Chapter 22 The Royal Palace, Royal Island, Kingdom of Oru #2
The Lord Regent’s parents had died, last laying eyes on their son the moment he left for the Sun Temple at sixteen.
Tofa’s father had now seen forty-four first suns and four blood moons.
That was a long time to be without one’s family.
But the law was the law, and it decreed two things: that all must bow to their knees before the ruler of the land and that parents must never bow to their children.
And so, in a wicked twist of fate, his parents lived and died without seeing the man he’d become.
Soon, Tofa would be king and never again fall before his father, never again set eyes on him, never again be near him as he was now. So even though his father was right in front of him, Tofa couldn’t shake the feeling of missing him, of grieving him, as though he were already dead.
‘I’ve asked you here to discuss the prince àlùfáà and the incident at the temple,’ the Lord Regent said, loud enough for the room to echo his voice.
Tofa nodded, thinking of how best to say he didn’t want this mission.
‘It’s been three days since the incident and the warrior maidens have searched every corner of this island to no avail.
The royal guards are searching this ring and the next where the exiled priest lived but there is no news on the girl and all this stealth and secrecy is wasting our time.
If the girl uses her evil powers on our people, the secret will be out either way.
We need to contain this. We must summon the Lord General’s army from the sixth ring and have their portraits on every state wall, ordering a full search of anyone crossing any borders.
We built this kingdom to protect itself.
I’m unsure what the prince’s plan is, but Alawani can’t expect to escape through all six rings of Oru. ’
The Lord Regent slowly swayed the horsetail in his hand as he listened to Tofa.
‘àjànàkú tells us that the girl who took Alawani is more dangerous than we know.’ The priests shifted in their seats by àlùfáà-àgbà, who remained still.
His father was still angry if he was calling the old man by his first name – something no one else in the kingdom could do.
‘This requires greater precision than an army. You need to go after them, Tofa. You have the most powerful agbára in the kingdom.’
Tofa clenched his fists – it was exactly as he suspected. ‘Why is the girl with the strange magic so important? Who is she?’ he asked.
‘She’s a direct threat to our kingdom and a mockery of our gods. We will bring forth their wrath if we allow her to live,’ àlùfáà-àgbà said, his anger palpable.
The room echoed, ‘à??.’
The Lord Regent shifted on his throne. ‘More to the point, we can’t allow Alawani to abandon his duty.
The Call to be àlùfáà is a sacred oath we’ve made with our gods, our connection to the source of our agbára.
Whatever the reason for his cowardice, I want him found. This is a dangerous precedent.’
‘And the girl?’ Tofa asked. ‘What is her name? What else do we know about her?’
‘Her name is L’?r?,’ àlùfáà-àgbà jumped in. ‘She was raised by the defect priest in the second ring. Find her and kill her on sight.’
The name rang like a bell, and his old friend’s face flashed before his mind. Alawani had sat with him until the sun was high in the sky. They had reminisced about the days long past, and most of all, he’d told Tofa about the girl who had won his heart. L’?r?.
‘He loves her,’ Tofa said. ‘If it’s the girl he told me about, he won’t return without her. Alawani is in love with her.’
‘Bring her to me alive,’ the Lord Regent contradicted.
‘àdèlé ?ba – Lord Regent, permit me to speak,’ ìyá-Ayé said, and the room turned to look at her.
The Lord Regent nodded, and Tofa caught the flicker of a smile on his mother’s face as she looked at ìyá-Ayé.
‘As your firstborn, the gods have indeed blessed the crown heir with the most powerful agbára in the kingdom,’ ìyá-Ayé said.
Praise. A good way to start before asking the crown for anything. Tofa didn’t know ìyá-Ayé very well, but her reputation preceded her. In the game of politics, she was second to none.
‘But, my Lord,’ ìyá-Ayé continued, ‘we shouldn’t waste the blessing of the gods.
How can we send a mountain to crush a termite?
The crown heir is a few blood moons away from becoming the Aláàfin of our great land.
We need his attention here in the capital.
Let me send my girls to bring back the prince and this cursed girl.
I can assure you, there’s no power she can possess that my maidens can’t handle.
They are the sharp edge of this great kingdom. They are yours to command.’
‘You overestimate your maidens,’ àlùfáà-àgbà said, sneering.
‘You underestimate them – and me,’ ìyá-Ayé said, not once taking her eyes off the throne.
