The Assassin's

She had a triumphant smile on her face and the surge of excitement ran through her veins, Nikẹ was very pleased. To believe that she is the one who caused the separation of the two closest friends in the village, the Oba would reward her, the market women would give her gifts and Ṣodipọ would name her his wife. "Today is indeed a blessed day," she thought. She had witnessed the argument between Ṣeyi and Akin and had also seen the result of her handy work, all because she threw a stone at the Ọdẹ (idiot), now the only thing she wants is for Ṣeyi and Akin to be separated for good.

She now has two options, the first is to run to Ṣodipọ and share the good news and the second is to cement separation between Ṣeyi and Akin. To achieve her second goal, she intends to follow the disturbed hunch back in order to add more insults and plant more seeds of deception inside his feeble heart, that way the emotional wounds that Akin bears will be deepened and there would be no hope of them ever being reunited. His heart will forever remain broken. She smiled to herself coming up with the perfect strategy; first, she would pounce on Akin and when the damage was done, she would run to Ṣodipọ and share the good news. This will grant her a greater favour in the eyes of her Alaramide lover; it might even push him into pronouncing her his future wife.

Nike shadowed Akin's steps, enjoying the sensation of stalking a fellow warrior waiting for the best moment to make an entrance a wrong move on her part might convince Akin to rush to his best friend and beg for forgiveness, an action that is far from her agenda. She followed Akin past the village square towards the training ground outside the village, No doubt Akin is going somewhere to sulk and weep with regret. Then he made a turn and took the footpath that led towards the edge of the village, It seemed like he was just walking aimlessly not having a specific destination.

Akin could not think of a specific reason why he busted into anger and of all people in the world to flare up at Oluṣeyi his own best friend. "I shouldn't have gotten so angry," He said with sadness, "but Ṣeyi is the one who decided to use me like a fool," he retorted back to himself, "but he saved your life," he scolded, "only because he thought you'd be useful" and so on and so forth.

Akin was so consumed with self-regret that he started thinking over time, talking to himself, arguing with himself and condemning himself. Just the way he used to be before he met Ṣeyi, a pitiful sight with no one in the world to call a friend. He did not notice five figures dressed in foreign attire shadowing his footsteps, he failed to notice that one of them drew out his blade in preparation to deliver a finishing blow. The only thing that saved Akin's life at that moment was the cautious nature of one of the five that stalked him; the man blocked his teammate's sword with a counter manoeuvre of his own.

"Not here and not now," he said to his comrade

"He has to be the one; he's ugly just like the description says" the other one defended

"This is Ilu-ina, the capital of the Adegunju province, Killing him here in a public place would only put us in great danger, we might even lose our heads, remember we have not been paid the full amount yet"

"So what do we do now?"

"Come with me," the second said, placing his weapon on his shoulder

The remaining four Jamas followed the one in the lead and he walked towards Akin carefully concealing his identity, not that it mattered in a strange land. They surrounded the helpless hunchback before he even noticed their presence.

"Are you Akin Adegunju?" The leader inquired

"My name is Akin" he replied, uneasy about the appearance of the five strangers

"You have been ordered to come with us, quietly" the first one spoke again

"Why?" Akin inquired

"You are not allowed to ask any questions, child" the second snapped "or you'll die for it"

"Why?" Akin inquired again

"Because you have no choice" the third spoke

"Why?" Akin inquired again remembering a private joke between himself and Ṣeyi

"Do you really want us to kill everyone here, including you?" The leader said, drawing his sword "Because we specialize in killing"

Akin concluded that these men are not like the regular foolish ritual killers and hunchback hunters that he and Ṣeyi have grown used to, it seems like these men are far more deadly. Not wanting any trouble for all the innocent bystanders of the village, Akin decided to follow the wicked men quietly and once he was far enough away from the village, he could make his big getaway.

The one thing that Akin failed to take into account is the fact that these men have every intention of killing him even though he is with them. It would have been better if he had started to scream at the top of his voice, at least there would have been a rapid response from the best Ẹṣọs of the village. Now he is meat walking towards the grinder. The only good fortune that seems to be in Akin's favour is the fact that Nikẹ witnessed the entire episode.

"So there are assassins in the village" Nikẹ gloated "and they are here for the ugly hunchback, this is good news indeed, finally there will be an end to the village fool"

Nikẹ turned to walk away comforted by the good news that this would be the last time she would ever see Akin the village fool, only to be stabbed by a strange uneasiness in her heart, a sensation that screamed loudly in her inner ear 'You are digging an early grave'. "Is this, what one calls a conscience?" She wondered. She should inform the Balogun about the presence of the assassins in the village, that way it will be recorded that she had performed her civil responsibilities, but there is no need to rush. She will not be doing herself any favour if the assassins fail to kill their target. Akin was definitely going to die today, so she walked towards the Balogun's hut, slowly, counting her steps, No need to rush the hunch back will soon be dead.

