“Yes. And my father, the Ideme. He was there too. I came back with more questions than answers, though.”
“What did you find out?”
“Your eye,” he said, a look of concern covering his face. “The swelling is increasing. Let’s leave now!”
He reached out to take my hand.
“Something you told me earlier doesn’t add up though,” I said, letting him pull me up gently from the bed. “The man in Ajidi...your benefactor, why didn’t he report the incident after he escaped?”
“Ona, don’t you know how things work around here?”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“Well, it was too dangerous. I found out later that these people—Ozumba and Ekema—control the Special Security Forces in the region. They also head the cabal responsible for most of the ills plaguing our society today. They have spread their evil tentacles everywhere, bribing to get their way into every corner of authority. To satisfy their greed, they pay those youths to clash and cause confusion, while they benefit from the spoils. Following these clashes, they accumulate large masses of land for themselves, which they end up holding to create artificial scarcity. In the end, they sell the amassed lands at ridiculous prices and under different fake names to conceal their connection to the scheme. You see, he couldn’t report the issue. He didn’t think anyone would believe him. And without adequate proof, he would have been thrown into jail and murdered for even daring to come up with such a ‘ridiculous’ accusation.”
“I understand. His hands were tied.”
“Very much so.”
“Something is still bothering me. We still don’t have a way of proving you’re the Ideme’s son. What should we do?”
“When we heard the King had died and Albert, his heir couldn’t lift the staff, everything my benefactor had been trying to say to me fell into place. Not that I didn’t believe him before then. The striking resemblance I bore to the Ideme was all the proof I needed to know he was my father.”
“Why didn’t you come back then?”
“I would have. My benefactor made arrangements for me to come back, but when the clashes and the human sacrifices started occurring, it became extremely dangerous for me to expose the crime without a rock-solid plan.”
“Do you have a rock-solid plan now?”
“I do.”
“What is it?”
Until now, I’d never thought the plan would involve you until you mentioned seeing Ozumba in Luenah. I have more than a plan now. I have the power to take the staff. I took it in Luenah.”
“You did?” I screeched, grabbing his shoulders with both hands.
He nodded slowly. “I did.”
I hugged him with my aching body and kissed him softly on the lips. As I held onto him, I could hear his heart pounding loudly in his chest. Tears were beginning to well up in my eyes again. This time it was tears of joy.
“What do we do now?” I whispered after a few minutes had passed.
He released me and looked into my eyes. Seeing the tear running down my cheek aroused his sentimental side.
“Oh, Ona, don’t cry. You’re safe now. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again. I promise.”
“I know, Okem. I’m just happy. But what should we do now? Where do we go from here?”
“We just have to find a way to convince the kingmakers to let me into the sanctuary to pick up the staff.”
“Just like that?”
“I know people that can help,” he said rather confidently.
“I pray it all works out, and I hope Ekema and Ozumba are exposed and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
“I do not doubt that they will be,” he said, shaking his head. “Get your shoes and let’s go to the hospital.”
“Okay but just a second. I’d like to use the bathroom.”
Chapter Nineteen
TWO MINUTES AFTER I entered the bathroom, I heard a loud banging on the door.
“Ona, please stay there until I figure out what’s going on,” Okem said to me.
“Who’s there?” he yelled.
The banging continued as Okem opened the door. Curious, I peered through the bathroom door and saw Albert standing there with the signature crease on his forehead. His jaw was clenched. His eyes were bloodshot, and his mouth quivered with such intensity that I feared he would have a seizure. I gently crept back into the bathroom, hoping he hadn’t seen me, and then stood in front of the mirror, pondering my next move.
“What do you want?” Okem asked, resisting the urge to punch Albert in the face.
He slithered past Okem and walked into the room.
“I know Ona is your friend. I’ve taken care of her, but she constantly disappoints me.”
“I know how you’ve taken care of her,” Okem countered. “That’s how a man takes care of a woman. That’s how your father took care of your mother.”
“Shut your mouth. I’m a king.” Albert was yelling.
“King of fools. You’re nobody’s king.”
“Are you crazy?”
I had heard enough. I opened the bathroom door and stepped out. Albert turned around, and when he saw me, he shook his head before looking at Okem, and then at me, again.
“Oh. So, this is where you ran to,” he said in an arrogant tone. “I see you haven’t learned your lesson.”
“Why don’t you teach me that lesson,” Okem interjected.
He ignored Okem and walked towards me.
“I can’t believe you,” he said, grabbing my hand so tight, it hurt. “One minute, you’re the esteemed fiancée of the Crown Prince of Ide and the next you’re a common tart. You were this close,” he said, pressing his thumb against his index finger, “to being a respectfully married woman, and now you’ve blown it by hiding out in this...this man’s hotel room. I should have known you would run here.”
His voice was heavy, slurred by anger or alcohol, or both, I couldn’t tell.
“Let go of me,” I yelled.
He ignored me and started to pull with a kind of ferocious intensity, attempting to drag me out of the room.
“Leave her alone!” Okem demanded.
“Or what will happen? You idiot!”
“I said, leave her alone,” Okem repeated,
