Episode Eleven: Investigation Begins

Queen Wuraola was tired of her solitude, mourning a husband and King that she neither liked nor missed, but it was important that she did it for the culture, and to keep up appearances. So, each day, she set aside moments when she would wail loud enough to be heard through the palace. To do otherwise was to attract suspicion, and she refused to go down for a crime she did not commit. However, it would seem that her exaggerated mourning was not enough to keep them at bay. The Chiefs had started their investigation and were interviewing people to see who would drop a hint about the plot that killed the King, and for some reason, her name had been on the list, and Iyalode had come to query her.

Wuraola hated the woman and could not stand her. Iyalode was never one to pick sides, drifting and shifting, fully tilted only to the side that would bring her personal glory. When she showed up in her chamber and sat on the mat with her, holding her hands, Wuraola had thought that the woman had come to hypocritically check on her welfare to remain on her good side as the mother to the potential King, but the audacity of Iyalode to ask her stupid questions early in the morning, or any time of the day for that matter, was irritating.

“My late husband’s body is still warm in the grave, yet you have the audacity to accuse his wife of murder?” Wuraola said, unable to hide her anger. 

Iyalode gripped her hand tighter, but she pulled away. Unfazed by Wuraola’s show of reproach, she said, “The late King is more than just your husband, he belonged to the Iludoyin village, and the village wants to know what and who took their King.” 

“Then tell the village that I did not kill my husband,” Wuraola  responded, livid at the audacity of the woman before her.

Iyalode tried to remain firm. “We can tell them, but who is to say that they will believe it? They are desperate for a culprit. We need proof to rule any suspect out. You know me, I like you and would have done my best to take you out of the suspect list, but since the King died of poison, we have to rule out his wife before we can focus on someone else.”

Wuraola rolled her eyes. She wouldn’t be surprised to find that it was Iyalode who first suggested her name. “What kind of proof do they need?” she asked, already suspecting what was required.

“They need you to swear,” Iyalode said, unable to meet Wuraola’s gaze until she heard the Queen laugh wickedly. “Is it funny?”

“They want me to swear, abi?” Iyalode nodded. “It is you that wants me to swear!” Wuraola complained, and Iyalode sat up, offended by the accusation.

“What will I do with you swearing?” she started to say, rising, and Wuraola quickly joined her on her feet, not letting her finish.

“I made you Iyalode, and I can remove you without doing as much as blinking.”

Iyalode held Wuraola’s gaze for what felt like a minute then sighed, knowing fully well that she could not win a battle of words against the Queen. “Why has seeking for justice resulted in threats?” she finally said.

Wuraola walked past her, intent on walking out, but on a second thought, turned and said, “I am not threatening you, not yet. Bite the finger that feeds you, and you might as well forget the food, or any kind of food for that matter,” she stated and walked out, leaving Iyalode shaking.

“What have I said now?” Iyalode called out, confused as to how she would fulfil her assignment without incurring the wrath of the Queen. “But if she didn’t kill the King, why is she acting like she has something to hide?” she muttered to herself. 

Wuraola walked into Adeyeri’s room after knocking several times and getting no response. A part of her secretly wondered if, maybe, he had been murdered in his sleep, and even though it would make her happy, it would also make her look bad to lose her husband and son in such a short time. She was surprised to find the room empty. It was too early for Adeyeri to have gone anywhere, and she couldn’t help the thought that he had his own strategy in place. He may act clueless, but he was probably consorting with those who could help him out of the mess he was in. 

“I need to act fast,” she said to herself, interrupted by the entrance of a palace guard. He was shocked to see her there rather than in the solitude of her room, mourning, and it showed on his face, which irritated Wuraola, as he lay flat to greet her.

“Good morning, our Queen.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked, wondering why he had the audacity to come in without knocking.

“I have been told to replace Areo as Prince Adeyeri’s personal guard for now. I came to see if he is back.”

“Where did he go?” she asked, desperate to know Adeyeri’s whereabouts. She however doubted that anyone knew, and was proven right with the way the guard scratched his head cluelessly.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Did he sleep here last night?” 

“I don’t think so,” he replied, embarrassed at his own cluelessness, and not wanting to irritate the queen, but it was too late.

“You don’t know?” she shouted then lowered her voice so as not to alert eavesdroppers.

“No ma,” the guard said.

“No, you don’t think so, or no, he didn’t sleep here?” Wuraola probed further.

