by Reni K Amayo
She couldn’t work out what was holding the liquid structure up. The water flowed rigidly as though it was encased within an invisible tube, but Sinai could see that no such tube existed. She drew closer to it and realised that it was not silent at all; the stream was singing: a light and rhythmic sound, similar to the sweet melodies played on the lyre.
‘What is this place?’ Sinai said softly, as she gazed around the cave.
Meekulu beamed behind her. ‘It’s home,’ she replied with a smile.
Sinai’s heart filled with delight.
‘What is this—’ Sinai added, frowning slightly; she couldn’t find words magnificent enough to describe such a structure. ‘—this water fountain?’
‘It’s an ọnụ ụzọ,’ Meekulu said, and laughed heartily at Sinai’s perplexed expression. ‘A gate that I use sparingly to go places I have no business being and obtain things I have no right to have.’
Meekulu scurried towards one of the many shelves, searching excitedly for something. Soon enough, she came to a sudden stop. Sinai stood on her toes and craned her neck to see what Meekulu was staring at, but it took the old woman turning around for her to fully see.
Within Meekulu’s hands lay two small golden globes that emitted a golden misty light.
‘But this, my dear, this is the true treasure.’
‘Another plant?’ Sinai joked, smiling as she thought back to her mix-up with the ụtọ plant and the zoro stone.
‘No. It is an oracle’s eye,’ Meekulu replied.
‘Oh, I was just jok—a what?’ Sinai gasped.
‘An oracle’s eye. They were one of the rarest, most beautiful creatures to inhabit the planet. As you can imagine, it is one of my most prized possessions.’
‘An oracle? I don’t think I know what that is.’
‘Mmm. Well, you should. After your vision of the Mother, I’ve had suspicions that you might be somewhat akin to these beings,’ Meekulu murmured, as she gazed softly at the golden globes.
An oracle? A mmo? Which one am I, Sinai thought, careful not to share her frustrations with Meekulu, lest the old woman finally lost patience with her.
‘An oracle is a truth teller,’ Meekulu continued. ‘She knows what is, what was, and what will be. Her eyes are a major source of her power.’
‘… and you have its—her … eyes … just in your hand,’ Sinai replied in disgust and awe.
‘Isn’t it wonderful? This world, this life, even in the midst of its horror, delivers you such beautiful gifts.’
‘Mmm,’ Sinai replied, fixated on the oracle’s eyes. ‘What is, what was, and what will become,’ she repeated. ‘That is … overwhelming, isn’t it? No, I don’t think I am an oracle—I barely know anything.’
‘Perhaps,’ Meekulu replied with a small smile. ‘And, yes, of course it is overwhelming; that, my dear, is the nature of life. Unmasking what you need in order to discover your divine purpose will always be overwhelming.’
‘Will they tell me everything? Everything that has happened and will happen?’ Sinai murmured, as she reached out to touch them. Will they tell me if I really have these powers? Who my parents are? How I will die? How I will fail? she thought, as she drew her hand back.
‘They will tell you only what you need to know,’ Meekulu said.
‘Are you sure we should be doing this? Sometimes things are better left unsaid.’
‘Are you mad? You have a gift! And if you saw the Earth Mother after touching Ndụ once, then it is a far greater gift than I originally thought. You must also have a mission, and it is connected to the Mother—this much I know. How can you throw away an opportunity to figure it all out?’
Sinai didn’t have an answer; instead she looked at the golden globes uncomfortably.
‘Sit down,’ Meekulu said firmly.
‘On the ground?’
‘No, on my head!’ Meekulu said in annoyance, as she lowered herself to the floor. ‘What is wrong with you today, Sinai? Please, I need you alert.’
Sinai assisted her, before falling on the cold rock floor herself.
‘You take one eye and I’ll take the other,’ Meekulu said, as she placed the cold metallic ball in Sinai’s quivering hand. ‘Now close your eyes.’
‘Okay, my eyes are closed and the eye is in my hand. What now?’
