ROYAL STORM is a historical fiction,,,


!
!
!
!

!!Coming here very soon.

Beloved readers that follow "Smokes of Crime: in the Highway of Hitmen", (https://www.nairaland.com/8075109/smokes-crime-highway-hitmen), can get the book from the source;

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL78XXYR

Or

Chat me up on Whatsapp ; 09124239332 to get a copy, happy reading!

No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, or without the legal consent or prior written permission of the publisher, except for academic purposes in accordance to copyright law.

Copyright © 2024 by Dublyn Guonor Horris. All rights Reserved.






The Year 1920

Chapter One







King Ubo Diette the V of Ara kingdom, suddenly sprang up from his sleep and sat upright on the edge of the bed, trembling and breathing with difficulty. His heart rythm gradually beat down as he slowly adjusted to reality. He sweated copiously from his forehead despite the giant-size golden ceiling fan turning above him. The nightmare he had just had was too real like life. He looked around with eyes flashing horror, as if a danger was lurking somewhere in the room. The king who had all the time prided himself as a lionhearted monarch was experiencing earthquaking in his soul.

He would have wished it away as a mere dream had it not involved the future of the kingdom and the sacredness of the Diette's dynasty. When he left England where he had answered the call of the king makers to succeed his no-nonesense father, King Jaja Diette the IV, his heart was purely inclined to basking in the prestige and magnificience that characterized the majestic affluence of a king, in the very rich coastal kingdom in Western Atlantic Africa. Soon after he had disembarked from the ship that had brought him from London, he had known that there was a grave trouble in the kingdom in the manner he was welcomed. Now, he could not divorce the message in his horrifying dream from what he feared could happen in Ara.

He staggered up and away from his bedroom, walking thoughtfully to his living room. Few minutes later he left without doing the normal rituals when leaving his house, and he soon arrived at his throne to take his royal seat. The experience continued to hurt his consciousness. He was not escorted by the two guards that usually followed him and he was dressed casually with his crown. His attendants could see from distance that the king was troubled. King Ubo Diette waved to the most elderly of his attendants and he jumped to his feet and bent over. The king touched his back with his staff and cleared his voice.

"Go! And inform the Elders of the Royal Council, that I call for a crucial meeting right now in the palace!"

"As you said His Highness", the servant responded and climbed a bycicle and rode zig-zag away as if he was chasing an antelope.

The Royal Council of Elders was the kitchen cabinet of the king. It was made up of seven High Chiefs of the kingdom. But at the moment only three of the Chiefs were fit to sit. Two of the High Chiefs had clashed with the king over the way the monarch had handled the recruitment of young men of the kingdom into the positions that Prizzos, a British copper extraction company had opened up in Ara. The king had ordered their outright dismissal from the Royal Council. Prizzos had just begun operation in the creeks of the kingdom. Two other High Chiefs, Ose Moses and Taylor Egbe had publicly disagreed with him for the way he had handled a case that bordered on the tradition of the land in which they were directly involved. Ose Moses and Taylor Egbe were summarily suspended.

The first two children of Ose Moses, Mabel and Johnson were accused of commiting incest by a woman who claimed she had caught them in the act, where they had gone to cut fire wood. The woman was a respectable elder in the kingdom and she had sworn by Olokun, the common diety of the people, that she had seen and said nothing but the truth.

King Ubo Diette did not consider the allegation lightly in the eye of the tradition of the land. The children of Ose Moses had vehemently denied the act claiming that they were only playing on the wrapper that they had spread out in the bush. The king had summoned the children and the woman to his palace for hearing during a General Royal Council sitting of twenty one Chiefs from different parts of the kingdom. Right there in the palace, an oracle was consulted to ascertain the truth. The oracle had born witness to the fact that the children of High Chief Ose Moses, had actually commited the abomination. King Ubo Diette had swiftly invoked the wrath of the land to consume Mabel and Johnson. They were banished forever from the kingdom! The king would not listen to the plea of High Chief Ose Moses and High Chief Taylor Egbe to consult further by involving the greatest seer of the land, who doubled as the Chief Priest of Olokun.

The thoughts of king ran wild and he tried not to interpret his nightmarish dream, as he waited for the Royal Council of Elders in the palace. He recalled clearly what High Chief Ose Moses had said to him on the day he had suspended him from the Royal Council:

"Because you didn't get Uvoan-So to see into this case, your decision to banish my children would turn to hunt you till you decide to call them back into the kingdom".
He could not think the pronouncement of the High Chief was probably related to the dream he had. He believed in the authenticity of the palace oracle, it had served the kingdom faithfully for over six hundred years and it never made mistakes, however, something within would not settle in his mind. The sacrifice to cleanse the land of the abomination had been done and there was nothing he could do about the banishment. The king looked up as the three High Chiefs that now made up the Royal Council of Elders filed into the palace.

