The Council

As Ode’s form disappeared over the hill towards Oyo, Moremi hissed and levitated Oduduwa; her strength replenished enough to do that. She couldn’t believe Ode gave up his Divinity for that upstart of a god. The fool was probably in love with the brat and would die for it. Oya made as if to go after Ode but Oduduwa needed immediate care. They had heard rumors of the Oyo royalty being exiled to the mountains, which happened to be where the Council of Yoruba gods resided. Oya constructed a mini tornado on her palm, a whirlwind really, which grew continuously till it jumped off her palm to the ground and continued expanding.

Moremi grabbed Oduduwa’s arm and linked her other hand with Oya’s as they walked into the eye of the whirlwind, the dust and wind parting before them like a curtain. Moremi watched as Oya stroked the sides of the tornado like a lover would her bedmate and she barely caught the muttered ‘Rise’ Oya murmured. As she said that, the whirlwind picked them up and picked up speed, roaring across towards the mountains in the distance.

It took a few hours, even with the divine speed at which Oya moved. They eventually got to the mountains, the Olumo Mountains, which housed a large number of the Yoruba gods, both major and minor. They alighted at the foot of the mountain, Oya taking her time to whisper to the whirlwind before letting it go.

Moremi didn’t waste time as she asked Oya, ‘Will you or should I?’

Oya looked at her steadily, face hard like it was carved from rock. It was traditional when arriving at the council headquarters to announce yourself before entering into the mountain or risk being blasted with divine power upon entry. Or sometimes, as in this case, the mountain would refuse to open up for you till you announced yourself. Oya had taken insult at Moremi asking her if she would like to do the announcing when Moremi well knew that it was proper for the lesser god to announce herself and if she was in the company of a greater god, announce the greater god as well. In this scenario, with the exception of Oduduwa, Oya was the greater god, hence; insult taken.

Moremi faced the great Olumo and began

‘Eledumare ni Oba aye (God is the King of the world),
O de si fi awon Orisa joba nipo e (And he has used the divinities to reign in his stead)
Emi je Orisa Irumole (I am a divine deity)
Emi, Oduduwa, ati Oya (Myself, Oduduwa and Oya)
A de si pase ki ona la (And we command that the way should be opened)

And with a great cry she slapped her palm to the mountain wall, jumping back in time to avoid falling in the hole that appeared where her palm had been. The whole grew larger till it became as wide and long as a door.

They walked in quickly and the mountain sealed back behind them. One would expect a dark interior, because let’s face it, it is a mountain, and the insides of mountains are dark. But the corridor they entered in was far from dark. Light seemed to emanate from the walls themselves as they walked the corridor to the end. Other passageways branched out from this main one which in turn branched out to others. In short, the whole mountain was a network of tunnels. The one they currently were on was designed to lead directly to the heart of the mountain, where the council chamber was.

It took them well over an hour to get there. A much lesser god who was a god of healing came to take Oduduwa away to be healed. The council chamber was a great dome in the center of the mountain where Stalagmites glowing a soft golden light hung from the ceiling. The walls glowed white softly, making a disorienting sight as they pulsed like a heartbeat.

All the gods were there it seemed and the Oyo royalty from the looks of it. They were four in number, all male, as their wives and children had to be left behind in their attempt to escape the Nupe. They were in front of the gods, arguing out a case vehemently with disrespect if the looks on the face of most of the council members were anything to go by.
Orisa nla was sitting at the head of the council, followed by Obatala in rank. Then Ogun and the rest of them.

New gods sprouted every day, most of them deified humans. The hall paused when she and Oya came in, though Moremi paid them no heed as she cast her eyes about searching for her son, Sango. Her eyes met his where he sat on the council much closer to the Big three ( Orisa nla, Obatala and Ogun) than she expected. Her eyes widened in surprise and a bit of fear when she realized that only one god sat between him and Ogun. The gods were strict adherents of rank. The more powerful you are, the higher you climb. Orisa nla was the most powerful and for good reason. It was said that he was involved in the creation of the head of humans and also in charge of dictating the destiny of man. He was old, deceptively so and garbed in his usual white. Moremi had only seen him one other time before now because he seldom left his abode in the sky with Olodumare.

