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Chapter Sixteen
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2024-10-29 19:42:56I spent the better part of the day searching for a trail but found none, it was as if the missing members of my band had disappeared into thin air, but still I followed my instinct as I burrowed deeper into the forest, on the second day of my search. I made my first encounter, an old woman so wizened, death mistook her for dead and so she lived on.
“Come to me young warrior’’ she croaked as i drew close, "lend me your strength and youth."
“Stand back old one,’’ she stopped as I drew my cutlass, “my strength is mine for I earned it, my youth is mine for it is my time, why borrow mine when you spent yours to the fullest even though I find it hard to believe you were once supple and young.’’ I grinned mischievously.
“A trade then,” the old woman crooned, "a sliver of youth for a glimpse of your future, or a chance at what you most desire.’’
“No thank you old mother," I answered polite but firm, "I am young and full of
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“I have you old one," I answered, my reply sent him into another bout of laughter.“You’re not only brave but cunny, surely Ogun did not have my backing but you could, if you are willing to accept my patronage; for your skills, strength and iron cutlass will avail you not when you face the daemon deity.""Who are you who calls Ogun the terrible war god with such familiarity.""I am Shokoti the elder smith god, he proclaimed, rising up to his full height, it was at my bellows that a young Ogun learnt his trade.’’I bowed and payed homage.“Then you must surely have a weapon that can defeat Elegbara I implored.”Shokoti smiled and answered, “why ask a yam farmer if he knows how to plant and grow cassava, for if he can cultivate yam he will surely know the secret behind planting cassava for are they not both tuber? surely that was not the question I expected from you.
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For more two days, I encountered other dwellers of the forest. Tree imps, gnomes and minor deities, but I paid them no heed for none of them was whom I seek. They also avoided me because of the dark aura emitting from Oshe, I was anxious to find my quarry as soon as possible, delay may prove costly for I still harbored hope of seeing my friend and bard, Obembe and the rest of my band alive.On the third day, I began to despair and grow doubt, what if I was late? what if the elder god was lying and Oshe failed to cut the daemon deity’s divine skin and I ended up at the bottom of his stew pot, turning back had never felt so tempting, my purposeful steps began to falter as the dreadful thoughts ran through my mind, then I realized my adversary was the Orisha of despair and hopelessness, I then resolved in my mind that I must be getting close to the evil god’s lair which explained the change in my mood, turning back was never an option for I also have the price to pay f
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Insulted and a little stung at his pitying dismissal, I cursed him and called him by rude names, my sharp tongue which had landed me in numerous trouble lashed out wantonly, days spent with lawless men and drunkards supplied me with vulgar speeches from which I held nothing back.“You wool brained hideous bastard of a hundred fathers, you dare to call yourself an Orisha, you mistake of a deity, you dared to open that excrement filled maw you call mouth and compared yourself to Lanroye in all his divinity, perchance if you had ever sat to wonder why you stayed down here in your gods forsaken groove where no one visits you and you think it was because everyone feared you, then you must be dumber than you look.No one wants to come near you because you stink to the heavens, your foul stench led me right from the edge of the forest to the hole you call groove, your brother wears robes made with golden linen, you’re here strutting about in skirts made of
The Children of Thunder Chapter Twenty
“Wake up Omotola.’’ A voice stirred her awake, but she decided she was not ready to open her eyes just yet; the female voice was friendly and careless.“I’ve told you times without number to stop watching late night movies,’’ the voice continued, so get up before you’re late for school."School? her eyes flipped open at that.She was on a lush bed, much bigger than the colt in her cubicle; the room was also bigger and decorated like a teenage girl’s, with teddies and teen pop stars posters, she gaped as she took in her surroundings before seeking out the voice owner.“Who are you?"“Very funny Omotola, a woman; porcelain skin with startling green eyes smiled down at her, her glossy red hair tied into a ponytail, held a coffee mug as she continued, “I think it’s time you cut down on all these sci-fi movies of yours, you’ve gotta take life serious like going to school to which you might be late again
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Omotola didn’t want school to be over as the day flew by fast. The unfamiliar feeling of being with kids her own age felt so good she began to enjoy herself even with uneasy feeling that she wasn't meant to be there and felt like an interloper, she loved her siblings but they were the only kids in the institute and she’d known them all her life, being with Valerie and Bisola although they were too carefree for her likening brought out another side of her she never knew existed.The Omotola she'd seem to have replaced was quite popular with the other students but not with most of the teachers and looked to be the ringleader of a gang of refractory girls with the same talents for trouble making.As the school bell shrilled to end classes’ activities for the day, she was herded out of the school between her new friends the same way she was herded in in the morning, Valerie reminded her to bring an extra pair of scarf for Monday sneak out.
