Episode Seventeen: A Partnership With The Devil

Adeyeri was sleeping so peacefully, Tade didn’t know how to wake him up. She doubted that he had rested well since his father’s death and the chaos that followed. She put her hand in his overgrown hair and caressed gently, enjoying the feel of it in her hand. He had not had a chance to cut it, and she was content she could play with it as she watched his chest rise and fall.

Prince Adeyeri, her husband.

Finally, she felt like she belonged. She was no longer the girl without a family. She had become his, and it felt good. Their time together earlier had been magical, and she couldn’t get over it. There had been a moment of pain, and she still felt a throbbing between her thighs, but she was a girl that was used to pain, so this meant nothing. Adeyeri had also been gentle, asking her if she was enjoying it as he lowered himself into her and kissed her.

Tade enjoyed it almost too much.

However, despite the pleasure and the sweet feeling of being wrapped in the arms of her husband, fear crawled on her skin, and she could feel a bitter taste in her mouth. Something bad was about to happen.

Pray

With all that had been happening recently, she had not considered prayers, she had just soaked in the fear and worry, and it wasn’t getting her anywhere.

“Lord, help us. You know the future, You know all that is in store for us. Please, help us. Deliver us from our enemies. Help us to hold on to you,” She prayed, and spoke in other tongues, the Holy Spirit taking over. Suddenly, strength began to seep back into her body, the fear losing its grip, and she began to believe that they were more than conquerors.

The sound of her prayers woke Adeyeri up, and he was shocked by the unknown language she was speaking. He pulled out of her arms with a start. “What are you saying?” 

Tade smiled shyly. He had slept off minutes after they slept together. “I was praying,” she replied.

Adeyeri looked at her quizzingly. “I don’t understand that language.”

Tade cupped his face then dropped her hands when he didn’t smile or soften his expression. “I have told you before, I pray in other tongues as inspired by the Holy Spirit. It helps me pray beyond what I think my problems are, to what God wants me to pray about.“

Adeyeri rose and began to wear his trousers, then he picked up Tade’s clothes and handed them to her. “I will wait for you outside,” he said, then took his buba from the floor where he had dropped it earlier, and strode out.

Tade didn’t understand him. It was obvious he was trying to avoid an argument, but she would prefer a discussion to him clamping up. Today was their first day together, and she didn’t want a foundation of discord. She wore her clothes swiftly, grateful for the privacy. In the mood he was in, she wouldn’t be able to show him her nakedness. This was not the first time she had prayed in tongues in his presence. She had even explained what it meant to him before and he seemed to have understood. 

Obviously, he didn’t understand.

The devil would always plant a seed of negativity, but it was up to her not to give him the chance. She stayed back in the room for another two minutes and prayed for God’s guidance.

Wuraola rose despite the pain. She picked a cloth from her wardrobe and wiped her thigh clean then proceeded  to strip naked despite Adeloye’s presence.

Adeloye laughed. “Are you asking for a second round?” He asked. 

Wuraola stared at him briefly, still naked, her expression saying nothing, then she went back to searching for another outfit. Thoughtlessly, she picked one and slowly wore it.

“If you won’t help me then I will leave you here, but mark my words, despite our session here just now, I won’t protect you from my men,” Adeloye said, his face turning serious.

Wuraola paused. “What men?” she asked.

Adeloye pulled a knife from his boots, and Wuraola moved back in fear. “I told you already. I am here to kill my brother, find my mother, and take my throne. I just need to see my mother first, but if my men don’t hear from me within the next hour, they will storm in to start a war.”

Wuraola shuddered and tied her wrapper quickly. “You shouldn’t have raped me,” she stated when she was done. Adeloye laughed. “I am Wuraola, your mother,” she said, and his laughter ceased for a moment, genuine surprise replacing the amusement. Wuraola wondered if she could ever forgive him as she waited, expecting an apology for his abominable act, but instead, he burst into deeper laughter.

“I should have sucked your breasts to make up for my loss as a baby. I heard you didn’t keep me for one day before you threw me into the forest,” Adeloye said, bitterness evident in his tone, and Wuraola broke into tears.

“You ungrateful idiot!” she screamed.

