The Arrival of Agbako
They had been on the move for more than 20hours, it is presently midnight and though sleep was still very heavy on every eye, they had to move on jumping from tree to tree without slowing their pace. The only person allowed to sleep was Adekunle and he slept on Iba-ayo's back the three elites Ibas moved rapidly at a pace that made it almost difficult for Ṣeyi and Akin to keep up, after hours of non-stop travelling all the warriors were exhausted "the enchanted forest had given us a safe passage" Iba-ayo said.
"Rest for now," Iba-ile said, "God has protected us, by late sunrise, we will continue our journey and hopefully in the evening we would reach Ede village"
"Why the urgency?" Ṣeyi inquired, not understanding the reason for the insistent demand to move on. "By now they should be far behind"
"Because they are using a far more potent ritual than the leopard shadowing the trees," Iba-ayo replied.
"There is a more potent chant?" Ṣeyi inquired in a surprised tone
"Several to be exact," Bọlaji replied helpfully "but to master them one needs to perform the covenant ritual"
It is then that Bọlaji appreciated the uniqueness of the chant, Leopard shadowing the trees a journey that would have taken 3 weeks to cover, they used only 6 days or they are hopelessly lost. Then something snapped within his memory, Iba-ile words "God has given us safe passage" Oluwa-Ọrun a God above all other gods, a God that all other gods fear, it seems that this mission has both a political and a divine purpose one that Bọlaji cannot comprehend. The only thing that runs through his ever-active mind is the sacred chant of the Leopard shadowing the trees:
"Kankanfo learn from the leopard,
The leopard leaned from the monkey,
The monkey learned from the racoon,
The raccoon learned from the ant,
The ant learned from the grass
And the grass learned from the soil to live,
To hunt and travel within the trees".
He had spent so much time trying to master the advanced version of the chant that he failed to grasp the simplicity of the chant, now he appreciates the uniqueness of the chant and its importance to the quest.
They rested for only 5 hours Iba-ayọ rose an hour earlier to prepare some breakfast, he roasted some yams in preparations for the final lap of the journey.
"Get up" Iba-ile commanded, "It's time to move on".
Reluctantly, they stood up. Akin went to sit down near the fire used to roast the yams. Bọlaji and Ṣeyi walked away from the group to urinate on a small patch of grass, the environment was peaceful and the trees showed no signs of enemy presence. Bọlaji rested on a nearby stone and unconsciously let his guard down for an instant, which resulted in him not noticing the man that jumped out from behind a nearby tree, his ida(sword) was drawn in preparation for the kill and he attacked Ṣeyi with the sole intent of killing him.
"Ṣeyi!!" Iba-ayọ shouted
Ṣeyi was immediately overcome by fear and though he had more than enough time to evade his attacker, he just stood there and did nothing. It was as though the fright had held spellbound. Bọlaji who was more in control of his mind and his actions threw a stone towards the attacker's sword hand. The impact caused him to drop his sword, but it did not stop him from closing the distance between himself and Ṣeyi or reaching for Ṣeyi's neck in preparation to strangle him to death. Akin whom he had ignored appeared from nowhere and grabbed a hold of the man's arm, the attacker didn't even notice the so-called weak hunchback he simpily dismissed him as a useless cockroach, he failed to realised the fact that the abuke was capable of extraordinary feats. The sound of his bones crunching devastated his thought pattern before he nearly passed out from the penetrating waves of pain. The man gave a wild scream in sheer agony as Akin put in more effort squeezing the attackers arm. Iba-ile and Iba-ayo finally came to Ṣeyi's aid, they grabbed the man and pinned him to the ground.
"Who sent you?" Iba-ayọ demanded.
"Ọfe!" is the man's reply, right before he vanished.
"Agbako he's using chants to follow us or to slow us down long enough to kill Adekunle" Iba-ayọ observed.
"Ṣeyi what you did back there was very foolish, why did you just stand there waiting for him to kill you"
"So! So! Sorry" Ṣeyi replied, trembling
"You were afraid?" Adekunle said mockingly "And the watcher called you a strong Ẹṣọ"
It had finally been revealed, his fear. Ṣeyi could not utter any word in his defence and he could tell that the rest of the team saw the fear boldly written in his eyes. He could see their disappointment and the mockery in Adekunle's grin, even Akin had a shocked expression on his deformed face. A man who is scared would do anything to escape exposure which includes telling a lie, but now Ṣeyi felt that it's unwise to pretend to be something he's not.
