The Place Beyond Her Dreams

by Oby Aligwekwe

  * * *

  With the three month deadline required by tradition to bury the King fast approaching, and Albert still unable to take the staff, the focus shifted to giving the Ideme the most befitting burial possible. The entire kingdom became frantic as they were reminded of the imminent danger. Farming seized, and farmers resorted to sowing crops around their homes and managed whatever they could reap until the risk of getting captured by headhunters no longer existed. Market places also became deserted, and hunger reigned as people preferred to starve than have their heads accompany the dead King to the afterworld. Since the headhunters were known to first seek the required number of heads from feuding neighbors before plundering their own people, neighboring towns like Ntebe were forced to maintain vigilance during coronations. Travelers also kept their noses to the ground to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. These henchmen applied all kinds of techniques to catch their prey, from using saboteurs within families to instigating clashes and gathering the spoils until they got enough heads.

  Since failing to bury the King the right way carried its own set of consequences. Everyone offered unsolicited advice from the safety of their homes to ensure no stone was left unturned. Everyone, except me. If Albert couldn’t pick up the staff, he could not be crowned the King of Ide, and I could not become his wife. To my relief, the wedding was postponed indefinitely, and I could not help but feel that everything was working altogether for my good.

  Chapter Fourteen

  AS PREPARATIONS FOR the Ideme’s funeral began, bizarre incidents started occurring in Ide. Strange ailments struck both the young and the old, citizens disappeared in record numbers, and the soil became barren. Crops that were ready for harvesting suddenly withered and died. Fear gripped the populace. Rumors swelled that the gods were angry about the state of the town. Their wrath was so great that they needed more than the required human sacrifices to be appeased. There were claims that the Ideme’s hunters and henchmen prowled the residential neighborhoods after midnight in search of victims. The whole town became infected with terror. Everyone retreated inside by dusk and remained so until sunrise. The tension in Ide transferred to Ntebe and my home.

  “Ona, you have to avoid going out from now on,” my grandmother pleaded when we sat down for dinner. “I know you’re a grown woman now, but I have never seen such chaos in my life. I was a young girl when the last king was crowned, and though there was human sacrifice, it was not of this magnitude. I don’t want to endure any more loss. Have you heard me?”

  “Grandma, is this not mostly Ide’s wahala? Is it not their problem? I know it’s possible for the headhunters to prey Ntebe, but I always come back before dark. Besides, the only place I ever visit these days is Amah’s house. Are you saying I shouldn’t even go there?”

  “Hmm, Ona. There is no difference between Ide and Ntebe when it comes to things like this. Our borders are so close that anything affecting one will trickle down to the other. Don’t even visit Amah. If Amah wants to see you, she can come here. It’s best to exercise caution in these times. Is it not better to be safe than sorry?”

  “Grandma, I’ve heard,” I said, reaching for her hand. “I don’t want to be used to appease the gods of Ide. That will not be my portion.”

  My grandmother retrieved her hand and snapped both fingers, pursing her lips. “Yes, that will not be your portion,” she reiterated. “You won’t believe what I heard from the market women.”

  “What could be worse than what we already know?”

  “They need twenty heads.”

  “What?” I screamed as unease slithered down my back.

  She nodded and began at once to fill her glass with wine.

  “Two for every decade he has ruled and the rest for whatever reason I don’t know. People are saying all kinds of things. I strongly believe all this has something to do with Albert not being able to take that staff.”

  “I can’t believe these things are still happening in this day and age. Grandma, is this honestly real?” I asked wide-eyed.

  “Yes, and by the look of things, they’re bent on reaching their target. Do you know how many people were reported missing this past week? People are disappearing in record numbers. Hoodlums are also taking over. The timing has never been more perfect for people that feel they have a score to settle with their fellow human beings to attack. Murderers and ne’er-do-wells are seizing this opportunity to rob and kill and perform all manners of ills.”

  “But they’ll get caught.”

  “No! They won’t. Not if things get out of hand. They plan to get cover under the lawlessness that will surely follow.”

  I didn’t know what to believe, but I took my grandmother’s advice and stayed within the confines of Ntebe. Soon, the disorderliness resulted in the resurfacing of old ills. Rumors of pending clashes between Ide and Ntebe reached our ears. A curfew was set in Ntebe to avoid the actions of miscreants. The two towns were yet to recover from the last clash, which left several injured and many properties destroyed. Land that was previously ruled on by the courts, again, became a source for dispute. Cases that were assumed to have been settled several years back were reopened. Some of them were at least a hundred years old. The files had rotted, and the original owners of the land had long since decomposed in their graves. While all this was going on, security was fortified in Ntebe and businesses were closed to avoid pending destruction.

