The Nameless

Chapter Fifteen

*** Anyanwu ...

Running would be useless, she'll slow us down. Dragging the sack, she crawls into a cluster of bushes, laying within it. I scale the tree we had slept beneath of, sitting on a branch to arm my bow with an arrow. I wait for the footsteps to grow louder. Closer.

Four men. Large men. The one in front halts everyone else the moment they are beneath the tree. He bows and touches the ground.

"Someone was here." A hunter. The other men scatter, moving across the space to look for more clues. I glance towards where Adinna is hidden, one of them is approaching it. I shift my arrow, waiting till he reaches to move aside the leaves before I let go. The man grabs at his wrist screaming at the stick through his palm. I draw another arrow, the men arming themselves. "Halt."

My gaze shifts to the hunter, uneven eyes stare up at me, one blue, the other dark. A smile spreads across his face.

"It is you, isn't it? The black and white demon his highness spoke of." I pull my arrow further, shifting the target to his head.

"What do you want?"

"How dare you-?!" One begins to yell.

"I said halt!" The hunter growls, his tone powerful. He turns back to me. "I don't suppose you knew it was the king you saved yesternight." I try not to blink.

"A man was bothering my sleep, unfortunately I was in the mood to be nice. Nearly broke my hip." He laughs.

"Well, that was the king and he wishes to reward his saviour."

"How much?"

"More than you'd think is enough. Come to the place you left him." He turns around and leaves. The others reluctantly follow. I remain on the branch till I can no longer hear them walking. Then I get down.

"Ma?" She begins to get up and I help her. "Did you hear that, we could finally go into the village and buy food."

"Yes, I heard, especially the part where you save a man's life and then tell me none of it. But how sure could we be that it isn't a trap?" I frown.

"Trap? I saved the man's life, surely that's not a cause for punishment." She seems to consider it.

"I suppose you're right. Let us go so we can be on our way." We gather our things and I lead us towards the path the man had showed to me yesternight. Arriving at it, I ask Adinna to wait within the thicker gather of trees for me. Armed with my bow and arrow, my cutlass and knife, I walk into the grand compound situated within equally grand trees. Agu stalls out of the dark behind me, staying by Adinna.

People walk about, servants working, guards patrolling. Finally, a woman carrying a pot of water see me and screams. The pot falls from her head, shattering. More screams arrise when others discover me, servants running while the guards pull forward to protect them. I note someone pushing his way to the front of the line of shield formed against me. The hunter comes out chuckling, those eyes rolling over me.

"I came for my reward." I tell him, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Right, it is the one that saved his highness from a lion yesternight!" The guards gradually let down their arms. Then one approaches me.

"I will take you." He said. Now realizing the hand on my cutlass, I let go and follow him, another guard following behind my back. He takes me to the biggest hut, in the middle of the land, then he kneels before the entrance, bowing his head to the ground to announce himself.