Insulted and a little stung at his pitying dismissal, I cursed him and called him by rude names, my sharp tongue which had landed me in numerous trouble lashed out wantonly, days spent with lawless men and drunkards supplied me with vulgar speeches from which I held nothing back.

“You wool brained hideous bastard of a hundred fathers, you dare to call yourself an Orisha, you mistake of a deity, you dared to open that excrement filled maw you call mouth and compared yourself to Lanroye in all his divinity, perchance if you had ever sat to wonder why you stayed down here in your gods forsaken groove where no one visits you and you think it was because everyone feared you, then you must be dumber than you look.

No one wants to come near you because you stink to the heavens, your foul stench led me right from the edge of the forest to the hole you call groove, your brother wears robes made with golden linen, you’re here strutting about in skirts made of palm fronds, he dines and wine on a table of silver while you squat on plantain leaves and bones, eating carrion, and you dare to call yourself a god?

I am not surprised for as we have beggars and mad men amidst mortals surely you must be the father and deity of beggars and lunatics, arise from your rags thou beggar god and set your affairs in order for today, you have eaten your last human flesh, after I have silenced you forever, your dear twin will surely thank me for removing such embarrassment from his life.’’

My taunts and jabs must have gotten into him so much his was speechless with rage his meal forgotten, the black flame burning on his single horn died down to thick black smoke, he rose to his full height allowing me to really see the hive of hornets I had foolishly stirred with a stick, Elegbara was terrible in appearance. His head, thick with hair like a lion’s brushed the tree tops, eyes glowing like bonfire; he drew a great spiked club taller than I am from his person and growled.

“I see some second rated Oracle must have misled you with songs of glory into throwing your life away or your doomed fate has finally caught up with you. I promise you a painful passing for your mother shall feel the old pain of childbirth as I rip out your heart from your chest, I will use you as a lesson to foolhardy youths who would want to venture on the doomed path you have taken, I shall keep you alive long enough to see me eat your still beating heart so in your next life, your heart with flutter within you whenever you hear the name Elegbara.”

On saying this, the daemon deity charged with a blood curdling roar that shook the forest.

I will not lie, I panicked, tell me who wouldn’t when a thousand pound of monstrosity charges at you, I drew my cutlass and hurled it at him, my aim was true but my iron cutlass shattered against his face as an earthenware pottery would shatter against rock.

At this, I turned around and raced away into the dark forest, the daemon deity at my heels. Years of running from angry husbands, jilted lovers and the quick dancing beats of the Bata drum had rendered me fleet footed as I raced gracefully like the gazelle, in spite of Elegbara’s great height and reach, kept ahead of him.

Oshe hummed with disapproval, “I can drop you if you are so eager to fight him then.” I sent back thoughts at it.

“Upon all your brags and mouth running.” Oshe hummed in mockery, I was ashamed at this but I kept mum, steadfastly focused on running faster.

Our chase led us straight into a grotto of hanging creepers and spidery tree trunks, I raced through the grotto with ease but Elegbara’s larger form was soon trapped as he tried to force his way in after me. Roaring in impotent fury, the more he struggled, the more he was stuck in entwined vines.

“Now this is your chance.” Oshe thrummed with eagerness to bite, Elegbara’s plight returned some courage into my breast for I drew the enchanted double bladed axe and smote with all the strength in my limbs.

Oshe was true for it bit the trapped god, his bellow of surprise rather than pain shook the forest floor, for the first time in a thousand years Elegbara felt pain, in a burst of divine strength; he showed me why he was Orisha for the black flame from his single horn became an inferno as I raced for cover.

Peeking out from behind the boulder from which I took cover, I beheld the entire grotto of creepers and hanging vines in a blackened ruin.

Amidst the smoking stumps that was his temporal prison, Elegbara stood glowing with black power, watched me and my weapon with wary interest.

“Son of Oranmiyan, from whence did you acquire a weapon such as this? Surely an Orisha is behind this, what were you promised? Which coward god sends a mortal to do his dirty work.’’

“Little wonder Ogun lord of Ire withdrew from your duel, for you bored the fight out of him with your senseless talk and aimless banter, are we going to fight or rant like market women, you concern yourself with the wrong sort, for you should be concerned about your safety because I Shango of Oyo will walk away from here with your head, in payment for his friends whom you sent to the beyond with their works incomplete.’’

