Part 7 (3)

While the new Commander of the imperial forces Babida was slumbering, the ambient temperature began to drop considerably and the room became cold.
The window wing that was left open was suddenly hit by a strong wind, making thus a noise that disturbed the woodsman's sleep.
Babida rose but was half asleep. He was sitting upright on the bed but still had his eyes closed and was somnolent.
Then in his somnambulant state, he heard a huge voice: "Babida! Babida!" It said, calling the logger twice.
The lumberjack was shaken up by the big intensity of the tone and he completely came back to his senses.
He opened his eyes as the voice mentioned his name twice again and saw in front of him a glow in the form of a circle.
"Look on the ground!" The mysterious voice emerging from the sparkling light commanded him.
Babida the lumberjack did as he was told and remarked a small glass bottle.
"Pick it up!" The mystical voice ordered him.
The Commander of the imperial forces obeyed and collected the container. He brought it near to his eyes so he could know what was inside and glanced at a liquid as transparent as the glass of the bottle.
"Before the first sun rays of the rising day, go to the kitchen and command the cook to pour this liquid into the porridge concocted for breakfast and give it plain and hot to your men." The voice instructed the woodsman.
"After eating the mixture, your men shall have each twice the strength of an elephant and thrice the speed of a Gazelle so they can build the bridge in two days." The voice then said.
"And once the men will be done constructing the infrastructure, the effects of the magic potion will go away and they will retrieve their normal strength and speed." The voice warned.
The revelation baffled Babida and made him speechless for some time but then he recovered his senses and interrogated the voice: "Who are you, My Forefather?"
"Guigna, the god of strength!" The voice said and disappeared right after.
Not sure about what the time was, the Commander of the imperial forces sneaked outside through the open window, looked at the sky and it was twilight.
So without wasting much time, Babida ran to the kitchen of the administrative headquarters where the imperial soldiers' collation was being prepared.
He explained to the cook the urgency, then gave him the magic liquid which he poured in the pot of porridge.
The cook finished making breakfast as the sun began to shine powerfully over the sky and the troop in Okunde's garden woke up, ready to start a new day and face any challenge it had in store.
The Commander of the imperial forces Babida then instructed the cook that the porridge be distributed to the imperial warriors that were greatly hungry without them knowing it was containing a magic potion that would multiply their strength and speed.
The cook obeyed the Commander and sent the helpers to serve the breakfast, formally forbidding them to reveal what had just happened within the four walls of the kitchen.
The lumberjack then left and went to the administrative headquarters' balcony and observed discreetly how the helpers shared the first meal of the day with the men in uniform.
In the meantime, his henchman Baba who was also already awake and looking for him came to meet him on the balcony.
"Greetings, My Commander!" The interim aide-de-camp said to him while giving him a military salute.
The Commander of the imperial forces Babida greeted back the youngster but not with the usual attention, for he shifted immediately his focus back to the lawn of Okunde's garden where the kitchen helpers were giving the enchanted food to his men.
The henchman Baba guessed something of extreme seriousness was going on and didn't want to bother the Commander in chief.
So he just stood by the lumberjack's left side and like him began to observe the helpers passing on the porridge to the imperial soldiers who devoured it with no apprehension.
Then as if he had understood that there was something particular with the food, the interim aide-de-camp Baba finally decided to importune the logger and asked him: "You did something with the porridge, didn't you, My Commander?"
"Yes indeed, I did. Come with me to the office. I shall explain everything to you." Babida replied to the youngster as he turned and walked back inside.
The henchman Baba followed him.