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Chapter 43
Everyone turned towards Dezzy, who looked surprised like that was her first time seeing the ring. She opened her mouth to talk but could only mutter incoherent words. Simi was too stunned to form an opinion.
‘Why, Dezzy?’ Kukoyi said.
‘There’s no why?’ Yasmine strutted towards them. ‘We will simply show her a reason not to ever do such stupid thing and pry her stomach open for information’.
Dezzy raised her hands as she shifted back, her head dashing from one person to another, trying to lock contact with them. Despite this, she still repeatedly shook her head. ‘Simi, I need you to believe me. I didn’t take the ring’.
‘Yen! Yen!’ Yasmine muttered. ‘I will gut you until the only thing you can say to anyone is ‘why me?’
‘Don’t you dare come near me!’ Dezzy said and stood in a defensive position. Her hands were ready to ward off any attack and to administer pain. ‘Let me explain!’
‘Let her explain!’ Simi said, but she wasn’t even sure she could hear herself.
‘Ex… What?’ Dada yelled. ‘At least, let her stay put. Then, we can think if truly she wants to explain. She can’t keep trying to escape if her intention were clear’.
‘If y’all weak to do the needful, I’ll go for the kill’, Yasmine shouted.
‘No…’ Simi cried, but despite been loud, Yasmine seemed deaf.
Dezzy's backed up. 'Don't do this!'
'I'll show you what it means to be me', Yasmine advanced towards her menacingly.
Dezzy looked from one person to another.
'It's not my fault... Let Simi see it herself', Dezzy said.
'You have her ring', Kukoyi yelled.
'Had', Dezzy said and pointed at the ring in Simi's hand.
'Grammar', Yasmine cried.
'Let's hear her out, Nureni shouted.
'No...' Yasmine cried and stomped her feet on the ground. 'She should pay'.
'Mr Nureni is right', Simi pled. 'Moreover, she betrayed us and not you...'
Yasmine turned towards Simi' I'll…'
' Don't you dare say that rubbish?' Kukoyi yelled. 'She offended all of us here, And you can't exonerate her by saying she offended us. Simi, that's bad and wrote'.
Tears welled in Dezzy's eyes as she glanced at different parts of her back.
With the speed of lighting, Yasmine dashed at Dezzy, and another set of fight ensued. Simi was tired of this. She tried to fight Dezzy, who was ready for her, moving swiftly even as she evaded the deft punches from Dezzy. Both of them seemed precise on the next place to hit, and they both were fast in evading the other’s punches. Anyone they couldn’t evade, they put up a strong defence. When Yasmine was overpowering her, Dezzy inhaled seven times like Dada advised her the other time, which gave her immediate edge.
Despite Kukoyi's intervention, she didn't stop. Dada couldn't let the brawl go on and tried to pull her off. It was a grave mistake. Dezzy spun round and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying towards the bush. Simi squealed, sped towards him, and cried as she met him groaning and trying to come out. Together, they came back to the fighting group.
' You don't need this...' Nureni was saying to her. 'You don't...'
She rose and turned towards him with her hands readied to hit him. Nureni hurriedly raised his hands. By now, Yasmine and Kukoyi were tending to their wounds.
Dezzy loomed a bit over Nureni for a while before inhaling thrice. The moment she did that, her bloodshot left, leaving just her cruel look.
'Simi, you know I'm not lying. Why will I steal the ring? Even when we couldn't find our ado, I never took it. But it's my fault that they caught us...And I'm sorry, Dezzy said and looked away. ‘I can show you… I truly can…’
‘Don’t mind her, girl’, Yasmine shouted.
'Do you trust me?' Dezzy asked.
'I don't know o...' Simi said dejectedly.
'What do you feel?' Dada asked Simi.
She stared at Dezzy for a while, swallowed hard, wondering if she was doing the right thing, wishing all these could stop, and so she stretched her hands towards Dezzy.
Despite the call and cries from others, Simi closed her eyes to think of the time Dezzy went back to see her child.
‘We’re here, Dezzy informed her.
'That's you!' Sim muttered. They watched from afar.
'You should... Just follow me in the past. I'll be waiting here for you. Meanwhile, don't follow me to the room. I'll enter. You can see it from outside’, Dezzy said.
After fighting everyone on the way with her blood rage, she got to her daughter's cage and found her sleeping peacefully. She entered the room, and suddenly something splashed on her body. At first, she was scared and raised her batons in response, but nothing came on.
' Now, we can tag you always. Find you,' Ekele shouted over a public address system.
'In your wildest dreams', Dezzy picked her daughter and hurried out of the place.
Simi returned to her. 'I've seen it. I'm sorry for not believing you.
Dezzy nodded and held Simi as they returned to the future.
'You idiots, you just wasted the opportunity we could have had to get what we need and stop all this trouble...,' Kukoyi yelled at the sight of them.
'She's not lying', Simi said and hurriedly explained all she saw to them.
'I don't trust a liar...' Kukoyi said.
' She just... Simi just showed us the truth', Nureni interjected.
'Shut your yap, woman wrapper… Kukoyi said. 'Who took the ring?'
‘You know what’ Dezzy spun around. ‘This is Simi. Let her search out the information… Just go to when the ring went missing’’.
The others bought into the idea, and even Simi couldn’t disagree. So, she nodded and closed her eyes.

Chapter 42
'It's all your fault', Simi said the moment they were in safety. ' I just knew you shouldn't be trusted.
Yasmine stared Simi in the face, with her mouth opened widely. 'He said he traced you? Were you deaf?'
' Yeah, I heard that!' Dada agreed.
' Of course, Simi yelled. ' Why won't you hear it?
' Me too...I heard', Nureni said.
' Stop, you, Dada... Stop all of you. We just have to go', Kukoyi responded and walked away.
'I'm going nowhere! Simi stood her ground. 'They never find us that fast. If truly they found us, it's never that fast.
Yasmine seemed to understand her and nodded repeatedly.
' You're getting me', Simi said. ' It was fast..'
Yasmine shrugged and said, 'can you try to go to the past to know if anyone here betrayed?'
'I can only move twice...? And it must even be the right questions?' Simi removed her bag and rammed through it to fell for goodies. She could still feel some chocolates and other assortments of goodies.
Dada placed his index finger on his lips as he looked about.
' I don't think we have all the time here', Nureni noted. ' We can't stay here.
Yasmine threw him a queer glance. 'Your head is indeed useful on your neck!'
He smiled mildly.
'Let me look for a place for us', Kukoyi said and looked about.
' Follow me!' Kukoyi yelped and navigated through the forest. Bushes rustled on their way through. Even the dry ones couldn't restrict tearing their bodies. Simi had never been more frustrated than what she was facing at present. Her body shook when she just got back, and they had to fight for Nureni's life.
She waded through the bushes, angry that she had to be last on the group. Others were running with agility.
Angry at whatever gave her power, not letting her live her simple life. She hated that she had to face death numerous times for this useless thing that wasn't even useful. They've been gathering gold and treasures without any reason to stop. If her power weren't linked to the others, she would have looked for a way to escape, probably returned home to find solace or a means of escape.
When they eventually got to the house Kukoyi got, Simi was ready to move.
'Now, let me...' She said and searched for her ring.
' I thought you couldn't find the ring the other time', Nureni pointed out.
'What do you mean?'
'Yes. We couldn't find it'.
' It must have been lost during one of your journeys', Kukoyi said.
'Impossible... I would have seen it', Yasmine said. 'We were together the other time. Remember... And after the fight, it would have been on the ground. I catch small things'.
Simi became distraught again. 'I said it. Someone is trying to make them catch us.
'No one can sell us out', Kukoyi said.
'Let's not waste time here, Dezzy said. 'Can we just go...'
' I can't know how they keep finding us...' Simi said
' Are you even sure? Maybe it's in your mind'.
'Please, that's what they tell mad people. I'm not mad... Not... The ring wasn't with me’, Simi lamented and turned to Nureni. ‘You were there? Both of us couldn’t find it.
‘Then, it’s nothing much!’ Yasmine shrugged. ‘Y’all know that I’m the only one that can beat y’all.’
They stared at her.
‘I’ll have to search you… To make sure… You know. I just have to search for you. Let’s be sure it’s not on any of us…’
After much disturbance from her, they all agreed for them to be patted down. The search seemed uncomfortable, but she didn’t mind. She searched Nureni and ordered him to search her.
‘Yuck! No’, Nureni said.
‘Idiot, search me before I smack you, Yasmine barked at him. Immediately, he was all over her.
Then, she ordered him to search Kukoyi and Dada while she searched Dezzy and Simi. Simi sighed as Yasmine began to go through the horrendous search. All she just wanted was a way to end all these.
‘Whoa!’ Yasmine shouted. ‘Is this the ring?’

germaphobe:
super back to backs. thanks, but am still missing my sarcastic lambe. loving this dada character small small.

Thanks a lot.

Yeah. We all miss that drunkard.

Chapter 41
Simi didn’t know she was asleep until someone began to shake her rigorously. She opened her eyes, wondering where they were. Nureni was now wearing a school uniform.
‘What happened?’ She nodded. ‘God! We’re still here.
Nureni sighed. ‘Good! Because they are killing every adult here! We’ve got to go…’
Someone shouted from afar. ‘Hey! You…’
Nureni’s eyes were red. ‘Back home…’
‘Let’s think… Yasmine is waiting for us!’ Simi was beginning to say.
‘I see one old man in Uniform just now! Where is he?’ Someone yelled from afar.
Simi jumped up and stretched her hand for Nureni to grab it.
‘Hey, you!’ The person shouted again, and this time they were there. Simi closed her eyes just as the man raised his gun.
‘He shot!’ Nureni yelled and whooped. ‘He shot me!’
Simi opened her eyes and saw that they were back in the room with Dezzy and Yasmine. She scrambled out of Yasmine’s reach.
Yasmine, seeing them, had a bright idea as she hurriedly pulled out her gun. Dezzy rushed to her with a renewed energy.
‘Dezzy, inhale sharply seven times’, Dada instructed. ‘The bloodthirst’.
The two ladies continually fought. When Dezzy had the chance, she pushed Yasmine to the other side of the room, and she jumped to the other side of the room.
‘Remember to inhale three times if you can’t control it again’, Dada added. ‘But I trust you’.
Simi shook her head. ‘Me too!’
‘It’s not working… I’m missing counts’, Dezzy cried.
‘Just find some space’, Dada instructed.
Dezzy nodded, jumped far from Yasmine, and inhaled sharply seven times. Her eyes rolled into her head, just as her body vibrated as if she had been injected with some hard drugs. Every tiny vein in her body popped up under her skin as if they were worms ready to burst out of her sweaty, dirty black skin. When she turned towards Yasmine, her eyes were red. As if blood was streaming down her eyes.
‘What is the name of?’ Yasmine looked rattled. Her hands danced on her weapon as she advanced towards Nureni again.
‘I said you should leave him. We don’t kill innocent people’…
Dezzy rolled towards Yasmine and kicked her. It looked as if an elephant was set against a puppy in a fight. She threw Yasmine against the wall as if she was throwing a book. The thud made the wall vibrate, raising dust and a grunt from Yasmine. Simi took the time to release the others.
The fight, unlike before, became one-sided. Dezzy was getting angrier, and the way she handled Yasmine made Simi feared she would kill her. By now, blood dripped down her mouth like one involved in a plane crash.
‘It’s enough!’ Simi yelled as Dezzy raised her double fist over a weak Yasmine.
‘No’, Dezzy growled.
‘Three inhales…’ Dada instructed.
‘I said no…’
‘Yes!’ Simi said fiercely and stumped her leg. ‘We do not kill… People. We’re not goat or gods. We’re humans…’
‘Kill me… Because I will kill him. I will kill every reporter and every police officer I meet in my life. They ruined me. So, kill me. I just want to kill them. They fabricated lies against me and said I killed all the family that raised me. I will kill all of them. Kill me’, Yasmine cried and tried to slap Dezzy, but with a swipe of the hand, Dezzy overpowered her again.
Dezzy shuddered as if she was glitching. Simi wondered if she was going to disintegrate with her flesh and blood splashing everywhere.
‘I can’t control it!’ Dezzy shouted.
Simi lashed herself on Dezzy from behind and wrapped her hands around her waist. ‘You can do it! You’re Dezzy! I know you can do these! I know you can!’
Dezzy fought hard to throw Simi away, but Simi held on tightly. Her muscles strained just as tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t mind the pain just to revive Dezzy.
Dezzy swallowed hard and panted repeatedly. Then, quickly, she took three sharp breathes. Simi didn’t release her but rested her head on her back. ‘You’ve done well!’
Dezzy nodded and gently rose. Bending slightly, she pulled Yasmine up. ‘Don’t kill him. He’s not the police that did whatever they did to you…’
‘Don’t I know?’ Yasmine murmured as she dusted her body.
‘I still have friends ready to help you. There are good policemen’, said from outside the window. Simi looked about in wonder as to when he got outside.
‘Please, don’t try that at all!’ Kukoyi said. ‘We won’t be needing more people to know about what belongs to us… Dada, we’ve got to finish this thing now... Just write out the plan for us…’
Dada stared at them and nodded. ‘Good choice…’
Suddenly, the pots in the kitchen began to rattle. Yasmine jumped and shot at the location. Simi also jumped back, avoiding the places Yasmine might shoot if something rattled around her.
‘Someone’s coming!’ Dezzy noted. ‘We’ve got to…’
‘How did they find us?’ Simi wondered and stretched her hands for others to join her.
‘Everyone, your hands up!’ Someone shouted from the window.
By this time, Dada was still far and wouldn’t make it even if tried to run to her. There was no way she would leave him behind.
‘Hey! Calm down!’ Yasmine shouted. ‘I caught them already. That’s what…’
Simi was stunned at how they got there so quickly.
‘You didn’t catch them…’ Someone else said.
Simi inhaled sharply. That was Ekele, and she didn’t want to see him because she might have to run over to him again, which might eventually be her downfall.
‘Oh! Ekele! Nice to see you here! How’s your broken nose?’ Yasmine said and strutted towards the window. ‘Please, none of your men must enter if you ever want to see them alive. I’m the only one that must bring this person down’.
‘No…’ Ekele said. ‘I caught their energy, and I’m here!’
‘If you say so!’ Yasmine shrugged.
In a quick movement from her, three shots rang and yelling followed.
‘Ah! Don’t…’ Ekele was beginning to say.
But some of his men had opened fire on the house. Nureni also began to shoot. Simi crashed to the ground at a push from Kukoyi, who was already near her.
‘No…’
‘Run… The hole…’ Dezzy instructed.
Kukoyi led the way and opened the trap door. Quickly, he jumped into it, and Simi followed her.
‘Wait here!’ Kukoyi advised.
In no time, Dada and Dezzy were down there.
‘We’re complete. Let’s go!’ Kukoyi said.
‘No…’ Simi said. ‘We’re leaving no one!’ ‘
‘Idiots! They are our sacrifice!’
‘At the same time, humans!’ Simi cried and pulled away from them.
‘What do you mean!’ Kukoyi yelled.
At the same time, someone yelled. Nureni crashed through-hole, and a grunt behind him showed that someone was pushing him.
‘Quick, lock the door’, Yasmine screamed and stumbled through the hole. ‘Why did I just do that?’
‘My hand!’ Simi instructed as she stretched her hands.
The others caught the cue and held the outstretched hand. Simi ensured everyone was touching her before she eventually closed her eyes and thought of the beach buried in the forest.
‘Where’s this?’
She opened her eyes and met them just as she wanted.
‘I don’t know, but it should be safe’, Simi said.
‘For now’, Nureni said. ‘God! I’ve been practising magic. See me disappearing and appearing… It’s fun!’

Chapter 40
They took their turns explaining themselves to the police. Dada’s story made it exceptionally good for them. It explained some of the histories they all couldn’t explain or weren’t all that aware of. Simi saw Dezzy and the others sharing glances among themselves.
Only Yasmine seemed unconvinced. She strode to his side, looking as fierce as before. Every step seemed deliberate, as if she needed them to tell Police Nureni that she would still be the end of him.
‘I’m sorry you have to listen to the hogwash before your death!’ Yasmine shouted.
‘What do you mean before my death… I agree with everything you say; Nureni’s eyes were wide. He glanced from one person to another for help.
Yasmine shrugged and stood erect. Seeing her that way brought back the fear Simi had the first time she met Dezzy. Silence from the other part of the compound made the situation looked more deadly, more unreal as if it was a figment of her imagination like it would end soon.
‘Yes, I’m killing you still. I have the intention of going with these guys and making money off them’.
‘There’s barely any trust between us’, Kukoyi said.
Yasmine spun and glared at him like a school headmistress peeping at a little boy through her glasses. ‘You’re a fly. And I will swat you if I need to, but you don’t need my trust for now. You just need my promise, and I keep my promise always’.
‘When we run to you, disappear to our where we first met Lambe’, Dezzy whispered to Simi.
Yasmine caught that. ‘What’s that? I saw you. Don’t you even dare tell her anything?
Simi braced herself and as she prepared her mind for the next place to go. The most disastrous part of it all would be to leave without much bloodshed of amine jumping through her. Simi braced herself as she watched Dezzy hands bend over from the back. Yasmine rolled her knife in her hands.
' You said the truth the other time, but life happens...' Yasmine bent in front of Nureni and traced lines on his skin, eliciting wince from him.
With the speed of lightning, Dezzy jumped up and aimed at Yasmine.
Yasmine turned in time toward her to aside. She had a way of fighting that made Dezzy look ancient. In a single movement, she gave Dezzy two punches on the rib and evaded the rodlike fist Dezzy threw at her head. Yasmine circled Dezzy and hooked both of her hands from behind. It wasn't strong enough because Dezzy wriggled out and elbowed Jasmine's nose. The assassin seemed to have been set on fire because she did most of the attacking this time, pushing Dezzy to defend herself. Firmly holding her ground, Dezzy was also swift, bending and brushing off what must have been killer punches.

Dezzy couldn't even retaliate with the way Yasmine rushed her. One would have assumed she intended to show off all her lessons, to make Dezzy know she was trained in the knowledge of every art.
At a point, the table turned: Dezzy had the upper hand. Simi couldn't hide her joy.
'Yes.' Simi yelled and struggled up. The rope tore through her skin, mixing her excitement with pain. 'Hit her'.
' Nice one, babe', Kukoyi yelped.
This must have bittered Yasmine because she wheeled about kicked Dezzy in the groin, sending Dezzy sliding through the dust. She didn't give the fallen warrior a second chance as she jumped on her and rained her face with punches, most of which came alongside incredibly hysterical cries.
Simi glanced at Dezzy's mouth and could bet she would die there.
'Leave her', Simi cried.
Yasmine threw her head backwards and groan. Immediately, Dezzy kicked her and pushed her.
Yasmine pranced back like a cat and grabbed Dezzy's waist.
Simi glanced at Dezzy's mouth and could bet she would die there.
'Leave her', Simi cried.
Yasmine threw her head backwards and groan. Immediately, Dezzy kicked her and pushed her.
Yasmine pranced back like a cat and grabbed Dezzy's waist. She lifted her and slammed her hard on the floor.
'Save him', Dezzy cried. The call came from a weak voice. Simi jumped at Nureni and wrapped her hands around his neck.
'God! Where!' Simi cried.
' The Future', Kukoyi yelled.
'Tema Memorial School', Nureni called.
Simi closed her eyes, and Nureni exclaimed, 'wow'.
Simi opened her eyes to see that they were in an office. It had pictures of a Nigerian leader, the governor of the state, and Nureni as the proprietor. Even Nureni didn't believe his eyes.

