his early morning trip. It was now that he could recollect, so he hurried to the obokoro where his waiters were, and apologised for keeping them waiting. The people present there were the six ndichies who were family heads of the various six clans of Ozalla-Abo. The nine elders from Umudioga had decided to boycott the meeting, having unconcern about whatever happened to the deceased nefarious king.
Besides the elders, was Ararughi, a powerful medicine man from Item, whom the elders had carried along to the palace. Height was not in his favour, which is to say, he was short, and he was also looking chubby. He spoke with temerity of the heart and the lips. He had a slightly brown teeth with a wide gap which was as a result of a missing canine tooth at the right hand side.
One of the elders was the first to tonguelash Aneke for keeping them waiting,
"Is this how you'll respond to emergency when you become a king?"
"I'm sorry, the matter was beyond what would be taken care of later, so I decided to face the matter first and foremost." he forced himself not to blow up in rage. He didn't want any action that would serve as a discredit to him on the eve of coronation.
"Now tell me what is that issue that is more important than our late king, your father?" Aneke kept quiet, not uttering a word. He'd heard in adages that the best answer to a fool is silence, and he beleived some of them to be fools, so he tried avoiding some of their questions.
It was now time for them to discuss their main reason for their visit to the palace. One of the bearded men who was quite impressive in height, stood to his feet to speak:
"I'm quite sure that by now, our reason for coming here would have been clear to you."
"Yes, i know you're coming to discuss the issue concerning my father's burial and also my coronation, but I still don't get why a spiritualist is involved in this." he said frankly.
"That's what we were going to tell you," he cleared his throat and continued, "we've come to realise some nonchallance in the way you handle this matter about the king's death. We all know that the king was never sick and there was no trace of illness in him when I met him last on Afor day. It is not a mere incidence that our king died in his sleep, and therefore a story need to be told about his sudden demise." he said and sat back on the wooden comfort chair while his speech was been endorsed by other elders.
"Elders of our land, I've heard all you said," it was Aneke that was speaking, "just like anyone else, I'm also distressed by the sudden death of my father and would welcome anyone who finds the real cause of it, so that I would avoid it myself." he said solemnly and sat back on his stool. The elders gave gestures to Ararughi to continue his divination, following endorsement by the prince.
There was silence for some couple of seconds, but there was no worry, because of the famous adage which says, "ọtutu ihe putara na mgbachi nkiti dibia anyanzu" (there are so many meanings to the silence of a native doctor) .
He suddenly broke the silence himself by chanting incantations:
"Anya ụkpaka, Ị nọ n'ekili,
Anya ụkpaka, Ị nọ n'ekili?
Iyo kokoko
Iyo kokoko
Keé ive isi ka fa kọọlu Mama Odogwu o,
Na nwa ịkwịkwị belụ akwa nderi
Nwa ya we ghà ịtete ụla ụtụtụ,
Aya'kpọ nka'fa gini?
Ọdeni ive ichọlu ka nne agu kọọlụ di ye?
Na okehi kpọọlụ nwa agu mgbe ya n'alahu ụla chi ye?
Anya ụkpaka kwaịlu onwe gi uzọ mgbanalị,
Ooooo anya ụkpaka ooo!"
He cleared his throat to gain clarity of the voice, and chewed kolanut and spat it into different direction. He stood to his feet and jumped up and down the arena, he moved seldom forward and seldom backward, and danced a regular "atilogwu" dance, and then proceed into opening a little jar half-filled with black water. He raised it up to shoulder lenght and poured minuscule quantity of juice from starfruit, which he pressed into a small bottle.
"You hewer of the great Iroko !
The belly that swallowed the source of the spring!
The tortoise that stole the lion's crown in the days of his holidays!
You, killer of the great Konaso!
Show forth your wicked face!