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The weekend flew by like a shooting star, so busy that they'd both woken up late on monday morning, her mother had taken her out on a spending spree the day before, from the hair dressers, the spa, to the shopping mall and then to the movies, ending the day by returning her seized cell phone back to her.They'd both yelled simultaneously from their rooms as they checked the clocks by their bed side, and rushed to dress up, in spite of everything, her mother still managed to make a sandwich for the two of them as she impatiently ushered her into the car, dropped her just in time at her school, and wheeled off without a backward glance.Her friends were already there to escort her in as they laughed and shared weekend stories, shrieking with glee at the return of her confiscated phone, but instead of leading her through the school gate straight to classes like they did in first day, they led her instead through the school’s main corridor to the old ad
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After the movie, they strolled noisily to the fast food café as they argued over the movie causing quite a stir.“So” Ayuba drawled, drawing her attention, “Am I forgiven?’’“Err, depends on what you did,’’ Omotola replied smiling.He was about to reply when she suddenly heard someone yelled her name with so much force, startling and cutting everybody mid sentences.The shoppers stopped to stare with their mouths wide open. A familiar looking youth strolled towards them, his tall frame and gold curls appeared out of place, they moved from his path as he made a beeline for the teenagers.Somewhere at the back of her mind faintly recognise him, also noticing he had no wing at his back, “was he supposed to have wings? Who does?” his shrunken face was far from healthy but his eyes burned with so much intensity as he called her name again.“Omotola snap out of this, all this isn’t real,’
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She woke up before the rest of her senses, for a moment she panicked as she tried to take control of her petrified body.“She’s coming around’’ she heard Logan said."Omotola can you hear me?" she heard Binta cried, “Follow my voice, don’t let go.’’“Will you keep quiet,’’ Logan’s voice snapped, “don’t distract her, she needs time to take back control of her body.’’Following Logan’s advice, she willed her body back into motion and was rewarded as she felt her legs began to twitch; soon she was able to pull herself up.“You’re doing good Omo,’’ another voice she couldn’t identify said soothingly, “pull out the catheter carefully guys, she’s already choking.’’Omotola coughed as she willed her eyes open.She was waist deep in a pod filled with some sticky fluid, the fluid were all over her body, gulping precious oxygen, she sobbed in relieve as she felt her wings sti
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It was morning by the time doctor Chisom finished her story, the rest of the siblings save for Babybaby met them in the middle of the story telling and had joined in to listen.“You now see why I reacted that way when I first knew who you really were back in my office,” the high priestess address the youths with a grave voice. “In every age that a child of Shango was born in, Chaos was sure to follow, and in my era, there are six of you, actually there seem to be more of you out there somewhere.”They all looked up at this, mutual expressions of bemusement on each of their faces as they exchanged looks, Shettima was the first to speak up to voice out their collective thoughts. “what do you mean by more of us doctor, expect for perhaps Logan who we aren't even sure if he's still alive or not, we are all that is left of the 5th generation, the older ones died of overload.”“Presumably so because that might be what they've
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From then on, the spirit of rebellion and independence began to spread throughout the kingdom. Prince Adebo was placed on the throne with the nominal title of King, but without the authority and power of a King. It was his misfortune to have come to the throne at such a time, and he held the scepter for only 130 days. Afonja the Kakanfo of Ilorin and Opele the Duke of Gbogun were the first to proclaim their independence, other chiefs soon followed their examples. This was the commencement of the break-up of the unity of the Yoruba kingdoms, and the beginning of the tribal independence. Tribute was no longer paid to the emperor, the throne’s messengers and courtiers no longer carried that dread as before, nor were they allowed to oppress people or enrich themselves with their goods as before.As the emperor's authority waned, so also the respect and deference previously paid to the citizens of the capital ceased; they were even treated disrespectfully and became the subj
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She laid back, long after she had woken up, but she was not ready to open her eyes yet as she gathered her thoughts, her real body felt fragile compared to the warrior prince whom body she had shared in her dream. He was proud, powerful and had no single outa of the fear and the uncertainty that was her own reality. With a sigh she sat up to glance around the room she was sharing with Binta, it was just the second day since doctor Chisom had taken them to her home while they wait for Amadioha’s return.The high priestess/doctor was a kind host even if aloof and unpredictable with the way her personalities fluctuates at times, she lived in a large and comfortable building in the private senior lecturers quarters on the university campus ground, dropping them in to settle down while she had pretty much left them to their own device since. Omotola forced her body out of bed to see if she could find some leftovers from the large refrigerator, she had slept rather early, lon
