Loving Boundlessly

CHAPTER 5

kpai!!!! kpai!!!!! kpai!!!! Obinna called out as he neared the sacred Grove of mmiri the river goddess. He knew as a man he could not enter the sacred Grove, so he sat on the ground and waited for the priestess of mmiri to come out and see him.

Obinna, I have been expecting you, said the priestess of mmiri. You will have to prepare for a journey. This is a journey that neither you nor Oma will be returning from.. FEAR NOT!!! i am not talking about death, but igwe has decided that he will not be denied Oma's affections and he plans to give you an ultimatum. All I have to tell you is that if you choose right the road will be difficult, but if you choose easy the world will fall to ruin. I would advise you not to take your wares to the palace but go to the market and then go home and prepare yourself and Oma for the journey ahead. The king will summon you soon enough. make sure you are alert. Do not let her venture far from you. She will meet a young man who will be compelled to protect her, let him, as the king is not below using underhanded means to get what he wants. But if you decide to choose easy please take your wares of silver, gold and wrappers to the palace for you will be richly rewarded. That is all I have to tell you. After saying that, the priestess went back into the sacred grove.

Obinna remained sitting long after the priestess had gone into the sacred grove. He thought over all she told him. he knew that the king wanted to take his daughter Oma as his 6th wife. He also knew his daughter and he knew if she got her head out of the clouds long enough she wouldn't accept his advances. The choice was not a difficult one. He knew there would be consequences after he refused the king Oma's hand the last time he asked. He also knew that he would not be able to protect her if the king decided to take her by force. Personally, Obinna felt that the king was taking advantage of his authority.

Obinna stood up, took his wares and headed to the market to sell off his wares. He had a lot of planning to do especially if he was going to beat the king at his own game.

Oma woke up with a start, breathing heavily as if she had run a marathon. she wiped the sweat from her brow with shaky hands and held her face in her hands, sniffling as the last vestiges of the dream cleared from her mind. Oma knew that it was no ordinary dream, she knew that it was most likely a portent of what was to come. She thought back to the dream and shuddered, "she was walking through the trees on her way to the river, when suddenly the sky turned dark and day became night. She felt as if she was being watched and hunted at once. She felt an oppression around her as she found it difficult to breathe. She turned and ran towards the river. She knew that if she got to the river she would be safe. Just before she got to the river, she heard a familiar laugh, one that she knew was filled with unimaginable malice and evil. Run!!! Little fawn, know that you can run but you can't hide. I will surely find you." Oma instinctively knew that the knidom was no longer safe for her. The king was but a pawn, a puppet played by a puppeteer in the shadows. She had long been aware that his carnal intentions were not just carnal, but stemmed from a place of darkness. Anytime the king came near her or touched her in greeting, she felt slimy and disgusting and worse, she had to pretend as if she had no idea what is going on. she decided to wait for her father to return and then tell him about this new dream.