The Tenth Generation

By Anozie Frank

In 1717, Chika's greed leads him to the lairs of his village's most-feared god, Alaogbaga. His pledge to the god is simple enough: 'Protect me and make me rich, then take my life after fifteen years'. Fifteen years later, Chika doesn't want to die. To preserve his life, he makes another pact with the devil; the god, Alaogbaga, will be born to Chika's lineage in the tenth generation. A black bead is given to Chika by the chief priest, it must be passed from generation to generation until the child is born. It is the symbol of the covenant. Somehow, the knowledge of this covenant is left in the hand of a group of devoted men, called The Saviours, who have sworn to right the wrongs of Chika. They will stand to stop the evil the tenth generation will bring to the world. The bead must be destroyed only after the child is born but before it is given to him by his father. 

In 1985, Mark, the descendant of Chika, impregnates Juliet and refuses to claim responsibility. The young girl dies after labour when she gives birth to a strange child. The doctors and nurses refuse to have anything to do with that monster and he is taken to a motherless babies home. Mark does not know his child has been born. He lost the bead to one of his numerous girlfriends to the dismay of The Saviours who do not also know the great Alaogbaga has been born. The bead is lost, Alaogbaga is born and no one knows. The Saviours begin to doubt their course. Mark remarries and life goes on. 

In 2004, the reborn god, Alaogbaga (now named Roger), breaks free from the orphanage, killing the mistress and every other person that stands in his way. He has a very important mission; he must retrieve the black bead he has given Chika when he came to make a covenant. He needs the bead now, but the bead has been misplaced by Mark; and somehow, the bead got to the hand of an innocent young girl. Alaogbaga has been born as the tenth generation. This black bead he seeks will make him invincible, indestructible, powerful beyond description. His goal is to rule the world with his powers. The world will bow before Alaogbaga. Alaogbaga will do anything to possess the bead, but The Saviours will do everything they can to bring Roger to his knees.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publiseer Publishing
• Release date: Aug 23, 2017

Book preview

ANOZIE

QUOTE

People say the world is a small place; I’d rather say the world is a round place; after all what goes around comes around. — Frank Anozie

PART ONE: THE COVENANT (1717)

CHAPTER ONE

It was past midnight and the silence of the night was disrupted by the squeaky sounds coming from nocturnal animals. Duruji village was as still as the dead and darkness ruled the air. Huge trees stood like giant monsters, contributing to the intensity of the darkness that made Duruji village look like a huge forest from a distance.

Looking up at the dark trees that weren’t visible to his sight, Chika Obi wasn’t even aware of how scary the night looked. After three hours of trying to get some sleep, he finally decided to come outside and do some thinking.

Three days ago, the messenger of the chief priest of the shrine of Alaogbaga, the great god of destruction and vengeance, paid him a sudden visit. The information he brought was that Chika must come to the shrine on the next market day.

Funny how time flies, he had actually taken time for granted, how could fifteen years be gone so quickly just like that?

Chika was very much aware of why he had been asked to come to the shrine. The great god of destruction who had been so faithful to him for the past fifteen years wanted his life and his blood.

The thought of an escape option had been the reason for his staying awake up till this hour of the night. This had been the situation for the past three nights, knowing fully well that it was almost impossible for anyone to escape from the wrath of the great god; no one could escape the great god! The thought of death was really unpleasant to him, especially at this point of his life that he has everything a man could ask for in life. How could he leave all that he had acquired and summit to death just like that? The thought of death was even scarier knowing that it was just by the corner under the ruthless hand of the unforgiving god.

No he thought aloud, there must be a way out. I will make him a much more attractive offer. Oh! I hope what I have in mind will work. He knew that his chance of survival was very slim, but there was no better option than to do what he had to do, it might be his only way out.

His thoughts were disrupted by the sound of the bamboo door of his large and beautifully designed mud house. Chika’s house was the best among all the houses in Duruji village. Even the king's palace was of a lesser standard compared with it, the sight of his elegant house always filled Durujians with envy. It had a very large compound and the building was so large that there were enough rooms to accommodate his family members and their numerous belongings.

