Hell to Pay

By Daisy Ozouwain

King Tomparo, the strong and beloved leader of Oyuda, believes that lust, greed, envy, and betrayal have no place in his kingdom. But others do not believe the same.
When the king is betrayed by his brother and sister-in-law, his eldest daughter, Kenya, is the first to pay the price. In order to save her, Tomparo enters into a pact with the goddess Hel, the oracle of his clan. It is a bargain that will have a lasting impact for generations to come. Through a strange series of events, Kenya fi nds herself on a slave ship headed for New Orleans. Separated from her family, the young woman will take the fi rst step in a hostile new world. But all is not lost; her father has given her a gift more powerful than she could e ver have imagined.
In this fantasy novella, when an African king makes a bargain with a goddess, he passes the supernatural powers he gains on to his oldest daughter, who is bound for the New World.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daisy Ozouwain
• Release date: Mar 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781732129610

Daisy Ozouwain

Daisy Ozouwain was born in Gabon, and raised in France and Côte d’Ivoire. Her background is in American Literature and Civilization studies. After graduating from Université Paris 7 Denis Diderot in Paris, she decided to focus on a profession that would encompass two of her favorite things: television and translation. Daisy started her career at a dubbing company in France, where she worked on TV series from various international channels and studios. Job opportunities led her from Massachusetts, New York, to California where she currently resides. She had put her writing ambition on the back burner while she pursued a career in localization. She is now ready to release her first novella, HELL to PAY, which is the start of the trilogy she is working on.

Book preview

To Sandra, I’ll be forever grateful you’ve asked me about the status of my book. You’ve helped me refocus on what I was craving for.

To my brother and sisters, thank you for loving and hating my characters. It means the world to me.

To my mom, thank you for being who you are. You inspire me every day. But most importantly, I would like to thank you for using that plane ticket.

CONTENTS

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Epilogue

Playlist

PROLOGUE

Iam about to recount the stories that brought me to this part of the world. The recollection of my trip might help me understand why I am here. And most importantly, it might help me understand who would want to frame me for murder. Yes, I did say murder. I’ll lay everything bare in this diary, but I’ll do so as an external participant. This way, I will be impartial and likely to remember details that I deemed unimportant before.

Are you ready to hear my story?

1

Iwas not born in New Orleans, but in the Kingdom of Oyuda to King Tomparo and his wife, Queen Amina.

They had three girls. Kenya was the oldest. She was old enough to get married.

Zainabu was the middle child. She was hitting puberty and hated it. Her father would often tease her to help her overcome her discomfort.

Hola, the youngest, loved to spend time with her father, and would follow him everywhere.

Each of the girls had a gift.

Zainabu played the flute. Kenya danced like no other. And Hola sang like a nightingale.

They were their parents’ joy.

Some people didn’t share their opinion. King Tomparo’s own brother, Kapueo, would often ask. Who will go hunt for you, or defend you if we have to face the other clans? My sons on the other hand–

Tomparo would cut him off by laughing the matter away.

Why would I send my women hunting when you and your boys can do that for me? As for the other tribes, they cannot wait long enough for my daughters to be of age to wed.

Hmm. What will happen to me and my family? Kapueo would reply.

Brother, you are my blood, Tomparo would retort. Do you think I will not take care of you?

Kapueo always seemed happy enough with Tomparo’s answer.

They’d move on to discuss the kingdom’s day-to-day matters.

Kapueo’s wife, Sita, doubted Tomparo. He’s lying, she would tell her husband. I spoke with Afia the other day. She said King Ade had banished his brother and his family. Now they are vagrants who go from clan to clan for shelter. One of these days, they’ll end up here. Mark my words.

Sita, you talk too much. Go get my brew.

The Kingdom of Oyuda was a peninsula settled between an ocean and a river. Beyond the river, a monstrous forest spread along the coast. Wildlife prevented any construction on that side of the kingdom. For some reason, only the royal cemetery escaped the curse.

Many believed the forest to be haunted. The king alone was safe to venture in there. That was why all the inhabitants lived on the ocean side.

The royal family would remain on land end, while the commoners would stay further in the lands. The capital was commonly known as Kizandjo, and was renowned for its excellent quality of life, and it showed.

King Tomparo and his brother were next door neighbors. Their wives took the opportunity for this living arrangement to prepare meals together in the communal courtyard.

