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77 SPACE AND A PROMISE
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Rayuwa 78 LET'S GET MARRIED
BINTA I sent for Laila the next day. When she arrived in the sitting room, I motioned her to sit on the cushion on the floor. I had vowed to make sure she forever remembered her station in life. "I have sent for you to congratulate you on your coming wedding to my husband." I began, "since you will be living with us in Duniya as per my request, you will have to abide by my rules. I know what you did, and I commend you for it. If you thought this move would drive a wedge between my husband and me, you thought wrong. In fact, it has brought us even closer than expected. Pack whatever it is that you brought with you because we are leaving for Duniya today. There will be a small wedding prayer in Duniya, and you will be brought to my house officially as a concubine. Those are the orders of the Sarki." I stood up to leave, not allowing her to speak. " I once again welcome you to my family," I said and left her. LAILA I couldn't believe this. The bitch actually had some guts. The way sh
Rayuwa 79 WELCOME
LAILA. There was no welcoming party when we arrived at the house... Binta had instructed a maid to wait for me at the entrance. She was young, and I figured she was new there because she wasn't working at the house when Adam and I were dating. Coming to the house brought bittersweet memories. "Are you okay?" Zuwaira asked. I was about to ask her why she would ask such a question when I realised that I was crying. I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Welcome, your highness." The young maid greeted me, and I replied with a nod. "This way, please." She said, ushering Zuwaira and me to where I believed would be my bedroom. "What about the prince?" Zuwaira asked. I wished she didn't because it was obvious he didn't care, and I didn't blame him. "His highness asked not to be disturbed." She explained, averting her eyes. It was apparent that she didn't want to be questioned, so I held Zuwaira's hand to stop her from asking. "Here is your room." She finally said, stopping at a door. I was
Rayuwa 80 THE CONFRONTATION
SAFIA Gathering the items necessary to sever Binta's contract with Aljanan'Daji was not easy. I had to source scarce forbidden items while Aishatu and I tried to win the people's trust. So far, I wasn't a match for the evil jinni, and this was because she had had Lafiya's loyalty for a long time. Winning over the Island of Rayuwa wasn't enough. Within Rayuwa, some people still worshipped her for fear of her wrath. They sacrificed animals to her, and that kept her strong. Although animal blood did not have the same effect as human blood, it had some effect, and that effect gave her an edge over me. While I tried to scrap for power, she had it coming unceasingly, and that made my job hard. I needed to explain my situation to the Sarki. Although we couldn't openly declare war with the jinni now because I wasn't strong enough, I was hoping we could find a way to cut off her blood supply long enough to weaken her. It was going to be a long shot, but it was worth the try. Aishatu and I we
Rayuwa 81 FAITH AND TRUST
BAMALI. "When am I getting my sacrifice?" Aljannan'Daji roared at me. She had asked me to see her in the Buchum game forest. Ever since Binta's father's incident with the hyenas, the people of Buchum had been wary of hunting there. So it was the safest place to meet with the jinni. "I am working on it." I lied. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Mai'Aljannu had informed me that there was no way out, but I was not ready to accept that, yet I had no solution. "Well, I guess your children will make do." She said, "I need to resurrect Dagudu tonight." I could hear the urgency in her voice, and that scared me. It was morning; I needed to come up with a plan before nightfall. "Please give me till tonight to find two people for the ritual," I pleaded, trying to buy time. "No, Bamali. I have given you time. Why postpone the inevitable?" She asked, and her eyes flashed yellow. They looked like that of a snake. It scared me so much that I looked away immediately. "Please give me till nightfa
Rayuwa 82. A KIND MISTAKE
BAMALI. Aljannan'Daji came calling the moment the sun was down. She was enraged. "What do you mean they are gone!" she yelled. "She left me. I tried to convince her to let our children go, but she wouldn't have it, so she left." I explained in tears on my knees. My tears were not pretence; I was afraid for my life. "I don't believe you." She said, "why didn't you stop her?" "I couldn't. she brought men to subdue me, and you know I cannot use my magic on them," I explained, which was true. She paused for a while as if communing with the environment, then spoke. "I see," she said. "You are not lying. The crows say you speak the truth, and they witnessed the scene outside your compound." I was immediately relieved. I did not know that she had the power to communicate with animals, but I was glad my wife and I created an unforgettable scene. That scene had just saved my life. I now hoped that Ruhun'Daji would be able to protect my family. "Where are they, Bamali?" She asked, and I
Rayuwa 83. THE MATTER?
ADAM. I was confused. I thought I was dreaming, but it felt and looked too real. I tried to shake Binta up but decided against it, fearing the damage it might cause. I couldn't understand what was happening. She wasn't ill, nor did she exhibit funny behaviour before going to bed. I knew I had to gather myself and act fast, so I called the doctor. The ambulance arrived in half an hour. By then, I had turned the house upside down. I lined up the kitchen staff to question them. They were all clueless. Binta did not have a special plate, cutlery or cup that was assigned to her and our food was served from the same bowl. It couldn't have been poison, or could it? "What's the matter with her?" I asked the paramedic, and he just shook his head. "Right now, we need to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible," one of the paramedics said as they were strapping Binta onto a gurney. It was as if she was already dead. The only thing that gave me hope was her chest, which gently rose and
Rayuwa 84 A SOLUTION?
ADAM Our arrival in Buchum Rayuwa was a shock to everyone. Binta was carried straight to the Palace. My father was in shock and hesitated to inform Safia of her daughter's predicament. "We have to tell her mother. She might be able to help." I tried to convince my father. "He is right, Umar. We can keep this from the deity; she will find out, and that will be worse." My mom said, trying to talk some sense into him. "What deity?" Ibrahim asked, confused. No one answered him. "Bring that witch for trial." My father said, refusing to send words to Safia. "The council isn't complete," I pointed out. "Right now, our energy should be spent on trying to save Binta's life. The trial can commence later." I pleaded. "The witch did it; she must have the antidote. She will solve the problem she caused with the right amount of pressure, and then I will behead her, her cousin and her family." My father said, and I could see the rage in his eyes. "What if she doesn't have the remedy and Bint
Rayuwa 85 MANY REASONS TO APOLOGISE
LAILA Shortly after the scene with the deity, we were escorted to my bedroom in the Palace. It was clear that the royal family were ashamed of what they had done to Zuwaira and me and tried to apologise by having the palace maidens pamper us. Everything that happened at our trial still shocked us. Binta was the daughter of a powerful deity. I couldn't believe it. The woman looked almost as young as Binta. The last time we were in Rayuwa, there was a rumour that her mother had gone missing. I began to believe it was all a sick joke. The people knew what we were up against and still set us up. That must have been the reason why our plans against Binta failed. It was also the reason why the Sarki and the entire council, in fact, the entire island, wanted Adam to marry Binta, so she would be the next queen. What beats having the daughter of a deity as queen? Was the main deity not Aljannan Daji? Who was Binta's mother? Was she Aljannan Daji. Aljannan Daji was the deity we all worshipped
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