Chapter 10

Ayoola's POV.

"That's a good thing because I have news," I said.

"You shouldn't be here, Ayoola." She crossed her hand against her chest.

“But I'm here, at least listen to me this time!" She began walking away, Adisa had been avoiding me for a very long time now. She seemed to have a death will. She was who she was because of me. To save me Adisa had to call upon the spirit of the death... It was an enormous sacrifice that I would never be able to repay. She gave her life up for me. I was responsible for what had happened to her, it was my responsibility to help get her out of it. Yet, I failed with every attempt. I was partly responsible for her loss of faith.

"The eclipse is a few hours from here you better get going -"

"Adisa-"

"If I don't kill you someone else will. Both outcomes are equally devastating so get going!" She raised her tone.

"This is the last time you will ever listen to me, from now onwards I'll do exactly what you tell me just listen, Adisa," I begged.

"The time is ticking." She said.

"This guy you are about to kill... He isn't just human." She did not say anything. No questions, no reactions.

Nothing.

"Adisa, when I touched him, it was like I was taken into another world... I felt magic."

"It sounds like a love story. Stop fantasying." I pulled her as she turned away from me.

"It felt just like what mom described, Adisa. It was a rush of electricity, I felt tiny explosions in my head... It was relief, I heard voices whisper to me, and they weren’t like-"

"The voices that scream at you when you touched me..."

"Adisa it was real." There were no more words to describe how it felt. I went through that moment over and over again in my head there were absolutely no words to describe it. I knew Adisa would not understand.

I walked in after her inside the cave. The smell of dead, rotting bodies hit my nose. It was an unpleasant and clingy smell.

Two bodies were lying near each other. One was still alive as I watched the chest of the woman go up and down while the other woman was dead. The steel man laid on the other side alone, unconscious.

"Since when is it two people?" I asked.

"I told you to leave." She said not even sparing me a glance.

"You are not planning on killing him, are you?" I pulled her by her arm again. She turned toward me almost about to smack me but she stopped herself.

"The eclipse is almost up!" She clenched her teeth.

"Leave me!"

"You can't kill him!" I pointed at the steel man lying on the ground.

"He can save you, he can save us!" Adisa face palmed herself.

"Don't tell me I'm the only one feeling that wave of divine energy. It's a call from Nzambi and you know it. He has chosen us."

"You are crazy I don't know what gets crazier than you!”

"Nzambi is dead. To me." She tried turning away again but I pulled her arm once more.

"You are pushing it."

"Adisa, touch him. Just touch him." She stared into my eyes. I could not tell anything. They were like a blank piece of paper.

She turned away and headed toward the steel man, I followed behind her. We both knelt next to him. She placed her hand on one of his cheeks, I waited for her reaction. She pulled her hand away.

"Go, Ayoola. You wasted enough of my time." She shot me with her warning stare.

If I did not listen to her, she would cast a spell onto me. The type of spell that will have me walking myself back home with my mouth shut. It would not be the first time she did that.

I grabbed her hand and touched the man on the floor with my other hand. I felt a wave of electric energy ran through me, voices echoed throughout my head. It was welcoming. Hot tears formed in my eyes, it slowly dripped on the floor. Adisa shouted, and I pulled away, letting go of her hand. She fell back on her butt, holding both her hand closer to her chest. I saw fear in her eyes. The first emotion in so many years.

"Get away from me!" She was like a toddler facing her darkest nightmare. I had always been scared of Adisa, seeing her scared of me freaked me out.

"I won’t hurt you-"

"Get away from me!"

Our screams got carried into the air, I could hear nothing but our screams. A large groan exploded into the air, and silence befell us. Adisa quickly raised her hand and lowered it, the man went back to his sleep.

"Did you feel what I felt?" She stayed quiet for a few while before answering.

"That's a wave of energy." I nodded as she paused as if thinking.

"It almost killed me," the fear was still in her eyes as she looked at me.

"It wasn't like you described, Ayoola." I rushed by her side and gently pushed her head against my chest.

It was real magic. I knew it because I spent my time reading about it. Dark shadows would not be able to come to contact with anything filled with pure magic. The real magic.

"I don't know who this guy is." I looked down at her.

"I think he is a spirit warrior." She nodded slightly, it was the first time in never that she agreed with me. It filled me with joy.

"His magic... The magic on him is earthly..." She lifted her head in a way that made me smile. I pulled her in for a hug. She hugged me back. This time I was not scared of the voices that screamed at me or the darkness surrounding me as I touched her.

"Go back home with him. Keep him safe, don't leave until I get back... I'll come get you." She spoke into my ear. I pulled away, nodding. We stood up, looking at the men lying on the floor.

"I'm going to make him paralyzed... But I’ll keep him on his feet to help you lead him outside the forest. He won't react to anything for at least two days... Just in case I take long." She said, helping him up after casting the spell.

"Adisa there was this girl-" Adisa place this hand around my neck. I held him close to me to keep him up. She had his head covered.

"She has had this bracelet-"

"Ayoola I can't hear that now. You have to start moving."

"He is a bit too heavy for me," I said. She rolled her eyes before murmuring something.

"Done." She waved me goodbye. I supposed she cast a spell, he became a little bit too light. I walked the steel man out of the forest. My heart hammered hard against my chest, this could be it.

We might be able to save our people. Earthly magic might once again become accessible to all guardians.

The time had come for us to protect our grounds.

“You have exactly thirty minutes to get home.” She held my wrist, her hand hovered over my inner wrist with her eyes close. Once she finished, a small digital timer appeared in small bold letters.

“The barrier protecting the house will be back in thirty minutes, you need to make it home before the barrier is back on. This is to protect you if someone tries to enter.” I nodded, looking at the timer which started counting down.

“If I don’t-“I stopped myself. I did not need to be negative at the moment because it would not help Adisa.

I had to make it back home in time.