Chapter 7.

The different blending of different shades of orange across the sky was the beauty of the sunset. I have been riding nonstop for a very long time. It was after spotting a campfire quite a distance away and other travelers sharing the same path with me that eased my anxiety.

He wasn't going to come after me.

He was dead.

I followed the other travelers without giving away my identity. They wouldn't know who I was, anyway. I hadn't made a public appearance ever since my dad was taken away. Mother thought it would be the wise thing to do. The travelers came to a standstill at the campsite. It was a large camp. I roomed around, studying the environment. Two warriors carrying the token of the Adeleke were patrolling the place. They seemed fresh out of a war. More warriors emerged from the crowd carrying tents. They were going to spend the night here. I needed to find a way to one of them. In the middle of everybody rushing in and out, people setting their tents, fighting for a place for the night, one of the warriors was seated on a bench with a cup was barking orders at the others. His arms were full of scarification, each representing the people he had killed.

The commander.

He was undoubtedly the most fit looking warrior. His eyes held no consideration for anyone but himself. Ladies peered now and then at him, and that seemed to shoot his ego up high.

"Great commander tell us how you defeated the enemy." The lady serving him the drink said seductively. The people that heard her moved closer. The air was tainted with the smell of fermented maize... Lotoko. That was the drink he was having. The way he pulled his face as he drank confirmed it. Lotoko was a traditional distilled alcoholic drink.

It was a great marketing tactic as more people would buy a drink to listen to his stories. The crowd got excited and shouted to him. Pleading for a glimpse of their triumph.

I couldn't hear anything from where I was, I got closer, my blanket was still wrapped around my body. They wouldn't recognize my face but my attire would give me away.

I pushed through the crowd until I could see him.

"I knew we were going to win, just so you know." His teammates laughed along with him causing the crowd to erupt into laughter.

"So basically, we marched into the forest. They reached there before us but still. I positioned my man at the right places at the right time." He raised his hand in the air with pride.

"They were done for. Done for." He laughed.

"Did you fight their commander or did she die before you could reach her?" He shook his head while raising his hand.

"She was a woman." He laughed again as if it was supposed to be an insult.

“She escaped my men but she couldn't escape me. I grabbed her right by the throat." The crowd was silent waiting for the moment he killed me.

"She may be right-handed but her strongest hand is the left." The information he knew took me aback.

This commander lied. He never fought me. I ran away... He knew about my tactics... Only someone from within our defense force would know this. Someone close to me...

I was looking for the traitor outside while it was right inside the palace.

A hand was placed on my shoulders, maybe it was one of the viewers wanting to see the person telling this fairy tale.

"Boom!" I looked back and at once I looked away... Ade.

My heart palpitated. I touched the hilt of the sword in my belt... I took in a deep breath. I turned back, pushing Ade to the side as if I was trying to walk through the crowd.

"Eh wena!" Some old man began screaming at me as I tried to make my way through the crowd. One pulled me by the scarf wrapped around my head. I looked back at him, my eyes locked with the commander's, who was standing quite a distance away from me. He seemed to have been disrupted by this chaos I created.

"Hayibo!" The commander shouted.

Hayibo was commonly used to express disbelieve, no matter what tribe and kingdom you were from. You knew what that meant.

"Look at this lady. You are walking away from my story. Don't you think that story was fascinating?" My answer was stuck in my throat and caused my throat to itch. I wanted to let everyone know that this was a lie... I knew I would be killed on the spot.

I couldn't give him a fake apology and allow him to continue, my accent was too thick and would give me away. He saw the hesitation in my face and the fear in my eyes. The two biggest mistakes a spy could ever commit. He stood up from his bench and began making his way towards the crowd. The crowd split in two at once like the red sea. The silence was deadly, waiting for something worth talking about to occur.

"She doesn't answer to no one else but me." A hand held mine. I looked to the side to see Ade walking in front of me while holding my hand gently.

"I hope that doesn't bother you, Commander." He said with confidence.

"Ag man! Adesiana. We already took your lands, do you want to trade the lady for the lands?" He looked back at the crowd as if waiting for their answers. The crowd roared with laughter.

"I hope she is more fertile than your land... I don't want to throw waste on her pretty face." I pulled my hand away from his and stepped forward. Ade held me back. I pushed him away.

This commander was going to have it.

Ade grabbed my arm and pulled me so close to him that I could feel his heart race.

"You seem to have a death will. I just came back from the dead, unlike you, I don't wanna go back." He whispered in my ear. I looked into his eyes with fury. I ran from a battle once... Not twice... Not ever.

"Get a room!" Someone shouted in the crowd.

"She is such a hard egg to crack... I'll handle her for you." The Commander was now standing in front of us. He placed his hand on Ade's chest. Ade's eyes were fixed on me. Reminding me to keep my cover.

"I know you want to finish that story badly. Just go ahead, the people are waiting." Ade finally moved back, the commander came between us. He gave Ade his back as he was facing me. My scarf was still covering most of my face.

