When Gods Bleed (12 page)

Chapter 11

Vokei took only one battalion and left the other three behind. The Omees were all dressed for battle, with shells over their clothes, bow and arrows tied to their backs, swords at their sides, oval bronze shields in their hands, and scabbards tied around their waists. The commoners came out and danced to the beats of the drummer and the songs of the piper. During this short celebration, women with husbands mourned them in their presence; a woman never expected her husband to come back alive from battle, even though she was positive they were going to win. It made them prepared for the worst.

As they marched into the battlefront, the men divided themselves. The Omees who were very good at archery were placed in front; the next batch were armed with sharp double-pointed spears; and the last batch fought with their swords. These wars were carried out on foot, following the patterns of their ancestors who didn’t have the luxury of horses.

When Vokei got to the battlefront—blanketed with dead leaves and hard rocks, and not a tree in sight—to his amazement he saw only Odagwe and the Ozuoba army. A smile crossed his face. He wondered what kind of coward would lead his men to battle and not be present. It was unusual for a chief not to come to battle. They normally did not fight, but their presence acted like a stimulant to the men. Vokei saw his adversaries and was sure they would not need reinforcement.

The piper in Ozuoba blew the horn for them to attack and the battle began. It started with the flight of arrows in both directions, then long distance confrontations with double-edge spears. The last group of Omees had not even attacked yet and they seemed to be winning. Vokei was exceptionally good with the double-edge spear and all the men who got in his way had a trip to death.

Odagwe was ruthless with the sword and he was the strong point for Ozuoba. His tactics in battle were different and lethal. When he saw they were losing, he signaled his piper who blew the horn and from everywhere they came.

Ebikela did not know his mouth was open.

The chiefs of Suyema and Ozuba appeared with the general, Shalebe, and the remaining troops. It was as though there was a pause in the battle. Everyone knew that Suyema had a powerful army, but these troops were five times greater than what the Omees in Utagba imagined.

Vokei ordered them to blow the horn summoning the remaining men. Even with all their men together, the Omees in Utagba were not as many as the two provinces together. Vokei watched his Omees die one by one, even with reinforcement. Tears fell from his eyes as he fought and watched the chiefs laughing together. For some reason Odagwe had stopped fighting;  he seemed to feel guilt now that they were winning.

Meanwhile, Shalebe was killing the Omees of Utagba as entertainment for his chiefs. He also was a master with the double-edge spear. After he killed a group of Omees, he looked at Vokei and winked. The act burned Vokei and he could not take it anymore. Even if he had to die, all he wanted was to kill Shalebe.

However, before Vokei made it to the other side, he noticed an abrupt change—Utagba’s enemies were now dying one by one. Behold it was his King and the remaining troops, attacking like a hawk on its prey. The Omees from Ozuoba and Suyema did not know in which direction to fight and their confusion lead to death. This time Vokei had a grin on his face and Shalebe bore rage. Vokei watched Obi fight and knew that the man was exceptional in battle, though there was similarity between Odagwe’s and Obi’s methods.

When Otiotio and Atani’s Tikpapas saw the Ifa priest, they went for their own battle. The Ifa priest saw the two men coming and touched his King to let him know that he was on his own for now.

The three Tikpapas walked like brothers to a secluded area and sat down, crossing their legs and closing their eyes. They sat motionless without any form of bodily display, then from the center a fire ignited. The flames surrounded the Ifa priest like a snake. The fumes twirled around him. Thick sweat poured from his head. The other two warlocks had smiles on their faces, their eyes still tightly shut. All of a sudden the fire went out and the Ifa priest got up, dusted himself off, and walked back toward the battlefront. The other two Tikpapas remained in the same positions, motionless—and dead.

              At the battlefront, Odagwe had joined the war again but this time he was facing Obi. Obi knew Odagwe’s strengths, so he dropped his other weapons and pulled out his sword. Metal clashed. Both men had sharp reflexes and were extremely flexible. When Obi looked into Odagwe’s eyes, he saw a burning hatred. The more Odagwe fought with anger, the more the younger brother relaxed.

Odagwe felt the reality of a losing battle as he put everything he had into clashing swords with his brother. He desperately wanted to end the spectacle. He took a pace back and dug his leg under a dead Omee’s sword, thrust the sword up, and caught it with his left hand. The general now had two swords.

Obi threw his sword in the air, which disconcerted the older brother, then kicked Odagwe in the abdomen and gave him a head butt. He caught his sword and held it to Odagwe’s neck.

“Kill me!” Odagwe shouted. “I said kill me because I will always be your enemy.”

