The Guardian Order (The Writing Sessions: Four)

Ronke tried to sleep but it seemed very far from her at the moment because every time she closed her eyes, she kept remembering Chris and Chi disappearing in a thick fog of smoke.

As soon as she got out of Chris’ apartment that evening she went straight to the police station and then to the hospital to get treatment for the leg that she bruised while making her escape from his house.

The weirdest thing was not the fact that the policemen, doctors and nurses thought she was crazy; in retrospect she didn’t expect them to believe her. What upset her was that when she got back to the hospital this morning to dress her wounds, the doctors and nurses had no memory of all the things she told them the night before and she could almost swear on her life that she saw a grey cloud hovering around their heads.

After she left the hospital, she went back to the police station and found that the policemen she talked to the day before didn’t remember either. They didn’t even remember her coming in and they had the same grey cloud around their heads.

She came back to her house frustrated with everyone for thinking she was crazy.

“Maybe I am going crazy” she thought to herself.

She was grateful that she was still on her work break, the last thing she needed right now was to have to deal with work. Pouring herself a glass of wine from the fridge, she fell face down on her bed hoping sleep would take her or better still she’d wake up and all this would have been a dream.

A couple of minutes of tossing and turning passed and she heard a knock on her door.

The last thing she needed right now was guests or family. She glanced at the clock by her bedside, it was almost noon.

“Maybe the person will just go away” she thought.

She heard the knock again, then again.

“Miss Ronke, I know you’re in there.” The voice said, it was male.

She sighed.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“The Police, you came by the station yesterday and early this morning” he replied.

“Finally, someone remembers” she exclaimed as she rushed towards the door to open it.

The door swung open to reveal a man wearing blue jean shorts and a red polo shirt, he was almost as tall as the door and he smelled of sweat.

“You’re not the police” Ronke acknowledged looking up at him.

“I know, let me in we don’t have much time” he said.

He used his leg to stop the door as she started to shut the door against him.

“I’ll scream” she threatened.

“Listen, your life is in danger. I know you went to the hospital and the station to tell them about what saw. I know no one believed you. I know you went back this morning and they didn’t remember. I know you saw grey clouds.”

He said, holding the door as she tried to shut it.

“How do you know this? And how is my life in danger?” Ronke asked confused.

“You were exposed to magic and you were awakened. I don’t have much time to explain but they know you’ve awakened and they are coming to kill you.” He said.

“Magic? Awakened? Who is they?” Ronke asked, her head began to buzz seriously.

“The Mages, they know of your awakening and they are coming for you. That buzzing in your head means one of them is close. We need to leave NOW.” He said pulling her hands.

She thought for a minute. This may be the closest she’ll ever get to proving that she wasn’t insane besides if he was right and she was really about to be killed, she needed to leave now.

“At least let me get dressed” She said with her head buzzing louder.

He paced frantically “Okay, five minutes”

“Who exactly are you and how did you know my head was buzzing? How do you know any of this?” She asked from inside her bathroom as she quickly got dressed.

“My name is Wole, and I know your head is buzzing because my head is buzzing as well. I’m a mage hunter just like you.” He answered.

“A mage what???” she asked coming out of the bathroom fully clothed now.

“Questions later, we leave now” he said.

They both dashed out of her apartment making their way towards the building gate. As they approached the gate he stopped her abruptly standing in front of her like a shield.

“The mage is here” he said, bringing a knife out of his pocket.

The gate budged slightly and the locks opened from the inside.

Ronke peeked from behind him to see what was going on and opened her mouth at what she saw.

Chi stepped in looking intently at both of them.

“Go back inside and wait for my signal’’ he ordered Ronke unsheathing another knife.

“I know her that’s Chi, my boyfriend’s childhood friend. You can’t hurt her please” Ronke said.

“Well your “friend” here is a mage and I won’t let her kill you because I can assure you, that’s why she is here” He replied.

Chi started to walk towards them.

“Okay Ronke, we need to talk” she said.

The Guardian Order (The Writing Sessions: Three)

Chi found herself in Chris' apartment, sitting alone at the spot where she initiated the "travel spell". After the meeting at the dome, Chris refused to come back to the human world with her saying that he needed to find a way to fix things at the ethereal realm.

She had expected this reaction from him and didn't bother to push any further when he told her his decision. Chris believed that he could solve any problem he encountered and for the most parts he was right, usually she would find him obsessing for days trying to find a solution to a problem and he never relented until it was solved.

The thing that worried her the most though was that for the first time in her life she was sure he couldn't fix this. The three factions rarely agreed about anything and on those "purple moon" occasions when they did, they were never wrong.

Deep within her, she knew that this issue was going to play out exactly the way the faction leaders had illustrated. She also knew that the "worst case scenario" was the most likely outcome because if it wasn't, they won't have mentioned it in the first place. Most of all, she knew that Chris would never kill Ronke no matter what he was told. He would rather die than kill her and Chi was having a hard time accepting this.