Just as the Lord Regent was about to speak, Aya’ba Oyíndà turned to him and said, ‘Olówó orí mi. My husband. She is right. Our son’s place is here. Learning from you. Not chasing after Prince Alawani, who has brought as much shame to this kingdom as the late king once did.’
Tofa almost smiled. His mother had planned this. She wasn’t as subtle as she thought she was.
The Lord Regent grunted and then looked at High Priestess à?á.
The woman didn’t turn, but somehow knew he was asking for her opinion.
He’d seen his father interact with his mother and other wives, and Tofa was sure that what people said was true.
The bond between a priest and his maiden was something different.
High Priestess à?á cleared her throat and said, ‘Send the crown heir after them. The gods blessed him with the agbára to protect this kingdom. This is his destiny.’
Behind him, K?ni shifted. She’d been so still, Tofa had nearly forgotten she was there.
Aya’ba Oyíndà seethed in her seat. If looks could kill, Tofa knew High Priestess à?á would already lie cold on the floor.
‘I have sent a maiden to find them, my Lord. I expect her to return soon with good news,’ ìyá-Ayé said.
The room went quiet, and ìyá-Ayé straightened, confident in her decision.
‘Without my permission?’ the Lord Regent asked.
‘My Lord, I only did what I would’ve done in my time as High Priestess, seated on that throne. My oath was to protect this kingdom. I’m only doing my part to keep that promise.’
‘How will your maiden find them?’
‘One of my girls saw the invaders moments before they entered the temple. And don’t you worry, she’s being punished for that oversight.
She recognized the boy who broke in with L’?r?.
He’s called Kyà. Brother to one of the royal guards.
They are both in the temple dungeons as we speak, and my Milúà will have all she needs to find the prince. ’
‘What instruction did you give this maiden? To kill them?’ the Lord Regent asked.
‘To kill the girl and bring back Alawani,’ ìyá-Ayé said.
‘Surely the prince’s crime is punishable by death?’ àlùfáà-àgbà said.
The Lord Regent shot him and ìyá-Ayé a look and turned back to his son. ‘I want Prince Alawani and the girl brought back here alive to face this council. We’ll decide their fates here before the gods, not recklessly on the streets of Oru. As the words have left my mouth –’
The room echoed after him. The Elder Priest concluded, ‘So let it be done.’
The Lord Regent faced ìyá-Ayé, ‘Never do something like this again. And instruct your maiden to capture the prince and the girl. Provide their location and await the crown heir’s arrival.
And don’t waste time sending another maiden or a messenger bird.
I want you to go to her yourself in her dreams and make sure she hears my words. ’
‘As you’ve said, Lord Regent,’ ìyá-Ayé said, bowing her head.
‘One more thing,’ the Lord Regent said to his maiden. ‘I want the prince’s mother and their entire family out of this palace and off the island before nightfall.’
‘è?w,’ àlùfáà-àgbà said. ‘Abomination.’
Tofa straightened at this. Alawani’s mother, ìyáàfin Olorì Atinu?k, was the queen who had been married to àlùfáà-àgbà’s son, the late king.
Tofa was not at all surprised by the old man’s outrage.
àlùfáà-àgbà had five children from his time as High Priest, the other four having ruled as the council for their brother and the new regent for many first suns.
They were set to retire from the council and their positions as governors of their home rings once the new council, formed of Tofa’s siblings, took over from them.
With his father’s latest declaration, Tofa wondered if the Lord Regent intended to banish the late king’s council as well?
They were still Alawani’s family after all.
One of the council members stood; from his tribal marks Tofa knew the man was the governor of ìlú-òdì – the sixth ring.
‘Lord Regent, you cannot banish the late king’s wife from this island.
She is our queen. Her children are of royal blood,’ he said with his arms folded before him, showing respect even as he challenged the Lord Regent.
Tofa noticed how none of àlùfáà-àgbà’s children, serving as council to the late king, ever looked in his direction. They all had their eyes fixed on the Lord Regent.
‘And royal blood means nothing,’ the Lord Regent said, ‘or have the laws of our land changed?’
The council member held his ground, ‘For hundreds of first suns the sovereign’s family has lived in the royal palace for as long as they want. This is not the way. Our brother the late king would be turning in his grave.’
‘I will not debate this. You are lucky I don’t have them put in the dungeons for what their son has done. Alawani has brought disgrace to this palace and spat in the face of our gods. I want Olorì Atinu?k and her children out, and I will not discuss this again.’
‘You are making a terrible mistake,’ àlùfáà-àgbà seethed. His sunken eyes blazed with fury.