DIAMOND IN THE FOREST (episode 20)

DIAMOND IN THE FOREST. Episode 20
© Amah

“Kilo se le by..(what is going on here)
Remi and Nike knelt down in greetings to the Oba
“Kabiyesi..ooo
They both chorused in unison, they remained on their knees as the Oba quietly moved close to his eating table, he saw the powder substance scattered on his table to the floor where it lay carelessly.
He called one of the guards to pick up the substance but as the man was about picking it up he asked him not to touch it he turned to Remi and Nike who where still kneeling
“Which one of you drop this here…who have this… whoever it belongs to should come and pick it up…
Nike raised her head and looked at Remi, Remi looked up at Nike
“I asked a question… first, what are you two maidens doing in my eating room, you are not among the maiden that prepares my food or serves me…so who sent you and what is this powder thing… what is this…
Remi was still thinking of what to say, she didn’t want to implicate her sister yet she has no choice than to tell the Oba the truth, Remi wondered what Nike was putting in the Oba’s food, when she saw her sneaking into the Oba’s scared eating room like a thief she just knew that Nike has a secret agenda, “could It be that she planned to poison the Oba, a wh0le oba of the entire kingdom, why will she even think of doing such, how on earth Will Nike ever think of such, for what purpose, how did she even get the poison, if it happened to be poison then where did she get it from, Nike is in serious trouble, she should better think of an explanation because a sin against the Oba is a sin against the wh0le land, is unfortunate she has used her own hand to destroy herself and that of her mother, Nike has finally brought a mighty trouble to herself, who knows what the Oba will do to her.
Remi thought within herself as she began to pity Nike, she still has to tell Oba the truth but she wondered how to go about it
“Kabiyesi… the powder is from this maiden, I just caught her with it, she sneaked into your eating room and as I saw her I decided to follow quietly only to see her in your eating room and dropping something in your food…I was in shock which made me to scre-m and she quickly drop whatever that is on the floor…I guess is poison Kabiyesi… make her to taste it…ask her to eat the food… she is my step sister but she has being so dangerous from birth..
The oba and the guards cursed in shock, Remi opened her mouth in terror as Nike turned everything on her, she was still thinking of how to tell Oba that it was from Nike but Nike suddenly started speaking,, without fear or guilt,
Remi was swallowing hærd, she tried to talk but the guards hush her to keep quiet, as Nike kept talking, lies flow from her mouth so freely, everyone listened attentive to her.
Remi couldn’t take it anymore she shouted, hushing Nike to be quiet
“Kabiyesi…she is lying… is a lie, she was actually the one with the content…I caught her with it and I was the one that scre-med not her.. she is my step sister kabiyesi and everything she said is a lie..
A guard stuck Remi across the face to be quiet and not make noise in front of the oba, Remi held her hurting face as she looked at everything happening around in terror, but she did not keep quiet, she kept shouting that it was all lies, Nike continued to speak, the guard struck Remi again to be quiet, the Oba cautioned the guard hitting Remi not to hit her again.
The oba sent for the Queen mother to come, and messages started traveling out of the palace that a maiden tried to poison the oba
Nike and Remi where still on their knees as the Queen mother came running as the urgent message got to her
“Kabiyesi…kilo sele (king, what is happening)
They asked Nike to narrate what happened again and she did with Joy in her heart, Remi rushed towards Nike in anger, not minding the Oba and the Queen were there, she angrily slapped her hærd
Nike fell down and a guard struck Remi before dragging her to kneel down again, the guard hit her on her eyes and she scre-med in pain as another slap was coming towards her face Remi angrily grabbed the guards arm and threw him to the floor to everyone surprise, she did it with ease and punch the man severally who tried to get up from the ground but couldn’t
Remi was so angry, it took three guards to put her in a place
They took her with Nike to the Oba’s meeting room where
The Oba sat and the Queen mother sat beside him, the cabinet men started arriving at the Oba’s palace on hearing about a maiden wanting to poison their king
The prince and the princess came in and was surprise to see Remi kneeling in the center of the Oba’s meeting.
Leja came down and stood at a distance, he knew that Nike was the guilty one not Remi who might have caught her and she turned the table around
Leja wish he can say the truth and save Remi but he will end up implicating himself.
The princess looked at Remi she was not crying, she just looked straight at nothing, her mind was far as she knelt down in the center of the people present.
the guards where station on each side of her as if she was a criminal
The princess knew that Remi was innocent, she has being with her long enough for her to know the kind of maiden she was,
She started blaming herself for sending Remi to the Queen mother which landed her into a serious trouble.
The princess couldn’t understand how Remi got involved with such a dangerous implication, she knew that Remi is a good maiden and was not capable of such evil, Remi was not dragging anything with anyone, even after her brother, the prince denied the pregnancy that she is carrying, Remi has made it known that she can take care of her unborn child, she and her mother are capable of taking care of the baby.
Remi was not after the prince so why will she want to hurt the oba, the prince could have being her main target but Remi was not that type of maiden.
Omooba sat next to his mother as he stared at Remi, he has really loved her before untill Leja came with the news of being in a relationsh¡p with her which made him to wave off his feeling but despite that he still watch her through his chamber’s window sometime and wish she was his and the pregnancy was truly his and not for Leja her lover, despite she has denied ever having anything to do with Leja but he believed Leja because Leja can’t lie to him with such