Living in denial of this truth wasn't an option sadly, not for her. She felt it as every second passed, after all, she knew Chris in ways no one else in the world did or probably ever could.

When they were younger, Chris saved her life and died in the process. That day she saved the life of a young boy who had given his life for hers. To be able to perform a ritual of this nature at such a young age made her stand out even among the best mages of her generation but it didn't come without a price.
Nothing in their world came without a price.

The saddest thing was that the person who had to pay the ultimate price was Chris and not her. To save him, she had to bind his soul to hers, using herself as an anchor for his life force.

The ritual she performed that night was for "The Guardian Initiation" but in his case she didn't leave him with a choice. Usually, becoming a guardian was a thing of choice, men and women throughout time who had lived a life of bravery, courage and strength were approached by mages at the end of their lives. Others were involved in accidents or other forms of ailments and the process was the same, they were offered a choice to become guardians and serve a higher purpose. It was never forced and declining didn't come with any consequence since the person was dying anyways. Chris wasn't offered this choice and Chi continually felt guilty about it.

From that moment, she could feel everything he felt and he could do the same.
The bond between a mage and a guardian could not be broken and although it was a gift, it could also be a curse.
Emotions were a lot stronger than words, and she couldn't help but feel things she had no business feeling.

The day Chris met Ronke, Chi didn't know the details but she felt the change in his emotional spectrum. Granted, this wasn't the first time Chris was liking someone so she was no stranger to these emotions but as time went on she realized how much of a hold the girl had on him even without realizing it.
With Ronke it felt like for the first time since she met him, he was alive. The emotions were so strong sometimes that they affected her own mood and she couldn't control herself.

She could never forget the night her family decided to go out for dinner to celebrate her younger brother's initiation as a mage. Her father decided that a fancy restaurant was the solution to all their problems so he practically dragged the four of them there.

On arrival she started to see that it wasn't so bad spending time with her family and she began to relax a bit even cracking jokes with her mostly annoying little brother. Everything was going fine until she felt Chris through their bond.
"I want to make a toast to my two children...." Her father began to say.
Chi shifted in her chair obviously uncomfortable.
"Oh no, oh no" she muttered under her breath.
She knew this day was going to come eventually but she never imagined it would be in a place like this. Here she was trying to endure a nice dinner with her family and Chris decided to pick this day of all days to have sex with Ronke.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat again.
"Chi's are you okay? You seem really uncomfortable" her mother asked.

"I'm...fine" she said in between breaths holding the table firmly as she spoke.

"This isn't good" she thought to herself.
She could feel through the bond that they were still at foreplay and she rationalized that if he was this horny already, then she was in big trouble for the rest of the evening.

"So Junior, tell us about your mage examination?" She said in a desperate attempt to divert everyone's attention away from her.
Luckily for her it worked and Junior was glad to rant about his tests. Her parents looked very proud of both of them and she seemed to be keeping the bond under control.
"Probably they won't have sex today" she thought to herself.
"Speaking of exams, Chi when do you plan to take your first order exams?" Her father asked.
"I don't know daddy, maybe..." She began to say until she felt something new and grabbed the table firmly.
"Are you sure you're okay, you're sweating Chi" Junior asked, a little worried.
"I'm...I'm...oh God" she moaned.
Chris was getting the best head of his life and she was getting wet at the dinner table.
"Chi, we could leave if you're uncomfortable" her mother offered, concern written all over her face.
"Don't worry...I'm..." She hit the table and bit her lip hard hurting herself in the process.
She struggled to find whatever was left of her sanity, apologized to her family and stood up heading for the door. She needed to get out of here fast.
As soon as she stepped outside, she called a cab.
Getting into the cab as quickly as she could, she gave him directions and cast a hypnosis spell on the driver so he won't be freaked out about what she was about to do.
She needed to touch herself. It was the only way to relief the pressure.
At the moment, Ronke was done with him but she sensed that the worst of it was on its way. Right on cue, it came like a wave over her. Chris had started to thrust so she slid her hands down her skirt to mimic everything she was feeling through the bond.
As the cab approached her house she could feel Chris getting closer to a climax. They came to a stop at a traffic light and Chris finally came which resulted in her kicking the backdoor of the cab a few times. A traffic warden started walking towards the car out of concern but as a soon as the lights turned green the cab speed off and dropped her at home.
As soon as she got into her apartment, she poured herself a glass of water, fell on her bed and slept off.

Sitting on the floor in Chris' apartment she realized that as awkward as that incident was, she couldn't deny just how much he loved her. For him, it wasn't just sex and she knew this as a certainty because she felt it.
She stood up and began to search through his apartment for something that belonged to Ronke. She needed to cast a locator spell, find her and erase her memory before things got any worse.

She finally found a lipstick in the bathroom that she probably dropped in fear after seeing them go up in smoke. Picking up the lipstick from the floor, she wrapped it around her hands and cast the spell.
Tracing Ronke's every move from the moment she saw them disappear, she finally found Ronke lying down in her apartment.
"Okay Chi, let's pay Ronke a visit" she said to herself stepping out of Chris' apartment.

