The Strangers
It has not been long since the sun had arisen from green the eastern horizon, illuminating the earth with the divine morning light, five men walked the lonely footpath without making a sound as their footfalls made contact with the ground. They had sharp eyes and their blades reeked of the smell of blood. Each man had a complementary scar on his face as evidence of his past conquests, and from the serious gaze in their eyes; they are not just passing by for a social call, they are definitely on a mission.
The leader of the group stopped along the road facing one of the market women that passed by innocently
"Ẹ ku aje o (greetings)" the leader greeted in Yoruba
"Ẹ ka san sir (good afternoon sir)" the market woman replied "ki lẹ fẹ ra (what do you wish to buy)"
"We are looking for a village called Ilu-inọ," he continued
"mimọọ ibi to wa (I don't know where it is)"
"Ẹṣe, (thank you)" the leader replied as he watched the market woman walk away
"This is getting annoying!" Another said in a frustrated tone
"Patient is the head that wears the crown" the leader replied "don't worry, we will find our target and we will get paid" though the leader of the group sound optimistic, from the way he held the handle of his sword in a death grip they can tell that he is just as anxious as they are.
Who are these people? What is their mission and where did they come from? What business do they have in Ilu-inọ village?
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A meeting of the elders
It is said, that when the elders of a village meet to discuss the most important affairs of the village, the said elders are expected to meet at a secret location, far from the prying eyes of the nosey villagers and away from the influence of enemies. The location chosen for this crucial meeting is the empty village market square. According to the culture of the Yoruba people, only a few are allowed into the market at night, Alawos, high-ranking chiefs and ritualists. The market square might be a public place, during the day, but it is a death trap at night; which is why the Balogun of Ilu-inọ chose this location for the Ẹṣọs council meeting. Also with her are all the other high-ranking Ẹṣọs of the village, they are all present to discuss the standards needed for promoting the next generation of warriors. They are here to elect those who are worthy of the next rank and to send those who are unworthy away. Some of the chiefs have already conducted tests of their own, but they need to vote because appointing the new warriors cannot be done by a single chief, once the wrong person is chosen the consequences can be devastating.
"Akọgun," the Balogun said, breaking the silence "please give us the names of those who are qualified, those who have proved themselves worthy of the rank of Ẹṣọ"
"There are those who are ready to carry on the legacy of Oduduwa." The Akọgun began, "There are those who are worthy not only based on their age but also based on the strength of their character. We can say that several have proved that they can stand the test of time, 'does the hawk fly without any purpose or destination? Can a man stop a bull from growing its horns? ..."
"Enough words of wisdom Akọgun, use the sharp end of the cutlass to cut the grass, give us the names of those who are worthy of the next rank" the Ọtun-Balogun interrupted
The Akọgun chuckled, 'young men of nowadays' he thought to himself, the young men are all filled with the spirit of inpatients, desperate to put an end to all their troubles so they can spend some time with their wives.
"The names of those who are worthy of the next rank is Inawọle, Wale, Kẹnny, Ṣodipọ, Niyi, Modupẹ, Akin, Ṣẹgun, Oluṣeyi, Nikẹ..." The Akọgun went on for a while calling out the names of those he deemed worthy. Some of the chiefs added some names and others protested the nomination of some of the candidates based on specific personality traits, at a point during the meeting two of the chiefs engaged in a serious argument concerning one of the candidates. The meeting also deviated into some of the lower-ranking Ẹṣọs, concerning his misconduct and if they should carry out disciplinary action against him. Finally, the meeting came to an end and all the elders had had their say in the matter, all except the Balogun, who had been silent throughout the entire meeting not because she had nothing to say but because her rank as the Balogun gave her the final word. Her authority supersedes the authority of all the chiefs present, so she kept silent and listened to every word spoken using it as the foundation of her final evaluation.
"Ọtun," the Balogun said the moment they presented her with the names of the worthy candidates "do you approve, are these warriors worthy of the rank of Ẹṣọ? Have they completed their passage into maturity?"
"I approve" the Ọtun-Balogun replied
"And you Osi, do you approve?" She inquired
"I approve" the Osi-Balogun replied, "These candidates are strong and ready to serve the Alaafin"
"Let all the Jagunas step forward and call out the name of the candidates that they intend to recruit" the Akọgun pronounced "bear in mind that the image of this candidate will affect the image of your team and should they shame themselves the shame affects your entire team so choose wisely"
"I Jaguna Baṣọrun of the Alagba erin (The great elephants) hereby lay claim to the boy Alawiye Tayo as a member of my team"
"But Tayo is still unstable; taking him into your team might damage your reputation" the Balogun protested
"I am confident in my skills; he will be taught to abide by the rules" the Jaguna replied. Jaguna Baṣọrun is a large man with a large cross scare on his face and a high level of pride radiating from him he's the kind of man with a stubborn nature and a domineering presence. This is the kind of Jaguna that hates being wrong and will be humbled by no one.
The Balogun nodded in reply but the look in her eyes expressed her doubt, Jaguna basorun is one of the village warriors who opposed her candidacy as Balogun seasons earlier.
"I Adebanjo Nimbe of the Alagbara Agbanrere team (The mighty Rhino) hereby lay claim to the young talented Niyi Alaramide"
The Balogun nodded in acknowledgement and then the next Jaguna rose to his feet to claim his candidate
"I Segun Ooni the Jaguna of Ariwo kiniun mewa (The 10th roaring lions) hereby claim Alaramide Shodipo as a member of our team," Segun said and then scowled at Nimbe obviously enraged that he had chosen Niyi, Segun wanted both boys for himself. That is why each Jaguna is allowed to pick only one candidate at a time, sometimes the Jagunas desire more than one candidate and might engage in a bitter argument over their claim.
