Chapter 2
The Oba and his cabinet had exhausted every ritual to appease Ogodo, but the gods remained silent, refusing to talk to the priest about the well-being of the kingdom. It was after the Oba reversed the decree allowing Binis to hunt freely, and sacrificed a hundred cows by bringing them into Agboveri Forest and setting them free to roam in the forest that Ogodo finally revealed that the only thing that could appease him was a knife not made by human hands. The Oba and his chiefs threw glances at each other, shocked. "How can I possibly find such a knife?" the Oba asked.
"The same way you devised means to kill innocent people in the shrine," the priest glared at the Oba.
"Innocent?" the Oba stared back at the priest as if trying to decipher the word 'innocent' that the priest tagged on the late witch after all they said she did. The Oba knew that witch Amieta was innocent, but because of the feud with Amieta's family, he tried several unsuccessful attempts on her life and threatened her teenage son Odie, who had just discovered his talent as an herbalist and witch doctor. The Oba's hatred for the witch stemmed from Prince Juko's interest in Mara, a girl Odie was in love with. Prince Juko had repeatedly warned Odie to stay away from Mara, but Odie refused, claiming Mara belonged to him. This infuriated Prince Juko and his father, the Oba, who vowed to take action against Odie. When their attempts failed, the Oba accused witch Amieta, Odie's mother, of evil and brutally punished her and the other witches. Villagers loved witch Amieta and revered her talents as a witch doctor. When they heard the news of her assassination, they went to the shrine asking for her corpse so they could give her a befitting burial, but the priest refused, because those who died in the shrine were buried in the shrine. Witch Amieta's followers hated the Oba for invading Ogodo's shrine and killing the only witch who understood and kept the laws of nature, skillfully using them to detect and cure sicknesses and diseases. She was a gift from the gods, and now she is no more.
The priest advised the Oba to make an extension sacrifice so that Ogodo would allow him to search for such a knife in two moons, but the Oba was hesitant. "Even if Ogodo gives me a thousand years, such a knife cannot be found, not anywhere in the world," he chuckled and thought that the priest was trying to play games with him. The Oba understood that the only way the priest would tell you that something was impossible were to tell you to do the impossible. After much persuasion from his chiefs, the Oba finally consented and sacrificed another hundred cows. Ogodo accepted and extended the time of his wrath.
The Oba was in the shrine waiting for the ritual to be perfected. The priest deliberately avoided physical contact with him, first denying him entrance to the holiest place in Ogodo's presence and now instructing the shrine servant to accept the palm oil offering on his behalf. The servant dutifully took the offering from the Oba's hand, carrying it into the inner sanctum where only the priest and the Oba were permitted to enter. Such an event is completely unprecedented in the history of Bini when a servant was allowed entrance into the holiest room, except maybe the gods are eyeing them as potential candidates for the throne. The tradition was made in such a way that the Oba and the priest shared a unique reciprocal role. If the priest died, the Oba would assume priestly duties until a new priest was appointed, and vice versa, especially if the heir to the throne had not come of age. Before coronation, the new Oba would undergo a sacred trial: three days and nights in the holiest sanctum without food or water. Survival signifies divine approval, while death indicates rejection by the gods. Remarkably, every Oba in Bini's history had passed this test. The true throne of the Oba lay within the shrine's holiest sanctum, a spiritual seat where every Oba is coroneted and where they receive divine guidance. In contrast, the palace throne served as a seat where the Oba rendered judgment to the people. Normally, the priest remained secluded in the shrine, only appearing publicly in times of crisis or the Oba's demise. However, since the current Oba's ascension to the throne, the priest has been unusually visible, a sign that the Oba's actions have gravely disturbed the spiritual balance. The first time the priest appeared to the public was when the Oba's teenage son, Prince Juko, and his hunting band killed a deer, which is a sacred and highly respected animal in Bini. The appearance of the priest prompted a severe penance involving a ritual requiring the offender to sleep naked for three weeks on the exact spot in the forest where the deer was killed. The prince fell ill after serving his time, and it was Amieta who nursed him back to health. She treated the bumps and rashes on his body caused by insect bites, the fever, and the headache until he recovered. It was during his stay in Amieta's nursing home that the prince saw Mara, a teenage girl with an oval face, rounded hips, and full brown lips. She was in love with Amieta's son, Odie. For the very first time in his life, the prince fell in love with Mara, and would often narrow his eyes, hiss, and shift uncomfortably on his seat as he watched Odie and Mara laugh together. When reporting to his father, the Oba, the prince said that the two lovers were shameless and had disrespected his dignity by coming too close to each other even in his presence. The prince tried several unsuccessful attempts to win Mara's heart. He'd tell her dry palace jokes; boast about how powerful he would be when he finally ascended to the throne. He told her it'd be sweet if she reigned with him and together they could have beautiful kids. He'd also surprise her with expensive gifts, like the time he instructed one of his servants to pay the carvesmith to carve the image of him and Mara out of a very expensive granite stone. These things did little to sway Mara. She had politely told him her heart belonged to Odie. With that, the prince swore to avenge his princely dignity, which he said Mara rubbed in the mud.
