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Don’t say something you regret out of anger

“There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. His father decided to hand him a bag of nails and said that every time the boy lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence. On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into that fence. The boy gradually began to control his temper over the next few weeks, and the number of nails he was hammering into the fence slowly decreased. He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.
Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father the news and the father suggested that the boy should now pull out a nail every day he kept his temper under control.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
‘You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.'”

THE END.

LAZINESS WONT GET YOU ANYWHERE


. Laziness won’t get you anywhere “In ancient times, a king had his men place a boulder on a roadway. He then hid in the bushes, and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers passed by and simply walked around it.
Many people blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone removed. One day, a peasant came along carrying vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the way. After much pushing and straining, he finally managed.
After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and note from the King explain that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the road.”
THE END

THE THINGS WE SAY

Once an old man spread rumors that his neighbor was a thief.
As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later the young man was proven innocent. After being released he sued the old man for wrongly accusing him. In the court the old man told the Judge: “They were just comments, didn’t harm anyone.”
The judge told the old man: “Write all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Cut them up and on the way home, throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence.”

Next day, the judge told the old man: “Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.”

The old man said: “I can’t do that! The wind spread them and I won’t know where to find them.” The judge then replied: “The same way, simple comments may destroy the honor of a man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it.
If you can’t speak well of someone, rather don’t say anything.” Let’s all be masters of our mouths, so that we won’t be slaves of our words.

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Chiprince007:
The end, are you serious right now. OK let me assume you're joking. Please come and complete the story ooo

lol end of that.chapter Buddy, next chapter is slated for today and by Sunday I will be done finally

continued





food they may not have any reason to spare a life but that of an …….”
“we have got a problem, there are…..” whitefield tried to warn us but the sight of Rocket propelled grenade launched right at the armored from a good distance was enough to tell us we did have trouble.

The vehicle took off in the air amidst the explosion , somersaulting as it came crashing down,I bet I did someone flung high into the air in flames as another came for the last vehicle behind , we went to the ground immediately amidst the sounds of machine guns mounted on open head vehicles three all coming down from three directions , one came at us and two from the sides through the shrubs , there was still a good distance , if they didn’t blow our vehicles it only meant one thing , their RPG’s were done.
Krakakakakakakakakak…..kraka…


“cover your asses , don’t let them circle us, aim for the drivers” he screamed using a dead cow few feet away as a blockade.
I scurried up and found myself behind our vehicles bonnet, my hindsight picked up the one coming my way , steadied fingers around my trigger , I open fired in controlled bust, my scope was perfect bridging the distance in seconds once I got my right eye encircled in it.
Six targets in total , three shots went straight to the idiot who mounted the machine gun on top of the vehicle , he flew right over and dropped dead then , I went behind the bonnet again for safety, as bullets came my way from the other sides.

“minimize your ammo, shot to kill and not a single thought about it!” captain Hassan said as he fired more shots at his vehicle.
“shit…shit..shit!” Andrew screamed , from the ground behind the car’s big tyres.

I went back up again taking a aim at the vehicle , the air pressure wasn’t nice , you had to get the trick to ensure your bullet got their targets but our rifles were powerful and well suited for the task .
Krakaka!

My rifle came asking , the driver stood no chance , driving head on to a target holding a high powered rifle as mine wasn’t such a good plan , a few managed to jump down as the vehicle spiraled out of control and right into the nearby bush.

I went down and amidst gunshots and crawled up to Andrew whose direction was clouded with huge smokes from the vehicle debris , visuals weren’t great , from the look of things , the armed bandits were already on ground , perched on positions none of us could make out.
“stay low, they are everywhere “ Andrew said before more rounds flew over our head and right into the vehicle, two more of comrades joined us there.

It was hard moving around we had bullets flying , over our heads amidst the flames and heavy smoked terrain , for a minute it went came .
“they stopped”

“shhhhh” I replied to Andrew , I could hear them , heartbeats behind the smokes few feet and constantly moving towards us , five in total , two on the right side and three on the left, if the gun scope was impressive , my heightened senses could do better .
I took my rifle and listened closely, one.

Krakakaka!
The scream from a far was satisfying yet again we ducked lower , they knew we weren’t waiting ducks to be picked up easily .
Two.
Krakakka!!

Again , another heart beat stopped beating, the gun shots interfered more with my hearing now , they fired more and more and more.
Krakak..kakakka..kakka.ka!
And then it went silent, heart beats yes , but just ours .
“We are behind schedules , get up and confirm the kill counts on oursides , I think we got hit pretty bad….” Commander Hassan said once he appeared out of the smoky background .

“whitefield, I need you to run a check on something for me now , me and the boys got hit pretty bad but we will do fine” Commnader Hassan said without taking a second look at us.

We got up and took a walk , I checked on my ammo and my reserved, I felt a bit confident about my ability to minimize then during the whole episode .

Three soldiers stood unarmed , four had sustained various gun shots , for us we had a man down.

“We leave the body, take his weapons off him and his clips , that is going to come handy” commander Hassan said once he returned back from wherever he went, there wasn’t any ounce of sympathy or remorse in him .

“we clear the road and we move out in “ again he said.
It took some good minutes before we were able to clear a path for us , the vehicle held up pretty well so much the soldiers were able to help us get in working shape too, then we continued ,no one said anything apart from whitefield who cracked dry jokes and from time to time.
Thankfully we got to the junction without any further hiccups , it was as whitefield and his white collars had discussed with us , rough and jagged , dry and green bushes went up on both sides , dense and hot.
We stopped the vehicle as the soldiers alighted.

“there is a pick up van from your base which has been sent to your location , to get you guys back , we go alone from here” commander Hassan said.

“goodluck sir” one of them said as they watched us began the main journey itself .

“keep your eyes on the look out , if anything moves , shot it , if anything doesn’t move when it should move ,shot it , this is a den crawling with bandits and God knows what, be prepared and hope we don’t pass the night here , its getting close to the evening now” he said .
It was only then I realized the evening was fast approaching now, I tightened my hands around my rifle , a few did what they could by reloading in anticipation of the next strike.
THE END.

