CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO – WHEN DAWN ENDS.

Uloma was hit by an overwhelming sense of everything the second she walked through the wall. All her senses stood at attention at the world she was looking at. 

“Welcome.” 

Eti said with a knowing smile on her face. Everywhere Ulo looked were beings that could not really exist outside of this place. More people who looked like Ekama Eligwe and Abali. Women with weapons and fierce tattoos stood watching them; they formed a semi-circle guarding the space behind them. Ekama whistled. Uloma was not sure whether it was for the imposing presence of the women stopping them from moving any further or the glorious world that was moving behind the women. Flying beings, beings that flowed like water because they were mostly water, most of them, giants moved and shifted and flowed, moving about like it was normal to be in your full self every other day. 

“Those butterflies have heads and like the rest of everything.” 

Uloma whispered, thinking out a little too loud, and Abali beside her raised both his eyebrows. Eti, who had been arguing with the intimidating guards, turned towards her, shooting her a warning look. 

“You want to be careful what you say about the beings that look cute here. They are sort of not creatures you want to be calling butterflies.” 

Eligwe told her. Uloma looked again at the colorful creatures; they giggled whenever they opened their mouth, as if that was their way of talking, but Uloma nodded anyway. She had never seen anything she was looking at here in any of the realms she had visited, and she never really learned anything or listened to anything Emenikes told her, so she was going to take the warning to heart, also because of the look of horror everyone had given her.  

“So why are we waiting out here? Did we not make heaven?” 

Ekama joked; she was eying the women. 

“They are not letting us through because the twins won’t do as they are asked.” 

Abali told her, watching the women with their folded eyebrows. Uloma knew he was listening to more than what they were all able to actually hear. Sounds carries for Nights.  

“Not the twins, please. Let's be specific, Eti is being stubborn as usual, and I don't actually care what happens.” 

Uloma turned her eyes to the bald sister, her beautiful face almost as bored as Eligwe’s. Her beautifully tattooed face looked as if she could be anywhere; it did not matter where. Her weapon beside the guards was less intimidating than Uloma had thought. 

“What? They are the ones being stubborn.  

Eti argued, having evidently heard her sister, she looked furious enough again, with eyes that could flood the whole place. 

“What is the problem? Why are we not getting through?” 

Uloma wanted to know. 

“Our mothers want us immediately. Yours and mine.” 

Oti told them, shrugging. Uloma nodded, not actually wanting to face her mother just yet. Maybe Eti could fight the women a little more. 

“So?” 

Asi asked them. Of course, she was excited to see Mother. She was not being told that her very existence could end the realms. She had not done something stupid from stubbornness that could have made things worse, even with Mother warning against it. Now that Uloma was actually here, close enough to answers, maybe they could tour around a little before Mother? 

“So Eti wants to finish the custom. You know, she brought together the welcoming crew despite the lack of notice she was given. She has done as much by the books as she could within a short time. It's not fair now that she would not be allowed to finish it.” 

By the books, ah, Uloma understood the frustration of having that mean nothing to beings like Mother, who can change the rules on you. She had also done everything by the book with Oge, and it had meant nothing in the end. 

“It's not fair. I worked really hard on this. Why does Mother always do this? Why does she have to put this on us without notice and then just ask out of nowhere to not complete it? It's our very first Welcome.” 

Eti appeared close enough to burning down the place, and tears, Uloma knew the feeling; she wore it half the time. 

“We know the feeling, and that is why I know that you already know this is not a battle you are going to win. 

Asi looked genuinely sorry for the twin, and Uloma found herself nodding. Mother was stubborn, but so were she and Asi, and yet Mother always won. She wondered warily what Mother wanted so urgently. 

“So let's just let it go. You will have another chance when we go extinct, with Uloma on our back, it won't be long now.” 

Asi was still talking, she smiled over at the sisters; they were basically the same people, Eti and Asi, Uloma thought again. 

“Haha.” 

Uloma replied, annoyed. Asi just shrugged, as if she was not sure why this annoyed her. 

“We are all targets with you around, sis.” 

Asi doubled down; it was true, Uloma felt like it was, but she was fighting with her sister, so feelings and truths did not matter. 

“Whatever. Let's go to Mother then.” 

Eti finally conceded. The stormy annoyance on her face reminded Uloma that this was another being equal in power to Asi. But another being, showing, as always, the irritating conclusion that mothers always win. Even now, she knew she should have listened to Mother; she should have left the human world alone. 

“We will go to the Queen.” 