The Guardian Order (The Writing Sessions: Two)

"I knew we weren't alone in there" Chi exclaimed as the world around them began to materialize.

 "What are you going to do now?" she asked.

 Chris was lost in thought and could barely hear anything Chi was saying. All he could think about was Ronke and how he was going to make this right.

 "She probably thinks I'm a wizard or even worse thinks she's going mad" he thought to himself.

The first option would have been totally wrong anyways. Chris wasn't a wizard by any standards although Chi on the other hand was a mage of the second order.

In retrospect, meeting her changed his life in many positive ways but he still could help but feel like it was both a gift and a curse.

As a child, Chris had always been a wild card. He was terrible at school and didn't do so well class. This wasn't because he wasn't smart, in fact you would think he was a genius if you saw him play sports or participate in any of the vocational subjects. His major problem was that he didn't have the patience to learn, all he wanted to do was 'do'.

Chi on the other hand was the best student in his class and in their primary school. A Straight A’s student who was always on time, she never spoke to anyone or had any friends in class. Most students thought she was a snob and although this was true to a large extent, it didn't change the fact that most people were just jealous.

They never crossed paths as they both existed in two different worlds until that Friday. Friday was Chris' best day in school because classes were short and the rest of the day was dedicated to sporting activities, Chi on the other hand usually disappeared after classes on Fridays and was nowhere near the field.

 Oddly enough on this Friday, Chi was around for sports. Although she was a spectator mostly, she was on the field till the end of school.

After school hours Chris and a couple of boys stayed behind to play football while Chi was waiting for her driver to come pick her up. A few minutes later, Chris' game ended and he picked up his bag to leave the school premises just as Chi's red Toyota Camry drove into the school compound. He was just outside the gate of the school buying chocolate ice-cream from the local ice-cream seller when the car drove past him.

He didn't live far away so he just strolled home every day which usually turned out to be the best part of his daily routine. As he approached the turn that led to his street he saw the red Toyota parked on the other side of the road.

 "They probably stopped to get some ice-cream" he said to himself. His ice-cream was already done and he began to consider getting another when he heard her scream.

Looking back, he probably should have kept walking but he decided to go see what was going on.

 He found her in the backseat behind the driver's seat curled up in the corner with a mortified look on her face.

 Opening the back door from the other side he asked,

 "What's the problem?"

 Her eyes seemed to be staring into space and it took a couple of seconds before she could focus on him.

 "Go away!!!! Please, please leave me alone. They are coming, and if they find you here they'll kill you" she yelled with fears in her eyes.

 He looked at her confused.

 "Where is the driver?

 Please get down from the car so we can find a way to get you home" he said with urgency in his voice.

 Her face went still for a couple of seconds then she began to panic again tears gushing down her eyes.

 "She's running mad, all those books have finally made her insane" Chris' thought to himself.

 She grabbed him by his shirt and screamed,

 "They're here, they've found me. Please run, run Chris!!! RUN!!!"

Chris was only beginning to wrap his head around how she knew who he was when he felt it. A sharp pain on the side of his stomach snapped him back to reality. He was bleeding and before he could react he felt a slash on his left arm close to his shoulder. In that instant his instincts kicked in and he knew he was in danger, he took a step back and studied his environment.

He couldn't see anything out of place, but the blood soaking his shirt told him otherwise. In that instant he felt the air around him shift slightly and he jumped in the direction of the shift lunging forward like a wounded animal. He landed on a figure he could see but he didn't care, his mind didn't have time to process or ask questions he just kept punching and kicking until the figure stopped moving. The figure materialized and turned into a man knocked unconscious.

Chi immediately jumped out of the car and ran towards Chris. His vision was blurring and he was bleeding out. She knelt beside him placing his head on her laps in tears, he couldn't quite hear what she was saying but she was mumbling something he didn't quite understand. That was the first time he ever saw the smoke and he was convinced that he was dying.

Chris opened his eyes to meet Chi staring at him with a smile. He looked around trying to figure out where he was but he couldn't recognize his surroundings.

 He was lying down and Chi was resting at his bedside. As he tried to stand up, she stopped him,

"You're not completely healed Chris, you still need to rest" she said.

"Healed? What happened..." he asked weakly.

She only smiled as she placed her hand on his whispering,

 "Sleep Chris"

 He saw a puff of smoke come out of her mouth and he gasped as his memoires started flooding back. He had a lot of questions to ask, but he couldn't resist the compulsion to fall asleep as he slumped back into bed.

Chris woke up a second time with no one around his bed. He stood up and felt a slight pain on his stomach, he checked but he didn't see any marks or scars. He checked his left arm and saw nothing, there was no pain in the arm at all in fact.

 "How long have I been asleep?" He thought.

 Chi walked in through the door smiling and saying,

 "I sensed you waking up, how's the stomach? It still hurts a bit right?"

 He looked at her grimly and asked,

 "Where am I and what is going on?"

