She bowed and left the room.
The grin on Ihua's mouth continued to stretch as his thoughts dangled.
Sweet words. They could not have been better said by anyone else, but the antelope will not go and seek refuge with the lionesses in their den. If only Weruche did not come from Ahoda, I would have chosen Onyela's son to be my King. I am not getting any younger and the mother of a King with the same background as myself is the best token for better days, especially if she knows I voted him King.
“We have heard from the first Hurdene and now we will hear from the second, Weruche, daughter of Isagba,” Gbangba announced, and an Omee echoed it to her outside the room.
She walked in with an immortal combination of beauty and power notwithstanding her shaven hair. She bowed genteelly and began.
“The great high chiefs of our time, the stable chiefs of our future, I have a story to tell and I hope you will open your hearts to understand that it involves a primordial law that goes back before the birth of even the Okpalaukwu.
“Our late King had sixteen children and only two sons, of which we are bound by law to observe our customs. It is no secret that I was married to a criminal, but it does not change the fact that the first-born son of the King is the rightful heir. Forget all the alterations that changing generations have created. What has made us great has been the tradition that was passed on to us from generation to generation. Nowadays our customs have to be altered because I became a queen late, or probably politics is reconstructing our traditions. We never ask ourselves why things are the way they are because it would destroy those little things that we take advantage of. I am not in denial of the fact, both in my mind and heart, that my son is your King, but even if he is not to be better than his competitor, who is two whole years younger than him, has anyone thought of the wrath of the gods for such an attenuating action? Let us all think about it. If there was to be a tilt in the succession, why has the oracle not sent a message down to us on the alteration?”
“You should stay away from statements regarding the oracle because even when King Obi ruled, the oracle stopped sending messages to us,” the Head-of-Government directed her.
“But the oracle always opened the way for the King, if there were scales blocking our eyes,” she continued talking, not looking at the Head-of-Government.
“Well, woman, you have a point, but have you not noticed that the oracle also neglected your son? Do you have anything more to say?” the Ifa priest asked.
She nodded and continued. “I was married to a criminal I cherished and respected, but I slept with and married the King when he asked me to—not because I wanted to sleep with and marry him, but because custom demands I obey my King. That is why you men of our time should put my son as your King because our custom demands it.”
She bowed and walked away.
When she left the conference room, she was directed to another room to await the chiefs’ decision. Onyela was seated in front of her.
“Weruche, how is your day so far?” Onyela asked with a wicked grin
“Onyela, believe me when I tell you today smells like roses in the stars. How about your own day?”
''My day flows in the direction of perfection. It seems we both have a confidently good day so far, but by the end of the day one of us will not be smiling.”
“I am sorry to break your shortsighted illusions, but there is no way those men will make a decision today.”
“That I know, but my heart will pump like this until they do¬—be it days, weeks, months.”
“You cannot blame them. This is their chance to build their colony the way they want to, without the intervention of the King and the high chiefs.”
“I have to admit, if I was a chief, I probably would do the same and tell the Head-of-Government to eat my feces.” The two women laughed.
“Onyela, forgive my directness, but what makes you imagine that your son can be King?”
“Weruche, Weruche, Weruche, you are missing the message. There is nothing to imagine—my son is King.”
“I admire your optimism but the frog enters water because it knows it can swim. You have a chief vouching for your son.”
“I am impressed by your tactical deduction. Am I supposed to believe that you don't have a chief on the inside vouching for your son?”
“The touch of power has always tangled my spine, and now I have the chance to hold it in my hand.”
“Weruche you are diving too deep into your dream. May I remind you that even if your son is the chosen one, he becomes King and not you?”
“Don't play naive with me, Onyela, both our sons are children under the guardianship of their Hurdene.”
“Let’s not drift away from the facts. From this day, these chiefs are going to distribute blood on the grounds of the kingdom and their wars might proceed to the last day. We both have secrets we deny, but this war that will come is neither between the chiefs nor the princes. It really is between you and me.”
“Now that we are open with each other, I might as well tell you, I hated you then because of your subtle manipulative manner and I hate you now even more.”
“I am flattered and may I add that I feel exactly the same way about you.” They both laughed again.
“So what do we do now?”
“We wait for the men to realize they can’t make a decision today.”
“Chiefs of this great kingdom, we have heard from the two Hurdenes and it is time to reach a conclusion. You men can give a unanimous decision and prevent yourselves the problem of catching a snake by the tail. As of now we, the high chiefs, will excuse you men so you can have your privacy,” the Head-of-Government said, then left with the other high chiefs.
“Fellow chiefs, I feel it is better for us to get to a conclusion now because by the time we leave here without a general decision, we might get to understand that it is not easy for an ostrich to fly,” Ihua said, standing.
“I wish it could be as easy as you put it, Ihua, but the fact that you want Weruche's son to be King does not necessary mean we all share your opinion,” Vacoura responded.
