THE NASTY

Chapter 9 : Biko Lives Large

The Palace

Queen Abena stood near the window of her bedroom gazing out morosely at the beautiful garden beyond the window.

Sage Dusu walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders before sliding them down her arms. He held her slender waist and drew her body into his. He felt the slight stiffening of her body as he kissed her gently behind her left ear.

"You seem worried, darling," he said with mounting desire as his hands moved up to cup her breasts. "Don't be. Everything played out just right, just as we planned it to be. By the end of day tomorrow, Nana would be dead inside the Circle, and then our son will become king."

"What if he doesn't die inside the Circle?" the queen asked, her voice troubled. "What if the cemetery remains closed?"

"If the cemetery remains closed after the Circle Hunt, we'll open a new one, just as the Scrolls state. Moreover, I closed the cemetery first before the elements enshrouded it with that cursed cloud. If the cemetery opens again, trust me, I'll close it again so that we can open up a new one."

"But why?" the queen asked, troubled, and absent-mindedly moved out of the circle of his arms. "Why did you do that? As long as the cemetery remains closed, tongues would wag about my son's kingship! There would be question marks about it!"

"There are already question marks, my darling," the Sage said darkly. "Remember, he was rejected in the Crown Claim, and the real crown is still out there in the cemetery! And remember that the Oracle can enter the Royal Cemetery. If they find the crown is still there, they will know Biko lied, and they would kill him. So, it is better for the cemetery to be closed, for his own good."

She sat down on the bed and put her hands in her laps.

"It would have been better to kill Nana after a trial, Dus," she said with a big sigh. "I'm not comfortable with the Hunt. If he comes out again…"

"He's not coming back, my love," the Sage said and sat down beside her. "We have it all covered. We'll use this opportunity to make Biko loved by the whole of Lade. We have plans to send technology no one has seen before to all twenty Ebuses. We are also going to ensure Nana doesn't come back. Trust me, Nana is not coming back from this one."

The queen leaned against him when he put an arm around her shoulder, and she smiled at him with a worried expression.

"Are you really sure, Dus?"

"Don't worry your lovely head, my love. It is under control. As soon as Biko becomes king, we will replace Kubi as the Oracle. Baba will take his place."

Her smile was happier now.

"That would be very lovely, indeed."

She allowed his lips to descend on hers, and a few minutes later, he pushed her gently on the bed. She did not resist him this time.

***

Ebuses

All around Lade, in all the twenty Ebuses, the crowd came out in numbers to watch what was happening.

Twenty-five wide-screen coloured televisions and CD players were taken from the Core, loaded into chariots, and distributed to the main conference centres of the Ebuses with rechargeable generators.

They erected television stands hurriedly, and the televisions were soon ready.

The power generators came on, and when the people were told that by courtesy of the Heir Apparent, they would be watching all that would happen inside the Circle Hunt on the television screens, many of them laughed with scorn. Others made rings around their temples with forefingers to portray how crazy they thought the whole idea was.

However, when the CD players connected to the televisions, and music videos started playing, most of them fled from the gathering with fear.

The music was hip-hop sounds from planet earth, brought by one of the visiting earthlings to the Core, and recorded on CD players.

One by one, the citizens of Lade came back to stare at the television screens with fear at first, and then with mounting excitement. It was the first time they saw glimpses of earth, the people of the earth, and glimpses of the culture and fashion from another planet.

They sat down – some even on the bare floor – and watched this magical box with awe and mounting hunger. For many, this was the first time they were hearing that there were other worlds somewhere, with citizens that looked just like them except for the fashion and advancement in technology.

They watched the compilation of musicals and later became more relaxed when another movie, featuring hilarious collections of pranks and gags, was slotted in.

As they watched in awe and laughed in ecstasy, their happiness soared to dizzying heights. Their sorrow over the deaths of the king, and the Commander of the warriors, was dulled for a moment. They were told that very soon, they would be having smaller editions of the magical box in their homes.

Finally, when the power generators powered down, and the televisions went off, they screamed for more. They were assured that better times were coming as soon as the traitor, Prince Nana, had met a just end inside the Circle Hunt.

