Page 121 of Firstborn of the Sun
TOFA
Tofa felt his energy draining away with each light bead that passed. He and the maiden had only been riding for half a day but he hadn’t had a moment’s peace or a good night’s sleep since he left home. Every night, walking back the steps he stole from time. He was sleep-deprived and exhausted and had to grip on tight to Milúà as she held the rhino’s reins and raced down the King’s Road towards Ìlú-Òdì – the sixth ring of Oru.
Tofa hadn’t yet decided what he’d do when he found L’?r?. Seeing what L’?r? had done to her commander only made him warier of this agbára òtútù and what it meant for his kingdom if he let it fester.
The border wall leading into the sixth ring was higher and thicker than all the others within the rings of Oru. It loomed high over them as they approached, each square tower like a spike decorating the wall top. An enormous gate with heavy metal doors, a drawbridge and strong defences was the only way in on the north side of the kingdom. The south side would have a similar single entrance.
As they approached the main gate, Milúà sped up the rhino’s pace and screamed at the guards, ‘Make way for yourking!’ They obeyed her command and quickly made a path for them.
Tofa watched her order soldiers that weren’t under her command. She was a force of nature. Her gaze was so intense it was as if nothing else existed. Nothing and no one could stop her from finding her prince Àlùfáà. He wondered if it was more than duty that fuelled her anger and zest. It was always a thin line between love and loyalty with maidens and their priests. He knew that much from the relationship between his mother, father and his father’s maiden. Looking at Milúà’s rage now, he wondered how she lost her charge in the first place. Now that he’d met her, he wondered if she knew what the mother of maidens had planned for her.
As they entered the quad in the barracks, a squad of soldiers blocked Milúà from walking further in, forming an arc a few paces in front of the rhino.
‘Let us through,’ Tofa commanded.
‘Hold!’ a voice called out.
The imposing figure of the Lord General loomed over his troops, his broad shoulders draped in chain mail and his visage obscured by a blood-red helm adorned with a sun crest. As he strode through the ranks, his polished armour clanging and his sword slung at his hip, the soldiers fell silent, their eyes fixed on their leader.
The Lord General spoke in a voice that carried across the fortress, his words dripping with cold, unyielding authority, ‘The gods have smiled upon us today, bringing our very own crown heir to us.’ He turned to the soldiers. ‘Men, today we feast!’
Tofa recoiled at the sound of the Lord General’s voice. This was the man who trained every member of the royal family. The man K?ni had spent a few first suns training under and returned from a shell of herself. Tofa had hopedhe wouldn’t have to hear the old man’s croaking voice for a long time. It had been only six blood moons since he finished his final training at Ìlú-Òdì, and he had sworn not to return until the man was dead.
Tofa climbed off the rhino. ‘We’re on a hunt. We don’t have time for feasts.’
‘Ah yes, the elusive prince and the mysterious girl. We’ve heard the rumours.’ The Lord General looked around. ‘You have journeyed far and fast. I’m afraid they must be behind you, Crown Heir.’
Tofa glared at the man. He could almost hear his father’s words, reminding him that if a king ever needed to show a force of strength to gain respect, then he had already lost the kingdom. He’d always tried to live out this understanding, gaining respect through wisdom and not a reckless display of power. But as he stared at the face of this man, he wanted to hold his palm to his face and burn it off. He was the one who in the name of training sent K?ni back home with broken bones and bruised flesh.
‘We chased them through the fifth ring. People saw their group heading towards here. Everything they’ve done since the temple shows that they plan to leave Oru, so they have to be here,’ Milúà said.
The Lord General barked, ‘I suggest you calm down and listen to your elders, maiden.’
‘Don’t you dare tell me to calm down,’ Milúà shouted.
‘That’s enough, both of you,’ Tofa said.
Milúà closed her eyes as if calming herself and when she opened them, she flinched and covered her eyes as though something had got in them. Tofa moved to hold her but she slid out of his grip. ‘What’s wrong?’ he whispered.
She looked up at him with strained eyes. ‘They’re here.’
Then the Lord General chuckled. ‘As I said, Crown Heir,you must all be tired. And clearly the journey has made your maiden … fragile. No one has come through these gates today. I can assure you of this. You are the first guest of Ìlú-Òdì since daybreak. Come with me, rest, wash your feet and eat good food. We have the most refreshing palm wine and the best women in all of Oru!’
The men cheered, and Tofa turned to Milúà. ‘How do you know where they are? Are you tracking them somehow?’
Milúà glared at him, ‘Just trust me.’
The Lord General laughed again. ‘Crown Heir, what else do you expect from a maiden? They are more sly than they are warriors of any sort. Come feast with us. In the morning, we’ll gather my best hunters. The prince cannot escape my clutches. I trained him, after all, and I can tell you now, he’s as weak as they come.’
Tofa could tell that Milúà was hiding something, but if she wasn’t going to tell him, there was nothing he could do but rely on his trained soldiers to do their job. He nodded, resigned.
‘Fine. I’ll find them myself,’ Milúà said and reached for the reins on her rhino.
‘Stop,’ Tofa said. ‘That’s an order.’
Milúà froze, and he saw flecks of gold spark in her eyes. If he were not to be king, he knew he’d already be ash. Still, she obeyed his command, allowing the men to lead her towards the Lord General’s keep. As its name implied, Ìlú-Òdì was the stronghold of the kingdom, formed of castle-like fortresses for the army garrison, massive estates for high-ranking army officials, and slums for those who didn’t fit into either category. At the edge of the city, the Lord General had built a banquet hall rivalling the royal palace in his mile-long fortress that overlooked the graveyard. Thousands of soldiers lived in the keep, but the first twenty blocks in the middleof the row, the highest building with the most security, were reserved for the Lord General alone.
Inside, Tofa watched as the heavily adorned girls danced in the middle of the great hall, shaking every part of their bodies. The soldiers cheered, and the girls laughed, allowing their waist beads to vibrate in rhythm with the talking drums. The hall was lit with rows of chandeliers and intricate designs from raffia and goldwork decorated the walls. The room was filled with the smell of roasted meat, plantains, yams, fish and all kinds of pies and baked dough confectionaries. The smell of fried oil and savoury spices mixed uncomfortably with the body odour of the soldiers whose voices echoed and reverberated all over the hall.
