Age of Sango(Naija Demigods Chronicles #1)

Ajagons; Yoruba Demons and they Ain't Merry.

"I wish I was here yesterday." Omítọ̀nàdé moaned as Kola regaled her with tales of his previous day’s exploit.

"... I've never felt more powerful than I did at that moment." Kola ended.

Out of the blues he asked "Will you choose to become my priestess like Sangosakin?"

"No."

"Why?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Because one does not choose to become an Orisha priestess. Orisha chooses you. Obatala chose me." She mentioned the name ‘Obatala’ with great reverence.

Kola’s frown deepened. "Where is this Obatala that you all talk about with so much respect?"

"Please don't disrespect him Oba Sango," Omítọ̀nàdé said a frown sticking out on her own forehead "He is the most powerful Orisha seconded by you and Ogun. You are king because in the ancient times he abdicated the throne to you so he could pursue other things."

"And as for where he is, he is at the University of Port Harcourt studying Anatomy. His name is..."

Her words were cut off as a beat up Peugeot 306 drove into the babalawo's compound. The car made its way for the shrine and parked close to the entrance. The driver of the car came down and where he stood, he was superimposed by an otherworldly bipedal monstrosity. It was about 7 ft. tall and looked like a muscular hairless gorilla with leaves sprouting out of its lizard-like leathery skin. Its face was humanoid, deeply lined, with eyes widely spaced. Its mouth was filled with pointed teeth and it had a set ram horns curling downward framing its head. The nightmarish creature gave off a malevolent vibe. Goose pimple arose all over Kola’s arms. It made him see images of bad things like death and disease and poverty.

Kola was about to summon oshe when Abimbola held his hand and shook her head. The man nodded a greeting to them then headed for the shrines entrance.
He got to the door and started doing the ikanse; He stood still and tapped the ground in front of him with his left foot then he put his feet together. He repeated the gesture three times before entering the hut.

"What was that?" Kola exclaimed.

"That was an Ajagon; a destructive spirit, sort of a demon" Abimbola told him. "The man has come to meet Baba Sangosakin to take care of it."

"How?" Kola asked surprised, thinking about the old man who was his priest.

"We babalawo's aren't without powers you know." she informed him with a smile.

A short while later, Kola felt a little draw in his ashe, so minute he wouldn't have noticed it but he did, barely. He knew somehow that Sangosakin was drawing from his powers.

He soon noticed a red glow through the huts entrance and a few sparks of electricity. A shriek cut through the previously serene afternoon atmosphere. The sound itched his eardrums so much he covered his outer ears with his hands, he looked to his side and saw Abimbola doing same. After a few seconds the sound stopped and Abimbola dropped her hands so he followed her lead.
Just as he was about to ask her if Sangosakin and the man were done, they both came out of the shrine. The man thanked Sangosakin and gave him some notes of money then got into his car and drove away.

The babalawo sauntered to where Kola and Abimbola stood, a slight limp on his left leg. Kola noticed his lopsided gait for the first time.  When the ifa priest got close enough to Kola he dropped to the floor and called out his oriki
"Sango Olukoso,
Akata yeri yeri,
Arambambi oko Oya,
Alaafin, ekun bu, a sa,
Eleyinju ogunna,
Olukoso lalu,
Ina l’oju ina l’enu,
A ri igba ota, sete,
O fi alapa segun ota re."

"Stand up Baba. I've told you to stop doing that" Kola complained.

"I'm sorry Oba Sango but I cannot" The babalawo apologized not sorry at all.

"A simple nod would be okay or idobale please eh," Kola pleaded. Sangosakin responded with a nod and Kola knew he would not do it.

The Babalawo faced Abimbola and said
"We are going out this night to Sango ota. The man said his entire family is cursed by Eshu. I'll make the necessary ebos ready for his propitiation then we shall go to his home and deal with the Ajagons."

"But it didn't take you time to deal with this one, do you have to take her?" Kola whined.

"It was a small one and it wasn't very powerful." Abimbola informed him.

"Okay," Kola said "I'm going with both of you then."

Abimbola and the babalawo wanted to protest but Kola raised up his hand and said in a commanding voice "That is final." They gave in and Sangosakin returned back to the shrine. Abimbola looked at Kola annoyed "You only act as King when it suits you."

"It's good to be Oba" Kola said jokingly but she didn't seem to think it was funny. She bowed and took her leave, leaving Kola wondering what he had said wrong.

"So this is the plan" Abimbola said to Kola bringing him up to speed as they walked into the forest with Baba Sangosakin at an ungodly hour.

"We won't fight the ajagons in the physical world; that would lead to too much destruction. We are going to leave our bodies by the root of the iroko tree and our spirits will go to sango ota and dispel them in the astral plane. You know, the realm that superimposes aye not the actual land of the dead or orun."

"I think I understand" Kola said scratching the back of his head slightly in confusion as they arrived at the base of the iroko tree.
The short palm-wine tapper looking man he saw on the first day of his training with Ogun was there resting against the trunk of the tree along with a lean, tall (about 6'2), and winningly good looking dark chocolate skinned guy dressed all in white like a bride.  He wore something that looked like a white net-like waistcoat with a very strange pattern in front. The front was open showing off his shredded abs. His hair was covered with a white scarf tied up front in a top knot. On his wrists were white cuffs even though his dress had no sleeves and around his waist was a long iro with a silver belt tied in front. He held an iron staff as tall as he was, on top of which was a broad shaped bell with loose rings attached along the edges. The staff had three crossing platform with silver beads dangling from them. He emitted a brilliant white ashe.
He looked truly divine.

