“Do you have any other suggestions?”
“I can’t think of anything right now, but I’m sure if we put our heads together we can find a viable solution. Give me some time.”
“Ona, we don’t have time. These people are ruthless, and I’m sure your grandfather can help me. Talk to him on my behalf. Please, I’m begging you.”
His eyes were boring through mine.
I tapped my chin as I pondered our predicament. “I’ll wait till I get another chance to enter Luenah. One thing you must know is that I have never been able to will myself there. I’ll ask my grandfather the next time I see him. What reason should I give him for your wanting to visit?”
“Let him know he needs to show me how to take the staff,” he said, breathing heavily.
“Why do you automatically assume he knows how?”
“I can feel it in my bones. Don’t ask me how, Ona, because I won’t be able to answer. Besides, he disclosed Ozumba and told you he was marked for punishment. What does that tell you? Chances are your grandfather is deeply involved in this. Don’t you want to find out how?”
Chapter Eighteen
MY HEART WAS heavy when I left the hotel that day. Still in shock from everything I’d just heard, I snuck into my room the moment I got home. I couldn’t bear anyone seeing me in that state. None of the servants were around, and Albert wasn’t due back for another two days, or else he would have been waiting for me in the parlor. I had all the space I needed to reflect before I meet with Okem the next day. My head hurt as I pondered Okem’s request to take him to Luenah. As far as I was concerned, he was asking me to do an impossible thing as I’d never been able to transport myself to Luenah, not for lack of trying but because that skill was beyond the limits of my power. I also didn’t see how Luenah could help him, except to gain wisdom and direction. For some reason, Okem believed Luenah would help him make sense of the chaos. The staff was a physical thing. I couldn’t fathom how Okem expected Grandfather to help him weather that storm. My thoughts drifted to Albert. If Okem was indeed the Crown Prince, where did that leave Albert? Okem’s revelations had left me with more questions than answers. Was Albert really an imposter? Did Albert know? Is that why he hated Okem so much? Did he know where Okem had been all this time? Albert’s reaction when he discovered I had asked Amah’s uncle to look for Okem now seemed like a terrible red flag. There were many more, and they all flashed through my mind as I pondered Okem’s account of the treachery that had gone on right under our noses. I remembered how Ekema doted on Albert. I once told Albert that she loved him like a mother, and he thought that was hilarious. He got along more with Ekema than he did with his own mother, and it all now made sense.
I pulled down the shades, took a long relaxing bath, and changed into a silk robe. With some jazz music playing in the background, I lay on the futon and tried to achieve my next mission—willing myself to Luenah. There were so many critical questions I needed to ask my grandfather, and I needed him to answer all of them this time around. Each time I began to drift away, I found myself jumping back into consciousness. I was unable to relax, let alone concentrate. The book I had been struggling to read for days was staring at me from the side table. I grabbed it and flipped it open to the first page before adjusting the light to avoid straining my eyes. Thirty whole minutes passed, and I neither fell asleep nor drifted into Luenah.
“What if this doesn’t work?” I said aloud.
“What if what doesn’t work?” I heard someone scoff.
I turned a ninety-degree angle, sending the book on my lap to the ground with a loud thud.
“Albert!”
I jumped right up from the futon, stepping on the book, not caring to retrieve it and wondering how long Albert had been standing there.
“Albert, you’re here. I thought you weren’t due back for another two days?”
“I canceled my trip. Didn’t realize I needed permission from my Queen to do so?” he said half-jokingly.
“No, not at all,” I said, shaking my head.
“What did you do with the rest of your day?” he asked. “Did you see Amah?”
“I thought I told you she’s traveled to London.”
“Oh,” he said, smiling wryly.
“I’m glad to see you,” I said, taking his hands. At first, it felt reassuring, but little did I know that the smile passing his lips was about to reveal an even bigger monster than the ones he had manifested in the past.
He squeezed my hands tightly.
“Are you really happy to have me back?”
“Yes,” I whispered, scared out of my wits.
“How? Happy? Are? You?” he said, still holding both hands tightly, almost as though I was a rag doll. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, everything went dark. Suddenly, I felt something kicking my legs. I struggled to open my eyes and there was Albert.
“Tell me again how much you’ve missed me. Did you miss me when you were with Okem?” He was yelling.
I opened my mouth again to speak, but nothing came forth.
“You can’t speak because you were with Okem,” he continued to berate me.
I gasped.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out about your little secret? Huh? You take men to a hotel because that’s the type of person you are. You are nothing without me.”
Stunned to find myself on the ground and unable to recall how I got there, I felt something dripping into my mouth. With my index finger, I patted my nose. It was tender and blood was on my hand.
“You should
