The scrivener rolled his eyes. “Time for Maddie to repent her evil addiction and give up smoking. She does this without fail every two years.”
“And it’s not going well?” Cassie offered tentatively.
Erik snorted in disgust. “It never goes well. You should have heard her today.”
“What’s she on about now?” Griffin sounded mystified.
“She read me the riot act that if we don’t pick up the pace, Daniel will get the jump on us.”
“Surely, she knows we’re doing the best we can,” the scrivener protested.
“Sane Maddie would know that,” Erik retorted. “Nicotine-deprived Maddie needs a reality check.”
“So, she does this every couple of years?” Cassie was still trying to process the concept.
“I circle the date on my calendar,” Erik said.
“As do I,” Griffin added glumly. “Not that it does any good to brace oneself for the inevitable.”
“Jeez!” Cassie exclaimed in wonderment. “I had no idea.”
“Not to worry though,” Griffin replied. “She’ll realize her folly and resume smoking in a few weeks. We just need to stay out of the country until that happens.”
“So, the idea that she’s inviting lung cancer is supposed to comfort me?” Cassie asked incredulously.
“Some people are meant to smoke,” Erik observed through gritted teeth. “Maddie is one of them. Her lungs must be made of titanium. Every time she goes for a check-up, the doc can’t find anything wrong. Not so much as a smoker’s cough.”
At that moment, a silver Corolla glided up to the curb and parked. The driver got out and walked around the vehicle to meet the Arkana team.
She was a middle-aged African woman of medium height and ample proportions. Everything about her seemed sturdy. From her broad features to her square build. Her close-cropped black hair was shot with streaks of grey.
She held out her arms expansively and walked straight up to Griffin to embrace him. “Welcome to Nigeria, my dear boy.”
Griffin stooped to return the hug. “We’re very glad to be here, Oluoma. It’s been a long flight.”
“I’m sure it has,” the woman nodded, transferring her attention to Erik. Her brown eyes twinkled with mischief. “My daughter sends her regards,” she said as she hugged him.
Cassie darted the paladin a swift look.
He flushed with pleasure. “How is Amaka? I’ve haven’t seen her in a long time.”
“She is quite well but sorry to have missed your visit. She is out of the country at the moment.”
“Too bad,” Erik said. “Tell her I’ll give her a call when I get back to the States. It would be great to get together and catch up.”
Cassie felt unaccountably irritated by Erik’s fascination with somebody named Amaka. She tried to hide her annoyance, but her scowl caused the paladin to cock an eyebrow in amusement. “Amaka and I started out as tyros at the same time,” he explained. “We went through orientation training together.”
“I know she would welcome a call from her old chum,” Oluoma remarked and then turned abruptly toward Cassie. “And you!” she exclaimed, drawing Cassie into an enthusiastic embrace. “I have been looking forward to meeting our new pythia face-to-face. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend your investiture ceremony last month.”
“It’s very nice to meet you too,” Cassie replied uncertainly. “Are you the trove keeper here?”
“Forgive my manners.” Their contact chuckled. “My name is Oluoma Okoli. I am working with a task force on special assignment in the area, but since I’m a native of Nigeria, I volunteered to be your guide while you’re in the country.”
Cassie noticed that the woman’s accent was a mixture of exotic West African and flat American English which implied she had spent a good deal of time in the States.
Oluoma placed an arm around Cassie’s shoulder. “Poor dear, you look very tired. Such dark circles under your eyes.”
“That’s really considerate of you to notice,” Cassie said pointedly for Erik’s benefit. “I don’t sleep well on planes.”
“Nor do I,” their contact agreed. “Come, we’ll go straight to your hotel and get you checked in. It will be an all-day trip to the monoliths tomorrow, so you’ll need your rest.”
Shepherding her charges into the Toyota, she sped away from the curb and took the exit that led to the center of town.
From what Cassie could see out the car window, Calabar seemed like a prosperous modern city. The streets were bustling with cars, mopeds, and trucks. The sidewalks were thick with pedestrians who spilled out into the road, causing Oluoma to slap on the brakes repeatedly.
“There sure is a lot of traffic for this time of day,” the pythia ventured.
Much to her surprise, Oluoma threw back her head and laughed. “You consider this a lot of traffic? My dear young lady, you should try driving in Lagos and then talk to me about the traffic.”
“Lagos?” Cassie repeated.
“It’s the largest city in Nigeria,” Griffin offered from the back seat. “And Nigeria is the most heavily-populated country in all of Africa. I believe Lagos alone accounts for fifteen million people.”
“That’s one big town,” Cassie remarked.
“It isn’t actually,” the scrivener retorted. “In terms of land mass, Lagos isn’t nearly big enough to accommodate that many people.”
“The traffic jams are infamous,” Oluoma said. “People think nothing of sitting in their cars for three hours or more to get anywhere. The capital, Abuja, is much nicer. Of course, Calabar is the nicest of all.” She smiled. “I may be slightly biased since I was born right here in Cross River State. People say it is the most beautiful part of Nigeria.”
After several more minor traffic snarls, the Arkana group managed to arrive at the upscale hotel which Maddie had booked for them. Like many of the other buildings they had passed, compound walls surrounded the structure. It was a one-story U-shaped building framed by palm trees. A fountain splashed exuberantly from the center of the tiled courtyard where Oluoma parked her car.
She took charge of checking them in and then left them to get settled, cautioning them that she would return to collect them at eight sharp the following morning. “I will enjoy showing you
