The Igbos

WESTERN AFRICA (1677)..

The Year 1677, was a hard year for the western African Empires, particularly, The Igbo Empire.

A great farmine struck the western Empires of Africa, leaving them in a state of severe affliction, food items became priceless, drought swept the land clean of every wetness, water couldn't be seen, plants dried out and made thorns, and all trees became fruitless.

These afflictions affected children the most, it started Meddling with their population, taking children away little by little, adults died too, but not very much, they found a way to fend for themselves.

The famine entailed hardship for long in the western Empires, the Emperor's were without choice but to import food and water from the Eastern empires, Ethiopia, and Madagascar, they did trade by batter, the western minerals for Eastern foods, a bag of minerals exchanged for a cart full of food item, it was more like, your minerals, or your people's life.

Golds, sapphire's and diamonds were the most in demand, the western Empires that traded them got more food than those who traded, silver, graphites and spinels.

Most western Empires had no choice, they had to unwillingly trade their minerals, hoping the drought would end soon, before they run out of minerals.

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Eight months passed, yet nothing changed, it never rained, and the cycle of trading your minerals for food, kept prevailing.

It didn't take long after the eight months of drought, most of the western empires experienced a scarcity of minerals, some ran out of minerals, one amongst those who ran out of minerals was the Igbo Empire.

They tilled their land severely to find minerals, before they run out of food, they made only mounds of sand, and no minerals,

King Ejike Arochukwu was the king of the Igbo Empire then, he ordered that people would be traded to the Eastern empires in exchange for food and water.

Monthly, men, children and women were sold to the Ethiopian Empire, in exchange for food and water,

Those who were sold, were used for labour by the Ethiopians, erecting temples, and colosseum's In Ethiopia, the lucky ones worked in the royal house as maids and servants for the Queen of Ethiopia.

The Igbo's fled their land to the northern Empire, the kingdom of Morocco and Egypt, majorly, youths fled ,to find a place more pastural, and to not get sold to a foreign land, the Igbo's population reduced drastically, due to migration, it brought the empire so close to crumbling, the situation became needful of a divine solution, for it has proved too heavy to be borne by ordinary men.

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On an ordinary day, king Arochukwu was riding home from the farm, accompanied by his most trusted guard Abulo.

Arochukwu went to see the farm and the farmers, to see if a progress is made on the production of succulent plants, and crops, plants that need little water to grow.

Squash's, melons, cabbages, and snap beans were their main aims, they believed those are the succulent plants that grows faster, and would be able to sustain them for quite a long.

The farmers made little progress, the sprouts of the planted crops had attained quite a good height, taller than the soil with inches, it too a week for them to achieve that, so the farmers estimated that the plants would be fully grown in four months time.

The whole kingdom can't go without food for four months, selling people for food would then be maintained, but the population had become sparse, it all came to one question, who would be sold, and when they are sold, who will the food items be given to, when there isn't many left in the village, nations are called nations because of population.

King Arochukwu drowned in his worries, as he rode on a stallion, heading to the royal castle, Abulo rode behind him, seeing how pale the emperor was had Abulo feeling nothing but pity for the king.

"Plagues make a leadership look like slaveryship ." Abulo said a ryhme in his mind.

Plague has rid the king of every joy, his kingdom is crumbling, he bears responsibility for every affliction the plague brought in, deaths, hunger, migration.

The Igbo's out frustration, blamed Arochukwu incompetence as the reason the plagues are still extant.

All these problem had the king depressed, he stayed wobbly on his horse riding home, on a Sandy plain, beaten by famine

It was night at that time, the meeting with the farmers was a long one, it was evening when it was finally concluded.

The night was quiet and gloomy, it should be, there are quite a few who still resides in the kingdom, beside the roads Arochukwu rode on was a forest, with trees in abundance.

Abulo could hear rustles in the forest, he thought - the famine should have made away with the lives of animals, that disproved that an animal was making a rustling sound.

The kept riding, yet the rustling sound didn't die away, it seemed as though it was stalking them from behind.

Abulo glanced around, he could see human figures in the dark, having the shape of a beldame, Abulo shuddered in great fear, that had his blood running cold, The king was unshaken, "maybe he isn't seeing what am seeing." Abulo thought to himself.

"Your highness." Abulo called, "do you not see human figures in the dark?"

King Arochukwu glanced over the soroundings, he squelched his glance at a point, when his eyes met one of the human figures, smokey in nature, and clinging to the gloomy darkness,

"I found one" Arochukwu said, it looked like a beldame to King Arochukwu at first, after subsequent looks, Arochukwu found the figure had reformed to a shapely woman, younger in age, and insighting sex appeal.

