"Have you heard?"
"A new Ajekèr will be crowned and it's not Ishaka"
"Gods be blessed"
"I heard he's a tall fine man"
"Ceres children are beyond fine"
"I heard he's half cambion"
"Nonsense! Oshoro's children cannot sit there. Not when Konjhó spits his venom on Ceres"
The chatter in the market was more lively than usual. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that news got out that there could be hopes of another Ceres blood roaming the earth but the people were very sure it was a fine, tall man. Some were convinced this new Ajekèr will be a woman with height and beauty to rekon that of an Amazonian princess.
Anyone could smell hope in the market, as long as Ishaka did not sit on throne, even if it was an imbecile there, an imbecile that can keep Ishaka away from the throne, they will accept their new Ajekèr.
Back in Egichi's temple, a middle aged woman, with amulets curving round her arms and a shawl thrown over her shoulder, walked with quick steps towards the main temple where Egichi's presence resided and Ebime spent most of her time.
She could always be heard murmuring and chanting words that no other mind could understand. The people say that she prefers her mother's company.
"Etem, your legs run two times faster than your mortal age. Does it have anything to do with that letter tucked in your chest?", Ebime hummed softly when the other woman entered behind her.
"Perhaps it does Ebime. It's a letter from the Head of human affairs. They are afraid that without an Ajekèr, Ibuzo will go rogue and attack them. Their condolences a mere afterthought", Etem chuckled softly.
"Humans. Fickle and unpredictable. Some moons ago they pledged allegiance to the late Ajekèr, now they cannot wait to have another one on the throne. Has anyone seen Ishaka?", Ebime asked the other woman who shook her head.
"Then we must get to the unsuspecting Ajekèr before anyone else has the time to exchange pleasantries with her. Send Ona and Pere off. They will do a better job of hiding perfectly among humans than the lot of us".
ABUJA, NIGERIA
HUMAN AFFAIRS HQ
"The Ibuzo royal crisis puts us all at risk. What next?", Mark, head of human affairs reasoned with a table full of people of different races.
"Prepare for a war", an Asian woman spoke up.
"Please, let's be realistic. War with those creatures will not favour us, have you seen the amount of power at these people's command?", A black man spoke up this time.
"We have been at peace with them for hundreds of years after the last annihilation attempt they made on the human race. It will be a little careless to expect Ishaka to honor that peace treaty. Tahal, what are you getting there?", Mark directed to a man of Persian descent, his long hair flowing down his back.
"They are sending two of theirs down here. Something about a decendant of Ceres here", Tahal supplied.
"Nonsense. All Ceres children were wiped out after that demon. Tell me, what will their new Ajekèr be doing in the human world? This could be a ploy, a trap", the Asian woman spoke up again.
"Kim makes a point"
"All the same, let's not bring a war on ourselves. Let's send a warning to all our access points, wait for these two to arrive. In the meantime, how is our world doing today?", He asked nobody in particular, an amused smile on his face as he takes a sip of his beverage.
"Not one Mexican syndicate trying to gain grounds on Nigerian grounds", a Caucasian man answered amusedly and the whole table erupted in chuckles.
The deliberation for the Ibuzo case was still not entirely decided on but they were on to something. A little while later, Kemi Blaq strolls into the room, her face pinched together in a nasty frown.
Her presence according to most people in human affairs, heralded bad news. They say she drug death into any room, with it hanging off of her teeth. Another one of her outstanding feature was her funny looking face, also according to some people in the human affairs, a Chihuahua face.
"Here comes my favorite person", Mark sassed, earning an exaggerated eyeroll from the snippy female.
"Your insults have always been shit, Mark. It's time to think outside the box with that pea sized brain of yours. Roundtable everyone", she snapped, standing at the head of the table.
"Uh, you do realize I am the leader here?", Mark sassed again.
"Baby boy you may do an adequate job here but without me and my team's presence, the whole world would be wiped out and you will have no one to lead so let's not get distracted. We have a problem. One that requires immediate action than your oversized ego", she snapped again and the man was left to mumble sourly while the other members of the board chuckled quietly.
"We've got news of attack across the globe. First sighting was off the coasts of South Hampton. Victims were decapitated, body parts strewn across the city, a real gore. Much like an animal would. In the last thirty-eight hours, it has spread across two continents. The latest sighting is here in Nigeria. Local fishermen in Bayelsa have reported dismembered bodies they found at their coasts. Long story short, we are under attack"
"Shit"
"Yes. Shit. Real, smelly, messy shit", Kemi answered.
"Send in the enforcers", Mark sighed.
"They have been sent in since the past four hours. Every unit in both continents have released their best and the unaffected areas are getting ready. Let's hear their reports", Kemi walked around the table to attach a call to the speaker, a static sound resonated in the room before a male's voice came in.
"Kemi Blaq and the board of human affairs. What do you have, enforcers?", Kemi asked the man.
"South South station here. Reporting from Yenogoa. It's bad, real bad. What was remained of the bodies was a mess of claws and fangs. It is a delibrate attack but what creature would move with such speed is beyond me", the enforcer replied.
"An Ibuzo, maybe?", Ekene, a member of the board and of the Eastern Nigerian origins supplied.
"Maybe but I have my doubts. I have read about them, studied them for years. They may move at such speed, but they don't kill like that. This killings were messy, the blood sucked dry from them, body parts going missing and found everywhere. The Ibuzo's may be deadly but they are not uncouth. This is the work of animals", the enforcer replied.
"What animal would travel two continents, leaving dead bodies as souvenirs?", A board member asked.
"An angry one. I have a thesis", the enforcer replied.
"Let's hear it", Kemi slumped into her chair.
"A vampire kills by sucking bodies dry. Werewolves, werebears and other supernaturals that evolved from wild beasts cannot escape the animalistic instincts that is deeply rooted in them so they tend to drag their food around", the enforcer answers but was met with disapproval.
"That's impossible. Vampires and werewolves are mere myths"
Many of the board members voiced their disagreement on the possibilities of having another type of supernaturals in existence.
"That would be all for now enforcer. Keep your eyes peeled and stay in packs. We don't know what we are up against so your team has better chances as one. Report as soon as something happens", Kemi cut off the feed.
"A word with you Blaq", Mark asked, tilting his head to a quiet corner of the room and the woman followed him.
"I think he has a point", Mark said after they made sure no one else was hearing.
"Then we are already at war. If vampires and the whole shebang exists, we are at war with creatures we don't know how to fight", Kemi answered.
"Ibuzo could help. They are not normal creatures too. If there's a weapon we have, it's them"
"With Ishaka on the loose, Ibuzo is a wild card but for once I agree with you Mark. If we are up against vampires, Ibuzo is our best weapon"
"Let's lend a helping hand in finding their Ajekèr here, until we have to play dirty", Mark suggested and Kemi couldn't help but agree.