Chapter Five

Egwuatu began his story, his voice a mix of sorrow and rage. "It was at Ùgwù Anya mmiri," he said, his eyes distant, as if he could still see the horror unfolding. "My parents and I were coming back from Ubulu, unsuspecting, when they came. Eze Ikenga and his young son. I recognized their faces immediately, cruel and unyielding. My father stood his ground, but their blade was swift and merciless. I saw it descend, saw it sever his head from his body in a single, brutal stroke. My mother's scream tore through the air, a desperate command to me—'Run!'"

Egwuatu paused, the crackling fire filling the silence with its relentless whisper. "I ran, my legs barely keeping pace with my terror. But I looked back, one last time and saw Agbai leaning over my mother with his knife raised and their faces were etched into my memory forever. 

Cold and helpless, I hid in the woods and prayed for death. "If not for Nwa Akpụda, the great dibia, I would have died in those woods. He found me, saved me, and nursed me back to life."

The group was silent, the weight of Egwuatu's tale settling over them like a shroud. Then, Okoro Egbe spoke, his voice low and steady, the voice of a man who had faced death and lived to tell the tale.

"It was a night like this," he began, "when I encountered Eze Ikenga and his men. I was tracking a leopard, my senses keen and alert. But I strayed too far, crossed the boundaries of Awom. Suddenly, I was not the hunter, but the hunted. Men circled me in the dark, their eyes glinting with malice. I had my den gun, loaded and ready, but I was outnumbered, eight to one."

He leaned forward, the firelight casting eerie shadows on his face. "I warned them. I told them this tube I carried could kill a man from afar. They laughed, scoffing at my words. But when the first man rushed me, he fell just a few feet away, blown to bits by the power of my gun. The sound echoed through the night, a thunderous roar that sent the others scrambling. Eze Ikenga ordered a retreat, but I knew then that I was marked. Since that night, he and his son have sought my life."

The fire crackled louder, as if in response to the stories, and the men around it shifted uneasily. The night seemed darker, the shadows deeper, and the silence more ominous. The tales of Egwuatu and Okoro Egbe hung in the air, reminders of the cruelty of their enemies and the peril they faced.

In the stillness that followed, each man felt the weight of their shared burden. They knew the path ahead was fraught with danger, but they also knew they were not alone. The fire that burned before them was a beacon, a symbol of their resolve. Together, they would face Gustavo and his men and also face Agbai Ikenga and his men, and together, they would fight for their survival.

Ogwo could not help but tell the gruesome tale of Eze Ikenga's death and how he had trusted Gustavo. While Uko Kamalu listened in amazement.

To be cont'd.