King Arochukwu struck his rope, bringing his horse's bristle to a halt, Arochukwu hopped down from his horse,

"Your highness, where are you going?" Said Abulo.

The king uttered no word to him, he walked slowly towards an oak tree deride of leaves, beside the Sandy roads,

"Your highness, where are you going?" Said Abulo.

The king uttered no word to him, he walked slowly towards an oak tree deride of leaves, beside the Sandy roads, the human figure was hiding behind the oak tree,

"Who are you, show yourself to me." Arochukwu ordered, the human figure stood still, watching Arochukwu advance to her,

Arochukwu came too close to human figure, her physique and facial appearance, transformed to that of a hag,

"Mother!" Arochukwu exclaimed, his mother Nne Arochukwu, who got demised very long ago.

Abulo was frightened, he fell off his horse, his face banged against the Sandy road.

"How is this happening?." Arochukwu inquired,

"The Gods of our land, sent me to give this message to you." She said.

"A message about what?"

"How you can make the Igbo Empire strong again."

Nne Arochukwu placed her hands behind, and brought it out seconds later with a map in it, Nne Arochukwu tossed the map to his son, king Arochukwu crouched and picked up the map,

"The map leads to the golden city, a city full of treasuries, I don't need to tell you more, you know what to do then." She said.

She twirled vigorously, with great speed, scattering dust particles, they flew into king Arochukwu's eyes and blinded him for a while, when he opened his eyes moments later, he couldn't find Nne Arochukwu, she had disappeared,

Abulo was still squatted on the ground, the picturing had him in a mild state of mental confusion, king Arochukwu came and drew Abulo up,

"We are going to ichie ajilija, to expound this happening, to him."

The king and Abulo, rode, to ichie ajilija's house, at the coastal region of the Empire.

At Ichie ajilija's compound.

King Arochukwu arrived at Ichie ajilija's, compound, the night was gloomy, and trees were in abundance in ajilija's compound, the insomniac birds on the trees branches sang songs, insightful of calmness, it almost had the king yearning for a sleep, it would be an unusual time to wake ichie ajilija up, he must be enjoying his sleep at a time like now-- Arochukwu thought.

Arochukwu couldn't compromise to leaving it till tomorrow, he needed an advice immediately, for he plans to take action about Nne Arochukwu's advice immediately.

Arochukwu came down from his horse and walked to a hut in Ichie ajilija's compound, it was where Ichie ajilija and his whole family slept, Arochukwu gave a few knocks at the hut, he waited in patience for an answer.

Ichie ajilija emerged from the hut, shirtless, exposing his pot belly, ajilija wore a wrapper only, it was the usual cloth for sleeping in the Igbo Empire, it keeps them cool all night.

"Hah, your highness." Ajilija exclaimed, as he crouched out of the hut, "why the sudden visit, at this unusual time.?" He queried, whilst having an awe smeared on his face.

"Ichie, I really need your advice." Arochukwu stated his need.

"My advice on what.?"

Arochukwu dipped into his pockets, and brought out a map,

"This am holding in my hands, was given to me by my dead mother." Arochukwu said, Arochukwu's gestures showed he was about to say more, ajilija folded his arms and kept listening.

"Nne Arochukwu appeared to me this night." Arochukwu said, it sent ajilija gasping and covering his mouth in awe.

"She told me she was sent by the gods, she told me that the map leads to a city of gold, a city full of treasuries,

that I should find it and trade it with other empires and make mine wealthier." Arochukwu expounded.

"The problem is, how much gold will we find.?" Ajilija asked.

"Imagine if the sands of this land weren't sand but gold, that how much gold I believe could be found there." Arochukwu said, words sweet as honey, irresistible, withal wise as well, for the unbeknown place is called the city of gold, whoever hears this would understand that even the nukes and crannies of the land would be made of gold, that's what the word city of gold entails in every imagination.

"My king, this is a wonderful, idea, you have my support, a hundred times." Ajilija said, Trusted by the king, ajilija's opinions are always considered by king Arochukwu, a trust crystalized by the good yields of ajilija's erstwhile advices, there has never been a time Arochukwu failed to take advices from ajilija, he earned it, for they has never been a time his advices has failed the king.

Later... Arochukwu went home, he decided to embark on the journey at dawn, he had chosen soldiers from the mountainous village of enugu, in the Igbo Empire, to find the golden city, they sailed away through the shores of portharcourt on a solo ship.