CHAPTER THREE NO RETURN


Andrew held on to his fire arm tightly , he seemed nervous a bit as the aircraft landed and our captain’s voice thundered the air ordering us out , a normal military every captain takes seriously .
Once we landed the B5-GETTER went back up into the skies .
“captain ,It’s not gonna wait?” I asked.
“No soldier , its going to rendezvous with us once we are enroute back , too dangerous to stay on ground ,soldier!”
He said before he made his move with us following closely behind him, the military base was quite impressive, it still had a few touches and repairs going on, a few military personals were on ground , there eyes hovered around us , I could almost feel how jealous they were with our presentation.
“Commander , all three vehicles have been filled up with extra tanks and extra tires fitted in, a few menial supplies to keep you and your team for the journey has also been provided for , your truck is bullet proof….”
Captain Hassan chuckled as the commander on ground briefed us on our viable means of transportation for the journey.
“is there any thing the matter?” the commander asked.
“Oh no thing much, just that the last time someone told me that, I got an armor piercing round shot through my arm, its not a really good experience when you are thinking you are safe inside one of those”
He said , a few military personnel’s chuckled , indeed he was saying some truth , apparently our definition of bullet proof isn’t really such that you would want to trust.

“My boys have been told to accompany you …”
He paused and ordered for a group of soldiers over 30plus who stood behind him , few feets away ,all armed and battle ready.
“…to the three way route,from where you are to continue alone ?” he asked quite confused about the orders he had received in pertaining to our arrival.

“that’s correct commander , we are set and ready to go!” captain Hassan said once more before they led us out through the gates, our vehicles all three stood , the obvious one which was an armored truck was designated for us., Once the commanded went behind the gates and we had all gotten in our vehicles , we made just a mile out before our captain ordered the vehicles to stop and all soldiers down, we too included.

“you see this paper?” captain Hassan said brandishing a little piece of document in front of the soldiers who had joined us.
“..it says that the very minute you left that base I became your commander and not until we get to that junction , I will remain your commander , I own you and your weapons , what I say is law now, take off every means of communication on you down immediately “
Hassan ordered the soldiers who responded although seemed confused a little bit.

“you are going to leave them there right on the ground , when you are enroute back , you can collect them then if they get missing believe me the authorities will gladly pay for it , half of you is going to use the armored truck cos I don’t like it personally “ captain Hassan said , they were soldiers and did just as he had commanded , we got into the first vehicle and the journey began
His heart beat did say he was lying when he said he didn’t like the armored vehicle , something else was in play.
The journey was quite as rough as expected , our vehicles broke down from time to time , the dry almost dessert terrain with few shrubs and the ever constant heat was problem , forget been attacked by bandits , the heat was starting to turn to a real foe.

It was half way through the route we had taken , we got our first wake up call, the halt of the vehicle forced my eyes open from the deep yet conscious sleep I had put myself into.
“hey whitefield , we found the disturbance the drones picked up early on the road, you believe what we have here” captain Hassan said ,hands steadied on his rifle as the driver killed the engines .

“everyone down , secure the area and get those things off the way” he said before jumping down ,as did we ,right in front of us , scattered across the road were dead cattle and a few dead bodies , the smell was disturbing, from my calculation they had to be there for the last two days, we moved into military defensive postions , ensuring we covered all potential axis an attack could be launched from.
“whats this?” Andrew asked
“It must have been the attack we heard about two days ago , herdsmen they said but I don’t think so” one of the soldiers who joined us when they came down too said.

“why do you think so?” I asked.
“Herdsmen live in the bushes, they live in the region where food is hard to come by , those are

Nostradamus:
no wahala bro.i love the fact that your stories are always action thrillers...


If only our nollyood is performing well,your stories would have been on the screen now.

thanks for your kind words
next chapter comes up tomorrow, been busy for some time now but I am fully back.

The club was surprisningly good although why I never liked the so called one last dance ritual for us . I nevertheless liked this atmosphere for some reason, whitefield had all the gilrs to himself at his space , that damn old man still knew how to work his magic I bet.

But he was a soldier as I have come to know , liked and respected , the boys all nine of us rookies alongside our captain and commander on field duties Hassan who would rather take a cigarette and a bottle of cold gin than dance the night off and forget about life’s problem .
“you haven’t taken any thing yet, you don’t like it here?”

He asked as I sat face glued to the tv set which was hardly inaudible due to the stereo pumping out music at the ttime.
“I took something solid while on my way here. I think its best I don’t disturb the fella anymore than that
I said with a smile hoping he was convinced , I did think he believed me , his heart beat which I could sense was at a stable pace as I said that.

“Yeah , you don’t want to go into the B5-GETTER aircraft ’s waist room believe me, that thing would push the shit right back in “
He said with a smile , he seemed really under the influence of the whiskey every now and then but he was turning out to be a good companion .

“So why leave the army for this job” he asked taking a seat close to me.
“I didn’t have a choice I guess plus the money was right , I could retire any time soon and not think of living in a one room rented apartment and kids to feed “

I said , he gave a nod and turned his attention to whitefield who was in his world .

“look that old man enjoying his life right now , tomorrow he is gonna seat alongside his team of whitecollars ,eyes glued to the computer , making sure everything go according to plan , our lives is gonna depend on the decision he and his team are going to make , isn’t it scary?”
He asked me without hoping for an answer.

“Don’t worry , we will see this through to the end , TADOPT has to be a success one way or another , the security intelligence agencies of the world are looking down on us , they think this is going to be a waste of time and lives but we can make this work so my comrade , say a prayer to God , your family and you gun for tomorrow “

He said once more before he stood to join whitefield , I returned my focus to the tv and when it got a bit darker I made my way to my apartment, it was going to be a long day after all.

I made my way to the conference room all geared up a did the others , whitefield and Hassan sat around discussing and so it was for the next 15mins till they made to let us know what was happening.

“Just yesterday evening , we had information from reliable sources that our border security in kano came under fire from unknown illegal immigrants , all border personalities were killed , they said it was a massacre really , there vehicles were touched and weapons carted away , few villages report over 5trunks of heavily armed men , we think its black cat , they may be trying to make a move on the base , we have sent additional drone support for now , the base cant hold any longer , we will run intel over here so at all times ensure your transponder is on and running , we have media capability drones for pictures and videos surveillance , we have the skies on this one, go and make us proud!”
Whitefield said.

“This is more bad news for us”

Andrew said to me , his heart beat seemed irregular , fear , anxiety , deceit , anxiousness could make up for it so I paid no attention to it.
“are you scarre3d already?”
I said with a smile.

“nah, just thinking how many body bag I will have to count today ,tomorrow and next” he said .

We made our way out into the carrier space where the B5-GETTER helicopter landed prestigiously for us , it seemed fairly okay and equipped with missle launcher and a machine gun attached on both sides perfect for controlled gun fights.

