Chapter 78
Osun simply turned her head to look at Ewatomi who was standing beside her and the Mermaid Head's eyes followed her gesture and settled on Ewatomi. "A striking resemblance." The Head Mermaid said, slowly moving towards Ewatomi as she scrutinized her. "Just as beautiful as her grandmother."
"Who are you?" Ewatomi politely asked.
"I'm the Queen of all Mermaids for this century, until power shifts to another." She replied. "I've heard so much about you, child and we, in these desperate times have come to you for help."
"For help?" Ewatomi asked, baffled. "What are you talking about?"
"I can see that your grandmother has not told you yet." The Cuban Queen threw a displeased sideways glance at Osun. "Howbeit, I'll tell you. For more than sixty years now, some hunters have been abducting mermaids from the sea. They have been harvesting their blood and other organs too for medical treatment of humans and also for high-level intoxication." She explained. "But sources have revealed that they still continue to hunt our kind because they are yet to get what they are really searching for, and that's a rare fluid most mermaids do not have. That fluid, if harvested from a mermaid is potent enough to even extend the life span of a human and also make him completely immune to any sickness. These hunters are already in Nigeria as we speak and information has reached us that they'll be in Osun's sea in nine days’ time."
"And what has that got to do with me?" Ewatomi asked.
"We heard about your infamous anger and how we can put it to good use against these men."
"Anger? But that was long ago. Being exiled from the water world and living amongst humans have helped me gain better control of my emotions. I'm fully reformed." Ewatomi answered.
"Well, I'm sorry to say this, child but you will have to bring back that anger because this is when we need it the most." The Cuban Queen said. "Your grandmother will restore your powers to you and every one of us here will add to it but the most important thing is that you have to be furious enough to be able to control the four elements."
"No!" Ewatomi stepped back. "I am not going to return to my old lifestyle! I can't flush everything that I've worked for just to fight in a battle that has nothing to do with me!"
The Cuban Queen glanced at Osun and said, "I can see that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree indeed... Osun, this is up to you; you have to convince your granddaughter and make her see reasons why taking up this is very important!" Then she returned her gaze to Ewatomi. "Child, you have no idea what a huge favor you are doing to our world if you agree to help us! You might be the next Head Queen."
"I don't want to be one. I'm fine right where I'm." Ewatomi stubbornly said.
The Cuban Queen sighed and stepped back. "I can sense that you are still bitter towards your grandmother for banishing you and that's why you are this adamant about our proposal. Nevertheless, we can't stay long on land. We'll leave now, hoping that your grandmother would share some positive news with us later. We are willing to wait but please, make up your mind fast. We have a greater war to prepare for and we must prevail if we want this hunting to stop once and for all! We cannot keep losing our daughters to these hunters! Who knows, you might be next." She said to Ewatomi.
"If I'm in this form..." Ewatomi folded her arms under her chest. "I think I've little to worry about since they might never detect that I'm one of you."
"Clever." The Cuban Head smiled tightly. "But even if you are half-human, I wonder what kind of mermaid would watch her sisters being slaughtered while she fails to identify with us."
"This is not my war!" Ewatomi remained adamant.
"Sure, it isn't, it's ours, and trust me child when I say that if we had other options, we won't be here right now trying to convince you to help us." The Cuban Queen stated then poked Ewatomi's chest with a finger. "In as much as you try to deny it, I know that that anger is still in here. It's just locked up somewhere and needs to be unleashed for the right reasons this time... How will your conscience rest when you know that you let a lot of lives perish when you could do something about the situation?" She asked and when Ewatomi said nothing, she added, "I'll leave you to think about it, child." As she turned to leave, she paused when she almost reached Bukunmi who was still on the ground, then she paused and asked Osun over her shoulder as she stared down at Bukunmi, "And who's this? She smells like us but has dark powers hovering over her."
"That's my infamous treacherous stepsister who seeks my granddaughter's life after her son murdered my daughter." Osun answered.