“Vacoura, are you trying to imply that I came here with a biased mind? We all are aware of how your bark softens to the roar of a lion. Weruche is from the same place as you and we all know your—”
“Shut up, you archaic excuse for a chief. Before you knew what an Omee was, I was a chief,” Ihua spat back with a rejuvenated ego.
Vacoura is beating me to it. I have to look for an excuse to declare war on Ihua before he does, Otuturex thought as the men bickered.
“Are you, Ihua, telling me, Vacoura, to shut up? The moonlight at night! The burning sun in the sky!” Vacoura said, hitting his chest.
“Chiefs, there is no need for all this hostility. Whatever you men have in mind, settle it amicably. By the way, Otuturex, please choose the day you will prepared for battle so I can attack,” Odagwe said indifferently.
“You seem to have prepared your decision before coming here. Or is there something I don’t know?”
“Do I make you quiver, Otuturex?”
“You amaze me, Odagwe. What makes you think I would allow you to attack? As the moon goes to bed on the fourteenth day, we will strike at the Ekpona Hills.”
Otuturex’s words came out as fast as his heart pumped and his head kept trying to understand what made Odagwe speak with conviction.
“Young man, I advise you to let me attack because your men cannot know the hills of our land. I would not want to defeat you flawlessly, or else Ezeonisha will be angry in his grave that he was killed for nothing,” Odagwe said condescendingly.
“The anxiety to taste your blood on my sword is making me thirsty.”
“Now that we are aware that we are not going to get to a unanimous decision, I would like to know when we go into battle Ihua, or else you choose to apologize for your abrupt words,” Vacoura said.
“Will the thirtieth day from now be okay for you?” Ihua said with a pride lacking
strong foundation.
“Unquestionably perfect timing,” Vacoura replied.
“I do not intend to hide my intentions, but Vacoura's enemy is my enemy. Who plans battle with him, plans with me, so I declare myself initiated in this war against Ihua,” Pokzee said.
“I see Vacoura is too weak to fight alone, so he needs help from Pokzee to fight like a man. As they say, the stronger the war the greater the battle,” Ihua said, still with a smile on his face.
“Is it not amazing that today you smile and very soon I and Vacoura will witness the tears of an old man?” Pokzee said.
“You do not seem to understand that I need more spaces of power to fill in my offspring and I am grateful for you participating. I would have liked the world to know that I can deal with both of Vacoura and you alone. But Oludu and I will do it,” Ihua said.
“Oludu never mentioned that he was involved in this battle, old man, so if you are looking for a means to beg, we would understand that you are old and your time has passed,” Pokzee said, staring at Oludu’s resistive look and Ihua’s wicked smirk.
“Unfortunately for your naive mind, Oludu and I are now involved in a joint trade opening our borders for items like salt, iron, beads, ivory and gold.”
Immediately, Oludu’s expression changed from awe to assuredness.
“Let me understand this. Is the great Pokzee scared of Oludu? Okay, if it will make you feel better, I will battle with both of you alone,” Ihua said with a sarcasm that could cripple any ego.
“How can I be afraid of a man who lives under the voice of a woman? I will defeat him anytime he is ready, whether it be thirty days from now, tomorrow, or even right now,” Pokzee responded angrily.
“No rush, Pokzee, thirty days will be sufficient. Now that we have reached a conclusive phase in this meeting, I think this meeting is adjourned,” Oludu said.
All the chiefs got up and left the conference room with dark expressions and audible curses. Leaving the palace, Oludu took Ihua's arm and whispered into his ear, “How did you know I would go into battle in the interest of this trade?”
“I didn't. It was the only option I had before I dipped my hand into suicide.”
“If there is anything you need for your battle with Vacoura, remember my borders are open to you,” Oludu murmured.
“I will keep that in mind and I hope you remember that my own borders are open to you, just in case. But by the way, which Hurdene are you backing?” Ihua asked as they approached their carriages.
“I have not made up my mind yet,” Oludu replied and left with his Omees.
As the chiefs left the palace the three high chiefs sat nearby under a palm kernel tree, drinking palm wine.
“Fools,” the Head-of-Government said as he watched the chiefs depart.
“What happens now?” the Okpalaukwu asked, holding tight to his walking cane.
“We wait to see when gods bleed,” the Ifa priest said, picking up sand and rubbing it on his palms.
“I know I am supposed to be the wisest man here but how can a god bleed?” the Okpalaukwu asked.
“That’s the point, a god is supposed to be the highest power,” the Ifa priest answered. “In our culture where we believe in multiple gods, when men go to war putting their entire faith in their god and they lose, it means their god has lost, it means their god has failed, it means their god is human—”
“It means their god can bleed,” the Okpalaukwu cut in.
“It means they are not gods,” the Ifa priest said as he rose and poured the sand in his hands onto his feet.
“So what you are saying, as the Headman to the Oracle, is you agree with the missionary,” the Head-of-Government said looking intently at the Ifa priest.