‘We wait,’ Meekulu said. ‘Calm your thoughts and let them pass through you with ease. Let her eyes guide them to what was, what is, and what will be.’
Sinai nodded and waited. She could hear echoes flowing around her. The light melody of the ọnụ ụzọ, the flicker of the ọkụ lights, the sound of strong wings flapping in the cave. She attempted to tune them out but then realised that the floor was incredibly uncomfortable. She shifted position so that she wouldn’t be distracted by the aching pangs, while she waited. She waited and waited, but nothing happened.
‘So … how long do we usually have to wait … roughly?’
‘Shhh!’ Meekulu replied. ‘Who knows! Minutes, hours, days—there’s no rule to this.’
‘Days!’ Sinai exclaimed, feeling pangs now in the depth of her stomach, as well as her buttocks.
‘It will take longer if you don’t stop chattering!’ Meekulu scolded. ‘Close your eyes, shut your mouth, focus, and wait.’
Sinai did so. As time passed, her thoughts wandered into the wilds of her imagination. She thought about the Mother, the Eze, Obi Ife, even the mami wata. She thought about what she might eat tonight for dinner. She thought about the cave, and its wild bats. Her mind wandered completely until it reached a sharp stop.
Esinaala
A woman’s voice whispered the name in her ear. The woman sounded breathless and familiar. Sinai’s heart panged almost as though it missed someone, someone she had never known, but missed nonetheless. Suddenly a wash of sickening dread overcame her. They were chasing her! Who?
We need to run! Madi, move!
Sinai’s eyes sprang open and she looked behind her, half expecting the person who had screamed in her head to emerge from the shadows. Meekulu’s eyes were closed tightly and a look of discomfort spread across her face, but no surprise or shock. If she too had heard the voice, she wasn’t showing it at all.
Sinai looked down at the golden ball in her hand. The voice was in her head, but she was certain that it did not belong to her. She recognised the voice, but she had never heard it before. Sinai let the golden ball slip through her fingers and drop softly on the floor as she let out a slow and steady breath. She didn’t know what she had heard, but she knew that she didn’t want to hear it ever again.
TAKEN
CITY OF NRI
MEEKULU WALKED SLOWLY by Sinai’s side as they headed towards the palace. Sinai had expected Meekulu to scold her severely when she had finally opened her eyes to find Sinai sleeping on the ground with her oracle’s eye abandoned beside her. The old woman had not said a word. They had picked themselves up and wordlessly headed home.
‘I’m really sorry, Meekulu; it’s just I heard a voice and it … scared me … we can go back and do the whole exercise again, if you would like,’ Sinai said eventually. She was pained by the old woman’s silence; she would have much preferred her to shout. Sinai could handle anger, but disappointment was much harder to swallow.
Meekulu did not say a word; she just moved ahead, watching the sky cool into a dark-blue evening, against the distant palace’s tall beige walls.
‘Meekulu?’ Sinai tried again, as senseless tears pricked her eyes. ‘Did you hear me? I said I was sorry—Ma?’
‘What?’ Meekulu blinked, as she looked at Sinai’s face for the first time since leaving the cave.
‘Have you been listening to me?’ Sinai mumbled uncomfortably. ‘Are you … okay?’
‘Yes, yes—I’m fine. I am blessed, in fact, to be here, to have followed my path, to be who I am… but you see, one often forgets that when pesky things like pain come to distract.’
‘Are you in pain?’ Sinai asked, relieved that Mee
kulu was speaking again, but concerned with how she was speaking. The energy that usually fuelled the old woman’s vibrant words was gone, replaced with thick heavy sadness that slowed her words and pulled down at Sinai’s heart. Sinai took the old woman by her shoulders.
‘I don’t think you are okay. Just tell me what it is, what do I need to do? Should we go back to the cave?’ Sinai implored.
The old woman’s smile dropped away from her face as something caught her eye over Sinai’s shoulders. ‘Listen to me, Sinai. We don’t have much time. I thought we did, I thought I could teach you, but I was wrong.’
