Ruth's smile faded as she lowered her gaze.
"Assey is my uncle. My mother is his younger sister."
I frowned. "Then where is she? Why didn't she do anything when Assey took control over you?" I asked, my voice tight with urgency.
Ruth let out a bitter chuckle. "Would you believe me if I told you she knew? She agreed to it. She was promised leadership of the Black Magic Tribe in exchange for my obedience."
A chill ran through me.
"I was five when it all started," she continued. "The day we left Ghanaland, Uncle Assey mixed tortoise shell powder with his blood and injected it into me."
"Tortoise shell?" I repeated in disbelief.
"Yes. Tortoises are known for their wisdom but are physically slow. Because of the powder, I could see and understand things even adults couldn't. My body was that of a five-year-old, but my mind… my mind was fully grown. I slept for a week while my body adapted to the change. When I woke up, I was sent to Barbados for the mission."
She exhaled sharply. "Even though Assey was in Ghanaland, he could see through me. I was his eyes and ears. He knew James visited the orphanage at the end of every month. That's when we set the plan into motion."
Her next words made my blood run cold.
"Assey wants to wipe you off the face of the earth. You're a threat to his years of black magic—an insult to his very existence. He believes he shot himself in the foot by giving you life. And now, he intends to take it." Ruth's expression hardened. "He killed your grandfather and buried him at the shore. The prophecy will unfold there, at the shore of Ghanaland. To stop it, he must kill you first."
She scoffed, shaking her head. "He claims there's no such prophecy, yet he's desperate to erase your existence. Hmph. Such a coward."