  * * *

  “I don’t understand why you never leave Ntebe,” Albert whined during an unexpected visit. “You never come around to see how you can help your man. Don’t you see that I’m going through so much?”

  With everything he had been going through, he had become a mere shadow of his former self. He barely even looked me in the eye as he spoke. It was as though he was trying desperately to hide something behind that crooked heart of his. I knew what it was. It was his shame. If only he knew how much I hated him. I was sure he had brought his problems onto himself, yet, I still felt sorry for him.

  “Don’t you see what I’m going through?” he repeated. He had become jittery when I didn’t respond fast enough.

  “I do see what you’re going through, but I’m not sure how I can change the situation or make things better.”

  “You can take my side. That is your rightful position. That is what you’ve been trained to do all these months. Can you come over tomorrow?”

  My grandmother shook her head fervently after Albert uttered those last words. Albert’s back was facing her, so he hadn’t noticed her reaction. My grandmother had seemed so engrossed in the program she was watching on the television that I was surprised she had overheard our conversation. In light of the current circumstances, her gesture, a demand for me to reject Albert’s request, didn’t surprise me. She always seemed to take his side in the past, but things were different now.

  “I c—can’t,” I finally mustered the courage to say.

  “Hmm! Why not? I need you now!” He said with pleading eyes.

  “Is it safe for me to be running around Ide at a time like this?”

  “What do you mean by is it safe? Nothing will happen to you. I can pick you up and bring you back before the curfew.”

  “What about the rumors?”

  “What rumors?”

  “The headhunters.”

  “That’s nonsense.”

  He became angry, violent almost. Judging by the scowl on his face, I feared he may have forgotten for a moment that my grandmother was sitting right behind him. As though he’d read my mind, he calmed down immediately.

  “As the future Queen, no one can touch you. You’re guarded round the clock. I’ve also had your security tightened. But, I understand why you don’t feel like moving around at this time. No worries. I’ll be doing the visiting until things calm down, okay?”

  “Okay, thank you.” I was hoping things wouldn’t calm down for a while. The old normal didn’t work for me. I was craving a new normal—one that didn’t include Albert.

 
; After he left, I sat in a corner and glued my eyes to the television, but I could feel my grandmother watching me from the corner of her eye.

  “Is everything alright?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I lied.

  “Don’t worry. Albert should understand that it’s not safe out there right now. You can resume your marriage plans after he’s overcome the insurmountable hurdles he’s facing.”

  I was tempted to tell her the whole truth right there and then. Of recent, I had begun to fear for my life and wondered if I was doing the right thing keeping her in the dark. The coronation, the boundary clashes, and my role as Albert’s future wife made me extremely anxious. I opened my mouth to speak, but something stopped me. It would put her life in danger if I confided in her. The thought of how she might react scared me. She may try something drastic and end up endangering our lives. The fact that my security had been tightened did not help matters. Though it was meant for my protection, it stifled the progress of my mission. Once Albert is crowned, I was expected to marry him in a quick ceremony. An escape was even more dangerous now. I started to doubt the possibility of one and even began to consider resigning to my fate.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I KNEW SOMETHING more dangerous was looming when the peaceful demonstrations began. My instincts were correct because in no time history repeated itself.

  A full-blown clash occurred within one week of Albert’s visit. Ide’s youth gathered with guns and machetes, and a war for land ensued with Ntebe. Their King was dead, and the Crown Prince was having difficulty occupying the throne. This created room for anarchy, and since no one had enough authority to call them to caution, the different factions sought to show bravado and courage to lay claim to as much land as possible. It was merely a fight for power to defeat one’s opponent through intimidation. Saboteurs arose within Ide. They sought to possess masses of land that were previously allocated to Ntebe. Their plan was to dominate the region and claim the throne for their kinsman. The resulting battle was more turbulent than any that had ever been recorded in the history of the two towns. Armed policemen and soldiers were sent from the federal headquarters to calm the clashes. The warring factions shot at the policemen with sophisticated weapons and the federal troops fought back with extreme force.

  After the fighting had gone on for days, the elders from both Ide and Ntebe decided to meet, albeit late. Thirty people had died, and hundreds were injured. Many businesses had been destroyed. Surviving ones remained closed for weeks as people hid indoors until they were sure calm had returned to the streets. The elders agreed to seek help outside of the leadership of the two towns to gain objectivity in resolving the boundary issues.

  Within a few weeks, the regional government set up an administrative panel to review the cause of the recent clash. The panel spent weeks going over contracts, details, maps, and invoices to determine the root causes so they could resolve them once and for all. Following an exhaustive inquiry, they arrived at a consensus about the issue. The towns agreed to get things in order and maintain peace. To ensure the cases received fair judgment, they were all referred to the high court in Ajidi. A few of them, the most complicated ones, were considered best served if they were handled outside the country. Within weeks, court dates were set, and relative peace returned.

