Chapter 18

EYARE'S MOTHER --- QUEEN MOTHER.

I heard voices as I came to.

Everywhere was dark.

I noticed my eyes were still closed so I struggled to open them, but they felt so heavy.

Why did I feel so tired?

I moved and groaned as a sharp pain radiated throughout my head. It felt like shards of glass were let loose inside it.

"Doctor! The queen is awake."

I squinted at the direction of the voice and saw a shape hovering some feet away. I struggled to sit up but firm hands kept me from doing so.

"Relax, my queen."

"Wh. . . what happened?" It felt like cotton wool was stuffed in my mouth. 

A face came into focus above me. "My queen, I'm the family doctor. You fainted and hit your head on the floor."

That's when the events of the morning flooded into my consciousness. After discovering the staff of office was missing, I ran out of the throne room and it was my scream that got the police men running towards me. I was beside myself with upset and fear. The first thing the police men did, was take a head count of all the staff in the house.

Two people were found missing --- the gateman and a maid.

According to them, there was a mole in the house.

I believed it too.

How could you explain someone entering the throne room to steal the staff of office without actually breaking in. Someone knew where I kept that key, had taken it, used it and put it back.

They dispatched some men to the family houses of the maid and gateman, but no one was home. It seemed they had left in a hurry. I was told items of clothing were strewn on the floor, like they had been in a haste to pack up and leave.

That was when I really began to fear for my life.

I had been living with traitors under the same roof all this time and I didn't even know it. It seemed they had taken time out to plan this.

The policemen said they couldn't have been working alone. They were sure they were just paid to steal the staff of office. The lure of money was probably too strong for them to pass up.

But the old gateman?

We had always been good to him.

Why do this?

I promised Eyare I would retire him with a good pension package. Just last week, I called up the family lawyer in order for him to draw up papers to give him a large piece of land in the heart of town together with a lump sum of money. I wanted it to be a surprise for him.

I shook my head now, momentarily forgetting the pain and winced, my hands instinctively touching my head.

"Can I have some pills for the pain, doctor?" I struggled to sit up, and the doctor quickly tried to stay my movement, but I wove him away.

"You need to get lots of rest, my queen," He looked at me with concern in his eyes.

"Doctor! I presume you know what is going on?"

He nodded.

"I presume you also know I can't sit in bed all day nursing a headache?"

He nodded yet again.

"Good! Now get me those pills and I'll be fine."

He gave me some pills that were on the bedside table. I looked at the two white pills and grimaced as I swallowed them with the glass of water proffered.

Esther the maid, was still hovering at the foot of my bed. I gingerly got up, testing how my head felt. I found out if I didn't make sudden movements, my head would be fine and with the pills I just took, I knew I'd get better still.

I had to call a meeting of all the high chiefs. We had to do something about this missing staff. We had to get it back by all means necessary. The doctor left shortly after, leaving instructions of the drugs for me to take incase I felt dizzy. He said I was lucky because I had only escaped with a mild concussion. He had checked my blood pressure and it was okay for now.

I settled in the adjoining sitting room and sent for my phone. I sent a text to each of the high chiefs, making sure to put 'urgent' at the beginning, so they knew how serious the situation was. I needed them to leave whatever they were doing and come immediately. I also sent for the police men guarding the house and they assembled in front of me shortly after.

They had on their uniforms, and their guns were slung across their shoulders. They were no longer in plain clothes, no longer hiding.

This was serious business.

I took on a serious look, knowing the predicament I was in. I briefly toyed with the idea of calling Eyare, but I didn't want to disturb nor worry him so soon after the health scare with my grand daughter. They didn't need to hear any more bad news, at least not just yet.

I silently thanked God that stage of their lives were over. They had barely left town and this happened. I shook my head and winced as pain struck a tambourine against my temples.

The police men greeted me in the familiar way -- on their knees. I nodded for them to stand up. "Any news yet?" I tried, but failed to keep the tension out of my voice.

"Nothing yet, my queen." Their leader spoke up. "Our comrades at the police station have been informed. They are presently combing the area for the missing persons as we speak."

I nodded again.

"Please make sure to inform me when they come. I need to be kept abreast of what is going on. Don't spare me even a tiny detail." I warned.

"Definitely, your ladyship."

And I dismissed them.

Gloria, one of the cooks, came in to ask if I wanted to eat something. My stomach rumbled in answer. I asked her to get me some salad. I couldn't eat anything heavy or I might vomit. She curtsied and left. Checking the time on the wall, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon and I had not eaten any food at all today.

It suddenly began to rain without warning and the windows rattled against the force of the wind. The curtains flapped crazily, so I got up to close the window. I noticed it had gotten considerably dark outside.

A storm was brewing. Both outside and within the palace as well.

Thunder clapped out of nowhere, suddenly illuminating the sitting room. It echoed how I felt. There was a thunder in my head and my heart as well.

I had failed my husband but most of all, I had failed Eyare my son, the next king. A sob caught in my throat and I put on the chandelier lights and the room became bright. I swiped at my eyes where errant tears were beginning to seep from.

I had only cried three times since I had gotten married.

The first was during the birth of my son. The second was when I was told I couldn't have another child, and the last was when my husband died. That was a very trying time for me.

In all the years of my life, I never thought I'd see the day I buried my husband so soon. I wanted us to live a long fruitful marriage and have many beautiful children, but after the birth of Eyare, I tried, or should I say, we both tried, but when some years passed and I hadn't yet taken in, we went to the doctor and conducted some tests.

