THIRTY-FOUR-THE ENTRANCE TO ELA.

The crescent moon poured through the night, showering the scenery in silver lighting. Glittering light floated ahead of the Cosmics as if shavings from the moon were falling around them. 

“I am uncomfortable.” 

Ekama laughed, still intoxicated from the enchantment. The crowd of Cosmics with her nodded enthusiastically, grumbling about magical realms and their silly world. 

“We cannot move any further.” 

Eligwe observed. He was talking to himself, Uloma noted, but the Cosmics near him could hear him clearly. They had all known that they could not move any farther, Uloma thought, and they had halted in unison, but Ogba and Eligwe were not all-knowing, so how could they tell? 

“The smell is revolting.” 

Ogba’s brother, Abu, said. The Cosmics who heard him sniffed the air and shook their heads, not smelling anything. In front of them was a path lined by trees, but no one moved towards it. 

“Everyone is fortifying. The realms are frightened.” 

Ogba said, looking intently in front of him, as if he thought that he could stare whatever was keeping them from entering, out of existence. 

“This is our only access to heaven. This realm has the only unsealed portal to Agatha, the realm closest to the heavens, and the heavens have the only unsealed portal to the realm of the Dragons; we have to find a way in.” 

Ogba told Eligwe, who nodded. In the silvery light of the moon, Eligwe seemed his moody self. Unlike the rest of them, he was not drunk on enchantments or loaned powers coursing through his veins. But was he still weak from the cosmics strings he had conducted for her? Uloma wondered, watching him closely. 

“Everyone, listen.” 

Eligwe said, but the excited chatters from hundreds of students drowned his words. Obga raised an eyebrow, and Eligwe nodded, an unsaid communication passing through them. Obga removed himself from Ekama and stood before the crowd. He looked again at Eligwe, who gave a barely perceptible shrug. 

“He is so dreamy.” 

Ekama giggled. 

“You are still enchantment drunk.” 

Uloma told her, and Ekama nodded vigorously, her braids and hair beads nodding with her. 

“It is a good thing the Dragon brothers and Eligwe were not included in the ritual; we would have been lost without them.” 

Uloma said, watching Ogba and Eligwe in front of the crowd, the two boys were a contrast with each other. Obga was warm and muscular with clothes that exposed his upper body, and Eligwe was clad in his usual heavenly attire, his thin frame betraying a perpetually scowling face. Uloma knew that his features softened when he smiled, but he did not do a lot of smiling when there were other people around. 

“Where are Abali and Asi? We can use their brutishness right now.” 

Ekama said, and Uloma nodded, wondering the same thing. As she made to reply, Ogba extended himself, his muscles strained, but his easy smile stayed in place. His action was drawing the attention of the other cosmics. His wings shot out of his back, magnificent in the moonlight. A gasp, Uloma could not help, escaped her, even though she had seen him with his wings countless times. At times like this, it was easy to see why Ekama was so infatuated with him. 

“Silence.” 

He commanded and flapped his wings, without raising his voice; the sound of his voice fell around them, propelled by the flapping of his wings. The crowd obeyed, and Cosmics were not ones for obedience. It won’t last, Uloma thought; they are acting more from awe and shock than anything. She saw in Eligwe’s face that he knew this as well. He had stayed with Cosmics long enough, Uloma thought, smiling to herself, ‘we have imprinted on him, poor thing.’ 

“Listen, I am with you for an easy passage to the heavens.” 

Eligwe told the crowd of Cosmics. 

“Then you are failing.” 

Someone said, and laughter rumbled through the crowd. 

“Don’t make me use my wings again.” 

Ogba warned, using his pointing finger to buttress his seriousness. 

“He cannot be serious.” 

Someone shouted mockingly, and the crowd roared again. Uloma felt bad for both boys; she looked at Ekama and immediately regretted it, because her friend was holding back from laughing. They both tried and failed to keep from laughing. Obga did take himself seriously, and cosmics don’t think anyone was that important. To crown it all, his adoring fan base did not make this journey; they were back home in the realm of Death. 

Abali and Asiya appeared at that moment, two dark plumes taking form. Asiya glared at the crowd, her small frame standing beside Abali, seemed ready to charge or pounce. 