"Why would the watcher, send a child who fears death on a dangerous mission like this one" Iba-ayọ wondered loudly
"It does not matter the only thing that matters is that the Watcher has a reason for everything" Bọlaji replied
"Boy!" Iba-ayọ said roughly "you had better conquer your fears before your fears destroy you and cause all of our deaths. We need you focused on this mission"
"Ṣeyi," Iba-ile said, holding Ṣeyi's shoulder, "Your fear can be your strength or your weakness, but death should not be feared you must conquer your fear of death or fail to become an Ẹṣọ."
"Iba-ile!" Iba-ayọ said "we must move Agbako is close" Ṣeyi could sense it, Iba-ayo's confidence in him had greatly diminished
They packed all their belongings in haste and then used just a minute to rush down their breakfast of roasted yam. In the next moment, they were off, but unfortunately, Agbako was already on to them, he had used a translocation chant to catch up and then he cast a very powerful illusion to put his trap into motion. Like most men corrupted by superior power, he enjoys taking his time and playing with his food before he eats it.
After 2 hours of meaningless travelling Iba-ile called for a sudden halt, looking around as though his mind was troubled, though the others sensed the tension in the air they knew nothing about the nature of the present situation and they had no idea that Iba-ile was hopelessly lost, but they did suspect that there was danger in the atmosphere.
"What is it Iba-ayo," Bọlaji asked
"We're lost Agbako's done something to alter the shape of the environment, he's not near, he's here" Iba-ile replied in a small whisper. "Prepare for battle" Bolaji suddenly became uneasy and so did the rest of the party.
"Hand over the young prince..." The demand echoed
Agbako's voice boomed like the trumpeting of 7 elephants, it was of pure rage expressing his irritation, he should be irritated. It took him this long to kill one little helpless boy. Iba-ayo could tell that Agbako could do nothing while the illusion blinded them, illusion chants require the use of demon manipulation and the bending of every spirit within the vicinity. That takes a lot of effort on the part of the caster of the chant, the wisest thing to do at that moment was to wait and hope that Agbako will be weakened long enough for them to make a big getaway.
"Give me the child" Agbako chanted again.
This was too much for Ṣeyi to handle his fear had taken control of his common sense, this man, no this monster thinks he's the prince of Ẹdẹ! The monster is on a mission to kill the prince of Ẹdẹ village, there's no telling how he's going to slaughter the boy and the only thing that ran through Ṣeyi's mind are the various horrific ways in which Agbako would put an end to his life. The images were far too much for Ṣeyi to endure and without a word to the others, Ṣeyi turned and ran away. In the process, he unwittingly broke through the binding chant that Agbako had cast.
"Young prince!" Iba-ayọ shouted, but that did not stop Ṣeyi's fear from clouding both his hearing and his visions.
Ṣeyi left the group held spellbound by Agbakos chant in search of a place of safety. He ran for dear life through the forest, blindly. Praying for a means of escape, but to his astonishment, the ground beneath his feet vanished and the revelation of his foolishness was laid bare. His fear of death had led him into the hands of death itself. As he plunged towards his doom, Ṣeyi realised his foolishness for the first time. The fool that refuses to look at death in the face is the one who runs into the waiting hands of death, he gathered his wits together and thought of a solution to his predicament. He reached out to grab a hold of anything that might break his fall. Fortunately, a small tree was growing at the edge of the cliff and it was within his reach. He grabs a hold of the branch that slow down his fall but gave in to his weight. The effort caused him to hit the rock surface of the cliff, and then the tree that he held tightly to was uprooted beneath his weight, causing him stumbled for a few minutes before landing in the trees at the base of the cliff, which broke his fall and saved his life.
*******
Agbako held the rest of the team spellbound rooted to the earth, bound by an unbreakable chant
"Ṣe…" Akin screamed but was jabbed in the ribs by Bolaji who didn't want the secret being revealed.
"Leave him" Bọlaji whispered harshly "he is much safer than we are and with him gone there is a chance we all live"
"What do you mean?" Iba-ayọ asked
"He still thinks Ṣeyi is kunle and that gives us a seed of advantage there is still hope," Bọlaji replied "Let us just hope that the seed will sprout into a beautiful crop"
"To think the watcher asked us to trust him," Adekunle remarked rudely
"The watcher is true to his word…" Iba-ile defended
"But must not be trusted" Adekunle concluded
The two servants of Agbako appeared from the nearest foliage, one of them had a bandaged arm thanks to the selfless efforts of Akin the meddling hunch back. He was still astonished by the way Akin was able to crush the arm of one who had been fortified against such attacks, the look he gave Akin was a mask of pure blood lust.