“No, he didn’t sleep here,” the guard finally said, not sure, but wanting to give a definite answer because the Queen seemed desperate for one. She knew what he was doing and would have slapped him, but she had other things on her mind, so she simply waved him off. As he got to the door and made to leave, a thought formed in her mind.

“Wait.”

The guard turned back swiftly, and Wuraola observed him closely, taking in his appearance from head to toe. He looked strong and capable for what she needed him for. He may not be intelligent, but that was a quality reserved for her. In fact, the more foolish he was, the better for her.

“How much is your loyalty worth?”

“My loyalty to the royal family is priceless, my Queen. It is my life’s vow. I will do anything for the throne. I serve the throne till I die.”

Wuraola rolled her eyes. “All that is well, and good, but right now I need that loyalty for myself, not the throne.”

The guard looked at her, confused. “But you are the…”

“I am a woman who needs your loyalty, and I am ready to pay for it.” The guard looked away as though to say money meant nothing to him. Wuraola laughed. “What is your name?”

“Alani.”

Still smiling, Wuraola held his gaze. “If you betray me, I will get your tongue cut out and feed it to the dogs.” Alani nodded as though to say he was not even interested in any deal with her until she said, “Fifty cowries a month.”

Alani’s face brightened up in sweet wonder. “What do you need from me, my Queen?”

Nothing like money to buy loyalty.

“Everything,” Wuraola said, and walked out of the room.

Banji didn’t wait for the day to break before he convinced his sister to make him food which he planned to carry to Adeyeri and Tade. Convincing her without telling her the full story and alerting the rest of the family had been difficult, but he had finally succeeded, and had swiftly proceeded to leave the house with his medicine bag and a blanket. What he did not factor was that Shade would come to his house. 

He saw her as she majestically approached his family house, and he quickly dropped the bag of supplies and hid them behind a tree to avoid any questions. He already had an idea of why she’d searched him out.

“Iya wa, good to see you this morning,” he said before she could say anything. Shade stared at him, waiting to see if he would confess. “How is business?” he asked, uncomfortable with the silence and her stare.

“You think I am here to discuss business?”

Banji scratched his head, trying but failing not to look quilty. “What else is there to discuss?” he asked, trying to sound neutral.

Shade hissed. “You are the worst pretender, so I won’t waste my time playing games with you. Where is my niece? Where is Tade?”

Banji looked over his shoulder, pretending that the question was not directed at him. When Shade folded her hands over her bosom and glared at him, he replied, “Who is Tade?”

Shade scowled at him, but still, Banji tried to look confused. “The Prince is your best friend,” she declared.

“How does that have anything to do with your niece?” Banji asked, and the way he said it confirmed Shade’s fears. 

“She is with the Prince, I can feel it.”

“Who is with the Prince?” he asked again, frustrating Shade with his ignorance, but she decided to humour him.

“You met her at my stall the other day.”

Banji smiled and feigned remembrance. “Oh! The witch.”

Shade hissed at the description. “She is not a witch, but yes, that is who I am looking for.”

“How am I supposed to know where she is? We barely had a conversation with her the other day, and trust me, a lot has happened since then. No one has had time to follow up on a palm wine selling wench, however beautiful she may be,” he said, hoping that he sounded convincing.

Shade eyed him as she replied. “If you were not one of my biggest customers and an ally to the throne, I would strike that lie out of your mouth,” she said and walked away.

Banji was grateful to watch her go, not knowing if he could have sustained the pretence. The mess they were in was getting bigger, and he wondered why Adeyeri couldn’t see it.

Adeyeri opened his eyes to the feel of a woman in his arms and tried to remember where he was. He had never slept with a woman in his arms, there was never enough time, so even though this felt good, it felt strange too.

One look round the room even before looking down to see who was in his arms, and everything came rushing back. He sighed sorrowfully, wishing he could go back to hide his pain in sleep, but he chose to focus on the little wins – Tade was still breathing. She felt so good in his arms, he wanted to pull her closer, to bury his face into her chest and take comfort from her, but he knew she would never approve. She was a prude, and she was injured.

Quickly, he removed her from his arms and tried to leave her. Being close to her was creating a longing he didn’t know he could feel at a time like this, but his body had a mind of its own. Right now, it wanted Tade, and her arms round his neck, and her body moulding close to his, was not helping. She opened her eyes before he could put her away gently.

“I am sorry, I thought you were sleeping,” he said, holding her hands. He was now in a sitting position, while she rested her back against the wall.