Bojubọle

Ṣeyi walked home quietly, still confused by Akin's, he said nothing to no one on his way home and found it difficult to think through all the chaotic emotions rampaging through his mind. The day started on a good note, Bọlaji had given him the good news that he is now a member of a warrior group and he had planned to spend the day celebrating with his best friend; what a painful turn of events. Throughout the time he was on the mission the only thing that dominated his thinking was returning to his best friend, Now he is back and the situation is much worse than it used to be. "I miss Akin" he voiced. Out of nowhere, he heard a screech of defiance for a split second the light of the sun ceased to caress his face and then a sharp slicing pain on the left side of his face, Ṣeyi's reaction time was a little slow but enough to prevent any lasting damage to his sinister appearance. He was astonished to find out that his attacker happened to be Bojubọle the silent eagle now a seriously agitated bird.

"What's wrong with you" Ṣeyi snapped, and in reply, the eagle screeched in defiance, "Did I beg you to give me additional tribal marks!" He growled as he inspected the wound with his index finger. The bird screeched again and as Ṣeyi turned to leave, he felt the bird's menacing rage directed at him, so he stopped and the bird replied by settling down on the branch calmly looking at him through its far-seeing eyes.

"What is it?" Ṣeyi asked suspiciously, the eagle replied by turning its proud beak towards the Balogun's hut, as Ṣeyi followed the eagle's gaze, he caught the last moments of Nikẹ walking in with a contagious smile on her face.

"Nikẹ" Ṣeyi purred, it seems she intends to have some girl time with the Balogun, gossiping and drinking. Akin might be interested in the topics of their conversation, who knows they might be talking about the one thing girls talk about 'boys' Ṣeyi smiled, now would be a good time to find out if Nikẹ has any hidden feelings for him. So foolishly coming up with the wrong conclusion Ṣeyi walked towards the Balogun's hut keeping a cautious eye on the Eagle, When he saw that the eagle did nothing to bar his progress he walked more purposefully towards the hut.

The Balogun at the time was attending a special meeting with some of the other high-ranking Ẹṣọs of the village, the Ọtun, Osi, the Akọgun and the Jaguna's of the village

"Like I said" the Balogun continued "There is now a new warrior group in Ilu-ino, You will acknowledge the group and assist it through its infancy"

"I refuse to accept this" Jaguna Baṣọrun growled "Any new group that intends to be recognised in this village must be recognised by me first"

"I totally agree" Segun Ooni added.

"Is this how you plan to supplant my position Jaguna Baṣọrun?" the Balogun growled angrily

"But…" The Jaguna protested

"It is the duty of the Balogun to appoint the lead warriors of this village, to question her decision is equal to challenging her authority" the Akọgun scolded "You are not Balogun you are just a Jaguna, remember your rank"

"I apologise" Jaguna Baṣọrun responded with his head bowed "I will never question your decision again" Any other day would have been perfect to challenge the Balogun but during one of the raids in which a village attacked Ilu-ino the Balogun exposed her full might and crushed more than a hundred men using only one strike. That was the day he understood why Balogun Alawo chose her to become his successor, she might not be a good leader then but when it comes to raw power no man in the village is her equal except maybe the Akọgun. Nikẹ busted in suddenly without even knocking on the door to announce her presence, indirectly killing the tension in the room and saving the Jaguna of the elephant group from being foolish enough to challenge the Balogun.

"Nikẹ can't you see that we are having a very important meeting" Akọgun snapped.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me" Nikẹ replied, "but I'm here on an urgent matter which..."

"Be silent, this is an urgent meeting" the Ọtun-Balogun said angrily "Now go outside and wait for us to finish, young girls of now a day"

"It's important," Nikẹ said, getting a little angry herself

"You had better leave this place, or else..." The Akọgun roared, but the Balogun stopped him

"Akọgun wait, it seems like she has something very important to say, Nikẹ give us the news that comes with the wind," the Balogun said, with the hope that Nikẹ would say what she wanted to say and leave them alone to finish their meeting

"Balogun, the news I bring is good news, the wind of good fortune gives birth to good tidings and a blessing for this village, and may the village of Ilu-inọ continue to prosper," Nikẹ said trying to build up everyone's anticipation.

"Enough praises, give us the news and leave this place at once" the Ọtun impatiently growled

"This afternoon I saw five men using the Fulani version of the Yoruba language," she said finally

"They might be from Ilorin or Nupe kingdom" the Osi observed, "I guess they're here for a negotiation"

"No, they came to kill someone" Nikẹ added with a smile

"Apaniyan!" The elders chorused in Unison meaning Assassins

"Nikẹ, you saw Assassins?" The Balogun demanded, "Where are they? Who do they intend to kill?"

