Two Great Warriors
Iba-ile and Agbako gazed at each other defiantly both men, are dangerous warriors, both studying each other for weaknesses, both chanting beneath their lips in preparation for the battle and both clearing their minds in preparation for death.
Agbako smiled in mockery "hit me with your best chant child" he said throwing caution to the wind
"I am not a child" Iba-ile replied
"You are an unworthy foe, and that makes you a child if you wish to be worthy, prove yourself Ẹṣọ".
Iba-ile realised that Agbako had carelessly left himself open for enemy attack and this might be his only opportunity to defeat the mighty Agbako, therefore, wasting no time, he raised his left hand and chanted
"Let the earth consume every last part of your existent being,
I the rock of Ede village issue such a command Iku O! (Death)" Iba-ile screamed.
The ground beneath Agbako suddenly opened its mouth, producing 2 huge rocks that both flanked and towered above Agbako, who was struggling to regain his balance. Within a second both rocks forcefully came together smashing Agbako between them in an attempt to crush him to death, but it was fruitless, Agbako was unharmed, he simply scatted the dust off his clothing with a smile. Iba-ile was confused by the fruitless result of his first chant, but not discouraged. He expects nothing less from the herbalist, he raised his hands to the sky and chanted.
"I am the son of air bounded to the elements of the winds
Once I speak to the winds, it listens
Once the winds speak to the king, the king obeys,
Once, the king speaks to the priest, the priest worship.
I am the rock of Ede the stone of victory, controller of kings
In ways unseen,
Great Winds command my enemy to fall and die. Agbako! Down to the dust"
The winds blew against Agbako forcing blindness and weakness into his body, clouding his mind and draining the life that he holds so dear. Agbako chuckled this was not surprising, he had far more experience than Iba-ile can ever imagine, Agbako simply raised his right hand smiled and broke the chant easily.
"In Yoruba history as my father taught me, the right-hand means defence and the left is to attack. Stop using toys against me, show me, your best chant child" Agbako said "You are strong but power does not dwell in physical strength, it dwells in the will of the spirit, show me your best chant"
In reply to this Iba-ile placed both his hands on the ground his eyes focused on Agbako his tongue began to move rapidly reciting a chant that goes beyond human comprehension, an incantation that should never be heard by the common man. It was a family heirloom passed down for many generations and Iba-ile chanted it word for word, hoping Agbako would be held spellbound. The ground opened and dust came out, water appeared from the earth and mixed with the dust to form flesh, this was a chant from Oba-atala the god of justice. The flesh was moulded into the body of a giant dog and instantaneously 5 ancestral spirits appeared beside the inanimate beast and with a gesture from Iba-ile's left hand, the spirits possessed the giant dog giving it life, a cursed life. At first, Agbako was surprised, but then he smiled with glee, a powerful incantation like that had consumed all of Iba-ile's strength, which would make him easier to kill.
Agbako Jumped away from the path of the wild beast as it launched its first attack, a dog that stood over 7 feet tall on all fours with razor-sharp teeth. it wasn't the dog that Agbako feared, what he fears are the 5 spirits that dwell within the dog's body giving it life and fuelling its aura with a very potent poison. He chanted but a few words, concentrating on harnessing a great deal of power and the words he's whispering are a mystery if stolen Agbako's magical secret would be revealed, and no one would ever fear him. The dog launched a secondary attack which placed him at a disadvantage, Agbako quickly jumped away from its path, his fortification won't protect him from the accursed claws and the poisoned teeth of the ancestral beast. Evasion is the only way to survive while he worked on the counter chant. The moment he completed the transfiguration chant, Agbako instantly changed into a Divine form, not entirely a god and not completely a man, his clothes became white as snow and his personality became more commanding. Despite himself, Iba-ile recoiled in fear before commanding the beast to attack again, as the dog came in for the third attack, Agbako, who had ample time to prepare for the attack gathered up all his semi-divine powers together hoping to slay the curse in one blow. The dog used its sharp teeth to bite the same moment that Agbako used his power of semi-divinity to attack. There was a flash of white light, a loud explosion with chunks of meat flying everywhere cluttering the environment and then a short pause, by the time the dust had settled the dog was gone and Agbako was back in his original physical form. The semi-divine form could only be held for a minute and he was only allowed to use that chant once every season, it was the legendary chant of the Oriṣa which gives man the ability to become a god, unfortunately, the chant Agbako used was incomplete, stumbling to his kneels Agbako realised, he had been wounded.