The Oba was pacing around, trying hard to ignore the happenings in the shrine, but the fact that the priest allowed a servant into the holiest room was beginning to irritate him. Allowing a servant into the holiest room in the presence of the Oba was an insult and treason against the crown, but he dared not complain, especially during this time of penance. The chiefs observed the act with great suspicion, thinking that the priest was trying to name a new Oba. But the Oba knew that the priest was only trying to irritate him. He wasn't even allowed to sit, which was understandable given the cultural tradition of penance, and of course, the six chiefs with him were all standing beside him, their eyes darting around impatiently. They awkwardly expected the priest to come out and announce a new Oba, but it never happened. After the ritual was done, the priest came out wearing a white flowing skirt. He saw the Oba and his chiefs glaring at him, but their expressions didn't bother him. The Oba expected a final or farewell message from the priest; even if there were no more messages from the gods, the priest should at least hint at the possibility of finding the mysterious knife. But the priest ignored him and headed straight toward his hut, carrying a wooden staff in his right hand and a clay steaming pot in the left. "Not even a farewell message?" the Oba said. The priest then turned to face him. "Where am I supposed to find the knife?" the Oba asked.
"You know where to," the priest answered.
"No, I don't," the Oba said, even though he knew about a neighboring kingdom known to possess a mystical knife, but he didn't want to sacrifice the peace between them by asking for such things. The gods aren't greedy, but their appeasement requests are beginning to trigger suspicion about them eyeing a neighbor's property. It could have been goat, cow or land, not something out of reach of his people.
"Then your authority is weak and unproductive," the priest said and continued toward his hut. The Oba raised his eyebrows, shocked at that statement. Though he knew the priest to be a mean, abusive old man when it comes to matters involving spiritual offense, he shot his eyes and maintained calmness amidst the mockery. How dare the insolent old man, who had lived in the forest all his life, mock him right in the presence of his chiefs and the shrine servants? The Oba was thinking. He was gnashing his teeth as his anger began to boil over, and to avoid further consequential mistakes, he mounted his horse and left in such haste that his entourage had to hurry to catch up with him.
The Oba called for a cabinet meeting, and while he and his seven cabinet chiefs queried each other, a soldier who had led several campaigns against witches and one who understood the ways of dark and good witches calmed the agitated cabinet. The Oba was about to question his guts, but when the soldier gave a good suggestion, the Oba changed his mind and thought that the soldier's guts were of good use after all. "My lord," the soldier had saluted, "I once went on a campaign deep into the forest to rescue some children kidnapped by some dark witches. On our way to the forest, we encountered some blind dwarf creatures known as the Nunus. They seemed more like us but shorter, with a tail twitching behind them. They had a strong sense of smell that helped guide them through the forest. They were the witches' servants. The witches mostly use them to accomplish some difficult tasks like entering realms their mortal bodies couldn't enter. The dark witches tried to use them against us, but it was witch Amieta who stood in the way and with her powers, she banished those creatures into darkness where they belong. If the Oba could uncover the source of witch Amieta's power, he could use it to free those creatures from exile. I believe they can forge weapons capable of appeasing the gods."
"Dwarf creatures?" the Oba asked, glancing at the faces of his chiefs; he then turned to the soldier. "Why didn't you mention the dwarf creatures until now?" the Oba glared.
"Because they had been banished," the soldier said, fearing for his life. How possible could it be that Amieta saved you from her fellow witches? The Oba was thinking, but he never raised it as a topic for discussion, for he feared it might give the late witch a benefit of pity, which he thought could worsen the situation and distract them from finding the solution to appeasing the gods. "How can we possibly find the source of witch Amieta's powers?" a chief asked the soldier.