"Nnanyi (our father), his wife called from the door What is the problem? How could you be outside all alone at this time of the night?" She inquired. She walked up to him as she spoke and was standing at his back by now. Nkechi was a woman of average height. At thirty-six and with four children, she still looked almost as young as she was when Chika married her sixteen years ago.

Nnanyi she continued, you didn’t even eat your dinner before going to bed and I have noticed that you haven’t been yourself lately. Is there any problem that I should know of?

Chika slowly looked up at his wife and asked her to sit down. She sat down very close to him looking inquiringly at her husband, worry lines wrinkling her forehead.

I was just wondering why the chief priest sent the messenger to me three days ago, he lied; of course he knew the reason behind the messenger's sensational appearance. I am trying to figure out what was so important that I had to be summoned to the shrine, knowing that I am a constant visitor at the shrine. You know how unpredictable Alaogbaga can be? What does he want from me this time around?

I don’t think that that is enough reason for you to worry yourself like this. You can’t think yourself to death; all you have to do is to wait until the market day and whatever he says will then determine your next move. Staying up so late like this and refusing your food will not help matters

I know, I know. It’s just that I feel uneasy about the whole thing. He complained. 

She gently touched him on his shoulder and said. Why don’t you just come to bed, we just have three days to the market day, I don’t think there is much need for you to worry.

He looked into her face and faked a smile. His wife's touches had always calmed his mind but it did little to ease the storm currently raging in his mind this night. If only she knew what was at stake she would worry herself to death, he thought. Alright, he said, I will be with you in a short while.

Nkechi quietly stood up and entered the house. He watched her as she closed the door, and then thought to himself, ‘I can’t just die like that, I must find a way out.’

************

Before Chika's father's untimely demise, he ensured that young Chika understood the ways of the great god. This had always been the family's tradition. He also taught Chika everything he must do to please the god of destruction. According to his father, this god was the solution to all of life’s problem. The god had always been the provider and guardian to their ancestors and had never failed them as long as its worshipers gave to it what it demanded. 

A worshipper must always be faithful to this god. He must always offer blood of animals as sacrifice to the god every fortnight. Human blood was also sometimes offered as sacrifice but this was usually done on request by the god on rare and important occasions. Important information and messages were always conveyed to the worshippers through the chosen and possessed chief priest. He only could speak with the god and he only understood perfectly the ways of the god. The life of the chief priest was dedicated to serving the god and being in the shrine. There, he was always in communion with Alaogbaga.

All worshippers must be made aware of the potentials of Alaogbaga. They must understand its rules and regulations, and all its dos and don'ts. No female worshipper dare come close to the shrine of the great god; all female worshippers must convey their messages and wants through their male partners who must be worshippers themselves. No one dare disobey the commands of Alaogbaga for there were brutal consequences for the disobedience of this deity.

The symbol of Alaogbaga was destruction; it destroyed any opposer of its worshippers; the god would destroy them together with their households and belongings. This it always did with all pleasure. When two worshippers were in disagreement, their sacrifice would determine who would face the wrath of the god. The great god also punished those who disobey it. Whenever the god struck; it always left behind its trademark of destruction.

Everybody was afraid of incurring the wrath of Alaogbaga, the devastating effect of its wrath always left long-lasting scars on the lives of the people, and the last one was still fresh in their memory.

It happened when Chika was still very young but the story was still being told till this day. A fateful worshipper, Onu, was having a land dispute with one of his relatives who was so scared of having anything to do with the great god. Malaki, Onu’s rival, was very sure that the so-called land belonged to his father and did not understand why his fellow man would want to claim it. It was obvious that the land belonged to Onu, but he wanted it and would do anything to ensure that the land became his.

The village king tried his best to solve the problem and Onu, seeing that he might lose the case, sought for the help of Alaogbaga, his god. 

