I went after it and reached with my palms but came up empty again. I tried in rapid succession, but each time came up empty, only succeeding in splashing water all over myself.
“Any luck?” asked Kemi after my last attempt.
I gave her an evil stare and contemplated my next move. My chest heaved as I sucked in air. Darn! I acted like a novice. Maybe because I had company this time.
“It’s so easy,” said Kemi, mimicking my voice.
“Why don’t you come and try?” With a quick flick of my hand, I splashed water at Kemi.
“Please don’t. The water’s so cold!” shrieked Kemi. “I don’t want to get wet.”
I twirled my hands in the water. “Sorry.”
“And you’ve muddled up the water, too,” said Kemi. “You and your thrashing around like a monkey. And you call that fishing.”
Trust Kemi to rub it in. Being on the receiving end wasn’t fun at all, and I had a taste of how Kemi had felt all day. Everything she tried hadn’t worked in her favor, and deep down, I’d thought she wasn’t working hard enough.
Kemi turned, looked at the stream, then back at me. She did a double take and pointed. “Are those logs floating towards us? Or am I seeing things?”
I looked at where she pointed. Two logs moved upstream fast, coming towards us. I froze. Those were crocodiles and seemed just a few feet away.
Chapter Fourteen
The sound of my heartbeat throbbed in my head like a bongo drum. Someone yelled for me to run, but I couldn’t move. I stood rooted on the spot and stared at the approaching danger, fast and silent, like ripples made by a stone tossed in the water.
“Nuju, run!” yelled Kemi from the banks of the river, her voice hysterical.
Her voice penetrated my mind. I snapped out of the frozen state I was in as the first crocodile lunged for me. I ran for dry land and dear life.
Within seconds, I was beside Kemi, who, to my surprise, had knocked an arrow into her bow and was taking aim. Chest heaving, I removed mine from my back as Kemi’s arrow flew.
“Missed,” said Kemi.
I let my arrow fly, embedding it deep in the head of the first crocodile. Right away, I had the next arrow flying towards the second crocodile. Each time my arrow hit, the animal splashed the water once, then disappeared under the brownish water.
“My goodness,” I murmured. “That was close.”
“Do you think they’re dead?”
My heartbeat raced. “I don’t know,” I said breathlessly. “We won’t wait to find out.”
“Are there more?” asked Kemi. “Where did they come from?”
The same question crossed my mind. “The crocodiles must have come from downstream; surprises like this could cost a hunter her life.”
“Narrow escape,” said Kemi. “They nearly got you. You just stood there… frozen. Today would have turned into a harvest of blood for our family.”
I smiled. “Harvest of blood is right.” My stomach churned. This could have become a disaster. And I never freeze.
Kemi pulled her boots on, her eyes darted all over the place. “We’ve gone from being the hunter to the hunted.”
I stepped into my boots, picked up my bow, and engaged an arrow.
“That’s work I’m not cut out for,” said Kemi.
I shrugged. “Things like this happen. You just have to keep your eyes peeled.”
Kemi looked at her bow. “There should be a simpler way to make a living.”
I took quick breaths to calm myself and steady my shaky hands. I didn’t want Kemi to lose faith and fall apart. “I think we should head back, recheck the snares to see if our luck changed while we were in the water.”
Kemi held her bow like a pro and waited for me to lead the way. She fell in behind me. Her body posture exuded new confidence. Maybe coming face to face with danger made her more confident.
We’d walked for about twenty minutes, beads of sweat dotted our foreheads and trickled down our faces. The sounds of the forest at midday was different, noisier than early in the morning. Birds called out to each other and monkeys shrieked. Every rustle of leaves was no longer so suspicious.
“Are we there yet?” asked Kemi as she wiped sweat from her brow.
“Watch where you step, we’re now at the area with the traps.”
“About time,” said Kemi.
“Going back always seems faster. “Watch out for snakes, too, some hunt around this time of the day. Most don’t prey on humans. People get bitten when they step on them by accident.”
