CHAPTER FOUR (ESTAKO)

"What do I have to give in return?" The king asked with a heavy heart scared to give away something precious to him.

"The gods have given you a solution to your problem. He will give unto you two daughters bestowed upon the Estako (the power of music)." Kadu said to him.

"Power of music?" The king asked.

"Yes, it is a magical power from within that can be gotten from music. When your daughters sing, they will be able to fight their enemies." Kadu explained.

"How does music solve any problem?" The king asked disappointed.

"Music from within is not just any music, it is spiritual, and only those who are granted this kind of gift know its power," Kadu explained to the king.

"For example," Agu said and got up from where she sat. She gathered fallen leaves that were dried up on the floor of the cave and started humming.

As soon as she opened her mouth, the leaves started moving higher and higher and as her voice rose louder, the rotation of the leaves increased as well.

The leaves rose to the roof of the carve, she suddenly stopped singing and the leaves fell scattered on the floor.

"See, Music is a magic from within that can control everything depending on what is in your mind at that moment, whether good or evil. If I wanted I would have turned the leaves into sword and cut off your head with them." Agu said with her mischievous smile.

The king swallowed hard, he didn't like this spirit wiperer at all.

"She is just too evil." He thought to himself.

Kadu ignored Agu's scary words and turned to the king to explain further.

"As the girls keep growing, their powers will keep becoming much stronger but among these girls, there is one that must rule, and that one will be the most powerful for she will be among the Oron (Choosen)."

"Chosen?" The king asked.

"Yes. The Oron are the ones that must rule, they have to be the leader. And also the Chosen will never require a lamp to control her powers, unlike the others. Therefore one of the girls who is an Oron will have greater power than the other."

"You said something about the girls aging, I mean as they keep growing their powers will grow as well, does this mean that when they are young, their powers will be weak?" The king asked concern written all over his face.

"Yes and when they are older, their powers will become stronger."

"This won't work. I want something to save my people with now and not some growing power that will take years before it starts to work very well." The king complained.

"What do you suggest we do for you?" Kadu asked after she understood the king's concern.

The king thought about it for a while and then decided.

"Give me the power and I will be able to use it to save my people and won't have to wait for my children to grow up before they save us. If you don't save us now, in two years we will all be destroyed."

"Izagi, we should give their entire people the Magic within to protect themselves pending the time the girls will grow up," Izala suggested.

"Yes, we believe the gods can give you that but you must give something more in return for such a massive favor," Kadu said.

"And what will that be?" The king asked confidently.

"Your life," Agu said coldly.

"You will have to surrender your life to the gods." Kadu chipped in.

"When will that be?" The king asked without showing any shock or fear.

"Son, do you want to give your life for the sake of your people's freedom?" Izala asked fearing for her child.

"Yes, mother. You taught me to be willing to do anything for my people and I will never defy your teachings." The king answered his mother and then to the spirit wipers he said.

"I am ready to give up my life for the sake of my people's freedom great Izagi."

"You are a great king. You will lose your life sometime soon after you are granted the power but your life will be taken by one of the daughters that will be given to you."

"My daughter." The king gasped and suddenly looked shocked.

He could give his life a thousand times if asked to but why should he be murdered by his blood, he couldn't even bring himself to think about the pain he would feel even after he is gone.

"I agree." He said after a while of silently thinking about this condition.

"Then you will receive your powers now which you will pass down to your people by giving them these flowers to put in their houses," Kadu said and handed the king a bunch of flowers.

He put the flowers in his small side purse and thanked the Izagi. He knelt before his mother and she blessed him, when he opened his eyes, she had already disappeared.

He left the carve and with a small monkey spirit guide, he left the evil forest safe and sound.

The king returned to his people and told them of what he did to rescue them but he didn't tell them of the conditions given to him by Izagi.

The kingdom was filled with joy and the king shared the flowers amongst his people.

The people did as they were told and placed the flowers under their bed, the next morning they all discovered that the flowers had turned into magical glowing lamps that the king called Dendi.

The lamps were taken away by King Bajju and kept safe, a bit far from people in the sacred Tangale shrine.