“What have I done to you, to make you hate me so much?” Obi asked. “I am the one who is supposed to hate you.”

From deep in the war zone Obi heard a distinct cry of death. When he turned, he saw Ebikela looking at him with a spear in his abdomen. Shalebe smiled, pulled his sword from Ebikela’s body, and gestured for Obi to come. Obi left his brother on the ground and walked with his eyes locked on Shalebe.

It did not bother Shalebe that they had nearly lost the battle, his prize was coming toward him. Shalebe twisted his spear as though warming up. Obi walked over one dead man after the other en route to him. The Utagba Omees were all over the place, playing with their enemies because it was evident they had won the war. They could easily have interfered with the two men’s private battle, but something about the confrontation made it clear that would not be necessary.

Obi picked up another spear and they began. Shalebe made sharp attacks, but his opponent was as flexible as rubber. Shalebe swung the spear at his head, but Obi dodged it then caught it in the air with his left hand. Shalebe looked at his adversary with a spear in his hand and realized that death was near. He charged at Obi empty handed.

Obi just stood in the same stance, watching him. Immediately the General got to where Obi was, Obi turned swiftly and used one of the sharp edges of the spear and pierced Shalebe’s heel. When he was down with a serious cut on his foot, he tried to tell Obi something, but the prince was not interested. Obi stabbed his heart.

Chief Atani told his partner to get ready to flee, but he did not hear a response. He glanced back to see Chief Otiotio dead with an arrow in his neck and he started contemplating where to run.

All the Omees started hailing, not because they had won, but because of Obi’s encounter with Shalebe. As the warriors celebrated, a spear flew from nowhere headed toward the prince but nobody saw it—except Odagwe, who deflected it with his elbow. The Omees scouted for the man who had thrown it, only to find Chief Atani already dead and the Ifa priest by him.

“Did I miss anything?” the Ifa priest asked.

Obi did not say a word to Odagwe, but he freed the prisoners of war in the battle and put them under his brother. These were the men who followed Odagwe to the Ekpona Hills. Obi then merged the Suyema and Ozuoba provinces.

*

The four men in the palace were quiet when they heard the news from the messengers. Arubi was short of words. When Ogwashi and Abogima provinces said they were for the prince, they felt it was a minor issue that could be fixed when they began winning the war. When Utagba Province defeated Suyema and Ozuoba, their hopes were still alive. Immediately after Ike killed Adesuwa on grounds of infidelity; Ihua annihilated the people of Ogbe and Arubi’s hopes still existed. But with the sudden reality that Alloida and Ndemili Provinces announced their attack this night on the capital, it dawned on them that something was wrong.

The Ishu priest derisively started, “At least they were nice enough to tell us they were coming.”

Arubi did not find humor in the Ishu priest’s statement.

“We will divide ourselves into two groups: The first group will be led by me to where the sun sets to battle with Okon, whilst the general will take the other team to face Gbangba. When we have conquered both provinces they will all come back on their knees to be part of the kingdom.”

The men he spoke to did not say a word and they had no expressions on their faces.

“Can you men smell it?” the Head-of-Government asked, raising his head high, as though he were going to fly. “Believe me, if you can’t smell it now, then you will smell it when it splashes on your faces. It is the smell of victory.”

The King's envoy interrupted him, saying that the elders were demanding to see the King.

“Why are they asking for him and in fact why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was not looking at you,” the envoy replied.

“Yes, you were. I know what you are thinking. I feel it in your bones. I have no intention of letting one stupid wretch of a child ascend to the throne. When everything smelt like roses, you were all fully behind me.”

All three men acted confused.

“Don’t use that old trick with me. We all know what happened to the King and it was even you three who suggested it.”

“What do you think I am talking about?” the general asked.

“What do you think I am talking about, you son of a baboon, or are you all deaf? I am talking about the death of King Nwosa.”

“Are you trying to tell me our King is dead?” the Ishu priest asked.

“What do you mean by that stupid question? Were you not the man who helped me hide his body here?” The Head-of-Government faced the general. “Was it not you who helped me discharge the body? And the King's envoy, did you not tell the elders that you were with him while we burnt his flesh?”

“You have an iron heart to face us and tell us you killed the King,” the Ishu priest shouted.

The Head-of-Government wanted to say something, but the words would not come out of his mouth.

The envoy spat on his face and said, “You don’t deserve to see another day.”

Arubi, in anger, reached for his sword to kill the Ishu priest and the envoy, but he wasn’t fast enough. The general sliced off Arubi’s head, then looked at the body and said, “Who looks like the son of a baboon now?”