“Enough.” 

She shouted. Her forehead creased in a frown, and the bones on her cheek were visible from being strained, as she bared her teeth at the crowd. Uloma fell silent; she did not have to be told twice. Her sister could do more damage than three muscular dragons. The other cosmics seemed to think this as well, because they immediately stopped speaking, but not without significant grumbles, from cosmics like Ekama. Asiya narrowed her eyes at Ekama, and Ekama stared back in defiance. 

“You two, stop it.” 

Abali chided. 

“Listen, we are here in a new territory. The only place we have ever travelled to as a crowd is the heavens, and they let us in by invitation. We have never truly been in the main heaven because they have never permitted us. That is until now.” 

Abali paused for emphasis, his eyes falling on the faces of the cosmics watching him. 

“But even with permission, we cannot access the heavens from our own realm anymore. We have been attacked too many times for other realms to leave their portals connecting them to our realm open.” 

“We have only been attacked twice.” 

Someone shouted from the crowd. 

“And two times is too many times.” 

Asiya yelled back, narrowing her eyes at the speaker. 

“Asiya is right. We are one of the most powerful realms...” 

Abali continued. 

“Yes, we are.” 

Someone shouted, and the crowd of cosmics cheered in agreement. 

“If those things dared to attack our realm, with Emenikes there, then the other realms feel that they do not stand much of a chance.” 

Abali said when the cheering had died down. 

“The heavens have open portals to the realm of the Dragons, since neither realm has been attacked so far. And Eligwe and Ogba are our access to both respective realms.” 

Uloma heard Echi roar. 

“He is right. Why can’t we go any further? We are all aware that we have to halt here, but we cannot sense why.” 

Sani said. The Echi crowd was all here, Uloma thought, searching for them in the crowd; a normal cosmic would have been able to pinpoint their location without trying. 

“Do you not smell that?” 

Ogba asked them, scrunching up his sculpted nose. 

“A strong deterrent spell has been cast here. It is barring our entry.” 

Abu said. His face folded in confusion. 

“They cannot smell it. They are still running high, full of enchantment.” 

Eligwe told Abu, who scoffed. 

“They are truly weird.” 

Abu replied. 

“Who are you calling weird? We are not the ones walking around with feathers shooting out of us and scales for skin.” 

Sani shouted from the crowd. Excellent hearing, Uloma looked in the direction Sani’s voice had come from. Abu would have to learn that some cosmics had the hearing of elephants. Abu’s face fell in confusion. 

“What?” 

He asked. 

“You literally have beings with wings and scales. What are you talking about?” 

But the cosmics did not receive his rebuttal well; they broke out in arguments, shouting at him about scales, wings, and weirdness. Abu glared back, refusing to engage any further. 

“Stop.” 

Abali’s voice rang out. 

“We are not at home in Death’s realm. We are in another realm, a different territory. How will they let us in if they think that we are trouble?” 

He scolded the crowd. Uloma knew in her heart that the silent cosmics were not repentant. They were cosmics after all, but they were sensible enough to settle down. 

“We will make camp tonight. Elas are not nocturnal; they require sleep, and so do the Dragon brothers and Eligwe. I advise that we settle down and let our companions who need their sleep rest. We will sort everything else out in the morning.” 

~ 

They set up camps as the night wore on. Cosmics sat around small bonfires, laughing and joking, enchantments slushing through them. The moon was hiding behind clouds by the time they were finally settling down from rumbustious excitement. 

“That was quite the entrance earlier.” 

Ekama said to Abali. 

“Oh, it was just lucky. We stayed back to be refilled after spending all that energy on your lot. I don’t know how the prefects can stand you all.” 

Asiya complained, the corner of her mouth turned down in contempt. Uloma chuckled at her sister. 

“You mean to tell me that you do not enjoy the power prefects wield over the rest of us?” 

Asiya thought for a second about her sister’s question and shook her head. 

“I can already do whatever I want to you, so no.” 

“Wait until you are let in on more secrets of the universe than the average cosmic student is allowed, and tell me that you don’t like being a prefect.” 

