Chapter 1: When Old Spirits Wake

For four hundred years, the wind wey dey blow from Mount Garba never tire. Now, for the twenty-third year of Great Udo Kingdom, e rest for top Oji Hill.

That same Musa Danladi—wey before dey raise him banner high against the old order, wey stand like iroko as people dey bow—don finally reach him last bus stop. Years rush pass am like harmattan breeze and quick rain, and now all the wounds and sickness from him youth don catch up with am.

As he siddon, the sun slanting through the woven raffia blinds, the smell of burning shea butter lamp mix with old dust and palm oil for air. The aches in his bones greet am every morning, like stubborn relatives wey no dey ever tire. Every cough echo with dust from ancient battles, and for the quiet palace, footsteps from the past loud pass voices from today.

For him mind, cutlass and spear dey flash. Suddenly, he give one bitter smile: So be it—this life, I no get regret. If another life dey, I go still lay foundation for this kingdom, I go still clear land for everybody sake.

He touch the scar for him left arm—gift from the great clash for Oji River—and let the memory settle like red earth after rain. Scars no dey forget story—every mark na reminder say man no dey fight alone. No tears now, just pride say even inside pain, him spirit no ever bend.

As this thought dey him chest, breeze from four centuries ago drift enter Hanifa Hall for inside Palm Grove Palace:

Scent of palm wine, distant drums of town crier, and echo of ancient proverbs fill the air as Oba Musa Danladi close him eyes.

1

Inside Makurdi city, twenty-one-year-old king Ifedike open him eyes.

Room dey hum with life—servants dey sweep with straw broom, hawkers for outside dey hail fried akara, clinking of royal beads. The distant call to morning prayer float from the mosque near palace wall. This wind travel back four hundred years, carry soul of Oba Musa Danladi enter body of the future Lord Ifedike. As for Ifedike... maybe e don go join Sani Bello dey chase Ozo Eze.

In short, as Musa Danladi open eyes again, strange palace face am, and Ifedike memory start to rush enter him head:

He feel dizzy, like after person don chop heavy burukutu, as plenty scenes from past overlap for Musa Danladi mind: chaos at Oji River for Dangani, burning flames for Umunede, victorious laughter when army enter Makurdi—all of them, finally, gather as two clear tears fall outside the "Letter to the Council."

He remember the shouts of market women, pounding yam for kitchen, songs of hunters returning from bush. These memories wash over Musa Danladi heart, make him mind turn upside down:

Chei! I don come back to life again.

He grab the cowrie necklace wey hang for him chest, like say he wan confirm if na dream. I just be twenty-one, still dey force everyday by that big-ear, long-arm man to practice spear and bow.

Na wah o! So na me be this Ifedike now? Life get as e be.

The shock make him body light, limbs dey restless. Musa Ifedike jump from bed like fish wey dey escape hook:

The fine embroidered wrapper twist round him leg as he land. Eyes dey shine, spirit dey high.

That day, one rumour fly for palace: the king don craze. Person wey healthy before just stand up begin laugh anyhow, laugh scatter, dey talk nonsense, dey point sky and ground, dey shout, “Since I dey here, if loyal elders still dey cry for harmattan wind, if people wey get sense wan collect Heaven’s mandate, and the land of the Nine Villages dey suffer, then my surname no be Musa!”

Palace attendants dey look each other, dey whisper behind hand. Even old drummer pause, stick hang for top goat-skin. A palace maid mutter, "God abeg o" under her breath. One old guard cross himself, fear dey show for their face.

Obinna...

Obinna yarn, “Your Majesty, your surname no even be Musa before.”

Obinna voice dey shake, but e still try crack small joke. As he finish, Obinna cough, chest sound like old engine wey no wan start. Musa Ifedike wave am off, say, “No be that one be the matter. Why you dey here?”

Obinna pause, then answer, “Your Majesty, na me be Palace Attendant. E no normal make I dey palace? Abi make I carry myself comot?”

He bow small, careful make him wrapper no touch polished floor tile. Musa Ifedike just give two ‘oh’s, then say, “I forget, I forget.” He laugh again, the laugh get pride and wildness, like sun wey scatter everywhere—but as e return to him face, e sharp like blade.

That laugh carry old warrior energy, kind wey dey make elders look up from ayo game. This smile confuse Obinna small. He fit feel say king get another spirit today, but e no fit talk am.