Oti told the women, who had not budged or moved during the entire conversation. They made a throaty sound in unison now, their spears beating a sound against the sandy earth. The grey patterns on their bald heads lit up, the light started to shimmer and travel through their bodies, first down to their open arms and over their exposed knees to their calves and feet. Their white clothes lit up, and the symbols on their bodies pulled away from them and lit up the space above their heads, forming one glowing orbing symbol against the bright sunny day. The women pulled apart from their semi-circle, leaving a notable space. The ebbing glowing symbol flowed towards the gap. A forcefield they had not seen immediately gave way, leaving a clear path for the group to pass through. 

“Whoa.” 

Ekama laughed. Uloma felt the same way. The noise that hit them after the forcefield cleared was immersing. Uloma laughed along with Ekama; she could not help it. She was feeling light and free again, as if anything that could worry or hurt her was a world or worlds away. 

“What are we waiting for?” 

Eligwe asked, flying off through the clearing, he was part of the milling crowd and was gone even before they all shook themselves enough from the immense experience they had just all observed. Ekama took Uloma’s hand and pulled her through the gap. Uloma felt electric currents where Ekama touched her, but it was tingling in a good way. She let her friend pull her along, Abali on her heel. 

“Kama!” 

Someone yelled from the pool of creatures. There was another less impressive parting of people, strolling towards them was Ogba in all his irritating perfection. Just like that, Uloma felt her light-heartedness evaporate. 

“Kama.” 

He strode towards them, stopping in front of them. Where he should have skin, he had brown scales with littering of golden strips. His dark dreadlock was held up, framing his taut face, and his golden eyes watched Ekama as if there was nothing else around worth his attention. Even here, younger creatures watched him, their body language confirming Uloma’s worst fear: Ogba would always stand out. She sighed, letting go of Ekama’s hand. Ekama would make jokes about Ogba, but he was the only thing in their universe that consumed her. 

“Ogba.” 

Ekama breathed; she extinguished her sparks for a near second, but then the flashes intensified, lighting her up. She was zigzagging in the air and was in Ogba’s arms in a flash. He held her as if she were not a ball of lightning, breathing in her flashing hair; he held on to her as if letting go would break him. She was the one to pull away from his arms first. 

“You have missed me.” 

Uloma heard her friend laugh. But Ogba did not laugh; his eyes did not flirt as usual. 

“I feared that something would happen to you, my Heartbeat. I had to come here.” 

The moment felt too personal. Uloma turned away, realizing that she should have turned away sooner, but for whatever reason, she had forgotten how she was always the crowd when Ogba was in the mix. Ekama was her friend, her best friend, her sworn sister, but he always flapped in and stole her away, like he owned her. She went in search of Abali; the crowd was back to being immersing again. The gap that had brought them through was gone, and the guards stood back in place as if they were not just guarding from creatures coming in, but as if going out was also something that they would frown at. 

Uloma found Abali talking to tiny firefly-like creatures. Their lower bodies glowed faintly against the bright day, their green wings flapping as they floated around Abali. He seemed to be at home with them, but she had never seen them before today. Abali must have sensed her watching him because he looked towards her and waved her over. 

“Ekani’s maiden.” 

He gestured to the creatures as an explanation. Their hair flowed like Ekani’s, and their body, from close up, was dressed demurely and yet elegantly, in ashy silver, the color of Ekani’s realm. They bowed their head in deference to Uloma. Uloma did not respond to this. Servants were not generally beings that were seen or heard; they just were. Abali was the only one to ever strike up conversations with servants; they were comfortable around him. 

“What are they doing here?” 

Uloma knew she sounded harsher than she had intended, but first Ogba, was Ekani also here? 

“Ekani has been awaiting my arrival; they were sent here to bring me as soon as we arrive.” 

Of course, Uloma thought, frowning. She could not help it. 

“You can come with us.” 

Abali offered. 

“I would rather not. Have you seen Asi?” 

She asked him, and he shrugged, indicating that he had not. Uloma looked around for her. Asi was the better evil at the moment; she would rather fight with her than go to Ekani with him, to become a crowd again. 

“You go, I will find Asi.” 

She told Abali. 

“Are you sure?” 

Uloma wondered whether he would choose her over Ekani. Would he stay with her instead? Somehow, she did not want to find out. Somehow, she feared that he would not choose her. 

~ 

“Hey.” 