The god did not hesitate to completely destroy Malaki; his house was leveled to the ground after the sound of thunder, all his cattle was killed by an unknown force. The animals weren’t just found dead, but were discovered ripped into bits. Every part of their bodies was forcefully pulled out of its joint, leaving a sight that was too disgusting to behold. Malaki himself was not spared, his body was also ripped apart, every joint in his body was separated, all inner structures were exposed and his blood was spread all over his compound. Every villager knew that the god had struck.

Everyone who supported Malaki went to Onu begging for forgiveness. Although his family members were spared, they were left homeless, fatherless and confused; they couldn’t seek justice, for nobody dare question the actions of the great god.

There were other gods in the land of Duruji, but each god served different purposes. There was the god of wealth, whose duty was to increase the harvest of its worshippers. There was also the god of war; this god was responsible for victory during wars. Then there was the god of health and the god of rain. But it took great courage to be a worshipper of Alaogbaga, the great god of destruction and vengeance.

CHAPTER TWO

People who worshiped the god of destruction were the most feared and respected in Duruji community, they were well avoided by others who were not worshippers. Most of them were the greedy men who loved the intimidation they exerted on others. Some worshippers like Chika were born into the tradition so that being a worshipper became inevitable especially if some sacrifices had been made to the god to initiate such a child.

The worshippers also sought superiority among each other; this made each worshipper wary and suspicious of what sorcery the opposing worshippers might be concocting. This situation always served as a reminder to them that they were not after all totally protected by the god.

Chika’s father took great pain in socializing Chika, his first son, on how to be a true worshipper of Alaogbaga. His father, who knew the right sacrifice to make so as to get any favor from the god, initiated Chika at birth.

Like his father, Chika grew up with a remarkable greed for power and respect.  He yearned to acquire all that his eyes could behold. He wanted to be the greatest man in his community. He wouldn’t like the fear and respect people had for his father to end with the death of the old man, he wanted it to continue with him. Besides, his father had already made so many enemies; those he claimed their plots of land and animals, and Chika knew that he must do all he could to get the full protection of the god.

His father was a very wealthy man. He had enough to help every extended member of his family and even others who lived in the community, but he chose to be mean and unapproachable. He made people work for him on his farm or yam barn, but ended up paying them paltry sums of cowries or nothing at all. The old man used all means available to him to oppress his victims. He could pretend to be kind and lend some money to those who asked him for it, but would turn very cruel whenever he needed the money back. He also made it inevitable for people to seek his help; this he did by putting them in a condition that left them with no choice but to come running to him for help. 

He enjoyed the authority he exerted on people; the fear in their eyes and the comfort he had at the expense of people’s pains. The fact that he fell among the worshippers of Alaogbaga made him believe, rather unbelievably, that he was better off than the common villagers.

Among his fellow worshippers, Chika’s father made the highest and best sacrifices. This therefore allowed him to get more favors from the god. He sometimes had to make human blood sacrifice to the god, this he knew the god loved, and it made him the most feared and respected amongst them all, no one dared step on his toes.

This was why he ensured that at least one out of his two sons became a worshipper of Alaogbaga. He taught Chika all he needed to know about the god, for his enemies will not spear them whenever they were given the slightest opportunity. Chika lost his father when he was twenty-eight years old, just a year after he got married to his beautiful wife, Nkechi. Nkechi’s parents had been very happy to give out their daughter to the young handsome son of the wealthy Mazi Obi.

Chika was tall, with a set of deep eyes; he could be very charming whenever he was desperate. A look into his face would tell an observer that he would get whatever he wanted.

Nkechi loved and respected her husband for he was a very brave man, no one could challenge him and this was the desire of every woman. She was now heavy with his baby.

The death of Mazi Obi, Chika’s father, was a very mysterious one. And Chika believed that it was the handiwork of his enemies and he vowed to get answers from the chief priest.

