Urenma episode 35 – 36
URENMA
(Journey to the River world)
Episode 35
Finally Urenma stirred from the floor and stood to her feet. From the crown of her head to the soles to her feet, she was decked in pure gold. The rage in her eyes against Nshaa had been replaced with tenderness. Gently Nshaa asked her “My queen, do you remember?” with an alluring smile on her face, Urenma answered, “Yes I do”. The court went silent for few minutes and was only ruffled by Ntani’s shrill voice “If this be the reason you brought me here, to reveal Urenma secret so that I will bend to your evil designs, then you are wrong! I swear by the true and honourable gods that if I get the chance to spill your blood on the battle ground I will not hesitate to do it!” Turning to Urenma, she shook her violently and shouted in her face “You are a good spirit Urenma! You are the head of the princesses of the gods; please don’t let him use you for his evil schemes!”
Urenma simply looked past Ntani as though she was not there. Her eyes looked glassy as if they were set on events tucked away in generations past. Nshaa moved swiftly and smacked Ntani on the face with the back of his hand and drew blood. The attack sent Ntani crashing to the floor. Nshaa barked with suffocating pride, “Show some honour to the queen! Don’t you ever handle her the way you just did! And mind you, she is no longer the princess of the gods; she is their queen!” From the floor where she lay, Ntani stared at Nshaa so hærd as though her eyes could burn him to death and barked back at him, “You are despicable and nothing close to a god! My name is Ntani, the raging spirit of battle. Mark my words, what you have done today will hunt you and destroy you! I know Urenma, she is a good spirit, she will break out of your spell and pour her wrath on you!” “Leave me to worry about that. Now that contemptible human husband of hers, will suerly regret the day he laid his eyes on the beauty of Urenma and desired her. I will make him suffer a thousand times and beg for his life!”
Standing to her feet, Ntani responded, “I have said it before, of all the loath some gods I have heard of and seen, you are the worst! So all you have done from the time Obinze came to the river world and to this present have been out of jealousy? So to have her who once was your queen, you have done all this?” “Yes! And I will do much more” Nshaa gloated. Something interested happened which Nshaa did not pick up. When Ntani mentioned the name ‘Obinze’, Urenma who had been standing tranfixed, gazing upon her past life pecked her head up and darted her eyes about. Ntani saw her reaction and smiled to herself. Urenma could still be reached by the mere mention of Obinze’s name. Nshaa had scooped burning coals to his b—m; he just could not see it yet. Storming out of the court, Ntani tore apart the guards who stood by the door. Outside the court, she raised a cry and many gathered to her. In the open plains of the river world, the damned spirits and the armies of the river world took battle positions against the princesses of the gods who refused to submit to Nshaa.
Behind the princesses were Utebe and the rouge spirits, Ntani led the gods and the rouge spirits and appointed a leader over them. Her intention was to leave for Ukeh to offer a helping hand to Obinze. She knew it might be a while before Urenma would break free from the glamour of her past life as a queen.
Back in the court, Nshaa took Urenma’s hand and led her to the high places of honour reserved for the nineteen gods, which Nshaa had commandeered as the new god king of the river world. Out in the open, as new rounds of battles intensified, the princesses of the gods persuaded Ntani to stay back and fight with them. Natani give in to their plea and stayed back. However the battle was an effort infutility, Nshaa wanted them busy with the battle while Ukeh burned.
Already Ukeh was agog with festival and fanfare as humans waited for the greatest wrestling match in igbo folklore. Behind the battle which raged in the river wrold, Nshaa and the nineteen gods, made ready to leave for Ukeh; and Nshaa was minded to leave with his new found queen, Urenma. Though hours has passed since Urenma regained the knowledge of her past life, yet she gazed upon that past life intently. As she peered into her life as a powerful ruthless queen, tears flowed from her eyes. Nshaa who sat by her said said reassuringly, “Cry not my queen, in a matter of days, we shall gain back all we lost, and not even the council of gods can stop us”. Urenma said no word. When the nineteen gods and a band of damned spirits were ready to move to Ukeh, Nshaa mounted the high steps of the court to address them “Make no mistakes! This battle we match to shall be unlike any in history. Will mortal stop us? No! But there are other gods and kingdoms which shall stand in our way. However we must stand and fight till our desire we have achieved. My queen who was taken away from me is now back!” At that the damned spirits echoed insanely.
