOREST MAI'ALJANU "We need to search for her." Aisha kept saying, and she had begun to wear my patience thin. "We have to continue going. We do not have time to waste. The boys do not have much time left." I explained to my daughter, but she wouldn't stop requesting we search for Safia. I had to stop riding forward to speak to her. I halted the horse and turned around to face her. "Where do you think we are, child?" I asked her, and she was silent. "This is the Forbidden Forest." I clarified for her, "I warned both of you before we entered, and the stupid girl galloped away. Maybe she thought she would do better alone. Maybe she did not trust us. Whatever her reasons might have been, I guess we would have to wait to find out. She is at the mercy of the deities and the spirits now." I told her and turned back to continue on our journey. I could not wait for the journey to be over. SAFIA. Sharing my heart and soul with Kurwa did not feel strange. The only differen
Last Updated : 2022-02-16Rayuwa 033 EMERGENCY PLANS
LEILA I had less than two days to come up with a plan to free Zuwaira and two more days to leave this godforsaken, backward Island. I have always wondered how an Island can have so much power and influence over an entire country. It just didn't make sense. I had begun to hate Adam. He was the reason why we were in this mess. Even though he had requested that we should not be punished but sent packing, I still held on to the fact that there wouldn't have been a problem to deal with in the first place if he hadn't gotten nosey and let fate determine the rest. Instead, he had to meddle and investigate. I wondered what he saw in that dirty village girl. No matter how he tried to present her, she would always be an uneducated, unexposed literate that took advantage of a situation and dug for gold. She was nothing but a gold digger. I had to make sure I hurt them both, Binta most especially. What they did to me in Buchum village, on Rayuwa Island, will not go unpunished. ADAM The whole
Last Updated : 2022-02-16Rayuwa 034 UPDATES
BINTA "May you live long," I greeted the Sarki. I wanted to inform him of my visit to Chief Boka. The Sarki looked very tired, something he now had in common with Adam. They were both looking stressed. I knew there was something I was unaware of. "Is everything alright, your highness?" I asked the Sarki, and he sighed. "Come and sit." He ordered, and I did as I was told. "How have you been, child?" he asked me, filled with concern. "Happy." Was my response, and he gave me a weak smile. "It is a blessing not to have a care in the world. As they say, heavy is the head that wears the crown; my crown is heavy, Binta." He confessed to me. "Is it something you would like to discuss?" I asked carefully not to offend him. He paused and looked at me hesitantly, then shook his head. "Nothing to bother your pretty head about." He replied, "now tell me, why have you come to see me?" Allowing me to speak, I told him everything about my visit to Chief Boka. "I find it strange that he did no
Last Updated : 2022-02-17Rayuwa 035 A PLAN AND THE EXECUTION
LEILA. It was dark and cold. Adam had ordered three more glasses from the time I started watching him. I knew where the wine gourd was, and I had drugged the wine, but he hadn't requested another drink since I drugged the wine. I began to worry my stress for the day was all for nothing. When I saw him call a maiden to bring him another glass, I breathed a sigh of relief. I hung around to make sure she had taken wine from the gourd I drugged. I retired to the living area when she delivered the wine to him. I knew Adam would have to pass through there to get to his room. There were no guards in sight, and the maidens were not allowed anywhere near the prince's quarters. The evening had gone well for me. Binta wasn't around, so he would be retiring to bed alone. ADAM The whole evening became a blur. I had had too much to drink. I only took four glasses; I wondered when our local wine became so strong. Usually, one would need to consume two to three gourds of wine to get drunk. I hadn't
Last Updated : 2022-02-17Rayuwa 036 THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
MAI'ALJANU I had a sharp ringing in my ears. I knew something was wrong. Whatever had happened, the deity was not happy. Aisha was still trapped in the illusion I created for her, so I decided to summon Aljanan Daji. The deity appeared to me in the form of a small child. It was very unlike her to manifest in this form, but I dared not ask. "Mighty one. What do you need from your servant?" I asked. She wore an angry look on her face. "Where is the soul you promised me?" she asked, and I was concerned. "I thought you had taken her already?" I said, confused. "You fool. She is on her way back as we speak." Aljanan Daji replied angrily. Her answer baffled me. "How?" I asked. It wasn't like I doubted the deity; it was just that I knew an ordinary human couldn't escape the Forbidden forest. The forest was too evil for a mere mortal to survive. "Save your questions. There is nothing to collect here." She said. "But... but we had a deal." I tried to protest "Yes, a soul for a soul."