Chapter 39
Yasmine went on tie everyone remaining.
‘What if your people find them?’ Dezzy argued.
‘That’s their luck…’ She said. ‘Bad luck for those ones because I’ll kill the last of them. Bad luck for you guys because you will think you’re almost dead.
‘Let’s get this over with...’ Dezzy replied.
‘Good… And no foul play from any of you’, Yasmine replied. ‘This time, we all ensure things are done properly. We can agree on a sharing formula. I’m not the stingy type. As long as you pay me above the rate those your assailants want to take…’
‘Go… Ah!’ Dada exclaimed. ‘You just keep wasting time with your incessant talks...’
‘Don’t mind him’, Dezzy said and touched her shoulder.
‘Bro… Calm down, Yasmine said and gave Dezzy’s hand a scornful look. ‘Remember who still has the gun…’
‘I’m ready’, Simi announced, stretching her hands.
‘Follow my cue’, Dezzy ordered and touched Simi’s hand.
Yasmine did the same. Simi closed her eyes and imagined a safe place to watch the police from.
They were back to their home in its previous time…
‘We’re still here….’ Yasmine said disdainfully. Then, she looked around and looked stunned. ‘But this isn’t like the house. Did you make them disappear?’
‘We came back in time…’ Simi said in disdain.
‘Back in time… Wow! What day?’ she asked.
‘It’s…’ Simi looked at the wristwatch while wondering if she could outsmart Yasmine without her ring.
‘Don’t play me. If I die or you leave me here, I’ll kill you…And will eventually find the guys back home. No matter how long it took me.
‘I’m not callous and we already promised you some part of the money, Simi replied and pulled the rope, tying them together. ‘We have this too’.
‘Oh! I forgot that. Well, we’re both prisoners’.
Suddenly the pots in the kitchen began to clamp together.
‘What’s that?’ Yasmine asked.
‘Someone’s here!’ Simi called.
‘Then, let’s hide…’ Yasmine said. ‘Do the disappearing thing?’
Simi glared at her.
‘Yes. I understand that look. You’re wondering if I had amnesia…’ Yasmine looked about and pointed at a spot.
‘I saw that man… He burst like a bomb. I saw it with my eyes. This is the place’, someone said.
‘Are you sure?’ the policeman said.
‘Oga, I no lie you’.
‘I’ll refuse to ask what you were doing here in the first place because this case can help me. These guys have been causing a nuisance. My team members are somewhere else. But I will find them…’
‘Should that be on record...’ A lady said.
‘Did you hear me say that?’ the familiar voice said. ‘I was soliloquizing. So, it shouldn’t be on any record. If I see it, I will deny it. Deny. Deny. I will deny ever being here and seize your camera as infringement. That’s why we don’t bring you guys with us…’
‘C’mon, the press has been helping you guys than you know….’The press person said. ‘But thanks. This is enough for two rounds of news’.
‘God, see the bodies.’.
Simi and Yasmine peeped from their hiding place, and tears laced on Simi’s eyes as she remembered the case that led to this in the first place. She couldn’t wish Lambe had followed them while they were trying to escape; he wouldn’t have been killed now.
‘I’m off…’ The police said.
Yasmine removed her Glock. ‘I hate that these damn things don’t use suppressors.
Simi glanced at her and wanted to ask why the need for a gun but kept her cool. After all, they only wanted to see if the police came along.
‘I must find these people and bring them to book myself’, the police shouted. ‘You roped me in this. Now, I’m a lone ranger. If this fails, we will be left’.
‘If I kill someone here, will the person be in the future…?’Yasmine asked.
‘I don’t know…’ Simi replied.
Yasmine gave her a cold glare. ‘What do you mean you don’t know? Are you not the expert on this case?’
‘I don’t really know. We don’t kill people already in the future. So, we don’t know…’
‘Mumu people… Yasmine grunted. ‘You people can’t just kill all these people chasing you and get over with it.
‘We’re not criminals or killers’, Simi replied.
‘Shush! If not that I need your sorry fat thing, I would have gunned you down. Didn’t your people teach you how to talk to adults?
Suddenly the door to the house opened, and the house echo due to someone’s footstep. Yasmine looked about and sighted a pillow.
‘This is what we need!’ Yasmine murmured. ‘Death has been calling this guy…’
Simi didn’t understand what she meant but knew it wasn’t her place to interfere for the second time that day. So, she waited for the end of the time. As soon as the door to their hideout creaked and ahead peeped, Yasmine threw a pocket knife at the person. A large camera cracked opened, and they were left with nothing but noise and wails of the dying man.
Yasmine raced towards him, dragging Simi along with her. With a quick movement of her hands, she killed the dying man’s head and everywhere became silent.
‘God has brought you back to me. I’ve been thinking you and your boss will live forever…’ Yasmine murmured.
‘You killed him for nothing.’
‘For what… Nothing? This guy works for rich politicians. He’s the media person they send to hideouts and get messages that will frame others. His stupid picture made me a bounty hunter. They’re three. I mean these photographers. They’re three. I found the body of one of them not too far from here…in the future.
Simi sighed. She didn’t want to let her know she knew how she died, but Yasmine noticed this on her look.
‘You killed her?’
‘Not me… Let’s go…’
‘We go when I saw we go. Who killed her? That fine black girl back at home…’ Yasmine asked.
Simi nodded.
‘Hmm.. I owe her a knuckle. We should … Go… To the time before he got to us…’
‘Or back home…’
‘Before he entered…’
Simi stretched her head.
‘Wait! Can’t we do like a… Erm. A reverse?’
‘No…’
‘Have you tried it?’ Yasmine questioned.
‘Do you want the power?’
‘I will remove your teeth if I don’t kill you. Are you going insane?’ Yasmine asked. ‘I don’t joke with my self-respect’.
That cracked Simi, and all the buried anger in her burst out. ‘Shut up your mouth. You’ve been talking to me like the rest. All my life… Y’all think because I’m fat, my skin can take all the derogatory words you throw at me as if I’m a wall’.
‘Eh!’
‘Let’s go and don’t you ever use snide comments to call me fat. Say it with your chest, and let’s get over with it. Because you can beat me or can fight doesn’t give you the right to look down on others.
Yasmine opened her mouth to talk but kept her cool. ‘Let’s go…’
Simi didn’t mind. She stretched her hands, and Yasmine placed her hand. She then closed her eyes and thought of hiding while the police pass.
‘Sir!’ The police shouted.
Simi opened her eyes, and there, running off was the policeman. This time, he was receiving a call.
‘Yes, sir! I just went out to check a lead. I’ll be back soon, sir. Okay, sir. No… No need for backup. It’s just an instinct that might be wrong’.
‘Instinct, kill you there’, Yasmine murmured.
‘Let’s just go inside…’
‘We will be there and Lambe …Someone told us it’s bad. We mustn’t meet ourselves in the future or see the other part of us’.
‘Let’s go…’
‘Alright!’ Yasmine said and pulled Simi nearer, staying in front of her as she placed a knife to her neck. ‘Be slow!’
They got back to the future and got things the way they left it.
‘He was alone… Now, we can kill him…’
‘I’m a police officer, and you will attract more trouble to yourself. But if I know what you did, I can save you all with the help of some good policemen…’
‘See this liar!’
‘Let’s give him a trial… Remember, we are all trying to get money together…’ Kukoyi said. ‘I don’t want any cop’s blood on my hands.

No Reason For Ayoola’s Killing Streaks in Oyinkan Braithwaite's Novel, "My Sister the Serial Killer"- Queenitee

The book revolves majorly around two sisters. The older sister, Korede was a nurse who lives protecting her sister Ayoola who was a serial killer, her first victim had been when she was seventeen.

Korede was every bit of a supportive sister, who would always clean up after her sister. She comes off as being torn between frustration and the need to protect her sister. A part of her wanted to protect her sister for the trauma they went through in the hands of their father and a part of her want to shake her sister up to realize life would not always go the way you want it.
Korede comes off as someone who would give her happiness to help her sister get out of trouble and go to any length to protect her sister.


She was gentle, loving, supportive, caring and somehow frustrated at her sister’s inability to see herself for who she was or admit it.

Ayoola is a very beautiful girl who gets almost everything she wants and believes men want her for her face and beauty alone. She can be sweet, gentle and innocent on purpose, but she comes off as a psychopath who tends to kill her victim out of anger/sexual abuse.

Also, she tends to feel no remorse for what she did and sees herself as the victim. She comes off as someone suffering from a mental illness that even she does not know

The two sisters are very supportive of one another and would do anything to protect each other leaving behind whatever reservations they might have about each other.

My Review

Generally, the book has a nice plot, very nice theme but I felt like it could have been more developed. Ayoola was a serial killer, but the plot didn’t give more room to identifying why she was a serial killer, the emotion and battlers she had to deal with. The book gave her insight to perhaps her father being the reason for her trauma as she took his knife after his death, but there was no deep place in the plot where very strong insights were given to her father and how she comes across as being a serial killer.??


https://wiki.writertainpublishers.com/2021/10/08/no-reason-for-ayoolas-killing-streaks-in-oyinkan-braiwths-my-sister-the-serial-killer-oyebisi-oyelami/

Wow! This is commendable, making us proud to be African.

Chapter 38
‘Please have your seat…’
The moment they entered the house, Dezzy tried to push her, but she was fast. Her gun did most of the talking. She hit Dezzy with the butt of her gun and was quick to anticipate Dezzy’s next move. To be candid, she was older, and that must have given her the upper hand. Before Dezzy could try using her elbow to hit her, she had pushed into Dezzy, falling her.
Every was happening so fast that even Simi couldn’t understand why they were fighting. They both were jumping from place to place as Dezzy had disarmed her by removing the slide of her gun. Kukoyi took the cue and tried to pick the gun to recouple it, but Yasmine was faster. She kicked him in his groin. Just at the same time, she hit Dezzy on the nape of her neck.
Their rancour was so loud that Simi wasn’t sure she was hearing the pot rattle in the kitchen. Dada also tried to join the squabble but was soon rolling off the ground. Simi didn’t wait to be injured before she moved away. She really wanted to help, and the best way she thought was by disappearing and hitting the assassin.
With that in mind, she quickly went into hiding and used that and picked the bench. Yasmine was surprised but not disoriented. Her moves were exceptionally different.
While Dezzy might have learnt all these moves naturally, Yasmine’s styles were just beyond her training. She was using several techniques Simi hadn’t seen Dezzy use. Her punches always had more effect than any of them. The moment Simi raised the bench to hit Yasmine, she bounced backwards and kicked the bench.
Simi stumbled and hit her buttocks hard on the ground. She cried out in pain. Yasmine didn’t stop at that; she grabbed sands and pour them towards the Simi. If not for the uncertainty in her eyes, Simi would have assumed that she was seeing her.
In no time, the only person still standing was Dezzy. The others were sprawling on the ground or running to the room for water. The sand had poured into Simi’s eyes, making her kiss the ring thrice before dashing for water. Everything was blurry, and the only thing she could do was to go towards the room with uncertainty and a loud wail emitting from her mouth.
Just as her eyes were clear, someone jumped into the house. Simi didn’t even try to hide. The only thing she heard was that the rancour was over, and all there was silence. That astounded her. She peeped. A policeman was pointing a gun at the ladies. Even Yasmine raised her hands.
‘I caught you… This is it. You’, the Policeman Said. ‘I finally found you. You’re so dead…I’m personally going to kill you. The only woman that loved me, you killed her’.
‘Do I know you?’ Yasmine wondered as her eyes darted to the nearest weapon. Simi saw the movement and hoped she wouldn’t kill the young man.
‘You don’t know me. I joined the police force because I wanted to have the legal means of finding you and where you’re. Raise your hands. Both of you… All of you…’
Simi couldn’t understand what informed her decision, but she knew she raced towards the policeman and pushed him sideways. That caught him by surprise that he released a gunshot, which hit the wall.
Without a second hesitation, Dezzy and Yasmine were all over him. Yasmine punched him on the neck, making him gasp for breath. She raised her hands for the second blow. Simi couldn’t take that anymore. She grabbed Yasmine’s hand and pushed her off.
‘Fat girl’, Yasmine yelled, looking about furiously.
Simi quickly jumped out of the way. Dezzy’s hand was also raised her hands to attack the police. Simi pushed her too. Dezzy pranced up in anger as she spun around to look for Simi.
The bleeding policeman cried, ‘please… Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me. I’m sorry. I just wanted to bring all of you to justice…’
Simi kissed her ring again and was soon visible. ‘You can’t just kill everyone that disagrees with you.
‘You…’ Yasmine growled as she advanced towards Simi.
Kukoyi carried a bench and stood in her way. ‘You’ve got to go through me…’
‘That’ll be nice…’ Yasmine yelled and brought out a pocket knife from her boot. Then, she spun. ‘You know what? None of you can escape me, but I will have to get this buffoon first’.
She moved towards the others.
‘Idiot’, Dada yelled.
‘Say that again and lose your teeth before losing your life…’ Yasmine said.
Dada sighed and said slowly, ‘idiot. What of the others?’
‘What others?’ The policeman said.
‘That’s right!’ Kukoyi agreed. ‘He possibly couldn’t have come here alone.
‘Are you sure?’ Yasmine said. ‘We can just kill him…’
‘Who’s your royal ‘we’’ Dezzy wondered. ‘I want nothing to do with a killer’.
‘Whoa! Whoa! Kettle, see here, your pot. They told me you’re one wannabe warrior. Warrior that I will beat if left alone with is that one a warrior?’
‘Bloodshot, Dezzy’, Simi said.
‘I tried’, Dezzy shrugged. ‘It isn’t coming.
‘English… I still have the upper hand here. English.’ Yasmine said.
‘Focus people’, Dada yelled. ‘Police…’
Yasmine nodded. ‘Yeah! I’ll come back for y’all…’
‘There’s no other person’, the policeman.
Yasmine turned and looked around, looked at all of their faces and dashed towards her corner. Before anyone could react, her gun was back in her hand.
‘Yeah! You were saying?’ She said and strutted towards them. ‘I’ll shoot you all if the need arises.
‘We want to know if he had people on the way. They will jeopardize all you’ve done to catch us’, Kukoyi said.
‘Voice of reasoning… Well, let the torturing begin’, Yasmine grunted as she moved to sit on the ground.
‘What no…’ Simi said. ‘We will simply go back in time to find how he found us...’
‘You can’t do that!’ Kukoyi shouted.
‘I said this boy is the voice of reasoning’, Yasmine said. ‘You can’t possibly do that…’
‘Yasmine, mind your words. Simi, you have four left. We need it for the treasures….’ Kukoyi said.
‘Treasures? What treasures?’ Yasmine jumped down. She had a hungry look in her eyes. ‘Is that why they are looking for you guys’.
‘No…’ Kukoyi replied.
‘Yes’, Yasmine slapped her hands. ‘That’s it….’
‘No’, Dada replied.
‘If I hear anything from you again… This is your last chance. Your teeth…’ Yasmine gestured at her own teeth. ‘I will flush them out for you.
‘He’s right. They are after us to use our power…’
‘You guys have power’, Yasmine chuckled. ‘What power? Because I just beat all of you, and I don’t see anyone with power, except this fat one that disappeared on me. I’ve heard your charm before and you’re lucky I didn’t have the time to use my glasses for seeing all these things.
‘For real?’ Dezzy looked astonished.
‘Why do you think I’m one of the best Nigerian bounty hunters. We find evil criminals and devilish people trying to ruin the world’.
‘You’re working for them now, Dada said.
‘Okay. Your last chance is up!’ Yasmine said and cracked her knuckles as her eyes became fiercer.
‘Police. Focus. We need to find the police if he had people’, Dada exclaimed as he withdrew from her reach.
‘Let’s just go into the past…’
‘You’ll have two left’, Kukoyi lamented. ‘We’ll have to wait another day or till you sleep. Not fair. Not a bit.’
‘Let’s go…’ Simi said.
‘Go where?’ Yasmine turned towards Dada.
‘The past…’ Dada replied.
‘You like to yarn okoto meow. What past?’
‘Why do you think they want us?’ Kukoyi exclaimed. ‘Simi can time travel. Dezzy is the perfect warrior. She had the power of mapping out secret roads and paths for us. I can find anything.
‘And the… You’, Yasmine said.
‘No power’, Dada replied.
‘Good reason to kill you now’, Yasmine raised her gun.
‘Interpreter’, Simi exclaimed. Her heartbeat increased as if they would burst out of her chest. ‘He interprets the manuscript that tells us where treasures are…’
‘All these things are true’, Yasmine turned from one person to the other. ‘You people are for real. There’s a treasure. Somewhere. Whoa!! And I’m here suffering over a bounty when I could save the bounty and be rich. I’m rich. I’m rich!’
‘Bro. Calm down, Dezzy growled.
‘You shush yourself, small girl’, Yasmine responded. ‘If not, I’ll smack you again.
‘Wait till I get myself back…’
‘Can you not find it for us…’ Yasmine said, asked Kukoyi.
‘He can’t…’ Dezzy replied. ‘We just returned from a journey. He needs about 12 hours rest after his last search…’
‘I can…’
‘And bleed to death… With aching headache’, Simi cried. ‘No…I’ll go…’
‘I don’t believe you, but I’m going with you…’ Yasmine said.
‘You’re not going with her alone o’, Dezzy shouted.
‘No… I will not want to fight over there, at least, not kill you’, Yasmine retorted.
‘Let her use her ring’, Dezzy said.
‘I don’t know o’, Yasmine shrugged.

Chapter 37
Dezzy refused to let them go without ensuring they didn’t fall into another trap whenever they returned. Also, she ensured they were all prepared for this journey. They were designed in all sense of it.
Dezzy set different traps and alarm systems to notify them of intruders. As usual, the only weapons for Simi were her bags of goodies and the ring. Dada was shown one of Dezzy’s tunnel, which he could use to escape if anything happened. They described their former house, the one they met Lambe.
‘We will get you there’, Kukoyi said.
Dada nodded and stared at Simi with a longing Simi hadn’t seen in anyone for a long time. ‘Be careful.
She nodded, wishing they took him with them. It would have been easier for her to let him see what she could do better. When the others were asleep the previous night, the two of them shared stories of things that had happened to them over the years. She was so immersed in the details he gave of his time in the monastery that she wished time could tell standstill. Although he loved the fact that they were all fighting for a good cause, he couldn’t bear that they were always on the lookout for war.
As soon as Simi closed her eyes, she wished she had kissed her ring before getting there because the turmoil of their new location sent her squatting in fear. Roars of war and clanging weapons filled the air. Simi assumed she just brought them to another place they could be mistakenly killed.
Suddenly, someone roared. And the war came to a halt. Dezzy looked like these warriors to some extent. She held her weapon the same way many of them did. Quickly Simi hid behind Kukoyi and Dezzy.
‘I’m using my ring’, she muttered.
‘Good choice’, Dezzy replied.
‘I’ve found the gold’, Kukoyi said.
The warriors were all looking at them in wonder, but Simi could attest that they were ready to charge if anything happened.
‘Who are you?’ Their leader in broken Yoruba.
‘We come in peace…’ Dezzy announced. ‘Our father kept something here, and we want to get them’.
‘Get!’ The leader roared with laughter. His face and shoulders looked scarred, not from an injury of war. On the contrary, they were deliberate. And Simi shook in fear.
‘We don’t just give people their things here, their leader said.
The men roared in response.
‘And if we will give anyone, we can’t give a woman… Even if she begged…’
Suddenly Kukoyi glanced at Dezzy and shifted back. Simi didn’t see her but felt a different form of heat oozing from her body. She wondered what was happening, so she moved away from Dezzy’s back to see what was happening. The sight that beheld her shook her to the core, for Dezzy’s eyes were red. The last time Simi saw something that looked like this, it was dark.
The redness of her eyes seemed to come with smoke.
‘What’s that?’ the nearest warrior shouted.
‘My name is Dezzy…full name. And I have come here to pick what my father, Oranmiyan, left for us’.
The men looked at each other in awe.
‘You, liar!’ The leader growled. ‘How dare you defame the name of our ancestor, Oranyan. Men of Death, attack?’
‘Get the items!’ Dezzy said. ‘Follow him, Simi’.
Fear gripped Simi. Cold from an unknown source overpower her thinking faculty, and she remained at a standstill. Two of the men came forward to fight her. That must have been a wrong decision because Dezzy raced towards them at a speed Simi had never seen of any human. The bloodshot seemed to give her an extra ability. In no time, she was flying in the air towards them.
Instead of jumping down, she ran into the air.
‘Egbe!’ Kukoyi yelled, making Simi turn to him.
There, she discovered that Kukoyi fell at the sight of what Dezzy just did. Dezzy was flying in the air, spinning as she was beheaded men at different turns.
‘Witch!’ Someone yelled.
Quickly, the men began to make incantations and using different spells in their book as they hurl several things at her. Dezzy’s seemed untouchable.
With the fire in her, she was able to beat the men to stupor. Simi turned towards Kukoyi, who was burrowing through a forest. Soon enough, he disappeared into the bushes. Despite being afraid, Simi raced into the hole that appeared to them.
In no time, they found the gold. It was filled with a lot of treasures as promised. They quickly made away with it. Simi kept closing her eyes, and together, they all moved. It was beyond what they could do to help. The treasures at the bottom began to disintegrate to sand, which increased their speed per time. They found Yemoja’s bead and hid alongside the other weapon.
When they were done, they returned to the present, where Dada was still waiting for them.
‘This is enough gold. We can make a lot of money already’, Dezzy said as soon as she picked her phone. ‘I don’t want us to be chased any more. One of these days, we might make a mistake… Like that stupid guy that is chasing us down, we’re becoming traceable from every location we last used our power, regardless of whether they are in the past’.
‘Where did you get that lie?’ Kukoyi wondered.
‘I overheard the scientist and his men the day I wanted to get my baby, she said. ‘That’s how they keep getting us’.
‘I still don’t get it’, Kukoyi said. ‘I know that if we do anything in the present. They will know.
‘Yeah! I get now… It’s this… ‘Dada clapped and jumped up. ‘That’s what that line of the manuscript was…’
‘What’s that?’
‘In the past or the near, they will always be found.
Whichever path they thread.
Their journey is but a dog chasing its tail’, Dada narrated. ‘That’s where the issue is. You’re leaving trails’.
‘Please, we’ve all agreed on these things already. Let’s not back down. We can quickly go in no time.
‘How many time do we have left?’, Dezzy asked Simi.
‘Four…’ Simi replied.
Kukoyi grabbed his sack. ‘We have to use it wisely,
‘I’m saying we shouldn’t go again. Let’s get out of Nigeria’, Dezzy reiterated, causing Simi to smile.
Kukoyi shook his head. ‘Dezzy, you’re falling my hand. This wasn’t our plan…’’
‘I know. But I’m tired and think we should stop while we can…’ Dezzy said. Kukoyi looked like he had just been hit with a big hammer and he dared not shout to avoid a sleeping lion.
‘Let’s rest for the day, and we can decide what we want eventually…’ Kukoyi suggested.
Simi agreed with this plan. They all turned towards the house. She and Dada got time to talk again. The next day, Dezzy was out racing.
The others were lazying about when the door was suddenly kicked in.
‘Gently….’ The female assassin holding a gun to Dezzy’s hand. She looked around and saw that they all were in the sitting room. ‘Good! Good! Hi guys, it’s the Yaz again. I must tell you all I’m impressed with what you’ve all been doing so far. But it’s time we caught you..’