 

The explanation Chi gave him that day sealed his fate and from that day he became her guardian.

 Studying his surroundings now, it still felt like twenty years ago when he first came here. The book that brought them here was one of the few conduits that led to the Ethereal Realm. Chi's family was one of the most elite family of mages and that's the only reason why she had a conduit in the first place.

 They materialized outside the Dome of Ether, a structure shaped like a gigantic egg. The dome was popularly known as the center of magic and several domes were built all around the world, it was rumored that these were the focal points where all the magical energy in the world converged.

 It was also the place where the three major factions in the world met to deliberate on issues that affect the balance of the world. The factions were; the mages, the guardians and the humans.

 

“Let’s go in, we're already late" Chris said walking in front of Chi as they entered the dome.

 "Wouldn't be the first time" Chi replied with a smirk on her face.

 "Do you ever take anything seriously?" Chris asked slightly irritated. Chi could sense that he was upset about Ronke, but that didn't stop her from teasing him a little more.

 "You were a lot more fun as a kid you know. I don't know what they feed you guys in the guardian order that makes you all so uptight" she replied.

 Chris just kept on walking not paying attention to any of the people around the various sections of the dome, he didn't even reply any greetings.

 They finally got to the door of Chamber One, the largest of all the seven chambers in the dome.

 "Kids grow up eventually you know" he said finally as he turned the door knob.

 "I know Chris, I know...and don't worry, she'll be fine' Chi said tapping his shoulder lightly.

 Chris sighed.

 "Okay, let's get this over with" he said pulling the door open.

The chamber’s design changed from time to time depending on the occasion it was being used for. Today it had the design of a court room, with the three factions sitting on three different rows and the two heads of each faction sitting on an elevated platform.

 "Chidinma Ananaba and Chris Adedeji; mage of the second order and her guardian you're late again" General Musa said.

"Apologies sir." Chris replied

Chris couldn’t help thinking they were in trouble again, the tension in the air was too palpable.

General Musa was one of the two heads of the Guardian Order and as mean as he looked, he was the nice one in the duo.

“Both of you come forward quickly, we have a mission for you” Master Folashade said.

“So we’re not in trouble?” Chris asked the master mage, walking with Chi towards the six of them.

“No you’re not” she replied.

“We initially summoned you here because Chi has refused to take the promotion trials for the first order” Senator Obiora said.

“So we were in trouble…” Chi said with a smirk.

“Forget that, a matter of grave importance came up on your way here. A human saw magic in use and we have to deal with it as soon as possible” Master Jude interjected.

 “No offense Master Jude, but this happens all the time. Can’t we just erase their memory as always” Chi asked.

“That’s the problem child, we already tried. We sent two of our best second order mages to erase every trace of the memory.

We were able to erase the imprints on the minds of those the subject told but the subject’s memories remain intact” Senator Laila said.

“What do you need us to do?” Chris asked.

“We need Chidinma to attempt to erase the subject’s memory. As an esper her natural abilities with the mind are more powerful than most spells we can make.” Master Folashade said.

“And if doesn’t work?” Chi asked.

“Then that would confirm our fears” Master Jude replied.

“What fears?” Chris asked.

“We suspect that the subject has witch hunter blood. If a mage with Chidinma’s unique gifts cannot erase the subject’s memory, then it means that the witch hunter blood in the subject is strong.” General Musa said.

“Okay?” Chris asked, sensing that they weren’t done.

“And as a member of the guardian order it would be your sole responsibility to protect your mage and the mage order from such a threat.

You will have to kill the subject before they get any stronger or get discovered by the witch hunters.” General Segun finally spoke.

“You’re asking me to kill someone who hasn’t done anything wrong yet just because they have the potential to be a threat to us?” Chris asked furiously.

“Calm down child, this is only if Chi fails to erase the subject’s memory. We both know the chances of that happening are very slim.” Senator Laila said.

Chi came to stand beside Chris holding his hand to calm him down.

“What’s the name of the subject and where can we find him?” Chi asked.

“Him? No, this subject is a female. Her name is Ronke Badmos, I’m sure you’re already familiar with her” General Segun said.

Chris’ eyes widened and he hands went cold.

The Guardian Order {The Writing Sessions: One}

Ronke used her extra key to get into Chris’ apartment.

It was a Wednesday evening and according to his shift at the factory he wouldn’t be home for another two hours which gave her enough time to plan her surprise.

His apartment was spotless and clean in the usual Chris fashion with everything in its usual place. She often teased him saying that a blind man could live in his apartment comfortably after a couple of days.

Chris never made any changes to his life or his routine and the few times she had even attempted to arrange the house or help with cleaning had been a complete disaster. He just ended up putting everything back in the places he wanted them and taking over the entire process.

She had made her peace with it and never even tried anymore but today was different. It was their one year anniversary and she was determined to make it special. She travelled on a business trip and was not supposed to be back for another couple of days so Chris wasn’t expecting her, fortunately for her some of the meetings were cancelled so she took the first flight she could find back home to surprise her man.