They reported to the people how the Head-of-Government killed the King and offered peace with the two provinces. But both the provinces pretended not to get the message and attacked anyway, killing everyone they believed to be a threat and dividing the capital into two—one part for Ndemili and the other for Alloida. The body of the Ishu priest was never found, nor was he heard from again.

Chapter 12

Obi was crowned King immediately after Okon and Gbangba took control of the Didasu capital. The capital was moved to Utagba. As of that time, Ndemili was the smallest province, yet one of the richest. Even with half of the Didasu capital, it was still the smallest. Obi made Okon an offer, either he became Head-of-Government or he took the other half of the Didasu capital that was given to Gbangba. If he wanted to let his son succeed him, the kingdom would not get involved in the decision.

Okon chose the latter, not because the other half of the capital would have made Ndemili as large as any other province. Neither was it because as chief you were the lord of your province and the King could not easily get access to what you were doing. It was because of Oludu, his heir, his grandson and adopted son, who deserved to be in his place now that he was getting old.

That was how Gbangba became the Head-of-Government to King Obi, the Ifa priest became the Headman to the Oracle, and the Okpala of Utagba became the Okpalaukwu.

The King married Vokei’s daughter, Ifrareta. Notwithstanding the fact that she was handicapped, he still made her his First Queen. The elders who were handpicked from the different provinces did not approve of his marriage to the disabled girl. The major reason he married her was to show a sign of gratitude to the dead general’s spirit, wherever it roamed. Although she was not the greatest lover to him, she was a good wife. His brother, the late King Nwosa’s other son, remained a royal with no position of power.

When Obi was fully settled as King, he made two visits. The first was to the missionary he called Michael and requested his tooth. In exchange, he gave him permission to teach about his God to anyone who wanted to listen—and constant access to the King. The second visit was made two years later to Okonjo.

When King Obi went to the home of the man who caused all his problems, he found out the man ran away, leaving behind his wives and children. The only person he begged to follow him was his latest wife, Weruche, who was determined to stay. After he ran away, his other wives and children disappeared because they were aware that the man of the house was the person who revealed Obi’s identity to the world. Okonjo was a rich man and he spent two years at an unknown address, but he came back to the house as often as he could to see his fourth wife and cover all her needs.

The King entered the trader’s home with death on his mind. He did not notice how splendid Okonjo’s home was; all he was interested in was taking revenge on anybody who played a part in his wife’s death. The only people in the house were his slaves and servants. His Head-of-Government told him the man had run away, but he was not satisfied. He still wanted to see the house of his enemy.

As the King looked around, he noticed a hidden passageway. When Obi opened it, it led to a stream behind the trader’s house. The King walked down the passageway made of granite rocks and all the Omees followed him, including the Head-of-Government.

They saw a woman swimming in the stream. She showed an indifference to the presence of the men around her and got out of the stream naked. At this time all the men were positive she was a mermaid. They had never seen this kind of beauty in a woman, from the top of her head to the sole of her feet. She majestically walked to where her clothes were, put them on her shoulders, and then walked back into the house. Every man seemed to be in a trance. No one made a move or said a word for some time.

All of a sudden, Obi walked back into the house and started searching the rooms for the girl. His men did not follow him as they usually did. Obi finally found the room she was in and closed the door.

“I don’t care who you are, but do you know who I am?”

Weruche slid down the bed, still naked, and with a wickedly seductive voice she said, “I do. Is that the reason you came back here like a bull?”

“I can snap my finger and every bone in your body would be pulled apart, or even a hundred of my men would ravage the beauty that infects your mind.”

“But you would go first. Do you honestly think you could give me away after that?” She had a husky voice and wicked attraction to her expression.

Obi could not take it any longer; he grabbed her from the bed, raised her to the wall, and started licking every part of her like an animal. Weruche locked her legs around his waist, using her hands to grab and scratch him at the same time.

He entered her, making extremely fast thrusts with his lower body, as though they were running out of time. The more she called his name, the faster he moved. The passion was diabolic and the electricity endless. Even after he ejaculated, his lower self still wanted more and he kept looking at the wickedness of her beauty.

Obi got up, got dressed and then he asked, “who are you?’

“I am the wife of the man you want to kill,” Weruche responded in her seductive voice, still naked on the floor.

“So he left his wife behind to simmer me.”

“I did what I did because I want to. My husband has been impotent for about four months now. He said his other wives met a Tikpapa to make him lose it because of their jealousy for me. Anyway, I still care for the man.”

