Daughters of Nri: The Return of the Earth Mother series by Reni K Amayo

Author:Reni K Amayo [Amayo, Reni K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781916042926
Publisher: Onwe Press
Published: 2019-10-01T06:00:00+00:00

A Gift for Ina

City of Nri

‘You look very nice today,’ Obi Ife said, as his eyes trailed over Sinai’s body, and a smile formed on his lips. ‘Very nice.’

‘What are you …? I thought … sorry, aren’t you supposed to be at the Ofala festival?’ Sinai said in annoyance, as she attempted to look past Obi Ife’s frame for Chief Ojo.

‘Why would I be there, when you, my dear, are right here? Looking so … ravishing,’ he said, taking one step closer. Sinai caught a whiff of the strong pito emitting from his pores and instinctively stepped back. She took a deep breath; her mind swirled in distress as the zoro stone hidden in her bag began to weigh heavily on her soul.

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? she thought, as she tightened her grip on her bag. She stretched her neck once again, and stood on the balls of her feet with her heels raised from the ground, but Chief Ojo was nowhere to be seen.

Ina, however, was front and centre. She was wearing drapes of long woven raffia cloth, dyed deep red and embroidered with golden lions. The outfit was tailored to suit her body, and topped off with a red-feathered ichie okpu hat. Ina looked strange, strong, and regal. The parts of her skin that she chose to show looked supple and soft against the glow of the floating ọkụ.

Meekulu had done a marvellous job of clearing up her bruises and wounds, and Ina had concealed what was left with dark-brown body paint. Her lips were darker than usual, lined with dark-red dye, and she had marked her face with white lines; symbols of a warrior. To the unsuspecting world, Ina seemed defiant. She laughed so hard that she had to clutch at her stomach; she talked animatedly with her long arms flinging around. However, Sinai could see glimmers of desperation and fatigue in her eyes, and, on several occasions, Sinai spotted Ina pinching her own hands to stop them from quivering.

Ina was here for a purpose; she was here to save her reputation. If she had succumbed to her pain, missed festivals and locked herself away, questions would start circling. Where is Ina? What happened to Ina? Ina was one of the most sociable women in the palace; she couldn’t disappear without spurring on a herd of rumours. Chief Ojo would undoubtedly feed the rumours; he had nothing to lose. Everyone knew that it was women who paid for the crimes that men committed against them. More importantly, he had her reputation to gain. He wouldn’t stop until she was completely destroyed, and knowing this, Ina was fighting back.

Ina was clutching desperately at a future that she could control. She was trying to take back her narrative, by remaining consistent, appearing to thrive, so that any rumours that began would be strangled by her resilient demeanour.

Sinai admired her conviction, but she could see it came at a cost. Despite Ina’s attempts, Sinai could see the tremors in her hand and the quick glances over her shoulders.

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