She took off her heels and put them in her bag bringing out the bottles of wine she bought on her way here. She didn’t want to leave any signs of her presence here and hoped that her perfume won’t give away. With the wine bottles and some chocolate in the fridge she decided to try out the black corset she picked up earlier at the mall.

Ronke was always conscious of her body when she was younger, being an early bloomer she started developing breasts earlier than most girls her age. At age 13 she had her first boyfriend and learnt very quickly that guys were a lot more interested in her body than her brains. From that point in her life she decided that no matter the attention she got when she walked in a room, she would make an equally good impression when she opened her mouth to speak.

Many years have passed and that little girl has now come to appreciate the perks of having a great body. Standing in front of the mirror she examined her curves in the corset, her breasts were even perkier than usual she mused to herself smiling. She didn’t think she had a pretty face although she had been told by a lot of men that she was beautiful. An almost round face with a chiseled chin that she got from her dad, Ronke had squinty eyes, generally small facial features and drooping lips that seemed to fit her perfectly.

Admiring her dark chocolate skin one more time in the mirror wishing she was a little taller than a 5’6, her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of dangling keys at the door. She took a quick glance at the clock on the wall, Chris wasn’t supposed to be back for the next one hour at the very least.

She quickly looked through around the room to make sure nothing was out place. She hadn’t placed the rose petals in his bathroom yet but she figured a window of opportunity would present itself before the end of the night and she’d get her chance.

“Nothing is going to ruin today for me.” She thought to reassure herself as she ran into the bathroom to hide.

The door opened and Chris walked in casually with his helmet and overall in his hands. Spying on him from the bathroom she almost laughed out loud as he hung his hat in the usual place close to his Kanye West poster on the wall. Next he dropped the overall in the laundry basket and started to take off his clothes.

Watching him undress was a huge turn on for her and she couldn’t help biting her lower lip. This wasn’t because Chris had the best body in the world, in fact for many girls his body probably won’t demand a second glance as handsome as he was. Chris was lanky and just a little bit taller than Ronke, he was fit and surprisingly strong despite his looks probably because of the nature of his job.

All that aside, the turn on for Ronke was the fluidity in his movements. His life was so organized that he did everything with such deadly precision. Many ladies may consider this to be a boring routine but for Ronke watching Chris do everything was like watching a dance. The way his fingers trailed around each button as he unbuttoned his shirt lightly twirling around them like a nipple, or the way the muscles on his back seemed to contract and relax as he took off his shirt, or how his trousers pulled down his boxers slightly as he took them off and he adjusted them from the back to front. Now she was thinking about the front…

“Focus Ronke” she thought to herself coming back to reality.

Chris took off his clothes and grabbed his towel.

“Oh shit.” She thought. He was coming into the bathroom and she had nowhere to hide. She backed away from the door just as he was about to open it when she heard a knock.

He hung the towel on the door and went to get the door.

“You’re late Chi.” He said as he opened the door.

“I know, I know.” Chi said stepping in and dropping her bag on the bed.

Chris simply shut the door and gave her a knowing look.

“Arrgggh, you and your OCD” she yelled but she still picked the bag up and hung it beside his helmet.

Ronke watched from the bathroom in confusion. Chi’s name had come up a few times in conversation but she didn’t think they were that close. Chris simply said she was a childhood friend and they kept in touch loosely over the years. Right now Ronke was beginning to ask herself if she knew what the word “loosely” meant because it definitely didn’t include Chi sprawled on Chris’ bed going through his phone as he went to the fridge to get her a drink.

“So how’s Ronke?” Chi asked.

Chi was light skinned and taller than Chris slightly. She wore a pair of shorts and a crop top that showed off just enough of her body to make any man want to find out more.

“She’s great, she’s away on a trip.” He answered, sitting beside her on the bed.

“Does she know about us?” she asked.

Chris hesitated.

“No…no she doesn’t. I haven’t told her.”

“You can’t keep it a secret forever you know. Tell her or break up with her or do both.” Chi replied.

Ronke’s world went white. Us??? Break Up???

She couldn’t help the tears that stared flowing from her eyes, partly from sadness but mostly from rage. Just as she was about to burst out of the bathroom to kill them both she heard him say,

“Okay Chi its time”

“Time for what” she thought, hoping that he didn’t mean sex. She couldn’t put it past Chris to schedule sex after all it was in his nature.

“Okay get the book.” Chi replied.

Chris went to his wardrobe, picked up a small brown book and dropped it on Chi’s laps on the bed. Chi stood up from the bed and sat on the floor motioning Chris to join her on the floor. He sat in front of her mirroring her cross-legged posture with the book placed on the floor separating them.

Ronke was even more confused now with so many questions cloying at her mind. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any weirder she heard Chi say,

“There’s someone here, Chris”

Chris kept quiet for a bit to listen and Ronke stopped breathing.

“There isn’t, your senses are off.” Chris said.

“No they’re not, I sensed it as soon as I walked in but I wasn’t sure. Now I’m certain we’re not alone, can you look around?” she asked worried.

