Prisoners of The Scroll by Akomeno Ibagere (find a book to read txt) 📕

"James, your life is in danger"

James recognized the voice immediately.  It was the mystery princess.  But what was she doing here, he thought.  Could his mind be playing tricks on him now?  It was his imagination, he thought.  He dipped his hands inside his pocket and brought out a chocolate bar.  He always carried one.  He was about a take a bite when Princess Kadura suddenly appeared in front of him.  This time she was different.  She was all glowing in her white flowing pants with a sword in her right hand and a shield on the left.

"Who are you?" James summoned courage and managed to ask

"Leave that for now.  You are not supposed to be here"

"What do you mean by that?"

"This is a different realm.  You have to go now before it is too late" Prince Kadura warned. 

James was about to go but then he remembered his brother.  He couldn't leave his brother alone.

"My brother is in there" James said as he tried to rush into the cave met a kind of barrier blocking his way.  He could not see anything in front of him.  He turned and saw that Prince Kadura had pointed her hands towards the cave.  She had created the invisible barrier.

"Let me go and bring my brother" he begged.

Then he heard screams inside the cave.  He ran to hide behind the big tree.  Something evil was happening inside that cave and Jones was still there.  James was confused and at the same time scared.

"It is too late to save them now" Prince Kadura said

"Look at all these diamonds" Jones said

"They are just laying waste here" Prince Tobi joined

"We are going to be rich"

"I am going to going to build mansions" Prince Tobi continued "Petura, what are you going to do with your share?"

"I have something planned and you will know when the time comes"

They continued to walk deep into the cave.  The walls were lined with diamonds and on the floor were tiny diamonds scattered here and there.  Then they came to a big space with heaps of diamond.  Jones opened his bag and started filling it the big stones.  Prince Tobi joined in the harvesting of diamonds.  Petura was not interested in the diamonds.  He was here for something else.  Something that would give him more than just diamonds.

"Prince Tobi, where is Petura?" Jones asked when he noticed that he was no longer with them.

"Leave him alone.  Maybe he has gone for something bigger"

Petura had walked into a smaller compartment in the cave.  There it was.  Sitting alone on a small heap of diamonds was an old looking scroll.  It was brown and looked dirty.  It was in a closed state.  He walked to where it sat, grabbed hold of it and then opened it.  And all hell was let loose.

There was very a bright and blinding light that came out of the scroll immediately  Petura opened it.  And he dropped the scroll.

"My eyes, My eyes" He screamed.  Petura staggered out of the compartment to where both Prince Tobi and Jones were busy filling up their sacks.  They were both stunned when they saw Petura run out with his eyes shinning bright like diamonds.  Petura kept on running until he came out of the cave.  He was blind.

James saw Petura as he emerged from the cave.  He was screaming.  James came from behind and grabbed him.  He quickly pulled him to his hiding place behind the big tree.  He turned to look at his face and almost screamed.  In place of his eyes were diamond-like eyes.  He could not see anymore.

"It was the scroll!  It was the scroll..."Pentura kept mumbling

"What scroll?" James inquired

"The scroll...The scroll"

James knew that Petura was no longer himself.  James brought out his rope and tied him.  He then gagged his mouth to keep him from giving away his position.  He grabbed his touch and was about entering the cave when he heard footsteps of someone or something running towards him.  He retreated to his hiding place again.  What he saw next almost made him faint.  At this time, his thighs were burning with hot urine.

It was Prince Tobi who had come out of the cave.  His whole body were covered in blood.  His right hand was almost severed from his body except for some tiny veins that tried to keep it from falling completely.  Out of nowhere, James saw several swords appear.  They were all in the air.  The assailants were invisible.  Each of the swords dealt several deadly and devastating blows on Prince Tobi.  He kept on screaming as he felt the effects of the different strikes penetrating his body like a hot knife on butter.

Prince Tobi fell to the ground and stopped moving.  Something started dragging him back into the cave until his whole body disappeared.  James froze in his hiding position.  He saw everything that had happened.  Where was Jones?  Was he still alive?  How would he rescue his brother?  Several thoughts ran through his mind.  He felt alone for the first time in his life.

"James, save me.  James save me" It was his brother's voice. 

He came out from his hiding place and what he saw stopped him dead in his track.  He stood in front of his brother.  More than 50 fishing hooks were attached to all over his body.  Jones was almost naked except for his boxers short.  Some kind of forces were pulling him back into the cave.  James could not move.  It was a very horrible sight.  He wanted to run and pull off the hooks from his brother's body but the invisible barrier had re-appeared again separating him from his brother.

"Time to go.  He is gone.  He now belongs to the cave" Prince Kadura whispered to James.

Professor Vincent Nathan had just finished a class on African Shrines.  He had entered his office to get his things before heading home. ­Sitting on his big mahogany table was a strange looking parcel with four feathers attached to on the four corners of the box-like parcel.  He picked it up and stared at it.  The receiver's name was absent.  He shook it and then listened to know if it was something sinister.  He was in a university where there were bad gangs who attacked lecturers for refusing to give them good grades for work not done.  He carefully opened it and then peeped through the small opening to have a glimpse of the contents.  It was not a bomb.

He opened the parcel and saw a small compact disc along with some pictures.  He picked the pictures and then saw familiar faces.  They were his aged parents.  He inserted the compact disc into his computer to play it.  It was an audio CD.  He pressed play and listened . The voice was not familiar but he heard all it was saying "Professor, if you want to see your parents again.  Take the next available flight and come to Africa.  Our contact will pick you from the airport.  It is going to be a reunion".

Professor Vincent, was dumfounded.  Africa is a continent.  The message did not say which location in Africa.  He sat down to think.  He was in another part of the world far from Africa.  He was in Australia.  He picked up his mobile phone and dialed his parents numbers.  Both lines could not connect.  They were switched off.

As he sat in his chair facing the window with his back to the door he thought of what should be his next move.  Then he heard a knock on his door.  He was not in the mood to discuss anything with anybody.  So he ignored it.  He heard it again and again.  He decided to answer and then go home and think of how to go about the message.  At home nobody would disturb him.

"Come in.  The door is open" Professor Vincent said.  He heard the door open and footsteps.

"Hi, James"

Professor Vincent immediately recognized the voice.  He turned around to see if it was whom he expected to see.  It was Princess Kadura.  She was older and still as beautiful as ever.

"You?  How did you find me?" James questioned

"I am a warrior from another world and we need you now"

"Warrior?" James was laughed

"A war is coming.  It's time for you to fulfill your purpose"

"What purpose?" James asked

"To rescue the Prisoners of The Scroll" Princess Kadura continued "But you must be fully prepapred"

"I am ready. I just need to get my guns and bags" the professor said as he began to pack his things.

"Your guns can stop Petura" Princess Kadura warned "He is a fallen god and still possess his powers"

Professor Vincent knew that his thoughts about him was true. But this time around, things will be different. It was time for him to go for another adventure and this time he was ready.  He was no longer the feeble and scary James.  That was 20 years ago.  He was a professor of History.

"When do we leave?"

Publication Date: 06-17-2020

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