Chapter 5
Continuation from the last episode:
Queen Amaka: Please my love I am innocent, believe me you know I can’t harm a fly not to talk about a boy I see as my own son.
Igwe Ofordili: (Not believing her one bit) He ate from your food and he became like that, he was normal until he ate your food Amaka. (Calling out the names of some of his guards) Go and call me Uche, Ogidi greatest warrior, tell him to come with the rest of the Warriors immediately to my palace.
The palace guards quickly left to carry out his orders.
Queen Amaka: (Begging Amara) Amara, you know I can’t harm your son, please speak to our husband on my behalf, tell him I am innocent.
Queen Amara: (Staring at Amaka badly as if wishing the ground to open up to swallow her) I should speak to our husband on your behalf? First of all, redo what you did to my only son Jidenna you witch. You are a witch.
Queen Amaka and Cheta were busy crying when the Warriors of Ogidi lead by Uche entered the palace together with the palace guards.
The Warriors knelt down before the Igwe and his chiefs greeting them as they did so.
Igwe Ofordili: (Answering their greetings) Uche you and your Warriors will take Amaka around the village naked after that you will take her into the evil Forest and behead her. She committed an abomination and shall pay for it. Bring me her head.
Uche: (Bowing his head) Your wish is my command Igwe. (Standing up to his feet, his Warriors followed suit. Two of his Warriors drag Amaka by her arms as they lead her away from the palace).
Queen Amaka: (Screaming) Please have mercy on me. I am innocent. Amara please I don’t want to die now help me, my elders please Ofordili please don’t allow them to take me away. I am innocent oooooooooooooooooooo.
Igwe Ofordili and his chiefs paid deaf ears to her pleads.
Cheta: Father Biko mother is innocent I don’t want mother to die please.
Onowu: What is this one even saying (pointing to one of the guards) Take her away from here very fast before I vomit all my intestine out.
The guard came and drag Cheta out of the throne room by her arm, taking her to the hut she shared with her mother, the half eaten food Jidenna ate was still there.
Elder Okeke: Now we can be able to breathe well without having flies flying around.
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Cheta continue crying out her eyes and was praying to the gods of the land to protect her mother from dying. She also used her eyes to find Jidenna but couldn’t see him.
Cheta: (Thinking and talking to herself silently) Why is father like this? Why didn’t he believe mama? (Looked towards the sky) ChukwuOkike, you alone know the truth, save my mother I don’t want to become a motherless child. My mother and Jidenna are the only people who care and talked to me regardless of my condition. Please ChukwuOkike save my mother and my brother Jidenna. I don’t want to be alone.
Adapuruche: (Scaring Cheta a little bit with her voice) Iseeeee (Amen) in my heart, I know your mother didn’t turn my brother into an imbecile. The gods knows whose hands is behind it. Don’t cry Cheta, you are not alone you still have me.
Cheta: (Cleaning her eyes and trying to stop her tears from flowing. Her maids with her ignored her as they turned to look elsewhere) Ada, you talked to me today.
Adapuruche: Yes I have too, I went to talk to father but he wouldn’t listen to me, I am sorry Cheta there is nothing I can do to help you.
Cheta: Thank you, Where is Jidenna?
Adapuruche: He is in his hut, they locked him there. I have to go now Cheta, I don’t want my mother to see me talking to you. (She left with her maids before Cheta would reply)
Cheta: (raising her hands to the sky) gods of our land, I know you are watching.
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Queen Amara: (Feeling happy but not showing it) That witch did that to my son because she doesn’t have a son like I do, she’s just jealous. (Started crying) I don’t know what I did to Amaka.
Elder Udo: Don’t cry our Queen, she is getting her punishment as we speak.
Onowu: Now that she has been taken away to be beheaded, what are we going to do with Jidenna’s condition?
Igwe Ofordili: We are going to wait for the great chief priest to make its appearance as usual and tell us what to do. (No sooner he said those words Uche and few of his Warriors were seen running inside the palace with much speed. Igwe Ofordili and his elders with Amara all stand up quickly looking surprised) What is it?
Uche: (breathing hard from the run) Igwe, you won’t believe what happened to us.
Queen Amara: What happened to you? By the way where is Amaka head you were asked to behead and bring?
Uche: My Queen, I couldn’t carry out the order, she was taken away from us when we were about to strip her naked at the village square.
Onowu: What do you mean by she was taken away, by who?
Uche: A big white bird.
Queen Amara: (Shocked) A big what?
Ebuka: (One of the Warriors) A big huge bird came out of nowhere and took away Queen Amaka right before our very eyes.
Igwe Ofordili: A bird came out of nowhere and took away Amaka?
Uche: Yes, and not only that your Highness, three big Udele (Vultures) came and took three of our best warriors away and vanished. We ran for our life.
Queen Amara excused herself and went into her hut, hissing when she met Cheta. She quickly brought out her calabash and said some incantations and her mother face showed.
The Giant Queen: What is it Amara, I did as you asked and didn’t let the blame fall on you.
Queen Amara: (In a worried tone) You did as you said mother and Ofordili want her to walk around naked and beheaded. But the Warriors he sent to carry out his orders came back and said a bird took Amaka away. I came to ask you who took her away?
The Giant Queen: (Her head turned around and stopped to face her daughter) I told you the war has just started. A force that matches with mine has
taken her away but do not worry, she won’t be coming back.
Queen Amara: (Smiling) Thank you mother, talk to you soon. (The calabash cleared and she put it back under her bed smiling with satisfaction. As she strengthen her body upright and turn to go, the same man appeared to her once again blocking her way, his back was facing her.
Strange Man: Amara your days are numbered, detest from your evil ways and say the truth.
Queen Amara: How dare you stand before me to utter such words, do you know who I am? Do you know whose daughter you are speaking to?
Strange Man: I know everything that I need to know about you Amara, I came here to pass a message directly from the gods. Your days are numbered.
Queen Amara: Who are you?
Strange Man: If I tell you who I am, you will go deaf, be warned. (He disappeared.)
Eight years Later…..
TBC
C.H.E.T.A ( I Am Not Ugly)