"Umogu! Umogu!! Umogu!!! May you live long", the three men chorused in front of the king before taking their seats.

"It shall be well with you", the King Ubo Diette responded.

"My King!" the speaker of the Royal Council said as he stood up to speak. "The rabbit isn't seen in the day time unless there's a smoke in its hole. You have our undivided attention, tell us why you have summoned this impromptu meeting. Umogu! Umogu!! Umogu!!! Wo suun toor".

"It's true that today isn't a market day, when we usually hold our meetings. A puzzling incidence in my dream few minutes ago, almost took my life".

"Tell us about it!" The presiding High Chief of the Royal Council stood up at once to cut in.

King Ubo Diette began, "It happened that the Queen gave birth to a set of twins in my dream, two boys. They grew very fast on their way to adulthood. I was inside the palace, when I heard a hot argument between them outside. I tuned my ears to pick what they were arguing about and I froze at what I heard. The younger one was saying to the older one that he was the heir to the throne, that he was not going to wait for the death of Ubo Diette before ascending to the throne. The older one told him he was joking and his younger got inflamed with rage. The younger one entered his room and grabbed a machete and chased his older brother into the palace. I got up at once to stop him before he caught up with his brother, but it was too late. He butchered him to shreds as I screamed from behind".

"He finished and turned around to chase me around the palace, brandishing the machete and singing war songs. I managed to escape from the palace, but he was still on my heels. I ran the race of my life to the shrine of Uvoan-So but he was not there. As I came out of the shrine, my son was waiting to hack me down. He swung the matchete to cut of my neck and I ducked. The matchete grazed my head and I lost a chunk of my hair. I sprinted towards the Ara River frenetically, screaming out my tongue as he followed me closely, breathing monstrously. I turned around and he was within touching distance. I tripped and fell flat on the ground. He grinned down on mi and took position to severe my head from my neck. As he raised the matchete, I snapped out of the dream to life".

"Uhmmnn! Efia! Tufie!" the speaker of the Royal Council rejected the dream and he spat in disgust. "My King, this is not an ordinary dream. A message is being transmitted from the spirit world to you".

"His Highness, this must be taken with all seriousness", said the presiding High Chief of the Royal Council. "First off, we need to know who is trying to turn your unborn child against you in the womb of the Queen. We are going to send for the greatest seer of all time, Uvoan-So the man who lives among the spirits of our ancestors must come here".

"You have spoken well", said the King Ubo Diette, "Do you not think this might have anything to do with the case of the children of High Chief Ose Moses whom I banished from the land?"

"His Royal Highness", said the secretary of the Royal Council, "Why should you think so?. Your judgement on the children of Chief Ose Moses is backed by the tradition of our land. The ancestors are with you on that one. Let's get the man who dines and wines with the spirits, to tell us what your dream portends".

King Ubo Diette signaled to another of his attendant and sent him to find Uvoan-So from wherever he might be. He was usually the last resort when everything else had failed. The seer was rarely seen in the inhabited communities that made up the kingdom. The sight of Uvoan-So caused fear in children and brought the awareness that a serious disagreement that needed to be resolved in the way of tradition, was at hand. He had seen the succession of three kings to the throne. Age was just a number to the seer. At the age of ninety nine years, Uvoan-So still moved around supported only by his walking stick. During the Effane feast which the kingdom celebrated to honor the deity of Olokun for protection, Uvoan- So displayed acrobatic skills like a fifteen years old boy, when possessed by the spirits of the gods. He was chewing a long stick inside his shrine when the king's messenger arrived.

"What have you come to seek in the house of darkness in the daylight?" Uvoan-So asked as he heard the footsteps of the messenger.

"Great one! The King wishes to see you in his palace. He is terrified and he wants you to see into the future".

"Tell him I shall overtake you to the palace".

"I heard you great one".