"It's a surprise that you, Osun, spared her life for this long. I know you too well to get rid of your adversaries with immediate effect. If this one has stayed alive for this long then she must really be a thorn in your flesh." The Cuban Queen scoffed as she took two slow steps closer to Bukunmi who glared up at her. "I don't care what your feud with Osun is all about, but you will not take our only hope at victory away from us."
She said to Bukunmi. "Nor will you stand in our way. Since I've zero patience for treachery and nonsense, join your son!" She stated and stomped the end of her trident on the ground. Suddenly, the ground began to shake as a tremor seized it and before Bukunmi who was screaming in terror could quickly scramble away from where she was, the earth cracked open, swallowed her up and shut after her and Sewa and Vincent slowly turned to exchange looks of shock.
Sewa's eyes suddenly rolled in her head and the woman fell backward with a thud, fainting before Vincent could catch her. Vincent quickly squatted beside her and started trying to revive her.
"Problem forever taken care of." The Cuban Queen said to Osun who acknowledged her with a nod of respect. Glancing at Ewatomi for the last time, she turned and walked into the bush and the Queen Mermaids turned and followed her.
"You are my step-cousin?" Kikelomo who had tentatively pulled closer to Ewatomi asked now.
Ewatomi stared at her. "I never knew until today, but all the same, you tried to kill me."
"If I could take back the hand of time, believe me, I'd. I have not been fair to you ever since we were children and I deeply apologize." She said in genuine remorse and her friend gathered around her. "And that also goes to you girls, I've treated you like unequals and I am very sorry. I guess I let my powers get to my head... Can we be friends again?" She sheepishly asked, skeptical that they would take her back after she had threatened to kill them all.
The maidens exchanged glances and Abisola answered, "Yes, we forgive you as long as you promise that you'll stop being mean to others."
"Do you think that we have really lost our powers?" Ifede asked.
"Yes." Kikelomo answered with a sigh. "I feel more like myself again before I had been cooked in that pot and fortified by the snake’s venom. I feel lighter than before."
"Me too." Ronke said. "I don't feel the movement of the snake in my pelvic anymore. It has stopped.
"But you all can only be truly free after you go for deliverance in the church." Vincent approached them now.
Kikelomo turned to look at him in an endearing manner then she heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry that I burnt your sketchbook. I was jealous."
"I know... it's fine..." Vincent replied.
"I'll go to the church just like you have suggested and tomorrow, I shall tell my father to pick a suitor of his choice for me. I've learned how vain it is trying to force someone to love me."
"We all ought to unlearn to learn when need be." Vincent said, pleased with her decision.
"But before I leave, permit me to hug you for the very last time."
Vincent hesitated then shrugged, "Okay." He opened his arms and she embraced him but she didn't stop there, she caught him off-guard and forcefully kissed him until he had to break it and stepped back, looking flushed. "You are still very sly, you know that, right?" He said to her.
She shrugged a shoulder. "Well, I don't think that's a trait that will ever leave. Whoever my husband will be will still have to give me anything I want." She smiled. Then she turned to her friends and together, they walked away.
Osun turned to look at Ewatomi then said, "I'm sorry for what I did to you and I know that you might never forgive me, but please think about what the Mermaid Head has told you. This situation is more dire than you think and you might be our only hope. Take all the time you need; I shall not pressure you. But remember, if ever you wish to change your mind before your twenty-fifth birthday, I shall be willing to return everything I took from you." She said and turned when she heard her name behind her.
"Osun?" Oyediran called, trying to confirm if she was really the one as he approached her from behind. But instead of replying, Osun placed a finger on his forehead and he collapsed on the ground unconscious.
"What did you do that for?!" Ewatomi angrily asked, rushing to kneel beside her grandfather.