"Very good child" Agbako commended painfully.
"I must commend you, your strength was truly impressive you could have claimed my right arm, but you failed." he gloated "now it's my turn".
Before Iba-ile could utter any chant or strengthen his defences Agbako's curse began to crush him from within. Agbako concentrated all his strength on his foe, levitating him several feet up into the air, squeezing him both physically and psychologically. Iba-ile could fill the madness force its way into him, squeezing him, telling him that it is finally time for him to die, drinking away the substance of his being, paving the way for a slow death. "I can't die now," he whispered, desperately. Then, as if an answer to his silent prayer his memory triggered a jolt of hope, something that he had carelessly overlooked since the beginning of the battle, reaching down into his pocket Iba-ile exposed a small bean seed (which had been given to him by the Ifa Priest of his village a long time ago) and quickly swallowed it. It was his last hope for surviving Agbako's death hold, the bean seed was enchanted with just a drop of Oba-atala's aura, the god that he serves and in an instant Iba-ile gained enough strength to be able to force his way free, breaking Agbako's chant through brute force. The power within the seed multiplied both his physical strength and his Agbara potential, Agbako himself found it beyond his comprehension.
"Even in the darkest region, there will always be light.
It is he the call of Obaatala he that shapes all human beings
One of the great Oriṣas that has sent me
Iba-ile the rock of the Ede village to be your executioner"
Iba-ile charged forward and struck a mighty blow, though Agbako's fortification, inflicting him with a minor wound, Iba-ile attacked again, growling in defiance to everything that Agbako represents, striking blow after blow with savage glee.
Agbako was knocked into confusion right before the sensation of fire rushed into his body, Iba-ile was reciting the death chant to his dismay. The fool must have already realised that physical attacks would profit him nothing, now Agbako was the one in his own life or death struggle.
"Where is he acquiring all this power from?" He whispered, silently, gathering his wits and focusing on the battle, Agbako knew his mind must be set on this fight if he intends to win, any form of carelessness will be redeemed with his life.
"Agbako" He shouted, "I will not die, Agbako will live".
Agbako needs to figure out something to conquer his opponents' newfound strength, out of the thousands of chants and incantations he had at his beck and call, there should be one that can redeem the situation, but it remained elusive and his mind disturbed. "That's it!" He exclaimed, there is away, but it was a perilous one. The moment he starts to chant he must force his opponent into the state of being spellbound, he cannot afford to allow Iba-ile to break the spell, if his opponent interrupts his chant recitation then the recoil could be the end of him. He had no other choice, "victory or nothing" he voiced. Iba-ile rushed in and launched another strike with his short sword, the sword broke the instant it made contact with Agbako's fortified skin, and that was the moment Agbako chose to begin his chant
"His spirit is strong only to diminish into weakness
As men, lose strength with age
The wounds of the spirit cannot be held (Iba-ile was held spellbound)
Though the flesh grows, the spirit does not
For the older men grow the greater the distance from Ọlọrun
Now, as I open his wound may it never be closed forever!"
Without even thinking of the danger, Iba-ile attacked the moment he regained his ability to move. Agbako, on the other hand, had finished his chant, Iba-ile failed to notice the spirit sword that Agbako held in his other hand, one slash was all it took and Iba-ile was struck down with paralysis.
"The power of a sword made from the pure spirit without a single physical or metallic property my father spent 5 years moulding the chant of the spirit sword and I spent 3 years, making it perfect the ability to heal and to kill lies within this Ida" He said gloatingly "the original use of this blade was meant for exorcism, the slaughter of evil spirits but seeing as I can control evil spirits this blade will be more useful when used to slaughter my human enemies"
"So that's how you got me, with a spirit sword".
"You were strong Iba-ile but now you will die." Agbako brought out a small black calabash from his pocket, it had small incisions on its smooth surface and it had a negative aura about it. Then he spoke "within this calabash resides an Emi-okunkun which devours human spirits, not even I can control it when it is loose. Your wounded spirit will be food for it, and your blood will quench its thirst, you fought well, for a boy, but now, death will claim you".
