Urenma (The River Goddess) - Episode 37

 

When Nshaa thought he had seen it all, a shout was heard, it was an unmistakable shout. Nshaa knew the voice and the people of Ukeh knew it also. Urenma was back! Like a lightening she descended on the wrestling ground. She had regained her mind. Her children succeeded in their plan to remove the abomination of the damned spirits which attached itself to her back and took over her mind. Beside her was her daughter Olachi . When she saw Obinze lying helplessy on the ground, her heart threatened to explode with rage. She ran and knelt beside him. Obinze was misty-eyed when he saw his wife. He knew she would never leave him. There was no time for kisses and hugs, war was upon them. Nshaa and his army of monsters had made themselves visible. The people of Ukeh were on the run. Obinze pleaded with Urenma, “Ure m, can you give me back my arm, that I may rise and fight by yourside?” “I shall give you much more!” Urenma shouted. Urenma pushed Obinze’s arm back to its socket, loosening her hair she threw the whole flock of it on Obinze and many of her hair went into him. The both of them stood to their feet and Ijele, who all along had presented himself as a young man, transformed back to his true nature and threw Obinze’s matchete’s at him. He grabbed them and ran to meet Nshaa and his army

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. Behind him, Urenma, Olachi, Obiakor and Ijele followed. Obiakor and Olachi ran to the battle bare handed, their favourite weapons were at home. As they ran to meet the innumerable comapny which came out of the river world to lay their land waste, a boy was seen running to the battle. Ijele tracked back to stop the boy. “This place is not for your kind! Go back!” Ijele barked. The boy raised the raffia sack in his hand and said, “I brought these for Obiakor and Olachi”. Ijele took the sack from him and sent him back. When they got their weapons and began to fight, Nshaa realized that he had made inadequate plans; he had focused on the wrong people. No one told him that Urenma and Obinze gave birth to death.

The gods above had hidden it from him; the two children were born for days like that day.

Like sheaves, damned and pure spirits fell at the swiping of their blades. Urenma left the damned and pure spirits to her husband and children and with Ijele went after Nshaa and the nineteen gods. She bore no fear for them; she too was a goddess and the goddess of war. The clash between Nshaa and the nineteen gods shook the ground and trees. Houses sunk into the ground and trees split apart. Ijele was an expert fighter, though he ranked low amongst the gods, but the art of war was his specialty. He withstood the gods bravely and while he fought, he laughed like he was drunk. Urenma poured her venom on the gods who shielded Nshaa and as quickly as they gave her the slightest chance, she tore them to pieces. They were all doing fine, but the number against them was too great. Some spirits were running into the village and destroying men, woman, children and animals.

She knew she must summon Ntani, the princesses and the army she had gathered. The only person who could do that given the circumstances they were in was Obinze, so she sent Ijele to fetch her husband and withstood the nineteen gods and Nshaa alone. In a flash Ijele returned with Obinze. Ijele took her place against the gods while she gave instructions to Obinze; but she didn’t have to send for Ntani. Ntani was already on the battle ground. The gods above had sent for her. Her shout of war brightened Urenma’s face. Her arrival with the army evened out their number against Nshaa and his army. However the gods above were not done playing their cards against the rebellious Nshaa. As the battle ground took on a new look with the arrival of Ntani and her fighting horde, a horn was heard, it meant the gods above had sent their army to fight. At this point Nshaa knew he had to use all he had known as a god and much more to survive the battle.

The spirits above poured into the battle and targeted Nshaa’s strength in the battle, which was the damned spirits. One after another they fell, the army above routed them from the hinterlands of Ukeh back to the battle ground. The army of the river world was immensely decreased by the superior fighting skills of Ntani and the princesses. As the number of Nshaa’s army decreased, Obiakor and Olachil turned their attention to the very people who brought the war to Ukeh- Nshaa and the nineteen gods, some of whom Urenma had subdued. When Urenma saw her children running to engage the gods, she cried and tried to send them back.

When Urenma saw her children running to engage the gods, she cried and tried to send them back. “They are not your equal! Stay with the lower spirits!” she shouted. However what she did not know was that the gods above had planned to humiliate Nshaa by the hands of her children. Ignoring their mother they engaged the gods. With bathed breath, Urenma watched to see if her children would emerge from the blast which followed the clash of the gods and her children. When the dust and light receded, her two children were on their feet moving, hacking and stabbing the gods menacingly. Nshaa was an evil genius, he quickly figured out what the gods above were up to something. The children were not normal, they must have recieved a gift from the gods above; and so he smartly stayed out of their way and preferred to engage Urenma, someone he knew and had lived with. But even that was a mistake. As soon as Nshaa and Urenma faced each other alone, she brought him down seven times. Suddenly Nshaa, the ruthless and Mighty god, could not find his Ilk on the battle ground; everyone seemed to be ahead of him.

The gods above had played a mighty trick on him. His second revolt would end in a manner worse than the first. When Olachi and Obiakor had disposed the last of the nineteen gods they came for Nshaa, the gods who locked their mother in a cage; they still remembered. Nshaa was having problem containing Urenma, now how would he handle her along with her two young devils? As though that was not enough, Ntani joined Urenma and her children against Nshaa. There was no running away from the battle, he must stand and fight. Then Obinze having seen off the last of the army of the river world joined his family and Ntani against Nshaa. They hacked him with their blades stabbed him and parried his attacks and lightning until Nshaa went down on his knees. Above him stood Obiakor and Olachi, cutting into him like they were slaughtering a cow at new yam festival. Obinze, Urenma and Ntani retreated and allowed the teenagers to have fun with the proud and wicked god.

Nshaa was certain that the council of gods above did something to him and the nineteen gods, the battle was not meant to end the way it did. From the high lands to the low lands of Ukeh, human and spirits bodies lay on the ground; there had never been anytime there was such a body count of spirits in Battle. On the ground lay incountable number of pure spirits from the river world, the damned spirits and the army from above. The most horrifying sights were humans torn apart by the damned spirits; some of them were feasted on by those spirits. Children were beheaded and mothers cut in two.

Read " The Return Of ijele " by the same author ( Ifeoma Isabella Okeke )

. While men and boys had their testicles and heats pulled off from their bodies. Most parts of Ukeh were drenched with blood; farms, trees and rivers were destoryed.

When Nshaa fell down and could not rise to fight, Urenma bound him with her hair and the army from above left with him to be judged by the council of gods. All the spirits who fell in battle were sent to the river world where they were to be judged and bound or have their strengths given back to them depending on which side they fought in the battle.

After the battle was over and humans begin to move about freely in Ukeh once again, the gods above sent their messengers to announce that the children of the gods could be born to men again in Ukeh, just like in the days of old. Urenma and Obinze determined to know who their children really were, left with the messengers of the gods for answers about their children. Obinze and Urenma were not seen in Ukeh for a long time. In their absence their children grew mighty in the land. Many young and wealthy men came seeking Olachi’s hand in marriage, in the absence of her father, she gave them a task- anyone who could beat her in a fight would have her hand in marriage. She had all the time to be silly, her parents were not around. None could win her hand for marriage in a fight, until a handsome boy came from Umuekwele, a land afar from Ukeh; the boy did not win her hand in a fight, he stole her heart with his flute and songs.

Obinze and Urenma came back to Ukeh; having find out who their children was. Obiakor and Olachi were happy to see their parent’s after a long period of time. And they all lived as a mighty happy family.

Obiakor Obinze and Ntani fall in love, and they got married.

The End

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