“what are you rookies waiting for , get on with it!”
Whitefield screamed from into our transponders hooked to our ears.
“you have an hour and fifteen minutes to be in kano, go get that son of a bitch !”
He said again.
“you heard the man, lets go!”

Hassan voice echoed through the air , as we made our move into the B5-GETTER in a minute or two , we were air lifted and damn it was my second time been air lifted and my first which the airlift wasn’t about showing off for army parade .

“take it easy guys , recheck your weapons, safety on at all times , minimum and controlled shots if need be for engagement to conserve armor clips and always reserve one for yourself , do it now..”
Hassan ordered taking one of his clips and producing a bullet from it which he slides into his breast pocket.

“that could either save you or kill you at some point “ he said with a smirk on his face, we did as he said and returned our active clip into our weapons, I could hear the thump of each heartbeat , each weighed deeply on what they thought would be the outcome of the mission , one in particularly kept starring at his single bullet in a manner that really felt sad but this is what he signed up , each man to his cross they say, I closed my eyes from time to time and other times starred at the view from many kilometers above the ground

“Alright guys , you just entered kano, Gps coordinates to TADHAR base have been sent , you are now enroute , once you are ther we will begin pulling missile drone support out of your way , goodluck once more”
Whitefield said over the transponder.

“weapons check , safety on, look sharp , mask on, helmet on look alive boys , its touch down in 30minutes!” Hassan said again, drawing his skull mask over his face , it was custom made with kill written over the damn thing.

I checked my gadgets and did as I was told , my baby , my HK 416 rifle , it was perfectly balanced and ready for action.

THE END.

continuation is been prepared now .

black CAT CONTINUES TONIGHT ,MIGHT FINISH IT OFF BEFORE THE WEEK RUNS OUT ,thanks for waiting around


meanwhile check out my other two books

KILLING A SIDE CHICK


AND


MAN EATER HERE IN NAIRALAND .

Nostradamus:
WriterX come and continue na...


Remember,you didn't finish your first story here

oshey boss i totally forgot this bad boy of a story wow , thanks for the reminder i will update it.

link for other book
KILLING A SIDECHICK

https://www.nairaland.com/5717552/killing-sidechick-henry-complete

https://www.nairaland.com/5727075/man-eater-henry-complete-village#87306147

link for MAN EATER COMPLETE STORY

continued


escape the scenario already but that was made impossible by the royal guards who swooped in on him .

“…it is said that if the bird who flies in the sky excretes too much dung while in air , there will be nowhere for it to perch on the ground, this I believe is the case of one of our own who is here with us , my people I was in obosara when my brother was in his final days and I indeed truly wanted to come see him and be with him but on the day I was supposed to make my journey back , one of the royal guards came down to obosara with a message from my brother who was ill, he begged me to please save his son from an impending danger to his life and his claim over the throne , he said there were people who were bent on destroying him and his family , he asked that i come when the talks of coronation was up in the air , the people of Elu , Your king, King Odum was murdered by this people you see here ..”

He said pointing to the people bound in ropes as commotion broke free among the people.

“but this people were under the commands of some persons we would never belive can perpetuate such , these people followed the commands of two chiefs who sought to take the throne for their selves ..”

Again chief Emeribe tried to break free only this time chief Ekelemchi tried as well but none was successful.
“Who are these evil doers “
“tell us their names , we will ensure they never see the light of the day !”
The crowds yelled

“I believe they have revealed their selves for us to see”
He continued allowing the guards tug them out into the open where everyone could see, both chief Ekelemchi and Emeribe stood in the presence of everyone.

“What is this , this is a lie it cant be , my brother will..”
“Mama, Uncle is right , he revealed everything for to me yesterday night , mama we were all played here but Uncle Ikenna knew found out the truth for us”

Prince Ihunna said much to the displeasure of the queen who ran out to inquire of her brother the truth.
“what is this , is this true , Ekele, did you kill odum , did you kill my husband the king so you can take the throne for yourself, hah brother would you do such a thing to your own sister ?” she screamed painfully at her brother who could say no word at the moment.

“It took the combined effort of Ogemdi , The royal bodyguard of the queen Ejiofo who Amukoh after I secretly called him to let him know of what was happening too to fish out all those responsible here , the bribery , the looting , the abuse of power by this two men knew no bounds , it was the combined handiwork of these two evil men to kill the prince and I and when they couldn’t as you can see the remaining two were caught and interrogated after which they confessed but the chiefs wanted to frame me up for it but the gods bear me judged when it was due, we have all been scarred of a man eater in the bush who seizes people at will but here these people have proven worst so I ask you my people who really is a man eater , I say it’s a man who would kill his brother , his family , his friends for greed , it is the man whose claws do not tear flesh but tears emotions, bonds , traditions and customs for greed , a man eater is anyone out there whose denies his fellow man their right to happiness, success and dreams , I say it again a man eater is not a just a wild animal ,they are camouflaged as friends , even families ,neighbors , it is everyone out there who has denied and sold his humanity for nothing , that is the real man eater”

Prince Ikenna said amidst praises from everyone as the guards carried the culprits away from the scene.

“Ehn Prince Ikenna you have indeed done well and to our people , this in fact is truly a great day upon the events ,we the chiefs unanimously have chosen a new king , one who best suits the people , one who we believe has the affairs of the people at heart, with the omission of those two evil doers and the those who supported chief Emeribe’s bid for the throne , we have chosen a king and a new royal adviser , the personal hand of the king , Prince Ihunna you have been deemed worthy by us all to succeed the throne …”

The crowd erupted with celebrations immediately.
“..and Prince Ikenna we charge you if you would be kind enough to be the new hand of the king and help ensure his reign?”
Chief Eze asked again silence ensured as Prince Ikenna walked up to prince Ihunna and then bowed his head down for the young prince.
“it will be my pleasure to work with and for my king and my people”
Prince Ikenna said with a smile.

Again the crowd went agog in celebrations, in the distance Azu the hunter leads the remaining two hunters to the gathering , over his shoulder is the huge lifeless body of the elusive man eater , a tiger.

THE END.

continued


“My choice is made , I therefore choose Chief Emeribe Ezuogu , the son of King Ogbara who was ousted by his step brother the great grandfather of king odum!”

The chief said but apart from a few chiefs including chief Ekelemchi who was still reeling from what he just heard , not many in the room was shocked about the news.
“what, Emeribe ,what is this I am hearing?....” Chief Ekelemchi said flaring up dangerously.
“..what nonsense is this ,Achuga what is the meaning of this?”
He lamented.