“There’s no time Chi, besides the only other person who can enter this apartment is Ronke and she’s not around.”

Chi relaxed a bit but she was still uneasy. Finally she said,

“Okay let’s do this, give me your hands.”

Ronke watched as Chris dropped his hands in Chi’s hands. They both closed their eyes as Chi said a few things Ronke was pretty sure wasn’t English. In that instant, the pages of the book stared to flip wildly as smoke started to ooze out of the book. The smoke oozed out until it enveloped Chi and Chris almost completely.

She finally had enough and burst out the bathroom door,

“CHRIS!!!” she yelled.

Chris opened his eyes in shock to find Ronke standing in front of his bathroom door utterly and completely terrified. He opened his mouth to explain but it was too late, he was already losing sight of his surroundings as he and Chi got sucked into the brown book.

Hey y'all....

Hey guys,

So for everyone who has been reading this blog and following Takobidamma, I figured it was about time I asked?

Why the hell are you guys still reading??? 

Hehehehehehehe.

More seriously though, its kinda cool and humbling that y'all have been following the story so far. I appreciate y'all for your patience and endurance especially when you put into consideration the fact that it's an early draft.

Thanks a bunch.

For the next one month though, I won't be posting Takobidamma. (I'm sorry please don't kill me.) 

I'm gonna keep writing but i want to give a little space so i don't post as i write. 

In the meantime though, I'm working on a five session short story that i sincerely hope you'll will enjoy. 

I'm posting the first session in a bit.

Thanks again y'all.

TAKOBIDAMMA {The Writing Sessions: Ten}

Iganda was having a very difficult week and he was not in the mood for small talk this early in the morning. Three days had passed since the incident and for every second that passed he couldn’t help but feel like his position was on the line.

Unfortunately for him, that also meant that his life was on the line. In the Ooranyanwu tribe, every child is dedicated to the gods a week after their birth. They are taken to the heart of the Udata where rituals are performed to appease the gods and the gods in turn bless each child with a unique attribute or skill.

These attributes start to manifest as the children grow older and eventually turns to their source of livelihood. So children grew up to become farmers, hunters, tailors and so on. According to the shamans no one can change their attributes, it was not a matter of choice but a blessing from the gods.

Everyday Iganda watched as the people of the tribe came to the barter market to exchange what they had for what they need. It was always a marvel to him when he passed by the marker and he saw a fisherman trying to trade a basket of fish for a bag of rice or even some clothes. He never had the privilege of participating in any trade because of all the blessings the gods gave there was one attribute that was unique.

Growing up in a family with four children and being the last child, Iganda’s parents were quite worried while he was growing up because he didn’t show any of the regular attributes child his age were showing. It wasn’t until he was ten that he started to show unusual strength and speed. Granted it was nowhere near the level of the Udata, but the soldiers of the Udata usually manifested these attributes and were taken away from their homes for training.

From that point Iganda became the responsibility of the Udata himself alongside other children who manifested similar attributes. They camped not too far away from the Udata quarters where they trained endlessly perfecting their skills. Since their skills weren’t exactly suited for barter trades, their general well-being rested on the shoulders of the Udata himself who saw to it that they were well taken care of.

 The soldiers were also allowed to go out on their own to help the people of the tribe with issues like theft and security which usually earned them gifts for their services. In terms of hierarchy, one could say that after the Udata and the shamans, the soldiers of the Udata were the most important people in the tribe.

Iganda had been serving the Udata for over thirty years now and had seen two Udatas in his lifetime. His strength, wisdom and tact on and off the battle field had taken him to the very top, making him the head of the soldiers. Serving as the head of the Udata soldiers for ten years now, none of the experience he had prepared him for the incident with Suluvu.

He quickly stepped out of his house so he wouldn’t yell at his wife and his two daughters. Normally he enjoyed their small talks in the morning but this wasn’t the day, he headed to camp quickly hoping the situation had changed.

Three days ago after the guards got Suluvu to safety, the guards apprehended the traitor that helped the strangers execute their plans. His arm was already broken by Suluvu but this was nothing compared to what he deserved. The guards wanted to kill him but Iganda stepped in with a better plan. Iganda was head of all soldiers and he was aware of the division that existed between the guards of the Udata and the rest of the soldiers.

The rest of the soldiers believed that the guards of the Udata were spoilt and never did any real work compared to them while the guards of the Udata believed the soldiers were unrefined and barbaric. Iganda understood their differences clearly and did his best to solve any problems that occurred between the two sects.

The traitor was obviously not a guard and Iganda was sure that was the major reason why the guards wanted him dead immediately. He on the other hands wanted information about the two strangers who nearly killed his future Udata, so he asked his men to take the traitor to the camp and use any means necessary to get information out of him. He also sent word to the Udata about his plan and the Udata had given him five days to get the information he needed.

For the past three days the traitor had been beaten almost beyond recognition and he still hadn’t said anything. Iganda was beginning to think that this incident was a lot bigger than they may have thought and whatever could keep the man silent for so long, he probably feared more than the Udata.

