BATTLE BELLS - BETRAYAL

"Blaze! Jesus Christ Blaze!" DPO Ternege muttered shocked and searched hurriedly for a pen and paper.

He checked his suit and found one, then pulled a leave out of a jotter on the table and began to draw onto it the map he had received from Apostle Aondofa Daniel in his vision.

He could still feel the ambiance and aura of God's presence and his Lord's Apostle.

"O thank you Jesus Christ of Nazareth. You are still the miracle worker. Thank you for revealing this to me your servant." DPO Ternege prayed silently while making progress in the designing of the map.

He sketched out with accuracy just the way it was in his spirit. The trees, the hills along part, the streams, etc.

It was a journey of fifty (50) kilometers down to the kingdom of Blaze according to the map, as his spirit suggested to him.

There were seven streams to cross, two mountains and three hills in-between them.

The kingdom lay in the interior of the jungles of the muffa wilds, inside the tropic - a dead zone unvisited by humans.

He marked the trees he saw in his vision with an x and drew lines with dots from the initial point to the destination. He identified boarder communities to pass through before reaching the location.

The journey was far, but more to its distance was the junipers too thick and dark for him and his men to walk through.

As he sketched the map, his heart began to beat fast within its cover for the reminder of the word 'Blaze.'

"If you ever see Blaze's men, you have seen Blaze." DPO Ternege got reminded of the saying and his heart kicked again as if to tear apart.

Was he afraid?

Was he terrified?

Was he folding his tail like a dog whom a stone is picked after?

Yes maybe he was but more so, he was determined. He had vowed to lay his hand on Blaze before. After several attempts with failed disclosure of where he could be found, he seemed to had given up.

But now with divine intervention, he would search for Blaze, look for him wherever he would be, even if it meant he was dwelling in crab-hole, he would deep his hand into it and pull him out.

By the time he would do, he would get hold of his throat and strangle the living soul out of it.

He had been one of Blaze's victims before when his men attacked his community in Benue State of Nigeria and leveled it down, burning every living flesh in it.

Painful enough was the dead of his pregnant sister whom Blaze's men burst open her stomach and went away with the unborn child whom it was believed was to be used for sacrifice and fortification.

Been reminded of these things helped his determined heart and brain retained every detail of the vision.

There was no single elite in the force that had no knowledge of Blaze who was popularly known among the elites.

Breathing hard, he called in Felicia and she rushed in.

"Type this and make twenty four photo copies. We have a mission at hand. Call me Chaum." He gave Series of instructions as he handed Felicia the sketched map of Blaze's Kingdom.

When Felecia saw Blaze's name on it, she wondered what it could be about.

There was a knock on his door. Chaum came in and he discussed with him briefly about what he had seen.

When he was done, Chaum went out and DPO Ternege went on his knees to observe a quick prayer.

After his prayer, be picked his phone and called Brigadier General Usman Yakubu, an army commander, commanding division 143 of the army in the state.

"...This will have to go a long way since it involves Blaze.

You should be aware that Blaze does not operate alone. He has the elites at his finger tips.

Meet me tomorrow. We will schedule a meeting and discuss with the service chiefs to see what could be done." The commander told him.

"I need your help in this matter. Blaze is strong. The police alone won't measure up to. We need the military to join hands in invading Blaze's territory." DPO Ternege pleaded.

"DPO, you are telling me that your knowledge of Blaze's hideout is received in a vision?

I don't believe in visions but by the way, let's have a meeting tomorrow and I will see what I can do in relating the matter to authorities for a proper invasion if at all it will work out." The commander submitted.

"It's alright Usman. I have to make mention of this to you before I speak with the commissioner and meet with the state CID subsequently." DPO Ternege enlightened and after a brief asking about other things, he ended the call.

First, he would return home, think properly and pray before visiting the commissioner of police the following day.

Early morning, he went to see the state commissioner of police and narrated the whole deal to him.

Being a Christian himself. The commissioner believed him considering to at least go into the territory and check through, with the armory to destroy every living soul that would be found there, and to rescue Apostle Aondofa Daniel.

Knowing how it was important for all artilleries to be put in place, the commissioner would establish a research and mobilization counsel on the matter and write a petition to the nation's army requesting for a joint operation with the police to manhunt Blaze and level down his territory and rescue Apostle Aondofa Daniel as well as all who would be found in his captivity.