“Well Chief Emeribe does in fact have a claim to the throne , his claim is validated by sound proof before the gods and man , when the great grandfather ousted his brother the rightful heir with the most claim to the throne , he ordered that his brother be put to death and his family including his son ,who apparently was spared of the horror , he went on to live a normal life unknown to the king , the same one who sits before you as chief Emeribe is great grandson of king Ogbara , apparently he survived..”
“this is not true ,it cant be, you used me chief Emeribe , by the gods what have I done?”
Chief Ekelemchi lamented.

“I don’t know what you are talking about first of all and even if I know well this is no time to trade blame besides you too wanted the throne for yourself ,didn’t you?”
“Enough of all this gibberish , the people await their king” Achiga cautioned dangerously.

“I nominate Chief Emeribe “ another proclaimed as chief Ekelemchi cursed himself over his ignorance all the while , he had delivered and done everything the chief had asked him to do , even his appointment as chief had been his plan once they eliminated king odum who was close to finding out his plans for the throne, now he thought about it , he had been the biggest fool all along.
“you will not come out of here alive, I swear it by the gods”
Chief Ekelemchi protested angrily.
“oh please , just shut up!”
Chief Emeribe rebuked him .
“I nominate Prince Ihunna” chief eze declared.
“I nominate Prince Ikenna “ another said.
“I nominate…”

A huge commotion had followed outside the palace shortly which got the attention of all of them and almost then Prince Ikenna walked in much .
“My lords, the people demand your immediate presence , I believe there is something you all must immediately”
Prince Ikenna sadi.

“What , whats this , how dare you come in..”
“Enough! , the people demand our presence so we all must go see them”

Achiga cut short the words of chief Emeribe , just as the royal guard walked them out .
Outside , the scene was quite different , a few people were bound in ropes , from some members of royal maids to workers and a few strange faces.

“My people , Its with great pleasure and honor , to wait this patiently for me to finally explain what we have here…”
He paused as Amukoh and Ejiofo dragged yet two unidentified males into the arena , bruised and beaten beyond compare for the people to see but this action didn’t sit down well for Chie Emeribe who had attempted to

contnued


anything but moments like this only showed where their hearts truly was.

By night fall, Prince Ikenna had slipped into the palace with a mission at hand , he had made his plans and hoped to execute at sun down in preparation of tomorrow , indeed Achuga had told him all he needed to know and what lies ahead , it was only necessary he kept the very promise he made years ago.

Gongon!...Gongon!!...Gongon!!!
The village town crier sounded his gong although he needn’t not as everyone was actively involved one way or another in the preparation of the ceremony even down to the youths and children had a role to play.

Gongon!...Gongon!!...Gongon!!!
His gong sounded again as he announced the order of the day not as if many paid attention to him, it was no secret how the order of activities were always done during coronations.

From the dancing , wrestling of various age groups to the ceremony proper which begins with a speech by one of the chiefs on the events that ensured shortly ,then the big moment itself followed which involved the chiefs returning to the private court room where each chief will declare his choice before Achiga who would then come out to give the verdict to the people and in a case where there is a deadlock , an event which as only happened in Elu’s history just for the second time , a three day interval is given after which the chiefs are again made to choose a candidate again ,but for today the people came bearing in their mind the thought of a definite winner .

The chain of events went on as planned in the presence of the royal family , the chiefs and the people even Azoube the village glutton dazzled the people with his extraordinary dancing and eating prowess whenever he had the chance to, it was however chief eze’s speech that every one eagerly listened to.

“The people of Elu , yes indeed today is a great day , oh yes today marks the beginning of great things to come for our people , today we give our history a push once more towards the right direction , moments from now , the royal horn will wake up the air in this arena after a consensus of your choice on who is to succeed the throne and become the new king, we fourteen will make that choice based on your demands and also for what we believe is right , we therefore ask all to be silent as we go in to make our decisions and I urge you all to await Achiga the mouth piece of the gods with good faith”

Again the people celebrated chief eze’s speech before silent ensured just as they all left the eyes of the public and right into a secret chamber.

Once inside , the absence of Prince Ikenna became known to all who wondered where he was at the moment.
“did any one notice the prince was not outside ,does he not know what today holds for him and the people?”
One of the chiefs asked.

“Has something bad happened to him?”
Another asked.
“My chiefs , I believe his presence is not the order of the day ,whether he is there or not I do not care , we have a job at hand and I suggest we get on with it!”

Chief Ekelemchi said before he passed a smile to chief Emeribe .
“Indeed he is right , his presence or absent is not an issue right now , the chiefs must in fact make their choices now”
Achiga said sadly.

Chapter Six


A day to the coronation , Prince Ikenna arrives at Achiga’s shrine ,they share a kola and began to discuss.

“My lord, You know one of these days you will have to divulge the secret of your ever youthful appearance to me , look at me am barely forty six and I look already old”
Prince Ikenna said teasingly to the old man who chuckled at the remark.

“Ikenna my son, its always good to see here , but I sense there is a lot in your mind which is why you are here, what bothers you ?”
“hmmm its true that I have a lot in my mind , its why I am here because only you can in fact help me , it is said that one must look for the animal’s eyes in its head hence my presence here”
Prince Ikenna said.

“you have spoken well , what is that troubles you?”
“my lord you are not just the eyes and mouth piece of the gods themselves but also a custodian of the village history , history that has been passed down from generations to generations , histories that owe the answers to my burden”
He said calmly.

“hmmm I see , by traditions and customs I am sworn by secrecy to the people and the gods but more than I am sworn to always uphold the truth and do whatever necessary to protect to the people and the throne itself, tell me everything and I will tell you all that you need to know, today is a day that has been blessed by the gods even your coming here was already decided by them, you may speak freely”
Achuga assured him.

Some kilometers away from the village shrine , Mama Chisimdi and her friend Ijeawele spoke at length about all the recent happenings within the kingdom and even more the prospects of a new king the next day.
“I said what I heard already , the chiefs are going to support Prince Ihunna’s claim to the throne over Prince Ikenna”
Ijeawele said.

“what , wait I thought all this time you have been rooting for prince Ikenna ..”
“Ehn see forget that gist , right now , prince Ihunna has shown the same level of trust and confidence to run the affairs of the village , he has really improved you know”
Ijeawele replied.

