Danjuma and his contingent arrived at the Dari manor without any more drama – a thing those illustrious uncles were perhaps disappointed with, as they had enjoyed the last diversion so much.

  This manor, little more than a depot and far beneath their usual standards, detained them only a few hours before they were on their way again. After all, two people of their rank had commensurate responsibilities that couldn’t be kept aside for long. Even the few days they had set aside to help the young master with scouting had been costly enough. Luckily, the few hours they had spent were more than enough for their airship to be prepared.

  As they boarded, they were accompanied by the young master, who had insisted on carrying their luggage himself. This wasn’t just a sign of respect, but an acknowledgement of the inconvenience the matter had presented to these prestigious uncles. After all, to keep this matter as incognito as possible and to make sure their work back in the clan went smoothly, they had left all their staff aside and came themselves. This was, of course, because they were more than confident in their own abilities, but it also showed how much value the clan put on this juvenile scion of the clan.

  One of them levelled a warm look at the man before putting his hand on his shoulder.

  “You have done the Dari clan, no, the whole Jan Zaki, proud by your abilities. Even the clan lord wasn’t much better at this age.”

  “You flatter your servant too much,” the young man replied, bowing deeply in thanks for the kind words.

  “What is flattery?” the man asked with mock anger. “This old man has forgotten how to utter words that are sweet to men’s ears unless I deeply feel them. I’m even more likely to insult than compliment someone now, even if I approve of their actions. I don’t say this to you merely to make your head big or to reach a quota for words… You have ability, young Danjuma. This our clan needs it.”

  “Thank you, Uncle."

  “Your decision-making could use some work, though,” the other uncle chimed in from behind, giving his opinion lightly. "You cannot give hostiles that much leeway in the future. There’s nothing enemies understand if not force.”

  Danjuma’s instinct was to accept the chastisement easily, but the bright eyes of the younger elder from behind his round spectacles seemed to be encouraging him to give his honest opinion.

  His eyes darted between the two uncles and the strange, almost comical, contrast between them. The former’s praise sounded acerbic and difficult to receive, while even the latter’s criticism was inviting.

  “I just thought there was no need to enter a conflict if it couldn’t be helped, Uncle. After all, a lion that must fight to protect his territory is halfway to losing it.”

  “Avoiding conflicts is an important skill and noble sentiment, young master, but people stopping your convoy aren’t doing it with pure intentions. Your life and those of your subordinates, who look to you to lead them, are far more important than the lives of those who want to kick the hornet’s nest by provoking the Lion.”

  “We have a saying that whoever is trampled to death by an elephant is both blind and deaf. Since they have the gall to jump in front of our convoy, they should also be prepared to die. If miserable creatures like that can dare such things even against our clan, then what about the normal travellers who cross their paths?”

  Danjuma listened to the views of both his uncles and thanked them generously for their instruction. In truth, he had given the option out of a personal curiosity about the bori and a general indifference about the actions of ants such as them, since, even in their dozens, they were nothing to him.

  Refuse remained refuse, no matter how high it was piled.

  Not long after, the airship became a dot in the sky, carrying the two men deeper north as swiftly as possible.

  “What an interesting find,” the younger one said as he looked down at the chessboard in front of him.

  “Indeed,” his companion agreed, moving a piece forward, “I thought we’d be in for a boring excursion, but it proved rather diverting and… enlightening.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “It’s a little too much of a coincidence for us to run into that horde on our way back as well as those Bori savages, isn’t it?”

  “There are no such things as coincidences when it comes to succession. Garo’s hand is all over this affair.”

  “I think so too, but it’s a little of a puzzling situation… after all, even with this stunt, he’ll only delay the second young master for a year at most. I may not be worth much regard, but I doubt that such a small benefit is worth him losing the favour of your noble self.”

  "Indeed," he said, moving another jade piece subtly, “I’ve always known the young man to never lose sight of the bigger picture. Such short-sightedness is disappointing.”

  There was silence for a little while before the older one made an illegal move, but his junior didn’t call him out on it.

  “Well, maybe this was his intention. After all, if not for those diversions, we wouldn’t have been able to see the young master in action.”

  “So, he did it to force his brother’s hand? The second young master is overly reticent to enter into conflict, so it’s pretty believable that his brother would resort to such measures.”

  “What a pair of brothers," he said in a voice that was almost a sigh. “This culling ritual…”

  “It isn’t something that will stop just because you don’t want it, Abarshi… after all, more talented brothers than these have shed blood over the seat of the clan lord.”

  “You’re right,” he said, his knight now dangerously close to his opponent’s king, “it seems we have nothing to do other than watch.”

  In the manor they were steadily leaving behind, the young master who was part of their considerations was storming through the building towards the western wings – a place generally reserved for visiting external elders. Since it had been a whole year since he returned here, and his influence in the clan was increasing, he did technically meet the requirements, but the staff in charge of the wing watched on nervously as he barged into a certain room.

  Sitting alone in front of a simple desk of dark wood was a man who bore a striking resemblance to the young man in front of him.

  “Danjuma,” he said, a genuine hospitable smile appearing on his face, “I’m glad you made time to visit.”

  Contrary to his rash entry, the younger brother now presented a composed mien before his elder, rejecting his offer for refreshments as he sat down.

  Next to him was, unexpectedly, a large man wearing a white and red striped cap and covered with curious white markings across his face and bare chest.

  This was a dibia – an Odinani diviner.

  Danjuma gave a respectful greeting to the man but wondered what he could possibly be doing here.

  While it was true, as he had said, that the Elves observed worship of the gods, it wasn’t the thorough following of precepts that the Goblins were held to in Odinani, worshipping the Goddess or the Witches who assiduously worshipped Xango through Isese. They offered sacrifices and sang praise, but did not follow the decrees of their oracles or priests.

  It was honour segregated to the cultic and not the legislative.

  Knowing all this to be true, his eldest brother still sat and listened to the ravings of this relic of the past who waved his weirdly-shaped truncheon (called an Ofo) up and down as he spoke.

  “Forgive my manners,” Garo said after a while, smiling and introducing Danjuma to the man, though he did not reveal the dibia’s name.

  “Greetings, second young master,” he said brightly. "The blessings of Ani.”

  Danjuma’s reply was hollow but also impossible to find fault with.

  “He has been regaling me with his doctrine,” Garo said after a while, “join us.”

  Danjuma had no option, seeing as he had urgent business to litigate with his brother, so he thanked both and sat down, paying attention to his stories.

  He spoke of a time above.

  A time before.

  Of perfect things and diamond absolutes.

  When all creatures lived in perfect sublimity with Chukwu, the creator, and no one knew the physical form and its torments.

  The only condition for this state of bliss was that no man should enter Chukwu’s obi (hut) in which He did great work and from which all the secrets of existence came.

  But, as we know, things fall apart.

  The creatures, ever-curious and wanting more than their estate, persuaded Mgbafor, his gatekeeper, to sneak into his obi and obtain his secrets. (Some said that she was his consort, but the dibia emphasised that this was an accretion, as Chukwu was neither male nor female but called “He” as a matter of ignorance or simplicity).

  Her curiosity was not rewarded, and spying into his domain, a spark of divine fire burst from within and struck Creation. The explosion was called Odachi.

  Thus, creation fell from its place in paradise.

  And once things fall, they are Fallen.

  Still, the situation was not without hope as Chukwu restructured a world from the body of His now-deceased gatekeeper and made the celestial gods as an extension of His Godhead to govern the affairs of mortals and spirits.

  It was said that the blood of Mgbafor was given to men as gold, the First metal. That was why the afor market day, one associated with wealth and success, was so named.