Last Updated : 2022-02-17Rayuwa 037 MUAZ'S COMPOUND
BINTA I found it difficult to sleep. I hadn't told Adam I would spend the night in my father's compound, so I was worried. Primarily because of his countenance lately. I wondered what was troubling his soul. I wondered what was so bad that he couldn't tell me. I decided to demand it from him when I returned in the morning. If we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, it was only fair we had no secrets between us. Secrets killed trust and ruined lives; building our relationship on secrets was not a good start. Adam needed to trust me and tell me what was troubling him. I might be able to help him or find a way to make it go away. I just hoped he would trust me enough to open up to me. I heard a cry outside, and I froze out of fear. It was deep in the night. The voice I heard was that of a child. I could not go out to investigate. Instead, I remained frozen in bed. With all the evil magic going on, staying indoors in times like this was best. Whatever it was, I did not wan
Last Updated : 2022-02-19
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Rayuwa 92 VAGABOND WORLD
SAFIA. Aishatu had succeeded in bringing the final and most crucial ingredient for Binta's ritual. I had warned her that Dagudu was on his way, and she had handled the matter beautifully. Although Bamali was not covenanted to us, he had shown his loyalty to our course. We couldn't allow him to get in trouble with the jinni. She still owned him. So we had to be careful. The-bond-that-binds you is usually a finger bone made from jinni cadaver. It is used to bind the holder's soul to the jinni he or she sold it to. Often the holders were clueless about it, and this is because they usually receive it in a dream, but in actual reality, it is their soul that receives it, but the experience is perceived as a dream. Bamalli was the only living being with the finger-bone, and I was glad he was on our side. The finger-bone was somehow tied to the jinni in question, so I was going to use it to gain entrance into her kingdom. Binta was laid beautifully on the floor in the middle of the compou
Rayuwa 91 NOW WE ACT FOR THE BIRDS
BAMALI. News about the sudden huge number of visitors arriving at Rayuwa baffled me. I knew what the people were, and I became scared. I had been unable to warn Safia about the jinni's ploy, and I worried that it was too late. I was a prisoner even in my home. Selling my soul had taken away my freedom. I once thought the people of Rayuwa were unfortunate prisoners; my situation made me realise that there were worse forms of thralldom than that which Rayuwa was in. At least the people of Rayuwa had the luxury of drinking the blessed water to sever their ties with the jinni. I could not drink the blessed water because it would not affect me. I had already sold my soul, and my only hope was that the jinni would be defeated. I prayed that I would one day be free. I did not know how my freedom would come. It would either be in life or death. I yearned most for life. Dagudu had successfully found a way to get close to Safia, and it made me worried. Couldn't she sense who he was? He had
Rayuwa 90 THE DECREE
ADAM My father had sent an order to the president instructing the people of Lafiya to throw out Aljanan Daji's altars from their homes and swear allegiance to the new deity. There were also instructions to bless the land. I thought my mother-in-law would be coming to bless the land herself, but I learned that it was going to rain for seven days instead, a form of cleansing. Those who were interested in serving the new deity were instructed to collect the rainwater and drink it to sever their blood ties to Aljannan Daji. The people were confused, and soon I had a crowd at my gate. People wanted answers, answers they knew they could only get from a royal. News also went around about what Laila had done at the party. It was linked to the decree by the king, and people had become scared. I knew I had to attend to the crowd of reporters outside. So I went out with the guards to address them and answer their questions. Since they couldn't all go to Rayuwa to interview my father, I was the
Rayuwa 89 THE PARTY
Laila. My mission in Duniya was heartwarming. I looked forward to doing good. With my long history of evil deeds, the mission the deity sent me on was a soul redeemer. Zuwaira and I had devised a plan to get our friends and their families to cross over. We knew it would be very difficult because the people were loyal to the old deity, and they were afraid of her too. The fear got worse when the sky turned red, and the plants began to die. The plague had worsened the situation. No one wanted to get on the deity's bad side for fear of her wrath. We had seen greater power than hers, and we were willing to fight for it. Since Adam was still sorry about what they had done to us in Rayuwa, I was able to persuade him to allow me to throw a party in the house. He didn't like the idea at first because of Binta's situation, but when I told him about what the deity had requested of us, he agreed. Watching the way everyone worked to help organise the party warmed my heart. I secretly wished t