Kemi stopped. “Now, why did you have to spoil things by mentioning snakes?”
The beginning of a smile froze on my face. A shrub on the ground moved as if something had disturbed it. I turned, made eye contact with Kemi, and mouthed for her to stop.
Kemi’s eyes widened, her nostrils flared, but she stopped and didn’t speak. I saw the culprit—a brown rabbit. I pointed at it.
“Bunny!” said Kemi in a loud whisper.
I sucked in air and brought up my bow, then lowered it and exhaled. This was Kemi’s opportunity to make a kill.
I motioned for Kemi to come closer and pointed at her bow. She understood, moved closer, and took aim. Her movement must have spooked the rabbit because it came out from where it was hiding, sniffed the air, and took a halfhearted step in every direction.
Kemi followed its movement. I prayed for the god of hunters to be with her. Kemi’s arrow flew with a whoosh.
“Where did it go? Where did it go?” asked Kemi.
“You got it!” I said. Warmth radiated throughout my body.
“I did?”
“Over there.” I pointed. The rabbit lay a few feet away from its original location.
“My first kill!” Kemi danced in place, her eyes wide and glowing. She came over and hugged me. “Harvest of Blood,” she growled.
“You did it,” I said in a low voice and smiled. “You are bloodthirsty.” I waited for her to calm down. “Go get it, make sure it’s good and dead before you pick it up.” I hesitated. “Put in a second arrow if you have to, and when you pick it up, grab it by the tail. Keep your hand away from its head.”
Kemi broke out in a run. I smiled and turned away to double-check our surroundings, reminded of the euphoria of my first big kill. It was a wild pig, and I was a lot younger, almost six, just before that fateful day.
My arrow had struck its neck, and the pig thrashed around for a few minutes. Baba and I followed at a safe distance until it couldn’t move any further. Baba had moved in, held it down with his knees, and slit its throat. He was so proud of me. But Baba was no more, and King Kenzi was to blame. The smile left my face and my eyes hardened.
Something wasn’t right. I’d expected a cheer from Kemi once she picked up the rabbit, but there was nothing. I turned to look at Kemi and my breath caught. She was bent at the waist, staring ahead. In front of her, raised to her eye level, was a snake, the distinct hood at the side of its head extended—the king cobra.
Chapter Fifteen
I felt like a heavy stone had dropped into the pit of my stomach. Everything that could have gone wrong was going wrong. I turned to put myself in a better position to act, and the cobra turned towards me. Its body language suggested it was ready to spit or bite.
“Don’t talk. Don’t move,” I whispered. I only had one shot. I raised my bow and pulled the string so taut that my body shook. I took a deep breath and aimed for the eye. It was too small from where I stood, but the cobra’s hood gave me an advantage for the area just below the neck.
Kemi whimpered, and the cobra moved. I waited for it to steady itself. I focused on the area just below the neck at the center of the hood and released the arrow. The snake swayed but remained up. Did I miss it? I knocked another arrow into my bow, aimed, and let go. This time the arrow lifted the snake off the ground.
Kemi scampered towards me.
I reached for my quiver hanging on my back and engaged a third arrow. Every muscle in my
body was taut. “Are you okay?” I asked Kemi, my voice tight.
“Yes,” said Kemi, breathless, as if she had run a mile. “I reached for the rabbit, and when I looked up, I saw the snake. I thought I was dead.” She threw her hands around me and cried. “I’ve had enough, let’s go home.”
“You’re safe now.” I held Kemi until her sobs subsided.
Kemi shivered. “So, this is what you go through every day?”
I shook my head and smiled. “No, it seems like your presence brought out all the crazy animals.”
“But you had a shifter bird yesterday.”
“That was an exception,” I said and glanced around. Not seeing any signs of danger, I slung my bow on my shoulder and put away the arrow. I walked over and picked up the rabbit where Kemi had dropped it, yanked out her arrow, and wiped it clean with leaves plucked from a nearby shrub.