During the burial, as people filled the compound and watched the Duruji masquerades dance their magical dance and entertained the people, Chika was lost in thought as he watched the happy faces of the villagers and for the first time in his life, he was afraid of what might happen to him and his family. He was the eldest son of Mazi Obi, his younger brother Chima didn’t seem to have the blood of the Obis running in him. He was weak and didn’t know how to get what he needed in life. His two younger sisters were already married and his mother was late.

Chika knew that he wasn’t safe in Duruji village, especially with the absence of his father. His father’s death had been the people’s desire and Chika was not about to let them take away from him all that his father had acquired. He was confused, knowing that it was his responsibility to protect all that his father had left behind. He was now the target of all their enemies and he still got his own family to protect.

Nkechi also enjoyed the respect and fear people had for her husband. She believed so much that her husband was capable of taking care of her and every situation that arose. She was also glad that her husband was under the protection of Alaogbaga. She was already becoming great in the community; her opinion was never debated during any of the women’s village meetings. She was determined to never let go of this position. The death of her father in-law was making the future look bleak and she was curious to know what her husband was planning to do about their present state of affair.

Nnanyi, most of my fellow women are happy at the news of papa’s death. They believe that his wealth and authority will go along with him to the grave, they think that there is nothing else we can do.

Chika smiled wickedly, they are in for a big surprise. So, they think I am stupid and will allow my father’s property to be taken away from me? The smile was still on his face I will show them that I am the true son of Obi.

Nnanyi, what is it that you plan to do about this situation that has befallen us? She pushed on.

You just don’t worry about that. Just leave it to me; all you need to know is that I will not let anything happen to us. No matter what it takes, no matter what Alaogbaga demands, I will make sure that I do not let my father down. He concluded this statement by slightly beating himself on the chest.

Nkechi gave a short laugh. She was filled with pride; she knew what her husband was capable of doing.  I know that my dear husband is not weak, and I pray that my father’s god will continue to protect you, she stood up, Let me get you something to eat, She left for the kitchen, leaving her husband dwelling on the next course of action to take.

************

The event that took place four days later exposed the fact that Chika would face more challenges than he had expected. That faithful day, Chika was on one of his father’s plots of land. He could remember his father giving him instructions on how he must be careful, brave and strong if he must keep these assets.

These are the things that makes one a man. Without your plots of land, palm trees, iroko trees and cattle, people will look down on you. They will tell you anything they want to and even attempt to take away the little you have.

Chika would always keep his face down, following in detail, everything his father said.

This is jungle justice where only the strong and the brave survive, the old man would continue, You mustn’t be weak; never expect to get justice from the decisions of the elders and the rulers. They are all intimidated and influenced by the rich, fearless and brave. Only the god of our ancestors is capable of giving you the protection you desire.

He believed all his father had told him and he wasn’t ready to do otherwise.

While he was lost in the thought of the last discussion he had with his father, he was suddenly brought back to the present by the sounds of rustling leaves. He looked up and saw Mazi Kelechi Madu, one of his father’s victims.

Mazi Madu was the rightful owner of the plot of land on which Chika was standing. He was a slim and short man who looked like he couldn’t handle tough situations. He was one of the weaklings, according to Chika’s father. The land was a fertile land and Obi could not imagine not having it for himself.  Madu’s harvest was more than his that season. Obi desired the land, and he felt that he deserved it more than Madu. He cooked up a story about how Madu’s father gave the land to his father after helping him with a favour and denied that he had given the land to him. Now, Obi was back to get what belonged to his father. Unfortunately for Madu, he was no match for Obi so he lost the land.

Chika, Madu called, You know that this land is mine, please I want it back, and I won’t like to have the same experience I had with your father once again. You just ...

It’s okay, Chika cut in, I don’t want any of this. You know where his grave is, go there and lay your complaints to him, in fact he is looking for someone to talk to now, and you will be doing him a great favor if you go over and keep him company with your complaints. You can’t just barge into my piece of land and tell me anything you want. Not even a salutation, or are you not yet aware that I lost my father?

