threat to his agenda. He had tried to use his evil eyes on her but it wasn't working as he wanted it to.
Although, his intention was not to kill her then in order not to rouse suspicion, he had in mind that the effect of his killer eyes will happen sooner after he left.
How Madueke used his diabolic powers and how it was manipulated was very clear to Nwabiala and others who watched the happening in the mysterious pot.
They could see with their physical eyes how diabolic powers are manipulated.
Madueke took a bold step and hit Uju hardly making her fall on the bed subconsciously, then he grabbed her throat, wanting to pierce her throat with the killer eyes but it boomeranged and hurt his eyes and that was how he got blind.
Nwabiala had waited patiently to see how a cobra spat into Madueke's eyes like Uju and her sisters had claimed or how Uju and her sisters turned into big snakes and attacked Madueke like he too had claimed, but none was shown. Meaning, both parties had lied when the incidence had occured.
Oby actually embellished the cobra tales to save herself and her sisters from being accused as witches. Otherwise, how could a cobra have been so tactical, spitting directly into his two eyes without some of the spillage on his body.
On the other hand, it was safer for Madueke to accuse the trio of being the three cobras that attacked him following the footstep of Oby's flawed embroider, and it was easy for people to believe him owing the fact that the two stories were related and coupled with the fact that Madueke had his diabolic influence over the decision of the kings and the top men of the village.
The pot went blank with darkness, while Nwabiala and Ahurone looked at each other appalled. There was moment of grave silence in the shrine, only whispers of those outside possibly those who waited outside to consult the great spiritualist for divination.
"You heard it, Nwabiala, we're all going to die!" Ahurone broke the silence not minding the presence of the spiritualist, "I'm living his house this moment."
"And you think you're still safe?" Agumba said making Ahurone pause immediately, "Have you put into consideration the possibility of you being hit even right after here as you've made this decision." Fear gripped Ahurone totally and she found herself holding on to Nwabiala's arms tightly making her feel uncomfortable.
"Please, great diviner, don't let us die, we've already lost enough," Nwabiala pleaded alongside Ahurone who had already started shading tears.
Onyema himself was dumbfounded. His father's negligence must have been the reason why his two brothers had fallen in the war. He himself had narrowly escaped the same fate on that bloody battle ground.
"Fear not!" Agumba gave them assurance. "That is why you now have me. You shall not die only if you take my amulets and follow my instructions." They nodded with vigour and willingness. Agumba brought out three amulets and put it on each of them.
"My sister is out there," Onyema informed. One wouldn't remember the last time he had address Mgborie as such, albeit they've had not much thing in common. He went to usher the lady who had deeply fallen asleep already in the shade of a mango tree which was in a secluded area. He waked her, and she responded reluctantly, staggering from one side of her to another, she was indeed a heavy sound sleeper.
"Where is papa, did you see him?" he asked her because they had disappeared from their presence in the shrine even after Agumba had commanded him not to.
"I don't know." she said while yawning.
She must still be feeling sleepy and may be unconscious of her words, Onyema thought.
He repeated the same question to make sure she heard him very well, but she gave the same reply. Her eyes were clear. Onyema told her to come with him to the shrine.
"Why should I ?"
"Because it is very important you do so." She gave him that her look of despisal, and then followed him.
Mgborie came in the shrine to see everyone putting on a kind of look like someone died, she wondered if it could be her father. Agumba signalled her to come closer and he put it on her.
"Hmmm." he muttered, "i wonder why young girls now can't honour their future husband by keeping their virginity for him." he said. Mgborie was shocked at his words, so was others.
"Please diviner, it wasn't done deliberately, it was against her wish." Ahurone pleaded on her behalf.
"That's true," Nwabiala supported.
"The gods are no fools to have difficulty in making distinction between willingness and unwillingness." Agumba said meanly, but Mgborie blatantly and aggressively debunked his statement.
She made her biggest mistake by berating Agumba, maybe because he looked very much like her mate or even her junior.
"All he said are all lies," she said, "you can't carry out your duty without forging false allegations to make it look like you see vision. Learn how to follow the path of men who are much older and learned than you or better off, go and join your mates in doing something that will better your life."
