Year: 1885
The expansion vote came down to four.
Twenty-three for. Nineteen against. Five abstentions.
A narrow victory, but a victory. The first major policy initiative of Akenzua's reign had passed.
Osaro's face was stone as the count was announced. He had thrown everything at defeating the proposal--private meetings, promises, whispered warnings.
It hadn't been enough.
"The Oba thanks the council for its wisdom. Implementation begins immediately."
The chamber rustled with calculation. A narrow majority was not a mandate. The real battle was beginning.
Osaro rose. "I yield to the will of the council. But I reserve the right to question implementation."
"The minority's concerns will be heard. Always." Akenzua met his eyes. "That is what this council exists for."
The message beneath the words was clear: I won this one. I will win the next.
---
Esohe appeared at Akenzua's side as he walked toward the private corridor.
"Four votes. That's not a mandate."
"It's a majority. The rest is politics."
"Osaro will challenge every implementation step."
"Let him. Every fight he loses weakens his position."
"There's something else. Chief Erhahon approached me before the vote. He offered to switch his support in exchange for a position on the trade council."
Erhahon had been solid for Osaro since before the coronation. His willingness to switch suggested cracks.
"What's your assessment?"
"He's positioning himself for the future. His loyalty would come with strings. But it would remove a voice from Osaro's coalition."
"Accept. Give him what he asks. But watch him closely."
---
"There's something else I should tell you," Akenzua said. "The sabotage attempt at the forge. Osarobo has found more than I initially shared with the council."
"What kind of more?"
"Payments from British traders to Osaro's network. Active payments for active collaboration. Promises of preferential treatment when the annexation comes."
"He's not just opposing you. He's actively collaborating with the enemy."
"He's hedging his bets. Building relationships with what he sees as the inevitable winners."
"Then we move against him. Now."
"Not yet. He's still too connected. If we move too soon, we create a martyr. If we wait until his support has crumbled..."
"Then no one mourns him."
---
That evening, Osarobo delivered his report.
"Osaro met with Henderson again. Money changed hands. Significant amounts."
"British money flowing to Osaro."
"He's building a shadow government. People positioned to take power when the British arrive. Chiefs who will cooperate. Officials who will help administrate a conquered Benin."
"How many people?"
"At least thirty in his direct network. Some in positions where they could do real damage. One works in the palace kitchens. Another serves on the guard rotation. A third manages supply routes for the training compound."
"Can we remove them without alerting Osaro?"
"Carefully. One at a time. Creating plausible reasons for their departures."
"Do it. Slowly."
---
The weeks that followed were a careful dance.
One by one, Osaro's people were removed from sensitive positions. A promotion to an irrelevant post. A transfer to a distant location. A sudden family emergency.
Each removal was explained innocently. No pattern that could be traced.
Meanwhile, the expansion proceeded. The Itsekiri integration plans advanced--Prince Ginuwa's faction growing stronger with Benin support. The Ijaw trading houses were being assessed for future alliance. The Igala kingdom received overtures about the Niger-Benue confluence.
Trade routes were secured. Resources flowed to fuel the weapons program. Soldiers trained for more than just defense.
This was Phase Two taking shape. Warri for naval facilities. The Ijaw for waterway control. The Igala for the northern rivers. Every territory absorbed made Benin larger and harder to swallow.
Osaro had bet on the British conquering a small kingdom. He would live to see that kingdom become an empire.
---
Three months after the expansion vote, Osaro's wife came to the palace alone.
Esohe met her in the private garden.
"I need to speak with the Oba. About my husband. About what he's planning."
"You understand what you're risking?"
"Osaro is already lost. He's made promises to the British that he can't keep. When they realize that, they'll discard him. And my children will pay for his mistakes."
"What do you want?"
"Protection. For me. For my children. In exchange for everything I know about my husband's network."
---
Obiageli sat across from Akenzua in the small audience chamber.
"Tell me what you know."
She told him. Names. Dates. Locations. The full scope of Osaro's conspiracy laid bare.
It was worse than even Osarobo had discovered. Osaro had promised the British detailed information about Benin's defenses. He had agreed to sabotage the weapons program at a critical moment. He had identified which chiefs could be bribed and which would need to be eliminated.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because my husband is a fool. He believes the British will honor their promises. But I've heard what happened to other collaborators. The British use people and discard them."
"And you want better for your children."
"I want my children to survive."
"You'll have protection. In exchange, I want one more thing. Continue playing the loyal wife. Feed Osaro false information when I tell you to."
A long pause. Then she nodded.
"I'll do it."
---
Over the following weeks, Obiageli became invaluable.
Information flowed through her--Osaro's plans, his contacts, his timeline. Everything he discussed came back to Akenzua within hours.
The network was dismantled methodically. By the end of the fourth month, Osaro's coalition had been gutted. The chiefs who had supported him were scattered or turned. The British contacts were being fed carefully crafted misinformation.
And Osaro himself remained unaware.
The final confrontation came at a council meeting.
Osaro rose to speak, as he always did. But this time, no one joined him. The chiefs who had once formed his coalition sat in silence.
"The council should consider..."
"The council has decided. Unanimously."
Osaro looked around the chamber. Searching for support that no longer existed.
"This isn't over," he said quietly.
"Yes. It is. Your network is gone. Your contacts have been turned. Your British friends have been fed information that will keep them chasing shadows."
"You can't prove anything."
"I don't need to prove anything. I just need to win." Akenzua stood. "Go home, Osaro. Watch your grandchildren play. The game is over."
Osaro stared at him for a long moment. Something shifted in his expression--not defeat, but recognition.
"This kingdom will fall. The British are coming. Nothing you build will be enough."
"Maybe. But I'd rather die fighting than live begging."
Osaro walked out of the council chamber.
He never returned.
---
That night, Akenzua stood on the balcony, looking out over his city.
Osaro was finished. One enemy down--the internal enemy who had threatened everything from within.
But a thousand more waited beyond the borders.
Tonight, at least, the kingdom was secure. Now the external expansion could accelerate. Warri first--the Itsekiri coast secured, their naval resources absorbed, shipyards established. Then the Ijaw delta--channel by channel, trading house by trading house. Then the Igala kingdom--the Niger-Benue confluence controlled.
By the end of Phase Two, Benin would function as a naval and river empire. The Urhobo would provide agricultural support. The Isoko would maintain trade networks. Every vassal would serve a purpose.
The foundation was holding. Now the empire could be built upon it.
Esohe joined him at the railing.
"Osaro?"
"Retreating to his estates. We'll watch him, but he's done."
"One less enemy."
"One less. Many more to go."
But for tonight, that was enough.