Uvoan-So first consulted with the gods before he came outside of his shrine. What he had seen had shaken him up. The message was urgent and he waisted no time to set off for the palace. He took the usual route where he would have minimum sight of people. Some children caught glimpse of him and began to run helter-skelter seeking a hiding place. He was adorned with the complete regalia and paraphernalia of his priesthood. No razor had touched his hair since he was inducted into the office of the Chief Priest of Ara Kingdom. His hair had twisted into long dreadlocks knitted with cowries and a square was drawn on his forehead with a native chalk. His neck, wrist and ankles wore a lace of strange mix of animal shells and cowries. As he moved, tiny bells attached to his white garment giggled to herald his presence.

The Chiefs of his Royal Council of Elders were chewing kola-nut and washing down their throats with palmwine in the palace, as the young monarch was lost in his thought. He could not try to predict the interpretation of his dream by the Chief Priest. The presiding Chief asked the palace attendants to leave as he chew the last piece of kola-nut. Silence was now very loud loud in the palace except for the occasional shuffling of feet by the High Chiefs.. They knew that the seer would accurately direct the dream of the king with the wisdom of the gods but at the same time they would not want to hear doom. They heard the whimpering and cry that usually preceded the coming of the Chief Priest and the king knew he was close. His thoughts ran wild with the knowledge that the seer was coming closer and closer. He fixed his gaze absentmindedly at the entrance of the palace not knowing what to expect.

He was the first to see Uvoan-So as he walked into the palace. The High Chiefs immediately looked towards the entrance of the palace where Uvoan-So had come with theatrics. Uvoan-So moved in a wave-like pattern, talking, but to nobody. He got near the corner where the Royal Council of Elders had been waiting and stopped abruptly. He looked skyward and shook his head vigorously from side to side before spitting out dramatically. He began speaking in strange languages. The demonstration of the great seer was enough for King Ubo Diette who had already known that something did not bode well.The seer removed a calabash from his waste and began sprinkling a powdery substance along with incantations as he entered the elevated palace platform.

When he had come before the king, he shook his rod of power with frenzy and skipped about with the agility that belied his age. The High Chiefs looked at one another in bewilderment. They were scared of the seer for the first time. Uvoan-So brought some pieces of dried kola-nut and cast them on the floor. He studied the pattern drawn by the pieces of kola-nut for a long time and cried!!!

"Wise one!" King Ubo Diette said greatly perturbed, "What's too heavy for you to put down?"

"Gbosh! Gboshigigi!! Gbish!!!" Uvoan-So kept conversing with the gods.

"You are Uvo-an-So", the speaker of the Royal Council of Elders said, "You are the sun that shines at night. Tell us what you have seen".

"My King", the Chief Priest began. "You have been weighed in a scale and cost nothing!"

"What exactly are you talking about?" The presiding High Chief asked with no patience.

"You are scaring us to death with suspense Uvoan-So", King Ubo Diette said. "You are the eyes of the gods. What message did you bring to the palace? We've not even told you why the palace has sent for you".

The Chief Priest responded, "I see the end of your kingship and the death of the Diette's dynasty; you don't need to tell me why you have sent for me. I've known already and I weep for you and Ara Kingdom".

"Great one", said the speaker of the Royal Council. "Our ears can no longer bear the torture of what more you have to say".

Uvoan-So turned around to back the king and said, "A great storm with the face of a woman is coming! Coming to sweep across the royal bloodline!! It'll brush everything aside on its way to the throne, and it will deliver the dagger that will stab the heart of the King!!!".

"Wise one!" King Ubo Diette said with a strong voice. "Your sayings are wrapped in symbolic expressions. Break it down!!".

"My King!" The seer resumed. "The Queen is the one that will bring the storm and the time is at hand. The waves of the storm would sweep the royal bloodline clean. There will be no one left in your bloodline to inherit the kingdom. You'll live to see this with your eyes".

The insight Uvoan-So had given was enough for the king to know that his dream was actually a direct message to him. He could already connect the dagger that the seer had said his wife would deliver in the nightmare he had had. His mind threw him into a different plane of reasoning as he restrained himself from cursing the gods. He could not see where he had trespassed against specifically Olokun, that was believed to watch over the royalty in the kingdom. He resisted strongly the interpretation in his mind, he had sworn a blood oath to elongate the Diette's dynasty. He would not take anything less from the gods Since his coronation there had not been one scandal traced to him. He obeyed the tradition to fault and he could not think of why the gods had passed this verdict on his kingship. He began to quiver on his throne, like he did when he had woken up from his dream. Instantly sweat began to flow profusely from his body even as the ceiling fans were at full speed. With his soaked royal garment, King Ubo Diette got up and began to pace up and down the palace as the Chief Priest watched. The prophecy, the dream must not happen.

