Daughters of Nri by Reni K Amayo

Author:Reni K Amayo
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781916042933
Publisher: Onwe Press
Published: 2019-10-01T06:00:00+00:00

THE JOURNEY TO UDI

Furuefu Forest

‘IT’S TOO dangerous and it’s not a solution. The army and the members of the palace, and the Eze … he will sense us on sight!’ Kora cried, as she threw her hands in the air.

‘Not to mention Udi is a long journey away, perhaps even weeks away. Chances are we’d miss the Ofala festival anyway,’ Eni added.

Naala argued, ‘No, it’s no more than eight days from Igbakwu, and we’re much closer to it now than I was at home. Also the festival is on the last Nkwo of the month; that’s ten days away! We can get there in time if we move now.’

‘What would we even do when you get there?’ Eni asked.

‘We would do something,’ Naala replied excitedly. ‘I’m sure we can figure it out. We can go there, inspect the situation from afar, and act accordingly. If the answer is that there is nothing to do, then we turn back, no harm done. But if we can, then we succeed—the point is we have a way to meet Emeka.’

‘Meet him in death, you mean,’ Kora muttered absentmindedly. Silence fell on the group before she brought her hands to her mouth, realising what she had said.

‘Oh, I didn’t—’ Kora began, as all the scattered ero in the clearing suddenly flushed with a low blue glow. ‘I didn’t mean it like that, Madi— no, Madi,’ Kora called, as she tried to follow after his large frame, but he had already stormed away.

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Madi woke Naala up gently, with a finger pressed against his mouth, signalling for her to not make a sound. She silently followed him down the tree and out of the dwellings of the sleeping survivors, before asking what was going on.

‘Kora and Eni are like boulders. Once they have their minds set on something, they won’t change,’ he said hurriedly. ‘And they have their minds set on my brother embarking on this impossible task on his own. No, no they have,’ he said, as Naala began to protest. ‘It’s true, and you know it. I can’t stay and wait for them to change their minds—that day will never come—and really, I don’t need it to anymore. You know where this festival is, you know where my brother is. I have supplies that will last us … spare hammocks in my bag. We can go together and we can do something—we don’t need them.’

Naala’s eyes gleamed with what he could only describe as a flaming fire. But just as quickly as it arrived, that flame dimmed, and he saw doubt creep into her face. Madi prepared for yet another rejection, but to his surprise she said:

‘Okay.’ And after a short pause, ‘Let’s go.’

NAALA LAY on her belly on the dry sun-beaten grass. She squinted her eyes and cupped her hand around her forehead to shield them from the bright light. Madi sat beside her, in a similar fashion; they both looked out over the cliff edge.

The land beneath them

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