I didn't understand why someone who hunted witches would be scared of a commander who was simply a human. Ade was a coward. How could I be running away from him? He let people bark orders at him like a dog.

“Pretty face... I'll give you all this-" My mouth watered with bitter saliva that I spat out at his face.

"What about I give you some of this-" Ade caught my fist halfway through the air. His eyes locked with mine. For an inkling, I thought I saw some type of panic in his eyes. He was pleading with me to stop.

The commander boiled with resentment, other warriors came to back him up.

"Do you need back up to control a woman?!" I said in a mocking tone. Ade began backing me away.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Ade face palmed himself.

“I’ll take care of her for you!" The commander grabbed Ade from his shoulder and threw him on the ground. He wrapped his hand around my throat. His warriors held Ade down.

"Ayy, Damso. You don't have to fight the lady. I'm sure we can all be friends again." The commander who I presume was named Damso looked back at Ade.

"I'm not friends with peasants."

My hands held the hand around my throat. My fingers dug into his skin, I twisted his hand. He loosened his grip while groaning. I didn't let go of his hand until I kicked him in his abdomen as he bent forward.

"You want something to talk about?!" I shouted at the crowd.

"Watch me beat him up. Something your mother should have done!" I twisted my body around to deliver a perfect round kick on his jaw. He spat out blood.

His man came running towards me, I took out Ade's sword. They looked between me and the sword and I smiled. I sliced the air with the sword while I swept the floor with my legs cutting through one of the warriors. Ade pulled me back once again. Before I could protest he carried me through the crowd, away from this mess.

"Let me go!" I shouted.

"They are in thousands!" He shouted.

"I'll take care of them and myself." He grabbed the sword from my hands. He tried cutting through me once again. I wasn’t going back to that place. I held the blade, the edge through me but the pain didn't compare to the one of being in that lonely place.

"I'll take your life again. This time I'll burn your body."

"They are here!" We heard people marching towards us. Ade dragged me from one tent to the next. We were finally out of the campsite. Running through the woods this time. They were rapidly after us, not giving up like dogs after a bone.

"You are running in the wrong direction... They will surround us. “I pulled my hand away from him, it was too late. They had already surrounded us. They were numerous.

“She is the enemy's commander. Look!" One of them pointed towards me. The Commander walked out of the trees. I hated that they wouldn't even mention our name.

"Well, well, well, if this isn't just the best place." He looked around with a smirk on his face.

"This time I won't lose," I said while preparing myself to fight.

"Ade bring the girls forth!" Their Commander ordered. I looked at Ade.

"Are you going to do it, sheep?" I looked back at him.

"I don't know you tell, cow?" He grabbed me by my hand. I thought I would have to fight him but he didn't move.

"Alright..." The Commander motioned to one of his warriors who came in carrying a woman.

"She looks familiar? Isn't she family?" He held the girl by the throat. She shook like a flower at the mercy of the wind.

"Kamaria..." Ade whispered, he was overwhelmed by fear. I knew it because his hand trembled as it held my wrist.

"You can try... I'll kill you too." I didn't flinch even once as I spoke to him. Her death meant nothing to me. Neither will Ade's.

"Ade please!" The girl broke into a cry in desperation.

"Catch the commander and save this one... You will be fairly rewarded. We might stop dumping wastes in your land. And become friends like you proposed" A laugh erupted from behind the trees.

"Well, at least they still wanna be friends." I heard Ade said behind me.

"I'll kill him and the girl too. I don't care about anyone!" I shouted to the people on the other side.

"Great..." Ade said. He was silent almost as if coming up with a plan but it was the wrong thing to do. At times you needed to act first then think later.

"Wow! Your brothers died an honorable death. At least that part wasn't a lie." They did die... They did. They killed my brothers.

My heartbeat quickened. My palm got sweaty, I knew then that I would not rest until blood was shed. Until theirs did. The air became tense, the wind gained momentum. The trees were bent back and forth by the wind. The troop surrounding us began looking for shelter. I took Ade's sword made my run towards the commander. I heard Ade shout behind me but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I drove the sword through the air like a spear. The sword flew past my eye as I brought my arm forward and let go of it. I watched the sword turn into a ball of blue electric light that burned all their bodies. Everything and everyone standing in its way. The trees' barks fell one after the other. The wind became still at once. The fire disappeared almost immediately... Their corpse was burnt abnormally. It was almost like it was decomposing. I walked up to their corpse, horrified... I did that... It couldn't be me. The sight was horrific. I had killed in battles and seen people being killed but this... This was...

It was Ade's sword. I was sure of it.

I watched Ade go on his feet as he held the head of the girl the commander was holding. He closed his eyes, forcing me to look away. I never watched people shed a tear. There was something about it that made me feel... Weird.

"My work is done," I said after a while. He didn't look at me.

"Go home. Go." He said at once, it was strange to hear his voice lack the usual mockery and cheer.

"Teach your people how to fight, maybe you won't have to be taking orders from others," I said as I began walking away from this mess.

"Kamaria!" He shouted. I looked back at him, half turned.

"This is what you are... Death." He spoke.