Chapter 11

Ife, Northwest Africa

After asking around all day, Aminata, Joaquin, and Adefolake were led to the High Priestess Olamide. Her skin was mocha, her eyes dark brown. Her head was covered in a white head wrap. Her twists spilled out the front of the wrap as she stood in her shop looking at the three, “She said you’d come,” Olamide spoke with a smooth firm alto.

“Who?” Aminata asked with a sense of urgency.

“My daughter. She encountered the girl you’ve been searching for.”

“Yande,” Aminata gasped, “she is my daughter. Where is she?”

The woman looked over her shoulder, “Adesanya, come,” she called out to the girl.

She emerged wearing a similar all-white gown and head wrap. She smiled, “Yes, I can feel your energy. You are Yande’s parents.” She walked carefully with a stick. Her mother helped her find a seat.

Joaquin eyed the young girl, “Do you know where Yande is?”

“I do not.”

His face saddened.

“Don’t be sad, father of Yande, the most powerful witch ever to come out of Ife.”

“What can you tell us?” asked Aminata desperately.

“For many years, it was believed that a high priestess would bless a pregnant witch with powerful gifts. Gifts so amazing that other witches would bow to her or him.”

“Yes, when I was pregnant with Yande, I received that blessing.”

“The truth is, the high priestess doesn’t give the blessing. They only reveal who the person is. The gift is in the blood. You come from a powerful line of witches. Yande does not even know the extent of her powers.”

“Nneka thought that I stole the blessing,” said Aminata with despair.

“She is a stubborn person. She wants the gift. Even if I had been born with the gift ... she would have most likely tried to find a way to take the gift from me,” said Adesanya sadly.

Their eyes widened. Aminata looked at the mother, “So you’re not?”

She shook her head, “The night I found Adesanya, she was in the forest. I realized that the child was born without sight. Many people who have children with defects leave them to die in the woods. It was a tragedy. I took the child and raised her as my own.”

“What does she want with our daughter? Is it money?” asked Joaquin.

“If it were that simple, she would have contacted you already. She wants power. She wants the gifts that Yande possesses,” replied Adesanya.

Adefolake’s face washed with worry, “She would not dare attempt a transfer of power ritual.”

It was quiet for a moment. Adesanya nodded, “The ancestors have told me she has been planning this for over a decade. She has all the elements in place, and now she is here in Ife, and she has Yande.”

Joaquin shrugged, “So the worst thing is that she will take Yande’s powers. Is that such a bad thing? We wanted Yande to have a normal life anyway.”

Aminata cried. Olamide spoke, “Part of the ritual is to drain the witch’s blood as you eat the heart.”

He gasped.

“Help me find my brother, and I will help you find your daughter. He is the key to ending Nneka’s horrible plan,” Adesanya said with certainty.

Kwento and Max stopped at a local spot for food. As they sat eating, Max saw a man with golden skin; his curly hair was cut short. The man spoke in Latin. He remembered the scripture as the man recited it, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child...”

Kwento looked over his shoulder, “Eh, what is that fool babbling about?”

“He’s not babbling. Those are the teachings of the bible. He is Christian.”

Kwento shook his head, “He is a traitor. He once believed in the Gods. He went away to Spain and returned trying to convert people.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“It is if people do not want it. I respect your right to believe in this Savior. You should respect my right to honor my gods.”

Max remained quiet. Kwento stood. “I’ll be right back. There is something I must do. Do not leave this spot.”

Max nodded. He watched Kwento walk away toward a group of men. Max sighed. It was so hot in Ife. He wanted to rip off his clothes. He missed being in Rome. He desperately wanted to return. He sat thinking about his former estate; he remembered his beloved father. He recalled how they used to walk the vineyards in the early mornings. His father died suddenly months ago, leaving a hole in Max’s heart.

Max felt a presence. It was heavy. Suddenly, a woman sat in front of him. He stared at her. He knew from her off gaze that she couldn’t see. “How may I help you?” he asked nervously.

She smiled and reached for his hand. He felt a tingle. He heard his ancestor whisper. “She is your sister.”

His heart jumped; he pulled back. He stood, backed into several people, and hurried off. As he made his way through the crowd of people, he was snatched by Joaquin. He took him away. They ended up back at Olimade’s home.

Max protested, “Why have you taken me? My mother will not like this.” He squirmed in his seat.

Aminata eyed him, “Your mother has taken my daughter. A child for a child.”

He gulped, “My mother would never do such a thing.”

“You don’t know your mother very well,” Aminata replied.

“Nneka has lost her way. She lost it many years ago. The night she killed the witches of the covenant and the high priestess who revealed that Aminata was carrying the child with remarkable powers.”

Max made a face, “Have you all gone mad? What are you talking about? Murder, witches? That is heresy.”

“Hersey? Where you live but not here in Ife, where we have our customs and beliefs,” said Aminata.

“My mother is no witch! My Father would not have married a witch.”

Joaquin scoffed, “I married a witch. She is a person just as anyone else.”

“You are no Christian. You should have had that woman burned alive. If my mother took your daughter, she did it for a good reason.”

Joaquin slapped his face. Aminata grabbed him, “No. We are not these kind of people. We only want our daughter back.”

He walked away to calm himself. Adesanya pleaded, “What can you tell us? Where is your mother?”

“Our mother, you mean?”

“She only gave birth to me. She left me to die because I wasn’t born perfect.”

He suddenly felt sick in his gut. My mother is a monster, he thought. “I want to help you, but how?” he asked.

“Take us to the location where your mother is staying. I’m sure Yande is there. Have you noticed anything strange?”

He thought about the morning when they ate breakfast. A servant had a tray with food and water. He carried it away from the kitchen. He told them.