"He won't remember that he saw me." Osun said. "This is not the time to kiss and make up and get back to old relationships. I might not even survive this war and I do not want to raise his hopes now only to have him mourn me later." She removed a beautiful seashell from her hair and gave it to Ewatomi. "Give him this though when he comes to. Let it serve to him as a memento of me. As for now, I've to go prepare myself and my daughters for the impending battle. I'll hate to be caught unawares. When you come to the river later on, you might not find us, for we are all moving out to the open sea where the battle will take place." Turning, she left with Labake and Adunni.
★★★
After seeing all these, Vincent did not need to be convinced anymore about Ewatomi's true identity, and he sent a letter to the bishop explaining what he had confirmed and also informing him that there was no need for physical confirmation anymore but the bishop wrote back, instructing him to still stick to the plan, without really explaining why.
As days passed and turned into weeks, Vincent and Ewatomi spent more time together and she could now study the Bible on her own without any help. She would sit in his room, reading the Bible with a candle light even while Vincent was already deeply asleep. She had never prayed before but she now knew a lot about the scriptures and about God and his son.
All the Mermaids converged at the open sea, lurking and waiting for when to carry out their ambush but what baffled them was that the ship remained anchored but the hunters made no attempt to hunt. It was as if they were waiting but none of the Mermaids could guess while the hunters tarried.
Two weeks passed and nothing still happened but they continued to keep an eye on the ship nonetheless, waiting for the right time to surprise their enemies and strike. Four days before Ewatomi's birthday, they saw some men leave the ship on rowboats, got into waiting vehicles and left but none could still guess where they were going to and why they had not started hunting yet.
★★★
On the eve of Ewatomi's birthday, she led Vincent down to the river to show him what he had long waited to see. He was casually dressed and was anxious about what he would see. He stopped at the bank and stared up at the bright full moon. He glanced behind him at the bush and trees, wondering where the bishop was hiding since they had already met in church earlier that day after he arrived from the East.
The bishop had strictly told him not to tell Ewatomi that there would be a third party. He assured Vincent that all he needed to do was confirm that Ewatomi was indeed a mermaid, which after he would quietly return to the church without being noticed.
"Just don't freak out." Ewatomi told Vincent as she backed towards the river until she was knee-deep.
"First, let me just say happy twenty-fifth birthday before you turn into anything you are going to turn into right now." Vincent said, smiling even though he was a bit nervous.
"Well, thank you...but originally, you should be wishing me a happy two-hundred and forty-second birthday." She replied
"You are that old?" He laughed. "You just might have some grey hair once you turn."
"Nah, we don't age like that." She said as she spread her arms sideways and began to breathe a bit hard, then she gave a nervous smile and whispered. "I can feel it, Vincent...I can feel it..." She sounded both excited and anxious. "It's all coming back to me..."
"Take your time." Vincent said, wondering if he should let her know that the bishop was hiding close by, watching them. He couldn't wait to introduce them to each other and he prayed that the bishop would approve of their union after this.
Ewatomi waded deeper into the water until she was belly-deep then turned to look at Vincent. "What's the time. Is it twelve yet?" She asked.
Vincent checked his wristwatch and said as he folded his arms again, "eleven-fifty-nine to be precise. You have only one minute left."
"Okay..." She gave a nervous smile and he smiled back at her.
Vincent glanced up at the sky. "I thought you said it rains every time on your birthday and it's the yearly curse which your grandmother put on the village as a remembrance for your mother's death?"
"Yes, it does rain...but it doesn't start immediately after midnight... Perhaps, a few minutes later." She replied.
"Right..." He murmured, glanced down at his wristwatch and said aloud. "Twelve o clock already!"
Suddenly the surface of the water around her body began to boil and froth, and he keenly watched now, realizing that her skin was changing and getting scaly. He watched her remove her scarf and shook out her long hair then she let her upper wrapper fall loose on the surface of the water, floating away. Her hair, however, fell over her shoulders, covering her breasts but bearing her cleavage and when she put her hands under the water to remove her lower wrapper, he swallowed hard when he knew that she was completely naked right in front of him.