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
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."
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
ADAM: I woke up with a terrible headache. I felt a body next to mine, and I paled immediately. Had I taken Binta's virginity in my drunken state? When I turned to look at the person beside me, what I saw made me wish that I had done the former. I found Leila naked on my bed next to me. I jumped out of bed from fear. My head was still banging. I became petrified when I saw that I, too, was naked. What had I done? I was speechless for munites. This could not be real, I thought to myself. I tried to recollect what had happened last night, but I came up empty. I remembered sitting in the gazebo until late in the evening. Binta hadn't returned, and I was angry that the maiden had served me a strong wine. I knew I did not want to pass out, so I went into the house. That was all I could remember; every other thing was a blur. I hurriedly wore my clothes. I was about to slip out when Leila woke up. "Adam, why are you leaving?" I heard her ask. This couldn't be happening to me. How had I got
SAFIA I woke up and found myself still in the forest. Ruhun Daji sat beside me. When I looked up at her, she smiled. "I am afraid we will be in this forest longer than I hoped." She said to me with sadness in her eyes. "Aljanan Daji is stronger than I thought. Restoring me has drained you. You will need to rest and recuperate for us to try the escape again." She said, and my heart sank. I did not want to remain in this forest any longer. I missed my life back home. I missed my daughter. I was sure Binta had already begun to accomplish great things by now. I needed to be with my daughter. I needed to be by her side, supporting her and guiding her. I regretted everything. I had thrown away what I had for something I lost long ago. Why did I come on this journey, to begin with? I had always seen how people threw away what they had for something they had lost, and I had always believed it would never happen to me. Why did I abandon Binta to search for Danladi? I was speechless; all I c
BINTA It was noon when Adam and four palace guards arrived at my father's compound. Most of the people that came to sympathise with us were surprised that the crowned prince would visit. Although the news of my appointment and elevated status was all over the island, the fact that I was engaged to Adam remained in the palace. The people that came forgot what they were there for when they saw Adam. They all rushed to pay their respects and impress him. Some of the men who brought their daughters also tried to flaunt them in front of Adam. As absurd as it may be, their actions only made me laugh. It was not often that a wake keeping turned into a beauty contest. I felt bad for Adam. He got this kind of attention everywhere he went, be it on Rayuwa Island or any of the places in Lafiya. Everybody wanted a chance to be affiliated with Rayuwa royalty. Adam walked up to Kawu, and I felt a tinge of jealousy. I knew he was doing the right thing, but I still felt terrible. Kawu was the head
LEILA The Sarki sent for me, and I went straight to the throne room. "Greetings, your highness." I greeted the king. "Save the pleasantries for a fool." That was his response. I looked at him, confused. I could see the anger in his eyes. I wondered what I had been accused of. "Save that look for a fool," he continued, "you might have been able to fool my son in the past, but you were never able to fool me. I knew you were bad news from the day I met you. I warned Adam. I wished he listened." He said. "What have I..." I tried asking when a guard yelled at me to be silent, "you will only speak when asked to speak." Was his instruction. I wish my father did not leave me here. These people were too hostile. "You have connived and manipulated your way all through. But your journey ends here. You will leave this island today along with your cousin. You are never to return here ever again. You are never to be near anywhere my son and his bride-to-be are, here or anywhere in Lafiya." He
MAI'ALJANAU The sky was red; it indicated Aljannan Daji's bloodlust had risen. I began to pity the people of Rayuwa. Some families would lose their children to her blood lust. I knew famine was upon the people, but I did not think it would strike so soon. I needed to get my grandson to safety. I also needed to protect Binta. She was a maiden; Aljanan Daji was bound to select her out of anger for losing Safia's soul to another deity. I did not need to ride like a normal man. So I travelled to Muaz's compound by magic. I teleported to an isolated land close to the Muaz's compound. I did not want to startle people. When I reached the compound, I found people were mourning and celebrating at the same time. I wondered if madness was going to be part of the plague. The moment I was noticed, they all went silent. I saw fear in their eyes. Looking around, something caught my eyes. Binta was in the arms of the crowned prince. I was slightly angered by this because I did not know his true inte
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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