"Uvoan-So!" The presiding High Chief of the Royal Council turned his neck to the seer, "You have just released a bomb, tell the palace what sins the King has committed against the gods of the land?"

The Chief Priest looked skyward before he said, "The King had blatantly disregarded Olokun over the judgement that he passed sometime ago in this palace. Olokun is inflamed over his pronouncement to send the children of High Chief Ose Moses from the kingdom".

King Ubo Diette returned to sit on his throne after listening to what Uvoan-So had said and he asked, "Why would Olokun be incensed over the banishment of Mabel and Johnson. The palace oracle bore witness to the abomination. What else should I have done?"

Uvoan-So responded, "Olokun is a very jealous god. You consulted only the palace oracle and failed to consider the demand from High Chief Ose Moses to seek the face of Olokun before banishing his children".

"But that's how we have always done things in this kingdom. It's only when the palace oracle refused to speak on an issue that we involve Olokun", the presiding High Chief of the Royal Council said.

"Not when the other party insists on dragging the issue before Olokun as Ose Moses has cried to the deity", Uvoan-So countered,

"Would it have changed the outcome of the judgement on the children of Ose Moses?" The secretary of the Royal Council of Elders asked the seer.

Uvoan-So dipped his left hand into a calabash for a minute and responded, "No!"

"So how has the King erred?" The speaker of the Royal Council of Elders asked waving his hands in the air.

"The King has disregarded Olokun", Uvoan-So replied with a note of finality.

"Great one, you're the bearer and the mouthpiece of the gods", said the speaker of the Royal Council. 'You can see that this battle doesn't concern the King, it's between the gods of the palace oracle and Olokun. What do we do to appease the deity to withdraw the consequence it intends to slam on our King and Ara Kingdom?"

Uvoan-So looked directly into the eyes of the king for a moment and moved to the center of the palace where there was some earth. He shook his rod of power vigorously and pierced the ground with it. He released the rod and the chain of some fetish items that hung on the rod vibrated endlessly. He watched the items closely as they danced on the rod. He spun around on his right heel and meandered his way back to the palace platform as if avoiding landmines.

He stopped abruptly and pulled pieces of dried kola-nut from a calabash that dangled from his waist, to consult the gods. "Hoshishi! Hoshigishigi!! Hosh!!!" He said before he threw the pieces of kola-nut on the floor and began to study their pattern. He shook his head in disagreement to the pattern drawn on the floor. He picked all and threw the kola-nut piecies again as he invoked another spirit. "Krugsss! Hoshimi!! Gboshimishigigi!!! He studied the pattern for a long time and returned to face the king. King Ubo Diette shifted on his chair in anticipation of what the great seer and Olokun Priest was about to say. He hoped it was not another bombshell.

"My King", Uvoan-So began. "There's only one way out of this quagmire and it would not come cheap".

"I've prepared my mind for the worst", the king responded as the High Chiefs shifted to the edge of their seats.

Uvoan-So continued, "The Queen will give birth to twin sons and the younger one must be sacrificed to Olokun, on the seventh month, on the seventh day and on the seventh hour". He took another look directly into the eyes of the king and turned around to leave the hall.

"Can't we negotiate another sacrifice?" The speaker of the Royal Council of Elders raised his voice and asked the seer before he could pass through the opened door.

"Olokun speaks only two times", Uvoan-So said and began singing on his way out of the palace.

"Are you prepared for this my King?" The presiding High Chief of the Royal Council asked with a sullen face.

"They say Olokun only speaks two times", King Ubo Diette replied.

"Is your mind ready for this?"

"I'm left with no option", the King said, "There's nothing more to think".

"His Highness", the secretary of the Royal Council said, "Would the Queen take it?"

"I've not thought about her, the dynasty is everything".

"His Highness I am afraid, the Queen would fight ", the speaker said.

"What choice has she got?" King Ubo Diette asked and cleared his throat.

"I want this done with the greatest wisdom", the speaker said as he turned to the secretary.

"What are you driving at?" King Ubo Diette asked the speaker.

"I was going to suggest that the Queen be taken far away from the kingdom to give birth and then return with only the older son, but I fear Uvoan-So and the gods".

"As far as you drink water on the surface of the earth, you can't escape the judgement of Olokun. The gods have their way of manipulating humans from the spirit world. They follow us everywhere", the secretary of the Royal Council affirmed.

"His Royal Highness", said the presiding High Chief. "Uvoan-So said the storm is already at hand. We forgot to ask him what he meant".