I don’t care if your father is dead or not. That man you call your father had been very unfair to me. Look son, I might have been a fool to let your father take this land from me, but I am back to get my land back, do you hear me? So you better not step on this land again! He was really angered by the way Chika, a little boy, had answered him. With the last statement, he stormed off the farmland.

Chika thought to himself, so this is what I am going to face; well, they are in for a big surprise. He must go to the shrine in the morning; He was going to continue from where his father had stopped.

CHAPTER THREE

The worshippers of Alaogbaga were also excited at the news of Obi’s death. Everybody had been very scared of him when he was alive; he had terrorized the villagers so much that they dare not utter their displeasure in his presence. Obi had chosen to oppress everybody around him, even his friends. He got the most favor from the god because knew how to get whatever he wanted from it and they couldn’t really understand.

But he was gone now. And even though they still felt wary of each other, they believed they could handle the present situation. Anything was better than not having Obi around; a dead lion was still preferable to a barking dog.

They didn’t see his son as a threat; they believed they could deal with him. They believed he did not know much about the great god like his father knew and he would have to come to them for advice on how to please the god and get his favours. They knew that Obi had always wanted his son to be a strong member and was doing his best to ensure this, but what they really didn’t know was the extent Obi had gone in imbibing the ways of Alaogbaga.

But they intended to make him inferior; they wanted to get back at Obi through his son. The boy might think that he was just going to continue from where his father had stopped or that they would just give him his ways just as they had done to his father. Well, it was their strength against his. The first step, they decided, was to make him feel very threatened; perhaps this threat might subject Chika to step down from taking over his father’s mantle. They would see that he was a nobody. He was going to pay back all that his father had taken from them.

************

Chika had been very much eager for the morning to come, and when it finally came, he woke up very early, got himself psychologically ready and went into his poultry to pick the healthiest white cock. He was going to offer it as sacrifice to the great god.

Chika was very optimistic that the outcome of his mission was going to be good. He didn’t allow any negative thought to come into his mind because he could not afford to let his father down, he’d rather die than become a failure. If his father did it, he could do it, he thought. After all, wasn’t the same blood running through their veins?

The shrine was situated about two kilometers at the outskirts of the village. Although Durujians knew its location, they still seldom went anywhere near the shrine. They chose to avoid farming on lands close to the shrine, thereby leaving the surroundings of the shrine looking much unlike a forest. The children had already been warned not to even go towards that area because of the horrible stories told to them about the shrine. The only road that led to the shrine was a road track that was almost covered by bushes due to few foots threading on either sides of the path. And within a few rainy seasons, even the middle of the road would sprout shoots. The quietness of the track that led to the shrine made it even scarier for anyone who was not a worshipper to walk alone.

Chika was not even aware of how quiet the road was. Of course he had never been; all he cared about at that moment was how he was going to succeed in his mission. He got to the shrine. It was built entirely with raffia and bamboo sticks, not a single brick could be seen among its minute architecture. The shrine swayed to the right as if it was going to collapse but it had been in that position for over twenty years now and no breeze that had ever blown had ever been strong enough to bring down this little edifice. Chika believed that this was because the oracle resided therein; the oracle controlled not only the lives of the Durujians but also the Durujian elements. The two guards who usually stood at the entrance of the shrine were not present and Chika began to wonder if he had come too late. He wondered why the shrine looked so still and deserted and thought maybe the priest and his servants had gone into the forest to get some shrubs for ritual or even to perform some rituals there. 

While he was still standing there in thought, one of the chief priests' messengers came out of the shrine. He was a young man of about twenty years old. Chika was familiar with him; he was the younger of the priest’s messengers. He wore a piece of animal skin around his groins to cover up his genitals, there was white chalk painted all over his exposed upper body.

He didn’t look surprised seeing Chika at such an early hour. He took his normal position and said, Good morning Mazi Chika, please sit down here, the chief priest will see you after his morning prayers. His chalk-stained face was expressionless as he pointed towards a thick log of wood very close to him.

Chika was about to sit down after thanking the polite messenger when the chief priest spoke from inside the shrine in his husky voice. "Let him come inside, I will see him now." 

