Women Of Steel | ✔

XXXI

Omolara's execution is in three days. I have three days to save her life.

In the past two days, three things have happened; Omolara's stupid journey and arrest, my wedding procession was cancelled and my identity as Tadenikawo's former wife has been blown out in the open, it is safe to say that the people do not like me anymore. All thanks to the bratty princess's arrival, all it took was her foolish face to destroy the foundation I built.

Omolara has always gotten on my nerves, everything she says or does has either been foolish to my ears or just plain annoying. Now, I think I might hate her.

It is a mystery if Tadenikawo knows of her journey, if he doesn't, I may have a crisis on my hands. The Yoruba king adores his sister and the thought of her missing or in the hands of the enemy may cause him to lose whatever sanity is left and declare a war, no, not a war, a massacre. Without thinking, and without listening to any advice, Tadenikawo will walk right into his destruction and take his kingdom with him.

Amadi has remained in a meeting with his elder chiefs and I have been locked in my chambers with Sade, the last glimpse of the outside was Ejiro's smug face. While the forest king does not still hate me -- on the  contrary, he is still very smitten -- his cabinet are pushing for not only Omolara's death, but mine too, alongside Sade' and Tobiloba'.

The king may sway his cabinet to spare my life, but not Sade's and certainly not Tobiloba's. The hate Amadi has for Tadenikawo extends to Omolara, he is all too happy to kill her and send her carcass back to Tadenikawo.

Foreboding hangs heavy in the air, this is not as simple as fighting Babatunde or defying Tadenikawo, this is war.

I pace the room, hands behind my back like a soldier, all too aware of Sade sitting on the small bamboo bed and burning holes into my back. I refuse to look at her, lest guilt crash into me. I brought her into this, I put her life at risk and she will most likely not make it out alive.

Weak women make me sick, women that refuse to stand for themselves, that let themselves be tossed around instead of fighting back, weak women who don't understand dying for a cause; women like Sade.

I used to think I hated women like that and maybe I still do but I know the truth about it, I don't hate weak women. I hate everything, anything and anybody that is not useful to me. I hate who ever I cannot lie to or manipulate to my gain.

I am selfish and broken and battered but it is the only way I know how to be. Genuinely, I have come to care for Sade, but it is not enough.
My guilt is not enough to change me. If I saw an opening to get Sade out of this village and send her far away where she can live and be happy, I wouldn't. Because I am selfish.

I plan to save Omolara but not out of the goodness of my heart. If Tadenikawo decides to go to war, he will seek assistance from the other seven Yoruba kingdoms and he might get help from them because of the princess caught in the middle.

With an army behind him, Tadenikawo will tear Amadi to pieces and I will be back to where I began. If the two kings must attack each other, I want a smaller battle where it is just the two of them, preferably a fight where Amadi wins. Then the forest king becomes mine to obliterate.

Omolara has to live.

"I see you making that face, Demi. That face screams trouble." Sade notes, I steal a side glance at her, watching her nose scrunch up as she tries to mimic my expression.

I almost laugh. "I am considering our options here, and cursing the damn princess to hell," I pause in my step to point at the closed door angrily. "Every second that she is out there, my plans crumble bit by bit." I snap a little too loud.

Sade flinches. "What about the prince? He should be here by now."

Somehow, every evening Tobi finds a way to sneak here to update us on whatever happens. The servants that come occasionally during meal times are tight lipped and I am barely able to get a word from them, they either glare at me, finally knowing who I was or ignore me. Sade isn't able to talk to them.

"I asked him to do something for me before he gets back." I say.

Sade smiles slightly, wriggling her eyebrows ridiculously. "Is that why you asked for those 'special' herbs the day after we arrived here?" Her grin widens. "You are lucky they are easy to find, I was almost caught by another servant."

I allow myself ignore the way she refers to herself as a servant.

I let a curse slip through my lips, Sade almost never teases me, mostly because I don't understand her jokes and end up shouting or staring blankly. This joke, however, I understand too well.

"It was a one time thing." I tell her. I count to ten in my head before resuming my pacing.

She giggles quietly.

"Do you like him? He is very handsome," Sade asks, her eyes twinkle and I find myself tolerating her questions, her silliness is a welcome distraction from her usual glum mood.

I balk at the thought of liking the prince or anybody, Esimirin's words return to taunt my ears. "Of course not, don't be silly Sade. I don't like him and never will, this is not a fairytale."

Her smile slips off clean.

"You are right, it's not. There is nothing remotely happy about any of this."

"Promise me something," She says, looking up at me with those wide eyes. I fix my eyes on her tribal marks, counting every slash on each cheek.

"You know how I feel about promises." I say finally. When I finally look at her, I am taken aback literally by the smouldering anger in them. Sade has never looked at me this way. She has always looked at me with adoration, like one would look at a wise elder. Maybe that is another reason why I've kept her around, because she makes me feel more than what I am.

"Yet you promised me, promised all of us. You sweet talked us about a world where we are respected and feared and all you do is use us. Use me, and I have never complained. Not once." She says quietly, playing with her hands in her laps. Sade angles her head to the sole window in the room and shakes her head. The evening sun illuminates her woven dreads, casting a halo over her head.

I shake my own head too, I don't deserve her.

I want to apologize but all I say is, "You knew what you were getting into."

The door creaks open at that moment and the prince enters, dressed in the clothes he has been wearing since the day we arrived. He shuts it behind him and remains leaning against the door, oblivious or choosing to ignore the tension.

His face lacks that usual secret smile that seems to be lurking. Rather, his lips are down turned.

"Did you find what I asked you to?" I ask, breaking the creeping silence.

He sighs.

"It was hard but yes, I did." I peer at him openly, making no attempt to hide my scrutiny of him. Like Sade asked, I briefly wonder why I don't like him, he does not seem to be a bad person and his looks alone should make me like him.
I feel nothing at all for him.

Sade looks at us with curiosity, as if observing two animals waiting to pounce on each other.

"The forest king still wants you but he does not care about Omolara or Sade and I. He wishes for Omolara to be dangled in front of my king," He continues. Sade pales with every sentence.

"I think we should prepare for the worst scenario, that we may not be able to save the princess's life."

"I need to know where she is being kept and what happens where she is. I want to know who is watching her or if the cabinet is underestimating this situation." I say. I lean my back against the wall, next to Sade.

"I know where the princess is being kept and it will be almost impossible to get her out." Tobiloba shrugs.

"Why? This small village does not have a fortress to keep anybody in for long. With the right plans, we should be able to get her out." I counter.

He laughs harshly, shaking his head condescendingly. "They call it the snake pit, literally. It is crawling with snakes."