The Oyo royalty, in their pride continued arguing, taking no notice of their arrival. That was their mistake. One moment they were there, the next they weren’t. Orias nla opened his withered and bony palms and four figures bearing a distinct resemblance to the members of the Oyo royalty lay in his palms. With a look of regret he crushed them with a strength belying his looks and dust sifted out of his palms. The whole chamber grew quiet as everyone gazed at Orisa nla with something akin to awe on their faces. He looked straight at Oya and said;

‘You may speak’, his voice old and creaky with disuse.

Oya began to explain all that had happened from the time they had been sent to discover the source of the breach into their world which marked the birth of Omotola, and appropriate shocks and gasps filled the room when she recounted the way Omotola’s power exhibited itself. When she was done, everyone started speaking at once. Outrage that the ‘youngling’ as they called her had killed a god, disbelief that she had willed him out of existence, more Outrage that Ode had given up his divinity to go back for her and so on like that.

After a few minutes, Orisa nla cleared his throat slightly. It was a quiet sound, almost imperceptible but the council fell silent.

‘We have all heard the prophecy of the Rave god’ he said in that quiet voice

There were nods all around, even babes that couldn’t create lightning had heard of the prophecy about the one god that would lead the Yoruba’s into a new age amidst blood and fire.

‘It seems that she is here’, he announced regally.

Different looks slid across the gods’ faces, looks ranging from despair to fear and to hatred.

This was because the prophecy also mentioned that Rave god would bring all the Yoruba gods to heel, and destroy anyone who stood in her way. Everyone had expected it not to happen for the next 5,000 years or so, and the appearance of the Rave god was very much unwelcome at this time.

Moremi spoke up, fury flashing across her face.

‘You are all delusional’ she spat. ‘How can she be the Rave god? The prophecies never mentioned that she would be captured, and if she is as powerful as the prophecies say, she could have handled the seven Nupe gods without any problem’ she concluded, a smirk on her face. ‘So you see, a weakling cannot be the Rave god’.

Orisa nla looked to Obatala and said;

‘Would you do us the honor of reciting the prophecy for those who seemed to have forgotten the exact words’? The last part was directed to Moremi who flushed but refused to back down.

Obatala inclined his head and his pupils shone white as he said;

‘Nigbati awon Orisa ti pe (When the divinities are complete)
Orisa abinibi ma wole (The Rave god shall enter)
Orisa ti won bi (The god that was born)
O ma pa ara re (She will erase lightning)
O ma tu Orisa bi (She will re-create a divinity)
O ma de gbogbo Orisa (She will bind all the gods)
Pelu Ina ati eje loma segun (With Fire and Blood will she conquer)
Orisa idunu Olodumare (The pride and joy of Olodumare)

Moremi opened her mouth to talk but Ogun cut her off swiftly, his anger rising as the scent of smelted iron filled the room.

‘You have heard Ifa speak. The first sign has been fulfilled. She erased lightning when she willed Jakuta from existence. She will bind all the gods. I do not plan to wait for that to happen. I will prepare my followers for war’.

And with that, he disappeared. The council meeting was at an end. The gods began disappearing one by one, off to prepare for war. Oya spoke up, her voice loud so that everyone present heard.

‘What is the point of fighting when it has been said that she would enslave us, I see no point in resisting the certainty’, she shrugged.

No one met her eyes for a while and Orisa nla spoke.

‘Just because a lion is cornered by a pack of hunters doesn’t mean it will just give up and die.’
He paused, his face thoughtful for a few moments before his eyes hardened.

‘Besides, we are gods, nothing is certain for us’

##############################

Still of the #untalented Family. What do you think @ejemai @STACH
Show some love guys. Next episode coming soon.