Iba-ile watched in terror as the evil demon unleashed by Agbako moved closer towards its prey, he closed his eyes and prayed to Ọbatala his god and hoped that all his friends were safe most especially Adekunle, he had done all he could to slow Agbako down.
*************
Just before they reached the battleground, Ṣeyi and Iba-ayọ met up with Akin and Bọlaji, it was a warm welcome indeed, Ṣeyi gladly gave a big hug to his friend Akin and also to Bọlaji, he was happy to see them both alive.
"Enough with formal greetings," Iba-ayọ said seriously, "were you able to beat him"
"By now he should be pollinating" Bọlaji replied. "He has reaped the fruits of his sins"
"Good! Let's go Iba-ile might need us. we'll have the advantage if we try a sneak attack" in reply to Iba-ayọ's words, they all heard a scream, no need to be told whose it was.
In haste Iba-ayọ and the others moved towards the direction of the scream, hoping to save their comrade from the claws of death. The moment they arrived at the destination, they were all shocked to find Iba-ile on the ground, still alive, but not for long because a monstrous being was closing the distance between itself and Iba-ile, stalking its prey, relishing the moment playing with its food before devouring it.
They were quick to act, Bọlaji deftly removed a calabash from his sac while Iba-ayọ quickly pulled Iba-ile away from the evil spirit's path, Ṣeyi and Akin used their catapults to lunch two big stones at Agbako's face and at the monster, to distract them.
Though Agbako was stunned temporally he simply smiled as he observed how they would handle the situation. Bọlaji opened his calabash and chanted a few words of binding, the evil spirit was immediately sealed within the calabash, which changed in colour to black. Agbako nodded with a smile of approval clearly impressed by Bolaji's sealing chant.
"So you've finally arrived, Prince Adekunle," Agbako said. "It seems now your fear is under control".
"I can't even believe I was so afraid of a weak man like you" Ṣeyi replied Iba-ayọ completely threw caution to the win seeing the weakened state that Agbako was in he attacked, ignorant of the fact that Agbako still had his spirit sword firmly in his grip. In the hope that his attack would end Agbako's life Iba-ayọ launched from behind and got struck down by the sword before anything else could happen. Akin attacked next and received the deadly effect of the spirit sword. Bọlaji was the third to attack and also got rewarded by the deadly effects of the sword as well, though he wasn't completely paralysed his spirit still sustained a great wound, he retreated to a quiet corner and there his strength failed him.
"Everyone else was down, all that remains is you Adekunle," Agbako said, addressing Ṣeyi mockingly. Tossing aside his fear Ṣeyi attacked Agbako just as carelessly as the others did, and in reply, Agbako landed a well-guided blow that would end it all. Surprisingly, the spirit sword shattered and vanished the moment its blade touched Ṣeyi's tender skin, though Ṣeyi's kick hit home, it had no effect on his opponent. Agbako was more concerned about the shattered blade than an eluding foe.
"Ha!" Agbako said, "You broke the sword".
Ṣeyi assumed Agbako would start to rain abuses of wickedness and anger on him, instead, Agbako looked away as though he had no fear of Ṣeyi attacking from behind.
"I spent years chanting this sword into existence, and now it's gone, I knew the sword had a weakness, but I refused to believe that such weaknesses exist." He said brooding over his lost sword. "The spirit sword was once an ultimate weapon, but now it is in the list of useless relics. My sword does not affect men with strong spirits and I assumed spirited men never existed. I was wrong are you a primal sacrifice or tell me what God do you worship?"
"Oluwa-orun, the king in the sky the God without a shrine" Ṣeyi replied after a short pause.
"Yes, all those who serve that God are blessed with strong spirits, I should have known, but still you will die there are many ways to kill a cat" Agbako turned around to face Ṣeyi, his face expressed his burning anger.
"You killed my sons Akani and Ikude your blood will now pay an equal price"
"Run" Iba-ile shouted, "He'll kill you."
"Go! Do not worry about us save yourself "Akin shouted
Ṣeyi would have listened to them, but his oath condemned it and his fear forbid it, he vowed to save his friends and he was determined to fulfil it. Akin, on the other hand, feared for Ṣeyi's life. If he was given a choice, he would choose to die to save Ṣeyi than to run away but now he was completely helpless.