Mmmmmmmmm!" there was a visible transition of diabolics, as the black water jar smoked and two beamline of mystery light shone in parallel declivity. He signalled Aneke and the elders to proceed to where he was, to have a look at what was in display in the jar. Aneke couldn't believe what he saw,
"Inene!" he exclaimed. The elders looked inquisitively at him as he called a name.
"You know her?" one of them asked rhetorically.
"Yes! She she she is one of our cooks here," he found himself stammering after a wave of shock rapt him.
"I certainly knew that!" another elder retorted, "I warned Igwe Konaso to stop appointing any of these backstabbers into any position in this kingdom, but he will never listen. Now, is he going to establish one great and vast kingdom in the grave?" the elders shook their head.
"My father only employed people from Ozalla to do his cooking and domestic job, he just employed nine men from Umudioga as the palace labourers." the elders were like totally confused over what he was talking about hence they need to ask further,
"What are you talking about? Then who is the girl?"
"She is a native of Abomgbada clan of our kingdom, Ozalla. And I wonder what issues she must have had with my father."
"I'm sorry to say I don't still understand you." the elder who was precisely the head of that clan asked for further explanation. The culprit must be related to him in a way. He had a daughter that bore that name, but not only his daughter. There were several girls who bore that name in that clan. But the name "Inene" was no unique or peculiar to any family. The name was a wildly used pet name in Aro and other kingdom which it influenced in one way or the other, just like the word "ada" which means daughter, is used all through Igboland to describe the first female issue born to a family. But definitely it was not going to be his daughter, reasons because his daughter didn't serve in the palace. Only poor men gave their children as slaves to kings in exchange for food and money.
Aneke was subconscious with thought, as he was almost unaware about the argument that was uprisen amongst the elders. Three of them were pointing accusing finger to the elder who was head of Abomgbada, his name being Acheru. They believed his daughter had been the girl in question, despite his refutation of these claims. The other two tried defending him, making some effort to shift the reins of blame to the Umudioga backstabbers.
Aneke soon came to his senses, he must have remembered something, having halted the fierce argument that had overridden the palace ambience.
"Yes, I now know," Aneke recollectively retorted, while the elders where still halted in anticipation.
"So it is you......your daughter that.....that killed my father?" he found his tongue stuttering on words, while he pointed to Acheru.
Acheru saw red to his assertions, if that were meant to be joke it was thus an expensive one.
"I swear, I don't know what he's talking about." he rebutted. He hadn't seen the face in display very clearly, in the jar. Even he'd thought he look somewhat like his daughter, but he waved it outside as something not worth the attention. Acheru was a polygamist, who had several children, of which some where unknown to him. Asides his five wives, he had several concubines, of whom he also fathered children from them on occasions. There were rumours that some of them got into act with their manfriends, and get a baby, which would be imposed on him. No wonder, he wasn't too sure of his daughter's face, even if he had the first instincts that they were look alike.
Other elders came in mediation of this appaling revelation.
"Ararughiuraabali, please show him the jar once again, maybe he's still confused." one of the elders spoke calling the diviner by his complete name, which was always abbreviated to "Ararughi". Aneke's suspicious eyes was always fixed on Acheru, wishing he could just pounce on him for the sins of his daughter. Ararughi wasn't too happy that they were asking for that same revelation, when he thought it was all done and dusted. He had to do a redo of what he has done before, and this time around, the result was pervert.
The person shown in the latter was way different from the former, even Ararughi himself was confused at this outcome.
"This does not look like any of my daughters," Acheru protested to authenticate his vindication. The face of the one shown was strange to the elders, seem noone was familiar with it. The lady in the mirror was beautiful facialy and harmless, but in a situation like this noone was to be trusted either. Aneke decided to go and take a closer look at what seem strange to the rest, hoping same would be his reaction. He just wanted to know who was the knew culprit now, he'd already lost interest in the whole thing.
Maybe Ararughi's chi seemed to be confused at the moment, he thought. But getting to see the later face, he was completely dazed, with his eyes wide open in perplexity. His thought was right afterall, Ararughi's gods were confused. He could not hide his rage any longer, Ararughi has dared his patience.
