JAGUNLABI✔

PART TWO: CHAPTER EIGHT

TENIOLA

When I regained consciousness, my eyes fluttered and I winced at the bright light that surrounded me. A startled look around me revealed that I was on a mountain. The location was a mystery, but the sky seemed close enough to touch with my fingertips. The clouds drifted by and the air was cold and crisp with freshness.

I panicked. Temi bami, I am done for. Am I dead?

"Fokan bale. Asiko re o ti pe. Calm down. Your time has not come," a voice boomed.

My body trembled at the sound. It was deep and resonated in my ears long after silence fell upon me. The closest thing in nature it could be likened to was thunder.

Then it clicked.

Could it be? No, it is not possible? My mind had a short internal conflict with disbelief.

Igba yen naa l'oju mi la. And then my eyes were opened.

Standing before me was a unnaturally tall man, from my estimate at least eight feet tall. Dark and with a strong, muscular frame. He wore old fashioned warrior attire. Shirtless with an amulet dangling from his neck and red trousers decorated with cowrie shells. His outfit was paired with a tiger skin over his shoulder.

Furious drum beats and praise chants started, and then I noticed his double edged, hand held axe.
Daju daju okan mi o tan mi je. Definitely, my mind was not deceiving me. Standing before me was...

"Arabambi oko Oya! Arabambi, the husband of Oya!" I said.

He raised his right arm and pointed his double edged axe to the sky. Power surged from within his body, starting from his feet and exploding through the axe gripped in his fist.

Sango was the third Alaafin of Oyo. That is, king of Oyo; one of the oldest cities of the Yoruba people.

His possible involvement in my investigation about Jagunlabi came as a shock to me. Historically, the reign of Sango predated colonial rule. Could there be a connection between Sango and Jagunlabi? If that were the case, how and why did Jagunlabi have an axe to grind with me or my mother?

"Dide kiakia! Stand up quickly!" he ordered.

I rose to my feet, and was baffled by the restoration of my energy. For some reason, it was as if I could feel a pre battle adrenaline rush.

"Nje iwo mo pe leyin iya re, oko afesona re lo kan? Do you know that after your mother, your fiancé is next?"

This broke my heart. My chest collapsed and I wept for two people I loved most in the world. He did not need to explain what he meant. It was clear that my suspicion was accurate. Mum did not meet Sesan by accident, she was in danger and so was my darling Niyi.

My frustration bubbled to the surface. I did not ask for my psychic abilities or anything else out of my reach. After my battle with Jagunlabi, I just wanted to be a regular woman who had a career, fell in love and lived happily ever after. Why was I being terrorised by warriors and deities?

"Ki l'ese mi? What is my offense? What have I done wrong?" I asked. Thinking that death was imminent, my mind wanted answers.

"If you do not go to the point of no return, you will never know," he replied.

My brow furrowed at his statement. An elderly man told me before I ended up here. He said I would find the answers at the point of no return. The question was, could I trust him?

"Ti mo ba lo si ibi ti e n so yii, se Iya mi at I Niyi ma gba itusile? If I go to the point of no return, will my mother and Niyi be free?" I asked.

He crossed an arm over his chest. "Beeni. Oju won ko no ri ibi mo. Lailai. Yes. They shall no experience any more trouble. Ever."

"Swear," I said.

His eyes burned into mine, and fire shot out of his mouth. "Emi o kin se eniyan, beeni mi o kin paro. I am not human and I do not tell lies."

I was not convinced, but I was silent.

"Ti Eledumare fi ma pe won sodo, nkan kan ko ni se won. Till they return to the Almighty, no evil shall before them," he affirmed.

That was good enough for me. If I were to risk my life or even die, it would not be for nothing.

"Mo ti se tan. I am ready," I replied. "I will go to the point of no return."