Adeloye rose in anger. “Watch your tone, woman, or I will cut you down where you stand.”

“Do you think that I wanted to give my son away? The King gave me no choice. They said you were cursed and had to be thrown away.”

Adeloye scowled. “For that reason alone, I wish he had waited for me to stab him deep with my knife. He had no right to die. His death was to be from my hands, but do not worry, I will kill you slowly for every year both of you have lived here since I was born.”

Real fear, the type that she had never experienced before washed over her as the truth struck her. Her son was a monster. She moved back as he moved closer.

“I was the one who sent a message to your father’s people to go and rescue you and take you to another village so that you wouldn’t die in the evil forest,” she said quickly, trying to stop him from advancing further. “The King had killed Balogun instantly, and his family had been happy to help save you. They gave me the contact of the woman who they hired to care for you. I kept sending money to pay her every month for your upkeep till I stopped hearing from her ten years ago.”

Adeloye scoffed. “If you are telling the truth, then you didn’t hear from her because I killed her on my sixteenth birthday.” Wuraola gasped. “She told me the story of my birth that day.”

Wuraola moved back in fear. “I told her to tell you that day so as to prepare you for your future. I have always wanted you to come back here and take over as King.”

“Well, I am here now, and I will take over as King,” he stated then went to the window to whistle as though calling out to someone.

Wuraola measured the distance to the door, but knew she couldn’t make it before he caught her. “Are you going to kill me?” she asked, shaking.

“Not right away,” he said, smiling.

“I am your mother. I love you. I want to help you.”

From where she stood, she could see men running towards her window; men dressed for war.

“I don’t need your help, and that was why I killed your woman.”

Wuraola was in a puddle of tears. “But you reached out to me for information a few years back, and I have proven my loyalty.”

Adeloye eyed her dismissively and opened her window wide to allow a few of his men in. To the others, he said, “Surround the palace. Don’t kill anyone who does not struggle. Those ones will become my loyal subjects, but be prepared, many will struggle. Kill them all.”

Wuraola dropped to her knees in tears. She hadn’t expected this at all.

After endlessly waiting for the couple to come, a few people were beginning to disperse disappointedly, while others were enjoying the music, food, and free wine. Those who had left their work and their farms to honour the Prince could no longer wait, and even the Chiefs were also restless. They wanted to see the woman that the Prince had eloped with, and they wanted to know why he had married her privately.

A man came and whispered something into Otun’s ears, and he rose quickly and excused himself from the party. He kept going straight to the bush path behind the palace, watching out to see if anyone was following him. Suddenly, a mango dropped from a tree and he looked up to see Tadeyanju. His jaw dropped in shock.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Otun whispered as Tadeyanju jumped down from the tree.

“Nobody can catch me. Have you forgotten that I am dead? Before they catch their breath, I will escape, and they would imagine they saw a ghost,” he said, eating a mango, a mischievous look on his face.

“You need to be careful,” Otun insisted, looking around to make sure no one was lurking around, watching them. “I think you should go, I will come and see you tonight.”

Tadeyanju threw the mango he was eating away, the smile disappearing as he rubbed his mango-stained hands on his clothes to keep them clean. “I am not a very patient man. You should know that already. My people sent news that the Prince has married. Do you know why?”

Otun sighed in confusion. “I don’t know. Nobody has seen him and the woman, and we have all been waiting for him. The boy is not even a King yet, but he is already making us wait. I hate it. I hate him.”

“Don’t worry about it. They will both die soon, him and his wife,” Tadeyanju assured, but when Otun rolled his eyes, he added, “We have already set a trap for them. Today is Adeyeri’s last day alive, trust me.”

“Adeyeri, why are you quiet?” Tade asked when she could no longer bear his silence.

They had been walking for a while now and were almost at the palace. To reach the party early, they had passed the bush path at the back of the palace.

“What do you want me to say to a witch?” he accused.

Tade sighed in frustration. “Are we still doing this witch thing? I have told you, I am not a witch. I am a Christian.”

Adeyeri stopped, and his sudden halt in movement made her collide with him. He held her waist to steady her then looked into her eyes. “Are you sure that you are not a witch, Tade?” He asked, hoping desperately that she was not. He couldn’t be falling for a witch.