‘Meekulu—’
‘You have to be strong. Do you hear me? You are strong, you must know this—you have a tall task ahead of you, but the two of you can succeed as long as you know you can succeed—but you have to remain strong and focused. Forces may work against you, but you have the power to make them work for you.’
‘I don’t understan—’
‘Hey, step away now!’ a voice thundered behind Sinai, causing her to jump and swivel around.
Sinai’s heart dropped as she saw three soldiers, armed with glowing abaras, standing in front of her. Sinai was accustomed to soldiers patrolling the palace, their weapons present, but now something in their stern faces and cold voices raised the small hairs at the nape of her neck. The weapons were not there just for show; they were meant for her.
‘We haven’t done a-anything. I don’t under—’
‘Get her, quickly! The Eze is waiting!’ The soldier who had spoken earlier shouted at the two men behind him.
‘No!’ Sinai said, closing her eyes as she anticipated strong hands around her neck and arms. Her heart thudded loudly as she heard movement all around her, but she felt nothing. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw Meekulu being marched away by the three large soldiers.
‘No! Leave her! No!’ she screamed, as she scrambled desperately after them.
SHARP ARROWS AND SOFT HEARTS
Furuefu Forest
NAALA WAS FLOATING through the air when she felt a muted jolt flow through her body. Her head felt heavy and almost detached from her shoulders, loose and free as though she was upside down. In fact, she was upside down, but she wasn’t afraid of falling. The air was warm and humid, carrying the scent of flowers and rich soil. Another jolt ran through her body, and Naala lifted her heavy eyelids in response. At first, all she could see was a splatter of brown and green smudges, but slowly it formed into a full and vibrant forest.
What? she thought in bewilderment. Suddenly adrenaline hit her. She wasn’t floating. Someone was carrying her. She jerked her body up, and her captor lost his grip in shock. Naala took advantage of the opportunity and forcefully slithered down his body, slamming her fists violently against his flesh.
‘Naala, stop!’ a voice cried. A strange sense of familiarity suddenly came over her, causing her to pause briefly. Madi? His hands were held up in surrender, his eyes widened in shock, and he looked wearier than she had remembered, but it was definitely him.
‘Well! What were you doing carrying me? Sorry! I just … you shouldn’t have been carrying me!’ Naala snapped.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to—’ Madi mumbled, as he rubbed at the areas of his body that she had hit.
‘Oh, don’t apologise! I’m the one that … sorry.’
‘It’s fine,’ he said, after a brief pause. ‘You’re very strong … and heavier than you look … and about … carrying you—I want you to know—I had to, you … were not in the right state of mind to walk around.’
‘What?’ Naala replied, before gasping in fright. Flashbacks of their encounter with the general’s army ran through her mind, as she looked left to right, expecting the men to come charging through the forest. It slowly dawned on her that, not only were there no armed soldiers ready to attack, but the two of them were no longer in the same area.
Udi was no longer in sight; instead she was surrounded by a thick forest. Huge looming trees enclosed her, a mass of green, dusted with bright flowers. Greens, yellows and browns bled seamlessly into one another. Naala was incredibly confused, particularly because some part of her recognised this place.
‘Do you remember?’ Madi asked cautiously.
‘I remember Enwe … he … he’s gone. I saw the soldier with the scar … we ran away and … and …’ she trailed off.
‘And …?’ Madi prompted.
‘And … darkness,’ Naala said quietly.
‘Mmm,’ Madi replied, as he looked intently at Naala’s face, before taking a deep breath. ‘I don’t think you are … normal, Naala. I mean, I knew you were never normal, but I … I don’t think you are normal.’
‘I …’ Naala started, but she quickly realised she didn’t know what to say. A mixture of anger and fear rippled through her. She didn’t want to know what he was going to say, but she also couldn’t stop herself from listening. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she had no intention of crying, so she blinked them away as fast as they came.
‘But it’s good—’ Madi added quickly, sensing the rising tension between the two of them. ‘I think … you—what you did, it got us out of there, it saved our lives. I owe you my life. The soldiers were gaining on us so fast, and they wanted blood, but then you moved the ground and brought us here.’
