41 Betrayal
Musa had never really known darkness since he developed his ability dark sight.
Now as he felt Niyi's pain and realized his presence was fading, the dark background of his already lost sight seemed to be getting darker as a blackness beyond imagining sipped in from the seams.
When the dark was complete and Niyi was gone, he fainted.
...
At first Chijioke was surprised when he failed to hit Musa, then distraught when his priced spear was destroyed but as he backed up at the sense of danger from the bird's beak, he was thrill when he saw Ubong's arrow slam into the bird's chest.
However, his joy was short lived as he watched the bird, who only had eyes for Ubong open its mouth in its death throes. He did not know what it was planning to do he only knew he couldn't let it.
So instead of retreating, Chijioke advanced.
...
For the second time today, death gripped Ubong's heart as she watched the dying shadow hawk direct its final attack at her. She sighed and closed her eyes, unwilling but knowing she could not react in time.
However, in her despair, Chijioke jumped in front of Niyi's beak taking the full brunt of the attack.
...
From Niyi's beak, darkness spread out like fog, corroding and absorbing everything it touched. It was like the was a bottomless hole in Niyi's beak sucking everything towards it. Chijioke was being dissolved as he closed in on Niyi then he channeled his earth energy and with all his remaining strength ability, he shouted "AHHHH" and forced Niyi's beak shut.
...
Buhari looked at the fainted Musa beside him and Turayo and said to her while passing her the pendant around his neck, "Take him and escape through the emergency exit behind the throne. He is the future of the Abacha clan. It is a pity I won't get to see it."
"Clan head..." Turayo started to say as she looked as Hafis with malice.
"No Turayo go, I can hold them longer."
Turayo grimaced, grabbed Musa and fled back into the throne room.
...
As Hafis and Nze watched the end of Niyi, Danjuma had already noticed where Musa was now and laughed as he played with his daggers. Then he charged out of the defence circle at full power-enhanced speed to finish up the assault.
Just as the others turned back to the throne hall, they noticed Danjuma closing in on the remaining defenders and equally charged forward.
However, a soft voice started singing a song and chaos ensued.
...
Obi crashed through the weakened slab of stone sealing the entrance to the underground dwelling of the new Sabi Sect with his weight increased to the maximum he could bear. Stones blasted out everywhere smashing into the team that was attacking the entrance, catching them completely unaware.
Then Obi shield bashed the man in front of him with the raised sledgehammer who had just been battered by a barrage of stones. As the fell into unconsciousness dropping toward the ground, Obi's cutlass was the final attack that beheaded him.
Meanwhile, Amina with a rapier in her right hand and a dagger in her left, merged into the shadows and slipped from everyone's notice. She then targeted the archers silently executing them before they noticed.
Next came Tunde and the rest of the melee in their team, including Amaka. Surprisingly, they all came out with their hands covering their ears and while the attackers were confused by the strange scenario, Tunde howled like a banshee.
"AWWOOOOOOOOO!"
Fear spread like a wave among Seun's troops and even he was affected. At this point, Seun was frustrated with himself as his worry had clouded his ability allowing the surprised attack and just as he had calmed himself down this ridiculous sound attack had flustered both him and his men.
Nnenna had isolated the sound with her space essence and led the archers out after the melee fighters had charged into the now disorganized attackers. Without even coating her arrows in a spatial slash she aimed at the commander of the opponents.
...
Lola was frantic.
Things were not going as planned.
She knew she had to do something to rectify the situation. There were far less warriors on the main entrance than she had expected and most of them were down. With Nnenna's words before the attack, she had figured she was the real mastermind so when she saw her aim at her uncle, she immediately discarded her bow, unsheathe her knife and placed it at Nnenna's neck before shouting at the top of her lungs,
"STOP! OR I WILL KILL YOUR LEADER."
Everyone, turned at the sound of the voice and saw the unexpected scene. Lola smiled as she felt that everything was now back under control but then she heard her uncle Seun release a bloodcurdling scream, "NOOOOOO!", then she knew that something was wrong.
...
Nnenna could only sigh in her heart. She had already suspected that the reason they were surrounded in the first place was either because someone had recognized her team or that Obi had been betrayed by the Sabi Sect and she was more inclined to the latter, given the size of the team and the number of Knights. It would seem she was right. However, she still needed to act.
Nnenna channeled the space energy within her and shifted, not only teleporting away from Lola but also lining up her shot to be able to execute the traitor. Her arrow had already slammed into Lola's heart before girl could move her knife.
Meanwhile, Seun, who was charging towards Lola's position, was knocked out by Obi. However, everyone's eyes were glued to Nnenna who had just disappeared and reappeared out of thin air.
"Hah, it seems there is no point in hiding it again... sorry Kayto, you can come out now."
And with a loud roar a spatial crack opened and a majestic scaled tiger emerged.