Giving him little time to react, I charged him and the forest rang with the clash of our weapons. Elegbara was no mean god, for he gave me the fight of my life but I drew strength from Oshe’s dark aura and brought forth sweat from the daemon deity’s brow for never in his ancient existence had he encountered a mortal like me.

My speed and agility gave me the advantage as I used my nimbleness to frustrate the daemon deity for I was not staying in place for his great club to smash into yam flour. Mottled with raged, he muttered words of incantations; the forest floor answered and I was rooted in place...trapped.

“I have you now little fly.” he howled with glee.

But I was not ready to meet my creator just yet; I am Shango, demi-god great son of the legendary Oduduwa. I uttered incantations of my own, calling upon the spirit of égbe the wind sprite, Elegbara raised his club to end my tale but I was nowhere to be found, egbe has carried me a yard away from danger.

“I have to admit son of Oranmiyan for I undermined you, but I grow weary of your hide and seek games, you have toyed with my indulgence long enough, this is my forest, this is my dominion, your charms shall have no effectiveness again.”

True to his words, none of my charms worked again as I uttered incantations after incantations till I ran out of saliva, neither daunted nor discouraged I once more hurled myself at the daemon deity and the struggle began anew.

For a day and a night the forest dwellers cowered fearfully in their abodes as our battle leveled great trees, at last my mortal endurance became strained as my limbs began to tire, blood flowed freely from deep wounds and I realized I must end it quickly or be finished in return.

Calling on Oshe’s strength for one final maneuver, its dark power rushed through me as I weaved under a swing from Elegbara’s spiked club that could have taken off my head till it had landed in my father’s throne room at Oyo.

I pivoted from his great club and leapt with the borrowed strength in my limbs and I was leveled with the monster’s head, yelling the battle cry of my ancestors, I sent Oshe on an errand and it delivered. Elegbara’s head was separated from his shoulders and thus my friends were avenged.

I lay dying beside my vanquished foe. Oshe like an anchor, held me clinging stubbornly to life till Shokoti appeared and healed me of my mortal wounds. Stronger than the first day I stepped into the dark forest, I stood up and watched as the elder god brought forth a dark fishing net, spread it over the daemon deity’s remains and pulled, a burning aura so bright I realized must be his essence as I shielded my eyes came away with the net.

I then saw the elder god put it away into a great brass pot with stopper. He turned to me with a satisfied smile on his face.

“Shango, slayer of Elegbara, the world of man and Orisha thank you for your great service, I suppose I can have my axe back now?’’

A single glance at my impassive face changed his mind for he chuckled and said he was only joking and he surly did not want to escort Elegbara into limbo.

“Although Elegbara’s passing might not be missed by most but a monster still have loved ones, his twin; Lanroye will not be pleased, his sisters, the three world mothers of witches and his numerous monster offspring’s. This is where I grant you my patronage, it will discourage his Orisha siblings from coming after you directly but his monster children are another matter, some of them are already hunting after your scent through the forest as we speak.’’

“Handle the godly siblings for me old one, I can take care of his children.’’ I said as I swung Oshe up and caught it, “what about Elegbara, is he truly dead?"

“It takes more than that to stop an Orisha from ceasing to exist,” Shokoti chuckled. “as long as they have worshipers to remember them and their influence remained, thought it might take him a millenia or two to return because I have his essence imprisoned in this urn, the daemon god may resurface one day but that is a matter for another time, for now all you need concern yourself about is his vengeful family, so kneel.”

I knelt down before the elder god, he laid a hand on me, and I felt nothing more than a tingle as he told me to get up.

“You have an interesting but fleeting mortal life ahead of you.’’ he said, I felt the discomfort as his ancient eyes bored through me, farewell master of chaos, my blessings till our path cross again.’’

On saying this, Shokoti walked backwards into a doorway of mist and vanished, Elegbara’s remains erupted in a canopy of black flame as the howls of the first of his children reached my ears.

“Are you ready to bite more monsters my sweet?’’ I sent to Oshe.

“Hurry up unless you’re afraid or I shall bite you instead.’’ it sent back.

With a laugh I roared the battle cry of my forebears in challenge and raced to meet them.