Way of The Wand

Chapter 8

That evening, Lila followed Tomi and Timi to the Witches’ Market as was the routine.

The place looked even busier than usual, like there was a sale going on.

Every square inch was filled with sweaty bodies and arguing tongues. Lila thanked the Gods for the fact that the market had a flower and perfume shop in every corner. She cringed to imagine what it would smell like with all these people crammed together like this without the sweet scent from those shops counteracting it.

The large winded road that was often free had been blocked by carts and barrows, and to go through, Lila, Tomi and Timi had to jump over a few of them.

As they pushed through the crowd, Lila couldn’t help but picture how this must have been the norm a mere two hundred years ago, before the mandatory market days custom was discarded.

In those days, one could only trade on select days and markets were only open on market days. People would wait until such a day arrived before gathering in the market to exchange goods.

None of Lila’s family members got to experience such a thing, not even her great grandfather, who had arrived in Edoh over a century ago.

Driven from his home by war like so many others, Lila’s great grandfather undertook the long journey, crossing two continents and braving the seven seas to come to Edoh, a small kingdom he heard had enjoyed almost a thousand years of uninterrupted peace.

Edoh’s thousand years of peace was only threatened once and by a king unhappy with seeing new faces in his kingdom. He’d tried to turn the people against one another, but unfortunately for him, the people chose peace over king.

King Mayowa’s reign came to an end when he was stripped of his crown and banished from his own kingdom, forcing him to live out the rest of his life as exile in the nearby kingdom of Asante.

“Finally,” Tomi said, “We’re here.”

After the usual round of hugs and pleasantries, Mrs Afolabi pulled out a broomstick and offered it to Lila.

“Aunt Wura, I can’t take this,” Lila protested, even though she stared at the oak brown broomstick with wide, hungry eyes.

It wasn’t just an ordinary broomstick, it was a zelter, a brand that had been out for a year already but remained one of the fastest brooms in the market, justifying its nine hundred gamin tag price.

Lila was going to wait another year before she pestered her parents into getting her one.

For a split second, she imagined all the things she could do with a zelter, all the tricks she could perform with it.

The broomstick she owned presently was several years out of date, not to mention how damaged it was due to her habit of always pushing the broom past its limits. A faster and more durable broomstick like the zelter would go a long way in improving her chances of winning against Kano.

The problem was, the Afolabis had been far too kind and generous to her already.

They welcomed her to their shop every day, fed her and treated her like family.

How much more would she collect until she became a burden, knowing fully well that like her parents, the Afolabis weren’t rich.

“Come on, take it,” Mrs Afolabi urged. “You won’t just be representing yourself or your school or your family tomorrow, you’ll be representing us. All of us. All the witches in Edoh.”

Moved by Mrs Afolabi’s words, Lila stretched her hand and accepted the broom. She slammed herself into the older witch, squeezing her into an embrace. “Thank you Aunt Wura. I promise I won’t let you down.”

Mrs Afolabi patted Lila on the head. “Just do your best and you’ll make us all proud.”

She had half a mind to suggest to Lila to take the broom for a spin, but with how tightly packed the market was today, it wasn’t advisable.

Lila removed her wooden wand from her pocket, placed the zelter on the floor and cast a spell at it saying, “Translocate.”

The broomstick disappeared, and Lila smiled in confidence, knowing it would be waiting for her at home.

“Will your parents be around to watch you at the tournament tomorrow?” Wura Afolabi asked.

Lila’s head dropped. “They told me they couldn’t get the day off. They won’t be able to make it.”

She raised her head and peered into Mrs Afolabi’s eyes with earnestness. “You’ll be there though, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Wura replied. “Although Yomi and I weren’t able to get tickets on time, so we don’t have the best seats in the house.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Lila replied, her voice lively once again. “As long as I know you’ll be watching me.”