“ooohh so this time you now see what I have been seeing along ,prince Ihunna is very much like Prince Ikenna only younger , his heart is in the right place , I believe he will indeed succeed the throne tomorrow without a hitch that I promise you”

“well hmmm I wouldn’t say without a hitch oh , such words end up jinxing the entire thing , so we all must expect tomorrow to play out the way we do as farmers who look up in the clear sky and yet see clouds pregnant with rain”

“Ijeawele you are right , its true however I feel things will go well tomorrow ,besides it is never a bad thing to hope for good things”
Mama Chisimdi said, it was quite rare that both women ever agreed on

continued


“My son , I wish I could say that, we have problem which threatens you and I “

“A problem , mama what is it?”
“My son, today I found out about a secret which could essentially be our doom in this palace”
“mama , what are you saying?”

“My son, prince Ikenna has by the way of tradition and custom a more legal claim to the throne than you , your father was second to be come out during birth , It was by mishap that your father was declared senior , an issue that made prince Ikenna leave this village for his mother’s , now his brother is dead and he is back to reclaim the throne”
“mama, is this really true?”

“yes my son, this is nothing but the truth, the six out of the chiefs and many have sided with him already , there are rumors other chiefs will side with him sooner than later and help take away chances of becoming king and even punishing us in the process for what was done to him “

“Mama I cant believe this , Uncle saved my life the other day, he has been nothing but helpful to the people and me , he wouldn’t do such a thing”

“My son, the heart of a man and is best known to only him , we cant rely on his past deeds my son , I and my brother your royal adviser have taken steps to convince some of the chiefs and ….”
“Mama what do you mean by steps , isn’t it forbidden to discuss matters of the coronation with the chiefs before that day “

“my son , if one does not chew water he does not know that water has bones, listen to me I am impressed you have taken the affairs of the people quite seriously , your father took over the throne at age sixteen too but and did well , its quite unfortunate death took him early at the age he did leave us but your father knew what he had to do to remain king , he did both good and bad things to ensure his reign was not cut short infact if you ever took the history of the royal succession you will understand how your great grandfather succeeded the throne , he did it by means of a coup where the family of the then reigning king including its heir were wiped off to avoid their claim over the throne , this is hard to believe for a man opened the way for his bloodline to inherit the throne afterwards but history is there for a reason , you can learn from it so that it never happens again , now it’s your time to also show such bravery courage to do what is necessary ”

“hmmm okay mama I am ready , please go on am listening”
“I spoke to ogemdi this evening about some things I would need for the chiefs who will ensure the throne never gets to your uncle and he told me that its quite impossible because of the strain the royal treasury has been put under due to your decisions earlier but that’s not why I came , my brother and I have decided on a more permanent solution for this problem , one which will ensure that there is never any threat, at first I didn’t want to believe this was our only solution but my brother raised a good argument on why we needed to go through with the plan..”

“..wait mama , you don’t really me what I think you want to say do you , that’s..thats ….”

The prince shook his head out of disbelief .
“My son , he has to go , believe me even with the crown on your head , he can still claim it at will, your bloodline must preserve this throne for its generations to come , Ihunna my son hmmm..”
She paused and nodded her head gently .

“..however that decision is yours and yours only to take , you must sleep on it and make a decision before the coronation itself begins. , I pray you think of it and make a wise decision for all our sake”
The queen said once more before she took her leave.

continued


As noon approached, the palace was suddenly mobbed with the local traders who seemed to be in protest of something, the likes of chief Ekelemchi , the prince and a host of others had gathered to calm them down and find out the problem.

“The prices of things are becoming unbearable my chief , we hardly sell a thing nor buy , our people are scared of going to the farm , even the hunters are not bringing in enough for us to make something out of , Elu is known for its markets across many villages , what good is such a title if its own people now starve!”
One of them said sympathetically.

“Eh my people, I can assure you that things will be brought under control sooner than later , the ….”
Chief Ekelemchi voice is overshadowed by the crowd’s murmur which expressed their unhappiness about the chief’s attempt to calm them down.
“The people of Elu I am sorry that we are faced with such a dilemma at a time like this …..”

Prince Ihunna paused ,choosing to step out and down into the midst of his people who gather around to listen to him.
“…We have been made shells of our former selves, we are scarred and unhappy , our friends ,children and parents have been snatched away from us by this beast…”

“We are starving here, what do you have to say about that , the people cant live like this for long not all of us live in the palace you know”
Someone said among the crowd.
“..who said that?”

Chief Ekelemchi asked angrily in a loud tone.
“..Its okay that’s true and understandable, you all don’t live in the palace in other words I may not really know how it feels to starve or to be scarred at night but you all are my people , your pain is my pain and my joy is your joy so believe when I say I am saddened by what is happening…”
“what are we going to do then ,tell us!:”
Another demanded from the crowd.

“well you are right , we need to do something , Achiga has already given us when we will catch this beast and that’s in three days time during the coronation , if I recall in times of war as I have read , It is the king’s duty to provide for the people when things got out of hands in terms of supplies , Ogemdi the Royal treasurer will discuss with the leader of the traders to fix prices for the essentials whilst the traders are compensated by the royal house for such items, this way the people can purchase at prices they is considered okay”

The young prince said, getting an ovation of praise from the people who were wuite happy with his suggestions, after dispersing the crowds , chief Eze had soon found his way to the young prince to discuss a few things with him .

“My prince , you spoke well today”
He said.

“thank you very much my lord, the people are in distress and Its only necessary I try my best to help proffer a solution”
The prince said before they both went their separate ways again.
During the night when everybody was fast asleep , the queen found her way to her son’s court for a much needed discussion.
“Mother , is there anything the matter?”
The young prince asked waking up soon after his mother made her presence known to him.

Chapter Five



”He has already declared his intentions for the crown , that is the truth”
One of the chiefs said as four of them gathered alongside chief Emeribe and Ekelemchi at their secret gathering.

“That cannot be , that traitor of a chief would really do that to us , after I personally sent Chief Emeribe to go personally and discuss with him about my plans?”

“Chief Ekelemchi , I say we leave him and the other five out of our plans , chief Eze and his group so to say are known for been back stabbers and traitors , there are still two more chiefs who none of us have been able to convince …”

“We must do everything to convince those two before chief eze does “
Chief Ekelemchi said.

“Hah do not worry about it Chief Ekelemchi, we will ensure that we get to those , in fact I have a plan at hand , do not worry , I suggest you go see the queen immediately and let her know what is happening and the need to okay the demands I have already made known to you , time is off the essence “
Chief Emeribe said.

“You..you are right , I must go now , we will not easily be defeated this way”
Chief Ekelemchi said before he left the other chiefs to go see his sister the queen.