Chapter 36
Asake jumped out of bed. Quickly, her husband switched on the side lamp and climbed over her to switch on her side lamp.
‘What’s that?’ He asked.
She was shaking with trepidation. The fear wasn’t only visible on her face. It was also visible on her sweaty body. She was panting hard as she turned from side to side as if she wasn’t sure she was back.
‘I...’
‘Talk to me…’
Simi wondered why she was in the wrong place. Quickly, she checked the time and discovered she was in 2015. How come she was thrown here?
Asake held her head. ‘I was in this room. It felt real. Then, someone woke me. Like a woman. As I was here, she beckoned on me, and I was shown my death. If I didn’t find those three people, I would die.
‘That’s impossible, her husband said.
‘I don’t think it’s impossible. She showed me how we died in a place with terrible fear or something like that. The place caused every idea of fear in me to rise. I saw things I have never seen in a long time. It was a terrible experience’.
‘But what will happen to her…?’
‘She’s telling me I must avoid that place because she would be stuck in her fear or something. Or that place’, Asake said.
Her husband pulled her nearer, and she wrapped her hands around him. ‘How does this place look like?’
‘Like a hotel. I’ve never seen it in my life, she said.
The husband sighed. ‘In that case, we have to get several pictures of hotels and make sure you avoid the place’.
‘I’m not sure it’s then easy’, she said. ‘It’s more… erm… fiercer than this. The spirit took away my chance of thinking straight’.
‘Is it like a kind of prison?’
Asake said. ‘Do I know? I just saw myself dying in there. It was horrible’.
Simi quickly closed her eyes as she imagined where they were before. Immediately, she got back, Dada clapped. ‘Oh! Good!’
‘I saw a thing!’
‘I said it’, Dada clapped his hands again. ‘What did she do?’
‘No … Not Dezzy. We have to wake up the others’.
Simi wasn’t one to disturb other’s sleep; yet, when she thought of her vision, she couldn’t keep any of the information to herself. Quickly, she raced to the room and shouted, ‘wake up! Wake up
She pushed their door with a fierceness that was unusual to her. At the same time, Dezzy jumped out of bed. She was naked and in bed with Kukoyi.
‘Oh, God! God! No!’ Simi said and returned to the sitting room. ‘Gross!’
Dada stared at her in awe. ‘What’s that?’
Simi sighed. She wondered if it was right to tell him. After all, both Dezzy and Kukoyi were above 18 and had the right to their body. She just couldn’t see them acting in that way. Was that their first time? She wondered.
In no time, they were out of their room.
‘Why did you barge into the room without even knocking?’ Kukoyi growled. She didn’t mind the trace of anger in her voice since he was the one who did wrong.
‘Please, let’s forget that', Simi said against her wish. ‘We have something important'.
Both Dezzy and Kukoyi didn’t reply to her.
Simi said. ‘Yes. We have a pressing matter’.
Dada looked from one person to another and stared at Simi. ‘What?’
‘I saw the woman that’s spearheading this pursuit. Everything can be stopped by simply looking for a certain hotel that will help us defeat her’.
‘Which woman?’ Dezzy wondered. ‘Do you now see visions now?’
‘I wanted to know how to help us stop all these, she replied and glanced at Dezzy.
‘I see… Everyone has been playing with independence’, Kukoyi said.
‘That’s not the matter’, Dada said. ‘Just hear her out. She’s got something worthwhile there’.
‘Defender, we heard already’, Kukoyi replied. ‘I just don’t see how it can happen. The treasures are our priorities. Why do we have to concern ourselves with their need. If worse comes to worst, we give them the stupid things they need and we are done.
‘That’s even true! Why have we never thought in that direction?’ Dezzy said.
Simi couldn’t help but agree with them. As long they got all they needed, she couldn’t understand what else they could possibly need.
‘You’re right…’
‘Right?’ Dada shouted. ‘People die to keep this secret because it was worth keeping’.
Kukoyi moved towards Dada menacingly. ‘We that they want to keep have found a way to solve everything. So, what’s with you? After all, the aim is not to get killed’.
‘And not resurrect a tyrant’, Dada spun from one person to another. ‘That’s the aim. We don’t want to create another tyrant.’
Simi sighed and touched Dada’s arm lightly. ‘Look at it this way. So far, how many people have been killed in the name of saving us?’
Dada stared at her for a while. ‘Let’s say 500…’
‘Wrong!’ Dezzy said.
‘How many more, Dada wondered.
Kukoyi smiled as he strutted forward. ‘Bro. Listen. Dada, you’ve not counted the number of people that died because of the four interpreters that come into a generation. The number of people that have to die before this scroll was eventually discovered. That means some people die hiding this secret. It’s not 500…’
‘Then, probably 5000’.
‘5000!’ Kukoyi shouted. ‘And you said it with all levity. That is the height of wickedness. Someone dying for the power another person needs. We can’t do this, Dada. It’s not right or what do you say, Simi?’.
‘I must agree with you’. Simi sighed. ‘The number that will die in a war might not even be up to that.
‘You guys are not for real…’ Dada shouted. ‘I’m going out. Think of your problems differently’.
Dada marched towards the door. Simi hated that they were making him sad.
‘What if we give you everything?’ Simi said. ‘We hide… And you get everything. I’m tired of running. Trying to kill someone or watching people die.
Dada turned towards them and nodded. ‘That’s a good choice’.
‘So?’
Dada rolled his head. ‘I’ll tell you the next location, and we get the treasures, and we will be done with all these. After all, who is the better person to understand its worth?’
Simi hated that she had to eat that night, but she took up her moimoi and ate. After all, that was the only way to be safe. They all agreed to get back to work the next day.
Dada sighed again as he shook his head in disgust. ‘The next location is Badagry in 1783’.

Chapter 35
After she was gone for a long while, Kukoyi got up and moved out.
‘I want to go find her’, he shouted from outside the house.
‘He doesn’t go out with his Pad’, Dada wondered.
Simi glanced at Dada and saw where he was looking at. Kukoyi’s Ipad was truly on the table. Her mind raced to all the things she wanted to see that she had been deprived of. Scrambling out of her seat, she hobbled towards the iPad. Just as she got near it, Kukoyi entered the house. He was looking furious.
‘What are you trying to do?’ He asked her.
Simi shrugged. ‘I’m yet to use the internet for a long while now…’
‘And you feel my Pad is what can save you of your hunger. Don’t ever dream of touching her. Not now, or ever’.
Simi sighed and walked away. She had wished she could see, at least, the thing happening at home. They would have been concerned about her. Even the young man she left would have had to keep the information of her whereabouts to himself to avoid being called a kidnapper.
Kukoyi grabbed the pad and raced off.
‘What was that about?’ Dada questioned.
‘He’s trying to make sure we’re not found’, Simi said.
‘Like seriously?’ Dada seemed interested. ‘So, you won’t be able to know anything happening in the world’.
‘That’s what has been saving us. Just the two of them can access a computer…’ Simi said and placed her head on the table. She needed sleep, but it wasn’t coming, and that got its disadvantages since she was afraid that the electrical feeling that helped her know she wasn’t ready to transport just yet.
The food had given her enough strength, but now all she needed was a means to regain her power, which was the only thing that made her relevant to the team again.
‘I don’t know how things are done here, but I think they shouldn’t hide anything from you’, Dada responded.
‘See’, she murmured. ‘They have their reasons. It could be because I refused to follow what they want.
‘Which is…?’
‘Dada, I don’t know. I really don’t care that all they want is money and I think I was agreeing with them till you came back and helped me understand why I agreed to go with them at last’, Simi replied.
‘Well, I don’t like this one bit. Nonetheless, I don’t really trust people that want money all the time. They will do anything…’
‘Well, Dezzy isn’t the one leading us’, Simi said.
‘I know Kukoyi is the one calling the shot and I don’t like the way he’s running things here, Dada said and turned towards her. She could see him from the side of her eyes but didn’t even raise her head to acknowledge him. ‘I just don’t want you to fall into any trap. I’ve encountered people like this even in the monastery’.
‘I guess you’re right?’
‘When I eventually got myself into the monastery, I thought I was free from guys like him, but I still encountered them in their numbers. Hungry people everywhere. They wanted me to lead them to the treasures or you guys. When I and people in the monastery disagreed, they eventually led the crew that almost killed me to our locations. Greed! Greed! Everywhere.’ Dada ranted.
Simi didn’t bother heeding him. She closed her eyes and wished they could be done with all these in time. Some hours later, Kukoyi returned, dejected and tired.
‘I found nothing. If she was hiding in the forest, she was doing that well’, Kukoyi explained.
Simi sat up and stared at him without knowing what to say. Seeing this, he left to the other room.
‘So, he went to look for her, that’s all?’ Dada wondered.
Simi nodded. ‘I don’t even know where to look’.
‘Is he not supposed to be one involved in finding things and people’ Dada wondered. ‘Why won’t he find her?’
‘Who knows? Dezzy is the perfect warrior’, Simi replied.
Dada whispered as he moved nearer. ‘That’s my point exactly. He is the perfect finder’.
‘See, Dada. We’re all tired’.
The third day, Dezzy returned, looking exhausted, carrying loads of food.
‘What’s this?’ Dada asked.
Simi jumped out of her seat and hurried to hug her before she could stop herself.
‘I really…. Where have you been? And you refused to return my messages’, Kukoyi raked the moment he saw her.
Dezzy dropped the bags and stood erect. ‘I needed to be under the radar.
‘Of course…’ Kukoyi yelled.
‘I’m sorry, but I needed to fight for you all myself. If I told you I was going to them and they catch you, it would have been disastrous. Dezzy inhaled afterwards.
She then proceeded to explain how she went to free her daughter. The men were genuinely much, and they had set traps for each of them. Simi’s trap was the worse as it had electrical charges that would always keep her in place.
She fought and had to ensure that her daughter and the guardian were safely hidden.
‘What of Ekele?’ Simi asked.
‘I don’t… The boy is sly. He escaped. It’s as if he has some strange power, and I almost got him but maybe next time.
Kukoyi shook his head. ‘Dezzy, that was a stupid decision. Going there was bad. Going without us was stupid and dangerous. You could have put us all in danger. Have you forgotten they will trace us with your presence here?’
‘I know. That’s why it took me a while because I had to take different circles until my scent was everywhere.’, Dezzy explained. ‘Simi, I got you moimoi. We don’t want what happened to you before to happen again.
‘Thank you, Simi said and glanced at Dada, whose smile was big enough to cover his doubt.
‘Let’s talk inside’, Kukoyi said and stormed into the room,
Dezzy rubbed her hair and squirmed as she followed Kukoyi into the room.
‘I think she’s lying. My instinct is always right.’ Dada whispered. ‘They are lying.’
Simi fiddled with the wraps of moimoi. ‘I don’t think….
‘You don’t think? Look at the number of loopholes in their stories. Their stories took porously. I can see through their lies. They are dancing on the mountain like billy-goats. I can’t believe you’re not seeing it’, Dada ranted, despite trying to keep his voice low.
‘I don’t think they are together. But I agree they are lying!’ Simi finally agreed. ‘Dezzy especially’.
‘What do we do?’ Dada wondered.
Simi swallowed’ I’ll follow them in the past.
‘Can that be done?’
‘Of course. I just have to be careful. Won’t your moimoi wear out’?
‘No. I’ll eat moimoi when I’m back. The chocolates I ate will cover for the time’.
‘You’ll go in the night’, Dada said.
Simi nodded. In the night, when they were sure that Dezzy and Kukoyi were asleep, Simi brought out her ring, kissed it thrice, and closed her eyes, thinking about Dezzy outside the home.
‘Calm down! Calm down!’ A man’s voice said.
Simi opened her eyes. She wasn’t in the forest or the estate. She saw them initially. Instead, she was in a room with a dim blue light. She looked about in wonder.

Chapter 34
Simi closed her eyes and thought of a secret place she could watch the girl being kidnapped from. A woman’s scream made her open her eyes. Down below, a white van was opened by the side, and three men were carrying Dezzy’s daughter into the van. Another one pointed a revolver at an older woman, who was down on her knees, screaming for help.
The person with the gun was shouting an instruction at her. Simi raced through the street towards them. Some people felt her presence, and they looked around, but since she was invisible, it was easy to run unperturbed. Her only issue was her size. Yet, she ran with all her mind and pushed herself towards the van. In no time, she was holding on to the van.
This is the time to get to these people, she thought. Simi puffed and pushed herself towards the top of the car. It took all the effort in the world not to crash on to the top, panting. For the first time, she felt happy that Dezzy had been putting her through rigorous physical training.
Hanging on to the top of the car, she was swerved from place to place. Luckily for her, the drivers weren’t speeding. Tears dropped down her eyes. The journey took a while, that Simi had the mind of returning to the present.
They slowed down when they got to a wide-ranging estate. As soon as she got down from the bus, she was exhausted but knew that she had to keep running if she really wanted to help the kid. With that in mind, she tiptoed after the men. The little girl was struggling to be free. Simi wished she could jump at them or cause some rancour, but her power was indeed limited to what she could do.
Not long after, she saw the way things were going, and there wasn’t even an iota of ability in her. All she could was what she was doing: sneaking after them.
Suddenly, as soon as the door was locked behind her, an alarm began to blare. Simi turned frantically as she tried to understand where that was coming from. Immediately, several of the soldiers sprang into action. Their guns were ready as they turned to different sides.
‘Use your glasses’, someone shouted among the new soldiers that were joining them.
Simi turned in time to see Ekele putting on his glasses, which gave her an idea of what they were trying to do.
‘That will help you catch a whiff of where they have been’, Ekele shouted. ‘I knew they would come to catch her… I knew it.
‘I think they are there, someone yelled, and a shot rang.
Simi jumped back and yelled in horror. She was almost shot to death.
‘Idiot. Do you want to kill them?’ Ekele yelled. ‘Do you?’
Simi didn’t need a translator to know she had to disappear. So, she closed her eyes and got back to the future. The scramble she heard made her realise she was back at home.
‘She’s here!’ Dada called.
He jumped out of his seat and rushed towards her. She had never been that excited. Panting hard, she rested her hands on her knees. The imagination of what could have happened to her flashed before her eyes, and she shook her head. If those men had gotten her, she probably would have been locked up like an animal.
‘Where’s she?’ Dezzy asked.
‘She’s in one estate… Erm… King’s Estate’, Simi said sadly.
‘Were you being chased?’ Kukoyi wondered.
‘Worse! They had traps...’ Simi said and eventually got herself to a seat. Quickly, she began to crave food again. She had never anticipated such a trap. ‘They had some sort of google that will make them see me’.
‘How’s that even possible?’ Dada asked.
‘It’s that stupid scientist they have. The guy must have planned it’, Kukoyi reasoned.
‘I think I know what to do’, Dezzy said and went to the other room to change her clothes.
‘What are you up to?’ Kukoyi wondered.
‘I’ll be back…’ She said and left.
Simi kept munching her chocolate as she tried unfailing to stop the fear that was choking her.

Chapter 33
Simi watched with interest as Dada told them most of what they knew and things they didn’t know.
‘According to the original prophecy, alongside you, there will be an interpreter born every twenty years. This will help ensure the powerful ones are given the right information, Dada said. ‘When I was born, I was born in Australia, and some sects about me visited my parents. I think they thought it was a joke and refused to heed them. But the only thing I knew how to do was how to interpret things and decipher symbols, languages. My parents loved this and started a YouTube channel for me.
This sect told my parents to bring the page down, but they were getting more than enough followers. And they still didn’t believe I have been chosen. One day, I just start… I started like a glitching computer. You can check it out on YouTube. Some people still had a recording of me, although my parents tried to pull down these videos. They tried. I was taken to various homes to be taken care of. I saw several doctors. It took several attempts from this sect to let my parents let them see me.
They took me with them, and I’ve been learning how to control the urge to learn everything. They helped me memorise this particular prophecy. Every century four of us are born. When you saw me trying to hide, we were attacked. According to the sect, they have been looking for you guys too and Lambe. We were supposed to have three men that could interpret with us there too. One died last week. The last one is the Lambe you talked about.
I think someone must have betrayed us because they attacked our coven. We, too, have been moving from place to place. And they took Baba Fakoya, the last of us. He’s just 70 plus and can’t fight back. They were trying to get me too because… They killed some of our men that tried to fight back at them. I was about showing my face to them when you showed up.
‘Oh!’ Simi moaned.
‘That bad!’ Kukoyi said. ‘That means they have another man at their place that can tell them about us.’
Dada nodded.
‘Will he do that?’ Dezzy wondered. ‘He should know that they can’t get us’.
Dada shrugged. ‘Baba has taught me how to feign forgetfulness. He might use it for a while, but if those people are as vicious as we’ve seen, they will get him.’
‘Especially with Ekele with them!’ Simi added.
Kukoyi shook his head. ‘They took him in 2012. Ekele couldn’t have been with them. But I think that’s how they must have been knowing when we were.’
‘That’s true… They didn’t know before. But with Ekele in the mix, he must have started prying for information from the man’.
‘God! That’s true…’ Dada wondered.
‘But if that was you in 2012, where would have been all this while?’ Simi wondered and glanced at the others. ‘Can it be you in the future telling them? What do you guys think?’
They all went silent for a while.
‘We’ve not experienced this before, so I don’t even know if it can happen. Can there be two?’ Simi wondered.
Dada shook his head despondently. ‘I really don’t know what to think?’
Dezzy paused what she was doing and turned to each of them before finally talking. ‘Well, whoever is in the future, we’ve to be ahead’.
‘Why were the items hidden?’ Kukoyi dropped his pad.
Dada shrugged again. ‘Simple, Oranyan saw into the future and saw that a woman would try to gain power and would use deceit to get all their powers. She would try to control Yoruba and win, but unlike those before, she would have a precise way of elongating her life. It would cause death to many of our people.
So, Oranyan visited most of the gods and told them his revelation. They all agreed to replicate their deadly weapons and put half of their power in the one they hold, which would disintegrate after the death of their physical bodies. Unlike the original weapons, which would still hold their power even after their death.’
‘Whoa!’ Kukoyi exclaimed.
At the same time, Dezzy groaned. They looked at her. She was staring at her iPad and didn’t even glance at them. Her wide eyes showed that she was afraid of something.
Kukoyi grabbed his iPad. ‘What’s that?’
‘This…’ Dezzy murmured. ‘I got it in my mail now’.
Simi and Kukoyi rose to look at what she was staring at. It was a picture of a girl gagged and had a gun pointed at her head.
‘The message said I should contact them or lose her’.
Kukoyi was visibly rattled. ‘You said she was safe…’
‘Yes,’ Dezzy nodded. ‘I don’t know what happened?
‘They even put a gun to her head’, Simi murmured.
Dada looked from one person to another in wonder.
‘Can you go back in time to save her?’ Dezzy pleaded.
‘I don’t think that’s how it works…’ Kukoyi said.
“But we brought Dada back’, Simi argued.
Kukoyi shook his head. ‘And have you not noticed this is the first human being you brought’.
Simi nodded. ‘What can we now do…?
‘Let me try finding her’, Kukoyi said.
He concentrated and stared blankly into space for some minutes. No one talked as they watched him. For some minutes, Simi thought he was getting all the information they needed.
‘I’ve got nothing’, Kukoyi said, sighed and shook his head.
‘Ah!’ Dezzy inhaled loudly. ‘It’s all my fault’.
Simi looked about for a few seconds, and her face brightened as she realised something. ‘What if… I find something else that you can find’.
‘Yes…Like the car!’ Kukoyi clapped and jumped down. ‘Do that! Do that! Where’s your ring?’
‘Will she be safe?’ Dada asked them.
Simi nodded as Dezzy ran, grabbed her snacks bag, filled it, and threw it at her. ‘What do we find?
Dezzy’s voice was shaky as she said, ‘just go to a time she was kidnapped?’