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Shortly after Olobiri’s second challenge that morning, he rounded it up by pulling down his under cloths and defecated on a Ivie branch, the emblem of Arualan’s office in the presence of the entire Benin army, an insult to his person, bringing an outcry of outrage from a hundred thousand mouths, in a blind rage, Ise had charged him unarmored and was quickly followed by the members of his age sect, not daunted; Olobiri had calmly wiped himself with the leaves, and arranged his cloths before Ise had covered the distance, stooped calmly under the sword meant for his head, grabbed hold of Ise’s midribs, broke a rib and stabbed it upward toward his heart, the poor boy had died on the spot.It had happened so fast; his sect members took it as an act of Juju sorcery and had beat a hasty retreat without bothering to retrieve his corpse.“Your boy was a fool of fools Ologboshere Obosa, Iyase Ekpengba sneered, ‘’now his bleached skull has been
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Omotola felt herself once again being carried across a dusky sky on strong hardy wings, but the wings were not her own, it belonged to a white-backed vulture, she was the vulture and yet not the vulture, she felt like she was just sharing passage, just an observer and not the one behind the wheel. she soared effortlessly on; her keen gaze swept over the West African savannah below, missing nothing.A herd of gazelles leapt across the Omehrvon River, she had no idea how she came to know the river’s name but still she knew. Her host’s keen eyes watched as each herbivore tried to outleap its companion in a vain show of virility. It was mid rainy season, with plenty of supple grassland to graze on. The herd was strong and its calves healthy. A weak or ill stray for it to stalk was less likely as its gaze sought out other prey, the belly of the vulture; whose body she was currently habituating rumbled in anticipation at the thought.Next, she saw a pride of lion
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Russell’s journalDec 24, 1887.It's Christmas Eve, but the festive atmosphere that was supposed to come with the spirit of yuletide is lacking, replaced instead by fear and uncertainty.Another moment of respite has allowed me a bit space to continue writing, not since the last time our sojourn had gotten more perilous, and the split between the factions that made up our party had only gotten so much worse that I am beginning to doubt if we still have the same goals or still looking for the same thing, we’d only stopped just to eat and to get some sleep.The native porters and trackers had already fled as soon as the intent was known that we were expected to enter into the sacred groove, now we spent the better part of our precious times hurling and dragging our own baggage’s behind us instead of spending it in research. Now here we are, at the mercy of the sponsor’s personal trackers and his band of unruly mercenaries.Qui
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Amadioha led them through a narrow passage from the back-office corridor and stopped before a large door, he muttered a few words under his breathe before opening the door to a serene environment, a stark difference to the rowdiness they’d left behind in Onitsha market.The siblings filed out the office door as they gazed around in wonder, they knew that they are no longer in the city of Onitsha, the enormous billboard hanging in the distance informed them that they were within the campus ground of the university of Nigeria, Nsukka. The Igbo deity led them briskly down the campus walkway as they took in the sights and impressive faculty buildings, one of their professors from the institute claimed to have been from the university, like everything they’d known, their knowledge of the famous university had been from hearsay and video clips.Amadioha strolled unconcerned on through the bustle of students and other academics, it was as if they were invisible to
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The light led them on to the edge of the Onitsha market just as they were sighted by another party of their pursuers. Ducking quickly into the crowded market in the hope of shaking them off among the bustle, the glimmer of light seems to pulse brighter as they drew nearer, leading them onward through the cloth merchants shops, down an alley and then to the electronic storefronts of the market where it finally settled on one of its buildings where a man stood waiting as if he was expecting them.At first, they stood unsure of their next move just as they heard the shout of the Askari guards ordering people to clear from their path. In Panick they quickened their paces until they had moved within hearing distance of the man who halted them in their tracks with a commanding voice. On closer inspection, he looked middle aged, portly and jovial looking but at that moment, his cloudy face was not looking welcoming.“I’ve been waiting for whoever’s responsib
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The Askaris skidded to a stop in unison as they warily appraised their targets in defensive stances; they drew stun rods instead of the large guns strapped behind them, a safe bet that the children were still wanted in one piece; the harsh breathing from the Elite Askaris helmets visor was the thing betraying their rigid postures. One of the Askaris stepped forward as he reached up to his helmet, the tinted visor slid up with a hiss to expose his grinning face. The siblings started in recognition.It was Miguel; one of the Brazilian twins, the sparring pair at the institute drill hall. They were last seen right after Obiora had injured the both of them when his flaming feathers manifested.“You,” Obiora snarled, his long-buried resentment for his old tormentor curled up his throat.“Hello to you too amigo, still yet to have that fiery temper of yours under control?” Miguel chuckled, “I’m a little hurt my friend, you don’