Agbako began to chant rapidly. Ṣeyi could barely follow the words of the incantation, but he knew something evil was about to happen, the tense atmosphere began to change and Agbako changed with it. He transfigured into an unrecognizable form, and this time, it was not an "Orisha chant". It was an Ebọra chant" Agbako held two pestles that appeared from nowhere, which in turn changed into two swords. A wooden mask formed upon his face and his entire body dissolved into smoke. Agbako had now crossed the plane of humanity to become something far more formidable, he had transformed into an evil spirit. A spirit complete with divine spiritual powers, making a mockery of all warriors that ever was, nothing compared to him, he stood upon the pinnacle of power, the evidence of his skills as a master of curses, he laughed at the impotent strength of his opponent.
Iba-ile knew the chant was forbidden, a chant that ended the lives of many Alawos. How Agbako managed to master it will remain a mystery. The chant though very powerful had a very strong side effect, to use such power one must offer himself as a sacrifice with the cursed incision (on Agbako's head), it would force into his body the essence of the evil spirits making him more of a spirit and less of a man. The victim of the chant will transcend the existence of mortality, and the more he remained in this form, the more he looses his blood and his humanity, which is why Iba-ile asked Ṣeyi to run for his life, there was no hope of success.
Agbako sees things a little differently, all he wants is to kill Ṣeyi whom he assumed to be Adekunle and none of his other charms would work on a spirit so strong and so close to Olodumare source of all powers, hence, a sacrificial chant will solve this problem. For someone like Agbako, the ends justify the means.
Ṣeyi couldn't help but be horrified by Agbako's transformation,
"Almost like dog Egbe (shit)" he mocked, in an attempt to regain his composure
"Hope you're ready to die" Agbako retorted, right before he attacked
Ṣeyi ducked beneath the blow, then he began running keeping a distance between himself and Agbako, using his catapult to launch stone missiles at his foe. But it was useless the stones passed right through Agbako's illusory smoked body, Ṣeyi was careful not to move too close to any of his friends, so as not to put them in mortal danger, but the distance between him and Agbako began to diminish
"My only hope is the trees" Ṣeyi thought
"Ṣeyi the trees" Bọlaji shouted
Ṣeyi jumped to a nearby branch and in an instant and moved rapidly whispering a silent prayer of gratitude that he was taught the chant the Leopard shadowing the trees, earlier than usual. He was able to maintain a distance between himself and the impending threat, but that was only a temporary solution. It did not stop Agbako in his continuous stream of attacks because he had no feet, arms or legs just the mask representing his face and the two swords, Agbako was able to move like a ghost, slowly but uninterrupted.
"Keep running child, even Agbaranla has its limitations, soon you will tire" Agbako's voice taunted, but Ṣeyi wasn't running he was thinking.
If Agbako had a weakness, he had to find it, Ṣeyi moved to higher branches to see if Agbako had limits to the distance of his movements and to see how far away from the ground Agbako can extend, but he failed Agbako followed unhindered by any form of weakness. Using his catapult Ṣeyi lunched several stones at Agbako but failed the stones simply passed through his smoke body, 2 failures, he thought, but he did not intend to give up, suddenly Agbako vanished. Ṣeyi hoped that Agbako had expired, but the Alawo reappeared to Ṣeyi dismay right in front of him, if Ṣeyi had not jumped at the last moment his head would have been missing from his shoulders. Then, he kicked something solid in Agbako's formless body as he escaped the last attack "the mask! It is solid!" His thought screamed
"Why are you running child? Are you crying for your mother?" Agbako taunted
"No!" Ṣeyi replied, "Just amazed, this is the first time I've met a man uglier than Akin, and dumber as well, tell me your second name? Sorry is it mumu! (Idiot!)"
"Very soon your name will be Iku (death)" Agbako retorted.
"Your face, it's so soft, like, Ogi," Ṣeyi baited, as he launched another stone towards the supposed weak point, it hit Agbako's mask, but nothing happened the stone simply bounced off harmlessly.
"Enchanted" Ṣeyi whispered, beneath his angry breath
"Now the hawk comes for the rat," Agbako said, and then attacked.
Ṣeyi was almost caught by surprise, Agbako's speed increased rapidly, Ṣeyi was only lucky to have survived the strike, but not without receiving a slight wound to his left shoulder.