"Funny! That Adekunle ran off, even when the 3 of us combined our strengths in binding you to the ground, how he escaped is a mystery" Agabako's voice echoed "Now tell me what kind of power stops my influence over him".
"He is one whom you cannot touch," Iba-ayo said "and soon Ede will have her rightful king"
"And he will return to reign forever" Iba-ile concluded.
"Why do you openly challenge me Agbako!,
He that holds death in his hands,
While others offer the gods wine, I offer blood,
They offer cola and I offer human flesh,
It is I, Agbako the ultimate, he who kills and will never be killed
One who competes with kings
One who is more worthy to be a god
One who can call the spirits of the forest and they will answer
I who received the gift of thunderbolts from Sango, the god of thunder"
"One whose ancestral spirits have eye problems" Akin mocked, still offended by the three white beads he had received from the Ancestral spirits.
"Yes! I know you and I have a lot planned for you" Agbako replied, "You broke my boy's hand" Agbako walked out of the shadows, his smile was ripe with hate.
"You survived this long, but not anymore" Agbako smiled "Once you're dead I will feed your bodies to the Iroko, death awaits you, to the dust! To the dust."
It was then that they realized Agbako was chanting a force came to the 5 of them, forcing them to fall backwards, but they fought against it desperately. they knew the nature of this chant and its potency when it comes to combat, once your back touches the ground, there is no need to rise again cause you're dead. Iba-ayo had to place himself behind Adekunle to prevent the weak child from dying.
Agbako knew they were strong enough last for more than an hour his plan wasn't to kill them, not yet at least. He wants to force them to give up any information he needs and the youngest one amongst them would know.
"Tell me, child?" Agbako demanded, "you could save yourself, where is Adekunle and what power does he keep?"
"I don't know" Adekunle replied in pain.
"Then you will all die on his behalf"
"Please! Don't kill me," Adekunle pleaded, "I don't know anything"
Such pain was too much for a child to bear, this is his first time in a life and death struggle. Iba-ile cursed himself for allowing Agbako to sneak up on them, Agbako had all the advantages and he believed that nothing could go wrong, but it did. That same moment something rushed out of the bust pushed Agbako away from its path and in the process broke Agbako's spell, grabbed Adekunle and then jumped into the trees. It all happened so quickly that even Agbako had no time to think or react.
***********
Gbokọyi and his two comrades had been in the enchanted forest for three days, and for some reason, he had an uneasy feeling. Something deep down telling him to give up the chase. Being the stubborn man that he was, he ignored the feeling hoping to complete the mission before the next market day. The atmosphere had been very tense since the departure from Ilu-inọ village. The Akọgun had bested him, he remembered bitterly and wandered why the seasoned veteran had pity written in his eyes. Is it possible that the Akọgun pitied him because he was the servant of the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ? no, that cannot be it, the Akọgun knew something that he was unwilling to disclose. It does not matter, all that matters is the retrieval of the primal sacrifice. Once this is achieved. The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ will become the ultimate god of the Yoruba Empire, he Gbokọyi will become the king of the prosperous Ijẹbu province. One of his voiceless companions tapped him lightly in the back commanding his attention, they might be voiceless throughout this ritual but there are several ways for them to communicate. Gbokọyi turned to the one that had touched him and silently queried him for the disturbance, the voiceless man simply pointed towards the white cloth tied to his belt.
The Alawo exclaimed voicelessly, the Baṣọrun had ordered him to give an update every 2 to 3 days and he had completely forgotten. The Baṣọrun was going to be angry for the late report, the Alawo quickly drew out the white cloth from his waist tie, and then he walked about the vicinity looking for a tree wide enough to fulfil his requirements. As soon as he found a suitable tree, he spread it out over the bark and nailed the 4 corners of the cloth to the tree. The white cloth looks like any other white cloth except for the edges, which had several shells tied to it and several holes at the 4 corners indicating frequent use. Gbokọyi cleared his throat briefly in preparation for the chant, he calmed his mind and fortified his spirit ready for any onslaught that the Baṣọrun might send his way. The Baṣọrun was not an easy man to deal with, and once he asks questions or decides to squeeze information from an enemy or an unwilling servant, he tends to be tenacious.