He made his way to the royal queen’s court where the maids were gathered around to help make her hair .
“I demand you all to leave immediately” Chief Ekelemchi said in a loud voice which made the startled maids run out.
“Ekele my brother what is it, why are you troubled?”
She asked .

“Sister there is fire on the mountain, hah sister there is trouble coming our way ..”

“what do you mean brother , what has happened ?”
She asked impatiently and frightened .
“I didn’t want to tell you this ….”

He paused to looked around and clearly whispered what he had recently learnt from Chief Emeribe about prince Ikenna’s birth.
“By the gods , brother this is not true!”
She refuted with fright on his face.

“I am telling you , prince Ikenna has already stole the hearts of the people and some of the chiefs and now with this information , he above all has a better claim than your son to the throne…”
“It cant be brother , that would , that would mean…”
“that would mean you and your son will have nothing when he is done with you two, is that what you dears sister?”

“No,no,no brother no that’s not what I want”
“then go and see to it that ogemdi releases the necessary funds that I need , the chiefs have to be swayed one way or another before that day comes or you above all stand to lose the most”

Chief Ekelemchi said before leaving his sister to ponder over what he had said, she had no other choice she above the rest knew the consequences of what is to ensure if she didn’t oblige to his demands .
Somewhere around the same time , the royal herbalist had finally cleared fit Amukoh , he made his way out of the palace as soon as he was cleared fit to meet up with someone one of the maids had told him wanted to see him urgently.

contnued


Eventually otum had selected five who made their way for the forest after the needed preparation , as sun began to fade slowly , prince Ikenna had decided to go pay Achike a visit when Chief Eze and a few other chiefs came to see him, after the pleasantries they made their purpose known to him.

“I myself and my fellow chiefs here have had our discussions and made decisions , you must know we care much about our people and we have been trusted with a task of protecting their interest, Prince Ikenna , we have decided in unison , all of us here who seat with you to stand with you when the day you will need us the most to , I am sure you understand what we mean , the people have eyes and they have ears too, they see and they know whats good for them , is it not so my fellow chiefs?”

“Yes indeed” came the reply to chief eze’s question.
Prince Ikenna greeted them all before he took his stand to give a reply.
“My lords , my fathers , Its indeed beyond belief and hopes for the great people of Elu that they find me worthy enough to think I can serve them this way hence I say thank you to you all , its important that the desires of the people be met at all times , I hope indeed when that day comes, you all who have put this faith in me will also trust my words too, once more I say thank you all “

The meeting was indeed a short and well concluded one and by morning , the rumors had filled the air once more and with just four more days to go , the possibilities of what that day held was something everyone was anticipating eagerly.

continued


,history and customs but you have forgotten this is a new era different from when you were around , things are done differently now , for each task and activity to be agreed on its important a committee be set up to checkmate such hence I think its only fair , you keep still and let us the chiefs decide that quickly , in fact I feel I have earned that right to nominate myself as the head committee member”

Chief Emeribe said angrily having been obstructed earlier by the prince.
“What Prince Ikenna has said has some truth in it , we all are aware of the deadlock we have been experiencing in respect to setting up a committee to supervise the activities of those we will be sending into the forest however again whilst my fellow chief, Chief Emeribe has also in fact spoken the truth about the way things are run currently , I think if I am to support anyone to spearhead this committee which I would prefer to be a one man committee to limit the expenditure , I would pick Prince Ikenna…”

Chief Eze words sent a mild chatter across the court.
“…by traditions , whilst the royal family do not and cant be involved in any decision making process , they can however be selected and chosen for tasks such as this , Prince Ikenna has shown so far his credibility and ability to handle a task as important as this ….”
He paused and took a good look and then continued.

“..i believe this is not something to debate , we should cast a vote now , whoever we pick we pick here will decide those worthy to be picked and prepared for the journey “

“This has never be done before , we all are know a chief is supposed to be the one selected , it has always been the way things are done , by selecting a royal it shows we have no value for…”

“..My chiefs , it hink Chief Ekelemchi is right on this one, for all who have considered as been worthy to be selected for this task I say thank you but a chief is regarded as a people in the sense that he represents the people’s choice at all times and this time , a choice to settle for me wouldn’t and may not be totally favorable for all ,in a way I still am very much a stranger to many , I would suggest we select five of the best hunters first and then delegate better on who is to head the committee as the days go , for now the urgency of us sending this brave men as instructed is indeed a dire one…”
Prince Ikenna said, cutting in on Chief Ekelemchi.

“We can perform Otum to know those favorable by the gods for this mission as our fathers and my father the late king told me my chiefs , he told me Otum was performed to select those who will had the blessings of the gods with them, wise one is that not true?”
Prince Ikenna said with a smile , he had been studying for the longest time now, having seen and admired his uncle’s own knowledge of tradition and customs of the land , he made it his mission once he recovered himself to study daily the history of the land to help me lead his people better.

“You have indeed spoken well my prince , Your father’s father and his fathers did consult the gods to select those for special missions during times of war and a lot more , If the chiefs will agree , I will go get the item for Otum”

Achike said much to the approval of all this time around who saw meaning to the young prince’s suggestion.
Otum was merely a test of strong virtue , it involved a simple yet mysterious iron rod called Otum struck into the ground by Achike declaring the amount or number otum needed to select and for what purposes , the task set for all was simple , everyone had to try and remove it from the ground , it is believed those favored will be able to remove it with ease while others will fail in their bid to do same.

contnued


of any matter , it involved the drinking of the special concoction and incantations made after which he would be asked the questions , persons under the osherigi can only tell the truth or risk death by continuous spewing of blood and not just only to him but those who aided in such evil he was accused of immediately hence the respect by all for this special rite.

“what is he trying to accomplish, his death?”
Someone from the crowd said.

“No one not even the spirit dares toy with Osherigi ,he must be out o0f his senses?”
Another one said.
“If he survives this , then certainly he must be absolved of all blames and accusations”
A chief said to another.

However the prince hadn’t even bathed as much as an eye when he clearly declared his innocence , he soon receive praises from many of the people as soon as his declaration came forth however it was the scream of woman who filled the air drawing the people aback for a minute.
The elusive man eater had claimed another life again only this time , right there in the village.

A day after the live of another child who had strayed into the forest for a quick a game was discovered to have been mauled by this unidentified creature , preparations had soon begun to send the hunters , the plan had been halted by the choice of committee to oversee the selection but after the events of yesterday , it was however only necessary to show the people , the royal family and personally the young prince’s interest in protecting his people.

At dawn, the town crier had did as he was commanded.

