2: ABIKE

As Abike trudged up the Ore Palace halls with other captured Amu slaves, she realized with saddening clarity that she had never felt so out of place in her life.

She wasn't an orphan but since she was fifteen, she had lived away from home, working menial jobs to survive and cater to her old parents.

Before the war, she was working in Amu Palace for about two years as the Queen's assistant, but she had a feeling the Ore Dynasty would be so different.

The Palace was as huge as the old tales had described, and she marveled at how rich the land was. On their way to the Dynasty, she had noticed the citizens lived in such opulence and plenty. The Palace was a different world altogether; she had never seen a building so big. The whole of Amu Kingdom could fit into the Palace and there would still be enough space.

As she and the unfortunate others followed a certain Mrs. Jamila down the endless hallway, she gaped at the polished steel lining each arch, the beautiful burnt brick walls, the huge chandeliers, and the marble tiles she walked on. Everything was amazing.

"Psst!" Someone whispered, and Abike turned to see Teju a few steps behind. Quickly, she looked away before Iroko, Mrs. Jamila's thug would see her; but her steps faltered slightly until Teju caught up. They continued their walk in silence.

Although she was glad for it, Teju's presence slammed reality into her and she gasped at the absolute horror of it. She was in a strange land. And all she had was herself. And Teju.

Flashbacks of the war started to play in her mind's eye, startling her to tears. The fire, the blood, the powerful man on a black horse, clearing everything and everyone in his path.

Their King had told them to be calm, that the Amu army had everything under control. But they had lost the war, just as she feared they would. Ore Dynasty was too powerful, too brutal.

When they had killed all the soldiers at the war front, the Ore Army infiltrated and attacked the village, killing everyone in their way; until her King knew it was time to bend his knees to abate the powerful man on the horse whose taste for blood was as strong as his stallion.

She was part of the unfortunate ones who had been traded for Amu to remain standing —even if it was left tethering dangerously on one broken foot.

Or was she fortunate since she wasn't killed? She would never know.

"It's alright," she heard Teju whisper beside her. "We would be fine. Where there is life, there is hope." He brushed his fingers against hers briefly and she smiled at the warm, familiar touch.

Teju had been her friend for five years now.

He was her neighbor back in Amu and they were pretty close.

Finally, Mrs. Jamila stopped in front of a tall door and pushed it open. She swept in like a Queen, and they trooped in after her. The room was bright, large, and airy enough to accommodate the hundreds of captured slaves. Abike took in a deep, shaky breath.

Mrs. Jamila climbed the podium. "Listen up. I would not say this more than once." She cleared her throat, her thin lips pressed together in an ugly line.

"As I said outside, I am Mrs. Jamila —the Head servant. And that is Iroko, my trusted hand. I have given him a direct order to punish any wrongdoers and as you can see, he is well capable of that."

Abike eyed the giant standing guard by the door. He was capable, nobody could discredit that fact.

"Welcome to Ore Dynasty," Mrs. Jamila started again and Abike returned her attention to the woman. "This is the greatest Kingdom in the Seven Lines and you are privileged to be standing in this place today, alive and well. You owe that to the Balogun of our dynasty —our Great Prince Murewa," she paused to clear her throat again.

"We have a total of hundred and twenty-two servants in the Palace currently. We would have a census right now to know how many additions to that we have. Iroko would go around now with a pen and a pad. You would all write your name down. There is a column for males and one for females. If you cannot read or write, find someone who can." She gestured toward Iroko.

"I would advise you not to act funny. Iroko has no sense of humor. He would punish any misbehavior. Iroko!" The giant paddled away from the door, pen, and paper in hand. He handed it to the nearest person, and the girl scribbled her name down before passing the pad along.

The exercise went on for a whole hour. Abike didn't know what to expect. She had always been a servant, so she wasn't particularly afraid of that. What she loathed was not knowing what came next. At least, in Amu she always knew what to do; she was almost happy and at the end of every week, she got to see her parents.

But now...

"Hmmm. A total of hundred servants." Mrs. Jamila eyed the pad when the exercise eventually ended. "Okay. Now, all the males should go with Iroko. You would be taken to your station. You are all to converge in this arena every Saturday for a quick briefing. Now, go." 

"No. No. Teju!" Abike grabbed her friend's arm. "Teju!"

"Don't worry, Abi. I would find you, trust me. Take care and please, be fine," Teju said as he followed the others out of the room with a brave face on. The door closed and Abike felt utterly alone. She knew no one else here. When she looked at the other girls' faces, she saw the fear and uncertainty and knew they all felt the same.

They only had each other now and that should bring them closer. She made it a point to learn all their names.

"Now, ladies, you would all follow me to your station. Take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, work starts. Come on."

Mrs. Jamila climbed down from the podium and swept out of the room again with the same air of condescension. They followed her down the long corridor to a room in the other wing of the Palace.

The room was very large and contained about a hundred bunk beds lined up in several rows. It looked like a prison.

Mrs. Jamila halted by the door and watched the girls troop in. "Pick a bed, whatever. You would start work in the morning. There would be a meeting in the Great Throne Room and some of you would be selected to serve. I would advise you all to rest now as there would be no room for slacking tomorrow." The woman huffed and was gone.

Abike flinched as the large doors banged closed, sealing them in this prison room. She watched the other girls take tentative steps into the room, some slipping into their chosen beds while others just stood with no sense of bearing nor direction.

No one was looking friendly at the moment and Abike decided to keep mum till the next morning.

Maybe then, they would have realized the severity of their situation and would be open to forming new friendships.

She shrugged picked a bed space. She didn't know how hectic tomorrow would be, but she didn't want to be caught slacking.

                                        xXx

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