"Look the mouse is bleeding, very sweet blood" Agbako mocked, the words "sweet blood" serving as a reminder that his humanity was slowly fading. The only entity that enjoys human blood were the evil spirits, better to wrap this up quickly before the transition becomes permanent.
Ṣeyi groaned in pain but kept his distance. "There must be a way to defeat him or we're all dead," he concluded, he was at the point of giving up when he suddenly remembered what the Osi-Balogun told him "As long as there is still breath in your body keep fighting". Agbako approached again and this time to evade the killing strike, Ṣeyi jumped through Agbako's smoke body striking the mask with his knife, no result. "I need an enchanted stone," Ṣeyi said to himself as he jumped to another tree.
The next event happened so quickly that neither Akin nor Ṣeyi could explain it. Agbako used his sword to strike the branch which Ṣeyi stood upon causing Ṣeyi to lose his balance and fall back towards the ground. Agbako followed from above hoping to run Ṣeyi through from his chest to his back, pinning Ṣeyi to the ground. In that same instant, Adekunle ran in and shouted.
"Ṣeyi!! I came to help, you might need this" then he threw the white cowrie to Ṣeyi, Agbako who had the upper hand instantly stopped in his tracks realising that something was amiss, Ṣeyi grabbed the cowrie in mid-air, his mind working desperately "what did that boy," Agbako thought, "call him, Ṣeyi?" Then he realized his terrible mistake, he was wasting his time, energy, effort and powers in trying to kill the wrong boy!! He turned towards Adekunle to correct his foolish mistake, as he turned to rectify his error a white cowrie smashed right through his mask and buried itself within his broken skull. It forced him to release his hold on the chant, Agbako was shocked by his sudden defeat. On receiving the cowrie, Ṣeyi loaded it into his catapult and launched it as a missile toward Agbako's mask.
The smoking mass landed on the forest floor soundlessly, Agbako's change was a slow process, the mask fell off, revealing Agbako's true face. His eyes were dark, indicating the changes he was going through, his body showed signs of decolouration and rut, darker than usual, almost animalistic.
"Ṣeyi?" He said in pain "please come closer so that I can see the face of the man who has bested me (Ṣeyi moved closer and Agbako looked at him deeply) yes! It is you, yes! I am not ashamed, I am not ashamed, today I will die by the hands of one of the empire's greatest men"
"You know me?" Ṣeyi asked, confused
"Everyone in the underworld knows who you are, Oluwaseyi I was only foolish not to recognize you" Agbako replied, and then he took in his last breath and died, falling upon his pitiful face. Ṣeyi signed in relief and fell upon his rump in exertion, its finally over he taught.
************
After the death of Agbako Ṣeyi looked towards Adekunle and smiled in gratitude.
"Why did you come back?" Ṣeyi asked.
"Everything you said to me was true, and I felt guilty about everything I said and everything I did. How can I be a king over others when I only care about myself?" Adekunle replied,
"You made a wise choice and your choice saved my life, God bless you, Gbabe," Ṣeyi acknowledged
"Ṣeyi," Bọlaji shouted, from afar "stop talking to the prince and come and help us"
Ṣeyi quickly responded. He ran to help the others in any way he could, but spiritual wounds are not as easy to heal, as it seems. There were no signs of bleeding of any kind and the victims appeared to be unharmed, only a kind of weakness that numbed the entire body. Fortunately, Bọlaji had some knowledge about such wounds and the best remedy. It's a kind of ritual that the Ifa priest had once taught him. First, he had Ṣeyi run through the enchanted forest seeking out specific kinds of herbs. Then he had Ṣeyi boil the herbs together resulting in a thick foul-smelling concoction when Ṣeyi asked Bọlaji why only he should do it, Bọlaji replied by saying "only one who possesses a strong spirit can make such a potent herbal mixture".
The moment Ṣeyi finished Ṣeyi allowed the Agbo (Herbal medicine) to cool down, trying to hide the signs of revulsion on his face as he blew the excess steam away.
"Well, it's ready and wow! It smells bad, Gbabe" Ṣeyi said.
"All herbal mixture smell and taste bad, but contains many special healing properties," Bọlaji said. "That is the seed of good health"
"I will drink some first," Akin said.