Abali told Asiya. He was sitting directly in front of Uloma, the water girl, Tekena hanging on closely to him. Uloma knew this should not bother her, but she couldn't help that it did. 

“Not everyone is goody, goody like you. Some of us actually have some self-respect.” 

Asiya retorted, and her minions guffawed in a laugh of solidarity. 

“Leave Abali alone. He helped us tonight.” 

Uloma told her sister, eying the clay cosmics still guffawing as if their leader had cured the universe with her hilarity. 

“Why are you still laughing? She was not even that funny, or actually funny.” 

Ekama asked Temi and Teni, who immediately stopped laughing. They seized her up, as if considering how to deal with her. 

“She is not worth it.” 

Asiya told them, calming them down. 

“Yes, listen to your leader.” 

Ekama said, her tone challenging. 

“Why are you so mean to us?” 

Temi asked Ekama. 

“Whatever have we done to you?” 

Teni demanded; she resembled a wall with a face, but her voice in that moment sounded flowery. Uloma wondered why they were playing the victims when they had always been the aggressors. She glared at her sister and Temi, and Asi nonchalantly looked away, as if the argument bored her. 

“What? Are you being serious? Asiya torments us, and you back her up like her muscles and mercenaries.” 

“You and Uloma do the same with each other, and you are both Abali’s muscles. Why are you allowed to do it, and we are not?” 

Teni asked, her reddish-brown pupil challenging against the blaze of the bonfire. 

“You have a right to hate us, and we have the right to hate you. Don’t make it into something that it is not.” 

Ekama replied. 

“Okay, stop it now.” 

Abali interjected. Playing the peace maker as always, Uloma thought, annoyed with him, Asi’s minions started it. 

“Kama is sorry, and Ulom will no longer attack you. Is everyone okay?” 

Uloma frowned. She and Ekama tried to argue, but Abali shook his head, holding up his palm. They both closed their mouth and glared at him. 

“This is what we mean.” 

Teni said, pointing accusatorily at Abali. 

“You act for each other. All three of you. He tells you to stay quiet, and you do. But when Asiya does it with us, we are the daft, empty-headed ones, with no thoughts of our own.” 

“Is Teni, right? Is Abali our Asiya?” 

Uloma asked Ekama. They stared at each other for a moment, each trying to read the other’s thoughts, and as if they had come to the same conclusion, they shook their heads in unison. 

“We bully Abali. We get him in trouble. We make him do whatever we want. Asiya would never let you put her through half the mess Abali goes through for us.” 

Ekama told Teni. 

“Are we wrong?” 

She asked Asiya, and all their attentions turned to Asi, who snorted and went back to seeping a concoction she had made with herbs littering the entrance of Ela. 

“But we could stand to be nicer to each other, right?” 

Abali asked them. 

“You are a shame of a cosmic. Tah.” 

Asiya spat, cursing. Undeterred, Abali drew his eyebrows up. 

“Right?” 

He asked again. And received various degrees of unenthusiastic agreements. 

“Asi?” 

He demanded. 

“Whatever. Fine.” 

She replied and was clapped on the back by Ogba. 

“You are such a leader.” 

Tekena whispered to Abali, translucent in the light of the moonlight, and beaming at him. 

“Uh, you are such a leader.” 

Ekama mimicked loudly, and Uloma snickered. ‘Be nice,’ Echi flared. He was sitting beside Uloma, gently covering her with his warmth. 

“When am I not nice?” 

Ekama asked him. Sandwiched between Ogba and Eligwe, Asiya sniffed noisily. 

“You mean when are you not in a bad weather?” 

She said under her breath, but loud enough for all of them in the small circle to hear. 

“Very clever.” 

Uloma mocked, and her sister’s head snapped up in her direction, her eyes narrowed. 

“I can narrow mine too.” 

She shot at Asiya. 

“Our dear dragons help us. Do you, cosmics, never get along?” 

Abu asked, and he sounded concerned. Echi flared, and they all nodded. 

“He is right, palm-wine is the only thing that can stop us from eating each other.” 

Teni told him. 

“Then say no more, let the camaraderie begin.” 

Ogba boomed, and with a flair in the flicker of his wrist, a keg materialised in front of them. 