“I was,” she said softly, removing her hands from his, and unable to catch his eyes, shy that she had spent the night in the same room with him, and practically in his arms.

Adeyeri noticed her discomfort and smiled. “Did you dream of me again?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“No,” she said, but didn’t look relieved.

“Good. Maybe nothing bad will happen today. There’s nothing to fear.”

Tade looked at him now, her expression grave. “There’s something to fear every time you breathe,” she said, and Adeyeri sighed deeply.

“Go back to sleep,” he instructed, and rose to go and stand outside.

“Are you angry?” Tade asked, using all her strength to lean against the window and speak to Adeyeri, who was seated outside. He looked back to see worried lines on her face.

“Don’t worry, Tade. I am fine… Or at least I would eventually be,” he replied, rubbing his head as though to get rid of the headache that was building.

“I am sorry,” she whispered.

“You have nothing to apologise for. I just wished that I believed you earlier, I could have saved my father’s life.”

Tade removed his cloth from her shoulder and passed it to him through the window. “No one can change destiny. Sometimes, what is meant to be cannot be avoided.”

Adeyeri turned back to search her face as though looking for answers to ease his confusion, but he found none, so he took his cloth from her and put it on. 

“You look better than yesterday. Your recovery is a miracle. This Jesu of yours is truly powerful. I want some of that power. I need to use it to avenge my father. What will the requirements be? Can we sacrifice goats? I hate human sacrifices, and I would rather not kill any of my loyal subjects to find a killer.”

Tade smiled. “You still don’t get it, Adeyeri.”

“Get what?”

“No sacrifice is required. Jesus is the sacrifice that has saved your soul. All you need to do is give your life to Him, and then trust Him to direct your path,” she said, her voice shaky.

Feeling weak from having stood for so long even though it was just a few minutes,  she lowered herself on the mattress. Having heard the tremble in her voice, Adeyeri turned to look at her. When he didn’t see her, he quickly got up and looked through the window, worried. Assured that she was fine, he turned away and remained outside.

“You confuse me, Tade,” he said after a moment, looking  back at her. “How can the god who will save me be the same god who has already sacrificed himself to save me, and if he has sacrificed himself, it means he is no more. How then, can he hear us when we take our requests to him?”

“I am serving a living God who died but rose again, and His blood at calvary has washed away our sins.”

“How is it that the same blood that has been washing sins and doing all sorts is still available for my situation?”

Tade sighed. She had her own confusions too, so it was a struggle to explain these things to Adeyeri. If only Brother Joseph was here, he would have explained everything perfectly.

“Prince Adeyeri, let’s pray. God will explain everything to you, to us. He can show us the right moves to make.”

Adeyeri scoffed. “I am tired of these guessing moves disguised as prayers. I will go and find my father’s killer, and I will start with the one who comes in after five blinks of the eye. If my food was poisoned that night, it was on her watch,” he said, just as Banji approached from the woods.

He couldn’t stay with Tade right now. It was time for him to go to the palace and do what he must to avenge his father, and ascend his throne.

Tade knew what must be done even if Adeyeri did not. She was going to keep praying!

“How is the witch?” Banji asked, as he strutted to Adeyeri.

It was on the tip of Adeyeri’s tongue to say that she was not a witch, but he couldn’t because he did not know what it is that she was.

“Better than we thought,” he answered, and Banji smiled excitedly, relieved.

“She will wake up soon,” Banji said, pulling out the blanket from other luggage.

“She is already awake.”

Banji panicked. “Why did you leave her? She would be so cold now, shivering to death. It’s a side effect of the poison she took once the person is about to recover.”

“In that case, I guess the worst is over,” Adeyeri said, and grabbed the water bottle that Banji had brought.

“How did you do it? How did she get over the cold?” Banji asked and broke into a smile when Adeyeri told him.

“You are such a pervert. I was only helping her like I would have done for my sister.”

“But she is not your sister,” Banji said, laughing, enjoying the conversation. “Who is to say that joy cannot be found in sorrow?” he continued, but a look at Adeyeri’s straight face told him to drop the jokes that were forming in his head.

The Prince’s mood had changed again. “No time for jokes, Banji. Trouble looms.”

Banji sighed. “Speaking of trouble, her Aunty has started looking for her, and she thinks that you have her.”

Adeyeri looked in the direction of the hut. “Thank God she is awake now. Take her to the Aunty, let her receive care to get better there while we focus on finding my father’s killer. It’s time to be serious.”