Suddenly all eyes were focused on Akin and his bottomless stomach
"No!" They all screamed
"Sorry Akin, but you would have to be the last," Adekunle comforted, with a hint of pity in his voice.
"Okay, I'll wait" Akin replied, Bọlaji was the first to drink the Agbo, the effect worked almost immediately because Bọlaji had Ṣeyi chant into the Agbo (herbal concoction) to increase its base potency. Bọlaji stood up thanks to the Agbo fully recovered but went to a nearby tree to vomit right before he passed out, the Agbo tasted like rotten eggs. Iba-ile took the Agbo next, his reaction was also very dramatic, he stood up walked over to a tree and fainted. Seeing the reaction of both Bọlaji and Iba-ile to the effects of the herbal concoction made Iba-ayo very reluctant to drink it. But who wants to remain paralysed for the rest of his life, Iba-ayo ran into the bush immediately after the experience and started defecating as though he suffered from a terminal case of dysentery, finally, it was Akin's turn. He was on the verge of saying "No" but Ṣeyi emptied the calabash of Agbo into his mouth forcefully. Akin's digestion accepted the Agbo with open arms love and affection, and then suddenly rejected it, "the Agbo!" Akin wailed, the agbo forced Akin to vomit a forming white substance, then, Akin ran around crying 'my stomach' four times, then, he stopped, urinated in his rags, and then fainted.
Ṣeyi found it difficult to laugh, he could not cry, all he could do was be grateful to God, that he was spared from the horrific experience.
The next morning, they were all back to their old selves again, they all made a secret prayer never to taste such a herbal mixture ever again.
"First thing we must do now that we are strong is to bury the dead," Iba-ayọ suggested in which they all reluctantly agreed.
It took a few hours of serious digging using only their bare hands, sticks and a discarded basket before they were done. Agbako and his underling Akani were buried in the enchanted forest close to Ẹdẹ, at the foot of the tree once known as "Ikude".
They made a monument out of Ikude's tree Agbako's two swords were placed like a cross (x) and the mask was hung on the tree as a symbol of Agbako's greatness, to this day the symbol remains and those who visit such a place would call it "Ikude Agbako".
(The exact location was lost for many years and its knowledge long forgotten, until it was just recently discovered by accident, by three young Zoologists. Now it's a major tourist attraction in Lagos State).
The journey towards Ẹdẹ had now become smooth and uninterrupted, although the first day they could not travel effectively through the trees because their stomach still suffered from the effects of the Agbo, the next day they progressed as though they were in their prime. Ṣeyi was glad that Bọlaji was able to find some wild yams and cassavas to feed the group, also, he noticed that the effect of the herb given to Akin had begun to weaken, in all they reached Ede within 3 days.
*************
"So, where's the palace?" Ṣeyi asked as they reached the entrance of the village
"Not far," Iba-ile replied,
"Wow!" Akin exclaimed, "This is a nice place"
"Indeed Akin, this is a nice place, and we are here to ensure it remains a nice place" Iba-ayọ added
*********
Ẹdẹ, one of the prominent villages in Yoruba land, the town located close to the Osun River, the village is known as a trade capital, rich in cotton, palm produce, yam, maize, cassava, kola nuts etc.
The village was founded by a great warrior called Timi Agbala. The servant of the great Sango and he was also the first Timi of Ede. The atmosphere, though healthy with activity, had a kind of negative aura that a sensitive warrior can feel in the bones
"The people hide their pain," Iba-ayo thought out loud "with false smiles"
"What?" Akin asked
"Sadness within a smile" Iba-ayo enlightened "Suffering and Smiling"
Someone walked out of the crowd carelessly, and in his haste violently bumped into Iba-ile, though there was no lasting damage caused by the impact, the look on Iba-ile's face was Solemn and full of pain.
