The sun rose pale and uncertain through a veil of morning mist as Uzoaru stood at the edge of the river path — the final landmark before the boundary of the sacred forest of Odo-Ama. Birds cried warnings from overhead branches, and the thick reeds rustled without wind.
Nwanne emerged shortly after, her wrapper splashed with mud and her hair tangled from the thorns of the last grove. She had kept her distance all night, her eyes watchful and sharp. Though they had spoken only in necessary words, both girls knew that this next stage could break either of them.
They approached the riverbank in silence, until the waters shimmered unnaturally as if lit from beneath by spirits. The current rippled backwards, and a figure emerged from the depths. It was an Mmụọ mmiri — a river spirit cloaked in blue smoke and adorned with shells, its face concealed beneath a mask of wood and silver.
"You bring offerings to a cursed soul," the spirit said, voice flowing like the river itself. "And you hope to draw from sacred wells without understanding the cost?"
Uzoaru knelt respectfully, her hands cupped with kola nut and white chalk. "We seek the root that heals, spirit of the waters. Our prince's life dims by the day."
The spirit turned to Nwanne, who hesitated. Her offering a mirror laced with incantations was something she had received from the dark seeress. She laid it forward, masking her trembling.
The river spirit hovered between them, then laughed the sound echoing like cracked bells.
"One of you walks with light in her chest… the other, with fire in her shadow."
Without warning, the river surged, pulling them both under.
Below the Water
Uzoaru's body thrashed, lungs burning, but when she opened her eyes, the water was no longer water — it was air. A vision unfolded before her: Prince Nwabueze lay in the palace shrine, the royal priest sobbing over a bowl of spilled blood. The king shouted, his voice hoarse, "Only the Path of Ọnwụ can bring him back!"
Then the image shifted. Nwanne, dressed in glowing red, stood in front of the prince but his eyes were closed, lifeless. She screamed his name again and again, but he did not stir.
Back to Reality
Uzoaru coughed as the river spat her back onto the shore. Nwanne emerged a moment later, gasping, her eyes filled with something darker fear… or guilt?
They did not speak of what they had seen beneath the water. Instead, they walked on, knowing something vital had changed.
By dusk, the air thickened. The sacred forest of Odo-Ama loomed ahead.
And from somewhere unseen, a whisper danced on the wind:
Only one heart shall reach the crown.