“Agree with what, Gbangba?” the Okpalaukwu asked.
“That there is only one god,” the Head-of-Government replied and walked away.
Chapter 21
Oludu arrived at his Haku when the night was its fullest. From the time he left the capital he had not uttered a word. His wife welcomed him, but he still did not say anything to her or anyone around him who came to register their presence to him. They were expecting a sign of appreciation to acknowledge their waiting up for him. The chief seemed only to recognize the direction ahead of him. Nobody could unravel what was playing in his mind, but they were positive it had something to do with the coronation of a new king.
His wife, Ugonwa, always ignored the protocols that followed the traditional rites of marriage. A wife typically only came to her husband when she was asked to or after she had asked permission from him through her maids. But Ugonwa gave her husband a bath and then she knelt down by him to massage his feet, even though he still hadn’t spoken. Throughout the act, she still could not squeeze a word from his impermeable mind. She watched him lie down on the bed then she left him alone. As she walked away, a pain pierced her heart because she didn’t know what was bothering her husband. There were times just by merely looking at him she could tell what he was thinking. But on this day the man had a world of his own that no matter how hard she concentrated she could not enter.
Am I worthy to be a Chief? The grounds cry for the blood of the people of Ndemili. I wonder what my father would do if he carried the staff as I do. Are lies not beautiful when you need them most? If they had let the world know, I could have been the man who listened to the horn instead of blowing it. My general thinks I am blind. I see the hatred in his eyes for pledging his loyalty to a man younger than he is. I feel his dream of ever becoming chief slip away. The fool sings loyalty as the vulture preaches hard work. Keep singing, for I need you alive.
As they say, the man you know will stab you in the back is your most trusted comrade because you always put him in front of you. The pressure in the play is rising. I can hear the laughter of the gods. They know the more I use what they gave me, the darker I become…I will prove to both man and gods that I don’t need to be beyond the limits of man to win a war. Pokzee, I see death in my face if I don’t play with your weakness…your logic.
*
The seven-foot general’s name was Boodunko. He was older than the chief, but at the ripe age for the position of general. From the day he started to understand life, he wanted to be chief. As much as he tried to deceive himself, he knew that honor and power were two words that were born together but lived separately. He waited for the chief to discharge him before he could leave the Haku and, from the look of things, it seemed the chief was not coming out from his shell. As he waited, Ugonwa came out of the room where her husband was and told the general he could leave. The uncaring attitude she used to talk and walk away from him ignited his anger.
Still, watching her as she was walking away the anger seemed to transfer into a fierce lust. I know what is punishing her. She lacks a real man to take care of her inner needs and desire. It’s a pity that she is bodily deprived. All she had to do was ask and I would take care of her desire anytime and anywhere. Boodunko’s thoughts seemed to give him an inner redemption because his grin was connected to his heart.
For an enigmatic reason, Ugonwa stopped and started walking back toward him. The general felt that maybe when he grinned, he must have made a sound that was disrespectful. She was coming toward him like a warrior seeking vengeance for an unforgivable sin. He did not know when he instinctively stretched his hand toward his sword. As she approached him, she started walking around him like a creature she had never laid eyes on. The general was still in the same position.
With a smile and a seductive voice she began, “How much of a man are you?”
“I am sorry, I do not understand you,” the general replied.
The servants and Omees in the room did not know what was going on, but they were aware that something was about to happen.
Her voice was getting slightly louder.
“Please do not tell a poor lonely woman like me that you are not ready to fulfill the desires that my husband cannot reach.”
“What are you talki
ng about?”
“The desires you want to help me reach, which my husband cannot handle.”
“I never said that.”
“But you thought it.”
“With all due respect, I think your words lack sanity.”
“Really? Or is it that your stupidity deflects you from our present circumstance?” She smiled at his exposed anger. “With all due respect.”
“Watch it,” he said as he started to leave.
“I take it you just handed me a threat, or are you threatened?” she said with a sly smile.
“I would never threaten the wife of my chief.” He walked away from the Haku finally knowing why the chief never had a Tikpapa after he married the late King’s daughter
Chapter 22
Otuturex got to his Haku by dawn. He stayed a day extra in the capital because of the feast he attended with his men. His envoy escorted him, along with his general named Adu and his Tikpapa, to a private chamber. Before he sat down, he started giving his general orders.
“Appoint Omees at all the boundaries of the province. Recruit as many commoners as possible. Get rid of anyone who has contact with Ekpona Hills. I especially want you to find as many people who know the Ekpona Hills. All the slaves we have should be made Omees.”
“Why?” his Tikpapa asked.
“What do you mean why? Do you intend to be at the battlefront?”
“Sorry.”
“How about the elders?” the envoy asked.
“Yes, how about the elders?”
“I mean, what do I tell them?”
“Those old men have been on my back since I became chief. Go and ask them if there are any volunteers to go to battle.”
“I get the message,” the envoy replied.
When Gods Bleed Page 17
