Page 76 of Wrath of the Oracle
“Do you truly believe you two can have a future together?” Musembi asked him.
“Of course. If you join us in Dembe, I am sure she will be happy.” A small smile danced on his lips as if the thought of Sholei made him happy. Musembi grew sad; if only things were different.
“You want her to be happy?” Musembi’s voice softened. Forgetting her fears for a moment, she wondered what it would take to make Sholei happy.
“I want her to be content when she’s with me.” Ojore inclined his head to face her. “Ever since I got her back, she has been distracted. I thought you must have something to do with it.” He sighed. “You must have told her about Keita and Asaa.”
“Why don’t you talk to her about it?”About your real identity, Musembi wanted to add.
“Make no mistake, we will discuss it. It’s just that now is not the best time.” Ojore’s eyebrows knitted together, his gaze distant.
“The more you stretch it out, the bigger the wall between you two will grow.” How long would their happiness last before they faced their true natures?
”Are you giving me relationship advice?” Ojore chuckled. “Should I assume you approve of our relationship?”
“I want Sholei to have a peaceful life. If she chooses you, she will never know that.”
“I will find a way to change fate. Whatever grudges might have followed us from the previous life won’t affect us now,” Ojore assured her.
”Sholei’s life has been complicated since she was thrust into my life when she was just days old. She has been treated like an outsider her whole life by the community. The tattoos on her head are like a mark separating her from everyone else. That’s why she strives to become an imperial physician. She sees it as a way out.” Musembi’s gaze was distant as she delved into Sholei’s complicated past. “Couple that with her destiny. Sholei has suffered enough.”
”What if we face this together? If it’s true, I am Lord Keita.” Thunder boomed in the sky, and Musembi shifted her gaze. “And she’s Asaa. We’ll figure out how to go through this together.”
“You’re willing to do that?” Musembi asked, her eyes back to Ojore’s.
“For Sholei, I will do anything,” Ojore declared.
“But what if...” Musembi shook her head.
“I am a practical man. I won’t let lucid dreams dictate my life,” Ojore said, a faraway look in his eyes. Musembi suspected Ojore knew more about the twisted fate between him and Sholei than he was saying.
”Then you’d be willing to defy the heavens for love?” Musembi asked. “Our destinies have already been written at birth. Do you believe a man can change his destiny?”
“I would defy the gods just to be with her,” Ojore said, and the skies rumbled again. One moment, they were clear, the next, they turned dark, almost angry.
”Do you know what happened earlier?” Ojore turned to her.
“I’m not sure I follow,” Musembi frowned.
“Sholei attended a funeral, and the mourners stoned her. She is yet to heal from the ordeal of being held prisoner the moment she returned to the Mukuru capital. She suffered more than anyone I know, and yet, have you heard her complain? She is no longer safe in this place.” Ojore’s voice was laden with concern.
“Wait.” Musembi held up her hand. “Why would she endanger her life like that? Is she okay?” Worry laced Musembi’s voice. Tula’s family was bound to be hostile toward Sholei because of her association with Ojore and the Dembe army. The Kwembe family lost two sons, and their only daughter was missing.
Ojore sighed. “If she doesn’t leave, she won’t survive the capital. She can learn to be an Imperial Physician on the Faye Islands and learn the secrets of our past lives, too.”
“But…” Musembi hesitated. “Won’t she be punished for poisoning you once she’s in Dembe? She did escape from your camp.”
“No one knows she poisoned me.” Ojore shrugged. “Besides, she helped cure the sickness that claimed many of my soldiers in the camp. The King of Dembe will reward her for her contributions.”
”It’s ironic how everything keeps falling into place for your plan. You thought of this before visiting me, didn’t you?”
“A man who plans is always a step ahead.” The corners of his lips rose in a half smile.
“From the moment you kidnapped her, you knew the kingdom would ostracize her. You let the rumors about her being your concubine spread.” Musembi sent anaccusing glance at him. “Everything that happened was to give her no other way out but to choose you.” Her voice rose with each accusation.
“Watch your words.” The tall, silent guard behind Ojore stepped forward. Ojore stopped him with a raised hand.
”You let her come back here knowing what would happen. It’s not the world against her, but you who estranged her from everyone.” Musembi wasn’t deterred.
