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

no... no...” I placed my hand on my chest. It was suddenly so hard to breathe. “Papa, did you say Ifedi?”

He nodded.

I bit my lips so hard they began to bleed.

“You should be careful from now on. And don’t act so stunned. The people closest to you could also turn out to be your greatest enemies. Look at Okem, his aunty, his blood, tried to steal his birthright. She would have killed him if she had the power. Anointed blood would have been spilled, and she would have run mad if she dared. I believe she knew that. Otherwise, Okem would not be alive today. What she didn’t know was that his life was not the only thing out of bounds to her, but the staff was too. She underestimated its power.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, Papa. About Ifedi. I was in mortal danger.”

My grandfather shook his head.

“She would not have been able to harm you.”

“How? She was with me every day. She had the opportunity to do whatever she may have wanted to do with me all these years. If she could murder you, then she certainly could have done the same to me.” I shuddered as I spoke.

“She was part of the equation of your life. It would have done no good if I had revealed this to you earlier. Sometimes these things are allowed to happen for no apparent reason other than for us to grow. If someone really close to you has never hurt you to the depths of humanity, then you wouldn’t believe such treachery was possible. This lesson is very important in your new role, the one you’ve been prepared for. Many will cluster around and try to befriend you. Be careful of the ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’.”

“Do you think the path is clear now, Papa? Can I face the reality of this type of betrayal now?”

“Absolutely, my dear. God is faithful. The truth only comes to us when we have acquired all the skills needed to confront the hard realities the revelation of such a betrayal brings with it. Knowing the truth alone would not have saved you if you did not have the courage required to deal with it. The same courage that drove you to me in Luenah will take your pain from this betrayal and translate it into action.”

“Papa, this is torture. Ifedi may have killed you physically, but she killed my soul with her betrayal. What do you call this pain I feel in my heart? Does everyone have someone close betray them this much?”

My grandfather shook his head and smiled.

“No. Not only are you Eri, but also, you’ve been earmarked for greatness. You will be Queen. In that position, you’re considered the most important woman in the kingdom, so you needed that lesson. Only a handful of people in this world will experience that magnitude of betrayal—only the ones with a big mission to accomplish. You should consider yourself lucky. You were in the raw before now, and just like any precious stone after its rough edge has been polished, you’re now ready to get on the journey to occupy your purpose.”

“It’s all making sense now.”

“You see,” he continued, “I found out what Ozumba and Ekema were up to, and I was planning to take Okem to his father that weekend and reveal their treachery, but Ifedi found out and informed her accomplices. How she discovered my plans, I don’t know, because I didn’t breathe a word of it to anybody, not even to your grandmother. Back then, I had told you Okem was to travel with me for a few days, and all Ifedi and your grandmother knew was that preparations were being made for Okem to accompany me on a business trip to Ajidi. Ifedi put the poison in the jug of palm wine your grandmother always leaves me after dinner.”

“Tufiakwa,” I said, snapping my fingers like my grandmother always did whenever she heard something dreadful. My stomach was in knots, and tears streamed down my face. “What should I do now, Papa?”

“The first step is for you to accept your reality. Once you’ve done that, you’ll find it easier to fight your personal battles. Go! I believe you have everything you need to handle this situation. Trust your instincts. Have the courage to do what they ask of you because they’ll always lead you to the truth.”

Chapter Twenty-one

I REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS soon after my grandfather vanished. The news I just received left my body in a near dormant state. What treachery I have endured! I imagined how shocked Ifedi and her cohorts must have been when Albert and I first started dating. Our meeting in Ajidi so far away from home was one of those fatalistic inevitabilities that made me realize my position as the future Queen was part of my destiny. The same meeting played the role of bringing Albert and Okem together. I shivered as I thought about the magnitude of the danger Okem was in at the moment. Again, he was within the radar of his pursuers. I imagined their panic when he appeared out of the blue after they thought they’d heard the last of him.

Still in shock, I played our life with Ifedi over and over in my mind searching for any clues I may have missed. The red flags were everywhere. I recalled the conversation I had with Ifedi the day Okem disappeared from our lives. Her body language had been urging me to say more when she knew Okem was listening. She likely knew it would help their course if Okem were to be as far away from Ide as possible. It now made sense why she was always so protective of Albert knowing full well it was Okem I loved. She had never been nice to Okem in the past, but her attitude towards him had worsened around the time Albert came into my life. That was about the time she made it clear to everyone that