The commissioner's approach to the matter was an encouraging one to DPO Ternege.

From his office, he went to meet with Brigadier General Usman Yakubu. He had an important role to play in the part of the military since the nucleus of the matter was coming from the state.

Fortunate enough, On his arrival, Usman Yakubu assured him that everything was going to play well.

He collected copies of the map and promised that he was going to begin the process of ensuring that the military responded promptly to the apprehension of Blaze, the man most important on the country's list of most wanted criminals.

[In Blaze's Kingdom]

Blaze was seen angry and burning with rage. All his allies and spies lined up shivering in fear as death danced on their faces.

He pulled a weight of smoke from the tobacco in his mouth and tossed it into the air;

"I appointed you as my trusted men to keep watch over the territory and ensure our Kingdom remains secret to the society.

How dare you betray me?" He yelled and shot their commander's leg and he fell down groaning in pains.

"Boss, I swear this is more to what we know. We don't know how a map of us get's into the DPO's hands." One of the allies pleaded for mercy.

Without wasting time, Blaze shot him into the head and shot the one that was on the floor, making a total of two of his men killed instantly.

"I want that DPO killed and every information retracted from him. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes boss!" All allies answered fearfully and ran out of his presence.

Blaze was a man that could not be challenged. No weapon could penetrate his skin. He was slippery. He would disappear from whoever that would try strangling him - such was the man the whole nation sorted for.

He walked back into his administrative office, a spacious room with just a table and a telephone.

He demanded that Brigadier General Usman Yakubu be called.

His attendant dialed his number immediately and the two began to establish a conversation.

"Yakubu!" He called out.

"How do you say the information got to the DPO?" He asked.

"He told that it was received from a vision while in the office." Yakubu explained.

"Vision!" he mimicked

"That bad egg needs to be removed as soon as possible.

The map has precision to our domain. It must not spread further otherwise we would have to evacuate with immediate effect." Blaze informed.

"I have instructed my men to level him down this night. I will also try to discourage the army from going into the mission, but if I do not prevail, I would find a means of eliminating him on the expedition and killing anyone with him, including some of my men so as not to become suspicious.

Meanwhile I trust you boss.

The kingdom will be secured with all men in the forest to keep watch against intruders." Yakubu said.

The two discussed on, but unfortunately for him, he had no knowledge that the map had already gotten into the hands of the commissioner of police and he had already gone to the army headquarters to ordain mobilization between the army and the police to hunt down Blaze.

As Blaze stood to inspect a division of men that were training some yards ahead, he mate with Ayararh who approached him trembling;

"My lord, the Apostle is a bad Omen.

The realms of the immortals that stands watch over the kingdom is becoming weakened by his prayers.

Send him away at once I advice otherwise his stay would cause calamity." Ayararh warned.

"Your age is finally affecting you. I have four hundred witches, wizards and spirits attending to me.

Apostle or whatever he is called is in my net. I must do everything to get my reward for my labour over his life." Blaze said pushing her aside.

He head to where Apostle Aondofa Daniel was tied. He watched him closely and smiled;

"I think I like you Apostle" He said.

How you manage to inform the police of this location is still unimaginable, none the less, when you are ready, bring me two hundred Million (200,000000) and you will be free." Blaze said and walked out.

[In DPO Ternege's house]

It was a highly busy day for DPO Ternege.

He had other files to work upon, but the case of Apostle Aondofa Daniel was a Paramount one especially as it had something to do with Blaze.

He had Series of invitation from the intelligence department of the police force as a serious mobilization was ongoing to invade Blaze's territory the following day.

In the night when he was to leave the office, he had a prompting in his spirit to have four officers from the station to accompany him and keep watch over the house as the time he was into was a sensitive one.

When he got home, his spirit was disturbed so he had to called the officers to vigilance.

By 2am midnight, there was a gun battle between DPO Ternege's officers and the men Brigadier General Usman Yakubu had sent to assassinate him.

The gun fire lasted for five minutes within which DPO himself joined in.

The assassins were leveled down dead with one of DPO Ternege's men sustaining a bullet on the ankle of his right leg.

It was true - his spirit had alerted him of the danger coming which he prepared for.

The injured officers was taken to the hospital and DPO Ternege waited back until it was daybreak before he would command his men into what was tagged; "Operation end Blaze."