Gongon!...Gongon!!..Gongon!!! his iron gong sounded as he walked around the nooks and cronies of the village.
“The People of Elu “

Again the gong sounded ,bringing awareness to even the lazy farmers still wondering what to do about the day.
“The Heir Apparent Prince Ihunna and the chiefs of the land have called upon the great hunters of the land, for it has become a matter of urgency that five of the best must be chosen today and prepared for the journey ahead just as Achiga the mouth piece has instructed , the prince has ordered that those who will be selected will be rewarded beyond compare and be gifted with prestigious titles for their bravery, “
He made his announcements known to all far and near.
However the Turn up was immense, as hunters both far and near came to the gathering .

“We have not been able to set up the committee to oversee the activities of those we will send my prince because of the finance it will involve, I …..”

“with all due respect , speaking from experiences and history it’s a quite strange that the idea of a committee to oversee these men will sit comfortably daily in the royal court to discuss about the activities of men who will be in the thick jungles and not just that but will be paid for such while this hunters risk their lives out there, my chiefs I think certainly there must be a better way out, as you can see the hunters are out there waiting for us to come and talk with them , the idea of a committee will only delay us all the more as it has already..”
“what are you trying to say ehn prince Ikenna , you claim to know traditions

continued


Amukoh striking him in the process and letting him collapse to the ground but prince Ikenna gave them a much harder fight to overpower , urging the young prince to run and call for help ,while he fend off their assailants , the young prince had be struck by a dagger on the left leg which was thrown at him by one of them, but the Fight didn’t end there either , with Ikenna besting all three as the fight ensured , it was however when he had managed to knock one out totally the two had decided to run away.

The news was made known to the people as soon as Prince Ikenna was able to help prince ikunna back to the palace, as if the man eater hadn’t already claimed yet another victim just a night ago now someone had attacked both prince with the intent of killing them.
Whilst the leg injury hadn been that serious once the royal herbalist did his job , it was however the accusations by chief ekelmechi that sent people thinking .

“who else who would do such a thing except prince Ikenna , I know for this is another one of his dangerous plans to get more people on his side , was he not the one who suggested that lonely path in the first place , just so you know nothing like this has ever happened in the land before , it is a sacrilege to threaten the life of a royal person punishable by death, I say they lock up prince Ikenna now until we can confirm truly he is not responsible for the attack”

He said, his words did win a lot of people who saw reason to what he did say, unfortunately the one who had been knocked out was confirmed to have died from the injuries he sustained hence making it impossible for a confession.

“I say we call the people to the palace they will decide his fate”
He said when eventually the chiefs had gathered later by noon to discuss about the issue.

“Our prince has a stab wound in his leg , you can imagine what could have happened …”

“But nothing else did happen , just so you know Prince Ikenna was also injured and brutalized as well , to have fought off three people isn’t such a simple task you know” chief eze said.
“Ehn why wont it be a simple task when he may have been the one to set the whole thing upm think about..”

“No one will think of anything except the truth which I bring”
Achike said making his appearance in the royal chamber after which a sudden buzz of chatter is heard outside.

“what is going on out there?” Chief Eziamaka cried out.
“that would be the people of elu , they have all gathered here for the truth”

Achike said again.
“Wise one , if I remember correctly , do you intend to perform the Osherigi to find out the truth?”
Chief Eze asked.

“Well spoken chief Eze, I have been summoned as well as the people of Elu by Prince Ikenna himself who wishes to exonerate himself from having any involvement in this evil that has been perpetuated” Achike replied.

“what, you mean he requested for this ?”
“he didn’t just requested for it, he asked he take the osherigi right in front of as many that would want to know the truth hence the presence of the people of Elu here”

Achike said eventually leading the chiefs out after which Prince Ikenna was led out by the guards right in from of everything where he performed the osherigi willingly ; a test which stood the test of time in finding out the truth

Chapter Four


At the first crow of the day , Prince Ihunna had talked to with his mother before he and Amukoh one of his personal bodyguards had decided to go see His uncle ,prince Ikenna.

Chief Ekelemchi had joined his sister the queen shortly to discuss about what he felt needed attention to.

“My queen , they say the frog does not run around during the day time for no reason , there is a huge problem we need to tend to immediately”
He said hurriedly.

“brother what is it that troubles you?” the queen asked visibly worried.
“Are you not aware or is has no one told you yet?”
He asked.
“Aware of what, what has happened?”

“there are rumors, my sister, rumors which I am bothered and concerned about , rumors which have dire consequences for us all in this palace”
The queen paused for a minute and took a look around before finding her brothers hand.

“come , we must go to my chambers immediately ,there we will talk better”

She said tugging her brother along .
It was however a twenty minute walk from the palace to Prince Ikenna’s compound, right there the young prince had met prince Ikenna and a hunter discussing the price of a grass cutter, they all bow and pay their respect immediately to the young prince .

“Azu my friend please you must excuse me now while I talk with the prince …”
He said to Azu the hunter who greeted the prince once more before talking his leave.

“My prince , what brings you far away from the palace to my little abode”
Prince Ikenna asked quite uncertain at the time about the purpose of the visit.
“Uncle, I …I..”

“Please if you would not mind , I suggest we go in first , I have already prepared something for the morning, Omhuki soup with lots of mushrooms…”
“that is my favorite and my father’s too”

The young prince replied quite excited at the offer.
“Well your father and I may nevr had really agreed on a lot of things when we were growing up but Omhuki soup was one thing we both enjoyed all the time , please do come in whatever you have to say , we will discuss it over breakfast its is said that if one sets the mouth properly and chews very hard palm fruit certainly it will be like chewing softer palm fruits, I am very sure after a good meal , you will feel better to talk “

Prince Ikenna said as both of them made their way into the hut , prince Ihunna did enjoy his meal thereafter and soon made his purpose known.

“I did tell Ejiofo to not let you in, after the cleansing rite I thought you….”
“You don’t need to say it young prince , even I did need a break from the meetings and thank you very much for coming down to see me young prince”

“Uncle is it…..is it true you are only here to…”
“what did you say my prince?”

“Uncle never mind , please I must come around again when next you make Omhuki soup , this was indeed delicious, thank you”
“It’s the gods who give us just enough to eat ,drink and share with other that truly deserve the thanks , now you are all rested I hope its okay if I escort you for awhile as you make the journey back to the palace”
Prince Ikenna said much to the approval of the young prince, they soon made their way past the markets , exchanging greetings with the people who hailed both prince before they followed a shorter path as advised by prince Ikenna which would get them closer to the palace but there it did happen that they had been ambushed by three men who easily overpowered

continued


for his mother’s village., out of anger and spite for his brother and his father”
The chief concluded .
“this is unbelievable”

“you had better believe it chief ekelemchi, he came for one thing and one thing only to reclaim his lost mandate , if you sit and fold your hands , I can only assure you the crown will be his..”
“I will not allow that chief, over my dead body!”
Chief Ekelemchi said.