"Isn't that obvious enough in my dream? He could only be referring to the nearness of the delivery time of the Queen's pregnancy", King Ubo Diette said with little emphasis.

The Royal Council of Elders would not stop shuffling their feet on the floor, with their chin resting on their right or left hands, as deliberations went on. King Ubo Diette felt caged but could escape through fire. He declared the meeting over and watched as the High Chiefs left the palace hall.








Chapter Two








King Ubo Diette stood up and walked out of the palace hall in a sober mood. He could not pull his sirit together, the storm was close. He decided to walk to the other side of the palace housing the queen and her maidservants, doing some calculators in his head. He got near to the queen's tent and heard her sweet voice and he forced a smile. He did his best to wear a cheerful mood to appear before her. One of her maidservants was twisting her hair into cornrows.The maidservants disappeared immediately in a burst through different exits as the king came in to full view.

"My King!" The queen alarmed. "Are you walking around without your guards?"

King Ubo Diette replied, "Sometimes you want to be free, to be alone".

"You don't look free to me my King. Something is bothering you and I can feel it. Would you like to talk about it with your Queen?"

"I didn't know you've become a seer too like Uvoan-So".

"I guess it's about one of the never ending issues of your subjects?"

" I came to see how you're doing my Queen".

"Well you can see for yourself I'm doing great but I know you have lied".

"Why did you feel so?"

"You don't visit me here".

"Alright, let's say I have started it now ".

"You wouldn't stop your cunning".

"You're looking gorgeous my Queen".

"You have begun the way you swept my feet off four years ago in London. Please stop flattering me".

"How's the baby doing?"

"It's calm now, but the next second there will be fight".

"My Queen", King Ubo Diette said scratching his head, "We're close, bear the pangs as you have been doing. They're on their way already. We will have a decision to make after this is over".

"You keep saying they".

"Isn't it revealing enough my Queen ".

"Let the hen hatch befor the chicken are counted".

Queen Mourine Diette did not have the chance to ask the king about the decision they would have take to make after she had given birth. Her last sentence was still in her mouth, when she let out painful moans as she suffered spasms around her belly. King Ubo Diette turned around intuitively and breathed down as he saw her maidservants streaming inside the tent. The queen was swiftly carried to a room that had been prepared for her delivery, as one of the maidservants sprinted to inform the midwife who was not far off. King Ubo Diette stayed around as the midwife attended to the queen. After some hours rolled by, he decided to go get some rest as labour continued. He was about to step into the palace hall when he heard a joyful cry. He stopped to look around and he heard heavy and hurried footsteps behind him.

"Umogu! Umogu!! Umogu!!! Wo suun toor", the Chief of Staff of the palace said. "The Queen has delivered two bouncing twin babies".

"Their sexes?" The King Ubo Diette asked with no expression on his face.

"A boy and a girl".

The twist of things got King Ubo Diette thinking that his dream was probably a hoax afterall. The Chief Priest had seen two sons! His dream was not manifesting but at the same time he could not imagine how the great seer had missed it. He put his excitement on hold and did not celebrate. He moved straight to his throne as darkness covered the evening. He could not wait for the next day which fell on the official meeting day of the Royal Council of Elders. He immediately sent for the Elders of the Royal Counci who had barely got home. They had already heard the news and they too continued to marvel at the turn of occurrence. They rushed back to the palace with mixture of emotions. The secretary of the Royal Council was the first to enter the palace.

"Umogu! Umogu!! Umogu!!!" They all chorused, "May your days be long!"

"May you prosper in the land", King Ubo Diette said. "My heart is unsettled over my joy".
"His Royal Majesty", the secretary of the Royal Counci said. "If you hadn't sent for us we would have come here. It appears Olokun has withdrawn its stance".

"It's the natural thing to think. However, we won't throw a party yet", King Ubo Diette responded.

"Maybe the gods have resolved the issue among themselves", the presiding High Chief of the Royal Council said.

"I've already sent for Uvoan-So, I believe he must have heard of the birth of the twins", King Ubo Diette informed the Elders.

"His Highness", the secretary the Royal Council said. "Which of the babies came out first from the womb of the Queen?"

"The male child", the king replied.

"Does it matter if the male child came first or second? The first male child of a royal family whether first or second born, is king", the presiding High Chief asserted.

"I get the drift of the secretary", King Ubo Diette said as his messenger arrived the palace hall.

"His Royal Highness", the messenger said. "Uvoan-So has refused to honour your call. He said he already knew why you needed him in the palace. He said you should remember that Olokun only speaks two times".

