But one look at him lying peacefully by the corner was all the courage I needed, and all the courage I knew I would ever get. Even the soundest and most peaceful of sleep could not soften the hardness of his face and jaws…hardness that came by several years of experience in wickedness and deceit. Not allowing my thoughts linger any further, I hammered his face straight through the floor and time stood still…only briefly.

I couldn’t believe how easy this had all been. It was as if God Himself had arranged the sequence of events to my advantage. A cool calm came upon me. I was calm, alert and planning my next move. I know that right now I sound like a heartless, cold blooded killer with years of experience.

But believe me when I say this is the first time I’ve ever killed anyone and by The Mercies Of God it’ll be my last. As I sat and thought of what my next line of action would be, I could not help but reflect on the sequence of events that led to me killing Era, Commander in Chief of The King’s Forces.

A war had broken out between the King’s army and the Bulu tribe (one of the more dominant tribes in the land). Now by virtue of an alliance between my husband and the King, you could say we were on the King’s army side. As a matter of fact you could say my husband and Era (the King’s right hand man) were very well acquainted.

But in my heart, I disliked the King and I disliked Era even more. Era was highly feared throughout the land and had gained reputation as a bully who commandeered people’s land and property with brutality, especially if there was the slightest resistance from the owner. My husband is very charismatic and diplomatic and had proactively taken steps to provide certain services to the King, through which an alliance was formed. This was my husband’s way of securing the life of his family and his assets.

News of the war had spread all over the land and there was tension everywhere. Reports reaching my husband indicated that the Bulu tribe was gaining advantage. With this news my husband left the house in a rush, probably to figure out what to do going forward. With my husband gone, I found myself praying earnestly for the Bulu tribe to win this war.

I had friends from that tribe and I truly admired their customs and traditions. Infact one of the most notable people in that tribe had become my role model. Her name was Debbie and she had made a good reputation of being one of the most influential Judges in the community. She was known all over the land and was held in the highest regard. I guess you could say she was considered a very powerful statesman or is it stateswoman.

While my husband was out, I stood outside our balcony taking note of all the activities around me, wondering what was truly happening….who was winning this war. Then I noticed some movement and saw one of the King’s soldiers’s coming towards our home.

It was then it hit me that the reports were true…the Bulu tribe had truly gained the advantage. As the soldier got closer, I noticed it wasn’t just any soldier, it was Era himself, he was clearly wounded and in pain. Initially I was highly uncomfortable that he was coming to our home. To make matters worse, my husband was not around.

I just couldn’t imagine myself being under the same roof with such a heartless creature. But in the micro seconds that passed I suddenly saw this as an opportunity to bring his tyranny to an end, especially since the Bulu tribe was winning. I wasn’t sure what I would do and no plan had formed in my mind but as I ruminated on how I could turn this to my advantage, I saw myself hurrying towards him and with the meekest of voices I said, “Come in my lord…come in. Don’t be afraid.

You are safe here”. I took him to a nice spot by the corner and draped a blanket over him. He said to me, “Please give me some water to drink, I am very thirsty”. I hurried to do as I was told. As I poured water into the jug a fleeting thought crossed my mind and I decided instead of water, I would give him curdled milk.

It’s slightly heavier than regular milk and considering how exhausted he was, it would surely send him to sleep. I served him the milk in a bowl fit for nobles so he wouldn’t be upset with me going against his orders for water. As I served him the milk, he didn’t raise an eyebrow.

On the contrary he seemed slightly pleased that it was milk not water and as I predicted, within minutes he was fast asleep. I made a bit of noise to see if he would wake up, he didn’t move a muscle, not even a twitch. That’s when I decided to end his life and do so quickly.

A sudden sound outside my door brought me back to reality. It was Barak, the leader of the Bulu army. I went out to greet him and brought him in to see Era’s dead body. The relief that spread across his face cannot be put to words. With Era dead subduing the King was child’s play. The Bulu tribe gained back control of the land and peace reigned in the land another forty years.

Allow me introduce myself. My name is Jael and my story can be found in the book of Judges Chapter 4 and 5.

Nkoyo Itegboje is a writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. You can connect with her via her facebook page or send her an email via