He stepped into camp hurrying past all the soldiers who were trying to greet him or scrambling to put themselves in order as they saw him approaching. He didn’t have time for formalities today and his patience was already gone.

In one of the inner chambers where the man was being held he met three soldiers outside the door waiting for him. One of them happened to be Baijid his second in command and the look on his face wasn’t encouraging at all.

“Has he said anything?” Iganda asked.

“Nothing yet, but we will keep trying.” Baijid replied.

“That won’t be necessary, I’m going to ask him myself.” He said.

The three of them looked at him in dread. Everything about Iganda was intimidating, he was a little over 6 feet tall and had the build of a man that engaged in intensive exercise. He was bald and always had a facial expression that warned you not to cross him even on a good day. Despite all these, his style of leadership has always been from the background believing that all the other soldiers needed to grow and gain as much experience as he had gathered over the years.

It was very rare for him to handle matters personally and when he did, it was usually of the uttermost importance. He was popularly known as “Fang” because of how swift and deadly he could be when he got involved.

Iganda stepped into the room where the traitor was being held and the three of them waited outside the room for him. After about fifteen minutes and a lot of screaming, Iganda stepped out of the room with blood on both his hands.

“Baijid, come with me now. We have what we need.” He said.

“Yes sir.” He replied hurrying after Iganda.

The two soldiers were confused about what to do next although they were sure of one thing. The traitor was definitely dead. No one survived Fang.

The Udata stood in Suluvu’s room watching him sleep. The boy had been asleep for three days although all his wounds were mostly healed partly thanks to the blood running in his veins. He knew this was far from over and he feared for the safety of his tribe and her people.

“Your greatness, Fang is here” a guard came in and said.

“Tell him to wait for me in my chambers” he replied.

“You will get justice my son” he thought to himself as he made his way to his chambers.

“Welcome your greatness” Iganda and Baijid said standing as the Udata stepped in.

“Skip the formalities Iganda, what do you have for me?” he asked.

“We got what we needed although he doesn’t know much. The two men who attacked Suluvu are not from the tribe, they were sent here when they heard that the ceremony had been conducted with specific instructions to humiliate Suluvu.” Iganda said.

“What we don’t know is why they would want to humiliate him and not simply kill him. We believe there is something not right here but we can’t seem to figure out what it is.” Baijid added.

The Udata sighed. This information meant that someone knew about the ceremony and knew that his son didn’t bond with the Takobidamma, it all made sense to him now. They wanted to prove to the people that his son wasn’t fit to lead which was exactly what the Shamans feared.

“Did he say who sent them?” he asked.

“No he didn’t and from the look of things he didn’t know. He was only paid to do a job which he did. If we need any more information we are going to have to ask the foreigners ourselves.” Iganda said.

“They are still here?” the Udata asked in shock.

“Yes they are and he gave us their location, apparently their work here isn’t finished yet.” Baijid began.

“I plan to put together some of our best soldiers to handle the situation, I just came to give my report before heading out.” Iganda finished.

“That won’t be necessary, I won’t allow any other soldiers die at their hands. You and I will handle these men.” The Udata said.

Iganda stared at the Udata intently while Baijid open his mouth in shock. Baijid opened him mouth in protest but Iganda stopped him.

Smiling mostly to himself, he asked the Udata.

“When do we leave?”

“Tonight” he replied.

TAKOBIDAMMA {The Writing Sessions: Nine}

The inside of the hall was just as grand as the outside. A lot of rooms with different tags on the doors describing the nature of the work being done there.

“What happens in Registration?” Seleya asked.

“That’s where information on all the citizens of the town is received and collated. Things like occupations, families and additional details” Keiy said.

“Wow…it all seems so complex here. Things are a lot simpler back at home.” Seleya said.

“You mean your former home.” Keiy corrected.

“Yeah, my former home.” Seleya repeated.

Her countenance changed and she became sad. It hadn’t really dawned on her that she was never going back to Ooranyanwu until now and she was having a hard time accepting it.

Keiy noticed and tapped her on the shoulder,

“Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, I can be quite insensitive sometimes”

“It’s okay, let’s keep looking” Seleya answered blinking back the tears.

Keiy led the way as they checked all the rooms. For every room, Keiy had a different lie to explain in explicit details why they were in the hall. Everything that came out her mouth sounded so true that Seleya couldn’t help but marvel. Keiy was obviously more skilled at this than Suluvu.

They keep moving until they approached a black metal door that was guarded by two men.

Stopping a few feet away, Keiy said,

“So I guess it’s time for Plan B. That door leads underground where the council meets.”

“And how do we plan to get in?” Seleya asked.

“Just wait here, hide behind that wall and wait for my signal.” Keiy said, a smile playing on her lips as she pointed Seleya to the wall.

Her smile suddenly changed to tears as she ran towards the door to meet the guards.

“Help, Help” she yelled tears trickling down her face.

She grabbed one of them by the arm and shook him hard.