Only if she was also there when they watched the mysterious pot earlier, she would not have blasted the young but powerful spiritualist in such manner.
"Mgborie!" Ahurone exclaimed.
"Mama please."
"Please, Agumba, don't take her words to heart, she's still a little girl." Ahurone pleaded on her behalf.
"Mama, you don't have to add salt to my injury, by insulting me again. Infact, i don't need this any longer" she pulled the amulet on her and threw it back at Agumba.
Agumba cleared his throat.
"I refuse to agree with you that she's a little girl, what I see before me is a lady who's ripe for marriage, and there's no way she don't know what it means to insult the wisdom of the gods. You're a really lucky one that the gods are having their good day coupled with the fact that i also have human sympathy. So i will count that as ignorance." he just finished saying.
Come forward alone." he commanded.
Mgborie refused even if she was pushed and spanked by her mother like a kid.
"No violence in the sacred shrine of the most revered Amadioha," Agumba called them to other, "since she refused, you all can come forward and see for yourselves." he stirred the pot once again, and they watched the hollow pot again.
Unbelievable!
"M-G-B-O-R-I-E!" she was nowhere to be found. They all took their bow and left Agumba's shrine.
Agumba laughed wildly, as they left all in a jiffy.
"The hen that accuses the dog of eating faeces, don't know where the worm it ate came from."
"NEXT!"
Nwabiala, Ahurone and Onyema ran home in search for Mgborie, they hoped and prayed in their heart that Agumba wouldn't let loose the wrath of the gods on her. Ahurone was going to scold her and she'll serve the punishment of going back to Aro to appease the gods for her misconduct.
Soon, they had reached where their home or rather Ararume's home in Umudioga, where they couldn't believe what they saw.
Their house was more like a market place or an event ground, because it was filled with spectators who came in numbers to view what must be a bad scene, because they all wore sad looks. They saw what looks like a man who was swinging freely in the air between heaven and earth as they saw from afar, but got closer.
Lo and behold, it was Madueke's body hanged with a rope running tightly across his throat. The men were trying to bring down his body gently, because he had climbed so high on an ukwa tree to commit the suicide.
Why would Madueke take his own life? A man who had wished to live greater number of years than his ancestors.
It was not far from the fact that Madueke was close to his doom day.
Nwabiala and Ahurone went wild in raving, they had not expect nemesis to catch up with him soon.
But was this really nemesis? A man took his life with his own hand, afterall, no man killed him.
Onyema was just dumbfounded, his mind went back to all he saw in the mysterious pot, maybe all had resulted to this.
Going by calculation, they were six months ahead the deadline for the sacrifice renewal at Mmiri Adaola.
It wouldn't be thoughtful, mourning someone who didn't value his life.
Talking about Madueke, was he disturbed by the witches or he did this out of guilt?
So many questions running through his mind now, but they were still up for more shocker.
Not too long, they got more shock of their lives, when some men had broken into the house to bring out the corpses of Mbiaka and her daughter which she had bore for Madueke.
What is this? Could this be part of the price Madueke was to pay for his negligence on what he put upon himself.
More shock gripped the entire sympathizers as the corpses of Ahurone's children save Mgborie and Nweke's pregnant wife followed suit.
What were they still talking about? Everyone is gone.
Now, Akwanwa and Mgborie were now missing. Probably, they've also dropped dead somewhere, that will even be the worst.
Contrary to everyone's expectation, Agumba was present from nowhere, even his ragged dress and spotted body couldn't wipe away his boyish looks. Noone would be blame if someone inadvertently belittle him, he was indeed a genius and a challenge to lot of youths within that age bracket.
It was hard for him to command the crowd to be silent, the noise was so much, and people who heard his commands, felt like they were insulted.
Agumba continued his speech not minding the noise. Those who had ears should listen.