Chika quickly entered the shrine. It was a small room with an inner chamber. On the wall opposite he hung a black clay pot with palm fronds and other leaves shooting from the inside, these leaves were always fresh and Chika could not tell if they were changed every morning or were kept fresh by some magical means. The wall behind the pot was painted black and on the floor stood animal bones and strange materials lying carelessly. There were also smaller pots filled with some liquid substance and shrubs.

Greetings, oh great one! The only one who has the power to see and hear from the great Alaogbaga, the god of our ancestors.

"What is it that brings you out so early at this hour, son of Obi? The toad does not come out in the daytime for nothing." the chief priest calmly said. He was a small man in his late forties. His eyes were wild with a white substance thickly painted around them. It was believed that the white substance made it possible for him to be able to behold the great god of destruction. Since the day he became the servant of the great god at the age of nineteen, the priest had never cut his hair, making him look wild and fearful. On his hair were three strange-looking feathers of which the source could not be determined. He walked around bare-footed and bare-chested, with a piece of animal skin around his waist. His body was painted with the same white chalky substance with beads of different sizes hanging down from his neck. The calling of the chief priest and his servants was a divine one.

Oh great one, he who only can speak with the great god of destruction; he who is blessed by the god to see him. I come that I may be blessed by the great Alaogbaga. Encouraged by the silence of the chief priest, Chika continued, I come that I may receive the protection of my father from the great god. I pray that the blessing and honor that my father once received from the great god may also be granted me.

There was silence for some minutes, it seemed like an hour to Chika. His head was bowed towards the black pot by the wall. The chief priest picked up some cowries on the floor, and began to communicate with something invisible. This seemed to be taking more time than Chika could bear. He wondered what was happening. Was the god rejecting his request? Had his father done anything that might have incurred the wrath of the great god, causing it to reject his son?

At last, the priest looked up at him; he stared at Chika sternly in the eyes and called him by his name.  Chika, the son of Obi.

"The great one." Chika answered immediately.

The chief priest repeated his name twice and asked him to come with him. They walked to the back of the shrine and Chika had the opportunity to see how it looked like for the first time.

Surrounding the shrine were clay pots similar to the ones inside and some wooden sculpture similar to the ones the village masquerades danced with. There was a small tent like a resting place for the priest and his servants just near the shrine building.

They walked into the tent and sat on a big log. There were some burnt wood indicating that the chief priest and his servants did their cookings here.

There are lots of sacrifices you have to make before you can become as great as your father. I am sure he did not tell you some of the important ones he made to Alaogbaga. The chief priest said.

"Great one, Chika began, You know the challenges that I have to face out there in the village now that my father is dead. It is a tug of war for me. Everybody thinks this is their opportunity to get back at my father through me. I am not willing to let either my father or myself down.

"You must be careful for what you desire son of Obi. Alaogbaga is ready to give you whatever you desire, but I doubt if you are capable of reciprocating his gestures."

I am! Chika almost shouted. What was the chief priest thinking? That he left his house so early only to be doubted?

The chief priest stared at him for a long time then said, Your father gave his life to Alaogbaga. Nobody in Duruji village had ever made the god such an offer and that was the reason Alaogbaga made him so great even...

His life? What do you mean by giving his..."

"Be quiet and listen, young one. You must listen to me. Your father’s death was as a result of the covenant he had with the great god. Twelve years ago. Obi asked the god to make him greater than all his peers in Duruji village. Your father wanted to acquire everything and he asked that his life be taken from him after fifteen years in exchange for a wealthy and powerful life. He kept silent for sometime allowing Chika to absorb the little he had said, then he continued, The god refused to grant him his wishes, for the reason that fifteen years was too long, but he was later granted twelve years by the great god and after that he must die. This was accepted by your father and so a covenant was made."

But my father was always making sacrifices to the god; I thought his faithfulness bought the favor of the great god.