"I don't know, maybe you can find something in her lair," the soldier answered.
"Her lair was burned the day she died," another chief said, dropping his gaze to the floor and letting out a slow, disappointing breath. The Oba kept mute for a while and then jerked up as if he was startled. "What about her twin babies? Perhaps her powers reside in them?" the Oba said. The cabinet nodded in agreement.
"That's a good idea!" a chief exclaimed. They agreed that as long as Amieta's twins were alive, her powers could possibly be alive in them, but they were afraid to ask the chief priest, who is now fostering the twins, to release the twins to them. They thought it would anger Ogodo even more.
After some careful considerations, the Oba decided to send diplomatic envoys to their neighboring kingdom, Agumba, known for their blacksmithing and war craft, a close ally to the Binis. Agumba was believed to possess some mystical knife they said was forged by Ikenga, the god of war. Some chiefs laughed it off, finding it ridiculous. "You don't believe that story, do you?" Chief Akugbe, a member of the Oba's cabinet, asked the Oba.
"Isn't it obvious that the sword was not made by mortal hands?" the Oba said.
"Why?" Chief Akugbe asked.
"Don't tell me you didn't hear the damage the power of the sword caused in the war with the kingdom of Banta, who is now loyal to Agumba? It was catastrophic. The presence of the sword alone gave the army extraordinary strength they used to overwhelm their enemy in battle. The plague of drought prior to the battle was just a warning, but Bantans were too stubborn."
"I agree that Agumba has the fiercest and skilled fighters but believe me, the speculation regarding the sword is totally unfounded. Nobody in this room has ever seen one of the swords or even witnessed whatever they said they could do or were capable of doing. We all grew up hearing such fear mongering and exaggerated stories of how the sword fought and defended the Agumbans in battle, folktales," Chief Akugbe chuckled.
"Folktales?" one of the chiefs glared at chief Akugbe.
"The sword and whatever powers they said aligned with it are just a trick of psychological warfare used to demoralize their enemy's morale to capture them with less effort." Chief Akugbe said.
"I totally agree," Chief Ogon, the commander of the army, nodded. "If your enemy succeeds in messing with your mind, you are doomed," he added.
"Are you saying that the sword might not exist?" the Oba asked.
"It does exist, but it wasn't made by any god. In fact, Ikenga isn't a god; those things were made up to plant fears in our hearts," Chief Akugbe said. But the Oba was not convinced, even though Chief Akugbe had suggested they search for the source of Witch Amieta's power and shun chasing fantasies. He believed that only Amieta's power held the solution to the problem. However, other cabinet chiefs disagreed, finding it time-consuming. Two moons are not enough to find such things, and if the power of the sword was a mere rumor, why has Agumba remained unbeaten in battles? Why would the Bantans suffer a plague of drought just as the priest of Ikenga said they would? There are no other options for hope. If the Agumbans agree to trade one of the swords of Ikenga with them at whatever price necessary, the Oba believed it would be the greatest trade since the existence of the kingdom. But what if the sword isn't what they said it is? Wouldn't Ogodo's anger grow hotter, given that he brought a fake knife to appease him? The Oba was thinking. He exhaled deeply and stroked his white beard gently. His chiefs were expecting an encouraging speech or an order to do what he thought best, but instead, he stood up and started walking around the throne room muttering to himself. "There are no other options; we are going to Agumba. If the sword is fake, let Ogodo do with us whatever he deems best," he finally said, glancing at Chief Ebikaler. Chief Ebikaler knew what the Oba was likely to do with those glances; he sat up, expecting the Oba to say his name, and he certainly did. "You'll go for us," the Oba said, pointing at Chief Ebikaler. The cabinet turned on the chief. Chief Ebikaler was a skilled diplomat and a great talker who had successfully bargained and brought profitable business deals to the kingdom. The Oba trusted in his oratory skills and hoped he would bring the sword home. Chief Akugbe was assigned to lead the search for the source of Witch Amieta's power. The Oba believed that if one failed, the other would likely succeed, but if both failed, then who knows what Ogodo might do to them? The Oba knew that if Ogodo must punish Bini, he would certainly start with him and his family, and he knew how deadly Ogodo's punishment could be. He panicked and hoped for success.