“I forget that the prince of the Dragons can create matter.” 

Uloma laughed. 

“Can he create cups to go with the keg?” 

Ekama asked, eying him. 

“I will do you one better, my love, I will conjure up wine bowls.” 

He answered her and kissed the bridge of her small nose, causing her to giggle. 

The night improved considerably afterwards. The Dragon brothers regaled them with tales of war and victory, and Abali told stories of simpler but fantastical events. He was in his element as their unelected leader. She smiled openly at him from across the fire where he sat. He caught her eyes but did not smile back. He glanced to her right; it was a quick glance, but she saw it. She turned to the reason behind his glance. Eligwe sat quietly on the other side of her, leaning away from the fire, his hands stretched out behind him on the ground. He was observing everyone with an air of brooding contemplation. 

“Are you okay?” 

She asked him, wondering whether he was still in pain. If he was, he was doing a good job of hiding it. He smiled lazily at her. 

“Are you asking whether I am in pain?” 

He asked. His cashmere cat smile spread through his face and warmed her inside in places Echi’s flames could not touch. 

“Lost your tongue?” 

He said, smirking, she rolled her eyes at him. 

“You hate it when I read your mind. That is what you were thinking earlier. Am I right?” 

He asked her. He was right, that was what she had been thinking earlier. Was she that easy to read? 

“You are alright then, if you are teasing me again.” 

She told him. He sat up, leaned towards her, and whispered. 

“I cannot help myself. If I don’t tease, I might find myself saying something like, ‘In this moonlight, your eyes resemble a dark brown sunset, and I worry that I will float away in them if I don’t hold on to something.” 

Uloma felt her heart race; she was doing a bad job of breathing. His breath was sweet, the scent of palm-wine. He leaned away from her, but she couldn’t look away. She gazed longingly into his eyes. He was the only thing that existed, the only thing she cared about in that moment. 

“There. I am floating away. Hold me back.” 

He whispered. But how could she, when she was right there with him, floating into the distant horizon? 

“Dear dragons. Is this your way of announcing to the rest of us that you are officially together?” 

Ogba asked, and suddenly it was no longer just the two of them; Ogba was there, and so was everyone else. 

“Is he right? Are we official?” 

Eligwe asked her, smirking. Her heart leaped and raced in excitement, but Abali made an inaudible excuse and walked off into the night, drawing her attention away from Eligwe.  

Ekama changed the topic then, for Oma's sake and Abali’s.  

Abali did not return until later that night. He sat back down, avoiding Oma's eyes. Eligwe was dozing on her lap, and Ogba was on Kama’s, and Echi was chattering to both of them, flaring and glowing quietly. 

“Abali.” 

Uloma called softly when Echi paused, in acknowledgement of Abali’s return. Abali still did not look at her; it broke her heart to watch him. She had not meant to hurt him, but what she felt for Eligwe was real; it was there, she could not deny it, just so that this boy who had never committed to her would not feel bad. 

“Come sit with us.” 

She told him. 

Asiya had moved away and was chatting and snickering with Teni and Temi. Uloma had thought earlier that she had never seen Asi laugh as much as she did when she was around those two. They had a weird relationship. She reacted to them as if they were the only cosmics that understood her. Tekena had gone to join Echi’s crew. And Abu was dozing by a large rock; he slept with his head resting on the rock and his weapons in a long satchel held closely to his chest. Abali’s departure had caused their circle to scatter. 

“Please. Sit with us.” 

Uloma insisted. Abali considered her offer for a moment and walked over to them. He sat between her legs, waking Eligwe. Uloma ran her fingers through Eligwe’s hair in a combing motion, helping him settle back to sleep. Abali leaned into her, resting his head on her chest. ‘My territory,’ his action seemed to say. The action was not lost on Uloma, or on Kama, who looked at her with pity. She felt Eligwe stirring again. He snuggled into her thighs and threw a hand around her waist. 

Echi intensified his glow, extending it to Abali, Eligwe, and Ogba. Uloma smiled gratefully at him. He was not marking her as his territory, unlike these two. He was giving her his support and friendship; she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Kama joined her on Echi’s other shoulder. They both chatted with Echi until sunrise.