Chapter 32
The young man was hiding motioned for them to get down. Kukoyi and Simi were quick to heed him, but Dezzy wasn’t one to be easily swayed. She looked around but saw nothing. The moment she turned towards the young man, a loud noise from a large group of people became more pronounced.
‘Get down!’ The young man hissed.
Dezzy didn’t need another instruction before she bent low and peeped. Simi also peeped, and all she could see is a large group in red clothes, using a stick to push people wearing white towards something. Different chants filtered into the air from them: We are one, Yoruba is one; Anyone that doesn’t want our unity will die; we want our power, and we must have it.
The four of them remained there till the dust of the crowd settled, and the noise disappeared from the atmosphere as nothing happened there.
‘Wait.’ The young man said and gently rose.
His eyes were now fixed on the axe in Dezzy’s hand. Instead of remaining fixed on the axe, he looked at the sacks they carried and pried open the mouth of the nearest. Turning swiftly, he looked at Simi, then at Kukoyi, and Dezzy.
‘Ah! Ah! Ifa, I thank you, the young man said and knelt. ‘After many years, we finally found the final three’.
Kukoyi was the first to spring out of his surprise. ‘Which three…?’
‘I know you…’ The young man mumbled something as if he was trying to remember something. ‘Yes. The first shall be lanky and shall be able to search for things hidden… And another shall be given a spirit of warriors. Her beauty shall shine through anything. Then, the last shall receive the ability to move from one generation to another.
The three of them stared at him.
‘That’s an odu Ifa….’ The young man said.
‘English, bro…’ Dezzy snapped at him.
‘You are the three people Oranyan chose to save us from the evil woman trying to take over Yoruba land’, the guy said.
The confidence with which he said this made them know he was right. Kukoyi turned towards Simi as he bit his lower lips. She couldn’t read the expression on his face, and she wasn’t even ready. Aside from that, this young boy knew things about them; she was intrigued by how he quoted the things he said about them. It was fluent in his mouth.
‘What year is this?’
‘2012’, the boy said as Simi checked her wristwatch.
‘He’s right. This is July 2012…’ Simi muttered.
‘Why will you bring us to 2012?’ Kukoyi wondered.
Simi frowned. ‘Do I know? I just thought of going back in time, and I’m here…’
‘We don’t have time… I need to follow you people. There are some people after me because of you guys, the boy said.
‘What’s the name?’ Kukoyi asked.
‘Dada’.
‘Dada, we don’t give strangers a lift’, Kukoyi said.
‘You have to. I have been studying the scroll for years, and I can be the only one to help you, Dada replied as he looked outside again.
‘We’ve got that covered’, Dezzy snapped. ‘Let hide these things and get out.
‘You can’t understand it. That’s why those people wanted me. I’m the only person that can ultimately read the scroll and understanding. The other person that understands it has not been feeling well for a while. He has mental ish, Or so I heard. And some coven people have hiding me and training me because they don’t want me falling into the wrong hand’.
‘How’s that possible? Lambe can read the thing’, Simi said.
‘Lambe. Hmm. I think I’ve heard that name once or twice. He probably is the one. Can we discuss this when we’re out of here…Please?’ Dada pleaded.
‘We need convincing’, Dezzy stated.
‘True that!’ Kukoyi replied.
‘One, that axe is Sango’s original deadly weapon. We have the knife. The bead etc. Since you have the axe, that means you just got the second mission, which is at mountain… The next place will be Badagry’, Dada stated.
Kukoyi couldn’t hide his adoration. ‘I was right.’
‘Right?’ Dada asked in wonder.
‘Yes, Dada, I have been thinking of it. And it seems something around that time.
Dada stretched his hands. ‘Can we go now?’
‘No…’ Dezzy stated as she turned to Simi for support. ‘What’s he bringing to the table?’
‘Knowledge…’ Dada hurried to her front. He glanced at the road and back at them. ‘See me as your map. I’d rather go with you than them’.
‘Just tell us what you know, and we’re all done…’ Dezzy ranted.
‘Is your heart at home in a jar? Don’t you consider what will be done to me?’ Dada grunted.
Dezzy shook her head. ‘No. You told us. And…’
‘That’s why he must follow us, Dezzy’, Kukoyi added. ‘We don’t want them following us through him. Think.’
‘Yes. I don’t think. Isn’t that what you’re saying?’ Dezzy yelled back at him.
‘Let’s get out of here…’ Simi pulled her sack towards the underground room they kept the last sets of gold. The golds were there as they had left them.
‘Drop the axe here too! Until some incantations are invoked, being together won’t really cause havoc’, Dada said offhandedly.
‘What do you mean not really cause?’ Simi wondered.
‘Like for you guys and maybe me or anyone that understands the right incantation, we can easily get around them. But if a novice comes near, they will be fried’, Dada explained.
‘That’s bad’, Simi grunted.
‘We don’t have the whole years to ourselves, Simi and Dada… Let’s get going.’ Kukoyi led the way, and they were in the room a few minutes later.
As they added the new treasures to it, Kukoyi’s eyes reflected how hungry he was for the power. Despite telling them to hurry, he still took his time to run his fingers through the treasures. Simi also felt the urge to gather them in her hands, sleep on them, make them her home, and never leave them again.
‘Let’s get out of here. Two of you acting like goblins or creatures that like gold’, Dezzy growled as she kicked the nearest gold.
Simi stretched her hand, and the others except Dada placed their hands.
‘What are you waiting for?’ Dezzy glanced at him. Quickly and excitedly, Dada limped to do the same.
Closing her eyes and thinking of the latest home, Simi wished they were back home.
‘That was smooth’, Dada said.
‘You think so too, Dada’, Kukoyi added as they separated. Dezzy went about fixing things that were already fixed, Simi opened her bag to unwrap two bars of chocolate, Dada sat on the only bench there, and Kukoyi pulled out his iPad. ‘Do you have any info on why all these things are happening?’
‘Yeah!’ Dada said and stared at Simi, who was eating chocolate. ‘What do you guys know already?’

Chapter 31
By the time Simi finished eating her Eko and honey, Dezzy was ready. Her knives and weapons were fixed at different parts of her body. Somehow, her leather uniform was shining and prepared for war. Simi’s bag was filled with essentials, and they were ready to go.
‘How many trips can this go…?’ Kukoyi asked dejectedly.
‘Four, I think.’, Simi said.
‘You think?’ Kukoyi wondered. ‘Simi, our lives depend on you, and you’re just thinking.
Simi shrugged as she licked her hands. ‘I’m a thinker…’
‘Not this type…’ Kukoyi lamented.
Dezzy came to their middle and dumped three-sack. ‘This will help us again… We don’t need to go back and forth…’
Kukoyi opened his mouth to say something and nodded. Without saying a word, he stretched his hands towards Simi and looked away. Dezzy carried the sack and shared it among. Simi rose and placed hers underneath her armpit.
‘Let’s do this!’
Simi closed her eyes and thought of the mountain in 2020.
‘Doctor!’ Someone shouted from afar.
Simi opened her eyes just in time to see someone running through where they were into another part of the mountain. The person saw them and stopped. Her nurse dress immediately made them understand they were now in a hospital. She looked around and back at them. Her face was covered with a nose mask, and she wore gloves.
‘What are you guys doing here?’ She lamented. ‘And where are your gloves?’
With that, she withdrew from them. ‘We’re people here! We’re humans! You can’t come and infest us!’
They all looked around in surprise.
‘This is…’
Kukoyi was the first to get out of the surprise. ‘Madam, I’m sorry. What are you talking about?’
‘You three are… You, not COVID patients?’
‘What’s Covid?’ Simi asked.
The nurse scoffed and blinked as if she was trying to comprehend what she was seeing. She glanced up and down as if she was accessing them.
‘Are you guys mad?’ She muttered and covered her mouth. ‘I’m sorry about that? You know what? People are dying. You can’t be walking around here without covering your nose and the rest. Get yourselves out of the way, get into one of the wards. Me… I’m not ready to die!’ She scrambled out of their reach and ran off. ‘And what’s that sack!’
The three of them looked around as if they were in the wrong place.
‘Where are we?’ Kukoyi murmured.
‘You brought us to the right place, right?’ Dezzy wondered.
Simi opened her palm. ‘I don’t know… Should we go back?’
‘And waste the remaining three? Do you like… Use your brain at all.
‘I…’ Simi was about to say.
‘It’s enough! Let’s get outside!’ Dezzy shouted and moved towards what looked like the door leading outside.
Kukoyi sighed. ‘We’re dunzo…’
Simi was frustrated and ready to shout when another person, just like the first nurse towards them. Despite the mask covering her nose, her eyes reflected her fear. It became wider, and she started saying something that was muffled by the mask she wore. Then, she stopped and slightly shifted her nose mask.
‘You all are not wearing a mask!’
Kukoyi moved forward. ‘We’re lost here!’
‘Lost in the mountain of Ekiti. Isolation centre. Ah… Lost. Lost. In isolation centre. They’ve released mad people o’ the woman said and turned towards the mountain. ‘Mad people have been released into the isolation centre’.
The woman ran away from them. Seeing her run away made the three of them turn, and that’s when they saw the name of where they are at Olosunita Mountain Isolation Centre, Ekiti State. Simi turned towards them and smirked.
They didn’t need to react. Kukoyi led the way out of the gate. The journey downhill showed empty streets, despite people’s presence. All of them, like the nurses, were also wearing nose mask and were looking at them as if they’ve never seen anyone without a facemask before. Suddenly, someone fell from afar and began to convulse. Some other people yelled, and four medical practitioners raced towards the gate.
‘We need to get back…’ Kukoyi said.
‘Or another time’, Dezzy suggested.
‘Another time…We can’t go to the past…’ Simi said and stretched her hand.
‘Yes. Let’s go. 10 years from now, this whatever this disease will be gone?’ Kukoyi said.
‘I don’t’ know.’ Dezzy looked worried.
‘Let’s try, and we will be back another time.
At first, they looked for places they wouldn’t be seen. Then, Simi stretched her hands, and in no time, they were in the mountain. It still had the facilities used in taking care of the people they saw falling, but Simi held on to her sack.
‘Can you feel the treasures?’ Dezzy wondered.
Kukoyi went silent for a while and looked about. After what seemed like forever, his face brightened.
‘I found it…’
He led the way towards the place, and in no time, they were packing the gold into the place. Like the last time, the gold began to reduce again. Their pace soon became fast, and they were hurrying through filling their pack. As they were doing this, Simi wished all there was enough. She wanted this to be done with, but it just couldn’t happen, and she was sure the best way to get away was to follow Kukoyi’s plan.
As she was about picking the last treasure, she seemed to hear footsteps but warded it off. The echo in the mountain had that effect on them.
‘We have two trips left?’ Kukoyi said and looked at Simi. She reciprocated his looks but refused to respond to his words with anything. ‘I guess I’m right.
Simi sighted an axe. Its texture looked different. It was handy but had a deadly vibe to it that made her want to use it. And truly, picking it up, the only thing she desired was to swing it with a full force at anyone that came her way. The feeling she had towards Kukoyi about his ways and words began to form, and anger towards him grew.
‘Wow!’ Dezzy said and snatched the axe. Admiring it, her eyes suddenly turned red. The axe shook terribly in her hand. The vibration made Simi jumped back, with Kukoyi doing the same.
‘Who are those?’ Someone yelled from another end of the mountain.
His beard was filled with more than enough debris of bear and the cigar in his hands. Another bottle of gin was in hand. The Gucci polo he wore hung from his body like it is drying out on his body. Dezzy turned towards him.
‘Yeh! Kabiru….’ The guy shouted and removed his gun.
Dezzy was fast. She threw the axe at him, and in a quick sweep, his head was rolling down. Dezzy rushed over to the cutlass. Some people shouted in the mountain. Their noise echoed through as if they were in a different part of the mountain.
‘Drop the axe!’ Kukoyi shouted.
‘Don’t you dare tell me what to do’, Dezzy shouted.
Simi sucked in a breath. ‘Please. We need to go…’
Dezzy looked at them and rushed to Simi, whose hand was stretched.
‘To the place, we kept the last gold?’ Simi said.
‘Of course. Let’s go’, Kukoyi said and moved away from Dezzy.
Simi closed her eyes and thought of the location, and they disappeared.
‘Not again… ‘Kukoyi said.
‘Please, hide.’ Someone said. Simi opened her eyes to see a young man, about her age, trying to hide.

Chapter 30
‘Oh wait! There’s nothing here!’ Dezzy grumbled. ‘There’s nothing here!’
‘What? Dezzy, that’s right. You’re right!’ Kukoyi replied, and they looked about. The room was empty, even worse than their first arrival at the location.
‘I’m never wrong!’ Dezzy replied.
‘What’s the time?’ Kukoyi turned to Simi, whose face was still flushed. Although she was sure she could disappear if the need came, she still needed rest and good food. The pang of hunger was eating deep into her mind and making her wish she could return to the past and remain there.
‘It’s…’ Simi said and looked at them. ‘Today is 21st September 2004’.
‘2004! Are you drunk?’ Dezzy yelled.
‘Simi, what were you thinking. That’s long past anything we hope to achieve’.
‘I don’t know. I was scared and just wanted to leave there… Did I do wrong?’ Simi slumped on the ground. ‘I’m hungry…’
‘Let’s get back to the future are…’ Dezzy instructed.
‘Maybe there’s something here for us…’ Kukoyi wondered and looked about.
‘You’re like… Mad!’ Dezzy yelled. ‘Let’s get back to the future and be done with this useless life…’ Dezzy cried.
‘I don’t believe in coincidence…’ Kukoyi shouted and closed his eyes.
‘Of course, you don’t’, Dezzy raised her head and spun towards Simi. ‘It’s all your fault’.
‘Please, leave me alone o…’ Simi cried. ‘Just leave me be!’
Kukoyi muttered under his breath as he moved about in the house.
‘Let’s get going!’ Dezzy yelled. This time, she was hysterical, and they looked at her in wonder.
‘Why are you taking these things serious?’ Simi grunted.
‘Because you’re wasting my time. My baby is waiting to see me. ‘Dezzy ranted. ‘You don’t have much to go back to. Same goes for you’.
‘This may be the lamest thing I’ve ever done, Kukoyi said as he moved around the house. He disappeared into the other room. Simi felt that she was able to move again as she could feel herself ready to move anywhere. Before now, she could pull them through to any place, but now she was hundred percent sure she could scale through.
‘All right!’ Simi rose and flopped her hands by her side. ‘You’re right!’
‘We’re not coming back to this house… Let’s go to one of the other houses’, Dezzy instructed.
‘As your lordship pleases. Simi rested against the wall.
‘I said it!’ Kukoyi shouted from the other room. Dezzy was already dashing into the room before they ran into each other by the door.
‘Are you drunk?’ Dezzy cried.
‘I highly doubt that!’ Kukoyi said and pointed a dusty scroll at them. ‘This is why we came here!’
‘A scroll!’ Simi was bemused.
The scroll looked as if it had been there for a while now. It smelt of moisture and dust. A regular book lover would have wanted to have the scroll under his nose, but Simi just wanted out.
‘Let’s get out!’
‘We don’t even know what this is?’ Kukoyi said and began to reread the scroll. ‘If not that I have seen some words that look like ours, I would have assumed this was just a random scroll or something else.
He opened the scroll, and they all moved nearer to read what was written on it. The time was enough to take over their mind, and all Simi could see were jumbles of words. The writings were tiny but written in Yoruba.
‘Let’s get back home!’ Dezzy said and turned towards Simi. ‘You know what to do’.
With his eyes still glued to the scroll, Kukoyi nodded absentmindedly. ‘Let’s get back here!’
Simi closed her eyes.
‘How these things change still baffle’, Kukoyi said. ‘In one swift second, we’re here.
Simi opened her eyes to discover that they were back to the house they were hiding before they escaped to where they met Lambe. The house still had all the mark of Dezzy’s knife throwing, and many junks gathered dust and cobwebs.
‘I need food!’ Simi yelled and raced towards the end with the snacks.
‘Yes. Foodie!” Dezzy grunted.
‘Judgy much! Kukoyi said and walked away.
His pad was now nestled among his fingers as he typed and repeatedly glanced at the open scroll. Dezzy studied the scroll from over his shoulders. Simi’s hunger got the best of her. The room suddenly became small to her. The only thing in her eyes were the food and her desire for more. Unlike before, the pang of hunger was much. She ate everything she felt would quell the pang, but it was a fruitless effort.
Watching the two as she ate, Simi knew she must always ensure they got all the power of the gods and keep them somewhere it won’t get into the hands of anyone. Yet, it can be useful for people too. Oranmiyan left them in the future because he probably wanted people to find them eventually. Even if she didn’t meet the man, she met Lambe and would want to use doing that to honour him.
‘I’m not understanding this thing…’ Dezzy lamented after a while.
‘Dezzy, rest. You need it’, Kukoyi said. ‘You too, Simi. You both need your rests. I will do my research and keep watch. When you wake, I will take turn to rest’.
Simi didn’t even bother arguing or concerning herself with Dezzy’s argument about him being also tired. She dusted what used to be her former bed. By now, Cobwebs and debris were on it. After a tired dusting of the bed, she crashed into the and slept off.
When she woke hours later, Kukoyi was sleeping soundly in another bed, and Dezzy was practising with a stick outside. Simi watched her from the window and changed her focus to the sun. Nothing seemed right. Yoruba proverb says that one doesn’t look at the mouth of the axe to get the honey in the mountain. This time, she was tired and wanted to sleep, eat, stop running, and get back to life.
For two days, they took a turn trying to decipher the scroll’s message, but it wasn’t working. All she knew was that she was tired. On the fourth day, Dezzy left home and suddenly returned with an antelope, a bush rat, and her makeshift spear. Bloodstains were all over her bunny packed hair and her dark skin. However, she didn’t seem to care. Her only focus was dropping the animal.
Within a few hours, she had skinned the animals and placed them on fire. Simi tried helping but could only do a little. When they eventually ate it, Simi had to attest that the meat was the best she had eaten in a while.
‘I got it!’ Kukoyi yelled five days later as she and Dezzy were sitting outside the house, watching the bushes that surrounded them, not talking.
Dezzy jumped up while Simi sluggishly followed.
‘Where…. ‘
‘It says ‘In Coal, their integrity lies…’
‘What does that mean?’ Simi wondered, leaning in on their discussion.
‘Ekiti State…’ Kukoyi replied. He looked at both of their eyes with the excitement radiating in his face.
‘Are you sure? And where?’ Dezzy asked but not looking at his face.
‘It’s the mountains… Do you see where the statement said in the rocky sides, the power of the ages lies…?’
‘Hmm!’ Simi replied, nodding. ‘You’re right!’
‘When do we leave?’ Dezzy asked.
‘When else, Dezzy?’ Kukoyi stated. ‘Today…’
Simi sighed and glanced at her food bag.