Abali said, strolling over to Ekani. She was a perfect vision, a perfect vision, standing there watching him stride towards her. He reached her and stopped like he wanted to drink her in. Without warning, he pulled her elegant body into a bear hug, lifting her feet off the ground and spinning her around. When he finally let go of her, he saw in her eyes that she had braced herself for the onslaught of his attack; he beamed at her. He was always the level-headed one with everyone else, but he got to be reckless with her because she was for him what he was for everyone else. 

“As radiant as ever.” 

He told her, and she smiled her demure smile at him. Her beautiful eyes lit up for him. They always lit up for him. 

“I heard you were here, followed your scent.” 

He continued playfully sniffing her, and he pulled her into another hug, her body molded into his like she was built to fit into him. 

“So, we are pretending my maids did not bring you to me.” 

Her muffled voice said in his arms. He shook his head in denial, even as her fireflies swamped them, evidence against his blatant fib. 

“What? No, I gravitate towards you; love pulled me your way.” 

He joked, but she stiffened and pulled away from him. 

“Do you love me?” 

She asked him for the first time since the birth of their relationship. She loved him, oh, how she loved him; she would move earth and hell for him. The sadness that crept into her voice had lived in her heart since the strange girl came into his life. Her eyes were pleading with him now to choose her; to say he loved her, too. But she knew. 

“Ekani.” 

He whispered, his brows furrowed, forehead contorted in despair. 

“I know, cosmics can’t fall in love. Still, you are in love with her.” 

He dropped his gaze from her; it made her eyes water, 'look at me,' she screamed in her head, 'pretend, lie, convince me.' When did she realize her heart was breaking? It definitely wasn’t today. 

“Say something.” 

She said in a small, choked voice. He raised his head to her, and what she saw there tore her heart in shreds. Her smile was thin; it had nothing to do with pleasantness. 

“What I wouldn’t have done for you.” 

She said to him, the tears falling freely down her face. 

“I am sorry.” 

He finally answered, and he was crying too. He liked Ekani; he was himself with her, the way he could never be with other people. Over a century of relationship can congeal into something resembling love. 

“I did not mean for it to happen, for any of it to happen. Ekani, I have tried to bury my feelings, kill them even, but...”  

He trailed off. He had not planned for Uloma; he had not seen her coming.  

She shook her head; the tears would not stop coming now that they had started. After all the decades and centuries spent loving him, how could she bring herself to recover from it?  

“If I keep our engagement going, you will stay faithful to me.” 

Why this stopped being comforting was news to her at first. He was taken with her; it was easy to see, he was even once smitten by her, but then Uloma came along, and he was different. He was different for another girl; the days Ekani had spent wishing that he did the same for her, felt the same for her. Wished that it could be her he had changed for. 

“But only because you are loyal, you won’t break a promise and bond. See, that is why I fell in love with you.” 

She grimaced through her tears. He wanted to stop her, to hold her off from what he could sense coming. He did love her, but he was not in love. What he felt for Uloma pulled him to his knees every day, yet he returned for more every day. It was as if she had imprinted with him, and now, he could not shake it off. But being with Uloma would mean hurting his best friend, his Ekani; he had made her a vow in front of families and friends, and he was prepared to be miserable to the end of time for that promise. But he was not miserable when Ekani was there. It was with Uloma that his heart tears, desiring her and knowing he could never be more than her friend.  

“You won’t leave me.” 

They had been together for a long time, and there was almost nothing he would not do for her. He was there whenever she called, a shoulder when she required one, and he was her friend when she needed one. He would fight the pillars of universes for her; she knew all these, and it was enough once. But what she wanted now was for him to look at her the way he looked at Uloma, to melt in her arms, the way his eyes melted whenever Uloma was in the same space as him. 

“Please.” 

He was cosmic. He could see what was coming. Her heart broke to see the depth of pain in his red-rimmed eyes, but her mind was made. She deserved to be loved the way he loved Uloma. What did Uloma have that she didn’t? 

“I wish you had chosen me.” 

She said, her face and voice soaked in tears, she vanished in a splutter of light and wings. Abali felt himself slump to the ground, his hand clutching his head. What he would not give to feel for Ekani what he felt for Uloma, but he was lying to himself even now if the mention of Uloma’s name did not send his heart into a frenzy. He wept for more than a century of memories and friendship, for the loss of someone who meant more than she knew, to him. Did he not tell her enough that he liked her? Has he not shown her that he would never act on his feelings for Uloma, because he could never betray or disrespect her? She was his safe place; was he not a safe place for her, too? He had tried with every action and every word to show her he would always be loyal to her. He sobbed because he felt broken. They had promised each other eternity, and he had been prepared to give her that.