Emissaries 

If any words would continue from their mouth their cheeks were laced with slaps transferred from the arm of the guards of ifa-ile. 

That they should shush their mouths were the words the guards barked at them even as they had not stopped kicking their stomach the instant each of them fell on the ground and fused together into a position like termites in their castle. 

With only this, Okiki-osupa braced herself with more confidence. That the chiefs had been camped in fear, she lifted her legs and ambled around the entrance of the palace of Efon.

A single question  she asked, lifting her voice in her highest tone, that every person of Efon from any angle they stood could hear her clearly. 

If they accepted the words of the King of Ifa-ile or, if they chose their own destruction should they speak now. But if Okiki-osupa heard any words for an answer, it would be the shriek of the birds in the sky. 

The instant their silence was getting further pronounced had the chiefs received a continuous kicking in the stomach. For according to the guard should they speak now or be killed by the silence they made. 

For silence can only mean otherwise: and in silence shall their blood gush out of their necks like waters gushing out of a rock.

The instant a further threat was made had one of the chiefs gathered himself into confidence and in the hope to be backed up by the other chiefs as they have always done in the reign of their king, Oluborode, opened his mouth defiantly. 

That, they shall not accept the wish of a foreigner who for his own greed wants to lord over them, but at the moment he had opened his mouth for his words had others looked elsewhere, leaving only him to pay for his words. 

The foolishness and stubbornness of a goat always lead it to its death was the words one of the guards said before his lips were parted to reveal his teeth. 

With this had the rest of the  guards from Efon widened their cheek for a sneer that berated out loud that even the chief who made the words was already sunk in his fright and he quickly changed his words. 

The king of Ifa-ile, he greeted aloud as if Osabiegun had heard him and that he would live long to rule Ifa-ile and Efon was the words he said as his head remained bowed down to the ground. 

In this manner, the guards had walked into another aisle of sniggers. According to the words they gave utterance to had the chief became an intelligent fool. For only the lack of support had he licked the surface of the earth to save only his life. 

But a scapegoat the guards wanted. Even as he paid his homage to the king of Ifa-ile, the words he earlier made already singled him out for a death sentence that even his ghost shall tremble at the hearing of the King of Ifa-ile.

That even in his next life, at the sight of the King of Ifa-ile shall he be shaken, for the fear of the king shall not leave his heart even in his grave where he shall lay,  were the words of another of the guards. 

By his ear they pulled him and even though he fell more to the ground, they dragged him with all the strength they could transfer to their arm. 

That, the king was greedy? Another of the guards asked in his stronger voice before he would lift his right hand and fall it on the face of the chief loudly. 

Okiki-osupa who yet again began to maunder to and fro at the entrance of the palace asked once more if any other disagree to accept King Osabiegun as their only king, to which no other king shall rule Efon but a chief hearkening to the command of the king of Ifa-ile? 

With their lips gummed together they first of all murmured but if they allowed Okiki-osupa begged their pardon again for them to repeat their words shall they understand the reason why the teeth of a tiger can not be played with. 

In their fright, they all chorused together the words which praised the first King of Ifa-ile and Efon. For under Ifa-ile shall every territory under Efon belonged and Efon herself which became another conquered territory under Ifa-ile. 

According to their words shall the crown of the king of Ifa-ile remain for long on his head and his shoe remain for long beneath his feet and his horse tail whisk which shall not leave his hand forever. 

Even in their laughter which the guards of ifa-ile and the emissaries Of Ifa-ile berated out of their lips, Okiki-osupa had struck the chiefs of Efon with yet another question which left them paralyzed. 

In her words shall one among the chiefs rise to his feet for he shall become the  native authority to which the king of Ifa-ile shall rule Efon. 

But the longer silence was given instead of action, compelled each of the guards of Ifa-ile to load their musket and pointed it at them. 

As further threat was made, one of the chiefs of Efon even so in his fright rose to his feet; a sacrifice he made himself to be the native authority of Efon to which the King of Ifa-ile shall rule Efon. 

But if he indeed thinks he shall be chosen left him in a dilemma as one of the guards of Ifa-ile hit his forehead with a toss of his finger and in his words ordered him to sit down even on the ground.

 That the most confident chiefs shall not be taken but a feeble one who in their light shall always walk was the word of the guard of Ifa-ile as he now touched gently on the ground, the beneath of his musket. 

His eyes which kept a fixed stare on each of the chiefs one after another shot a steady look at one of the chiefs who appeared to be all soaked in his bead of sweat. 

That he was the one who will rule in the stead of King Osabiegun was the word of the guard to which  he had turned, looking at Okiki-osupa to ask if the decision was a good one. In her response, she backed up his decision and confirmed that the decision was the best. 

According to her words, If an antelope rules the jungle in the absence of the lion, shall the antelope obey every single rule left behind by the lion lest, he becomes devoured as a meat that nourishes him in the morning. 

That  the chief kneel, one of the emissaries commanded the moment the emissary stepped forward to which the chief was Immediately compelled to his kneel by the presence of the guard of Ifa-ile who stood gallant beside him. 

His hands, he was commanded yet again to stretch further forward as he should open his palm which he slowly did. 

At the moment, a dagger of double edge was placed in his palm to which must be sworn by the goddess of their land and a curse he shall place upon himself if he goes against the king of Ifa-ile. 

Even as he remained reluctant to do this, the rest of the guards of ifa-ile pointed their musket at him as each one of them began one after another with different incantations. 

The guards who remained closely steadfast beside him began again with a laughter which left Okiki-osupa even in confusion as she knew not what the reason for his laughter was. 

That the guard kept mute after he had instructed the rest of the guards to open their fire caused him to be petrified immediately as he clung to his courage and in the name of olomitutu he placed a curse on himself. 

According to his word shall he always obey the words of King Osabiegun of Ifa-ile and through him shall the king of Ifa-ile rule Efon. 

For the moment he lingered a thought contrary to the words of the king of Ifa-ile shall the ground swallow him six feet below the earth because the moment a tree disobeys the command of the earth shall it fall to the ground and die like it never grew. 

In a chorus, Okiki-osupa, the guards of Ifa-ile and the emissaries of Ifa-ile answered at once to the curse. That it will come to pass at the moment he muttered a thought contrary to the command of the king of Ifa-ile. 

With this had the dagger been taken away from his hand by the guard who had not moved an inch from him. 

If they thought that was all they had lied to themselves as their eyes now became  filled with pain the moment the guard raised his hand which held onto the dagger, into the air and with force fell it into the stomach of the chief who had before summon courage against Osabiegun. 

A sudden exclamation the chiefs of Efon sprouted out from their mouths but even if anyone blinked a tear shall he follow the chief into the land of the dead.  

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• I have combined this work of fiction from the originality of the Yorubas' of the South western part of Nigeria.

•This novel should not instruct their history as it is only a fiction.

•I have decided to go premium early as chapter 40 since creation is hard

• Daily update will begin by first of September. Please support me.