Chapter 29
‘What was that?’ Simi wondered.
Dezzy shrugged. ‘When we get back home…’
‘Can’t we try going back again’, Kukoyi said, and he replied himself before anyone could answer. ‘Well, we’ve got to preserve one for home’.
‘Where’s home?’ Simi asked.
‘Yeah! When we get back’, Kukoyi said. ‘Simi, please take us back to the place we dropped all the money.
Simi closed her eyes, and they were back at the location’.
‘Welcome…’ Someone said.
Dezzy didn’t let him finish his words before she jumped at him. Simi backed away immediately. The man was heavily built and good with the knife, but Dezzy seemed like she had all the training in her body. As they kept charging at each other, Simi jumped out of their way. Even Kukoyi couldn’t move near them. Their fight was swift as if they had practised each other’s move.
At different intervals, Kukoyi kept throwing things at the man, which eventually gave Dezzy an upper hand. Jumping in the air to gain more power, she hit her elbow on the assailant’s head. He yelled and crumbled. Dezzy didn’t give him a second chance before she jumped on and began choking the life out of him.
Every part of Simi’s heart flared like they just encountered an allergy. ‘Don’t kill him!’
‘Like this is your first time of seeing her’, Kukoyi said.
‘Leave him na. Let’s tie him or something…’ Simi pleaded.
Dezzy placed her hands around his neck and choked him till he wasn’t breathing.
‘Good with you?’ Dezzy asked as she allowed the body to rest.
Simi opened her mouth and closed it repeatedly before she eventually got words out of her mouth. ‘You killed someone, and you think I’m good with it…’
‘I didn’t kill him. I only gave a choke”, Dezzy explained as she watched from one person to another. ‘I wish I kill him though’.
‘If you move…’ Someone shouted from another part of the room.
They all turned in time to see another man coming into the house. He was also as heavily built as the man on the floor.
‘Who are you?’ Dezzy asked, her weapon still drawn.
Simi wished Dezzy understood how to use the shiny Oduduwa’s knife, but it was useless in her hand until they know how to use it.
The man looked down and back at them. ‘You did this?’
‘I am here to get you…’ the man said. By now, his fingers were tighter around the gun he held as if he wanted his veins to burst out. Simi looked him over and could see several weapons at different places.
‘Who are you?
‘I’m here for you. An independent source contracted me to get you. I guess you’re important to some people. The retainer is good’, the man said.
‘Like a bounty hunter’. Dezzy said, glanced at Simi and back at him. She was poised, ready to fight, but the gun with the hunter made her hold her ground.
‘C’mon. There’s no time to waste. Hey, you with the cutlass, you will tie the man and the fat little girl, and we can proceed from there, the man said.
‘We can help you make a lot of money, Kukoyi pleaded.
‘And keep my pride or elevate me in ranking. My money is always sweet when I win it, the bounty hunter shouted.
Dezzy made to move, but the bounty hunter shot the ground near her, making her jump back.
‘My reflexes are topnotch. Don’t try messing with me…’ The bounty hunter shouted and looked around. He sighted two ropes at the other end. ‘There, pick those ropes up.’
Dezzy stared at him for a while and glanced at Kukoyi. He made a face at her and glanced at the ropes. Dezzy gritted and moved away.
‘And get it, I shall…’ Dezzy started moving towards the rope.
‘Nah… Nah! That was too fast and convenient. Drop that weapon…’ The man ordered and gripped his gun harder. ‘Drop the damn thing…’
Dezzy raised her hands and dropped the weapon. Yet, the fear didn’t leave his face. His agitation spiked anxiety in Simi’s heart as she prayed that he wouldn’t feel like using the gun.
The bounty hunter brought out a phone and called someone. ‘I found them… Yeah! They are… Yes, three. All of them.
Dezzy went to get the rope and returned with it.
‘What do we do?’ Simi whispered as Dezzy tied their hands.
‘We have to fight!’ Dezzy suggested.
‘Simi, get us out of here, Kukoyi suggested.
‘Get!’ Simi was disgusted. ‘Didn’t we use the last one to get back here after you made us exhaust the last set on your crazy expenditure?’
‘I’ve forgotten!’ Kukoyi grunted.
‘You will forget!’
‘No more argu…’
Suddenly a loud bang rang in the background, making even Dezzy jump in surprise.
‘Yasmine’, the huge man said as he fell flat with a grunt and stopped breathing, moving, or making any sound.
They turned to see a dark lady entering the room. Her leather jacket gave her a different vibe and made her feel like she had just worn the best dress in the world. Wearing wine glasses to support the jacket, she looked ravishing and would have made Simi want to go to the gym immediately if not for the gun in her hands.
‘Yeah!’ Yasmine rejoiced ‘I got you. Ah! Ah! I’m the boss…’
She looked about to see what was happening around them. Seeing them all tied up made her smile.
‘Justin did all the work for me’, she said and looked down. ‘Sorry bro. I’m sad about your demise. I just can’t let you have this money. It’s too much for one person, and you won’t want to share it.
She brought out a pad and pawed at it angrily. ‘Whoa! Whoa! The idiot just told the whole world that you’re here.
Hissing with anger, she moved towards the three of them with her gun pointed at them. ‘Shift towards the wall’.
Dezzy made to move, but the lady’s gun was trained on her.
‘I really don’t want to maim you before they get here… Sit there like a good girl. I’ve heard a lot about you. Suppose I’m not after you guys. I would have really loved to be like you. Most of those guys have told us a whole lot about you… You know them… The soldiers’.
Simi looked at her and wished all these would come to an end in a few minutes.
‘Sleep!’ Kukoyi suggested.
Immediately, Dezzy’s face became brighter with excitement. ‘Yes… Sleep. Fatty, sleep’.
Simi understood what they wanted from her. Yet, she wondered if she could sleep with the hideous lady sitting opposite her. Silence filled everywhere. Even the lady stared at them as if she was worried that anything would take away this chance from them.
Simi closed her eyes and thought of everything they’ve done since she met them. The last time she had a sound sleep was when they didn’t worry about anything. Her mind danced on every experience she had ever had. The rush and pain and the joy of each experience. She thought of the near-death incidents and all the time she had wished she could be involved in the things happening.
She didn’t know how long she slept, but when someone roused her out of sleep, she knew she finally got the chance to rest.
‘Wake!’ Dezzy shouted.
Simi looked about and discovered that Yasmine wasn’t anywhere in the room.
‘How long have I have been asleep.?
‘For some hours.?’ Kukoyi said. ‘Simi can you disappear now?’
‘I’m hungry!’ Simi muttered.
‘I’m hearing someone talk about food’, Yasmine said and strutted into the room.
’ Yes, she needs to eat… We’ve not eaten for some days now. But please, if you give her the food, we don’t mind’.
‘Yes! Daddy fighting for his daughter!’ Yasmine mocked.
Dezzy didn’t show any emotion, but her eyes betrayed how she wanted them to move nearer to each other. Yasmine looked at them as if she could read their minds. Birds chirp should have made her understand what they plan to do, but she didn’t get the clue.
‘Alright! I’ll get you the food. Where’s your damn kitchen!?’ She said and meandered about. ‘I should eat some things too’.
‘Check the end of the room! The food should be there….’
Yasmine went off, and soon enough, different wrappers cracked. ‘I like where you guys put all your stuff… whoa! You’ve got this chocolate. My favourite!’
She came towards them with her eyes, darting from one person to another. ‘Have you guys ever taken the time to eat this chocolate with ice cream! I mean real ice cream. The…’
‘Give someone the food!’ Dezzy shouted.
‘Girl! Calm down! Your vibe is fiery, and wants me to grab you now. Like we should go on a one on one. But no. They said you guys are having some sort of demons working in you’.
‘God forbid!’ Simi shouted.
‘You shut your nastiness, assassin girl’, Dezzy shouted.
‘Please! I’m Yasmine, for the record. Anything that controls you without your natural power is a demon.! Take me, for example…. My urge to kill is the real demon for me’.
‘Please, the food!’ Kukoyi pleaded.
‘Yes! The food! And that’s because you asked nicely. I will pick the food for you… Which one will you like…?’ Yasmine said.
‘Eko… The one in the leave wrapper and honey!’ Simi said with a trembling voice.
Yasmine paused for a while and looked about. ‘This… What kind of food?’
She brought in gently placed them in front of Simi, whose eyes showed how excited she was to get the food. ‘Thank you…’ Simi murmured as she took the first morsel.
When Simi could feel the urge in her body, she swallowed hard and nodded at the others. Kukoyi sighed, and Dezzy exhaled.
At the same time, a loud noise of a vehicle could be heard. The bounty huntress jumped down and clapped happily like a girl whose crush has just arrived.
‘We’re ready for some excitement.
‘Ekele’, She murmured.
To see him has been on her mind for a while, but with the way things had gone for some days now, she wasn’t as if they would have a future of forever, and she wouldn’t have the chance to see him. If her ability were such that she could take Ekele into the future, she would have been happy.
Yasmine hurried out of the room. Immediately, Kukoyi and Dezzy came near Simi. Yasmine came in and saw the sign that she was in for a long time. So, she hurried closed her eyes, but fast enough to stop Simi from closing her eyes and thinking of their former house. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw they were truly in the place they first met Lambe. Tears flooded down her eyes.
‘I wished I saw Ekele’.
‘Me, too…’ Dezzy murmured. ‘He would have straightened your head with fire!’

Chapter 28
They all slept early to ensure they got up as early as they could. Although Simi was also against Kukoyi’s eccentric behaviour, she enjoyed the fun that was coming with trying out the gorgeous bed, the air conditioner, and the excellent food they served them. At the sight of the food, she pounced on it and devoured it, tearing the meat viciously. It was after she was done that she looked up to see the smirk on Dezzy’s face.
‘Simi, if Lambe were here, you would have heard an earful….’ Kukoyi said.
‘True… He probably would have screamed Oku ounje…’ Simi murmured from the mouthful.
‘FFO’, Dezzy added, and Simi could swear she saw a flash of a smile on her face before it eventually disappeared.
By 5 am, the following day, they were ready to leave. Dezzy had gotten a small backpack that would contain most of her weapon after Kukoyi reminded her that she couldn’t possibly be seen walking through the streets with weapons. At first, it would be cool with others, but they will eventually begin to suspect them. As they were getting out of the room, Kukoyi called the three bike men he had negotiated with the previous day.
Driving to Osun Groove was really cold and kept becoming colder per time. Simi wished she was in bed. If not that she was being chased, she might have given up the thought of following them. Folding her hands around herself on the bike, she tried not to fall as they were driven off to the groove.
After a while, Kukoyi’s biker sped past theirs while shouting an instruction at the other bikers. They stopped at him. The whirl of the cold wind got through all the pores of Simi’s skin. She wished all these weren’t happening that she wasn’t forced to be a part of the team.
‘Here we are’, Kukoyi turned to them. ‘Let’s do…’
‘Are you sure we can make that six times left for Simi?’ Dezzy wondered.
‘I’m not sure. But this will be able to pack enough. Or we might rest for a day, find her moimoi and Eko, and we’re off to get the rest of the treasures before we eventually find the other locations’, Kukoyi added.
‘Clarify…’ Simi said.
Kukoyi rubbed his groin. ‘Simple: We carry for as many times as we can then, we come back when you’re well-rested…’
‘I understand that part…Why do we have to rest to come back again..’
‘Because…’
Dezzy raised her hands. ‘Lower your voice.’
Kukoyi moved nearer to her. ‘How many times do I have to say we need this money?’
‘Greed…’
‘Not here again. Let’s go…’ Dezzy urged.
Kukoyi led the way. ‘Watch out for the bad road’.
Dezzy shook her head. ‘I don’t like this plan you made with them about light…’
‘When we are near, we will get it …’
Kukoyi led the ay there, and it was becoming a reality to Simi by the seconds. Suddenly, something rattled in the bush by their side. Simi jumped back. Dezzy drew out her sword and was ready to strike.
‘No shout! Na me. Na me!’ Someone hissed from the bush.
‘Who?’ Dezzy growled.
‘Oga…’ The person said. They couldn’t make out his figure from the dark. ‘You give me money yesterday to allow you, people, to enter here’.
‘Yes…’ Kukoyi affirmed.
‘Military men dey that place o’.
‘Osun River’.
‘Yeah! Yeah!’ Dezzy said.
‘I no lie. I saw them. Like twenty. They have a gun. I don dey my house since they wait you. But I see them, I know say na here una go pass.’
‘Who is he?’ Simi asked
‘I paid him to help us… To give us free passage’, Kukoyi said.
‘Since we’ve stolen money, I think bribing gets a free pass’, Simi said and looked about.
‘Simi, don’t go all churchy all me. I’m doing these for all of us’.
Simi refused to answer him.
‘I don’t believe him…’ Dezzy said.
‘No need for long talk. Come see…’ The short man said and gently parted the bushes. The moon reflected on what could be the river, and Simi was sure she saw people there. They weren’t even trying to hide. They stood as if they were ready for a confrontation.
Dezzy stared in wonder. ‘Are they not supposed to catch us…’
‘I don’t know, but we can’t make it today again….’ Simi concluded.
‘Have you forgotten what I told you guys…? The golds are reducing…’
‘Hallucination at best.’.
‘Let’s go and re-strategise…’ Simi advised as she sneaked out of the bush.
Kukoyi stopped. ‘Not so fast. I know where we are going from here!’
‘Where?’ Dezzy asked.
‘Back to the past…’
‘Use your words wisely’, Dezzy said. ‘We’re not alone.
‘Whatever! But… we’re going today.
Dezzy sighed. ‘I swear on your future grave, if I get to the person chasing us, I will kill them’.
‘Oh! It’s fresh to hear you talk about my death… Dying at your hands is love, I guess’, Kukoyi said and led the way out.
Simi shook her head. ‘You can’t kill Ekele…’
‘I wasn’t saying you will die, Dezzy whispered loudly as Kukoyi got into the paths. ‘And who cares about the murderer chasing us’.
‘I do…’
‘I…’ Dezzy was saying but kept shut and followed Kukoyi. They walked the distance till they out of the path.
When they were sure that they were out of the path, Kukoyi motioned for them to stop. ‘We’re going back in time.
‘Of course… Why did we waste our time to come here?’ Simi murmured.
‘Because if you remember well, we were letting you rest to be able to move the golds. Kukoyi responded.
‘We don’t have all the time in the world’, Dezzy snapped.
Simi, who was about to respond, kept quiet and glanced at Dezzy. ‘Alright, let’s do this.
Sighing, Simi stretched her hand and glanced at the ring. ‘Where are we going?’
‘A past without all these hullaballoo’, Kukoyi stated as she glanced back.
Simi closed her eyes and imagined themselves in the past time without security measures or anyone around the river.
‘Holy….’Kukoyi yelled.
Simi opened her eyes and saw themselves on the same spot as they had come before. This time, however, water was everywhere. If Simi hadn’t been there before, she would have believed that the place had never witnessed dry land.
‘Going back…’ Simi announced.
‘Going back?’ Kukoyi shouted. ‘Are you sane? The gold is disappearing, and you want to return..
‘No evidence for this claim’, Dezzy muttered.
‘I’m going in, and there’s no turning back…’ Kukoyi said with his eyes fixed on the hole.
They could still navigate their way through the water. Simi wouldn’t have gone if not that she was afraid of being left alone in the midst of the might forest and the water. Clambering through the water, they pushed their way into the cave.
The treasures were shining within the water.
‘Headway. We’re getting something,’ Kukoyi yelled as he hurried.
The rivers were beginning to grow by now, and Simi had to stop to tie her gown at the edge. She wasn’t going to be drowned because of the lousy cloth. Dezzy kept glancing back and throwing instruction at both of them on how they ought to move. Sometimes, Simi always forgot that Dezzy was just in her late teens.
‘I told you…’ Kukoyi yelled.
Simi didn’t know what he was shouting about, but she wished he didn’t shout because the water seemed suddenly rattled, and she felt it breathe. Shaking her head, she moved forward. It was probably her imagination. However, she couldn’t deny that a bullfrog only has to croak once to wake up the entire pond.
‘Strange!’ Dezzy said.
‘The treasures were more than this’, Kukoyi announced.
‘Whoa!’ Simi murmured when she eventually caught up with them. The treasure she saw was double of what she was looking at there. ‘Why and how?’
‘I don’t know, but we have to…’
Suddenly, the water roared like it had been waiting for this.
‘I think I know this time in history, Kukoyi muttered and looked about. ‘This was the time Osun got angry at people.
‘I don’t know about you, but I’m going now, Simi said. Her shaky voice should have made her audible, but she ensured she put every energy into it.
‘Where do we go?’ Dezzy wondered.
‘I know… I know. My great-grandfather’s uncompleted building. Nobody got there because they felt it was haunted’.
‘History teacher’, Dezzy grumbled. ‘Let’s get out of here.
‘Yes o... Where’s it? How do I get there?’ Simi quivered’.
‘Just think of Ibadan… And a lonely house. Or think of me, my grandfather’s house and… that it’s abandoned. You know how you do your thing’.
Dezzy looked at them. ‘Bring out your sack. Everybody pack treasures’.
They began to pack the treasures while the water roared. Simi couldn’t take it anymore.
‘Let’s go…’
‘No... Let’s pack enough.’ Kukoyi yelled.
‘Then, we’ll come back for you’, Simi cried.
‘Oh! Simi, don’t be a girl’, Kukoyi snapped. ‘
‘I am a girl…’
‘Shoot!’ Kukoyi cried as he almost fell from the pull… ‘Oh! These things are reducing drastically…’
Dezzy shouted, ‘we’ve got to hurry.
‘Indeed…’ Simi held on to her bag with one hand and thought of all the variables he threw at her.
‘It worked’, Kukoyi yelled.
‘This is it?’ Dezzy wondered.
‘Yes…’
Dezzy sighed. ‘When you said haunted, I thought it was completed…’
‘Whatever you say, Kukoyi said and began to offload the bag’ ‘Let’s hurry to get back.
‘I’m going nowhere, Simi retorted.
‘We’re not done, Kukoyi said.
‘Not me and you…’
‘Baby girl. We can still make one more round’, Dezzy pleaded.
After much deliberation, Simi took her word for it and offloaded her pack. Although she knew it wouldn’t do anything, she grabbed the chocolate and munched it.
‘You’re wasting it?’ Dezzy complained.
‘We’ve got enough. Let her be!’ Kukoyi shouted.
‘Please, stop patronising her…’
Simi glanced from one person to another as she munched the chocolate…
She stretched her hands and they were gone in no time. This time, however, the water had reduced…
‘Whoa! The treasure!’ Kukoyi yelled again.
This time, the treasure had reduced drastically and was visibly decreasing. They could now see how it was turning to water’…
‘Is it… Did we just return home with water?’ Simi asked.
Quickly, they began to pack it, and this time, the water roared again. Simi was faster as she felt the pull of the water on her leg. ‘I can’t feel my leg ooo’.
‘Let’s get out!’ Kukoyi yelled as he also struggled to remain standing.
They packed the rest they could and splashed through the increasing water to where Simi was waiting for them. As soon as they got there, Dezzy’s knife glowed. They all glanced from earth other’s face to the glowing knife.

germaphobe:
Pls don't kill lambe not now i'm starting to like him.

Yeah... He's a great character..

