Chapter 9: Secrets and Survival

Chief commot at fifth cockcrow next day. Mute steward come drop thick paper for me.

The dawn broke quietly, the compound waking slowly. Musa’s shadow moved fast, dropping the paper into my hand.

I check am, page by page.

My fingers shook as I turned each leaf, the words crawling off the page like ants. My stomach clenched.

Finally, I see the real truth for inside all the writing.

The secret was heavy—almost too much for one person to carry. My head spun with questions, fear, excitement.

Turns out say Zainab mission na to become queen. If she fail, this body go suffer, pain go kill am.

So, all along, she’d been chasing something bigger than all of us. The spirit world wasn’t done with her yet.

That’s why she dey desperate—willing to swap with me, even if e mean say she go be servant wey she dey look down before.

I almost pitied her—almost. Now, her suffering had a reason, but it was no longer my problem.

So e mean: If I no fit become queen for five years, I go die.

I closed the paper, hands steady. My chest rise—no be today wahala start, but for the first time, na me get leg inside this game. If spirit dey watch, make dem see say Yemisi no dey carry last.