  * * *

  Albert was absent from the meetings that resulted in a final agreement to maintain peace between the towns. Though the peacekeeping committee had invited him to participate, he sent a representative to fill his spot, claiming that he had significant issues to resolve. The populace was losing faith in him. They blamed the clashes and the difficulties that befell Ide, including hunger and famine and all manners of ills, on his inability to occupy the throne. Pressure mounted on the kingmakers to find an immediate replacement. The kingmakers had started to doubt Albert’s eligibility for the position. They had one final step to carry out before they threw the position open to the next in line—to consult the oracle, a powerful and unseen force for providing prophecies or punishment directly to recipients. The intermediary, the chief priestess, attempts to commune with the ancestors to understand their feelings about the condition of the land. One of two things could happen after a future king visits the oracle: they either return with the power needed to take on their new role, or they prepare to die within days of the divination. Should the oracle decree in favor of Albert, he would come out of the experience alive and get crowned King; otherwise, he may suffer dire consequences and pay with his life. No living being in Ide had ever witnessed such a calamity; the recently deceased King had ruled for fifty years, and the King before him had ruled for seventy, and both had assumed office without incident.

  “Are you sure you need to go through this?” I asked Albert when I visited the palace in Ide. I no longer had an atom of feeling for him, but from what I’d heard about the oracle, it was not something to meddle with. It was an extremely dangerous venture, dangerous enough to prompt me to defy the odds and visit him. I needed to warn him.

  “What other choice is there?” he asked, searching my face in anticipation.

  “I don’t know. There has to be some other way.”

  “I have tried everything in my power. There’s no other way, my dear. I have to possess the staff. That’s the only way there is.”

  I felt a tinge of sadness when I heard him say, “My dear.” It reminded me of what we once were. If someone had told me that I could love someone one day and hate them the next, I wouldn’t have believed it. Yet, here I was sitting across from Albert in his study and wondering what I really felt for him. Not hate, and certainly not love. I snapped myself out of my reverie as I remembered I had come there for a reason.

  “This oracle business seems to be taking things to a dangerous level,” I said. “I don’t think you need to do everything the kingmakers ask you to do. Amah told me something the other day that resonated with me. She said it might be time to do away with these old traditions, and I agree with her. They’re just too destructive at times.”

  “You both are right,” he said, jumping out of his chair. “Why do I need this bunch of losers that call themselves kingmakers to take the staff? The throne is my birthright. The throne belongs to me. When I become king, I will banish those customs. I’ll banish those men—”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but he raised his hand to stop me.

  “And I don’t want to disappoint you,” he continued, pointing at me. “You’ve already been groomed to be Queen. What will people think if we leave things as they are? Eh? And what about me?”

  I cringed when he said ‘queen’, but he was too engrossed in his speech to notice my disgust. I glared at him as he continued to rant about what, and who he thought had caused his misfortune. He blamed his father, his mother, and even blamed me. He claimed my waywardness had somehow come in the way. Halfway through his rant, he announced, “I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

  “I don’t know,” I said, easing back into my chair and regretting ever coming to visit him.

  The longer I looked at him, the more I realized my folly. How could I have chosen this one over Okem? Oh no, I didn’t actually choose him, I quickly reminded myself. He appeared out of nowhere.

  His features had grown pale, and his beard was scraggly. Things seemed to be getting worse for him.

  “Forgive me,” he said, jolting me from my reverie.

  “For what?”

  He sighed deeply and walked towards me to take my hand.

  “I’m just lashing out at everyone,” he said in a pleading tone. “Promise me you’ll never, ever, leave my side. Please. You’re the only one I can count on. Everyone seems to have deserted me.”

  I felt sorry for him. There was no use in kicking someone who was already down, so I simply nodded. He must have sensed my hesitation.

  “You won’t ever leave me. Will you?”

  I shook my head, afraid that his miserable mood may soon turn to anger, and his anger to my getting p
unched in the face.

  “No. I won’t.”

  * * *

  That night, I dreamt that something was chasing me, and I woke up suddenly, drenched in sweat, as a powerful feeling overcame me. My heart was pounding, and I felt paralyzed with fear. Feeling extremely clammy, I got up to change into a different nightgown. My heart was now beating steadily, and I was afraid but couldn’t figure out why. I remembered that Amah was leaving in a few days, so I picked up the phone to call her but stopped as I realized it was only 3 AM. Throwing my head against my pillow, I stared at the ceiling and pondered my next move. Thirty minutes later, I walked downstairs to the kitchen for a drink. I jumped in fright when I turned on the lights and saw Ifedi sitting on a stool, a stone-cold look registered on her face. It took a moment for her to realize I was standing there.