Rayuwa 88 A SERVANT TO A SLAVE
BAMALI. Dagudu was unable to cope with the female body he occupied. The fact that the body was that of a fugitive made it worse. His magic was growing gradually. He was already more powerful than I was, and he wasn't yet at full capacity. I began to wonder what he would be capable of. He never left my side, and because of that, I was unable to communicate with Safia about the new developments. Unlike me, he had a telepathic connection with the jinni. More and more, I realised that I had sold my soul for way less. "Why did she put you in a female body?" I asked curiously. She could have as well killed two men instead of a man and a woman. I hated the sight of Dagudu, realising my daughter's body would have been his host sickened me the more. I had to be careful around him. Already the jinni had begun to withhold information from me; I didn't want to create more suspicion as that would put my life in danger. Not that my life was worth much, but I wanted to see the jinni defeated. "It
Rayuwa 87 A TRAP WELL SET
BAMALI "You betrayed me." I heard the King of jinnis say as he held his spouse by the throat. "You didn't bring me back. Why didn't you bring me back?" "I...I tried." She managed; I had never seen her so afraid. "But I had no priest. No one swore servitude to me until him." She said, pointing at me. I watched the man drop her and turn his attention towards me. His eyes were fire. I was sure the fire had burned the eyeballs of the body it occupied. Whatever was left of it was burned out, unless it was magical fire, but at the range we stood, the fire was real to me. Anyone that was afraid of Aljannan Daji would die from fear just by seeing this jinni. He had altered the body he occupied in the most hideous way. The skin was red, and steam exuded from him. He had two large black horns and one small horn in the centre of his head. He was huge, easily nine feet tall. His presence was evil and menacing. What had she unleashed upon us? While the jinni advanced toward me, I saw Aljanan Da
Rayuwa 86 FOREVER A SLAVE
BAMALI. After the incident in Safia's compound, I tried to find ways to make amends. What I did most of the time was to find a way to inform the deity of Aljannan Daji's plans. Without my help, the jinni had been able to trap two unfortunate people for Dagudu's resurrection ritual. I was taken to the forbidden forest to help prepare the items for the ritual. What I did not know was that I would have to be the one to slaughter the innocent people for the ritual to work. Apparently, the jinni could kill to feed, but a human had to sacrifice life to her for the blood to have any magical effect. The coldness of the situation brought chills to my spine. The fact that the unfortunate humans were fugitives did not make me feel better at all. Knowing the situation, I was sickened that the jinni would have made me sacrifice my children with my bare hands. If it wasn't for the fact that the deity could protect them, I would have killed myself if it had come to that. I had sent word to the dei
Rayuwa 85 MANY REASONS TO APOLOGISE
LAILA Shortly after the scene with the deity, we were escorted to my bedroom in the Palace. It was clear that the royal family were ashamed of what they had done to Zuwaira and me and tried to apologise by having the palace maidens pamper us. Everything that happened at our trial still shocked us. Binta was the daughter of a powerful deity. I couldn't believe it. The woman looked almost as young as Binta. The last time we were in Rayuwa, there was a rumour that her mother had gone missing. I began to believe it was all a sick joke. The people knew what we were up against and still set us up. That must have been the reason why our plans against Binta failed. It was also the reason why the Sarki and the entire council, in fact, the entire island, wanted Adam to marry Binta, so she would be the next queen. What beats having the daughter of a deity as queen? Was the main deity not Aljannan Daji? Who was Binta's mother? Was she Aljannan Daji. Aljannan Daji was the deity we all worshipped
Rayuwa 84 A SOLUTION?
ADAM Our arrival in Buchum Rayuwa was a shock to everyone. Binta was carried straight to the Palace. My father was in shock and hesitated to inform Safia of her daughter's predicament. "We have to tell her mother. She might be able to help." I tried to convince my father. "He is right, Umar. We can keep this from the deity; she will find out, and that will be worse." My mom said, trying to talk some sense into him. "What deity?" Ibrahim asked, confused. No one answered him. "Bring that witch for trial." My father said, refusing to send words to Safia. "The council isn't complete," I pointed out. "Right now, our energy should be spent on trying to save Binta's life. The trial can commence later." I pleaded. "The witch did it; she must have the antidote. She will solve the problem she caused with the right amount of pressure, and then I will behead her, her cousin and her family." My father said, and I could see the rage in his eyes. "What if she doesn't have the remedy and Bint