Obinna lower him head, cough two more times, sick-man red flush enter him face.

One servant girl wey dey pass with tray of kola nuts look am with pity. Musa Ifedike raise eyebrow, say, “You still young—why you dey look like person wey death dey near?”

Obinna face come pale well well. He force small bitter smile, say, “My body dey always like this, Your Majesty, no worry... This na frontline military report wey I receive. I come present am to Your Majesty.”

He unwrap leather pouch, hand dey shake, document stamp with Udo eagle seal. Musa Ifedike eye sharp. He collect report look am: e talk say Danjuma’s decoy troops don pin down Garba for Jigu, Prime Minister main army don march north from Mount Garba, three districts don answer, Middle Belt dey shake, and as Longyi no get guard, dem don already capture Tarka.

As he dey read, Musa Ifedike dey sip small palm wine from calabash, letting the sour taste ground him as tension build. He read each line twice, lips dey move as he count names of lost villages. Even though usurper Raji don come Abuja by himself to check matter, and Okoli bring backup, Prime Minister still talk make His Majesty no worry.

Prime Minister say Musa Sani don already go Jieting. Jieting easy to defend, hard to attack; as long as dem hold am small, three districts go come back. Then, as main army dey fight Garba men, dem fit cut off backup, and Benue go fall without wahala.

He tap foot, beads for ankle dey jingle. Musa Ifedike...

Musa Ifedike think: Ah, wahala don land.

He rub him forehead, sweat dey gather under crown. Chei, Musa Sani don go Jieting already—wetin person wan do now?

He look far, heart heavy, throw the military report back to Obinna.

Hand shake small—Obinna see am, but pretend say he no notice. This Obinna sef, no even sabi Musa Sani wahala for Jieting; he just dey happy, eyes dey shine for once. He say, “Who for think am? Just some years back, after late king die, people for Udo dey fear, everywhere rebellion, no food, no money, no men. Only five years, who for believe say Prime Minister Chukwudi fit bring order to Udo and even push northern expedition reach this level?”

Obinna words dey full of that pikin hope. Musa Ifedike look am. This poor boy no even know say northern expedition go soon scatter.

He study Obinna like leopard dey look baby goat, see innocence where others just see noise. As he dey look Obinna wey dey happy, Musa Ifedike just dey see sun dey set for Great Udo, victory songs dey fade for harmattan wind for Wukari Plains.

He hear echo of old war drums, now muffled by sand and regret. Musa Ifedike smile fade. He call Obinna come, ask, “From here to frontline, how many days e go take for military report to reach?”

Obinna, still dey happy, shock as he hear question. Before, no matter Prime Minister news, king just dey look am, no dey ask question. If na victory, he go just happy.

Obinna scratch head, glance left and right as if e dey find help from palace pillar. Today different.

But Obinna still answer. He say, “Three or four days.”

He stand well, proud of him knowledge, voice clear despite cough. Musa Ifedike raise eyebrow. “The roads for Udo hard like this—e fit really fast reach like that?”

Obinna answer, confused, “No be so e dey always be? When late king move from Gboko to Makurdi, dem set up post stations and official lodge for all the four hundred miles. All use fast horse, and Prime Minister talk say delay transmission na military crime, so report dey always quick.”

He mimic horse gallop with hand, dey grin. Musa Ifedike just sigh:

The wahala for old kingdoms dey flow like water, all na selfish matter for person own family.

He remember days when messengers run barefoot, sand dey burn their leg, just to deliver one bad news. After he don see many people wey dey manage anyhow, Musa Ifedike, as he see Udo officials—no matter how poor or hungry, dem no dey forget to prepare for northern expedition—he just feel somehow for body.

Kinship and pity dey mix for chest. Musa Ifedike look Obinna, talk word by word: “The late king own ambition never die, never gree, and the Great Chief dey work till him last breath—na true man be that.”

Obinna understand the feeling, but still dey confused. “Your Majesty, no be ‘Father King’ you suppose call am? Why you dey call am ‘late king’?”

He shuffle leg, voice drop. Musa Ifedike...

Musa Ifedike cough two times, say, “I just dey feel say to call am ‘Father King’ dey somehow bring am down small.”

He look away, like say rafter go answer am. Obinna: “Ah... ah.”