The tail of the cobra still moved when I found it, despite the wound on its neck. The tail hadn’t gotten the message yet. I placed my boot close to its neck for support and yanked out my arrow. Then I noticed another wound on the snake. I smiled. My first arrow had gone clean through.
“Is it dead?” asked Kemi.
“Yes. We’ll take it back to Alaba. He’ll know what to do with it.”
“I’m not touching it!” said Kemi.
“I’ll handle it. It’s still dangerous. Baba warned me that even at death, poisonous snakes are still dangerous. Their fangs remain loaded with venom. Step on the head or scratch yourself with the fangs of a dead snake and it deposits the poison in you.”
“I’ll bring the rabbit,” said Kemi.
I checked the other snare, and, to my delight, three out of six snares had caught something; two rabbits and a squirrel. This must have happened within the last hour or two. The animals were all dead.
“Change of fortune?” said Kemi.
“Something must have scared them. They must have been fleeing and ran into the traps.”
“Maybe it was the snake,” said Kemi.
I also remembered the king’s entourage that would come for the harvest. Perhaps some of them went into the forest.
“You might be right. Let’s get them down and get going.” I removed two of the rabbits, and Kemi was still struggling with hers. I walked over, helped her, and then showed her how to reset the trap. This time it was easier for her. I reset the other two traps, we grabbed our catch, and it was time to go home.
“It wasn’t a bad hunting day,” said Kemi as she switched the animal from one hand to the other. ”We were lucky, too.”
I nodded in agreement. “Are you sure you don’t want to give me more to carry?”
“I can manage,” said Kemi. “As long as you keep that snake, I can handle the others.” She paused. “What's Alaba going to do with the snake, anyway?”
I exhaled loudly. “Sell the meat. I heard it tastes like chicken. The head he’ll sell to the apothecary woman, she’ll use the poison in her potions to heal or kill; who knows.”
Kemi stopped, eyebrows raised. “Listen to yourself; heal and kill.”
“Come on, we have to drop these off at the market before heading home. You did well for your first-time hunting. What would you like at the market? My treat.”
Kemi tapped her lips with a finger. “Hmm.” She thought for a few moments. “I want a looking glass.”
“A mirror? What for? You’re beautiful, take my word for it.”
Kemi’s lips narrowed to a thin line. “That’s what I want.”
I laughed. “Ok. We did well and can spare a few coins after we sell the meat to buy you a mirror.”
Kemi and I emerged from the bush path onto the road to Nuso, and we couldn’t have picked a worse time. Nuso was to our left. On our right was a contingent of about thirty armed soldiers and two horse-drawn carriages. The soldiers closest to us stared, then their hands drifted to their swords.
Chapter Sixteen
The smell of horses and soldiers took me back to that afternoon ten years ago when they came for Baba. A tightness in my chest left me gasping for air.
“Are you okay?” asked Kemi, eyebrows furrowed.
I nodded more than once to hide my fear, but it must have made me look more suspicious.
Kemi tilted her head and looked at the soldiers and horses with raised eyebrows. The look on her face was more of a curiosity than fear.
We had done nothing wrong. We were just minding our own business. There was no reason to be scared.
One of the men rode toward us and stopped. Sitting on the horse, he looked like a towering monster about to crush us. I felt trapped. With great difficulty, I suppressed the impulse to turn and run.
The royal seal of King Kenzi, two crossed spears covered by a shield, was engraved on his polished breastplate, glistening in the sun for all to see.
“Name and occupation?” asked the man in a deep voice.
“Nuju Ademola,” I said, pointing to myself. “My sister Kemi Ademola. She’s a hunter… I’m a student.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Student of what?”
“No, I’m a hunter, and she’s a student. She studies with the teacher in the village square.”
His face relaxed. The uniform had deceived me. He could be around my age, sixteen or a year older at the most. His round face and the way his eyes darted around reminded me of Dotan whenever he was up to one of his tricks. The war horse made him look older.
