At that point, his eyes widened, but everything still blurred. Whatever she had given him paralysed him and dulled every sense except his hearing. Every word she said echoed as though the world had gone silent, and only her voice remained.
‘At first, the priests grumbled as expected. We were all shocked. The priest who put your name in the gourd swore that the gods whispered your name to him on his travels. The other priests even cast the sacred stones, consulting the gods to confirm the choice. Your grandfather, Àlùfáà-Àgbà, spoke on your behalf, saying that there are two reasons we have the stripping ceremonies every ten first suns. One is to choose the next High Priest who will sire the next ruler after the death of the crown heir, and the other, which he says is just as important, is to fulfil the oath we made with the gods to repaythem for the powers they blessed us with. The Red Stone will strip the chosen of their agbára, and without this sacrifice, and the sacrifice of all the chosen that have come before you and will come after you, the entire kingdom will lose the powers of the sun. He reminded the Order that never has a name been returned to the gourd once chosen. And he managed to convince them that your trial at the Red Stone will not break the rules the gods set for us about keeping royal blood from returning to the throne since we are still so many first suns and stripping ceremonies from the next High Priest choosing that you will be ineligible for the position.
‘The Lord Regent was not happy, I can tell you that. But he could not deny that the gods made it so that your stone was picked. In the end, he confirmed your call, saying that if the priest who put your name into the gourd was not speaking the truth, then you would not survive the Red Stone, and your grandfather was only sending you to your death. And only if you survive will he decide and declare a verdict on your position in the Order. So all you have to do, Alawani, Prince of Oru, is say yes.’
As her image blurred in and out of focus, the strong smell of the temple incense lingering around her sent his mind back to when he was a boy, and he heard his father’s voice reminding him of a promise he had made a long time ago. The collision of Milúà’s hand across his cheek jarred him back to reality.
‘Are you listening?’ she said, peering into his face. ‘The Order has decided that you will join them and journey to the sun. And I am your maiden, which means my life is now in your hands, so I need you to say yes to this. Say yes, and I’ll give you the antidote for the poison.’
Alawani’s eyes rolled back, and he heard his father’s voice as clearly as though he were standing right next to him.
My son, you are Àlùfáà. The old laws no longer serve this kingdom. The gods have confirmed this to me. Death may come for us, but our line will never end. These were his father’s dying words.When the call comes, promise you will accept it.He was as confused now as he had been when he made this oath. He did not know why his father had forced him to swear those words, and even now, many first suns later, he didn’t feel like he could outrun them.
He opened his eyes and found himself staring into Milúà’s dark gaze as she held his chin, turning his head back and forth. His body was still out of his control, and his heart beat so slowly that he struggled to stay awake, but he would not yield. He heard Milúà’s quiet grumbles as she pulled out a vial from her skirt and poured it down his throat. He breathed slowly, inhaling the scent of her mixed with the cold night air. The bitter liquid worked quickly, flowing through his body and releasing him from his prison. He shoved her off and sprung up. She was on her feet as quickly as he was.
‘You could have killed me!’ he said with a strained voice.
‘You are chosen now. No mortal can kill you without the wrath of the Holy Order and the gods. I just needed you to listen and see reason.’
‘Oh gods, why is this happening to me?’ Alawani said, leaning against the wall.
Milúà didn’t respond.
‘You say I can’t walk away from this. But someone already did.’
Milúà cut him off, ‘You want to live the life of a coward? In this kingdom? Your grandfather would see you dead before he’d let you dishonour his family name. Moreover, that man survived the Red Stone and then turned his back on the Order. He did not deny the call of the gods to return his agbára to them. If you turn away from this, be ready for what comes next.’
Alawani opened his mouth to say no again, and a gust of wind blew against him. The chill matched the shiver in his spine. And his father’s voice repeated the words he’d once sworn to. Alawani let the tears building in his eyes fall as he said, ‘I will go with you.’
Milúà straightened. ‘Lead the way,’ she said, pointing towards the temple.
Alawani shook his head, ‘Not now.’
‘What?’ she said, igniting her agbára, her eyes sparking with shades of gold. ‘You already said –’
‘I’ll come,’ Alawani said, cutting her off, ‘but not tonight. I need to do something. Speak to someone.’
Milúà frowned. ‘Who is this someone?’
‘She –’ Alawani started to say, but Milúà interrupted him.
‘You delay your destiny for a girl? Who is she? Tell me, and I’ll slit her throat and end this.’
‘I said I’ll come,’ Alawani growled.
Milúà let her powers fade into the night. ‘The other maidens are informing their chosen from all six rings as we speak. It’ll take two days for the last of them to arrive. Then, the Holy Order will officially announce the names. Be here, or I’ll kill you long before the Red Stone can.’ She moved so close to him that he could feel her warm breath on his skin. Another spark of gold flashed in her eyes. He was so lost in the darkness of her gaze that it was as though she had imprinted on him. ‘There’s nowhere in this kingdom or this continent you can go that I will not find you, Prince of Oru,’ she said in a smooth, silky voice, then turned on her heel and walked back into the dark of night, leaving Alawani terribly afraid that death had found him, and he had no way of escaping it.
Alawani’s mind and vision cleared as he stumbled back towards the bridge. He’d have thought the last few moments were a dream but for the string of white beads firmly tied tohis wrist. He hadn’t even noticed the maiden slip it on. He let out a deep frustrated sigh. His life as he knew it was over, and he could not help the tears that flowed from his eyes as he turned towards the bridge that led to L’?r?. His Tèmi.
She would never understand why he’d say yes to a fate that could only lead to his destruction. He ran through a series of explanations in his mind but even he couldn’t explain this bond, this connection he had to a father he hardly even knew. Alawani did not have it in him to say no to the gods or his dead father. And so he had to find a way to explain to the one he loved with all his heart that his heart was not his to give.
He shouted and slammed his fists into the ground with his agbára. His breaths came short and quick. He’d chosen today to tell L’?r? that he loved her. But then the thugs had attacked, and then the gods had called him to a fate he did not know how to escape. L’?r? hated the Holy Order, and she always had a visceral reaction just at the mention of them. They had killed her mother. But it was only when he followed her home for the first time that her father told him it was Alawani’s own grandfather who had killed her, and that he must never speak to L’?r? again.
Although Baba-Ìtàn was not L’?r?’s birth father, their bond was stronger than any father and child Alawani had ever known. Alawani knew he had to respect Baba-Ìtàn’s wishes even though it broke his heart. He hated his own grandfather from that moment on. Many blood moons later, L’?r? found him again, and this time, she didn’t let him cower and hide. She chose him, and then even her father couldn’t keep them apart, and he loved her with every breath.
This news would break her.
He glanced at the darkness Milúà had walked into, and for the first time in a very long time, he felt like the boy he was when his father died – alone, scared, and in need ofsomeone who’d understand his situation. He would talk to L’?r? tomorrow. Today, he needed someone who might ease his fears. Today, he needed his old friend Tofa, the crown heir of Oru.