Chapter 27
‘We need all the help we can…’ Suseyi said.
Simi opened her eyes to realise she was in a well-furnished room. She glanced at her wristwatch and saw that she went back to the previous year. At the other end, she could Alhaji Ganiyu, Suseyi, and one rich fat man.
‘We’re here because I have made the preparations for the future. I like what you’re all trying to do, don’t get me wrong, a fat man said.
The thickness of his Yoruba accent couldn’t be compared to the tribal mark on his face. Because he was within the house, he had removed his cap, which revealed the end of the long tribal mark, drawn from his chin to the middle of his bald head.
‘Chief, you’re doing the right thing. And we appreciate you for that…’ Ganiyu said. ‘I, for one am in this place because I started this thing with them all and want to be sure everything ended smoothly’.
Suseyi stared at him and shrugged. ‘I really do hope that’s true. It would be a shame to know you are the one trying to sabotage…’
Ganiyu frowned. ‘Sabotage? Why will I?’
Suseyi frowned. ‘You’re always a saboteur. Always. In friendship, academics and all…’
Ganiyu clapped. ‘I really don’t know we’re here to air our dirty linen...’
‘Please, my people. I know I am a social pariah, and I can’t give you enough power that you seek. As much as I would like to do like many others and ride on my bad fame, I haven’t killed my conscience’, Chief said. ‘So, I will indulge you all. Do everything you want but what I need from you all is a good return on the money. That’s why I brought this bag of money for you all’.
‘And that we will do. I and most of the others are only supporting this for the rewards’.
Chief slam his cap on his head. ‘Then, we’re clear on this thing. My money is waiting for me. I’ve started making plans on how to trade those golds…’
‘We don’t know if they are all gold…’ Ganiyu stated.
Suseyi glanced at him. ‘Sabo… Ah! Whatever they are, Chief, they all belong to you except the power I told you about…’
‘Please, I know what’s at stake. I might want my money, but I’m still loyal to what we all want here. After all, when it all ends, people like me would still have a stake in this thing. I can’t let it go that way…’ Chief frowned as he spewed the words.
Simi couldn’t bear to listen to them anymore. Sneaking through their different seats, she walked to the middle. Just as she got to the middle, Suseyi raised his hand.
‘I was…’ Chief said.
‘Shh!’ Suseyi said and looked about. ‘Something is here with us…’
‘Are you sure?’ Chief looked about in surprise…
‘He’s sure… Even me can feel something’, Ganiyu said and stared towards Simi.
She knew her presence could be revealed in anytime. Without wasting time, she hurried towards the bag.
Suseyi grabbed something out of his pocket licked his lower lips. She bent and grabbed the bag, making it wrinkle. Chief jumped back in horror. Unluckily for him, the seat stopped him, making him howl.
‘What’s that…?’
Simi didn’t need another motivation to close her eyes. She imagined herself back in the future time with her people.
‘She’s back…’
Jumping back, she wheezed. Her body didn’t stop vibrating from the fear. ‘They almost caught me…’
‘Simi, that would have been bad…’ Kukoyi hurried towards her. She nodded.
Instead of coming to her, he opened the bags.
‘You didn’t have to bring all the money. This is too much’, Dezzy said. Kukoyi raised his hands.
‘Oh! Dezzy… Oh! Simi…This is money…’ Kukoyi said. ‘We don’t need to even go through all these processes again…We can simply start scouting for corrupt leaders, and…’
‘Oh! Bro… We have to…’ Dezzy said. ‘I agreed to be a thief this once because it was essential’.
Simi nodded. ‘And that’s truly my last robbery….’
Kukoyi opened and closed his mouth severally. ‘Cut me a little slack…You both know my idea is spot-on…We wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate… This is the chance to get money…’
‘I’m not stealing anything for you…’ Simi said.
Kukoyi slapped the air. ‘Please, spare me the sanctimony. I like…totally… See… We’re beat. There’s nothing here for us than to suffer. Yeah! There’s a lot of money in selling the gold, but what’s in doing two things at the same time.
‘Yapper. That’s what you’re.’ Dezzy said and got ready.
Simi took her time to express her frustration at his greed. ‘The gold is enough from what I saw there. We don’t have to worry about money even on behalf of ten generations from now…’.
‘I…’ Kukoyi flapped his hands by his side and walked away.
The next few days saw them preparing for their journey to Osun state. It was to be a thorough search. Before they left their new home, Kukoyi ensured he buried the remaining money.
When they were all done, Dezzy took her time to check Simi and all she wore. Ensuring her bag was still filled with food, she also checked for the ring.
Dezzy rubbed Simi’s hair. ‘In case we encounter anything, you might have to disappear. We can fight through. When you see that we can’t make it, come for us and grab our clothes…’
‘Are you sure?’ Simi wondered. ‘I have seen you fight… Even if a butterfly touches you, you always slice with immediate effect…’
‘That’s something else. But I will mentally prepare for you’, Dezzy said.
The journey from Lagos to Osun felt heavenly. When they got to Osogbo, Kukoyi lodged them in a hotel. Then, he left home to contact people to help them into the Osun groove at odd hours. The time he was gone, Simi and Dezzy took a time out. They enjoyed the somewhat simple lifestyles of the people. Simi wished this was where she had lived all life. Maybe things would have gone well for her. She probably wouldn’t have loved some other things.
Ekele probably wouldn’t have been a part of life. But it was better than knowing that he was ready to do bad things to her. He didn’t seem to know her. It took Dezzy a lot of sense talking before she finally agreed he didn’t remember her. There wasn’t a thing she could change about that.
Dezzy ensured they didn’t go far into the heart of the town, but they went to the stadium. There, she watched some children practising taekwondo.
Simi looked about with delight. ‘I wish I could see all these things here…’
‘Home. We’re going home’, Dezzy responded.
‘Which home?’ Simi lamented and glanced at Dezzy, where they finally sat to watch some guys compete in a football match. ‘There’s no home again’.
Dezzy shook her head. ‘I meant our hotel’.
Simi swallowed hard. ‘Whatever. I just want to finish this to honour Lambe, but it’s becoming harder by the day…’
‘You can be very unfun…’ Dezzy murmured. ‘Have you ever experienced this excitement…? The blood pumping. The sight of glints of light on cutlasses. The time travel. The sound of men falling from a woman’s punch…?’
Simi glanced at her. ‘You sound like that woman we saw when we time travelled’.
‘Her methods are bad, truly. But what’s she’s doing is living a life.
‘Ehwu!’ Simi said and shook her head as she watched birds travelling even though her mind couldn’t stop comparing their present life with that of a bird. She and Dezzy remained in silence till the evening came. Kukoyi couldn’t be looking for them because they all agreed to return before 7pm.
‘Girl warrior… Rise to the wind. Let’s get back to the hotel’, Dezzy said and stood straight.
When she rose, Simi couldn’t stop staring at her perfectly chiselled thigh and body. Most of the men at the other end also had their focused on their body. If Dezzy weren’t a warrior and lived a normal life, she would have had many men at her beck and call. The way she now rocked her hair still made Simi wish she was that good.
Every day before they woke, Dezzy would have done a new hairstyle. Simi still wondered how she perfected the art of plaiting her hair without a mirror. Simi had heard some people with poor hair boast about this but had never seen anyone hit the perfection Dezzy had achieved.
As she stood in her black jeggings, red armless blouse, and black sneakers, she called for attention the same way the crown of a cock would show its presence.
Simi rose and hurried down. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about Dezzy’s beauty casting a shadow on hers. Upon getting down, she spun and watched how Dezzy dropped down the stairs. The perfection was like having the body of both a man and woman. Simi smiled and led the way out. At least if she wasn’t that attractive, she could at least be the custodian of such beauty.
When they got back to the hotel, Kukoyi was waiting for them. He gave them a chance to order food before he began to fill them in on what he had done throughout the day.
‘I have gone out to scout the groove and talked to the right people. We’re ready for tomorrow’, Kukoyi explained.
‘All in all, we bribed them’, Simi said.
Kukoyi turned to her. ‘Simi, see it this way. We only prepared the way… for the men to look the other way for something that belongs to us’.
‘Don’t worry...’
They tried to talk about other things, but Simi couldn’t get herself into joining them as her mind went back to Lambe and his funny way of expressing himself. She wished things didn’t go wrong, causing him to die. Tears streamed down her eyes again as she remembered him. That way, where she was as she tried sleeping. She closed her eyes and thought of him dying.
Out of nowhere, a breeze blew past her. She opened her eyes and met herself crouching behind a tree. She was back at the first place she was hiding the day Lambe committed suicide. This infuriated her.
She began to close her eyes when she looked back at the place Lambe’s body was scattered. They were no longer there. And that brought tears to her eyes. If animals hadn’t eaten the flesh, it must have been decayed like the bodies of the other people.
The thought of that made her close her eyes as she willed back tears and wished that she was back in the room with the others on her bed. Like the other time, she was back in bed. Kukoyi and Dezzy, in their room, weren’t aware of her disappearance. She cried herself to bed.

Chapter 26
The next day was about them getting ready. Dezzy wore wine leather pant and tight sneakers. Kukoyi wore just his tracksuit trousers, a tight black vest and another blackhead warmer. Simi was ready with the ultimate weapon- her shorts, the wristwatch, Lambe’s ring, her backpack. Dezzy made her down the moin-moin and Eko.
‘Are we all set?’ Dezzy asked.
She came towards Simi and pulled her blouse to be sure it was fitted. Then, she tugged the bag behind her. When Dezzy first packed the bag, Simi argued against it that she had eaten and that it was a waste of time. After all, Lambe said she must always have a sound sleep before going on the next round. If she didn’t sleep, then she wouldn’t be able to resuscitate herself.
‘We can’t let you risk it’, Dezzy replied.
Simi checked her ring and got ready.
Kukoyi glanced at the ring and sighed. ‘If only you had all the power, we would have to worry…’
‘Maybe you should on your hotspot…’ Simi smiled as she realised that she was making jokes for the first time in a long while.
‘Hotspot!’ Dezzy wondered.
Simi shrugged. ‘Yes. I’ll simply connect my wifi to it and get all your powers…’
Dezzy rolled her eyes. ‘You mean like flashshare...’
‘Stay the course, guys’, Kukoyi said, and Simi stretched her hand.
Dezzy sighed and looked about.
‘Best three!’ Kukoyi said.
‘What that again…?’ Dezzy asked disgustedly.
‘A sort of slang…’ Simi added.
‘Let’s get out of here… Ah!’ Dezzy yelped.
Simi smiled and closed her eyes, imagining where Oranmiyan must have hidden the gold in Osun and ensuring they landed in a safe place.
Simi didn’t need anyone to tell her they were in a new place before realising there was trouble there. Even the air seemed electrified, like some divine power was overshadowing everything.
Men were yelling and chanting incantations, invoking the spirit of a dead, or asking for the help of a god or an ancestor.
‘Oh! Music to my ear!’ Dezzy said a killer smile lingered on her lips.
Kukoyi glanced at her. ‘No wonder you decided to stay back in Nigeria despite passing your IELTS. You love hardship and war’.
Dezzy glanced at him and back at the field of war. Her hands were fiddling with the batons in her hand while her whole body was pumping as if it was on fire.
‘I can sense the gold…’ Kukoyi gasped. He looked around and pointed at a small doorway across the field, covered with many bushes, but still seemed relatively new. Simi was happy about that because that would make it easier to find the treasures in time.
‘Let’s cross the road. Now. It’s free…’ Dezzy urged. Quickly, she rose and crawled through the road. Simi, as usual, was at the tail of the advance. When she was about to enter the hole with them, she saw someone’s eyes staring at them from afar. When she looked again. The eyes were gone. She shook her head in realisation that her imagination was beginning to get the best of her.
‘Why will he hide Osun’s power in her place…? Kukoyi asked.
‘You led us here, remember?’ Simi said.
‘You’re right….’ Kukoyi replied.
With an uncanny swiftness, he moved in a beeline direction towards the darker part of the hole. Simi knew she might disappear on them with the way she was afraid.
Interestingly, it wasn’t a cave as they had thought. It was just like a doorway into another open space. Despite the thick forest, Kukoyi maintained his position, pushing bushes aside as if they were mere cobwebs.
‘Here!’ Kukoyi exclaimed.
Simi saw nothing as the whole place was covered with substantial fresh palm fronds, which were supposed to be dead, seeing that they were desolate with no mother palmtree around. Kukoyi parted the palm fronds, and there the treasures laid, disfigured by the weather and other natural elements. Yet, the trio were mesmerised by what they saw. The place was filled with uncountable golds, coming in different sizes.
‘Wow! Wow! Whoa,’ Kukoyi screamed and ran towards the treasures.
‘This is more than enough for a lifetime….’ Simi said.
‘That’s because you’ve lived in Nigeria most of your life’, Kukoyi growled.
‘Greediness’, Simi grunted.
‘What do you mean?’ Kukoyi ran his fingers through the gold. Even Simi couldn’t help feeling like she would love to sleep and wake in the treasures. This was what it felt like to be in wealth, she thought.
‘Guys, we’ve got company…’ Dezzy shouted.
Simi turned just in time to see her dashing with an uncanny speed towards three advancing men, who were only ratted out by their heads. Soon enough, cutlass clashes could be heard.
‘Demons…’ Someone shouted.
Simi couldn’t cower in there without helping out. Quickly, she grabbed some golds and raced towards the fight.
‘What are you doing?’ Kube yelled.
She didn’t bother looking back to reply. So, as not to change her mind. The men were increasing in number. Dezzy was swifter than anyone Simi had ever seen. Hitting the men at their knees, thigh, chin, nape or any vulnerable place, Dezzy didn’t stop making them groan in pain.
When two men engaged, Dezzy and another one on the floor was getting up. Simi struck hard at him with the gold in her hand. It hit him squarely on the head, and he went down again, groaning. As fast as she could, she threw more golds at the others.
One of them looked in her direction and tried coming towards Simi and Kukoyi. Dezzy struck him down. Kukoyi had no choice that to follow Simi’s cue. Reluctantly, he picked some of the treasures and pelted the men with them. Simi couldn’t explain where she got her own strength as she threw it at them.
That stopped the men. One of them made a war cry. Dezzy weakened the last man. Soon enough, other men burgled their way towards them, howling in response to the war cry, making noise that even an angry elephant wouldn’t.
Dezzy shook her head and rushed towards them. ‘Let’s go…’
‘Impossible…’ Kukoyi shouted and glanced back at the location of the treasures, which were now closed as if nothing had happened.
‘Your loss…’ Simi shouted and stretched her hand. Her other hand was dancing as she prepared to kiss it if Kukoyi didn’t come nearer in time. Seeing that the men would have the upper hand, Kukoyi knew he had no other choice than to join them.
As soon as his hand touched her, Simi closed her eyes and imagined the present.
‘That was intense…’ Kukoyi said with relief.
Simi opened her eyes and had never been that glad to be back to normalcy.
‘The gold there was more than enough…’ Simi said when she was well rested.
Dezzy was staring at them as if she had failed.
‘Which gold was enough?’ Kukoyi slapped his hand on his face. ‘That one can’t even take care of anyone...’
‘Are you drunk? With what I saw there, we would be rich….’Simi yelled.
‘Set for life is what you’re looking for’, Dezzy offered.
‘Thanks…’ Simi responded.
‘Nothing… You’ve never been to Dubai or United Arab Emirate…’ Kukoyi said with disdain. ‘Real money is used in those places… Not the ones we see here…’
‘You think so…’ Simi said and moved about, looking outside the window.
The fierce men’s images were still imprinted on her subconscious. It was as if they would jump out of the forest into the present world.
Dezzy shook her head. ‘Hey! I wished none of you had shown your face… Those men would have been dead… Seeing others gave them the edge…’
‘I don’t need to argue.’ Kukoyi replied. ‘I wasn’t the one that threw gold. Raw gold o. Real rich gold at people. I’m sure you’re not acquainted with the beauty of these things. That’s why you just throw them’.
Simi clapped her hands angrily. ‘Please, leave me. That’s the only thing you can think of… A man died for this… And all you think of is the money.
Kukoyi raised his hands as he came nearer. ‘We should get these things in his memory. His death shouldn’t be in vain…’
‘What do we do now?’ Dezzy asked.
‘Maybe we can go in the present. We don’t need to travel in time…’ Kukoyi said.
‘What are you suggesting?’ Dezzy wondered.
‘It’s simple. Let’s get some money and rent an apartment in Osun and from there sneak to the Osun River…’
‘Good plan…’ Simi said.
‘Not good enough… We need money!’ Kukoyi said.
The room was silent.
‘And we don’t have money. So, we need to rob a bank…’ Kukoyi said.
‘Good. We’re becoming a… We’re becoming thieves… now’, Simi said and rose from where she was seated.
‘We have no other choice…’ Kukoyi said. ‘Simi, what else can we do?’
‘Can we just… like go back to our everyday lives. Things went well that way.
‘Not for me!’ Dezzy said.
Kukoyi shook his head. ‘Like hell it was. It was the single most horrible thing to have ever happened to anyone. And I was one of those that suffered the consequences of being a legal person. You can’t do things legally or morally. You have to forgo one. And this time, I’m forgoing both.’
‘I’m confused as to how you expect me to get to a bank full of guards…’ Simi asked.
‘Wait… We can simply take money from corrupt people’, Dezzy added.
‘Excuses’, Simi shouted.
‘What do you want from us? Ehn! We can’t just suddenly disappear there in this generation. We have to bribe a lot of people and the rest to be able to get there. Things were easy in the previous world without much security. This new one. All we need is to bribe people.
‘I..’ Simi didn’t know how to react. They sat in silence for a while as she thought of all the available plan. ‘How do we do that? How do we get from corrupt people?’
‘We can try one of the men that want to kill us…’ Dezzy went about preparing everyone’s bags.
‘I think that’s cool’, Kukoyi said.
‘Well, the last time we were there, the man hinted at some rich ally. Can we just go back into their time…?’ Dezzy said as she zipped her bag.
Simi shrugged and glanced at Dezzy. ‘Who’s going with me…?’
Dezzy shrugged. ‘Me, of course…’
‘Wait… No. She has to go in alone, Dezzy’. Kukoyi explained. ‘Simi, it has to be you. Your ring can make you hide from his eyes.
After trying not to make nerve take her somewhere, she nodded, kissed the ring thrice, hissed, and closed her eyes as she thought of Suseyi and others scheming where they have bags of money.

Chapter 25
The journey to the new home was in silence than they had ever done. Kukoyi held the scroll Simi grabbed at the last minute. He placed it on the floor and snapped it.
‘To ensure its safety, he said as he noticed the look of concern in their eyes. ‘No matter what happens to it, we are assured we still have a digital copy…
Simi nodded and sniffed. Tears still poured down her eyes unattended. She couldn’t believe that Lambe was gone that way. All he could have done was to disappear if he hadn’t tried to train her. Taking her back to that period was just a means to help them. Dezzy talked more than others this time. Even Kukoyi seemed surprised at the reality of what had happened.
It took them several walks and stealing of cars before they eventually got to another hidden house in a forest near the edge border out of Fortune City. The only time Simi talked was when Kukoyi suggested they looked for a way to get the ring work for everyone. Simi felt they were trying to take the only thing that tied her to Lambe.
‘It’s for one person…’ She grumbled and threw a cold glance at Kukoyi, whom she had expected more from and not this unexpected change in tone.
Kukoyi shrugged and looked about. ‘I suppose so… But if we can’t experiment…’
‘No experiment’, Simi said. ‘It can’t work for all of us….’
‘I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about’, Dezzy said. ‘We can fight our way through anything’.
Kukoyi shrugged. ‘There’s nothing wrong in pushing our luck.’.
Simi didn’t see a need to answer him.
When they got their new home, Simi didn’t see the need to be at home like the previous houses Kukoyi began to list what they should do now that they were there. He made a list of everything they should do, and he thought of everything.
‘I’ll decipher this scroll’, Kukoyi announced. ‘Dezzy will search for information about those guys looking for us…’
Simi wanted to ask if she got to see what was happening to her foster sisters, but she felt it was better to remain in the dark than to expose the children to what she was facing at that point in her life.
‘We’re wanted!’ Dezzy announced from her corner of the room.
‘What do you mean?’ Kukoyi said.
Even Simi that was dozing on the chair, sat up. Dezzy turned towards them and brought the pad towards them. Her eyes were red, but she didn’t seem sad or angry. Simi feared the bloodlust was coming back again and wished she knew what Lambe thought her about controlling it. That way, she would have helped her perform the ritual without even doing anything.
They gathered around the iPad, and she could see the pictures of the three of them in the forest. The photographer later went to the burnt house and took pictures of a decomposed body. The ground was filled with flesh, and blood splattered everywhere.
Bomb Squad: A New Terror in Town
The news headline was enough to make them know they have trouble looming, but they all agreed they couldn’t fix it in time.
Since they didn’t have much to do in this new place, Dezzy continued her training. Once, she saw Dezzy slicing a butterfly as it flew past her. Simi could only practice cutting biscuit. Dezzy grounded beans and made MoinMoin from the cup of beans she bought. She went further to create alarms everywhere around the house and mapped out a new escape route. In her spare time, she also began to make a list of people that have been known to be involved in their case.
Simi joined her in making the list. Now, they knew that a woman was the leader. The Ganiyu and Suseyi were also involved. Ekele headed their search team.
‘I told you I was as smart as a whip’, Kukoyi yelled shouted five days later, by the time which their food had gotten to its end.
‘What’s that?’ Simi asked.
She had been trying to keep busy, but nothing could take away the pain of loneliness that was overshadowing her per day. Dezzy was busy training or preparing about the next time they would travel. Kukoyi was busying studying the script, making notes of things.
Kukoyi clapped as they came nearer. ‘The place… The first place…It’s Osun river…’
‘How do you know…’ Dezzy asked.
Lambe said. ‘See the line…’
The line read: The golden source of life of a power overturn. Rich enough to bring to life. Powerful enough to choke out breathe. Beautiful like a peacock…
Simi stared at it and couldn’t understand a word of it. ‘What’s that?’
‘It’s the Osun river…’ Kukoyi clapped again. ‘Look at it this way. Osun likes gold and is a river. She has the power to flood anywhere. Hence, overturn. Water can bring food, and also many women go to her to create life’.
Dezzy shook her head. ‘I don’t think you’re right…’
Kukoyi smacked his lips. ‘Remember Lambe saying that Oranyan hid the power of great people. How many powerful gods in Yoruba land has this power…?’
Simi stared at him for a while. ‘I don’t know… maybe Yemoja…’
‘No… Probably Olokun’, Kukoyi said. ‘Simi, stay with me here and you, Dezzy. This is the deal. I’m so sure this is it’. He paced the room as he explained to them. ‘Olokun is a man, from the different description and can’t bring life. The major powers in the river are Oya, Oba, Osun, Yemoja, Olokun… Please, follow me. People don’t follow those other ones because they don’t do much for them. You must have heard of the Osun festival in Osun state na!’
They both nodded.
‘Good. It’s phenomena. I read about them now. People go there to ask for children, and they get children every time…You know why?’ Kukoyi asked.
Simi shook her head.
‘Why?’ Dezzy asked.
‘Because she has the power to give life. They don’t celebrate Olokun that way. Yemoja is like a title or something. I don’t think it belongs to one mermaid. It’s for the top mermaid in a territory or something. So, we can easily eliminate her on that’.
Simi nodded. ‘I guess it’s Osun river’.
They remained silent for a while. Simi glanced about in the room as her mind seemed to be sure this time. Their life, as they knew it, was about to be threatened.
‘So, do we get the treasures now…?’ Dezzy asked.
‘You’re not new to this, Dez’, Kukoyi replied. ‘There’s always a catch…’
Dezzy nodded.
‘What catch?’ Simi glanced from one person to another…’
Kukoyi said. ‘The time…’
‘The time?’ Simi wondered.
‘The time the thing happened.’, Kukoyi explained. ‘We don’t know when…’
‘Oh!’ Simi blinked. ‘We have to move in time...’
‘Yeah!’ Kukoyi tapped her shoulders. ‘That’s where you, Simi, comes in…’
‘Just the same, we have to get ready to dance… As in, get ready for trouble. So, I think everyone should get ready in their capacity… Simi, let’s get your food ready. Kukoyi, let’s get everything you can use to reduce your headache…’ Dezzy ordered.
Kukoyi nodded again. ‘Yes. We will just go back in time to when Oranmiyan kept the treasures.’
Simi saw a big smile on his face, but she couldn’t bring herself to smile. What they were going after had just killed someone.