‘The ground moved, but I didn’t …’ Naala shook her head in disbelief.
‘You did, it was you, it was definitely you. I felt you pull me towards you. Your eyes shone, bright like the sun; I’ve never seen anything like it before. The earth opened up from below you and pulled us in. We were moving so fast through the darkness, until we were released back into the air. I was shaken, but I was fine, I could get up and walk … but you couldn’t. I feared that you had … maybe even … but you were fine, you were breathing at least—so then I picked you up and carried on moving.’
Naala turned away and let her gaze run over the deep greens of the growing vegetation, peppered with blossoming flowers and fluttering insects. Strong thick vines slithered down tree bark, like snakes too lazy to attack. That sense of familiarity grew into an overwhelming feeling. I’ve been here before.
‘Do you think they’ll still be here?’ Naala said quietly.
‘Who?’ Madi replied, confused.
‘The group. That is why you brought us here, right? To find the group.’ The place looked familiar because it was their last resting place with the group of survivors before they began their expedition to find Emeka. How long have I been out? Surely Madi couldn’t have carried me all the way back?
‘Oh, I didn’t … it wasn’t me who … I’ve just been walking in circles … you were the one that brought us here. I have no idea how, but it is truly amazing.’
‘Right … okay, well, let’s keep moving,’ Naala said firmly. ‘They might have left a clue for us about where they were going.’ Naala wished desperately to move the conversation away from anything that related to what she had supposedly done. She had no doubt that the group had left. Eni would have never let them stay; he was too smart for that.
They trodded softly through the supple forest, the humid air parting around them, carrying with it colourful butterflies and hissing insects.
A silky black jaguar cub started to follow them, weaving between them and the trees. Naala enjoyed its strong and silent presence so much that she almost called out to it, but before she could, it quickly lost interest and darted off into the thick forest. She watched it go and, as she looked ahead, she saw a shadowy figure in a distant tree. The figure was crouched and holding something in its hands. She locked eyes with the shaded figure; even with the distance between them, its piercing eyes drew her into them. Eni, she thought, as an arrow was let loose into the air with Naala as its target. She froze as it passed by her ear, so close that she heard it humming.
Seconds later, Madi pushed her forcefully to the ground.
‘It’s Eni,’ Naala said, dazed.
Madi searched her face and then rose slowl
y from the ground. His arms were raised in surrender.
‘Eni! Brother! It’s me … it’s Madi and Naala,’ Madi boomed, as the figure bolted towards them.
‘There’s no need to alert him; he knows exactly who we are,’ Naala said coldly, as she lifted herself up from the ground, allowing the dried leaves and soil to fall off her body.
Eni slowed as he approached and stopped momentarily when he came face-to-face with Naala, before stepping past to pick up his arrow.
Eni turned back to Naala silently, before brushing his long fingers lightly against her jaw. His eyes scoured the side of her face that the arrow had flown past, searching for any tears or scratches. Eni’s eyes softened when he found none; a mixture of emotions—so raw they caused Naala to hold her breath—surged out of his black eyes. Suddenly a blank expression swept over his face and Eni dropped his hand.
‘Disappointed that you missed?’ Naala murmured, as anger, distress, and something that felt strangely like excitement welled up within her. Underneath her fiery rage, Naala was glad to see him again.
Eni didn’t reply and an awkward silence blossomed. Luckily Madi was there to intervene.
‘It’s really good to see you, Eni,’ Madi said carefully, as Eni slipped the arrow back into his quiver.
‘I wish I could say the same … what you two did …’ Eni sighed in frustration. ‘Reckless. What were you even thinking? You risked everything on a doomed expedition.’
While his words appeared to include Madi, he kept his gaze locked on Naala. It was very clear they were directed towards her alone.
‘It was not doomed, we’re back here … alive,’ she said defensively.
‘You have the key?’
‘We have answers to questions, a better understanding. We are in a better place, and we haven’t lost anything,’ Naala retorted, as she suppressed the image of her poor little Enwe.