"Oluwa me o" (My lord)
"Mo ti de" (I have arrived)
"Ẹyin na lẹ fun un me eṣẹ ee" (You are the one who placed me on this task)
"Ẹ dakun, ẹ dahun" (please answer)
"Baṣọrun ooo, Baṣọrun ooo, Baṣọrun ooo!!"
"oooooooo" the voice within the white cloth replied. Then the white faded revealing the face of the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ in all his glory "So you finally decided to contact me," the Baṣọrun growled
"Forgive me my lord" Gbokọyi pleaded, "I was detained"
"By whom?" the Baṣọrun demanded, "I want that item here in the capital now!" the Alawo trembled at the impatient demand of the Baṣọrun
"That will be a little impossible" the Alawo gulped "the boy was not in the village"
"What!" the Baṣọrun exclaimed in rage
"He was sent on an errand several days before my arrival," Gbokọyi explained,
At first, Gbokọyi assumed that the Baṣọrun would throw a tantrum, but to his shock, the Baṣọrun was quiet in a scary way. The elder had unconsciously gone into deep thought, the Baṣọrun's eyes scared Gbokọyi the most you can tell if he intends to kill you simply by looking into his bloodshot eyes. The Baṣọrun is an elder that no one wants to trifle with.
"Did Ilu-inọ interfere with your Iṣẹ?" the Baṣọrun inquired
"No" Gbokọyi replied, "Once I used the oath of the warrior against them they all fell to their faces like ants. And you were right the Akọgun was the only opponent that would prove troublesome, surprisingly he was the one who gave me the location of the boy"
"Did you force the information out of him or did he give you the information freely?" the Baṣọrun pressed
"He surrendered the information, I didn't force him" pride would have made the Alawo boast of his conquest over the Akọgun of Ilu-inọ but the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ can spot a lie easily and he does not intend to incur the Baṣọrun's wrath.
"Something is missing" the Baṣọrun voiced with his face twisted in confusion, "Do you sense it?"
"Yes!" the Alawo replied "but I don't know what it is"
"It is no coincidence that the boy was sent on an Iṣẹ days before you reach the village" the Baṣọrun observed "I believe there is another force in effect here, be very careful and be on your guard that sacrificial item is the property of Ọyọ, retrieve it"
"As my lord wishes," the Alawo replied with a courtly bow
"And you two," the Baṣọrun addressed the voiceless companions of the Alawo, "it was very expensive preparing the two of you for this ritual. you must not fail me" the two tugs vowed obediently in response to the Baṣọrun's command "keep me informed especially if something out of the ordinary happens."
"As my lord pleases" Gbokọyi replied, the face of the Baṣọrun faded from the white cloth leaving Gbokọyi alone with the two hefty tugs, finally the Alawo can breathe easily.
"So, it was the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ who sent you to claim the primal sacrifice" a voice echoed from the background "of course I already knew it was him but I had to be sure"
Gbokọyi was stroke by sudden terror, whoever or whatever had just spoken spelt terror in the air, this was the uneasy feeling that he had had since he left Ilu-inọ village. It seems the strange aura had been following them since they left the village waiting for him to make contact before it attacked.
The three men quickly stood back to back with the Alawo handing them each a charm to defend themselves, if only they could talk then they would have a better chance of survival. The ritual demands their absolute silence until the sacrificial item was dead so the burden of both the offensive and the defensive lies on the shoulders of the Alawo.
"We are not here for a fight so I would humbly ask you to reveal yourself, we have no quarrel with you" Gbokọyi called hoping to avoid a battle.
The stranger's reply sent shivers down every spine and startled the birds in every tree as the aura chuckled coldly. The sound echoed into the forest bouncing off the bark of every tree and when he had finished his laughter the sound lingered creating an eerie scene.
"The primal sacrifice" the voice echoed again causing the three men to sweat in anxiousness. "The greed of men makes them blind to the will of God"
"The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ is held in high favour by Ogun the god of war" Gbokọyi voiced, "the god of war will not deny the request of the Baṣọrun"
"As I said, the greed of men blinds them to the will of God. The Baṣọrun is not a servant of Oluwa-orun so return to your master and tell him that the property of Oluwa-orun will never be claimed by the greed of men" the voice boomed
"The Baṣọrun will soon become a god, even Olodumare will answer to the Baṣọrun. So if I were you I would beg for forgiveness," Gbokọyi shouted in desperation.
