Red Lace

Chapter 27

OLAYEMI IBRAHIM

"Brother," I say as we both sit down across from each other. With everything that has happened, he is the only one I am trusting to help me pull this ritual off.

"You seem stressed, I can see the lines on your forehead," Olamide points out and I chuckle.

"Do you blame me? All the elders are dead Olamide. Okoye is missing, Adiche is trying to contain this elders situation and find out how everything happened. I mean how is it that all the mistresses were out in time? All this is too calculated." I say and he raises an eyebrow waiting for me to continue.

"You think someone planned this?" my brother asks curiously and I nod.

"The mistresses were all booked in the same hotel and yet they all so conveniently were in a meeting, it's too much of a coincidence brother. Whoever is behind this explosion planned this to the tee," I say.

"And you don't think it's Khaya?" he asks and I shake my head no.

"Khaya would have killed everyone, he would never have spared the mistresses because what would he gain by keeping them alive and killing the elders?" I ask and he seems to believe this theory of mine.

"It's clear that we are dealing with a female here, this vendetta this person has is clearly against the elders but how are we still alive then?" Olamide asks and I shake my head.

"Unless that's the plan, to keep us alive for whatever they want to achieve," I say deep in thought trying to crack my skull about who could be responsible for this. Our drinks are placed in front of us, we place our food orders before the waiter leaves. "I called you here because I need you for something," I say to him and he looks at me.

"Sounds serious," he says and I nod in agreement.

"It is. Adeyemi made Khaya's daughter pregnant." I confess and he is shocked, I don't know at which part because he does not know that I am in contact with Khaya. "Before he let the girl go, he used manipulation to sleep with her. Apparently, the girl is behind the killings of the elders, she's the one that's been mutilating them." I explain and I don't miss the shock on his face.

"What? How? Do you have her in your custody?" Olamide asks, he's both fascinated and worried.

"No, Khaya called me to let me know his daughter was pregnant and Adeyemi told him a ritual needed to be performed. She is undergoing what Adeyemi went through when he wasn't getting initiated. Today was supposed to be a gathering, if we don't do it today who knows how many more elders will die?" I explain and Olamide lets out a heavy exasperated sigh. He gulps down his drink and places the glass on the coaster.

"So now you have to make peace with Khaya? Is he willing? Is the girl willing to be initiated as a mistress? Does she understand that her carrying this child means she will never be free from our world? She is now a part of us whether she likes it or." Olamide explains and I shrug my shoulders, all this is a lot.

"We either introduce her to the ancestors together with the child or we initiate her as a new mistress," I suggest but he shakes his head no.

"She's human, she can't be initiated as a mistress. We need to introduce her to the ancestors, we need a powerful mistress to assist us though because, without the other elders, there's not much connection to the ancestors." Olamide explains, I let out a breath. Isabelle is not strong enough.

"So where do we get this powerful mistress?" I ask.

"Cathrine Phiri," Olamide says and I shake my head no immediately.

"No!" I say sternly.

"Look, we don't have a choice here. You know she is powerful, and she is well clued up on what needs to be done." Olamide defends.