"Akin the hunchback fool of Ilu-ina is their target," Nikẹ said consoling them "so we don't need to worry"

That instant the emotion on the faces of the two ranking officers showed signs of general concern, Akin might be a liability, but that does not mean that they should ignore the threat of assassins walking through the village. The Akọgun, the Ọtun and the Osi simply sat back digesting the information finding it difficult to believe, The Jagunas simply looked away pleased that Akin was the object of importance but ashamed that assassins were able to walk into the village with capable warriors on guard; it is, after all, a blow to their reputation. The Balogun's reaction is another case entirely; her face was masked with horror.

"What did you say," she screamed, her voice so powerful that it echoed like a sonic boom, pushing Nikẹ several steps back "How long have you known this?"

"Since midday" Nikẹ replied in fear realising that she had done something wrong

"And it took you this long to inform the elders?" The Balogun roared, "Are you a warrior of Oduduwa, Are you actually a warrior of this village, Did you just break your oath!"

Before the Balogun could mention anything else, Ṣeyi forced his way through the Balogun's mud wall reached out his left hand and grabbed Nikẹ by her neck in a vice-like grip and in his fury Ṣeyi lifted her from the ground using nothing but pure brute strength.

"Osi, and the two of you," the Balogun said, pointing to the other two warriors, not even noticing Ṣeyi or the damage he had done to her hut "Run now and summon Bọlaji, Lekan and Afọlabi, Now!" She commanded, "It's time for the eagle team to make their first flight"

"Yes ma," the Ẹṣọs responded and immediately left to carry out the Balogun's command

"We can handle it," Jaguna Baṣọrun said with confidence, "We must protect the young of the village"

"That will not be necessary Jaguna Baṣọrun" The Balogun commented, "The new Jaguna will handle this mess, it is his duty to protect his men" There was a sudden look of shocking surprise written on all the Jagunas' faces they couldn't believe that she called out Bọlaji's name as the Jaguna of a new group.

"Nike I will only ask once" Ṣeyi growled, "Which way did they go?"

On a normal day, if Ṣeyi dared to lay a violent hand on her, she would have responded with an ear full of abuses, curses and screams-filled defiance. Unfortunately, today is not a normal day and Ṣeyi has never laid a violent hand on her before, judging from the look in his eyes and the grip he has on her neck, she can tell that a wrong answer will surely be redeemed with her life.

"Which way did they go" Ṣeyi shouted with more hatred than he could contain

"Ṣeyi, let her go" Akọgun commanded

"Not until she tells me where Akin is" Ṣeyi replied "or she's going to die" Ṣeyi's last words made Nikẹ's blood run cold. She could feel the intensity of his Agbara burning like a furnace, gathering itself together and preparing to explode. Love for his hunchback friend had blinded him to all reason, with the very last breath she had, she screamed out her reply

"They took him to the forest close to the training ground, that's all I know"

"That's all I need," Ṣeyi said in gratitude, tossing her away like a discarded cloth. He looked at the Balogun for a split second silently asking for her approval and when the Balogun nodded Ṣeyi knew that she was counting on him to save Akin's life. Without wasting any more time, he ran off towards the direction that Nike had given.

"If you gave him wrong directions, he will come back to kill you," the Balogun said to Nikẹ in a comforting tone "It doesn't matter how much he cares about you he loves the hunchback even more"

"I told you everything I know," said a terribly disconcerted Nikẹ

"Good!" the Balogun reassured

Ṣeyi felt every muscle in his body scream and tremble, the moment he heard that Akin was in danger. The very first thing that came to his mind was the words "That boy must not die". The words concerning Akin, spoken to him by a stranger a long time ago, the words echoed through his memory like the beat of the talking drum. "Why did I ever let him leave my sight?" He scolded. His incision was unconsciously activated the moment he held Nikẹ above the ground, he didn't know he had that much power at his command; it's just that the wicked girl spoke as though Akin's death was a good thing, "No," he said out loud "I must clear my mind if I intend to save my best friend". As soon as he reached the forest, Ṣeyi jumped into the trees utilizing the chant of the Leopard shadowing the trees. He was able to cover a long distance within a short period, but this wasn't enough, the assassins had more than an hour's head start no thanks to Nikẹ. The Jamas also know the chant of the Leopard shadowing the trees. Nike foolishly watched and pretended it was a good thing; she even wasted time in reporting such a serious issue to the Balogun. Is this the kind of evil that dwells in the hearts of ambitious women? Is this how black her soul has become? Is there no good in her at all? She should be punished, he thought, "and that is the girl that I've had a crush on for the past few years" he growled in self-hate

Bojubọle the great eagle flew ahead of him and then it hit him; the eagle deliberately attacked him to communicate Akin's predicament, and a kind of understanding passed between the boy and the bird of prey. The eagle changed direction and Ṣeyi followed.