Then there was an explosion of laughter, not the scary type that they had heard before, no this one was filled with pure humour. What did the enemy see in his last words that amused him so, Gbokọyi wandered, now they can pinpoint his location. The stranger was safely hidden within the leaves of the trees above them, but for some mysterious reason, he must have loosened his grip on the tree that he was in and fell. The stranger fell over 200 feet and landed on his rump with a loud thump, to Gbokọyi's shock the stranger was still laughing despite the life-threatening fall.
"The watcher!" Gbokọyi silently exclaimed
The watcher ignored the incredulous looks of the onlookers too intent on his good humour, and then he stood up after regaining some of his composure and gazed at his three helpless preys.
"It's been a long time since I had laughed last and enjoyed it" the watcher mocked "As a reward, I will spare your worthless lives" then he chuckled "do you actually think the Baṣọrun would be able to humble Oluwa-orun?"
"That's why we were sent to retrieve the primal sacrifice," Gbokọyi said in desperation
The watcher fell into the dirt and went into another spasm of laughter, he knew that the Baṣọrun's ambitions blinded him, but to the extent of believing, he can become God? The fool was way in over his head, the demon he is serving had corrupted him down to the core.
Gbokọyi had already started chanting seeing that the watcher was distracted, how can a servant demon like him even understand, the watcher has always served as a messenger of Oluwa-orun and done the will of Ifa never aspiring for the power himself. The moment the Baṣọrun becomes god the watcher will be banished from the Yoruba land never to return. The Alawo noticed the watcher regaining his composure and quickly ended his incantation.
"Watcher the Baṣọrun holds you in high regard if you help us I promise there will be a place for you in the new Ọyọ Empire"
"Go home before I send you to God using an unpleasant method" the watcher replied
"My progress is divine, demon!" the Alawo growled "let me pass, tell me where the child is"
"At first, this was just a joke to me, but now I'm taking this personal," the watcher growled transforming into an entirely different person. This new persona exposes the sole desire to slay his victims.
"Watcher according to the priests, you are not allowed to interfere in the activities of man," Gbokọyi said remembering that it is one way to keep the watcher's wrath at bay
"Oluwa-orun ordered me to protect that child," the watcher declared as he walked towards them removing the mask that concealed his true face, "the greed of men makes them ignorant to the will of God"
"You brought this curse upon yourself" Gbokọyi cried as he let a large stream of lightning flow out of his left palm. At first, Gbokọyi thought that he had overpowered the demon but the mocking laughter at the receiving end of his attack proved otherwise, as the dust cleared so did the tattered clothing that concealed the watcher's identity.
"My turn" the watcher growled, the three men looked at the watcher's true form in terror with the realization that sacrifice or no they will never return home now that they have seen the watcher's true face
*****************
Seyi was able to regain his consciousness seconds after he landed the revelation of his actions and its consequences flashed through his mind. To his shame, he began to cry, his fear of death had led him into the very jaws of death. At first, he was afraid to move away from his hiding place, but then he decided to go back and help the others. The moment he looked back up towards the cliff, he realized his passage back was impossible, the cliff was too steep for him to climb, so he sat down with tears dropping from his eyes, "Olodumare please help me I don't want to die "Ṣeyi prayed" I am nothing but a coward".
It was at that moment that Ṣeyi remembered everything that Bọlaji and Akin had done for him, how Akin broke the arm of the man who almost stabbed him to death. How Bọlaji fought to protect him, and the words of Iba-ile, he had betrayed them all. Why? The fear of death, "Ṣeyi hid his face between his knees in defeat, his memory began to taunt him, flashing random events of his life before his eyes, both the good deeds that he wasn't aware of and the bad deeds that he wasn't proud of. His memory flashed the faces of all the people he had encountered in his village, how they pushed him aside, their negative words. He knew their intentions from the beginning the destiny that they had unconsciously placed upon him, a destiny he had rejected through sheer determination.
"You are nothing," an old man said.
"You will be nothing," Oloyede said
"It will be better if you were dead," an old woman said.
Ṣeyi felt tears in his eyes and a pain in his soul as he mentally tortured himself, and his memory boiled within his spirit.
"I believe in you Ṣeyi" a new memory whispered and the voice Ṣeyi remembered belonged to Akin
"You are a strong boy," the Iya-Rice said "because you care for me, that's why I call you my sons"
"Ṣeyi, you are the one who has to decide what your destiny is, no one decides your destiny but you," the Balogun said then he remembered the words of the Osi-Balogun and his reply.
