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45 PAIN AND CHANGE
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2022-07-26 19:28:28Related chapters
Rayuwa 46 NEW MOON SELECTION
ADAM. The herbalist had asked me to leave Binta's room. He needed to perform some rituals. My father sent for me, and I headed to the throne room. The new moon would be upon us the next day. News had been carried to all the villages to assemble their maidens in the community centre of each village. Each priest of each village would perform the selection ritual. The girls that were picked outside Buchum would be brought to Buchum to be cared for and fed till the full moon when they would be sacrificed. Mai'Aljanu would be the one to handle the selection process of Buchum. When I got to the throne room, the place was silent. Most of the chiefs were afraid to look me in the eye. They knew what they had done, and they knew that I would never forget. "Adam, my son, so kind of you to join us." My father greeted me, "I know Binta is getting the best treatment available; she will be well." He said. I knew he said what he said to calm the atmosphere, but it didn't work; I was still angry.
Last Updated : 2022-07-26Rayuwa 47 NEW MOON SELECTION 2
ADAM We left Binta's room and returned to the throne room. We were having a long night. When we arrived at the throne room, I found Malam Bamali pacing back and forth. He was clearly impatient about something. "If I may speak, your majesty," the swine began. I hated the man, and the fact the Mai'Aljannu had confirmed his hatred for Binta made it worse. "Speak." My father told him. He cleared his throat and began. It was apparent he was trying to summon the courage to speak. It meant we wouldn't like whatever he planned to say. "We all agree that we deserved to hear what Mai'Aljanu said about Miss Binta. What happened in there was unusual, and it calls for concern. I have never seen the selection stone turn red before. It might be a sign of trouble for Rayuwa. We need to know what deity has chosen to defy Aljanan Daji; we do not want to incur her wrath." My father took a deep breath and then spoke. "I do not appreciate you instigating the council," he began. "Binta is a part of
Last Updated : 2022-07-26Rayuwa 48 WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE SHOULD BE GOOD FOR THE GANDER
ADAM The villagers returned to their homes. The chiefs were asked to return to their homes and revert to the palace for a meeting by 10 am. My father pleaded with Mai'Aljannu to wait until then before leaving. He agreed. When we returned to the throne room, I noticed how uneasy Malam Bamali was. "Please, your majesty," he began, "she is my only daughter. We can do a swap. There should be a rule that exempts nobles from being selected." He pleaded, and some of the chiefs nodded. "After all, it was because people were reluctant to bring someone forward for the sacrifice that the rule of using the selection gem to decide was employed. When Rayuwa started, they normally selected people and sacrificed them. The deity did not have to choose, and they were still satiated. Please let me do a swap." "And what will we tell the people?" the chief hunter asked. "We will tell them the deity has reconsidered," he said. It was apparent the man was mad. "You mean we should lie?" the chief warr
Last Updated : 2022-07-26Rayuwa 49 Thralldom
ADAM I couldn't sleep through the night. Binta's fever was high, and she kept mumbling nonsense. It had been three days since the injury she incurred from the whipping. I wondered what the herbalist had been doing, and he forbade me from turning her over to check the wound myself. He claimed it would impede the healing process. I began to feel really stupid. There was a loud knock on the door. I had been unable to sleep all night because of Binta's situation. I hoped I wasn't being summoned for another council meeting. When I opened the door, I saw the head herbalist of Rayuwa along with two witch doctors. "Your Highness, good morning," the head herbalist began, "I am here to continue miss Binta's treatment." He said with a bow. "Ok, why are the witch doctors here?" I asked, addressing the two old men that had accompanied him. "There is a spiritual matter involved with Miss Binta's issue." He began, "I believe the spirit of death is upon her. These men are one of Rayuwa's best wi
Last Updated : 2022-07-26Rayuwa 50 HOME AND NOT HOME
LEILA. I had been home for over a week, and my father had refused to speak to me. Zuwaira and I had decided not to tell my father about the Sarki's promises. I was glad he hadn't made good on them yet, and I hoped he wouldn't. Somehow I was glad to be back in civilisation, where there was phone network and the Internet. Where I could visit the cinema, and I had a variety of foods to choose from. I wondered how a very primitive part of the country could have so much power over the entire country. "Are you still thinking about the Sarki's threats?" Zuwaira asked, entering my room. I hated her behaviour of never knocking before entering. She startled me, and instead of apologising, she began to laugh. It was typical of my cousin to forget significant and life-threatening events. A boy was sentenced to be decapitated in our presence while she was to await her judgment. A judgement that would be made by the same people that had sentenced the young boy to death by beheading. Did she ever
Last Updated : 2022-07-26Rayuwa 51 BACK IN BUCHUM, RAYUWA
ADAM. It was difficult finding the messenger to send to Rukum village because the plague was more conspicuous there. Eventually, we were able to find a volunteer. A herbalist who was willing to risk his life and call Mai'Karfi. Mai'Karfi was the only one that knew how to summon Mai'Aljannu. I wish we had come to the current resolution when Mai'Aljannu was around, but as they say, better late than never. At this point, there was nothing left to lose. Aljannan Daji had not fulfilled her side of the bargain; we simply could not be expected to pay for services that were not rendered. At first, I wondered why the herbalist would willingly volunteer himself to go on such a dangerous mission, but then I found out his daughter was one of the maidens chosen for the sacrifice, and that girl happened to be his only surviving family. That made a lot of sense. The doctor had prohibited me from sleeping in Binta's room. I was glad I brought him. They had to cut out some of the dead flesh on Binta
Last Updated : 2022-07-26Rayuwa 52 A MISSION FOR POWER
MALLAM BAMALI, (Chief Boka). I couldn't believe my daughter was selected. My wife had cried all week, begging me to do something. There was nothing I could do; I was powerless. Somehow I believed Mai'Aljanu had a hand in my misfortune. It couldn't have been an eventuality that it was the two people that supported the sacrifice that ended up being unfortunate. I was angry with the Sarki for not allowing the swap. Everyone knew that swap was possible. My wife hadn't made life easy on me at all. She had refused to eat, and she wasn't sleeping well. I knew if she continued, she would die before the full moon. I knew I needed to do something, so I made up my mind. I had consulted my Jinni, and I had told him I wanted to strike a deal with Aljannan Daji to save my daughter's life. To help me, my Jinni had directed me to visit the forbidden forest and told me what to do when I got to the border. The plan was that my Jinni would help me get to the forest, and then he would teach me how to as
Last Updated : 2022-07-26Rayuwa 53 AN UNWANTED PROMOTION
ADAM. A week had passed, and Binta was well. Although her wounds were yet to heal completely, she was well enough to move about, but she had refused to leave her room. Sometimes, I would be talking to her, and she would have a blank expression on her face. Doctor Imran had already warned me about this. I was clueless about what to do. The whole issue with Rayuwa wasn't making things any easy, as the villagers gathered in front of the Palace every morning to beg for food. Things had gone from bad to worse. Most farmers refused to sell their crops. I sent raw food to Binta's father's compound, and although they accepted it, her grandmother sent a message to inform me that they had enough food in-store, but they appreciated my generosity and reminded me of the Gaisuwa. I could see why Binta always bragged about her mother's farming abilities. It was clear the woman had stocked food for her family. Remembering Binta's mother broke my heart. She didn't deserve what happened to her. The G
Last Updated : 2022-07-26
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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
