Most people would think the chiefs and royalties in Ilé Ife are strong and wise, but there's no way anyone could think that after seeing them burst into unrestrained laughter.
"I'm such a butterfingers! That's the third drink I've spilled today!" One of the royalties told his friends; then, a slave girl takes a rag to wipe it off. He teased her with his hand on her body but the girl endured. Yotifa who was watching them took his gaze from the direction, disgusted.
"Where is Adara?" He asked one of the girls that came to join him.
"I don't know." She replied, her doe-like eyes, searching the crowd. "She's definitely not among those, dancing."
"Stop, you idiots!" The prince of Oyo-Ile raised his eyebrows and grinned. He was also in his young twenties but he had so much power. Almost as equal as his dad, the king seating on his thrown.
The dancers stopped right away to his command. He signalled that they should all leave. Confused about why, the servants thought that it might be due to his drunkenness. But that wouldn't stop them from executing their plan.
"Come here!" He signalled the woman leading the dance. She had brown aso-oke on which brought out the glow in her chocolate skin. She had two tribal marks at each side of her cheek but it fitted her so well.
"What's your name?"
"Asake, my Lord." Her voice trembled.
"Beautiful. Move closer." He demanded.
Walking up to him, he grabbed her by the neck and aggressively planted a kiss on her lips. Even though she was older than him in age, the young lady dared not to fight. He could have her head cut off the next minute.
Watching this in shock, the other chiefs and indigenes from Oyo-Ile who were considered, superior bursted out into laughter. They cheered up their prince is this was, something usual.
Disappointment stuck the faces of other servants as they watched. With one rip, he tore off her blouse as Asake closed her eyes in tears, quivering. Unable to withstand any of their trauma, Asa walked towards them with the jug in her hands.
"More wine." She grabbed the Prince's head and splashed the whole jug to his face with the anger burning in her. He staggered almost falling on his butt.
Watching her doing this. One of the Prince's guard, Itile grabbed Asa by the jaw and raised her up. He was a huge man with scattered teeth. Itile gritted his teeth in anger and strangled Ase with his bare hands. She managed to hit off his hand, while he threw her against the mud-briked wall.
Asa let out short coughs as she raised her head up from the ground. Her hands lingered to her forehead and the next thing she noticed was blood dripping from her forehead.
"How dare you, careless bitch!" Itile grumbled at her.
The prince took a close look at her and recognised the fierceness in her honey brown eyes.
"And who are you?" He asked interestedly.
"Asa, daughter of Ayodele Ketu." She replied boldly.
"I don't know him."
She glared at him with an hateful look as they started at each other.
"I think she'd be great in bed, your majesty." Itile suggested with a bright smile exposing his scattered teeth.
"Yeah, she would."
"What about more wines and some meat instead." Yotifa interrupted the heated conversation.
"Asake, some more meat for the royals." He demanded.
Asake, whose headwrap had fallen picked up and placed it on her chest to cover her exposed body. As she walked away, Itile rolled his eyes at her while the prince eyes were settled on Asa.
"Is she new here?"
"It's been ten years since her captivity but it's her first time here." Yotifa explained briefly.
"What about the friendly slaves that usually serve us?"
"Some are sick, others died my prince." Yotifa explained with seriousness in his eyes.
He was used as the head of slaves but none of them imagined that he is the prince of Odo-Ara and and what his mission was. As for Asa, she was a mystique to the Prince's eyes.
"Arrange my bed. I'd love to spend the night with her." The prince smiled.
"Of course, my prince." Youtifa replied and pulled Asa by the arm. "Let's go."
Noticing her long legs, he longed to bed with her.
"I so want her." He hummed under his breath and nibbled on his lower lip, gently.
"You can marry her if you wish. You are the prince of this town after all." One of the seated chiefs, suggested.
"Are you suggesting I take a second wife?"
"Kings do it, why not a prince? You'd be sitting on the thrown a couple of years from now. You'd have to take in a second wife anyway."
"Marrying her would make her a martyr to Odo-Ara descendants. I might be charmed to make her my queen but I don't want to. I just can't wait to bed her for now." He cheered out with joy as they drank to it.
More servants entered with food and drinks. One of the girls with coal-lined lips and shuku braided hair walked to one of the drunk chiefs. He was already sleepy but his hands held his empty cup forward for more wine. As she filled his cup, the chief held her hand and noticed tiny arrows, fixed on her armlet.