Seyi – I will not, no one knows when the snake will strike from under the soil.
Osi – inner strength comes when you learn discipline and self-control the day you understand this, that day you will become stronger.
Those words gave Ṣeyi strength, but his memory was not done with him, Ṣeyi remembered his words to Ṣodipọ whom he despised and he remembered them well, he also remembered the hurtful words of Ṣodipọ and how deep they cut into his soul.
Ṣodipọ – Anything that is born of the shrine,
Shall die by the shrine,
A life without purpose,
Anything that is cursed
Can never escape the purpose of that curse,
So all those that are cursed
Are not supposed to live among normal people
Once a curse, always a curse,
Lives a curse,
Dies a curse,
And you are both curses
Go and die in the shrine where you belong".
Ṣeyi's wrath was raised by that memory, how could he allow his fear of death lead him to the embrace of death? Why should people like Ṣodipọ continue to mock him? How is he ever to choose his destiny if he cannot conquer his fear? "Will I continue to let my fear be the source of my weakness?" FEAR! Echoed in his mind.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ṣeyi screamed out his reply. The realisation was beyond even his comprehension. "My destiny shall be decided by me and not by the will of those who despise me," instantly his fear of death vanished, but he was still afraid, but this is a new kind of fear, a kind of fear that would make him stronger. His new fear would force him to go beyond his limits, a fear that will make him run towards danger instead of away from it. This strange new fear has a name, it is now the fear of failure, he had changed.
"I swear by the destiny that I choose I will never die the death of a coward if I am to be afraid then let me fear failure. Olodumare oooooooo"
"I will never run from my enemies again," he shouted
"I swear! By the name, you have given me I shall never flee
The warrior who bears the coronet will never turn his back and run
The warrior who wears the coronet is a representative of Olodumare
The warrior who wears the coronet is destined to die in glorious battle
I am a fool for fleeing
This day I will never flee from my enemies
I will always run towards danger because I intend to abolish the evil practice in Yoruba land.
In a sudden flash of anger, Ṣeyi jumped upon the cliff that he had once assumed was impassable and began climbing his strength was his fear, his hands trembled with it.
What if they killed Akin? He asked himself, no! What was once a stronghold now becoming a stepping-stone, Ṣeyi reached the top easily and then he looked down the distance that he had just conquered, realising his innate ability before he ran off in haste into the forest with his legs working tirelessly. Ṣeyi focused on his fears "I must not fail," he said, to himself repeatedly, Ṣeyi can still remember the watcher's words.
"Adekunle must not die"
Ṣeyi can feel the exhilaration of his anger beating within him and his new fear consume him, death no longer had its hold on him, but the fear of failure had turned him into a kind of animal, a Leopard. The Osi was right the passage into manhood was not an easy one. Ṣeyi reached the group in time, relieved that they were all alive. Yet discouraged that Agbako still had the upper hand. His mind worked quickly using all his strength he ran out of the bushes grabbed a hold of Adekunle and then jumped into the tree pushing Agbako out of his path furiously. Ṣeyi noticed that two of Agbako's boys followed closely behind, the Alawo must have sent them Ṣeyi could not handle them both and protect Adekunle at the same time. Though Ṣeyi was fast within the trees Agbako's underlings being more experienced were faster and he could hear them chanting for him to stop his only option was to jump over the same cliff he had once fallen into earlier.
"They are coming, Ṣeyi," Kunle shouted
"I know! Don't worry we're not going to die, not now" Ṣeyi replied, feeling his adrenaline rush "Hold tight I am going to jump"
"Ṣeyi No! We won't make it don't" Adekunle screamed
"We will" Ṣeyi shouted, then jumped
Neither Iba-ayo nor Iba-ile would have supported such a reckless action, but Ṣeyi attempted it all the same. Adekunle screamed in terror as Ṣeyi leaped into the air, this didn't discourage the fully determined Ṣeyi. He simply calmed his mind pumped as much power into his legs as he could and then made the jump. Ṣeyi felt his heartthrob at the distance he was about to cover and felt that they would die at any moment, to his relief they made it to the other side, unfortunately, he was unable to land within the trees luckily a bed of fallen leaves softened their fall.
Seyi looked back to see if they were still being followed only to realize that either their pursuers fell into the small valley or they were not fast enough to make the jump.