"I Segun Mofedamijọ of the Eja Akurakuda team (The Shark fish team) hereby pick Hungbo Mawo as a member of our ranks"
The Balogun nodded in acknowledgement and the meeting continued with each Jagunas picking the best of the candidates in descending order some scowling at the other's choice and others demanding one privilege or another for one reason or another. In a matter of minutes, the selection was over and almost all the candidates had been chosen. None of the Jagunas expressed interest in picking any of the remaining candidates. There was even an exchange in which Jaguna Baṣọrun was able to obtain Shodipo from Jaguna Ṣegun Ooni
"There are still some remaining" The Osi-Balogun pressed
"We know" Jaguna Baṣọrun replied "But choosing them in itself is a shame, those candidates are worthless"
"He's right" the Balogun added, "Those candidates need to put in more effort if they intend to join any of the teams in this village"
"Ṣeyi, Akin, Kayode, Kenny and Modupe are not weak; each one of those children have potential" the Osi defended "they can stand the test of time if only you give them a chance"
"That isn't the reason why we're not interested in them. From what I've heard the boy Ṣeyi and his Friend Akin are cursed," Jaguna Baṣọrun protested, "No one wants to recruit a curse within his group"
"Kayode's ability makes him a danger to both himself and others around him, Kenny's a weakling. His body is so weak that he cannot harness his spirit man to produce a drop of Agbara," Segun Ooni continued
"And Modupe needs to choose another line of work because being an Ẹṣọ is definitely not for someone as delicate as she is" the Otun-Balogun added
"Balogun" the Osi pleaded "I know that they seem weak now, but believe me they show promise"
"I must admit that the Jagunas have a strong argument, but?" The Balogun was silent for a while and from the look in her intense female eyes, the Osi can tell that she is in deep thought, by the way she furrowed her eyes that she's not only thinking of the benefits but also of the consequences of this decision. Finally, she turned towards the Akọgun "what do you think?"
"Hmm!!" The Akọgun signed "in my opinion, I'd say you should simply tell them to give up the dream of becoming a warrior, but my wisdom speaks otherwise"
"What does your wisdom tell you?" The Balogun inquired
"Fọriti! fọriti!! Lo mu kiori agba pa (prolonged endurance is what yields elderly maturity) if the Osi believes in them, then we should give them a chance, because of the respect we have for the Osi" the Akọgun suggested to the Osi-Balogun's relief
"Very well," the Balogun said in a surrendering tone "Osi only one chance," she stressed "but there will be a condition because they stand on a thin line between success and failure. They must earn the respect of a Jaguna in order to join a team, with their own strength"
"And once they succeed," the Osi said in a challenging tone "Balogun, I will be the first person to tell you how wrong you are about losing faith in them and how valuable my council is."
"We shall see," the Balogun replied "and if they succeed I would also give you the sum of 10 strings for your trouble and your so-called unquestioned wisdom"
"If they fail, then it would be me to pay you 10 strings for your unquestioned wisdom," The Osi added
Ten strings in those days are equal to 1 bag filled with money anyone with that much money is considered a rich man, placing bets is a part of the Yoruba man's culture, a sickness so contagious that every man old enough to carry a weapon is old enough to place a bet.
The Balogun has always kept her opinion about Ṣeyi and the others to herself, now is no different her only intention is to ensure that Ṣeyi, Akin and Modupẹ are kept out of harm's way until the appropriate time when they are prepared for it. She has nothing but admiration for Ṣeyi, ever since his first prank and has marvelled at his ever-enduring spirit, but sometimes the boy can be a pain. How many times has he stood before her boldly questioning all her decisions? She can still remember her last encounter with the boy.
**************
"Ṣeyi you are not an 'Iba'" she stressed
"My name is Iba Oluwaṣeyi because I have proved myself" Ṣeyi replied
"And who made you an Iba if I may ask" the Balogun inquired mockingly
"My good friend the Timi of Ẹdẹ village" Ṣeyi replied gloatingly
"And are we in Ẹdẹ village now Ṣeyi?" She mocked
"Err, no!"Ṣeyi replied uncomfortably
"And you are a warrior of which village again?" The Balogun pressed with a mocking smile
"Ilu-inọ village" Ṣeyi voiced
"Therefore, until I the Balogun of Ilu-inọ pronounce you as a warrior of Yoruba land and the keeper of Oduduwa's legacy, you are nothing," She declared with a hint of satisfaction
The Balogun had assumed that the shocking revelation would shatter Ṣeyi's resolve and make him sober and speechless for a long while, she was wrong.
Ṣeyi signed with a short smile, accepting the challenge "so in order to become a full-fledge Ẹṣọ, all I haft to do is to prove myself to you and to the people of Ilu-inọ"
"Yes!" The Balogun acknowledged
"Then I promise you, you will acknowledge me one day, after all, I will abolish the belief of the accursed one day, I will prove myself" then he turned to leave the Balogun's hut, so bent was he on his goals that he forgot to ask her permission to leave her presence.
"Where is Ṣeyi now?" The Akọgun growled, bringing the Balogun back from her momentary daydream "I hope he's not playing another trick with that ugly friend of his"