The Balogun's intervention

The Balogun had finally organised several warriors from among the elites of the village, the Ẹṣọs combed the forest thoroughly searching for any sign of a battle or those who threatened the peace of the village. The core members of her hunting party are warriors with prior experience in handling Jama opponents; she also had the Akọgun and the Balogun Ọtun and Osi by her side. The four Jagunas also followed but Jaguna Baṣọrun had mixed feelings he still felt the sting of Bọlaji's betrayal and it burned him down to his core.

"Spread out!" She ordered

"Yes, ma!" All the lower ranking Ẹṣọs replied

The warriors systematically dispersed into the thick foliage of the forest, each man equipped with the ability to sense foreign Agbara and with orders to capture the Jama assassins alive. The only ones who remained by the Balogun's side were the ten Ẹṣọs, they maintained a defensive battle formation set against an ambush, but their true purpose on this venture was to heal anyone wounded during the battle. The Balogun placed her Iwofia (apprentice) in charge of the special healing unit and assigned to the healing unit three capable warriors, charged with the responsibility of protecting the herbal healers. Hours earlier, the Balogun had sent out seven of the best hunters the village can provide as scouts, since they are more familiar with the forest terrain than the Ẹṣọs, and charged them with the duty of finding the hunchback and calling for backup. The effort to recover Akin is indeed an impressive one, the Akọgun thought, but efforts mean nothing if the child in question is already dead. The Akọgun can see the look of worry in the Balogun's eyes, the despair that might damage her should anything terrible happen to any of the two boys and the burning rage that she contains within against the foolish little girl who rejoiced at the news of the hunchback's demise. The Akọgun would have pleaded on the little girl's behalf, but the Balogun insisted on venting her rage on the offender, as it is her duty, so he managed to talk her into postponing the punishment until after they had rescued the helpless hunchback hopefully she might have cooled down by then.

The Balogun growled in her building yet controlled rage, 'Nike' she whispered beneath her breath. By the Balogun's standards, Nike has done something unacceptable. The girl has broken one of the ten major rules of an Ẹṣọ of Ilu-inọ, the sacred rule passed down by her predecessor Balogun Alao, 'every innocent life is important'. Nike is unworthy to be called an Ẹṣọ of Ilu-inọ "If Akin dies," the Balogun voiced in a trembling tone, then she took a deep breath to control her building urge to beat Nike to a bloody pulp.

"Don't worry Balogun, nothing negative is going to happen" the Akọgun consoled

"Do you sense it?" The Balogun asked

"For now I can't sense any of Ṣeyi's Agbara and Akin's only faintly," the Akọgun replied after a long pause, "there is Agbara everywhere, and not one drop of it is Ṣeyi's, strange"

"Does this mean Ṣeyi's dead?" The Ọtun inquired

"No, he is alive, but it seems he is weaker than a normal Ẹṣọ" the Akọgun replied

"What about Bọlaji and the rest of his team, I hope they will reach them in time" the Balogun commented

"They were wisely chosen, Akin is in safe hands and I'm very sure the survival instincts, he's learnt from Ṣeyi will keep him alive long enough for backup to arrive. What I am really worried about is the level of those assassins; Jamas can be a hand full" Ọtun said

"Nothing, Bọlaji, Lekan and Afọlabi can't handle," the Akọgun said confidently

"There were five Jamas, and we sent three Ẹṣọs in response. The odds are against us; the remaining two Jamas are more than enough to handle the job" the Balogun gritted

"Don't forget Oluṣeyi," the Osi-Balogun added, "So it is four against five"

Both the Balogun and the Akọgun gave the Osi-Balogun a resentful look in response to his earlier comment; it is obvious that they both have a negative opinion about Ṣeyi's fighting capabilities.

"Ṣeyi is weak," the Akọgun pointed, "His Agbara level is a crying shame compared to the rest of his peers and he is incapable of taking care of himself"

"Ṣeyi does not have the ability to take down a single Jama" the Balogun added, "But he will be useful in helping Akin run from the assassins"

"I still believe in him" the Osi pressed, "and I'm sure he might surprise you before this day's end"

"If that's a bet, then I promise you you'll lose" the Balogun chuckled, "If Ṣeyi by some strange miracle is able to defeat just one Jama, then you have permission to call me a goat"

"Seriously," the Osi asked in a mocking tone, "I won't be punished for mocking you"

"You have my…" the Balogun was about to say something. Then the call of an advance scout interrupted the conversation.

"Balogun! Balogun!" The scout shouted, "We have found one of the assassins"

"Finally," she said "Some news"