"We made it" Adekunle laughed surprised that they made the jump intact, "let's go, we can still make it to the village of Ẹdẹ before nightfall".
"You go" Ṣeyi replied, "I'm going back to help the others".
"What!" he cried feeling a slight panic worm it's way into his spine.
"I said I'm going back"
"We barely escaped with our lives, and now you choose to go back to die? Remember many ways are leading to the marketplace and only one leads to the graveyard" Adekunle like other rich spoilt children only cared about himself, he believed that he is the saviour of his village and his life is important above all else. The other warriors should be sacrificed on his behalf because he had no one to teach him about the value of human life or the responsibilities of a leader.
"I'm still going back," Ṣeyi said walking away. "My friends need help, if I don't go back they might die"
"Let them die, I am the most important person here, think about Ẹdẹ and her people," Adekunle said, Ṣeyi scowled in reply but then softened his expression knowing that Adekunle was just a brat.
"Ẹdẹ can wait" Ṣeyi replied.
"Ṣeyi as the king of Ẹdẹ, I command you to turn around" Adekunle commanded.
"You are not the king of Ẹdẹ, yet, and I am not from the village of Ẹdẹ. Gba!" Ṣeyi replied, walking away "I do not owe any allegiance to you,".
"Ṣeyi I will stop you" Adekunle shouted, grabbing Ṣeyi's hand to force him to obey, "I will become the king of Ẹdẹ, your foolishness will rob us of our Glory, think of what I can do for you, I could give you farmlands, marry many wives for you, you will have money and you can even become my Balogun, so please stop this foolishness and turn around".
Such words were very tempting and Seyi was close to falling for such vain promises, he stopped in his tracts to consider the young prince's proposal.
"To go back is death, but to come with me is life and prosperity, let's go!" Adekunle added, seeing the weakness in Ṣeyi's resolve.
Ṣeyi was so close to agreeing with Adekunle that he flinched, but as he turned to betray his friends he felt his entire being shudder, he felt his newfound confidence weaver and the cold sting of fear slither its way into his heart. Is this the consequence of betraying your oath a fatal wound to the spirit? Then Ṣeyi remembered his oath, the same oath he made to himself just a short while ago. To go with Adekunle would be the same thing as running from death "I will never run from my enemies again" Ṣeyi remembered, if he should follow Kunle he would still die, he would die by his own words. Then he remembered, he never liked Adekunle from the start, the boy had the ego of a greedy pig. The boy cared for no one but himself, Ṣeyi cared for all, especially Akin and Bọlaji. They are the only friends he has, his anger rekindled and with his mind made up, he deftly drew out one of his small knives and held it close to Adekunle's neck.
"You would kill me!?" Adekunle chocked
"Yes, if you try to stop me" Ṣeyi replied.
"But I am the king of Ẹdẹ, the hope of my people".
"You are also soulless, heartless and selfish. Tell me are you any different from that uncle of yours we are about to kill?"
"Ha!"
"Yes! You go around boasting about your kingship when you are not even a descendant of Oduduwa, you are not a king you are just another tyrant in the making"
"Ṣeyi these words, from you"
"Yes! Oduduwa in all his wisdom defended the people of Yoruba land with his life, Sango and Ọranmiyan followed in his footsteps. They were the true foundations of the Yoruba heritage, why, because they cared for their people the strength of the Yoruba empire is her people, but you, you are a selfish dog who believes that the people are his slaves. I regret ever serving you"
"Ṣeyi!"
"Just remember how your uncle is going to die, by the hands of the people rebelling against him, because if you still follow this path of caring only about yourself, your death will be no different from his own. Then no one will weep at your grave the day the gods call upon you to join them. As for me, I will go back and help my friends. Why, because I will lay my life down for my people and my friends, I am not a traitor, like you!"
Shocked by Ṣeyi's words Adekunle let go of Ṣeyi's hand, defeated and speechless. Ṣeyi looked at the boy whom he had verbally assaulted and pitied him. He drew out the white cowrie that was given to him by the strange girl and handed it over to Adekunle.
"Wear this, it will protect you. It is Oluwa-orun's blessing," Ṣeyi said there was a short pause and then in shame, Adekunle looked up in a charging tone and said, "thank you".
"Stay here we will return to you when the battle is over"
With those words, Ṣeyi jumped into the trees intending to help his friends, his mindset on what to do next and his heart in prayer that Agbako had not killed any of them.