Demigods(book one) - Episode 7

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Adeleke walked briskly to the farmiliar stream he knew well.

It was the royal stream close to the wall.

Looking in the river, he saw blood.

He jacked away only to meet a face he knew to well.

It was a woman. She pointed to the south and spoke,

"He's coming. Save them."

Adeleke turned to the direction she pointed at and saw Aremu.

He was spreading blood wherever he set his foot.

He then lunged at him, throwing him to the ground.

"For my family",

he screamed before thrusting a sword deep in Adeleke's belly.

A sweaty Adeleke woke up startled.

He had been having dreams like that lately.

He reached out for his snuff and inhaled the content.

He wanted to forget the past, move on but it wasn't done with him.

He sat at his verandah and watched the morning sun rise.

A messenger suddenly rushed in forgetting the formalities.

"Sire!"

He panted.

Adeleke examined the man briefly.

He was afraid.

"State your business?"

Adeleke commanded taking another lungful of his snuff.

"It Aremu."

he said, his voice shaking,

"he had slaughtered everyone in Gaba . He's moving to Desuda."

To say Adeleke was shocked was an understatement.

His mind went back to what Aremu had promised him when he returned.

Ayetoro(sixteen years ago) Aremu watched his castle raze to the floor.

His wife and Thier newly born triplets were in it.

Adeleke had promised to get back at him and he had done it.

Heavy tears poured from his eyes as he watched all he had toiled for, gone.

The square disabled.

At least, Aremu's part.

It formed a triangle covering only Ayetoro-west, Aguze and Desuda.

He ran to Adeleke's side of Ayetoro.

" You will pay!"

He yelled to a stunned Adeleke.

Before Adeleke could meet up to him, he left leaving only an engraving in the soil, a mark: Holocaust.

***

Those threat hit Adeleke anew.

He knew they were doomed

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. Aremu had them trapped and he was coming.

"Don't telll anyone."

Adeleke instructed the messenger.

The messenger understood.

Everybody would panic, they needed to feel safe not when What is meant to be protecting you becomes a trapping ground.

The messenger left immediately left.

"If only Ala was alive,she would tell Aremu",

Adeleke thought to himself.

But even if they were doomed, there was a more pressing matter; who tried to kill Gbonka? The arrow had been taken by scholars to examine the properties.

One thing was, it was poisoned with Mistletoe.

Mistletoe could only be gotten in Arize valley in Desuda kingdom.

Adeleke could smell chikwe in the conspiracy but he had no proof.

He stole a look at the fabled spirit eagle talisman.

He planned to give it as a gift to the boy who saved Gbonka but he was having second thoughts.

Taking another sniff from his snuff.

He walked out to the courtroom where the boy would be rewarded.

***

Chikwe clenched his fist as the lowly lifeform he brought up told him the news.

"A boy caught your arrow, you said."

Chikwe finally said, his eyes unforgiving.

"I'm sorry sir."

He kept on pleading.

Facts raced through Chikwe's mind.

He would be a suspect and security would be tight.

Before he could finish with his mindtalk, Adetoye barged into the room.

"You failed to a boy. Pathetic.",

he said also thinking.

An idea sprang into his head.

"The fabled witch.",

he said, snapping his fingers.

His two accomplice stared at him with shock.

"The witch of Aje."

Chikwe repeated,"

Are you crazy?"

He asked.

The witch of Aje, Aje who had a part of Ayetoro named after her.

She killed all the villagers who resided in Aje with the black plague.

It was rumoured she still lived in Aje looking for her next prey.

Adetoye could see his plan coming to reality, no one was going to ruin it.

Chikwe could see the look in his eyes, selfish ambition.

His protege was becoming more like him and it scared him.

"Dwarf, prepare a carriage. We leave now."

Adetoye commanded before turning to Chikwe,

"and this time, we kill my father."

Chikwe was dumbstruck.

He had created a monster.

He had created himself in another body.

A sense of doom kept pinching him but there was little he could do.

He would just steal the throne after Adetoye had upsurped it, he thought.

The journey to Aje was far but Adetoye and chikwe made it by noon.

Getting down from his horse, Chikwe scanned the area with a keen eye.

There was no sign of movement or activity.

There was just sand and the unforgiving heat.

"Let's go. There's nothing here."

Chikwe cried brushing away a bead of sweat that blurred his eyesight.

Adetoye felt disappionted.

Something had told him he would find Aje but it was wrong.

Both men saddled on their horses and began to leave when they heard a distinct echo.

It first started out as a bird crow then it turned into sinister cackling.

They both turned and were surprised to see a maple tree in front of them.

It had doors and cut out spaces that served as ventilation.

"Come in."

A voice said startling the two men from their trance.

They were both scared but the woman's voice was enchanting sending their brains overboard.

Adetoye was the first to enter.

Immediately he did, the door shut and the tree hut disappeared.

The spell lost it's effect on chikwe immediately the tree hut disappeared and returned to his senses.

What have i done? He asked himself.