“You had a very successful hunt,” said the soldier, smiling.
I nodded and realized we could be in trouble, depending on what this soldier wanted from us. Kemi shouldn’t have carried her bow. Let's hope they didn’t notice.
“What’s in the bag?” asked the soldier.
“It’s a cobra,” piped Kemi. She had a grin on her face that couldn’t be contained. “It tried to attack me, you know, and my sister killed it.”
The soldier’s eyebrows shot up. “And how did she do that?”
“Easy, she shot it with her bow and arrow,” said Kemi. Her grin turned into a big smile.
A second soldier rode up. He was not smiling, all serious. On each cheek was a scar, probably remnants of childhood scarification.
“Any problems, my prince?” asked Scarface.
My body stiffened. Heat rushed to my cheeks. Prince? I knew King Kenzi had two sons and a daughter. This must be one of them. I could avenge Baba’s death right here.
I kill him, then what happens next? The soldiers would cut Kemi and me down. What if he wasn’t King Kenzi’s son? Anyway, my issues were with King Kenzi, not his son. I needed to learn more.
“Not at all,” said the soldier addressed as Prince. I was just enjoying a pleasant conversation with…” He snapped his fingers, like one trying to remember something.
“Kemi and Nuju!” said Kemi.
“Show respect!” boomed Scarface. “Address His Highness as Your Highness!”
The prince looked at the scarred man. “Right, Bala, but there’s no need for that.”
“So, who amongst you is the better shot?” asked the prince.
“Nuju, of course, Your Highness,” said Kemi.
The prince leaned towards Kemi. “How old are you?”
Kemi smiled. “I’m twelve years old.”
I saw the danger, and a knot tightened in my stomach. My pulse raced, and I hoped Kemi would stop talking.
“Did you shoot any of these animals?”
Kemi cocked her head. “Hmm, I—”
“I shot all of them, Your Highness,” I blurted. “Kemi helped me pick them up.”
The prince raised his chin and nodded. “I see.”
Scarface's eyes bore into mine. There was something dark and evil about him. He turned to face the prince. “We should get going if you want to do more mapping before we leave, Highness.”
“That’s right,” said the prince. “It was a pleasure talking to you, ladies.” He pulled at his reigns, and the horse turned and headed back towards the other soldiers.
“Scarface lingered for a few seconds more, then turned his horse and followed the prince.
I let out a shaky breath. That was close. The entourage headed towards the village square, while we took a shortcut to the market.
“I shot one of those rabbits,” said Kemi, her lips in a pout. “Why did you say you shot them all? And who was that man?”
“You’re not supposed to carry a weapon until you turn thirteen… I hope they didn’t notice.” I cracked my knuckles; I felt like punching something. How could I have made such a foolish mistake? I should have carried Kemi’s bow.
“What happens to someone who breaks the law?”
“I don’t know, Kemi.” I was so angry with myself.
We passed a few people on the way to the market. They all had worried looks, and the air was tense. The harvest was about to start.
Chapter Seventeen
The shortcut to the market took us through people’s backyards. I knew most people were consumed with preparation for the harvest and sacrificing to the gods in order to spare their children. It was an open secret; nobody trusted King Kenzi with his story about the children serving in any temple.
I hoped nothing would come of my lack of tact. At least Kemi would have until next year before she was considered.
“Are we going to make anything special to celebrate after the harvest?” asked Kemi.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, it depends on Mama. Sometimes it’s difficult to celebrate when your neighbor's child is on the road to Edo.”
We continued in silence, people doing a double take as we passed. Maybe it was curiosity concerning the rabbits and squirrels we had.
The distant sound of the town crier’s elephant tusk flute drifted to us. The warning I now knew by heart came after the elephant tusk sound.
“If you hide your children, the priestesses will sniff them out, and they will be taken away from you. We will take the rest of the family to work camps, and the rest of your children will be sold off into slavery.”
The Selection Page 5