“Tell your husband when he comes that, till he dies, he is now a labeled criminal for collaborating in the plot to kill me. He is free to roam the kingdom as he wishes, but from this day all his children will share the name with him. You should know that this is the last time we will ever meet.”

Weruche wiggled her fingers as a gesture to say goodbye. Obi looked at the naked body and the pretty face, knowing it was not going to be easy. Even the way she made him forget the torture he had planned for Okonjo was a miracle.

With time Okonjo was no longer an issue to the King. On the day that the queen gave birth to her second daughter, Okonjo brought the most expensive gifts to the King and he accepted them. Four months had passed since the King paid the visit to Okonjo’s home and his daughter was only a month old when Weruche sent a message to the King, telling him she was pregnant by him. Obi ignored her message until the day Ifrareta told him Weruche had given birth to a son.

They both lay in bed when she told him. His eyes were closed, yet he was widely awake when he replied her.

“What does it have to do with me?”

“It’s no secret that you entered her. That son she bore could be your heir, your only heir,” his wife answered.

“She has a husband who is a criminal. The child could be his.”

“So long as the child is yours, who cares about the man being a criminal? She also told me the man has been impotent for a while now.”

“She told you?” Obi’s voice deepened.

“Yes, my King, she was here and she told me her predicament.”

“Can you not see with both your eyes? The woman is a liar and she is desperate to climb higher than she already is.”

“Yes, my husband, I might be handicapped, but I can see. The woman is beautiful and there is no point denying it. Even a blind man will bow to her just by touching her skin. I have tried everything as a wife, but that hole your former wife left behind is getting wider and it consumes me as it increases. I know you went out of your way to marry me.”

Obi cut into her speech saying, “I married you because I wanted to.”

“With all due respect, I am still talking.” Obi opened his eyes and saw the seriousness in his wife’s face as she spoke.

“I know I am not beautiful. As many times as you try to deceive yourself about it, I know the truth. I wanted to make it up to you by giving you a son, but my two children are girls.”

“They are just your first two, more will come.”

“Yes, you are right, more will come and they may all be women. In your family lineage it’s no secret that sons are not easy to come by. Nwosa had only two sons and his home was swarming with women. First of all, as King you have the power to marry many wives, yet I am the only one you have.  Yes…yes…I am grateful. As long as you are King, I will forever be the most powerful queen in the whole kingdom, but I don’t want to be the only one.”

Obi wanted to say something, but Ifareta continued without giving him a chance. She knelt beside him and continued.

”Even if she can’t fill the emptiness that is in your heart, your son might cover it a little as your daughters have.”

“Ifareta, I married you because you were smart. Don’t tell me you believe her story about her husband being impotent.”

“Look deeper into it, Obi. A wild animal goes to war with any of its offspring that was raised by another, but any offspring that were raised by it, whether it be for another, it feeds and teaches this offspring its way of life, as though it was its child.” She came closer to her husband and her voice softened. “I know there is a possibility that the child might not be your own, but you can accept the child as yours temporarily, to prevent assassination attempts on you. The chiefs and elders are still hungry for power. As long as there is no heir, they will look forward to the day you die so they can tear the kingdom apart and be gods in their provinces. You will marry other wives and she can still give birth to other children. Immediately after you have another son, how would I put it, accidents happen.”

“She already has a husband.”

“That is the easiest part. You and I both know that you haven’t forgiven Okonjo. You tell him to divorce his wife and offer him triple the dowry he paid. From what I know of him, he is going to refuse. Then you kill him publicly, letting everyone know that the criminal defied the King.”

“He might not refuse the offer if it means clearing his name as a criminal.”

“Take it from me, Weruche is positive that he will not agree.”

“It seems to me that you and Weruche have already decided everything, but do you realize that you are inviting a cobra into our home?”

“I know, that is why we have to suck out its poison.”

“The elders are not going to agree with the decision.”

“If the pressure they put on is strong, we will let the world know that you have a son, but you don’t have to marry her. But if you still have not gotten a son after a time, then you marry her, with or without their consent.”

“Do I take it that you have no faith being the mother to the heir?”

“My faith has grown slim, but I swear to you, if I give birth to your son, even if he is the tenth son, he will become King.”

“Strong words for a woman I thought had a soft heart.”

The King grinned and they slept alongside each other.

*

Okonjo refused to give his bride to the King despite the offers that were made to him and he chose death as his option. The elders were strongly against the King marrying the wife of a criminal, but none of the elders disputed her child being the King’s son. Queen Ifrareta gave birth to another girl and she found a second wife for her husband. It was a conventional rule that the First Queen scrutinized and picked the other brides of the King; that is why the King picked the First Queen personally.