His eyes widened immediately he caught sight with it but Shade jerked off immediately. Her coal-lined eyes focused on serving him. She filled his cup and watched him gulp down the content. Inebriated to it's content, the chief fell off his stool and Shade moved forward to serve the others.
"Tonight feels like heaven. I never imagined we would be this close." Asa muttered to prince Yotifa.
"Whatever you do, be clever about it. Understood?"
She nodded to his warnings. "I know... but where is your sister?"
Yotifa stepped forwards, staring at the crowd. He still couldn't find Ajoke, anywhere. He couldn't help but to worry, for she was his only relative, alive. His eyes glittered to the effects of the burning lamps while he patiently waited.
Meanwhile, Ajoke was climbing downstairs with one of the chiefs. He has a shiny round head and a potbelly but Ajoke find her way to the sacred room away from the main hall.
"Where are you going, dearest? You know that we shouldn't be down here. It's specially for the gods and they-" His excited voice begged.
"Shh Shhh Shhhh... Don't worry about the gods, my Lord. It's only both of us here. You know what, take a breath and calm down-"
"Akerele." He introduced.
"Chief Akerele it is." She flashed him a beautiful smile as he stumbled closer.
"I think we needed privacy." She took off the scarf on her head and suddenly stabbed him on the stomach with two sharp knives.
"Ahh!" The chief coughed out blood on her face while he struggled. She took them out at once and stuck them to this chest, again.
The burning lamp in his hand fell off immediately. The poor man dropped to the ground, lifelessly while Ajoke wiped off the blood from her face.
With this, she looked at the death stare the chief gave but all she felt was the passion to kill more of them. It's been ten years since they had invaded Odo-Ara and killed both her parents, the king and queen of the town. Thinking about this, Ajoke heard a quivering breath in the silence.
As if someone was behind her. As if someone was nearby. She could feel the presence of the invisible person. 'It's probably one of the guards, she thought.'
Ajoke tuned around but couldn't find anyone.
Even if it's the spirit of the gods, Ajoke was ready to kill anyone that came her way. Climbing upstairs, she noticed another room and walked in. Her small eyes caught the man who had been peeping.
His eyes widened when he realized he had been caught. Trying to escape, he pushed her away and let out a thunderous cry. "Help me!"
Her blood boiled as she thought of what to do. But before he could run out of sight, Ajoke threw her knives at him and he fell down, dead. His face hit the ground unconsciously.
While these were happening, the high positioned royalties cried out in merriment. Some other women were mistreated, even the male servants.
"Take this." Asa secretly handed a knife over to lanre. A guy who had been slapped by almost all the royals in the room. He's known to be very scared and timid but of course, he wanted vengance too.
Lanre collected the knife and tucked it into his trouser.
"Be careful with that. You won't want to cut your dick off. " She warned and smiled.
"I'm prepared for anything." Lanre replied and joined her in laughter. Looking at how the drunk chiefs were maltreating the rest, his smile dropped.
"Why don't we execute them right away?" He asked with spite in his voice.
"We have to wait for signal from prince Yotifa. Till then, just stick close." Asa whispered and walked away.
Lanre exhaled heavily. He could feel his heart hammering at the plan. They've all prepared for months but now, it's finally time.
"Your sister is missing." Another slave, Lara, reported to yotifa. She was the youngest of them all. At least, the youngest slave alive.
Her father, who was the greatest Hunter in Odo-Ara was murdered when the shiny knights of Oyo-Ile Army attacked their city. Then, Lara was only 5.
"I'm not waiting any longer." Yotifa hissed. "We don't have time now. Nobody should leave or enter the hall. We should attack in two minutes time."
Lara walked away while other girls gently picked up the knives off the chiefs. As it is, they had it for protection, just in case. As the most powerful city in the whole of West Nigeria, no greater army had dared to attack Oyo-Ile. It city was known far and near to be the best, yet... Nothing stopped prince Yotifa and his people to prepare for this. It was their escape plan, their chance to freedom.
With a sword Yotifa had secretly stolen in the warrior's weapon room, he was about to bring it out when someone hit the giant front door. All the servants looked up with startled faces.
The guards standing outside banged the door open and a young man in white mosaaji threw himself to the ground.
His crown dropped and rolled to the middle of the hall, as if he knew their plan. he raised his head to their serious faces and bursted out into a loud, chocky laughter. Prince Yotifa and the girls sensed they were bad people when they heard their demonic laugh in the hallways.