Chosen: The Legend of Saqui

BOOK III CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VII - THE CURE

Saqui raced back to the Palace as the sun started below the horizon. She got the lampheurya and daeluceus to the doctor; the seekers had given him the first three elements. He told her to wait outside while he mixed them together.

The doctor ground the minerals to dust and drew the pollen from the flower. He combined the five ingredients and heated them into an elixir. He quickly cooled it and took it to Olubaya.

He went to administer the cure. Before he did, he checked her to see if she was still alive.

Saqui looked out her window. Darkness filled the sky. She was worried. What was taking so long?

After a delay, the doctor came out to speak to Saqui.

"Doctor, is my daughter recovering?" she asked him.

"Your Highness, I am afraid we were too late. Your daughter has passed."

Saqui's eyes welled with tears. She felt as though she had failed her daughter, her people, and herself. She looked at the scar on her arm, a permanent mark of her failure.

As she looked at her arm, that sadness turned to fury. The suns on her back glowed, but her fury did not stop. It grew and it grew. Soon, her eyes started glowing. The fury kept growing until her entire body glowed a blinding light.

She began destroying everything in her path, furniture, plants. She crashed through the wall and ran outside. She uprooted trees and threw them over the Palace.

Everyone was scared to go near her. They wanted to calm her down, but feared what she would do to them if they did.

Eventually, that rage turned to regret, regret over the destruction she had caused. And that regret would turn to depression, a deep depression.

Olubaya was her whole life. Losing her daughter felt like losing her heart. She fell to the ground and lay motionless for the rest of the night.

For the next few days, she refused to leave her bed chambers. Her meals were brought to her and served. She refused counseling from all, including Jumoke.

He was distraught, too. After all, it was his daughter, too. And he was powerless to do anything. He could not even help in retrieving the elements for the cure.

The funeral for Olubaya was kept a private affair. Only family was allowed to attend per Saqui's request. People from all of the tribes sent gifts of condolence.

Saqui knew she had to take some time off if she was to continue as their queen. She went into exile at Quintrilpe, a place she would hide as a child when she felt sad. Not even her husband knew of her location.

A month later, she returned to the Palace. She had used the time to clear her head and try to move on. But she was never able to totally put the incident out of her mind.

How could she? She had the constant reminder on her arm. The scar would never go away.

Over the next few months, she remained very private. She stayed in the Palace all the time. She never left to visit any of the other villages.

Before she left for her exile, she gave the Council of Six the power to govern their tribes and make the necessary edicts.

Given her behavior over the past few months, doubt started to arise among the six tribes as to her ability to remain queen of the tribes.

She had done her job. She had united the tribes. Was it time for her to step down?

Also, her relationship with her husband Jumoke was strained. He grieved his daughter's loss, too, but he welcomed support from any and all who offered it. He tried to offer it to his wife, but refused to accept it.

She had spent so much time by herself that he wondered if she still had feelings for him anymore.

Then one night, she sat at the window, staring at the night sky in solitude. As always, she made not a sound. Then, she heard a voice.

"Your daughter is in good hands."

She recognized the voice. It was Inalef. She turned and saw his spirit holding a child. It was Olubaya. For the first time since her daughter's death, she smiled.

"Just like me, she will always be with you. I will take good care of her. You must go on with your life."

"But I failed to save my daughter. I brought back the disease that killed her. All these powers I have, and I could not save her. I would give them all up if it meant bringing her back."

"You did everything you possibly could. That is what any mother would do. But you are destined for greatness. Your people need you, and you need them. Listen to them. Listen to your husband. And if you still ever need someone to talk to, I will be here."

She started feeling better. She met with the Council of Six to see what they had done in the past few months. She did what she could to be a part of the process yet again.

A week later was Unity Day, three years since she united the tribes. It was also the first time that she left the Palace and mingled with others.

It was the first step in reassuring the tribes that she would be okay. They decided that she would continue as their queen.