He had felt a spark of anger when she boldly told him that he defiled her and she wasn’t afraid of the Oba or anybody “what a dangerous boldness” he has thought within himself that day.
He had tried not to ever get drunk again until he eventually failed and he woke up to Nike in his chamber, unclad and Leja confirmed that he sent for her and laid with her which he doubt, something wasn’t right but he wondered since Remi couldn’t get to him with her planned pregnancy maybe she then decided to send the sister to sed-ce him.
But whichever way he knows that he did not touch any of the maiden, he can’t remember doing anything with Remi that night because he was drunk and wake up to a blood stain on his trouser which Remi has said came from the injury she sustained on her th-gh.
He remembered Nike and everything that went on and without mixing words he can’t remember asking Leja to send for her except if the gods are messing with his mind
“Maybe Remi was really what Leja and her sister said that she was now the gods has exposed her. Which means most of t
he palace workers are dangerous”the prince thought within himself.
“Don’t you dare hit her again…
The princess shouted at a guard who hit Remi but Remi sheild her stomach with her hand,
the princess surprised everyone and the meeting room became quiet, the Oba spoke looking at his daughter
“She is your personal maiden…we understand that quiet alright…but she almost killed me, your father for reason that I don’t even understand… why will she plan such evil knowing well that she was going to fail… that means is only the gods that has being protecting you all this while she has being your personal maiden… the gods be praise…never you trust anyone my daughter…
“Father, she is innocent..I can bet with my life that Remi is innocent… she is not capable of such evil and please tell the guards to stop hurting her… she is pregnant and hitting her is dangerous for her condition…
The Queen, the oba and others were surprised to know that Remi was pregnant the Queen quickly asked
“The last time I saw her… she looks bigger…i suspected it, if she was pregnant why didn’t you send her out of the palace back to her house or inform me… why is there a pregnant maiden working here… why did you fail to send her out…
“Remi is a good girl I’m afraid I will never get a maiden like her and the child she is carrying is for the prince…
There was a serious noise as the prince shouted at his sister to keep quiet, he told everyone that he doesn’t have a hand in Remi’s pregnancy and he said Leja was responsible but Remi tried to make him claim what he knows nothing about just because she wanted to be his…
There was another uproar as the oba asked everyone to be quiet, he asked them to bring the content and place it right before Remi and they did.
The Oba’s cabinet men asked Remi to put the substance in her mouth and swallow it but she refuse, the guards try to force her but she strike the two of them and as more guards came the Oba ordered them to leave her alone and they quickly obeyed.
The cabinet men started throwing questions asking Remi why she tried to poison the Oba, Remi did not answer any of the questions thrown at her, since she has tried to explain severally but got slapped for trying to defend herself
Remi kept quiet and did not answer anybody even The oba and the Queen mother, she decides not to waste her strength in defending herself in the presence of people who wants her head in a platter, but rather to keep her strength for whatever fate lies ahead of her.
Dami kept on vomiting the following day, he vomited some black things that morning
he couldn’t go home immediately and he doesn’t feel like going until his grandma who couldn’t sleep through out the night asked him to go, that his mother will be needing him
The older woman mixed something and gave to Dami to rush back home and give it to his mother that morning
Dami left, but he thought his mother might have gone to the market, he stopped by the river side and had his bath before going home
The house was quiet and he thought his mother must be in the market.
Iya Nike came early the following morning to iya Remi’s house and collected her plate which she used in serving food to iya Remi, she collected the plate so that she won’t be suspected
She knew that what she added in the food will be hurting iya Remi gradually that night to the following afternoon
That afternoon will be the time it will fully take effect.
Iya Nike has thought it was iya Remi and Dami, her son that ate the good
She thought that Dami was also going to go like his mother but was surprised when she saw Dami from her window and wondered why he was looking so healthy
Dami called his mother’s name that mid afternoon but no response, he concluded that the mother was in the market
He found out that the door was half closed which means somebody was in,side, he went in,side with the content his grandma gave him only to see his mother’s lifeless body on the ground.
Fear of terror covered his body as he moved close to his mother and touched her
She was so cold and blood particles was on her mouth and on the ground
She vomited blood before dying
Dami scre-m and kept scre-ming non stop.
Remi was judged as different charges was placed on her head
The cabinet men with the king did not only banished her from the palace but also from the kingdom within three days.
As she was being excorted out she was allowed to pick her things and she pack her few things with the prince wrapper, that got stain which she never returned.
She was sent home to stay for two days on the third day she will be sent out of the kingdom into the forest
She will either become food for the animals or die of hunger because no one survives in the forest.
Remi knew this was the part the gods chose for her just as grandmother has said
She will use the two days to spend with her grandmother, her mother and brother
Remi did not know yet that her mother was gone.
Remi knew that whatever that is hidden will not be hidden forever, the gods has seen the injustice done to her, they will vindicate her at the very right time.

To be continued…