Chapter 24
Simi was the only one still invisible. Other’s charm had worn off. Everyone’s eyes darted from one person to another. Dezzy was the first to spring to action as she dashed for her bags.
‘Your medicine again…’ Kusibe shouted.
‘I told you we couldn’t go on with it again…’
‘Then, Simi, take us somewhere for now or some hours ago’, Dezzy suggested.
Simi kissed her ring twice and hissed. When she was visible, she shook her head. ‘We just finished all the ten chances of the moimoi…’
‘And you didn’t think of topping it when you knew you were getting near the end, Kukoyi said fretfully.
Dezzy looked about. ‘I was preserving…’
‘It doesn’t work that way’, Simi snapped at Kukoyi.
‘It’s okay!’ Lambe yelled. ‘Let’s get out…’
‘You’re not the boss of me’, Kukoyi shouted.
Dezzy sighed, spun desperately and flapped her hands by her side. ‘Get ready for the tunnel’, Dezzy yelled as she threw different bags at each of them.
‘Where are they?’ Lambe asked.
‘Get your things, and let’s go…’ Dezzy yelled hysterically.
Lambe didn’t heed her. Simi, from the corner of her eyes, saw him rush to the window. She rammed five of her shorts into her bag and packed more snacks. Her moimoi couldn’t follow her. Just as she backed the bag, Dezzy threw the blender towards her, which rattled by her side.
‘Let’s go…’ Kukoyi grunted.
Simi snatched her blender off the ground.
‘Go… Go…’ Dezzy yelled at them. Simi saw the scroll and picked it hurriedly.
‘Go… I’ll catch up with you’, Lambe said.
‘You’re joking, right…’
‘Not by any means.’ Lambe explained. ‘I have to keep their eyes away from that place.
‘Wise choice’, Kukoyi said.
‘Wise what? Are you drunk? Medicine boy!’ Dezzy groaned. ‘Let’s get out of here now…’
‘No…’ Lambe said.
‘Lambe!’ Dezzy growled and stomped her foot.
‘Dezzy, let’s go…’ Kukoyi called. He had climbed down the ladder Dezzy placed there.
‘Eagle… Go!’ Dezzy yelled.
‘We all have to stick together…’ Kukoyi shouted.
Lambe snapped his fingers repeatedly. ‘He’s right… I can fend for myself. I’ll be fine…’
‘I don’t believe you… Medicine boy, let’s go’, Dezzy tried to pull him, but Lambe snatched his hand away from her reach.
Lambe urged her towards the trap door. ‘Go… Someone must close up the door after you guys…’
‘Indeed. Wise choice again’, Kukoyi explained.
‘Let’s go. He can handle himself…’ Simi jumped in after Kukoyi, and they were soon crawling through the tunnel. They came out at the other end, which was far from where the others were.
‘I must see what’s happening?’ Simi whispered when Dezzy got out after. She looked about and pointed at a spot covered with enough trees and bushes. ‘I’ll meet you guys there.
Simi kissed her ring thrice and hissed before they could react.
Kukoyi looked about. ‘Where’s she…?’
‘Gone!’
Simi dashed through the forest and was soon near the house. Hefty men were all in the location. Her eyes dashed from one person to another. It was more than she could comprehend. Some of the men weren’t dressed like the others. They wore different clothes that didn’t make it easy to consider one of the soldiers.
‘Just leave here. But none of you can pass through… here…’ Lambe yelled.
‘Shoot him…’ Ekele shouted as he came into view.
Simi’s heart skipped beats when she saw him. She couldn’t believe that Ekele could be there, staring at Lambe. She wished that they could go back to a time when they were merely children.
One of the men fired at Lambe, but he merely dusted it and laughed.
‘Are you with those rubber bullets?’ Ekele asked as he turned towards them.
‘It’s a real bullet’, one of the men shouted.
Simi, who had been worried before, smiled.
‘I said you people should leave’, Lambe ordered.
‘Are you for real?’ Ekele shouted and turned from place to place. ‘Do we have people at the back?’
‘Advancing…’ Someone yelled.
Ekele nodded. ‘Then, fire again…’
Lambe raised an egg into the sky. ‘If you don’t move away. I will kill myself and the children and you... If I can’t have them, you can’t have them too’.
‘I said fire…’ Ekele bellowed.
Lambe threw the egg into the sky just as another gunshot reported, followed by three more. Immediately the egg touched the ground, fire rocked the whole area. Ekele was thrown away by the force of the blast. Soon, making everything around Lambe burst into flames. Lambe, on the other hand, was screaming and laughing at the same time.
Simi yelled and called his name. But her not being in the physical had its advantage, which made her run towards him. The heat sent her recoiling like a snake. Tears rolled down her eyes as she watched his body parts fly in different directions. Even Ekele and his remaining team members were devastated. This particular fire ate the building faster than regular fire. It was as if it was oiled with acid, everything it touched disintegrated immediately.
Three of the men, whose body came in contact with the fire, fell and ran about, trying everything to stop the deterioration of their body. Two of them fell and crumbled into ashes immediately, the same way the house was doing. The last one kept crying as his body slowly graduated. Ekele jumped at another gang member, snatched his gun, and shot the head of the crumbling man. Some people shouted in response.
‘C’mon… That was the better way to die…’ Ekele shouted as he stared at the deteriorating house. Everything was in ashes, even the bones. Frustrated, Ekele looked at where their gadgets had once been.
After a few seconds, he gestured for everyone to leave, which they all obeyed. ‘Now for the others. We don’t know if they are truly dead. All my machines have stopped working. We’ve got to get new gadgets and better plans if they’re alive, we’ll find them…’
One of the soldiers shouted, ‘move out!’
Immediately, the men hurried away. Simi stared at the place Lambe disintegrated into and repeatedly wiped tears off her eyes as they kept blurring her. She wondered if he would just magically glue it together.
After ensuring they were all gone, Simi kissed the ring thrice and hissed as she ran back towards others to see Dezzy and Kukoyi hiding at the place nearer than she would have expected.
‘We heard the explosion’, Kukoyi explained.
Dezzy swallowed hard, but nothing in her body gave out her emotion. Simi tried hard not to cry, but it was useless. All she could think of was of him, laying down his life for her.
‘Let’s get going!’ Dezzy grunted.
‘Give her a break. She was closer to the man than we!’ Kukoyi came nearer and patted Simi’s shoulder. That did it for her. Tears rocked her body, and she wailed, firstly into the air, then ran to hug Dezzy, who stood straight without doing anything.
After a while, Dezzy tapped her head and her back and finally hugged her. But Dezzy didn’t show any emotion.
‘Let’s get moving…’ Simi murmured.
‘Let me look for a house…!’ Kukoyi started saying but stopped. ‘In the name of…’
Simi and Dezzy looked surprised.
Kukoyi pointed at a lady. ‘Someone… Taking pictures!’
The person must have heard the rancor because in no time, a part of the forest was shaking, and clambering footsteps were gradually fading away. Dezzy made to charge at the photographer.
‘Let them be…’ Kukoyi grabbed her hand. ‘Let’s find a place…’
Simi nodded and wheezed as the thought of Lambe’s shattered body bugged her mind again.

Chapter 23
Simi opened her eyes, wondering if that was him talking in the present or his past.
‘What now?’ Kukoyi asked.
‘This is me saving you all...’ He brought his ado as he browsed through them until he found one that was still new. ‘Yes’.
‘Any explanation, medicine boy?’ Dezzy said.
Simi glanced at her. She never knew Lambe had gotten a new name from her. Lambe wheezed and poured the pinkish substance into his hands. He mumbled something under his breath and swallowed the powder, which made him frown, indicating how bitter the substance was.
‘Come nearer, warrior girl’, Lambe commanded. Quickly, he poured the substance into his hands and mumbled into it.
‘Explain this stuff’, Dezzy requested.
‘It’s to keep you invisible. But it’s limited o. I think forty minutes, and if you use it once, you can’t use it again for like two days if you don’t want to remain invisible…’
‘I like…’ Dezzy said and came forward, opening her mouth. Lambe took his time to pour it into her mouth.
Kukoyi frowned. ‘I’ll die before I allow you to pour anything in my mouth…Pour it here on my palm.’
Lambe edged towards him and poured the substance into Kukoyi’s palm, who took his time to lick it.
Dezzy glanced at him and back at Lambe. ‘Won’t you give Simi too?’
‘I already got this’, Simi said and raised the finger with the ring.
Dezzy came forward and examined it. ‘What’s that?’
‘To disappear…’ Simi replied.
‘Are you sure?’ Dezzy glanced at Lambe and at Simi, who nodded.
‘We tried it before…’ Simi replied.
‘I don’t trust it’, Kukoyi eyed the ring.
‘Your loss…’ Lambe said and stretched his hands. ‘Let’s go…’
‘How do we disappear…?’ Kukoyi asked after he looked at his body.
‘Oh! Yes! Just say Ofe…’ Lambe said. ‘After licking your lower lips’.
They all came nearer and held Simi’s hands.
‘Ofe’, the three of them said one after the other as they disappeared.
Simi was shocked but guessed they must be waiting for her to stretch her hand. So, she stretched her hands. and kissed her ring thrice and hissed. Immediately, she also disappeared and saw all of them.
‘Let’s go…’ Lambe said.
Simi closed her eyes.
‘I’ve read your translation…’ Someone said.
They were in the room where they could see a younger version of Lambe. He was handsome and had his head neatly shaved. Every rugged aspect that characterized his being wasn’t there. His eyes were sharp and showed a higher level of intelligence.
‘This, my brother, is golden…’ Lambe said excitedly.
‘I don’t know…’ Another young man was there. His crochet cap and long beard gave him away as a muslim cleric. Wearing jumpy black trousers, the cleric gave off the perfect feeling of the group of the Nigerian muslim called Tebliq.
‘You don’t know in what way?’ Suseyi said. ‘From what I read, I can tell you, we’re in wealth…or what do you think, Lamby…?’
Lambe nodded. ‘My brother, you’re not lying. Don’t mind Ganiyu… He’s only being sceptical…’
‘Well, I don’t know all these things. But I will go with your analysis…’ Ganiyu said.
‘We need to find where all those things are…All the series…’ Suseyi led them out of the room.
Simi turned to Lambe. ‘Should we follow them?’
‘No…’ Lambe said.
‘Why?’ Kukoyi argued. ‘Didn’t you see the script?’
‘Are you sure?’ Lambe asked.
‘Not blind! We just saw them leave the room with it!’ Dezzy interfered.
‘Thank you, Dezzy….’ Kukoyi replied.
‘We don’t need to argue’, Lambe said. ‘I’ve been in this game than any of you… When I tell you it is the one then it is the one.’
‘Let’s get going… ‘Simi said.
Their constant argument was getting to her. She didn’t see why they kept undermining him. Before his arrival, she couldn’t see anything he was currently helping them to do. In fact, all they did was to avoid the criminals. But there he was, giving them something to use.
‘Good choice!’ Lambe said and mumbled something under his breath. He looked at her. ‘My brain is rubbing off on you…’
‘Where to?’ Simi asked.
‘This time, we are going to… a little nearer to our time. Think of me, Ganiyu, and Suseyi in my room, in a hostel at Agbowo, Ibadan. Just think of when I snapped the script with my phone’.
Simi sighed. She didn’t know if that would work.
‘Are you sure she can do that?’ Kukoyi asked.
‘Not again. Let me think…’ Simi grumbled.
She closed her eyes and thought through his description. The air in the room suddenly became different and, this time, she could hear a squeaky fan in the background. Simi opened her eyes.
‘Why did you do that?’ Suseyi said.
‘We’re only wasting time here!’ Lambe said.
‘What do you mean?’ Ganiyu said.
They all looked older than their ages. Their beards were unkempt, just as the room. Wraps of junks spread everywhere in the house. Dirty plates oozed a horrible smell from different corners of the house. On the flip side, the room was filled with books, scattered and torn, at different spots. The walls were also designed with several newspaper and books cutouts to fit whatever they were doing there. Even some parts of the roof were besmirched with pasted papers and clippings.
‘I mean it. We’re not doing what we should be doing again…’ Lambe lamented. ‘All we do is to practice spells, which are not working, by the way. Normally, with what we have, anybody can run’.
‘Please, forget that rubbish you’re saying… Won’t we do what we’re destined to be…’ Suseyi yelled.
‘Destined my foot! I’ve searched the information, and none of us fits it. Not you or me. I think we can find these people and let them help us destroy the power…’ Lambe shouted.
‘What… Wait… Wait…’ Ganiyu’s eyes were shining in wonder. ‘Are we doing this for the power or the money…? Because I’m in this because of the financial gain’.
‘Calm down, Imam’, Suseyi said. ‘We all want the same thing…’
Ganiyu shook his head. ‘Is that so? Because from where I stand, you’re all concerned about some power…’
‘Yes’, Lambe said, rose and paced the room. ‘Think of that line. God! There’s a lot of things we don’t understand here. Why will Oramiyan go through all the stress for just wealth…?’
Suseyi shook his head. ‘Whatever you feel the reason was, we’re still going.
‘We’re not the chosen ones. Lambe let his hands drop to his side as he turned from person to person. ‘I’ve sent the description online, and soon I’ll get the result from people. We will get the answer…’
‘You did what?’ Suseyi asked as he scrambled off where he was now seated.
‘I did. I have to do…’
‘Are you dense?” Suseyi wondered.
‘You can ask Ifa…’ Lambe returned to his seat.
‘Guys, calm down…’ Ganiyu shouted and hurriedly stood in their midst with hands outstretched to be the wedge between Lambe and Suseyi. While Lambe’s face showed that he was ready for the consequence, Simi couldn’t help squirming at the sight of Suseyi’s red eyes. ‘Lambe that’s not right…’
‘Not what?’ Are you drunk or something…?’ Lambe yelled as he turned towards Ganiyu. ‘Do you guys understand what we’re sitting on?’
‘Gold! Money’, Ganiyu shouted and stopped holding back Suseyi. ‘That’s what you just threw out to the public. What we all could have gained, you threw it to the swine. And why…? Because we’re not the chosen ones. Who told you that?’
Lambe spun towards the wall, looked about hastily, and tore a paper off the wall. ‘You… You, Ganiyu. Look at your head and look at the words. Are you bald?’
‘I am bald…’ Suseyi shouted. ‘Even if I wasn’t, my father was. It’s a genetic problem, and you took away my chance because you felt bad or inadequate…’
‘Your father is inadequate…’ Lambe yelled and made to hit Suseyi.
‘Me? My father…’ Suseyi yelled and ran about as if he was searching for something.
‘Yes. Your father is inadequate. He would have taught you how to be a man and face fear in the eyes. But no…’ Lambe yelled.
Simi glanced at the others to be sure she wasn’t the only one eager to fight for Lambe. Veins and muscles on Dezzy’s head showed how much she wished to help out.
‘Move back. This is ashetani’, Ganiyu shouted.
Lambe brushed off Ganiyu’s hands. ‘You better take your stupid crazy name of devil out of here. You all are the devil. All the books about Lucifer and Satan all talked about his greediness and desire for power. You… Ganiyu, greedy to the core that you even brought back money meant for your Muslim student association and spent it here… And was…. And… And lied about it.
Ganiyu blinked repeatedly. ‘You’re lying...’
‘Am I? Can you swear on your life that you didn’t do it…? Ogun is there… No. No. We will swear on your Quran’.
Lambe dashed for the Koran while Suseyi left the room.
‘Where is he going?’ Simi wondered.
‘Keep quiet….’ Lambe hushed. ‘His power can detect us…’
Simi kept quiet and looked away. Within a few seconds, Suseyi ran back into the house and dashed towards Lambe with a cow horn wrapped in red clothes.
‘What… What’s this?’ Ganiyu shouted and jumped to block off Suseyi.
Suseyi grunted as he pushed Ganiyu aside. ‘I want to remove his tongue…’
Lambe tried to meet Suseyi halfway. ‘You can’t… Never…’
Before Ganiyu could say more, Suseyi began chanting words under his breath. Seeing this, Lambe took out a ring and was about to slip it into his hand. Suseyi stoned him with the cow horn. Lambe slumped and remained rigid, just lying there.
‘Ah!’ Simi yelled but quickly covered her mouth when Suseyi looked about. Luckily, Ganiyu also shouted. So, Suseyi looked away.
Suseyi tapped Ganiyu. ‘Let’s go… He will be fine…’
‘Are you sure?’ Ganiyu asked.
‘Yes. Just that he won’t remember what we did or know how we are finally going to manipulate the things online to get us the power.
‘You wiped his memory…’ Ganiyu glanced at Lambe, who looked half-dead.
‘No… I only made it slippery. He won’t be able to remember this until months later or years sha. I don’t know. By the time which we must have gotten what we want…’
‘Ah!’ Ganiyu knelt beside Lambe and tended to him. ‘His breath is shallow. Ah! Allah! I’ve killed a man…’
Suseyi pulled him after taking Lambe’s phone and the wrapped horn. ‘Shut up! Idiot. He’ll be fine.’.
Ganiyu shrugged off his hands as he felt for different parts of Lambe’s body. Lambe groaned.
Suseyi dragged him. ‘Let’s get out of here before he wakes… ‘
‘What do we tell him…?’ Ganiyu said. ‘What?’
‘We’ll think outside…’
They ran out.
‘We should help’, Simi mumbled.
Lambe placed a palm on her. ‘It’s okay. Let’s go…’
‘When did you remember all these…?’
‘I didn’t. I thought they only fought me because of my method. I didn’t know we had hoped to be the ones. I thought we started the search together…’ Lambe said absentmindedly. ‘And that we went separate ways amicably. That we agreed to use our different methods as long as we’re doing the right thing’.
‘Let’s get back…’ Kukoyi advised.
Simi nodded and turned towards them, just in time to see Dezzy’s hand slipping off Lambe’s. Simi closed her eyes and imagined their hiding place. A loud noise of pot banging each other repeatedly opened her eyes.
‘What’s that?’ Lambe asked.
‘Trap… My crude alarm system… Someone…’ Dezzy said and turned towards the kitchen, where more pots were banging each other. ‘Erm… Guys. We have more than one intruder here.’