"People of Umudioga, i greet you all. It is so unfortunate that things like these are happening when a festival is to be held. Why do you have river by you, yet dust particles is still tormenting your eyes. You made a decision and banished witches from your land. Why go back to them to look for solution. A dog will never go back to the bush where it was stung by the bees, to search for faeces. Today, a family have been wiped away because of the greediness of a man. The daughters of Adaola are not happy that you didn't welcome them in your land, and they seek every given opportunity to vent their anger on you. Desist from visiting that river. Don't disband the meeting of foxes when your gun is faulty. As for the dead man himself, the gods of the earth have rejected his body, he shall not be buried, his body shall be cast into the evil forest where the wild dogs shall feed on his flesh. He has done something abominable."
there was an uproar from the crowd in defiance of his last command.
Agumba was a great spiritualist, no doubt, but it was just unthinkable to pass such judgement on a well known and respected man like Madueke, coming from a young aged priest.
What does he take their people for? Who does he think he is?
They never gave up on their resentment, instead they embalmed Madueke's body with coconut oil, wrapping it on a white cloth, preparing it for burial.
"Don't provoke the gods than you've done already," Agumba warned but noone heed, they were still bent on doing their wish.
Anyike, seemed to be the brain behind their stubbornness, he continued charging them, boosting their morale to go ahead in what they did. He and Madueke was best of friend, he had handled many issues for him, like preparing medicine and charms for him, and in turn, Madueke paid handsomely for his services. He could go any height to defend his lost friend, not a teenage priest or whatever could stop him. He believed he had the power to challenge any diviner, or spiritualist. He may have this power but Agumba wasn't just any priest, that was what he failed to understand. He took up a challenge at the young man.
"Listen, child. What an elder sees sitting, a child can't see standing on an iroko tree. You're still a stranger in this land, so you'll have to get accustomed to our custom before imposing any order." he said rudely.
"Anyike, i don't believe that you of all people will be leading these innocent ones to their early grave." Anyike marveled at how he mentioned his name even when he hadn't made any enquiry. Maybe he, probably, could have heard about him.
"Watch your words, young man, before you make more blunder. The gods speak through me also. And when i thus speak, its the gods speaking." he commanded the boys to continue the burial process. These men were really daring the gods ignorantly. Agumba laughed hysterically as they were digging the grave. Suddenly there was a mysterious wind that blew hitting the ukwa tree where Madueke had committed the suicide and the huge tree fell to the ground. Pandemonium broke out in the crowd of spectators. There was confusion all over the place, and at a twinkle of an eye, Madueke's corpse vanished, and it was nowhere to be found. Agumba laughed wildly, in mock of Anyike, who might be wondering and might have lose hope after all his empty boast.
His thought was wrong. Anyike put his hand into his little bag, which he hanged on his shoulders, brought out a piece of kolanut, made incantations, chewed it and then poured it on the spot that Madueke's body had vanished from.
To everyone's amazement, the dead body was back to its original position.
The crowd cheered his guts to take on the strange dictator-like spiritualist, they could now put their trust in Anyike.
Agumba was challenged, he was not going to let this go, it was a public disgrace, coupled with the jeers he received from the youths who were there. It wasn't his intention to turn the mourning scene into a battleline for show of power, but this medicine man was biting more than he can chew.
He made a fetish staff appear in his hands, which he held firmly that his hand quavered. He then stroke it against the dust of the earth, packed a large amount of dry sand on his palm, and threw it up in the air. The descension of the dust was accompanied by woeful stinging gnats.
The ruthless insects encompassed the lifeless body and at the twinkle of the eyes, Madueke's body was like the sand of the earth, the only difference was the darker texture of the newly formed particles.
Agumba didn't call back the gnats and thus, it had spread round Umudioga village already.
Everyone was forced to leave the place to his or her home, while the other corpses lied helplessly on the floor.
The new visitors had thus, come to stay.
Uju have never felt so better and happy with someone like she did now. She was sure her sister, Ulumma wasn't the source of this her unusual happiness, because she had been with her all her life and had never felt this way. There could be only one person who was responsible for her new found joy, and that would be Ifenna.
She felt secure being around the young prince, which made her thank her personal chi for her situation even if there was nothing to thank her god for, but for the fact that she was made good to attract her source of joy.
