Chapter 5 The Rift

How in the gods name will I get another Uhe to make a potion for my Ima?

Getting herbs are difficult in this season of moon falling is like pulling the teeth of an Aguiyi.

Wait till I lay my hands on those insolent brats who thought it funny to chew my Uhe.

Had I known this will happen, I would have mixed the potion yesterday when I still had the chance to do so.

Fosy and Chika should better hide for like thirty complete moon cycles; by then I would have forgotten the stunts the pulled off on me.

Destroying my room is far more easier to forget about, chewing the Uhe is the last straw that hits the camel's back( hope that's how to say the expression?).

The bubbling on the potion on fire made me startle.

I was too lost in thought I forgot all about my surroundings; the boiling potion made me aware of my location.

Hurrying to the table, I open the pot with an Ngaji( it's a wooden handler made from the Ikika tree; it's made to help with pot opening to avoid getting a burn on your fingers.

I can recall the first time I got a burn on my fingers; that was when dad carved the Ngaji to avoid another incident), the once dark looking water now looks a crystal as the Iyi water.

Smiling, I scoop some into a little Iko( it's a round earthen bowl used for drinking water).

Tasting the said potion brings a smile to my face, "ah ha this is superb", I smile, "Nneka will definitely drink this".

Her mom complained to me* from a mile that at that* she told me how difficult it is to her child to swallow the bitter medicine.

Now I've added a little Uto ( a sweet fruit that makes anything bitter sweet) to make it sweet, and right now the potion is as sweet as the Uhe bit without its medicinal properties.

Getting another covered Iko from the place I store my utensils, I scoop enough of the potion into it; preparing it for tomorrow.

I will take it with me when I go round for my daily check-up on my patients( patients that doesn't want me to see them a they tend to stay in there houses to avoid contacting whatever the think I have).

It's funny really, how they avoid me like a plague but still takes teg medicine I give.

They haven't thought on what I might be giving them.

If they keep their distance from me to avoid being in contact with the rumoured witch; why then do they take the medications I prepare for them?

I might as well add more witchery into the potion I make for them.

A little cut on my finger, and a drop in the potion will make them be as witchy as I.

It will be really funny if everyone in the village turns into white haired witches like they call me.

The wolves will have a run for their money when the encounter us white witches; witches vs werewolves.

"That will be one hilarious sight to behold" I miss to myself.

Having thoughts about everyone being witches like they accused me to be is so hilarious to the extent it made me momentarily forget all about Fosy and Chika.

That reminds me; I need to go into the Ajali forest to get some herbs for Deeda Osondu and Mrs Amadi; their sickness is too far gone for my normal medications.

It took them three full moons to enlist my help; have they wasted any more time, they won't be in the land of the living today.

Mrs Amadi was adamant on not getting help from the witch, Ekwensu's daughter, and other names I rather not mention.

She said she ratter die than enlist the help of the daughter of a deity; a girl who according to her shouldn't be alive.

On the verge of her death, the woman repented of her words, and asked ( they can never beg the witch, they ask her) me to heal her, which am in the process if doing.

Chuckling at the turn of events; I took my basket of goodies( that's where I put all my good potions).

I've not had a reason to mingle with evil potions except from when Ikenga asked me to make one for him.

It was an evil poison; one that kills slowly from the inside.

A single dose of it everyday will kill the intaker three moons from the day he or she started taking it.

A full Iko of the poison kills the person one Izu Uka after the intake of the poison.

The poison Gbom is the deadliest of all poisons the forest can produce; it's effect on a person is drastic since the person won't know what hits them until it have taken full control of the person.

Ikenga asked me to make the poison for him for Nkiru; she was his Obi( a person he was promised to in marriage when they were just little kids in their first moon. Their Imas joined the union between them) before she grew up and found true love.

Ikenga devastated that his Obi doesn't want him, asks me to prepare the poison for him.

When I refused claiming am a good witch( I guess I will call myself that since the entire villagers calls me a witch. Why not adopt good to the witch?), he threatened to murder her and lay the charges on me.

He threatened me with that since he knew who the villagers will side with.

They will take what their kinsman said as the truth, while accusing me of a crime I didn't commit.

Hands tied( it's an expression I made use of to emphasis how helpless I was in the situation; If I refuse to prepare the poison, I will be either chased out of the only home I've ever known, or worse still, I will be burned. Or I prepare the poison for him and hope not to be implicated. It was a tough decision, but one I had to make) I prepared the poison for him on a condition that he doesn't make mention of my name when caught.

I know it was a fruitless talk then because he won't fail to mention my name if caught.

Of course I had a back up plan; I plan I kept so as to help the poor girl.

Preparing the Poison, I added a little dose of Agbaramebie( it's like a poison antidote, except it doesn't completely clean the poison from your system; it stops the complete flow of the poison. The poison will still be in the person's system, but it won't have as much effect on the person as it would had without the Agbaramebie), so as to stop the complete flow of the poison in her system.

To cut the long story short since am about to head out for another herb search, he was caught before he can administer the poison to her.

Luckily for me( but mostly for me) he escaped before a trial can be made on him, and since then Ikenga haven't been seen neither have tales of him being heard.

Some said he was devoured by the wolves who plagued our Kingdom; wolves that can morph into humans, and walk among us.

Their ability to turn into humans at will was the reason they overthrew the Kingdom of Ezeugo.

Five kingdoms made up the formal glory of Mabudazou; the kingdom of Ezeugo, the kingdom of Ugiri, the kingdom of Metu( that's the real name of my village; a village that was once a great kingdom before the wolves evaded it) , the kingdom of Aboki, and the the kingdom of Cherem ( a kingdom the wolves now abides in since it was the head of all the other kingdoms).

We were living in our glory till the evasion of wolves; they laid waste to the kingdoms when our Igwe( the head chief of the once glorious Mabudazou) refused their terms of a truce.

The only kingdom that haven't been evaded as much as the others have is our village; most says it's because of the gods we serve, but I know it's just a moment more until we're completely evaded.

The wolf king is a ruthless human or should I say animal? or better still anihuman?.

He kills without a second thought; wiping down all who stands in his way.

He's the most feared of all being; an anihuman whose tales makes even the strong cower in fear.

He's like the god of war Agbaraike reincarnated.

Rumours have it that he's as the beasts that roams the evil forest ( a beast that's rumoured to be the direct descendant of Ekwensu. I guess you can say he's my brother), some says he have horns as long as our village; others says his eyes are as orange as our sky.

Most says he have fangs as sharp as an Onyeike, while others says he drink the blood of his victims.

Hearing tales like this makes even a strong person become like a newborn toddler.

Even the bold ones cower when his name is mentioned; a living nightmare walking Mabudazou.

Our Kingdom wasn't plagued with wolves until the day we saw a rift in the sky( I haven't been born when the rift happened, but father told me all about it), a rift that brought doom into the lives of us humans.

A rift that brought into human existence, monsters we didn't know of before.