The presiding High Chief of the Royal Council of Elders stood up furiously as the messenger exited the hall and said, "My King, I'm tempted to say that we should forget about Uvoan-So and the gods and do nothing but to celebrate wild".

"Please calm down", King Ubo Diette said..
"His Royal Highness!" The speaker of the Royal Counci said. "Nobody, I mean nobody, including the High Priest of Olokun, dares to turn down the invitation of the King".

"I have this feeling that Uvoan-So might be misrepresenting Olokun on this matter", the secretary said looking down at his feet.

"This is just the first month after the birth of my children", said the king. "We have still got six months to wait for Uvoan-So to come to the palace. If he didn't show up we would unceremoniously remove him as the Chief Priest of Olokun".

King Ubo Diette did not keep the Elders more after they had planned for a low key celebration. The Elders had only reached the gate of the palace, when they heard the raucous noise characteristic of the advancement of Uvoan-So. They stood by the entrance to see the face of the seer before they returned to the palace hall. King Ubo Diette was leaving the hall with his guards, when he saw the Elders of the Royal Council coming back. By this time, he could hear the bells of the garment of the Chief Priest, that served as his harbinger. He returned to his throne to receive the seer with eagerness. The seer walked into the palace and made his way straight to the hall and before the King.

"Why did you disregard the King?" The presiding High Chief fired at the Chief Priest before he could come close enough.

"Let this pass for now", King Ubo Diette said waving his right hand to the High Chief. "Uvoan-So, what do you have to say this time around?"

"My King!" The Chief Priest said. "I know about the seeming confusion that the birth of your twin children brings. But most truly I tell you, it hasn't changed anything. Olokun's demand is still in force. The sacrifice must be done for the kingship to remain in your bloodline".

"First thing first", the presiding High Chief of the Royal Council said, "Uvoan-So, why did you decline to honour the invitation to the palace earlier?"

King Ubo Diette cut in, "My Chiefs let's overlook that for the moment".

The speaker of the Royal Council of Elders stood up to face the seer and said, "You are the gods that we can see. Tell us why the sexes of the twins didn't match the revelation that you gave us earlier in the palace, or do the gods also sometimes misfire like mortals?"

The Chief Priest at once burst into uncomfortable laughter and back tracked from the speaker. He turned around with a gusto and staggered away to the doorpost, as if he had been hit by a deadly force. He was clearly dazed by the jab the speaker had thrown at him. King Ubo Diette liked the question the speaker had asked, he kept tapping his hand on a stool near him as Uvoan-So whined. The other High Chiefs nodded in satisfaction. The seer pulled out a calabash by the door and sprinkled the content outside and walked inside to face the king. He dipped his left hand into a leather bag affixed to his white garment and took out what looked like a mirror. He held it and moved circularly on the floor three times and stopped. He began peering into the object as if he was watching a captivating thriller. The presiding High Chief of the Royal Council of Elders grew impatient with him and hit his walking stick on the floor to get his attention.

"Uvoan-So! Hasn't Olokun spoken to you or did he travel from the kingdom?"

King Ubo Diette interjected, "Maybe he's taking time to verify the information".

The seer looked away from the mirror-like object and said, "Today is my good day, I'm not angry with you. You're all humans and cannot see what is brewing in the spirit world. A battle is raging on to keep the kingship in your bloodline. The only thing that is required from you is to do what I have already said my King. The consequence has already been transmitted to you".

"You aren't getting it Uvoan-So", the speaker said, "The younger one of the twin babies is a girl child, she doesn't hold any string to ascending the throne, why must she die?"

The Chief Priest made a hysteric noise before he replied, "How much do you know about the workings of the spirit?".

"This is not the message that was transmitted to me in my dream, it was the younger son of my twin sons that threatened my life, after killing his brother, not a girl child, not my princess", King Ubo Diette said forcefully.

Uvoan-So looked away from the King and said, "What you experienced in your nightmare was just a picture of what is to come".

"Uvoan-So!" The speaker of the Royal Council stood and said with a strong voice, "I find it hard to believe that it is the banishment of Mabel and Johnson from the kingdom that is causing Olokun to visit this tragedy on the royal family".

Before the seer could open his mouth, the secretary of the Royal Council jumped in, "I've served two Kings in this palace and I've never witnessed the interference of Olokun in domestic palace affairs unless invited".

"We've been through this before", said Uvoan-So. "High Chief Ose Moses and High Chief Taylor Egbe had contested the banishment, and appealed to Olokun ".