Thus, by the end of that night, Prince Nana had become the most hated individual in the kingdom of Lade. It was not simply because the prince had killed their king and a warrior, but his continuous existence meant having television sets in their homes could be sabotaged.

They wanted the magic boxes that had given them such pleasure above all, so they wanted the prince to die.

***

Oracle Residence

The grey-haired old woman tucked the sides of the sheets around the frail body of the Oracle of Lade. Next, she leaned over to turn down the glare of the lantern on a little stool on the floor.

"Are you comfortable, my love?" she asked gently.

The Oracle looked at his wife, the woman he had married in his youth and spent fifty-five years with. She was a wonderful woman, his most precious gift. They had not been able to have children, quite, unfortunately, but their love had stood the test of time and only grown stronger with time.

The Oracle had developed a vicious headache ever since he got back from the Hearings. The shivering had set in shortly afterwards, and his wife had boiled some herbs for him and prepared his favourite groundnut soup with pieces of tender lamb chops.

After dinner, they had taken a bath and retired for bed.

"You're my comfort, Yaa," he whispered and smiled at his wife fondly. "You make me brave in all my ailments."

She leaned down and nuzzled his nose with hers.

"And you always make me strong, Kobby Kubi," she said fondly. "Get well, my love. Tomorrow is a big day."

A shadow passed across the face of the Oracle.

"They hate him, Yaa," he said softly. "I could discern it, almost feel their dark thoughts. Biko, Dusu and Abena. Their thoughts are dark towards the boy."

She took his hand and rubbed it gently.

"I know Prince Nana is like the son you never had," she said gently. "You always say it. But, don't you think the evidence against him is too strong? Maybe, you were wrong about him. Even his mother believes him guilty."

The Oracle remained still for a long time, debating whether to tell her that Queen Abena was not the mother of Nana. His wife thought for a moment that he had drifted off into sleep, but he sighed softly and took her hand.

"There are a lot of things I don't know, my darling," he said gently. "But, as I watched that boy, I knew he was innocent."

"But he's a coward, my love," Lady Yaa said desperately. "I've never seen a person more ill-fated for the Hunt than that prince. He might end up dead the moment he steps into the tunnel!"

"Sometimes, the ways of the Spirits aren't our ways," the Oracle said finally. "If he is innocent, he will come back. I was left with no choice but sentence hm to the Hunt, for the sake of my old friend King Haman."

"You did well, darling, and I'm proud of you. I pray the Spirits to save Nana's life, my love," Yaa said. "The servants told me about a magic box that was brought to the Centre and the good fun they had with it. She says Prince Biko made a promise that they will witness the Hunt on the box. Is he crazy?"

The Oracle nodded once.

“What are the fools up to now? The Circle Hunt is supposed to be a spiritual journey, of facing elements not known to us, of reckoning with the Spirits! It is a secret journey! And how are they going to let the people see the hunt on a box? But if it is so, let it be so. The Spirits always have a way to deal with issues, so what will be, will be. Come, my dear, lie beside me. Tomorrow will be a day of sorrow.”

"Yes, my love," Yaa said and slipped into bed beside her husband.

***

Biko’s Quarters

Ama from the First Ebus was breathless!

She was a broken girl, blown off her feet by a television.

Yes, she had agreed to marry Biko, but her resolve had been to get married before sleeping with Biko. At least Nana had put her on that high pedestal and given her that respect.

More and more, after seeing Nana at the Hearings, unable to speak or write, she had felt great guilt buffeting her heart. Again, she had wondered if, perhaps, she should have waited and heard his side of the story too. She had heard from Biko and other witnesses and accepted the charges on Nana. She had been convinced Nana's guilt, she knew, because of how he had behaved at the Sightings when he saved that beast.

She loved him; of that she was sure. She still felt a great passion for him. He was calm, knowledgeable, and a perfect gentleman. His mere touch sent her heart thundering, and he had made her so happy!

But to kill the king in an attempt to usurp Biko's ascension to the throne had been what she had not been able to accept and forgive. Secondly, the prospect of being the next queen of Lade had been too good to turn down, if Nana was going to be imprisoned, or killed.

Torn between the pitiful sight of Nana and the prospect of being a queen soon, she had allowed Biko to bring her to the palace. He had told her about televisions, but she had not understood what he was talking about.