No, no, the chief priest shook his head, Those were the sacrifices required of him as a true worshipper. Offering libations to the god was his obligation. He was made great above all because of the life sacrifice he made. You see, nobody understood the story behind his greatness and even the story behind his death. He went to the grave with his secret.

Chika was short of words, he sat quietly his face revealing obvious confusion, he was thoroughly amazed. So this was the reason why his father died such a strange death? This was beyond his expectation, he had never expected this. What was he to do now? Despite the fact that he desired such greatness as his father’s, even more, he didn’t think he was able to make such a life sacrifice.

The chief priest heard the sound of someone greeting and excused himself. Before he entered the shrine he said, You can now see, the ball is in your court and for your information, there are men who are ready to do whatever it takes to be in your father’s position, they might not be as great as he was, but you will have to fight very hard to be able to contend with them. Having said that, the chief priest left the confused Chika in a state of abject bewilderment.

Would he be able to take such a decision? Would he be bold enough to emulate his father? It was just too obvious that he wouldn’t be able to do it. He was still a young man for god’s sake! He had not even seen his first child yet. No, he would not allow his greed to make him give his life to Alaogbaga. But his mission still remained unaccomplished. Would he be able to face the intimidation, oppression and humiliation that would come his way? What should I do? He kept on asking himself.

By the time he looked up to the sky, he realized that it was almost mid-day; he didn’t know that he had spent almost the whole of the morning pondering over his problem. He decided to go home and think of another solution to the problem. He stood up and slowly walked out of the small shed. The chief priest was attending to somebody or people in the shrine. He asked the messenger to keep the rooster he had brought for the priest, and he was about calling on the priest to inform him that he was leaving when he discovered that the herbalist and his guests were coming out of the shrine.

The chief priest was with one of the prominent worshippers, Mazi Nduka. Nduka was one of the worshippers who wished by all means to take Obi’s place. He was in the same age grade with Mazi Obi. Nduka was a very large man with a strong sense of importance. He had always wanted to be as powerful as the Obis. Now that Obi was dead, he saw an opportunity to take his place and not even Obi’s son could stand on his way.

Ah, Mazi Nduka, Good morning. Chika greeted him. Then looking at the chief priest, he said, Great one, I will have to go now, I will be back to see you in two days’ time. Please I pray the god accept my small gift, it is just a token to thank him for listening to me. He was pointing to the white cock in the hands of the young messenger.

I am also about to leave, maybe we should walk together. You know how close I was to your father; there are some issues I would like to discuss with you.

Alright, the two of you can walk together. I will have to go back to my shrine, may the god of our ancestors go with you. The chief priest said and hurriedly walked back into his shrine.

************

Nkechi never anticipated that her husband was going to stay so long at the shrine. He had left so early without even taking his breakfast. She could not understand why he had to leave so early; after all, during papa’s days he never visited the shrine at such early hours of the morning even though she wasn’t always aware of his every visit to the shrine. She had taken her time to do her house chores, had even prepared his breakfast. A breakfast that must have gotten cold by now.

She loved her husband and she was very glad that she would soon be having a baby for him. Nkechi wished that she would be able to provide him a son because this would go a long way in increasing her status among the Obis.

Now she was sitting in front of her house on a wooden stool as she waited for her husband.

Then she once again allowed herself to ponder over the problem at hand. It would be a big let-down if the name of the family suddenly went down; she would be the laughing stock of all the women in the village. What was her husband up to to save this situation? Would the god accept him as his father was accepted? And now that he had stayed so long, she couldn’t wait to know what would become of the family’s new status. She hoped that the news would not be negative because that would spell doom for them all.

She looked up and saw her husband’s younger brother coming from the narrow street that led to the house. He was holding a short thick stick in his right hand and a big grasscutter on his left hand. Chima was not really bothered about power and riches nor was he interested in safeguarding his father’s ill-gotten wealth, he preferred living a simple and easy-going life. Oppressing others was not his style. He was just nineteen and wasn’t prepared to make enemies like his father and brother had been successful at doing.