The rain that drizzled outside made soft pitter-patter sounds on the rafters of houses, creating a calming symphony. The skies had opened up beautifully, releasing their blessings on Ibuzo without causing disturbance or wrecking havoc. It was calming nights like this that produced children and crops along with it.
"I've never seen anything remotely beautiful", Osas mumbled softly, her recently exposed mind marveling at the new findings.
"Your world is full of fakes, vanishing the beauty that brings us home. I'm glad you like it but we have to leave this rain, I'm not a fan of you dying of a terrible cold", Ona replied the lawyer, a soft smile creasing the sides of his face and a shine in his eyes.
"Big bad witch is afraid of a little rain?", Osas joked, earning a scoff from her male companion.
"As if"
It had been two weeks. Two weeks since Osas witnessed what will forever shape her view of existence. Two weeks since she came to Ibuzo, leaving her family back in her world. Two weeks since Oyinda had been going in and out of consciousness.
The first time she woke up was to ask for water. She dozed off drinking it. The second time was the same thing, this time she stayed awake for longer before dozing off again. The difference between two weeks and now was her appearance. A careful look at her would tell one that she had gotten taller and her skin had gotten scaly. Her ears pointed up slightly and her nose straightened perfectly. Overall, she had gotten painstakingly beautiful.
Last night she woke up sporting black eyes that scared her caretaker, causing her to raise alarm. Ebime said she was going through the processes of completing what she is so she had no control over how she shifted.
"Is she still in danger?", Osas asked the witch after thinking about her friend.
"She's in the safest place she could be, the real question is, are we safe from her?", Ona replied.
"She is not a killer", Osas was quick to defend her friend.
"Oyinda as a human is not a killer, that's all we know. What she is right now and what she is capable of is still in question. You saw what happened in Lagos. When she gains full control of her powers, there's no stopping her. Will she still be able to maintain that human part of her that is not bloodthirsty?", Ona turned fully to the human woman, letting his words sink in.
"She was always angry. I always wondered why", Osas sighed.
"Whatever she is, is dominant and very harsh", Ona said.
Osas sighed, reminiscing on the times she would poke fun at her friend who was always grumpy. The times she would come back from the court and join her at her stand discussing nothing important and enjoying the weird relationship between Oyinda and Bolanle. She knew those times are over. Seeing her friend change right before her eyes, that untapped source of anger overflowing and the girl ready to kill proved just how much had changed in a short time.
Osas wouldn't lie, she knew there was truth in Ona's words. Oyinda was going to kill Ishaka and who's to say that she wouldn't turn on them? She knew her friend was not a killer but she knew nothing about the demon that resided within her and that was what cared her the most.
"Enough of this depressing shit, I'm hungry. I want meat, lots of it and loads of peaches", Osas grinned at the groaning witch.
Since she had settled down she made the witch use his powers to make her a feast of different, sometimes weird delicacies and his constant fussing has not stopped her from making these requests.
"I just hate you", he grumbled, knowing that he couldn't refuse her even if he tried. What was it about this woman that made him soft towards her all the time? He wasn't keen on the answer.
She ran off, her giggles filling the air as Ona happily ran after her, perhaps she got something good out of another dimension.
Inside the castle, the elders gathered to discuss what next to do or in this case, how to avert the looming danger that Oyinda was.
"If only Njala can relate the translation of the gods", Arog sighed, casting a glance at the old woman who was huddled at a corner, lost to the world.
"We have seven weeks till the red moon. We are between a rock and a hard place. We have to solve the mystery surrounding the girl before her coronation", A middle-aged woman from Aja clan told the council, getting the agreement of the crowd.
"She is a true blooded Ceres. That I am sure of. What else she is, I have no idea", Obem, head of the Oshoro clan, who has scales covering her body and her eyes in slits spoke up.
"The late Ajekèr's late queen was your closest friend but you didn't know she had a child, how could you be so sure the child is truly the Ajekèr's?", A councilman said to Obem.
"Careful Abazz, one would think you are accusing the late Queen of infidelity", Obem replied sharply, causing some people to start murmuring.
It is considered an offence punishable by family death to lay baseless accusations on the Ajekèr, late or alive.
"Ceres blood is not evil yet by some twist of fate, Ishaka turned out to be worse than death. Oyinda is another mutant Ceres, that explains the recent events".
"The vampires were able to find her, despite not knowing her before hand", Ebime mused.
"Maybe through Ishaka?", Someone asked.
Azula shook his head, knowing what Ebime was insinuating.
"They cannot find someone through another person. A vampire hunts with scent, the prey's scent. Not relatives, not friends, the prey's scent alone. That means that a vampire would have met with a person or come in contact with their belongings to hunt them. The only beings that vampires can hunt without prior contact is themselves", Azula told them.
Some of them that understood the meaning behind Azula'a words quickly gasped while the rest of them were left confused and wanting to be in on the gist.
"So you're saying….?", Arog trailed off.
"The powers at her disposal are not only in Ceres' bloodline. She is not a decendant of one clan. Your Ajekèr is a vampire too"
The whole hall erupted in gasps and commotion. It is unheard of and the people of Ibuzo will not take it lightly to hear that one of Kala's cursed children is the ruler of the whole land.
Etem quietly snuck into the hall admist the chaos, heading straight for Ebime who had already sensed her presence before her entrance into the hall.
"A problem that needs your attention Ebime", she whispered to her.
"The humans are at it again?", Ebime guessed.
"Worse. The existence of the supernatural world has been exposed. It's a chaos in their world", Etem whispered causing Ebime to sigh tiredly.
She signalled to Azula who went to her.
"They won't stop now, especially now that they know that one of their own is the next in line for the throne. This piece of information must not leave this hall unless necessary, Azula", she instructed the man who agreed with her.
"What are we going to do then? They will wage a war and the humans will bear the brunt of it. We need them to keep the balance"
"The vampires won't wage a war, not now. Between the humans and the Ajekèr, I don't know who will throw the first punch", Ebime replied.
Humans played a part in the war that happened thousands of years ago no matter how little and irrelevant, but this time, with their never ending curiosity and their inflated egos, they could have delusions of winning a war against supernaturals. No matter who starts it, a war between humans and supernaturals, with Ibuzo fighting in multiple fronts is bad.
Vampires are known for their ability to turn humans, making beasts out of new born vampires and with Ishaka's confessions of stealing from Egichi's clan, Ibuzo has to gather as much force as possible.
Ebime left the hall to run necessary errands, leaving the councilmen and women to their thoughts.