Urenma (The River Goddess) - Episode 19

 

When the elder gods saw that the event which they had for ageless time been trying to stop was about to begin, they swung into the battle and brought the whole madness to a halt. Without much ado,Nshaa demanded that Obinze remove himself from the river world. To his suprise Obinze dug his heels in and demanded that Urenma be given to him, having fulfilled the task which was given to him. However Nshaa snarled “The gift I will let you leave here with is your head still on your shoulders . The gods are done allowing mortals marry their princesses! Leave now or die!” From the crowd a voice echoed “If you as a god will not honor your word. I as a princess will no longer honor my place as a princess of the gods! I shall fight beside the mortal until his wish you grant! Who is on my side?”

The army of angry and ruthless princesses moved toward Urenma and shouted “By yourside we shall fight till we be subdued!” Nshaa and the elder gods didn’t like that. They alone could subdue Urenma and the spirits who had decided to rebel against them. But a battle against the children of the gods would come at a great cost,so the elder gods decided to sit and make a decision on the fate of Urenma and Obinze. For three days the gods communed over how to proceed concerning the mortal Obinze who was bent on taking their princess back to the world of men as wife

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/urenma-the-river-goddess

. After their deliberations they decided that having made Obinze a promise that if he fulfilled the task given to him, he would be allowed to leave with Urenma; they announced that they would allow Obinze and Urenma live yet again as husband and wife. This time they would allow her live a full life time,die as mortal and then return to the river world to resume her duties as the princess of the gods. When the decision of the gods were announced, the princesses went into celebrations and the previous war scenes were replaced with joyful revelries. The gods had acted in wisdom and avoided a battle which would have destroyed the river world. Obinze and Urenma were overjoyed. Obinze couldn’t wait to leave the river world with Urenma,but there were procedures to follow. Urenma had a body which was still in a grave in Ukeh. The gods need to send thunder to exhume it and deposit it in Nwangele River before Urenma would retake that body and return to Ukeh. So Obinze was sent back to the world of men to go repossess his body and make preparations for the return of his wife

AKPUTA’S SHRINE

When Obinze woke up in his body from the journey to the river world, a mountainous being was standing next to him. There was nothing like it which Obinze had seen before, not even Utebe looked as monstrous and dangerous as the beast he saw in Akputa’s shrine. Obinze tried to shake of the fear which seized his heart but could not. It was as if a palpable cloud of fear literally enveloped him. Not even in the river world did he feel anything like it. In the beast’s hand was a machete which glistened in the sunlight. The entire length of the blade was longer than Obinze’s height. Obinze thought how in the world he would be able to stand the creature in a fight. The beast took two steps backward as if inviting Obinze to a fight; Obinze tried to stand up but could not. Just then the monster raised its left hand to the sky and said “I am from the kingdom above, a voice summoned me to this place. Take this..” when he said that; Obinze stood up and took a few steps towards him as if the voice of the creature controlled him “In the day your strength shall fail you OBIAKO OBINZE shall be remembered. When you get home give him this” the monster continued. Obinze stretched forth his hand the beast dropped a small wooden ring. Continuing the monster said “The covenant has been broken by they that dwell in the water; but in that day, they that dwell above shall come”.

Read " S.I.R.E.N (The Journey of Love) " by the same author ( Ifeoma Isabella Okeke )

. Raising its two hands to the sky, the beast shut itself into the clould like a scud missile and the cloud covered it. Immediately Obinze snapped out of the fear which overwhelmed him

UKEH LAND

It had been a long time since anyone heard from Obinze. There was no word if he was alive or dead. But weeks before his shocking return to Ukeh, there was a mighty rain and thunderstorm, the thunder strikes the people of Ukeh saw that day were unlike any they had known in their history. In the midst of the thunder strikes, Urenma’s grave was smashed wide open and her bones removed. Okeke and Ngbankwo,Urenma’s mortal parents began to go from one medince man to another to know the meaning of Urenma’s bones being removed from her grave by thunder strikes. The meaning wes too dark and hidden from the medince men.
Meanwhile Obinze’s son Obiakor had begun to act like his father Obinze. In his tender age he had begun to hunt and wrestle. Many medince men & soothsayers predicted that he shall be greater than his father. Obiako was not just loved and respected, he was feared. Olachi, Obiakor’s sister made Urenma look ugly in her beauty.