“If you had your fears, you shouldn’t have married me,” she retorted and continued walking, but Adeyeri stopped her by holding her elbow.

“I am sorry if my words hurt you. You don’t act like a witch,” he said, but still looked doubtful.

“But you still think I am something that scares you, right?” she asked, and it hurt her that he didn’t believe in God. It made it hard to explain anything.

“What do you want me to believe when I wake up from the best sleep I have had in weeks to hear you saying incantations? It is scary.” he confessed.

Tade held his hand, willing him to believe her. “I was simply praying.”

“Why were you praying? And why couldn’t you do it in a language that I understand? I could have even joined you in the prayers.”

Tade’s face brightened in excitement. He wasn’t as rigid as she thought. “You want to pray with me?” she asked.

“I don’t mind praying with you. Your god is powerful, and right now, we need all the help we can get, but if I don’t understand the prayers, how can I follow?”

Tade smiled. At that moment, she was convinced that she could win Adeyeri over to God if she was patient with him, but this was not the time to go deeper, so she simply held his hands.

“Let’s pray now,” she said.

“Right now, in the middle of the forest?” Adeyeri asked, wondering at the urgency he was sensing in the way she pulled his hands.

“My spirit is troubled. I think something bad is about to happen.”

Adeyeri nodded in understanding. He had learnt that she was not one to doubt. If she was troubled, it was genuine, so he held her second hand and listened to her as she spoke to her God about her fears asking for protection. They were still praying when they suddenly heard a man fall from a tree, and had rushed closer to help him only to see Otun and Tadeyanju discussing. Tadeyanju, who was supposed to be dead, was planning with Otun to kill them.

“They killed your father! Who are they?” Tade whispered in fear.

Adeyeri’s heart was wrenched in pain. “That is Chief Otun, my father’s best friend.”

Tade gasped. “The man you trust? Who is the second man?” she asked, still whispering.

Adeyeri held her to cushion the effect of his answer. “That is your father.”

“You are full of promises, but no action,” Otun accused.

Tadeyanju rolled his eyes. “If it was easy to kill a man, I believe you would have done it yourself. The gods love Adeyeri, they have continued to keep him alive.”

Otun folded his arms. “I don’t care about the gods and what they want. I want him and his wife dead so that I can claim my throne.”

Tadeyanju nodded. “It will be done tonight. That’s what I came to tell you.”

Otun raised his brows. “How? He will be safe in the palace.”

Tadeyanju laughed. “The palace is very porous. We will break into his room from the backyard and stab him to death before anyone knows.”

Otun nodded happily, loving the plan. “Make sure you kill his wife too. It is compulsory. For him to have rushed the marriage to her, she might be pregnant already. I did not come this far only to be denied my right because a baby Prince would soon be born.”

Tadeyanju touched his chest in promise. “I don’t like killing women, but don’t worry, as promised, we will kill the girl too. However, I need you to swear that no harm will come to my daughter, and you will abolish the Abobaku tradition so that she can go on to live a normal life.”

Otun placed his hands on his chest just like Tadeyanju was doing. “I promise.”

Tadeyanju pulled out a knife from his pocket, sliced his wrist, and gave the knife to Otun to do the same. “Your word is not enough. This agreement has to be sealed with our blood,” he said.

Otun stared at him for a few moments before taking the knife. He had gone into partnership with the devil, and he had to give him something.

The Abobaku tradition would have to end.

He was still musing on their agreement when the man that had come to alert him to Tadeyanju’s presence started running towards them.

“What is it?” Tadeyanju asked, voicing the question that was on Otun’s lips.

“There is war at the palace. Some men who look like soldiers are there. A man came and said he’s the next King. There is a knife to the neck of the Chief Priest as we speak. They want him to crown the man.”

“What?” Otun asked, furious.

“Calm down. I will go and get my men. We are ready for battle,” Tadeyanju said. “I suggest you go and hide somewhere. You cannot be King if you die in battle.”

Otun shook his head. “I will not be the cowardly King who hid,” he protested, but before Tadeyanju could say anything, they heard a woman’s voice.

“My father? I thought my father was dead.”