The Place Beyond Her Dreams by Oby Aligwekwe (english novels for students .txt) 📗

the staff. I examined it with admiration, a smile spreading across my face, and joy filling my heart.

“Thank you, Father. I didn’t know it would be this easy to take this staff.”

The late King nodded and chuckled lightly.

“Yes, it’s that easy. You see, this heirloom is not a physical thing. It’s spiritual. What those hooligans didn’t know was that they couldn’t just pick it up from its sanctuary just because they stole your birthright. The staff cannot be transferred from person to person indiscriminately. It is rightfully yours. Take good care of it and everything it represents and then pass it on to your heir—your first-born child. You will know when the time is right. I had tried to pass it to Albert, but I couldn’t because it wasn’t rightfully his. The spoilt brat doesn’t even know it, but he is finished.”

“Did Albert know the staff wasn’t his?”

The Ideme shook his head. “But he will soon find out. He is being told of his legacy as we speak.”

“So he was an innocent victim like me?”

The late King hesitated a bit before saying, “He was at birth, but unfortunately, with parents like Ozumba and Ekema, what chance did he have to remain pure? Ekema had a great influence on him. He was her puppet.”

“How do I carry the staff out of Luenah?” I asked, looking around at the faces in the throne room.

The entire court laughed. I laughed too, not knowing why everyone thought my question was funny but happy to be in the company of friends.

The Ideme cut through the laughter.

“I guess you haven’t figured it out by yourself. Here it is: anything you bind in the spirit will be bound there on earth. Everything in this world, including creation itself, was first manifested in the spirit before it transcended in the multi-dimensional world you live in. Go now. When you arrive, the staff will disappear from your hand, but you will be able to pick it up from the sanctuary with no trouble. No one on earth has the power to do that but you.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said, bowing again to him.

“Thank you, Father would be more appropriate. Now go in peace and take what already belongs to you. I don’t promise that it will be easy, but as long as you pursue it with courage, you will come out victorious.”

I drifted back to earth before I could respond. It took me a while to regain consciousness and realize where I was. When I finally came around, I jumped right up and looked around the room in confusion. That was when I heard Ona’s frantic knock on the door and her voice calling, “Okem open for me!”

Ona

The moment Albert left my room, I ran out of the house, went straight to the garage, and got into my car. The guards banged on the window and made signs for me to step out of the car, but I ignored them and drove straight to the Palisir hotel. I doubt they had heard the squabble in my room, but they must have seen Albert drive off in a hurry. On my way, I struggled to catch my breath. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had been afraid of Albert for far too long. Now that I had the chance to face the fear of his assault, I felt stronger and more confident than ever. I tried to call Okem from the lobby, and when he didn’t respond, I took the elevator to room 765 to meet him. His jaw clenched, and his chest heaved up and down as a combination of pain or anger clouded his face as he opened the door and removed the scarf I’d used to disguise the bruises on my face.

“Ona, don’t tell me Albert did this to you?”

Asides from my swollen eyes, Albert’s hand had created impressions all over my face, my arms, and my shoulders. The bleeding in my nose had subsided, but it was raw and swollen.

“Okem, Albert knows you’re around. He found out that I came here.”

“Is that why he did this? And how did he find out where you were?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure how I blew my cover,” I said, staring at him. “You need to get out of here! After what you told me earlier, there’s no telling what Albert will do if he finds out your exact location. He already knows you’re here at the Palisir.”

“Don’t worry,” Okem said as he lifted me off the ground and placed me gently on the large bed. “I’ll call my men immediately to find me another place to stay, but please try to remain calm now.”

He walked swiftly to the bathroom and emerged with a damp towel, which he folded and placed on my jaw. “I have to take you to the hospital. This cold compress should calm the swelling until you can see a doctor.”

“Is it that bad?” I grunted.

“I can’t believe you just asked that. You sound like you’ve gotten used to this treatment. Your entire face is swollen, and the white in one eye is red. Yes. It’s that bad.”

“It hurts so much,” I said, running my hand across my face.

“From now on, you should never be alone with that guy. This nonsense should end now.”

“It’s already over.”

“Is it?” he asked, glaring at me.

“Believe me, Okem. It’s over!”

He paused for a few moments and let out a sigh before continuing. “Can you believe that I was just about to phone you before I heard you knock?”

“Really?”

“Yes. I wanted to tell you that I went there. It was unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything so amazing,” he said, moving the towel from my jaw to my right cheek, while I stared at him in silence.

“Where? You went where?”

“Where else? Luenah!”

“That’s not possible,” I said, attempting to sit up on the bed. He held my shoulder to stop me.

“Nothing is impossible, my dear.”

“I don’t dispute that. It’s just that I can’t believe we get to share this experience.