When she first had this feeling, she had shamelessly gone to her sister to ask her if she had felt like that before, but even the way she expressed her happiness of high magnitude made it more intricate for the poor inexperienced girl. She wouldn't be blamed afterall, what business does she have with someone of the opposite sex who wasn't her husband.
That was her mentality, and might look silly, but she didn't care even when her sister had opened up to her about it.
Uju was emotional in whatever she did, even in the way she derided her sister when she protested her idleness as a result of her relationship with Ifenna.
Ifenna on his own side, had made Uju believed that she was his world, since he had no family, now he lost his parents.
Uju had stated the same without checking her words, but Ifenna had to correct her.
"Have you forgotten your sister," he smiled.
"Ah, would you blame me?"
"I know you're still going through the trauma of your sister's death but please, learn to live in peace with the only sister you have." Uju was not ready for any kind of peace talks, she tried to raise another topic, to distract him, but looked like he understood, and still stressed on the need for reconciliation.
"Should I call her in so you can reconcile?" he said solemnly.
"Please, i beg you, let's do that another day."
"Why not now?"
"Because, i want to go to farm." she picked up her hoe and basket. She had no intention earlier before now to go for farming but she was just trying to shy away from any kind of reconciliation of any sort. Uju developed more contempt towards her sister like she had never felt towards anyone before.
Why did she felt this way towards her sister? Is it because she told her what was not far from the truth. She was being too carried away by her fondness for Ifenna, but she would kick against anyone that would come in between her and him. She saw Ulumma as just being envious of her happiness even if that was not really the fact. Yes, Ulumma may have some kind of jealousy in her, but not driven by the urge to have her sister's man. Ulumma always felt marginalized and unwanted when the two lovers föndle themselves, chat and laugh, while she sat alone without her presence being known, like she wasn't there. All she was left to do was house chores and then nothing else. She was like she was in a world of her own, and sometimes could sleep off when she got bored by their conversation.
She had heard what Uju had said about her, and how she feels that she wasn't to be blamed for not recognizing her. So, it had gotten to that?
"Then I will follow you to farm with your sister." Ifenna said, knowing Uju's intention.
Never, Ulumma thought.
"Please, my love, I value your life so much and i would be doomed for life if anything happens to you." Uju said solemnly.
That wasn't enough to convince him, he still insisted to be with her.
"Please, my dear, not in this kind of place." But he still wouldn't heed. He took up another cutlass he could lay his hand on. He asked Ulumma for her company, but she blatantly refused.
Ifenna was now worked up, this was now more than what she could handle. He went in and sit back on the bed, supporting his left chin with his hand.
Uju sent her warm arms across his shoulders, patting it gently to his pleasure.
"Please, my love, don't be angry with us, i promise to prepare your favourite meal when i come back from farm." she gave him a warm smile and he returned it back.
**************************
Uju had spent some time in their little farm, harvesting cocoyams and manioc for their meal that night. She had been working under the warm weather, humming and dancing to a song which she had heard some days back at Afor Ozalla market square, and at the same time hitting her hoe on the ground at the same tempo which the music flow.
She was moved by the excitement to go beyond humming and shaking only her hands and legs, as she made her way to the path where she could note all her body freely without been waged by the mischievous cassava stems. She resorted to waist movement, where she moved her waist from side to side, rapidly but gracefully.
Now, this has gone beyond happiness, one could mistake this rather for madness or something related.
Only if she had allowed Ifenna come with her, he would have loved her the more for her beautiful dance steps, if shyness would allow her to do so. She had gone in high spirit, because she thought she was alone and that would be the best place for her.
But how wrong she was. The wrong eye have been taking note of each movement she made with body, admiring her pale skin and curvaceous features.
She had began getting exhausted after her moments of joy. She paused and sat on the floor to catch her breath back. She was suddenly startled by the presence of a tall, chocolate complexioned, and broad chested man. He wasn't alone though, he had two other men with him.
How doomed she was.
She prayed in her heart that nothing ugly happened to her, as they keep on approaching.
"Keep on dancing, i like it." the young man said with light smile.
"Prince, i greet you," she made a gesture with her knees half knelt on the ground.
TBC AT 8PM.