“Then I would need more to convince the other chiefs , they say that if there is no morsel left in the hand , it causes the pieces in the mouth to grow cold , the ball is in your court dear friend , I will await for your decision and I hope it happens soon, I should take my leave now before it gets too dark”

Chief Emeribe said once more before he took his leave, he had said all he needed to say to his friend for now .

Chief Ekelemchi sat there quietly for a more , his thoughts seem more like a burden to him now , things were going extremely smooth for him and the young prince until prince Ikenna arrived , his depleting faster , from lands to monetary gifts and jewelries , now he had been told those old pigs needed more to earn their votes, with days counting to the coronation it was however not an option to see to it that the necessary things be done , he would have to find a way to collect more funds from the royal treasury.

continued


“when the black ant stings the buttocks , next time the buttocks learns wisdom , I had to leave the house quickly just before my four wives had started drawing the neighborhood to their quarrel besides it seems I did come well and at a good time”

He replied sizing up the lap of the grasscutter he had picked out of the vegetable soup much to the dissatisfaction of his friend who could only curse his luck at that moment.

“I see , where you able to get to chief Eze and the rest as we spoke?”
Chief Ekelemchi asked.
He waited for minutes took his time with the food with a final touch of his tongue going through the entire empty plates once more to pick up the little leftovers and then emptying a cup of fresh palm wine down his throat.

“This must be the handiwork of Agugu the palm wine tapper , only he taps this fresh..”
“haven’t you had your fill , you know you shouldn’t be see here with me at this hour , so tell me the outcome of the task at hand while we can still talk”
Chief Ekelemchi added.

“Eh am sorry . well you see eh the task is indeed a big one , I have been able to talk with three so far and have dropped sizeable amounts and plots of lands as directed , I can assure you those three are with us…”
“You should know that is not enough, if we can only account for three out of fourteen chiefs that’s still a big margin by which anything can happen …”
“Ehm the thing is there are a lot of options available to the chiefs this time which is something that rarely ever happens , the prince is there and don’t forget prince Ikenna who has really been impressive since his return , I bet you he has already bought most of the chiefs …”
“impossible!”

Chief Ekelemchi exclaimed startling chief Emeribe who could only pause and observe his friend .
“I will never let that happen , Prince Ikenna will never be crowned king of Elu not while I am alive, the gods forbids it, I just don’t know why he had to come back , everything was just going well for us “
He continued angrily.

“wait a minute , you ask why he is back?, have you no knowledge of why he left before ?”

Chief Emeribe asked letting his friend sink in his words for a moment who decides to sit and ask for more information.
“what do you mean about that , is it not the traditions that once the heir has been chosen ….”

“only if he chooses that I know , chief let me tell you this , I did swear never to reveal this after the old woman who partook in the delivering of prince ihunna’s father and prince ikenna , am sure not everyone knows but just to let you know where we stand in this matter I will let you know , it is said that unlike the story that we have all heard and believed about the twin princes and how prince odum was infact the first to come out at birth that it was actually the other way round…”
“By the gods , Emeribe ,what are you saying?”

“Prince Ikenna was in fact the senior of the two prince however she had told me that Ikenna refused to cry at birth and it was in fact odum who cried first , which resulted to a fatal mistake by the mid wives who then presented odum as the first born who was then presented to a Achike who performed the rites of onumah , when the queen found out it was already too late , onumah as you know cannot be peformed for a second time , they say it was during her death she may have told Ikenna the truth after which he left the palace

continued


“when the black ant stings the buttocks , next time the buttocks learns wisdom , I had to leave the house quickly just before my four wives had started drawing the neighborhood to their quarrel besides it seems I did come well and at a good time”

He replied sizing up the lap of the grasscutter he had picked out of the vegetable soup much to the dissatisfaction of his friend who could only curse his luck at that moment.
“I see , where you able to get to chief Eze and the rest as we spoke?”
Chief Ekelemchi asked.

He waited for minutes took his time with the food with a final touch of his tongue going through the entire empty plates once more to pick up the little leftovers and then emptying a cup of fresh palm wine down his throat.

“This must be the handiwork of Agugu the palm wine tapper , only he taps this fresh..”
“haven’t you had your fill , you know you shouldn’t be see here with me at this hour , so tell me the outcome of the task at hand while we can still talk”

Chief Ekelemchi added.
“Eh am sorry . well you see eh the task is indeed a big one , I have been able to talk with three so far and have dropped sizeable amounts and plots of lands as directed , I can assure you those three are with us…”
“You should know that is not enough, if we can only account for three out of fourteen chiefs that’s still a big margin by which anything can happen …”

“Ehm the thing is there are a lot of options available to the chiefs this time which is something that rarely ever happens , the prince is there and don’t forget prince Ikenna who has really been impressive since his return , I bet you he has already bought most of the chiefs …”
“impossible!”
Chief Ekelemchi exclaimed startling chief Emeribe who could only pause and observe his friend .

“I will never let that happen , Prince Ikenna will never be crowned king of Elu not while I am alive, the gods forbids it, I just don’t know why he had to come back , everything was just going well for us “
He continued angrily.
“wait a minute , you ask why he is back?, have you no knowledge of why he left before ?”

Chief Emeribe asked letting his friend sink in his words for a moment who decides to sit and ask for more information.
“what do you mean about that , is it not the traditions that once the heir has been chosen ….”

“only if he chooses that I know , chief let me tell you this , I did swear never to reveal this after the old woman who partook in the delivering of prince ihunna’s father and prince ikenna , am sure not everyone knows but just to let you know where we stand in this matter I will let you know , it is said that unlike the story that we have all heard and believed about the twin princes and how prince odum was infact the first to come out at birth that it was actually the other way round…”
“By the gods , Emeribe ,what are you saying?”

“Prince Ikenna was in fact the senior of the two prince however she had told me that Ikenna refused to cry at birth and it was in fact odum who cried first , which resulted to a fatal mistake by the mid wives who then presented odum as the first born who was then presented to a Achike who performed the rites of onumah , when the queen found out it was already too late , onumah as you know cannot be peformed for a second time , they say it was during her death she may have told Ikenna the truth after which he left the palace