He had waited with her at the Conference Centre within the Royal Ebus, and they had witnessed the big television as it was mounted.

Much later, Biko brought her to his quarters in the palace. There was a smaller television in his room powered by an Invertor.

Biko, who had been blown away by an adult video musical compilation he had seen, shown to him by one of the workers within the Core, had requested for a copy.

That was what he slipped into the CD player, and watched with Ama.

The television had been new to her! The fashion, culture, vehicles, buildings and a plethora of technology she had seen in the video had left her breathless. Biko explained to her that this was from Earth, another planet, but most of them had been developed in Lade. He told her that very soon, Lade would have many of such technology!

And, of course, Ama had been left breathless and extremely excited by the adult nature of the videos, some including full s****l displays! In Lade, where nudity in any form was a taboo, and s*x was barely talked about let alone displayed, she was both shocked and excited by the sheer debauchery she witnessed! She could not believe her eyes!

Biko, of course, had come in for the kill.

Whilst they were watching, he had served her with delicious and tender meat pieces and mildly-alcoholic drinks. Ama lost a big part of her inhibitions.

When he held and kissed her, she responded with passion, her tender heart quite thundering with arousal. His hands moved over her body, touching her, caressing, inflaming!

And there on the rich rug in front of the television, he took off her clothes, and soon they were making fevered love!

He had been too excited though, too fired up, and after slipping deliciously through her, he found himself exploding after a few thrusts. He tried to hold back but to no avail.

He had thought she was a virgin, fresh and unblemished, but she was not. This had disappointed Biko greatly because the prospect of being first with Ama, the girl Nana loved, had given him great anticipation and been a catalyst that had prompted his proposal.

Afterwards, as they lay on the rug, he felt the disappointment enveloping him. He felt her withdrawing from him, a shocked silence and a frenzied look on her face that told him she had regretted making love to him. He tried after a while to make love again, but although she did not protest, she did not help him either and seemed relieved when he failed to achieve an erection.

This irked him; it made him angry!

It had never happened to him before and made him feel embarrassed. He tried again and again, kissing and fondling her in a frenzy. Finally, in desperation, he grabbed her hand and draped it over his flaccid manhood.

"You're agitated and stressed," she said calmly. "It would not erect. Leave it. Another day and you'll be fine again."

She sat up suddenly and watched the television screen.

Its mystery and allure were gone, and in their place was a bitter disappointment. The sight of many men and women on a huge bed engaged in s****l activities of extreme nature on the television repulsed her very much.

"Could you please… put that off now?"

He made no effort to get off the floor, so she began to dress quickly with her back to him.

"Is it Nana?" he asked finally.

She went rigid and looked at him sharply, fighting the tears that came to her eyes instantly. Oh, how different they were! She had wanted Nana, but he had been prepared to wait, and of course, he would never have asked her such a question.

He had understood!

She had told him everything, and he had loved her more for it because he had felt empathy for her.

She did not pretend not to understand Biko's question, though.

"No, Nana has never touched me."

His arm was under his head, and his eyes narrowed at her.

"You're not a virgin," he said, almost petulantly.

She reached behind her and pulled up the zipper on her dress.

"I never told you I was, Prince Biko!"

She was all cold now, dreading the next question she knew was coming! She had never told anyone her story, but she had told Nana. That day he had taken her in his arms and kissed her gently, telling her he would marry her and make sure her step-father would never touch her again!

He had offered to inform the king about the atrocity of her step-father, but she had not wanted it that way and begged him to wait until they were married.

"So, who is it?" Biko asked coldly. "Who had you first? Is he still having you? How many men have you known anyway? Is there another you've been warming even now?"

She looked down at him scathingly, and her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"I could smack your face in just now!" she hissed on a stifled sob.

Breathing deeply with emotional pain, she picked up her sandals and fled from his chambers, pausing long enough to lean against the wall in the corridor as she felt hot tears coursing down her cheeks.

She wept bitterly as it dawned on her that she had made, perhaps, the biggest mistake of her life!

"Oh, Nana, Nana! My love! What have I done to us? What have I done to you? Forgive me, my love, please forgive me!"

Ama heard servants approaching, and she took to her heels again and fled out of the palace!