The spell also wore out on Adetoye as he studied where he was.

The inside of tree was much bigger than the outside.

It's walls were covered in moss and dried blood.

There were skulls on a table, some human.

He was examining more when an old crone appeared before him.

She had pale skin that was almost green in color and occult markings all over her body like tattoos.

"State your business?"

She questioned, her hand stretched forth to a cauldron whose content was being mixed by itself.

"Poison. I want a deadly poison."

Adetoye said.

"Oh! I see. Who do you wish to kill? Perharps royalty considering you are one."

She mocked.

Adetoye needed her to shut up.

He couldn't kill her but he could buy her silence.

He pushed a pouch full of cowries to her side of the table as her eyes greedily scanned it.

"This will do for my silence."

She said after hiding the money.

She then stood up and disappeared into her passage only to return with a small bottle.

It was filled with a red substance.

She gave it to him,

"use only a drop. It is a powerful substance... and do not return.

Aje can only be seen once. A second time will mean your death",

she said before snapping her fingers and Adetoye met himself outside.

Chikwe who had been sitting idle on his horse sprang to his feet.

"Did you get it?"

Chikwe questioned.

Adetoye smiled and showed him the potion,

"yes."

***

Remi wore his best to the court.

He wanted to make an impression on the Royal court.

The ceremony was quick. He was told to stay in a circle created with pounded charcoal and spices.

The King moved close to him in order to bestow the honour, Remi could smell tobacco.

The king had been snuffing.

"Remi,"

he began,

"for the bravery you exhibited you will be blessed with the eagle talisman."

The king waved the item, a wooly necklace with a metallic symbol of bird around his neck three times before wearing it on Remi's neck.

Immediately he wore it, he saw a bird.

It was blue and resembled an eagle.

It went high in the air to the awe of everyone in the Court before gliding back to Remi and possessed the talisman.

The bird symbol transformed from golden yellow to steel blue.

"It has the power to resurrect you three times from death."

Adeleke explained to Remi.

Remi admired the talisman but he had it in mind to give Ajoke.

After his gifting, he noticed Ifadoju and Gbonka discussing.

Gbonka noticed his glances and called him.

The seer was the first to thank Remi,

"Thank you for saving my son."

Remi was frankly surprised.

He never knew Ifadoju had a son.

"But..."

Remi started to say obviously confused at the revealation.

Ifadoju sensed his dilemma and broke the details.

"I adopted him when his parent died."

The man said before changing the topic,

"you have to see your father,Remi. Ask him for the truth."

Remi was bewildered. What truth could his father have? The old man did not give him a chance to speak out as he continued,

"you need it if you're going to fulfill your destiny."

Ifadoju then left leaving Remi to his internal battles.

He resolved to go to his father but he had to see Ajoke first.

Remi raced on midnight approaching the wall faster than he would on foot.

When he reached his destination, he tied midnight to a stable shed to socialize with her kind.

Remi turned to go when he saw the girl he had saved from muggers, the princess.

"Beautiful creature you have there,"

she said.

"Thanks. She's a very strong horse."Remi.said, flushing out of shyness.

"What's her name?

"Adeola asked.

"Midnight."

"I have one too,I'm thinking of naming her Dawn."

While the conversation was going on.

Ajoke came out of her room.

She noticed the princess and Remi talking and tried to eavesdrop.

She heard laughter. Could Remi be using me?,she thought.

Adeola saw Ajoke and a wicked thought came to her head.

"Why don't you come at see me at the meadow this night?"

She asked,clear and loud. Remi was puzzled by her request and in his innocence asked 'why?'

"Horse. To talk about horses."

She replied achieving her goal.

Ajoke only heard the word horse which she mistook for us.

"Adeola was right. He was only using me."

she cried.

She felt hurt and betrayed.

She left her heart soar and it returned completely shattered.

She heard a knock.

She knew it was Remi and she was ready.

She wiped her tears, they weren't worth his life and opened the door.

"What do you want?"

She spat trying to maintain the anger she had, even it was useless.

She once cared for him.

"Are you okay?"

Remi asked in complete ignorance.

Ajoke was mad.

He had just flirted with the princess and he was yet pretending,

"You are an animal.

Read " Living The Pureblood Series " by the same author ( samuelade. )

. You're using me and the princess. I never want to see your disgusting face again."

She turned and slammed the door to his face.

Remi could feel his eyes water. He wanted to speak but his voice faltered.

He ripped the talisman off his neck and slid it through her door.

"I don't love her and it's not true. I hope you believe that? Take the talisman. It's my gift to you. Do not return it."

He said full of hurt before taking his leave.

Ajoke stared at the empty space his shadow once occupied.

"How could you let him go?"

Something questioned her.

She was starting to have second thought. She walked up to the door and stared at the talisman.

It was one she knew.

The spirit eagle talisman.

Remi rode past Ayetoro walls.

His village was far but he needed answers, at least to get his mind off everything.

His complicated life and his problems. . . . (What do you think is the truth)