"Uvoan-So!" King Ubo Diette said. "You're the only human who can see the future from the past. You will check for Ara Kingdom, if any of my ancestors in the royal bloodline had done Olokun any wrong".

"To me, the King just happened to be in the crossfire between the gods, over what we cannot see, something must be missing ", the secretary stated.

"Uvoan-So", the speaker said, "You said the sacrifice would take place in the sixth month, that gives you time to do more consultation".

"I've seen and said everything, it's left for the King", the Chief Priest said with panache and turned to leave.

King Ubo Diette was lost in the midst of his wise men who were immersed in a hot conversation in the palace. By the time he returned to time, he cancelled the party to celebrate the birth of the twins. He dismissed the Council and followed the Elders behind out of the hall. He was joined by his guards and he turned a corner to head to his garden to reason alone. He caught sight of the queen being supported out of the room where she had delivered, with two of her maidservants carrying the twin babies behind. He was tempted to think that the Chief Priest was perhaps working with Ose Moses and Taylor Egbe, but to what end? The seer had faithfully served the reigns of three kings in the Diette's dynasty.

Chapter Three








Two months had past since the birth of the twin babies and Queen Mourine Diette could feel that all was not well. King Ubo Diette had scarcely seen her. When the babies were presented to him, instead of expressing pure thankfulness to the gods, he began to curse. He could not imagine the princess being taken away from the royal family, at the same time, he would not divorce himself from what the Chief Priest had said his dream portended. He had made up his mind to sacrifice the younger one of the twins had it been it was a male child, that way it would have made sense, right now, he did not know what to think anymore. He had cracked and racked his head over the issue, but no solution was insight, as the deal day for the sacrifice was now just four months away. The queen had expected pomp and fanfare following the birth of the prince and princess, but even more worrisome was that no ceremony of any kind had taken place two months after. She could see a handwriting that was not clear on the wall and the king knew so.

King Ubo Diette got exhausted of trying to fix things up in his mind and rose from a chair in his library. He was not ready to resign anything to gate, he knew he must decide, the fog in his brain had blocked every access to seamless communication between his head and mind. Emotions were getting the better of him and he very knew that kings ruled with their heads at tough times. He sauntered through his garden and turned to the queen's quarter. He froze all of a sudden as he rounded a corner! Queen Mourine Diette was advancing. He let out a forced smile and approached the queen.

"My King so nice to see you", said the queen as King Ubo Diette kissed her forehead, "I was coming to see you since you have refused to see the queen".

"That's not correct".

"But I've not seen you this week", the queen said looking directly into his eyes.

'My Queen, I've been busy with my mind '.

"You've been hiding things from me, don't even argue it. It's all over you".

"I can't deny it, but it's not meant for your ears ".

"If it's about the affairs of Ara people, then leave it for your Chiefs", the queen said sternly, "Look at yourself you are almost worn out".

"Actually is between me and the gods of the land ".

"You're kidding me right?"

"Hell no!"

"What business do you have with the gods? Do you owe them money?"

"I owe them a sacrifice".

"My King", the queen said, "Aren't you really kidding me? Worried over sacrifice, when you have thousands of bulls, cows and goats. Tell me something else ".

"You don't get it".

"You're the King, you rule over all, who can stop you?"

"This King worried deeply over an issue he doesn't have control over".

"I:'ve noticed something about you especially since the week I gave birth to our children".

"My Queen", King Ubo Diette said and took her left hand as they headed towards the garden together. "I can' no longer keep this to myself since you want to know".

"Tell me something, everything!", the queen said as they settled in the garden, "What burden have you been carrying around?"

"It's on the royal family".

"Share with me".

"My Queen I don't think you're prepared for this, but I'm afraid?"
"Why do you think so?"

"You have just given birth".

"It's been two months my King".

"I'm afraid, the family might be racing against time".

"King Ubo Diette", the queen stood up and said. "The queen is prepared mentally to handle anything concerning the King, what's eating you up?"

She listened with rapt attention as King Ubo Diette started from his earth-shaking nightmare to the invitation of Uvoan-So and the interpretations. The queen surprisingly remained cool, calm and collected. She would not manifest any fright over what had been troubling the spirit of the king. King Ubo Diette could see that she was even more mentally tough than himself. They were shocked to find out that they were from the same country in Africa and also from the same region when they first met in England. They grew in love and got married before the call had come from Ara Kingdom, for Ubo Diette to become king. She had readily come with the king to become the queen of the kingdom.