I was told I had a rupture in my womb and no child could ever be held there again.

I had cried my eyes out.

My wonderful amazing husband had held unto me throughout that sad episode of my life. As the king, he needed to have many male children. At least three, in case something happened to one of them, then the other could take over the throne when my husband grew old. But when the high chiefs found out I couldn't have more children, they put pressure on him to marry more wives. As a king he was entitled to marry at least three wives, but he stoically refused.

I will never forget what I went through during that period. The derision from everyone --- the high chiefs, the quiet sneers from people and even the maids. But my wonderful husband sacked any staff who as much as made any insinuation towards my plight and stood up for me during the countless meetings the high chiefs called to discuss my childless state.

It was a real tug of war, but years later, he abolished the tradition of a man marrying many wives. It was barbaric at best, and it made for war zones in homes. This move made him unpopular amongst some of the high chiefs and they became divided. Some were for him, while others were against him. They were so stuck in a rot when my husband ascended the throne.

They didn't want the industrialisation of the town.
But he stuck to his guns and went ahead and allowed foreigners to buy vast lands and build factories on them. This brought a lot of trade into the town and opened up lots of jobs to those that needed it.

The town began to thrive.

Why couldn't they see how much it helped the town?

What was so wrong in what my husband did?

What was the heinous crime he had committed?

Gloria came in just then, cutting me out of my reverie. She held a tray in her hand which she set down on the table. After dismissing her, she curtsied and left and I sat down to eat, but as I lifted the spoon to my mouth, another maid came in to tell me the high chiefs had started arriving.

Orose, it's times like this I miss you the most. You'd joke and say duty calls, even while we were having our private time together.

You were such a responsible man, my love. So now I promise, I promise to set things right -- to find the missing staff and to make Eyare, our son, the next king.

No matter what it takes!

I sighed and dropped my spoon without tasting a morsel of it.

Eating can wait, the meeting can't. I looked down at the salad. It would have lost its fresh taste by the time I got back, so I told Grace to feed it to one of the dogs.

I got up with a heavy sigh and made my way to the throne room. They all stood up as I entered and greeted me, not in the familiar way of kneeling down, but with heads bent slightly, their walking sticks lifted in the air and 'Your ladyship' slipping from their lips. I gestured to them to sit, but not until I had sat down, did they all do same.

They were all dressed in white wrappers, bunched up at the side in a curve-like ball with round beads ardoning their bare chests. Their feet were also bare. This was the normal clothing they usually wore when coming before the king during a serious meeting.

This wasn't just serious, it was something of an emergency. I cleared my throat to begin talking, but chief 'bazuaye beat me to it.

"Evwanta (is it true), your ladyship?" His cane was lifted in question, a frown marring his already wrinkled face.

I nodded slowly, not trusting myself to speak.

They clucked their tongues, lifted their shoulders in fear and clapped their hands together, as cries of uza (abomination), spilled from their lips.

I told them about the investigation that was underway by the police, but I was cut off by chief 'bazuaye, who turned round to the others, his hands splayed open.

"I told him. I told him his actions would bring trouble on the town one day. Now look at the repercussion." He shook his head from left to right.

I frowned. "What do you mean chief 'bazuaye, please explain yourself better."

But as he opened his mouth to speak, a high - pitched scream rang out in the compound.

We all looked at each other, shocked into stillness. The scream started again and we all stood up, breaking out of the bands of shock.

I rushed out, with the high chiefs in tow. The screaming continued and I followed the sound. It led me outside to the back of the compound. The sight that greeted me had me gasping out in fear.

Our German shepherd dog was lying down, inert, on the floor. His mouth was open and blood and a whitish-foamy substance, spilled from his mouth.

Policemen surrounded the cook, Grace, and one of them had his hand around her neck, his gun directed at her back. She was still screaming.

"What's going on here?"  Fear oozed from every pore in my body. I didn't know how much more bad news I could handle.

"My queen! Your cook is a traitor!" The policeman with the gun prodding Grace's back, spoke.

"I don't understand." Fear made me agitated.

"Speak!" he said, prodding her with his gun.

Grace had stopped screaming, but she'd begun crying and making whimpering noises.

"Speak!" The, police man shouted again, forcefully. "Or I'll shoot you." He pushed her with his gun and she fell on the ground, crying and shaking.

I didn't like what he did, so I walked up to her and gently helped her get up. I turned her to face me and with my hand, made soothing motions on her back.

I nodded, prodding her to talk. I saw a flicker of movement from the corner of my eyes and noticed we had an audience. All the high chiefs with their hands folded in front of them were avidly watching the commotion unfolding. The maids had also gathered round, eyes wide, mouths open, watching. I ignored them.

"Grace! Please tell me what's going on." I continued rubbing her shoulders to calm her down. When she seemed to have calmed down a bit, the story began to unfold.

"My *hic* my . . . queen. . . you said I should . . . g . . . give the dog *hic* your sa. . . sa . . . lad. *hic* I gave him and went back inside the ki. . . kitchen. When I ca. . . ca. . . came out." She gestured wildly at the dog with her hand.

I had already pieced everything together. I had instructed Grace to give the dog the salad I was meant to it, and it had died shortly after eating it.

My hand dropped away from her shoulders and I backed away from her. My hands went up to my head. The headache that had dissipated earlier on was back in full motion.

This means someone wanted to . . .

"Your ladyship!" The policeman cut into my wild thoughts. "She wanted to poison you."

In a daze, I turned around then to address him, but as I made to speak --- to say something, I heard the cock of the gun and the blast.

It was over for Grace.