The three girls enjoyed that time of the day. Their mother, Queen Amina, would recount their family’s history.

The girls would learn about the wars with the other clans. And how their father, and his father before him, Sampa the Great, expanded the kingdom to what it was now.

King Ade, from the Adepoyo clan, was one of my many suitors, Queen Amina said. He was happy that my father – your grandfather – King Khari, didn’t have a son. She’d often pause during the stories to stare at the ocean, as if it helped her remember. Even though I was old enough to rule over Khariland, it wouldn’t have been possible. I’m only a woman, after all, she added with contempt. When I married, my father surprised everyone, first by the choice of my husband, and then with my dowry. Usually, you’d give chickens, cows and loincloths. The higher the rank, the larger the dowry.

So, what did he do? Hola asked, hopping up and down with impatience.

Amina chuckled. He gave me a piece of land. The very thing Ade was eying. She took a stick and started drawing in the sand. You see, Khariland is here, north of Oyuda which is in the West, and Adepoyo is on the East. The Goyero River crosses your father’s land and ends in Khariland, at the estuary. My dad used to ask Oyuda for extra goods as tax whenever they wanted to go through. The piece of land that was in the dowry is here. Amina circled a wide area that surrounded the river and the place where it ran into the ocean. Of course, at that time, I wasn’t aware of the importance of the land. All I cared about was Ade. I was in awe of his bravery. He’d tell me all the heroic stories of his travels to these foreign kingdoms. But deep down, he never loved me. All he wanted was that piece of land. It would make his kingdom twice as big and give him an advantage over your father. Luckily, my father saw through him. What I didn’t know is that these tales were not Ade’s but your father’s. They were friends, or at least that’s what your father believed. But the truth is that Ade hated him because he was braver, more trustworthy. And let me add this:

more handsome." The girls giggled.

When I finally met your father, I knew. I knew I couldn’t marry Ade. And that’s what I told my father. He was ecstatic. He told me he would have waited indefinitely until I changed my mind.

Really? Hola asked.

You should have met her father, Sita chimed in. He was strongheaded. Your mother takes after him.

There’s nothing wrong with that, Amina replied.

Sita continued. If you must know, your mother was determined to marry your father. She made it very clear. She chased the poor man–

I didn’t, Amina interrupted. Why would you tell them that? "Aye! Ask your uncle if you don’t believe me."

Ask me what? Kapueo demanded, as he approached the group. Didn’t Amina pursue your brother so that he would marry her?

Sita repeated.

Sita, why are you always looking for trouble? If my brother didn’t want to marry her, he wouldn’t have proposed. Now, instead of stirring the pot, give me some food.

Sita was about to reply, but a town boy interrupted her. We have visitors, he said, out of breath.

"Aye! Just move them to the guest house," Kapueo replied.

But they’re from the Adepoyo clan. They said they would like to meet with our king first, the town boy said.

Aha! Sita interjected. She stared at her husband with a knowing look.

Kapueo remained quiet and headed toward the river to find his king. Tomparo was waiting for the arriving fishing party.

Kenya, go find Sita’s help and ask her to send some people to the guest house to welcome our visitors, Amina instructed.

But you haven’t finished the story yet, Kenya replied. There is always time for that.

I don’t know why we even bother. Why is that, Kenya? Amina asked.

You heard the town boy. These people come from the Adepoyo clan. You were just telling us about King Ade’s rivalry with dad. There’s no way he’s going to let them stay.

I think she’s right, Sita concurred.

He’ll do what is right. You’ll see. So, go and send those helps to the guest house.

But—

Kenya did not finish her sentence. When her mother stared her down the way she did right now, she knew there was nothing else to do but to obey her.

Then, come back here. We’ll work out the sitting plan, Amina added.

Wuh-uh-uh-uh.

I heard that, Amina retorted as her daughter made her way to Sita’s house.

To reach the river, Kapueo walked past his house, the well at the center of the courtyard, some storage rooms, and outdoor showers. He spotted Tomparo near the pirogue. The latter was speaking with a fisherman. Kapueo could see his brother was concerned, as Tomparo was playing with his ring. That was something he would do when he was upset.

Thank you, Kofi. That will be all, Tomparo said, dismissing the fisherman.

What’s going on? Kapueo inquired.

"Kofi saw a big vessel with a white sail and a