Chapter 21
Simi wished they didn’t have to visit these people. She stared at the young man in the field. He was standing on one leg and had one hand and eye. Simi stared at him in wonder because he wasn’t a bit gloomy.
Singing happily, he hopped around the field as if he was flowing on the beauty of the music. If Simi were watching this in the movies, she would have just flowed with their fantasy, but she was there. Beautiful sounds came from the flowers surrounding them softly as if they were accompanying his song.
‘God! Did you see and hear that?’ Lambe whispered in wonder. Simi glanced at Lambe and saw the excitement in his eyes. It was too glaring and infectious. She smiled. Her heart swelled in the excitement of the serenity. ‘That’s Osanyin’.
Simi nodded.
‘That’s how she’ll be nodding like a lizard’, Lambe complained.
Simi was too mesmerized by what she was seeing to reply to him. After all, they needed to progress and that she would do.
‘Hey! How are you today?’ Osanyin said to the nearest crop. A bright light shone on the bright yellow flower atop the crop. All the other plants reduced their voice. Simi wondered if she was a theatre. Mr Makinde once took them to watch a drama at a cinema. That memorable day was enough for Simi to put on the top of her list. If not for Ekele’s first meeting, she might have ranked that day at the Cinema as her best.
Osanyin moved from one part to another. Suddenly, the plants began to announce the presence of someone from afar. Each was repeating the exact phrase ‘The black and red man is coming…’
Osanyin frowned and was visibly surprised. Osanyin stood straight and spun his hand repeatedly. A light swirl of energy sprung from his hand, causing the plants to reduce their noise.
‘Osanyin, my friend’, another man came into view. His cloth was a mixture of red and black colours. As opposed to what Simi expected, he was a tall man with a strong body and dusty legs. He swirled a big baton as if he was trying to fan himself.
‘Ah! Esu, it’s you!’ Osanyin said, surprised.
‘Phew!’ Esu said and sat on the ground.
‘Get up!’ Osanyin squealed. The fear in his voice was more than enough to make Esu jump up in fear.
‘What?’ Esu looked about in wonder.
‘You wanted to sit on one of the plants’, Osanyin reproved.
‘Yes. I was tired…’
Osanyin shook his head. ‘Don’t. It’s not advisable. The way we humans maltreat these wonderful creatures is too baffling…’
‘Don’t tempt me to cut off their heads’, Esu replied and squeezed one of the plants.
‘Ah!’ Osanyin cried. His tiny voice pierced the atmosphere. Simi had to cover her ears. Luckily, it didn’t affect her only. Even Lambe cringed and covered his ears.
Esu was frantically waving Osanyin down.
‘I never knew his cries were this bad!’ Lambe frowned and began to chew bitter kola. ‘Please, hold my hand well’. He looked about, through her.
Simi grabbed his hands. She had forgotten that she was not visible. Lambe held it tighter.
‘It’s okay! I’m not hurting your crops. I just passed a village’, Esu said when Osanyin was now calm.
‘Why are you here, and what are you wearing?’ Osanyin wondered.
‘This...’ Esu said and walked about his cloth majestically. ‘is my instrument of lesson’.
‘Indeed. You and your weird lessons’, Osanyin complained as he bent to deal with something.
‘Weird, you say. Those people were not ready to deal with their differences. Egungun had informed me that the people there were always fighting. The only time they came together was when he went visiting, and that was yearly’.
‘That’s not good. Why are humans always thinking only of war and strife’, Osanyin wondered. ‘Eledumare wouldn’t be happy about that.
‘Thank you, my friend. So, when a messenger called for me from Ile-Ife, I knew I had to teach them the lesson now’.
‘Ooni called you’, Osanyin asked with excitement in his voice.
Esu smiled. ‘You’re right, my friend’.
‘Sango called you?’
‘I said it before…’ Esu adjusted his dress.
‘I’m still important.
Osanyin smiled and remained silent for a bit. ‘Yes. You know, after their father handed power to him, he and his beautiful queens have ruled Yoruba perfectly. Even his grandfather, Oduduwa, will be happy’.
‘I’m happy. He’s a good king when he’s not angry’. Esu rolled the baton with him. ‘For those people, I wore this cloth and walked by most of them. You should see fight…’
‘Because of your cloth?’
‘You won’t believe it. My cloth wasn’t the cause. They were the cause. My cloth brought out what was in them before.’
Osanyin nodded. ‘I can’t believe you left them there…’
‘No…’ Esu said sadly. ‘As I was coming, I made them see the other sides. You could see the silence on their faces.’
‘What a great lesson about life…’ Osanyin replied and went into deep thought again.
‘Yes, plant lover’, Esu said enthusiastically. ‘That’s a great lesson. Everyone has a reason for what they do. You can’t even think of any other thing if everyone is not involved in something good about their life.
‘You’re right. By the way, what are you here for?’ Osanyin wondered as he looked at the different plants in surprise.
‘You invited me. Have you forgotten?’ Esu said as he grabbed a leave to chew, regardless of the scowl from Osanyin.
‘I don’t remember...’
‘Really. You said you were making something new, and you want me to see…’ Esu yawned as he glanced towards where Simi and Lambe were hidden. They crouched lower. Simi even forgot she was invisible.
‘Yes… Yes’, Osanyin shouted excitedly and ran among the leaves, looking at different places. After what felt like a whole year, he took brought an ado. ‘This is the ultimate power… Thanks for coming’
Osanyin ran towards Esu, who looked like he wasn’t interested in what Osanyin had to say.
Esu still wasn’t interested. ‘You’re thanking me like I had a choice. It’s mandatory, and I heeded the call of my lords and friends. This is not your first claim of ultimate power. If I were Eledumare, to Him be all the glory, I would have taken your power…’
‘To him be all the glory indeed. That’s why we’re not him…’ Osanyin released a few drops on his palm. ‘This is what we call the ultimate thunder recipe. The plants gave me their essence without any fear, and I took it with thanksgiving. You know what happens when you take things with thanksgiving?’
Esu frowned. ‘Ehn! When you thank someone, you get another one… Even at that, these are just plants. Nothing more. Why will you thank them? If I had my way….’
‘That’s enough! I don’t want to hear your cloaked distaste of Eledumare’s way. See…’ Osanyin said and blew the substance into the air. At once, the thunder played in the air like musical instruments. Simi opened her mouth in surprise. She had never encountered such. Osanyin stared at the lightings. ‘All one needs to do is to take a few doses of this, and the power remains. This ado renews it. You’re made for life…’
Esu rose gently while his mouth scurried as if he was silently chanting something. When he was done, he sneaked behind Osanyin and yelled. ‘Forget I was here…’
With a single blow of his baton, he struck Osanyin, who fell immediately. Thundering and lightings had not stopped. Esu stared at them with his mouth still agape as he moved around them for a few seconds.
Esu took the ado. ‘Ah! My reward from Sango will be great… No… I can get more from Oya, too, before giving him. I’ll just give her a little and… That’s real power’.
He jiggled, took a swipe at the nearest planet, and ran off.
‘We should help him…’ Simi urged.
Lambe glanced at where she was hiding. ‘Where? Are you drunk? Never ever interfere with anything that’s not yours.’.
‘It’s the right thing to do. Someone’s dying’, Simi murmured. ‘If we’re not helping, let’s get going…’
‘And miss the best part…’ Lambe said.
Quickly, she kissed the ring thrice and sighed. Lambe glanced at her, a bit relieved. ‘What’s the best part…?’
‘This…’ Lambe pointed.
Osanyin moaned and gently rose. The thunder was still playing in the air. Osanyin glanced at it.
‘Ah! What’s this? Where’s my ultimate magic?’ Osanyin cried. He rushed to where he once hid it and found that it had been unearthed. ‘Ah! Eledumare o… My magic’.
Osanyin cried. Simi didn’t have to pull off her hand off Lambe because he was covering his own ears. The sound felt like she was being pumped with carbon dioxide. Everything was becoming fuzzy at the same time.
‘Let’s go… Go…’ Lambe tugged at her.
The whole forest shook as a great tumultuous wind raced through. Trees began to collapse. Simi closed her eyes after she grabbed Lambe.
At once, the noise was gone.
‘They’re back!’
‘We did it!’ Dezzy shouted excitedly as soon as she saw Lambe. His hands were still fixed on his ears. Blood was dripping from Simi’s ears.
Simi’s pants didn’t do her buzzing ears justice. She laid in the dust, with tears streaming down her face. Even Lambe laid on his back, facing the sky.
‘What happened?’ Kukoyi asked.
‘He wanted to kill us…’ Lambe said.
‘Him or you?’ Dezzy wondered as she stood between them. Quickly, she tore a part of her clothe and wiped off Simi’s ears. ‘What did he do to you? God!’
‘The god we saw almost killed us with a high-pitched cry’, Simi explained. Her body seemed to have adapted to the new reality. She sat up gently and yelled at Lambe, ‘we’re not going on your gods visit anymore…’
Dezzy picked Simi up and took her to rest by a tree.
‘Yeah! I’m fine too’, Lambe said and pushed himself up. But he lost balance as he stood erect. Immediately, he began staggering. Dezzy sped towards him at an unfathomable speed and steadied him.
‘Thanks… I will choose you over Hussein Bolt any day and twice on Fridays’, Lambe said and smiled at her.
Dezzy snarled at him.
When Lambe seemed to have stabled himself, he sighed, brought one of his ados, and licked the content. Then, he turned to Simi. ‘Get ready for the final part of the class…’
‘Not today…’ Dezzy announced.
‘Yes. Let the young girl rest. While she’s no longer weakened enough to feel super hungry. This thing doesn’t seem easy to process…’ Kukoyi advocated.
‘For the first time in my life, I must agree with you. How was your training?’ Lambe said.
‘It was an easy run. I found the thing in no time…’ Kukoyi replied, moping his face.
‘You led the way…?’ Lambe said with disdain.
‘We did it’, Dezzy replied.
‘What does that mean?’ Lambe asked.
Kukoyi interrupted. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think… I want to hear it from the lady’s mouth…’ Lambe turned towards Dezzy and rubbed his brow.
‘I led the way, and we found it’, Dezzy said and followed Simi towards the house, guiding her with her palm.
‘That’s what I wanted to hear. That you did it. Be proud of your achievement’, Lambe called. ‘The time for ‘we will come. This training is to build team spirit and individual confidence…’
Simi glanced back just to see a smile fading off Dezzy’s face.

Chapter 20
‘We’re here, Lambe said.
Simi opened her eyes, wishing she could always see their transition. They were hidden behind a rock. A young man hurried to a boat wearing indigo flowing regalia as he hurried to the riverbank. The regalia had floral shapes on them and several cowries. Immediately, he brought a long stick from his cloth, even as he waddled into the water to kill a fish.
A young girl came from the other end, calling, ‘Erinle’.
She was followed by another boy, whose body was marked with various marks of war. He looked at Erinle as if he shouldn’t have existed. Erinle glanced at him and looked away.
‘Why are you calling this wimp...?’ The boy said. ‘Meet the real warrior here’. The girl ignored the boy and came towards Erinle. Simi smiled, happy for him.
A few seconds later, a big leopard lurched out of the opposite forest. Erinle yelled in fear and lost balance in the boat. The leopard raced towards the girl. Seeing this, the other boy did a backflip towards the leopard and struck it, but the leopard kicked it aside with his arms and claw. The prized girl screamed and raced into the water towards Erinle.
Still getting his balance, Erinle had nothing on him other than the stick he was using to fish. The girl’s scream made the leopard dash towards her and Erinle. She was frantically splashing her way towards Erinle. Simi wished she could help her because Erinle didn’t seem like one that could help at all.
‘I thought I said Erinle’s first hunt and not his major disgrace’, Lambe said.
Simi looked at him scornfully and turned back to watch the events unfold. The leopard lurched at Erinle, who could only protect himself with his hand. He and the leopard fell in the river. Seizing the opportunity, he stabbed the leopard in the throat. Again and again.
The girl didn’t wait another moment before she dashed out of the river to safety. Considering his action, Erinle yelped as he rushed moved out of the river, just staring at the river, at the dying leopard.
‘God! That was… He has never killed before this’, Lambe noted.
‘First hunt’, Simi reminded him.
He nodded, placed his hand on Simi’s shoulder, and nodded repeatedly. ‘Take us back!’
When they returned, Simi realized that Lambe hadn’t just taken her to see his hero. He also took her to see how Erinle’s journey started. Erinle indeed had that hunger and passion to be a warrior in him but lacked the confidence.
She desired the only thing for her to do with this mission and probably not have her power anymore. She glanced at Lambe as he remained in the field, looking at Dezzy and Kukoyi coming towards them, both of them dejected.
‘Do you think this power can stop functioning?’ Simi wondered.
Her hands were akimbo, but her mind was limp and tired. She had just witnessed raw fear coming from the mind, one of that should have been a lord. It was exhilarating to know that she might have even done better. Simi opened her bag and began to munch on chocolate.
‘I don’t think so’, Lambe said. ‘God, I wished now that I didn’t see Erinle in that vulnerable state. Whoa. I now love him the more!’
‘I…’ Simi was beginning to say but stopped when Lambe gestured to her with his raised pointed index finger to excuse him.
‘I take it that you didn’t get my fruit!’ Lambe threw his voice at the two dejected warriors coming their way.
‘Your teaching sucks!’ Kukoyi shouted.
‘Of course, you can say that when you are the one with the problem here…’ Lambe replied. He stretched and yawned. ‘Whoa! Time travelling can be tiring o. Even me that isn’t FFO, I’m so hungry…’
Dezzy glanced at Simi with curiosity. ‘You time travelled’.
Simi raised her brow. ‘Twice… That’s four times.
‘Cool. At least, it was a success…’ Dezzy said and lowered herself on a stone with nothing to rest her back. So, she leaned forward, her back hunched.
‘Only the second one o’, Lambe explained. ‘The first would have been our death’.
Kukoyi took Dezzy’s cue and sat on another stone. Unlike Dezzy, he rested backwards and placed his hands on the sand.
‘Why are you two not with anything?’ Lambe wondered.
‘There wasn’t anything. I kept searching and searching…’ Kukoyi murmured. ‘It was a useless venture’.
‘What did you mean searched and searched….?’ Lambe looked from one person to another. Dezzy avoided looking at him.
‘I meant the stupid thing kept disappearing…’ Kukoyi announced.
‘How… Have you ever heard a traveller telling you the road disappear?’ Lambe opened his palms in desperation.
‘What I mean is that… You ought…You can’t understand’. Kukoyi looked about despondently. ‘How do you explain the sun to a blind man?’
‘I don’t know. Lambe turned towards Dezzy and stared at her. ‘You feel it’.
They all were silent for a while. And if not for the way he was looking, Simi could have claimed that she saw a deep sense of anger in Lambe’s eyes as he stared at Dezzy.
‘Your problem… Both of you will kill us. Well, not me sha, I will escape. I’m the air. Afefe. No one can hold me. But that’s the truth. You need to feel it. When you need to find something in this era or any at that, it’s neither your job’. Lambe pointed at Dezzy. ‘Nor your job’. He pointed at Simi. When he faced her, she saw the steam in his eyes. He was indeed vexed. ‘It’s your job, Kukoyi, to find it’.
Kukoyi looked away, towards the forest, like he didn’t like being schooled. And Simi felt she might have done the same thing. Yet, she had to agree with Lambe.
‘When it’s to get to the place, you need just Dezzy. This young lady is the driver. You’re the map. Think of it that way. While the map annotates position, the driver navigates. The map will not predict how a drunk driver will drive....’
Simi wanted to tell him how people have commended Google map for that, but she kept the word to herself.
‘What’s Simi?’ Dezzy asked grumpily.
‘The car’, Lambe shouted.
‘Oh!’ Simi said.
‘And I need you all to keep to your responsibility because that’s the only way we can get this done. Simi, here is your ticket to move between time. Dezzy is the one meant to navigate space. You’re the anchor. Every one of you doesn’t really need your logic to make your power manifest. Ah! It’s in your emotions’.
Kukoyi sighed loudly. ‘That’s what we’ve been doing all along.
‘Back it up! You’ve been using your brain. Leave that job to those it comes naturally to. This young lady here gets the feeling of where to get where you need to go, and she’s always mostly right. That way, your eyes are on the prize’.
‘I guess we should just get back to it’, Dezzy rose and dusted her trousers.
‘Yes. And Dezzy…’ Lambe said. She walked away towards the forest. Again, Lambe called, ‘Dezzy.’
‘What?’ She shouted as she spun.
Lambe flopped his hands to his side. ‘Take charge where you need to take charge. Don’t let him emasculate you. Take your cue from the 11 times bestselling author, who said that masculinity is not given to you. It’s something you gain. And you gain it by winning battles with honor’.
Kukoyi didn’t make a sound as he sighed again and walked towards the forest behind Dezzy.
Lambe cracked his head. ‘Ode. He doesn’t know nada. He just keeps pushing and trying to use his brain under the influence of his power. His head will just burst’.
Simi’s eyes widened, and Lambe must have noticed because he swiped the air.
‘I don’t mean literarily. But he will be like Bruce Lee. You know that muscle killed Bruce Lee… As we used to say, ‘Isan lo pa Bruce Lee’.
‘I thought that was a myth…’ Simi seemed flustered.
‘Keep shut, jare! Brain tumour and Isan, are they not almost the same? You know what, let’s go for your second class. I want to be really specific this time.’
Simi nodded. ‘Where do we go…’
‘A minute…’ Lambe said and went silent for a few seconds as his eyes moved desperately in their sockets. ‘I don’t even know who to choose o. God, I want to see many things like the rivers. Those young girls that became rivers’.
‘Young girls…?’ Simi stared at him.
‘Of course’, Lambe replied excitedly. ‘I meant Oya, Osun, Oba, and even Osun’s sister. Ehn… That one is not a river!’
‘Who’s that?’ Simi wondered.
‘Yemoja…’
‘I don’t think all those people are girls…’
‘You don’t think. All of you Gen Z children are worse than those babyboomers. Those ones overthink. You Gen Z always think less. Ah!... I need a name…o…’
‘Let’s just see Oduduwa…’ Simi said.
Lambe scowled. ‘It’s not only Oduduwa, and you will see Sango. What will we gain from visiting them? Those ones have means of detecting our presence. We might never return’.
‘Then, pick a place. I wished this moimoi wasn’t this powerful’.
‘Yes. I think I know who we want to see….’ Lambe rubbed his hands.
‘Please, let’s just go…’ Simi stretched her hands to take his.
‘The details matter. A hidden spot for two people when Osanyin was being robbed of his magical power for Sango…’
Simi turned to stare at his face. ‘Wait! What? Sango stole Osanyin’s power…?’
‘No. Esu did…’ Lambe said. ‘Now, go we shall’.
‘Ah!’ Simi shouted and jumped back. A cold sweat from within filled her body. ‘We want to see the devil. Even all these gods we’ve been talking about scared me. Now, we’re talking about the devil’.
Lambe snarled. ‘When you say it like that, it doesn’t sound like a good idea. But… But… Esu is not the devil. Legend has it that he’s only a messenger for the gods. Not a slave but a messenger.’
Simi shook her head. ‘Oga, I’m going nowhere with you. God! What if he sees me? We’re talking of the devil here o. Even the ones we read about is better. I’ve seen so many Yoruba movies and I know what he looks like.
‘You have nothing to worry about…’
‘What if he sees us?’ Simi asked again and withdrew from Lambe’s advancing hand. ‘Don’t touch me.
‘Okay… Okay… ‘Lambe rubbed his nose. ‘I will give you my invisibility ring’.
‘Ring?’
‘Yes Nah. The ring will hide you. All you need to do is to kiss it thrice and hiss’.
‘Loudly?’
‘Ehn you can shout if you want?’ Lambe said sarcastically. ‘You just need to say it like you’re in a meeting that you shouldn’t be. Do you want to let people know you’re leaving?’
Simi shook her head.
‘Then, try it.’ Lambe pulled out the ring from his hand and handed it over to her.
The ring was Simi, causing Simi to wonder if he was right. Putting her mind to it as she kissed it thrice, she hissed in the minimal volume she could afford.
Lambe looked straight at her but as if he wasn’t looking through her. She moved aside. Glancing down her feet, she yelled and jumped back. Lambe still didn’t seem to notice where she was. He looked about for a while, making her scream at the realization of what had happened to her.
‘Come back o. Kiss it thrice and sigh…’ Lambe called.
Simi didn’t wait another second before following his order.
‘There you are…’ Lambe shouted.
‘What was that?’ Simi said between winded breaths.
Lambe shrugged. ‘That’s your need weapon. Nobody will hear you…And I will miss it. I’d better start working towards getting another one.
Simi stared at him and didn’t flinch as he came towards her and took her hand.
‘Let’s go to Osanyin…’
Simi closed her eyes as she thought of the things Lambe told her.
‘We’re here, Lambe whispered.
They were hidden behind trees. ‘I will use the cloak…’
‘What?’ Lambe glanced at her. ‘Hold my hand o…’
She did and kissed the ring thrice and hissed quietly.

germaphobe:
Oh!!, how i have missed nairaland. and to think that i came back right on time to meet this updates. boss divepen1, thanks for picking up this story again. now lets ride the wild with our imaginations.

I'm glad you like it..