URENMA
(Journey to the River world)
Episode 36
Nshaa continued “She can single
handedly clear a field of fighting men &
spirits with the wave of her hand” The
insane shouting continued “Ukeh is
naked! Obinze the pig who had my queen
shall be used to wipe the ground by
Ojadili,who as we speak is in Ukeh”.
Nshall gloated furhter with arrogance.
“And above all, I have the nineteen gods
with me now I say,let those who think
they can stop us dare to try! For years I looked upon Ukeh with rage,and there I
was stripped of my position by the gods
and my queen was reduced to a princess
of the gods. For in the same land, Ukah, there is a man who dared the gods, brought fight to their world & took
their princess to his land. He took not just a princess,but my former bride,a queen of the gods.
Obinze! Must die!!”
The name Obinze rattled & jolted Urenma;
she cried & crashed to the floor. Her cry hushed both Nshaa & the damned spirits who were beside themselves with
excitement. There was so much slience in
the court that one would have heard a
grain of sand drop to the ground. Nshaa
rushed to help his queen; before he could reach her,Urenma sprang to her feet & shook herself & all the gold decking on her fell off. Her eyes burned with rage,Nshaa could tell instanly that
something was wrong. Urenma raised her
voiced and thundered “I am Urenma,a
queen amongst gods! Thanks for bringing
back my memory. I am the death that will
stop you & your cursed Ojadili! I want no part in your treachery against the council of god! Touch Obinze & you die!” Like lightening she blew out of the court.
Above the battle ground lightning flashed & Urenma descended with a storm. All what the princesses, Ntani, Utebe & the rouge spirits saw were the bodies of
damned spirits flying ito the air in bits and pieces. The queen amongst gods had. come to war! She had rediscovered
herself. The sight of her in battle made
Ntani and the princesses go bonkers.
Even utebe had to bow his knees before
her;and along with him the rouge spirits
bowed. In centuries they had not bowed
to anyone. Rising to their feet,Utebe & the rouge spirits charged at the damned
spirits. From his lofy place Nshaa
watched in utter disbelief Turning to the gods of the damned spirits,Nshaa barked “You told me that bringing her memories back would work in my favour!
Now what is this?” “My lord,
there is yet another way to make Urenma
do your bidding” said Pouh, lord of the
damned spirits “How do I know it will
work when bringing her memory back
failed?” “We are not called damned spirits for nothing.
It will work my lord,but I must warn you,it is extreme. We did not suggest it first because it is very evil” “I
don’t care how evil it is, just do it! Stop her!” Pouh and his men left hurriedly.
On the battle field Ntani pulled Urenma
aside & said “My lord..” she had not
addressed her before as her lord “..you
should not be here. The battle here is
over. Go to Ukeh,Obinze & the land need
you more,when the battle begins there
summon us”. Urenma did not respond,she just blew out of her sight with the flash of lightening. Ntani knew
instantly that there was something
different with the new Urenma. The new
version was vicious & killed faster than
anything she had known. Looking up at
the lofty place of the gods,she jeer at
Nshaa & whispered to herself “Nshaa, you
brought this on yourself”
At the border between the river world and Ukeh, Urenma stood & tried to open a
portal to cross over. Behind her Pouh &
some damned spirits crouched with an
abominable magic in their possession.
Their intent was to use it on Urenma the
moment she tried to cross over to Ukeh.
As soon as the portal opened & she
stepped in,Pouh unleashed the evil power.
It moved through the air & fastened itself on Urenma’s back & began to take over her throughts. In Nwangele River into which she fell in Ukeh,she fought to shake off the magic until it fully consumed her mind. In utmost hatred for Obinze & her children,she headed home to attack them.
Obinze was happy to see her coming
home. Happily they all rose to welcome
her. But when she drew closer her face
was beastly & her eyes flared with hatred.
Obinze saw it & tried to shield his
children,but it was too late. With the
swipe of her hand Urenma,tore Obinze
open plunging her hand into them;she
pulled out the hair which she gave him
seized her two children & fled to Ala
Upah. No mortal or spirit would dare
follow her there. To Obinze the worst had happened,his very much beloved attacked him,took her hair & left him at the mercy of Ojadili. As he writhed in pain on the ground,he prayed for death. He lay there helplessly until a hand touched him and said “Someone heard your cry & sent me to help you” Obinze raise his head & saw IJELE, the guardian spirit of his ancestors.
Ijele lifted him off the ground & carried him to his hut “You can heal me,can’t you Ijele” “I certainly can heal you,but that would be about the much I can do for you”
“You lie! I know you can do more” “That
depends on what you ask of me”.
To Be Continued