"Now I know you're a joker!" he retorted.
"What!"
"Perhaps you might be unaware that the lady in question was locked up somewhere by my father and had remained there till we heard of my father's sudden death."
"Do you mean to say, she was here with you?" one of the elders asked keenly.
"She had been under my father's detention and there's no way this can be true, even in the next world."
"My son," Ararughi called, "don't dare the wisdom of the gods. There are so many meanings to a puzzle in the spirit realm, which are beyond mortal comprehension."
"You words are still in puzzle."
"A man can appear innocent and harmless physically, but his spirits could be as restless as the whirlwind."
"You're still speaking idioms."
"Allow him to finish," the elders beckoned on the troubled prince.
"The lady I see here, is someone that has influence in the spirit kingdom, and might have risen against your father in spirit since she'd been angry with him for illtreating her." Ararughi said in a hush tone with eyes wide open.
Aneke chuckled inside him, been fully aware of everything that happened that night before his father passed on. How could he say that Uju killed his father, while he'd spent most of his time that night trying to woo her, or do people's spirit now leave their body while they're talking. Indeed, there was nothing for him to believe about Ararughi's assertions.
For the elders, the reverse was the situation. They believed every word wholeheartedly, and were on plot to track down the said lady should they serendipitiously lay their eyes on her. Aneke was afraid for the sake of Uju, because the elders seemed to be serious, on every single statement they made. They were all interrupted by sudden barge in of one of the guards, he had a quick message to give.
"My prince, the lady is running in here, we've tried hard to stop her but she refused" he gave the report following Aneke's order noone should ever force her to do what she didn't want to do, and they all had to respect her decisions.
Aneke stood up swiftly to stop her outside, to prevent her been seen by the elders, but too late, Uju had already barged in. But she halted her steps, seeing that she might have halted an important discussion. She soon regained her lost ego of a princess, and stood and talked to Aneke, ignoring the presence of the elders.
"Aneke, I've heard it enough from you, and I won't take this any further. Allow me go to my people, what sort of tyranny is this?"
The elders were silent with mouth agape, seeing the reality of what they've seen in a picture. She was a beauty to behold, but there are still many things about her untold.
They were now fully sure of whom they'd seen, and wondered what had kept them from carrying out their plot, she was supposed to be captured.
"You bloody witch, you've gone beyond your limits, by killing our own king. I'll cut off your head." a provoked elder pulled out a medium sized knife from his sheath against Uju, who'd become shaky at the moment, but still summoned courage to talk back.
"You'll do no such thing." she retorted, hence the angry man raced towards her to hit her, but Aneke pulled out a sword and stopped him. Uju had taken refuge behind him, but was still shaking, her thought been the likely possibility for the six or seven rather to outpower Aneke and kill her. She hated herself for mentioning a word, see what her ego had caused her. Aneke was there in her defence, she looked keenly at his mouth to know what his next word will be.
"Make no further move to hurt her. If you do, then you're stirring my wrath."
"Aneke, you're mad. You should seeking revenge, not protecting your father's killer."
"Yes, I'm mad if that's what madness implies, I'll do anything to protect my love. Uju here," he crossed his left arms round her with his right hand still holding the sword, "is the lady I want to marry, and anyone who hurts her, hurts me likewise. I don't care if the gods want her dead." he faced Ararughi, "Let the gods come and strike the two of us here and now!" Ararughi shook his head vehemently.
"Young man, you're digging your grave," he said with emphasis on "your grave", as he demonstrated such by pointing to Uju. He refered to her as his grave.
"Elders, lets go away from here now," that was a command. The elders stood up reluctantly and moved, while one of them stood and looked at Aneke in despise,
"You are a big fool for taking this decision, but I promise you one thing. We will give your father a befitting burial as the custom demands, but we will never enthrone you, until you have a rethink about this decision. Goodbye."
TBC AT 10PM
