Year: 1885
The drums continued for seven days.
Akenzua moved through the rituals in a haze--prayers, ceremonies, the endless stream of nobles offering condolences that were really assessments. Every eye measured the heir. Every word carried hidden meaning.
"You're holding up well," Esohe said quietly, finding him in a rare moment alone.
"I'm holding up because I have no choice."
"Osaro is building his coalition. Three meetings yesterday. Four the day before."
"I know. Osarobo keeps me informed."
"What he might not have told you is that Henderson has been active too. Visiting chiefs who haven't committed to either side."
"Henderson is a trader."
"Henderson is a British agent pretending to be a trader. And he's offering something Osaro can't--the promise of British support when the succession is challenged."
---
The information Esohe had gathered was more extensive than Akenzua had realized.
"Chief Ogunwale has been promised exclusive trade rights if he supports Osaro." She spread her notes across the table. "Chief Adeyemi was offered a governorship--something the British would create after they 'bring order' to Benin."
"How do you know this?"
"The wives talk. The servants talk to the wives. The traders talk to their mistresses." Her smile was sharp. "Men think women don't matter in politics. That's their weakness."
"What else?"
"Henderson is coordinating with someone inside the palace. Someone with access to council schedules, movement patterns. I haven't identified them yet."
"Someone close to me?"
"Close enough to matter."
The betrayal was everywhere. Every servant, every noble, every trader might be reporting to enemies inside and outside the kingdom.
"Can you identify them before the succession vote?"
"I can try. But I need access I don't currently have."
"What kind of access?"
"Let me attend the council session. Not as your wife--as the Queen Mother's representative. It's traditional for the women's court to witness succession ceremonies."
"You want to watch the chiefs while they watch me."
"I want to identify who's lying when they pledge loyalty."
---
The pre-session negotiations nearly failed entirely.
Akenzua met with the neutral chiefs the night before the vote. Obaseki. Adebowale. Oguntade. Men who could swing the outcome either way.
"The prince asks for our support," Obaseki said. "What does the prince offer in return?"
"Continued prosperity. Security. The chance to be part of something larger than--"
"Words." Oguntade cut him off. "Osaro offers specific things. Trade positions. Marriage alliances. What do you offer that we can touch?"
"I offer the survival of this kingdom."
"The kingdom will survive whoever sits on the throne."
"Will it?" Akenzua leaned forward. "The British are coming. Not this year, not next, but soon. When they do, they'll offer the same things Osaro offers--positions, trade, alliances. And then they'll take everything."
"The prince sees threats everywhere."
"The prince sees what's coming. The question is whether you'll see it too--before it's too late."
The meeting dissolved without commitment. Three chiefs who could determine his future, walking away unconvinced.
---
Esohe intercepted Obaseki before he reached his quarters.
"Chief Obaseki. A moment of your time."
The old chief paused. "Princess. The hour is late."
"The hour is critical. And I have information you should hear."
They spoke in a private garden, away from listening ears.
"Your boundary dispute with Osaro. The one the previous Oba ruled against you."
Obaseki stiffened. "That matter is closed."
"The ruling was influenced. Osaro paid three witnesses to testify falsely. I have their confessions."
"How--"
"It doesn't matter how. What matters is that the ruling can be revisited. Under a new Oba. Under an Oba who values truth over politics."
"You're offering to reverse my loss."
"I'm offering justice. The prince values loyalty, Chief Obaseki. And he rewards those who stand with him when standing costs something."
A long silence.
"The confessions. I want to see them."
"After the vote. When the outcome is secure."
"That's--"
"That's trust. The same trust you'll show by supporting the prince tomorrow."
Obaseki studied her face. Whatever he saw there convinced him.
"I'll consider it."
"Consider quickly. The vote is at dawn."
---
The confirmation chamber filled as the sun rose.
Akenzua entered last, moving through the assembled nobles with deliberate calm. He had spent the night preparing for this moment--the speeches, the arguments, the responses to whatever Osaro might say.
But Esohe had done something he hadn't expected.
Three chiefs who had been uncommitted the night before now sat in positions that signaled support. Obaseki. Adebowale. And--surprisingly--Oguntade.
"The council is called," Chief Oliha intoned. "The matter before us is the succession. Are there challenges?"
Osaro rose. "There are challenges."
The accusations came as expected. Strange behavior. Foreign associations. Secret projects. But they landed differently now. The neutral chiefs showed no surprise, no alarm.
Then Idia spoke.
The Queen Mother's testimony was devastating--not just defending her son, but attacking Osaro's British connections. Names. Dates. Payment amounts.
"Chief Osaro has met with British traders. He has accepted their money. He has promised them cooperation when they come to claim our kingdom."
Osaro's face went white.
The vote was not close.
---
After the ceremony, Osaro approached Akenzua.
The old chief bowed correctly--deeper than before. His face showed nothing but acceptance.
"My Oba. I offer my congratulations and my continued service."
"Your congratulations are accepted. Your service will be... observed."
"I understand. The new Oba must be cautious." Osaro's smile was warm. "I hope, in time, to prove my loyalty through actions rather than words."
"Time will tell."
"Indeed it will." Osaro bowed again and withdrew.
Esohe appeared at Akenzua's elbow.
"You saw his face."
"I saw his smile."
"The smile of a man who's already planning his next move." Her voice was quiet. "He's not defeated. He's regrouping."
"I know."
"The chiefs he approached before the vote--he'll approach them again. With different offers. Different timing."
"Then we stay ahead of him. Always."
"That's exhausting."
"That's kingship."
---
That night, Osarobo brought disturbing news.
"The informant inside the palace. I've identified them."
"Who?"
"Idigun. Your brother's manservant."
Oronmwen's servant. Reporting to Osaro--possibly to the British--about everything that happened in the royal family's private chambers.
"Oronmwen is in Warri. As a hostage."
"His servant remained here. 'To maintain his master's quarters.'" Osarobo's voice was grim. "He's been reporting for at least a year. Maybe longer."
"Does he know we've identified him?"
"Not yet."
"Keep him in place. Feed him information we want Osaro to have."
"And when Oronmwen returns?"
"We'll deal with that then. For now, the servant is more useful as a channel than as a prisoner."
The betrayal extended everywhere. Even to the servants of his own brother.
But Akenzua had learned something more important.
In the struggle for power, everyone was compromised. Everyone had secrets. Everyone had pressure points.
The question was who understood that truth--and who still believed in loyalty.
---
The formal coronation followed the next day.
Ancient rituals. Prayers to the ancestors. The presentation of the royal regalia--sword, staff, and crown.
When the crown settled on his head, Akenzua felt the weight of everything it represented.
He was Oba now. King of Benin. Master of a kingdom that faced destruction from without and betrayal from within.
The council knelt. Even Osaro bent his knee.
But as Akenzua surveyed the bowing heads, he saw what others might miss.
Osaro's smile hadn't faded.
The British agent Henderson was already writing reports.
And somewhere in Warri, his brother remained hostage to an alliance that might crumble at any moment.
The crown was his.
But the kingdom was far from secure.