She suddenly stood up and took the face of the king in her hands as he continued to relate the debacle. She had not bargain for the sort of thing coming from the mouth of the king; sacrificing a child for some deity, for the royal bloodline to continue to produce the king of Ara Kingdom. She did not consider it an issue to break a sweat on. She let the king finish all that he had to say.

"My King!" The queen said looking directly into his eyes. "If you feel strongly that the gods of the kingdom want to armtwist you to offer them a sacrifice of that nature, just to keep the kingship in your bloodline, then let go of the throne".

"I'm not sure you got the point".

"What point my King? Leave the throne! Abscond for the lives of our babies. The fact that this has given you sleepless night at all baffles me, at this time and age. This is barbaric!!".

King Ubo Diette pulled his head from her hands and shook it furiously from side to side before he said, "My Queen, obviously you don't know the way things work here. Do you actually think that I've not already gone past the idea you suggested?"

"Tell me about it".

"I can't abandon the throne and leave the kingdom like that, and think it's all over. There're strings attached".

"Then cut off the strings, because I can't even offer a finger of my child".

"It's not as simple as you see it my Queen. During my coronation, I went through some rituals that tie me down to the throne".

"Do something to make the people hate you enough to depose you!"

"I'm the only surviving male son of King Jaja Diette, that's not an option. The dynasty is sacred, it must perpetuated". King Ubo Diette said with a low voice, "Even if I abdicate my responsibilities and go far from the kingdom, the deity that wants the sacrifice wouldn't stop coming for me".

"My King, it seems to me that you've made up your mind for the sacrifice".

"My Queen another girl child could still come from where the first ones came from".

"No child of mine would be sacrificed to anything".

"Watch woman! Olokun isn't anything".

"What is it? The deity that feast on humans?"

"I'll give you time to think about it".

"I'm not thinking about anything, I've
made my mind up on the spot. I can't believe that with all your enlightenment, you're still bind to a satanic culture and tradition".

"Take it slow now".

"Don't forget yourself, I fell in love with a vibrant professor of Philosophy. You were doing well in Leeds University. Let's go back to England and wait for that spirit that will hunt you".

"You can't fight Olokun".

"I'm fit and ready for the battle my King!"

The queen walked away on the King to her quarter in the palace, she could not see the storm that King Ubo Diette had said was coming. She could only see one thing - protecting her babies from vultures. King Ubo Diette had heard stories of how the dreaded deity had dealt with people of Ara in time past, that fled the kingdom to escape judgement. He would not dare it, moreover, he could not think of leaving behind the enormous wealth Prizzos had deposited in the kingdom. The management of the company had thrown some pounds around him and had transformed his palace to an enviable taste. Prizzos connected to the heart of Ara Kingdom through him. He was already living in his heaven and would not leave his palace for anything. The sacrifice would have to be performed one way or the other to keep the avalanche of wealth in the royal family, and extend the sacred dynasty along the bloodline of the Diettes. A dynasty that had lasted over eight hundred years would not end in his time.

As the queen pulled hurriedly away from the garden, she put what she had just heard in perspective, and idea came up. She suddenly felt the impetus to make up her mind to return to London. She had a thriving business in England and sometimes felt nolstagic about the good old days. The time to seriously think about it was now if the king was not going to be human.



Chapter Four







King Ubo Diette had increased the number of guards around the queen but never broached up the contentious issue before her again. Three months had rolled by and the queen assumed that the sacrifice of the princess was a forgotten matter. King Ubo Diette had thrown a heavy party to welcome the prince and princess, and had also put together a naming ceremony. He now regularly visited the queen's quarter to see the twin babies. Queen Mourine Diette however, did not feel so comfortable since she had not heard it straight from him that the sacrifice was now dropped. She tactfully brought the issue up to feel the pulse of the king who had paid her another visit.

"My King", she said pointing to the adorable princess on her bed, "Can you imagine her being burnt?"

"My Queen!" King Ubo Diette said strongly, "Tame your imagination! You're going wild!! It's not funny".

"You don't get it my King".

"How do you mean?"

"I only recalled what you said about sacrificing the Princess to Olokun".

"Please don't mention that now, let's enjoy the moment".

"Does that mean you have found an alternative to appease the deity?"

"Can we just live and ignore that?"

"Come clean my King, is the Princess going to be killed?"

"The gods of the land aren't beasts!"
"That's not clear enough".

"I've not heard from the Chief Priest since the pronouncement".

"I'm leaving Ara Kingdom with my babies, you can't fool me anymore".