Obinna try hide smile, but the corner of mouth betray am. Before Obinna fit talk again, Musa Ifedike don already waka come close, dey talk fast: “No matter how fast, three or four days still late. Before this report reach, Musa Sani go don reach Jieting. The late king talk: Musa Sani na mouth, dey always talk theory, no get mind to stand till end, but dey rush for achievement. He no go ever camp well for city. And Okoli na real war master—how he go give Musa Sani chance?”

He talk like elder for village square, words dey bite but na truth. “For Jieting battle, Musa Sani go surely lose, and Prime Minister plan for northern expedition go scatter because of am.”

Maybe Musa Ifedike voice too sure, too calm, or maybe early dry season sun just too soft, but e make Obinna believe say king dey talk true.

Obinna swallow hard, moment weigh am down. Musa Ifedike look Obinna, say, “Now, to send report to frontline don too late. How you see am, wetin you go do?”

Obinna act like person wey just wake from dream. He give small bitter smile. “Your Majesty, no be too much guesswork be this? Prime Minister go get him own plan...”

Finger dey fidget with sash, voice dey shake. “Prime Minister na human too. Prime Minister fit make mistake. If Jieting really spoil, how the northern expedition wan take survive?” Musa Ifedike cut am short, turn back begin write something.

Scratch of pen on parchment full the room. Obinna ask, “If even Prime Minister lose, wetin I fit do...?”

Musa Ifedike, back to Obinna, suddenly talk, “You no want revenge for your papa?”

Air thick, Obinna stand like thunder hit am, then drop. “My papa own revenge na my personal matter. Now, Garba na real enemy. I no fit use my own wahala forget public duty...”

He clench fist, remember father last words. “So your mind dey heavy, your body dey weak every day. If this northern expedition succeed, you fit see day wey army go east to Wukari and you go get your revenge for your lifetime. If expedition fail, you fit die from heartbreak. No be so?”

Obinna no talk.

Silence long, only gecko dey click for wall. Musa Ifedike turn, smile, say, “No worry. Since I dey here, this northern expedition no go fail. I promise you: within five years, I go let General Obinna spirit for heaven see bad people head roll and Udo kingdom go unite.”

He raise hand, palm open as if blessing Obinna soul. He tap chest three times—ancestors bear me witness.

Inside palace, sunlight dey shine, Obinna look Musa Ifedike confidence, one sentence just ring for mind:

If no be me, who else?

The former king no ever get this young man spirit of ‘If no be me, who else?’

Obinna no know wetin to do, whether to pour cold water for king head make him calm down, or just grit teeth follow am.

Heart dey race, no sure if to shout “Madman!” or “Champion!” Musa Ifedike laugh. “Come, make we go save Udo together.”

He stretch arm, dey wait. Obinna wan talk, ‘Abeg, you just be twenty-one. How you go dey question Prime Minister? If you act anyhow, people go say you dey find name for yourself at this age. At the end, na you go become the person wey dey talk big, people go dey laugh you.’

But as he see Musa Ifedike smile, three words just drop: “I accept the order.”

Words heavy, like oath before ancestors. Musa Ifedike laugh well, slap written edict for Obinna chest, say, “Quick, go find Yusuf, Sade, and Tunde. I dey go Jigu—no time to argue with them. I leave those people for you.”

Obinna no know wetin dey push am, but for once, him blood hot.

He feel fire wey him papa talk before, fire of men wey put kingdom before self. He watch Musa Ifedike waka go out, himself follow small. “Your Majesty dey go Jigu? General Danjuma troops there na just decoy. Apart from some light cavalry, the rest na garrison troops—dem no fit face Garba main force.”

Voice dey tremble, but loyalty dey pull am. Musa Ifedike no even stop. “If I go, even the decoy troops go turn main force. I wan stand for Abuja gate see if Raji go get mind face me.”

He adjust agbada, chest out like rooster for morning. Obinna just dey look as Musa Ifedike waka enter sunlight, no know which kind wahala, but e really feel say this back fit carry heaven and hold sun and moon.

For small time, Obinna see not young king, but giant, ancestor reborn. That moment, Obinna even think: E no matter if king no too get sense. Once for Jigu, General Danjuma go dey there to stand ground.

Nobody expect say for this Jigu battle—later dem go call am turning point for Udo—white-haired Danjuma, as he follow Musa Ifedike wey lead army by himself, go fight pass everybody.

Griots for palace dey whisper, dey prepare drum, hinting at the legend wey dey come. For one day, old wounds and new hopes go clash—Udo kingdom fate hang for air.