"Ha...!" Ṣeyi exclaimed, but couldn't finish the exclamation because Iba-ayo stopped him
"Easy Ṣeyi, he's one of us here to deliver a message," Iba-ayọ admonished
"Chief Olugoke is dead" Iba-ile finally said after a short pause, keeping his face straight and void of emotion, so as not to arouse any suspicion as they walked
"No!" Adekunle denied, as though his ears had deceived him "please tell me it's a lie"
"Somehow, my sources tell me that he was killed immediately he sent us forth to retrieve you" Ile continued
"The Timi knew about the errand, that's why he hired Agbako to kill Adekunle" Bọlaji observed
"We have a traitor among the chiefs," Iba-ile concluded
"My suggestion we head for the palace now before the Timi figures out that his 'Ewọ!' Walks among the villagers," Ṣeyi said, with a hint of anger in his voice
To this, everyone agreed. Better to handle the mission swiftly than to waste time in unnecessary delay, which could end up costing them gravely. They didn't have any time to admire the beautiful setting of the village or experience all it had to offer in terms of trade and beauty, they simply rushed on to the palace.
The moment they arrived one of the king's guards who stood by the gates of the village stepped forward.
"Stop there, who are you and where are you from"
"We are from Oyo" Ṣeyi quickly responded, before any of the others could voice a reply "we were sent by the Alaafin to the Timi of Ẹdẹ with a message from the oracle of Ifa"
That is something they had all forgotten, how to gain access to the king without raising suspicion, a feat that only Ṣeyi could handle.
"I assumed the shrine of Ifa is at Ile-Ife" yes Ṣeyi was almost caught off guard by the guards lying reply.
If there's something Bọlaji hated more than a liar, it was two liars testing each other's ability to see who lies best. Iba-ile taught differently, he considers it wise, better to move in pretending to be friends than to fight their way to Timi's throne.
"Ha! So you haven't heard that the high priestess of Ifa has moved to Ọyọ and you call yourself the king's royal guard, the Timi must hear about this".
"Ha! No!" The guard said in horror if I allow you to see the Timi promise me you would not tell the king of my Error".
"Very well, but don't let it happen again" Ṣeyi replied with his usual mischievous grin, Bọlaji simply gawked in surprise. Ṣeyi has just made a fool out of one of Ẹdẹ best guards, Iba-ile only smiled at the success of the plan.
The guard led them through, the palace of the Timi of Ẹdẹ it was not very large, but it was heavily decorated with white and black chalk beads and other cultural ornaments, an Illari came out and saluted them.
"Yes can I help you" he greeted
"Yes, we have a special message for the king we are from Oyo," Iba-ile said following up on Ṣeyi's story.
The Illari looked at Iba-ile very closely his eyes showed signs of suspicion. "You are an Ẹdẹ man and you say you're from Ọyọ" the Illari responded.
"Good!" Ṣeyi exploded, sensing the danger and making a move to correct it "See the level of disrespect" Ṣeyi snapped, "was it not your king who sent him to consult the oracle in Ọyọ and that is why we are here" Ṣeyi said indicating himself and Akin.
The moment the Illari saw Akin, all his doubts vanished, Iba-ile thought to himself only Ṣeyi was the only one that can tell such a convincing lie. A lie so great that a village would be thrown into confusion, hence he decided to keep his mouth shut and allow the liar to do the talking.
"I will take you to the Timi now" the Illari responded. Still Dumbfounded by Akin's ugly face,
The musicians of the palace began to pound the drums announcing the presence of new visitors for the king to attend to in person of Ṣeyi and others.
"Dum! Dum!! ...Dum!!!" The palace drums boomed, showering the environment with its magical yet mysterious musical notes. The talking drum, it was called. Ṣeyi still could not understand the language of the drums, but musicians claim that the drums speak just as plainly as anybody else does. One must have an open mind to understand the speech of the drums. He had also heard a rumour about very powerful Ẹṣọs versed in the language of the beating drums, who chant without using words from their mouths, but by using the beat of the drums. He hopes to meet one of these warriors, one day, though not as an opponent, they finally walked into the palace and found the Timi of Ede sitting on his proud throne dead!!, To their absolute shock.
It was at that moment that the watcher walked in surrounded by some of the village chiefs, Ṣeyi could smell a smile on the demon's hidden face, the king they came to kill was already dead.
"Well done, you have arrived," the watcher said.
"Never trust the watcher" Iba-ile quoted trying to mask his anger.
The watcher then threw something the size of a large coconut at the feet of Iba-ayo "that is the head of the one who betrayed the plan and leaked the information to this dead Timi, chief Orieja, I killed him yesterday right after his evening meal," the watcher mocked
"All that trouble for nothing," Adekunle said angrily.