EJIMA

CHAPTER 31

“Drop your weapon or I will kill you,” Jide shouted, or so he thought, for the sound of his heart which swelled his head and ears, made it impossible for him to iron his thoughts correctly. His throat was like the face of a desert, and he could feel his tongue perching on the roof of his mouth and causing a painful sensation that almost peeled the skin from his palate.

Tightening his grip on the sword, he locked his gaze with the older man and advanced. The sword felt strange in his hands too but he didn’t let them go, not while the other man’s gaze still boggled down at him as if they knew all the sins he had committed. Jide did not care though. His blood was already boiling. All he wanted to do at the moment was to shoo the Hawk man away from the King’s brother. If he had not acted immediately, perhaps Kalu would have been a dead man. But you will be a dead man too if you continue. Jide shook off the thoughts and tried with all willpower, to swallow down the fear. He was going to die either way. But like his father would always say, ‘Better to die on your feet than begging anybody for mercy’.

“I won’t let you harm him,” Jide continued, trying to drag his feet towards the Hawk man.

He had picked up Kalu’s sword but tried as hard as he could, it was impossible to lift the blade from the dusty floor. The object was just too heavy for his young arms, which made the situation worse, for, with his struggle with the sword, Jide knew he did not pose any real threat to the Hawk face creature. That didn’t stop him from trying. He was going to save the King’s brother. The stories in the village said it was taboo for the blade of an enemy to draw royal blood. That’s the reason why the Kings of Umudike rarely ever go to battle, even though they were trained to be the best. It had happened once in history, a long time ago, when an enemy had slain the King’s mother. Famine and plague from the gods had nearly driven the people to oblivion. But for the sacrifices and rituals, the people of Umudike would have been a story in history. There was no real affirmation to the story of course, but it had passed from one generation to another to become a part of the people’s culture. A culture which the people now protect with their life. This ethos was the reason Jide and the King had decided to plan this mission in secret. If the slightest detail had slipped into the ears of the palace guards, the guards would have alerted the people and they wouldn’t have allowed the King to journey this far from the palace, alone. Not without the right people to be his wall.

Jide strained his muscle, trying to beat past the weight of the sword. He had not planned for this. True that the King had made him swear to secrecy and had protected him with the royal seal, yet, he had kicked against this. If they had alerted some of the trusted guards in the palace, perhaps, the Hawk face creature would have been at their mercy by now.

“I will…kill you” Jide gnashed his teeth when he finally succeeded in lifting the sword from the ground. But the weight swerved him to the left side of the forest and he found himself falling face first in the nearby bush.

“Careful” Hawk said.

“What do you care?” Jide struggled up to his feet and tried to pick up the sword. But every attempt to pull it free proved abortive, for the hilt of the sword had been entangled on the dry threads of the bush. Pulling it free would have been easy if the weight was any less heavy.

The Hawk face creature squeezed his hands on his blade whose glinting tips were almost kissing the dark skin of the King’s adopted brother. For some passing moments, Jide thought the man was going to plunge the tips of his blade and burry them into Kalu’s dark skin. But to his horror and relief, the Hawk face creature, slammed Kalu’s face with the hilt of his sword, knocking the air out of his lungs.

“I am going to…kill you. I swear by my father’s name.” Jide struggled with the sword, but the bush would not let it go.

“Your father?”