18 Ifa-ile

As according to the words of the witches has Osabiegun, Oranmiyan, the chiefs and elders and the priests conjoined at the shrine of Ifa-ile.

The priests in their black attire as the command of the eldest witch noted. They stood firmly before the statue in the shrine which the eldest priest had before poured a rain of palm oil unto.

The congregation of the priest present in the shrine all knelt before the statue. The instant the eldest priest had done the same, the eulogy of the witches they continued to sing.

With the eldest priest taking the lead of the eulogy, the rest of the priest responded in a chorus.

In their song were the witches praised for their mightiness to which they had been compared to an eagle, which is not afraid to soar into the highest sky. And again a tiger, not scared to completely devour her prey.

That, according to their words they had always manifested, and he who disobey their command will not live to see the rise of the sun.

Again, in the song were they praised as the mothers of Ifa-ile, the one who will not hesitate to stand firmly behind them. Even in their right or wrong, their support are always with them and then, shall Ifa-ile marched on her enemies as a stepping stone that they are.

Osabiegun was not a king like Oluborode who always went to war with his warriors. Definitely, Osabiegun had always hearken to the voice of his father and his father will always hearken to the voice of his father's father.

This way, it's easy to note that a King not going to war was as a result of their own culture and a reason to which a prince must always proved his worth over and over again until he becomes the prince the people trust to lead them as their King when the time is right.

For only this had Osabiegun appeared at the shrine in his attire only attributed to a King. His beaded cone-shaped crown with a long fringe of beads that covers his face in a bird and geometric patterns.

His attire which was larger than his whole body was sewed with a different material not any man or woman in Ifa-ile can use to sow their dresses.

And also in this manner were beads cropped around his wrist. In his hands was also the horsetail whisk which was only attributed to a king. His feet hadn't gone unnoticed with his shoe a perfect symbol of the King of Ifa-ile.

Even so, with all this mightiness among the rest of the chiefs and elders of Ifa-ile had Osabiegun fallen to his kneel to worship the statue according to the command of the eldest priest.

In the same way had Oranmiyan acted accordingly as his father, with his kneel touching the ground and his head bowed. The rightful honor they gave the statue in the respect of the warnings of the eldest witch.

Oranmiyan being the prince of Ifa-ile was the one to lead the war and a victory he must bring back to Ifa-ile.

A crocodile shall not go to war against a lizard and will not completely torn apart her enemies and in this way shall Ifa-ile torn apart her enemy flesh to flesh, with their blood as floods to which wiped out the whole of Efon.

Oranmiyan was seen in his war hunt outfit to which different charms were sowed. This way, with a spell, he could tell a person to die and certainly he will. Different command he could utter and which would manifest.

Even so, had Oranmiyan held a musket in his right hand and another shorter musket in his left hand to which definitely he was ready for war. His head had a cap wrapped around it in the same likeness as the charms on his body sow into his cap.

The instant Osabiegun and Oranmiyan lifted their heads which was before bowed, Oranmiyan walked gently to stand firmly before his warriors who continued to hail him in a shout of their coming victory.

His warriors had not been different from Oranmiyan in their dress as they were all in their war-hunt outfit to which charms of different functions were sowed with.

But a lion is always a lion and a cat is always a cat and so was Oranmiyan despite the same outfit he wore with his warriors would easily be spotted with the royal beads on his wrist and which he must not take off lest, dishonor the tradition of the royals of Ifa-ile.

As they gathered together even with Oranmiyan had the eldest priest commanded all of them to kneel and more powers he had solidified them again.

An insect which encroach into the castle of termite shall be nothing but food to honor their feast was the words of the eldest priest has he commanded at once the rest of the priest to begin washing the faces of the warriors with the waters in the calabash they now carried.

Slowly and one after another had the priests according to the command of the eldest priest washed the faces of the warriors until the very last of them.

In the words of the eldest priest which noted again an appreciation to the statue to which he had heard from. A short eulogy he rendered quickly to the statue as the real messenger of the witches and a lord to Ifa-ile which they can now do nothing about.

Again, with the shout of his voice and his veins almost cutting loose from his neck he called on the witches again and an appreciation he had voiced to them for making ifa-ile their priority and their support, Ifa-ile enjoys as according to their worship.

The instant he raised down his neck which was before lifted up, he commanded the fussing of blood of each and every warrior including Oranmiyan into a calabash to which one of the priests had done almost immediately as his words were complete.

From the head to the toe he began as Oranmiyan was the first to start with. A knife one of the priest placed gently into the hand of Oranmiyan to which by himself he cut his palm and gush little of his blood into the calabash.

Same as the chief of warriors who was next in hierarchy of the warriors held the knife before placed gently into his hands by the priest and cut his palm; gushed out little of his blood into the same calabash as Oranmiyan. The same had all the warriors done until the very last of them which then commend another sacrifice.

The eldest priest faced the statue as he stretched his hands towards it with his hands opened. A long incantation he continued to say.

As long as he kept talking and interchangeably stretching further his hands, the warriors remained on their knees, kindly waiting for the instruction from the eldest priest to which they must follow again.

The instant he stopped, he commanded all the warriors starting from Oranmiyan to walk one after another and deep their finger into the calabash only to take a lick of their blood in it. 

And as everyone of them, starting from Oranmiyan had done exactly as the eldest priest had said, they returned to their former position and watched as the eldest priest start with another round of incantations.

The long loud sneer of the witches exploded into their ears immediately and a word, weldon they all heard the eldest witch say which then brought about a sudden quite as immediately as she completed her word.

According to the eldest priest in his words had the warriors been buried and brought back alive. For a ghost they now became to their enemies and definitely shall a ghost cannot die the second time for victory is theirs and forever again their birthright.

After his words which called on the witches yet again as he now lifted up the calabash which has now been handed to him, a sudden black smoke appeared in the calabash which now begin to evaporate gently into the sky.

Once again had the eldest priest handed the calabash back unto one of the priest who had before handed it over to him and everyone watches as he deepened his hand into the calabash and their blood which now became ashes, he stuck to their fore head.

Osabiegun who remained watching the preparation walked gently to the front of the warrior as he gently placed his horsetail whisk on Oranmiyan after the words of the eldest priest notified the preparation of war was done.

Prayer for victory Osabiegun made even for a long period as every warrior knelt before him chorused their answer and the instance Osabiegun was done, Oranmiyan stood up before his father and promised him a flawless victory against their enemy.

A shout for victory they roared again as they now begin to shoot their musket against one another to celebrate and to prove their stance of not falling dead in the war against their enemy.