Sangosakin and Abimbola noticed the stranger dressed in all white at the same time and they both dropped to the floor immediately; Sangosakin iforabaled while Abimbola was in the Iyika position.

"Orishanla; the arch divinity" Sangosakin called out his praise name.

"Obatala gbingbin iki; The Big Big Spirit of the King of the White Cloth" Abimbola followed suit.

"Abimbola, Sangosakin stand up joor," Obatala said in a very diluted American inflection and with a slight smile on his face. The kind of accent you get from watching loads of American movies and TV series.

"I've told you guys to stop."

They stood up and Omítọ̀nàdé rushed forward to hug him. He laughed and after she'd stopped embracing him, he looked at her fondly.

"And how has my gorgeous priestess been?"

Omítọ̀nàdé looked away embarrassed. Her eyes caught Kola's and her expression became more serious.

Kola was already certain he wouldn't like Obatala.

Obatala walked up to Kola or more aptly glided to Kola with luminous grace. His feet did not touch the ground.

With arms outstretched for a shake he introduced himself "Hello Kola, I am Kassidy aka Obatala."

Kola shook his hand firmly surprised he could feel his ethereal form.

He asked "Kassidy? What language is that?"

"It's English" He replied looking like he'd heard the question a million times. "My Yoruba name is Temitope"

"Okay". Kola didn't know what to say next. Kassidy's aura was very intimidating.
"So what are you doing here A - kè - bí - àla?" Omítọ̀nàdé asked him.

"I wanted to see him," he said pointing at Kola "But first we shall go on your mission. Baba Sangosakin give Iroko your ebo."

The Babalawo presented his sacrifice of palm wine and four-lobbed kolanuts to Iroko. Iroko accepted them from him, took a swig of the palm wine from the gourd, then nodded his approval and snapped his fingers.

Kola felt as light as air as his spirit was liberated from his body. He watched his body and that of Omítọ̀nàdé and Sangosakin fall to the ground. The babalawo was surrounded by red ashe while Omítọ̀nàdé was engulfed in white. Kola was liking Obatala a lot less by the passing seconds.
He noticed he was dressed in his war attire with oshe in his right hand. It took him a few seconds to get used to his astral form. Who knew a body could be such a burden?

Sangosakin informed Iroko of their destination and the short orisha snapped his fingers once again and they were all at the man's family compound excluding Iroko. Teleporting felt a lot better in astral form than with a body.

The man's family compound was large. It was a round structure with a court yard at the centre. Sangosakin blew a powdery charm into the atmosphere to make sure the occupants of the house were asleep. A loud snore came from inside the building.
The house was the perfect definition of a haunted house. If he had been unaccompanied, Kola would have definitely run away. The man and his family was probably not worth it. But he had imposed his company on Sangosakin and Abimbola so he could not chicken out.

About twenty demons were there as their welcome party. Their sizes ranged from a tall shrub to a mature iroko. Their skin textures and colours was variable. Some were reptilian, others had feathers. Some of them had large horns like you'd find on a bull. A few had multiple hands. One even had a bushy tail like a horse. And another leathery bat wings. They were way bigger and a lot meaner than the one he saw earlier that day. These demons weren't merry; they carried a wide array of weapons from a cane to a cudgel to a machete.

Without so much as a warning cry the loathsome spirits attacked them. A full-on battle broke out. Kola didn't even have time to catch his breath. He swung, he slashed, he sent plumes of fire from his breath and released thousands of volt of lightning only succeeding in dispelling one ajagon after ten minutes and it was the smallest one. Abimbola and Sangosakin seemed to be doing much better, they'd dispelled three each.

Kola did a quick math and saw they had thirteen more to go. He called out to Obatala to help them but he just floated by the side-line observing. He was forced back into the fight by one of the larger ones.
Kola was almost overwhelmed by the ajagon when Omítọ̀nàdé stepped in to save him. The demon struck her hard with its giant cane and she gave a cry that felt like knives to his soul. Her astral form fell and Kola roared like thunder. He hurled oshe at the monster and it struck its face. The demon bellowed but Kola was not done with it yet. He wanted to baptize the creature in the flames of hell but it got lucky. It was vaporized by a ray of white energy. All the ajagon in the courtyard were.

Kola knelt by Omítọ̀nàdé side afraid to touch her. The light of her form seemed weak. Obatala was by her other side.
"This is your fault. If only you had helped out sooner." Kola growled at him as he made effort to assault him. Obatala waved his hand and Kola appeared at the far end of the courtyard.

Obatala touched her broken spirit and began to restore it. The radiance around him was glorious. Kola faced a dilemma to revere or detest Obatala. He loathed him for making him feel this way.

Next thing he knew he woke up in his body. He tried to stand up but his legs felt awkward. The babalawo was already on his feet by Omítọ̀nàdé. He carried her and raced for his shrine, uncannily fast despite his bad leg. Kola was surprised to see the old man so agile; truly looks could be deceiving. Obatala was no were to be found as well as Iroko. He noticed an empty gourd by the root of the tree.