“Calm down girl, what’s the problem?” he asked slightly flustered.

“My father, my father works at registration. I came to bring him some documents he left at home only to find some men causing trouble in his office. They had a problem with their registration and insisted he fixed it without pay.

 My dad told them to pay their token but they refused and they started to beat him because he stood his ground. I was asked to fetch every available guard to help with the situation”

“How many men?” the second one asked.

“Five men” she yelled, crying even more.

“Please, please hurry…They’ll kill him, I don’t want my father to die.” She wailed shaking both of them.

They both ran in the direction of the registration room not noticing Seleya as they passed by her.

“Seleya, hurry down here” Keiy said.

Keiy tried to open the door twice but it didn’t budge, they tried together and still nothing happened.

“So what do we do now?” Seleya asked, those guards will be back any minute now.

“Let me think” Keiy answered, cooking up another plan.

Seleya held the door knob and tried again to no avail. She soon started to panic and as she did her hands started to heat up again. Keiy was still lost in thought until she caught the smell of something burning and looked at Seleya’s hands.

Her eyes lit up in excitement.

“That’s awesome Seleya” she said gleefully.

Seleya also lost in thought hadn’t noticed anything until she looked at her hands and saw that she had almost melted through the door knob. She removed her hands immediately out of fear and in that same instant the guard were making their way back. They looked towards the door looking directly at Keiy obviously not very pleased.

“Put your hands back on that knob Seleya, I’ll distract them.” Keiy said

Seleya obeyed in silence. She was officially panicking now and as her fear increased so did the heat which was already a flame at this point.

The guards caught a glimpse of the flame and approached even faster, Keiy stepped forward to meet them until they were face to face.

“What are you doing here girl, you are not…”

That was all he had the time to say as she swooped down and knocked him off his feet with a low kick. The second guard was in shock for about two seconds which was more than enough for her to reach for the side his neck, giving him two sharp pokes that rendered him unconscious.

The second guard got back on his feet reaching out with a quick punch. Keiy dodged quickly to the side and grabbed his arm. She took the arm and twisted it on his back using it for support as she slammed her two feet into his back and used her second hand to give him two quick jabs on the neck. He fell down also unconscious.

Seleya watched Keiy moved and she was utterly speechless. Everything happened in front of her in mere seconds and Keiy was almost a blur as she moved. The door knob was melted now and Keiy kicked the door open. The both ran in, down a flight of stairs as fast as they could.

As they ran, Seleya asked,

“How did you? How…?”

“Run now, talk later?” Keiy said increasing her pace.

The stairway was well lit but it was nothing compared to the room they ran into. The room was circular with a large space in the middle. There was a slightly elevated arc that had seven tables and seven chairs arranged in a row. The chair and the table in the middle were slightly bigger and fancier than the rest although the entirety of the room was a sight to behold.

There were also more seats arranged within the circular space but the most shocking thing about the room at the moment was that it was empty.

“There’s no one here” Seleya said, trying to catch her breath.

“Thanks, I didn’t notice” Keiy said sarcastically.

“What do we do now?” Seleya asked.

“I don’t know” Keiy replied.

“Maybe we could…”

She was interrupted by the sound of the door upstairs and several footsteps running down the stairs. They were surrounded by fifteen guards all holding swords and pointing at them. A man obviously taller than every one of them approached slowly from behind and the guards made way for him to pass.

Seleya looked at him and he looked oddly like her father. He was obviously younger but they had the same skin tone, with his hair braided almost like Seleya’s. He was slim and built, wearing an open shirt that had no buttons exposing his chest and abs to the world. With a matching pair of shorts and sandals, he looked at them intently. It was at that moment Seleya looked at the left side of his chest and saw a mark very similar to the one on her chest.

“Well what do we have here?” he said, giving both girls a smug smile.

“I told you we’ll find him strolling about” Keiy said, smiling at her.

Seleya concluded that everyone in this town was completely crazy.

Still looking at her curiously he simply said,

“Welcome Seleya, I’ve been expecting you”

Both girls turned almost pale.

The tall man laughed out loud.

“I grew up looking into eyes very similar to yours, I can’t forget those eyes.

I’m Adunt, one of the elders of Oquara town. I’m also your Uncle, younger brother to the Udata.”

They still had no words for him and simply stared at him as he talked.

“I’ve heard a lot about you Keiy, it’s nice to finally meet you. I hope the guards taking a nap upstairs will be alright?” he asked a little more seriously.

Keiy could only nod. Seleya had thought nothing could shut the girl up but apparently she was wrong.

“Okay girls, we obviously have a lot to talk about but I have things to attend to now.

Can you come back tomorrow, this same time?” He asked, although it sounded more like an order than a request.

“Okay sir” was all Seleya could say as Keiy dragged her out of the room.

“And Keiy…” he started.

They both stopped at the foot of the stairs.

“…try not to knock out any of my guards tomorrow.” He said smiling.

Keiy only nodded and followed Seleya up the stairs. They had a lot to talk about when they got home.