“Emm—
Ikedi paused as if he had remembered something vital
The cry was distant at first. But then it came again. This time on the roof of the forest, a strident cry that was ear piercing. It sounded like the cry of an eagle, wounded by the arrow of a hunter. All creatures stood still and the forest bowed with fear when the huge beast soared pass. It was a smooth flight, that could go unnoticed, only that the wind on its wing, threatened to uproot the buttress root of trees.
It was the morning of the third day. The sun had broken the veil of the dark cloud, showering the earth with rich gold light. Even with its growing intensity, the canopies made by the hands of the leaves held the rays, giving way to only those that tubes through. The absence of moisture in the air was an indication of the harmattan, whose wind humbles the heads of the trees, making them to bow in subjection.Dried leaves cried as Ada and her friends swum through the green brush, hoping to make it to the river before nightfall. They had spent two days and two nights, trying to meander away fromIyi,the evil forest, whereEjima (twin babies),were left to die. Now,
Ada swallowed uneasily and smeared her dried lips with the little saliva left in her mouth. She couldn’t keep her eyes away so she watched his muscular features again. The lines on his body—made by his muscles—disappeared and reappeared in a uniform rhythm, as he coursed the canoe through the nation of blue. They had long lost the brown and green shoreline to the vast sea, which spreads through the vista as far as the eyes could see. Even though the sun pricked the earth with its heat, the moist air still sheltered the rays, but not enough to cloth the body with a cold that could make the hair on the skin to stand.“How far. The land of the barbarians?” Ikedi dropped the oar as the canoe caught the current. It
Ripples fogged the surface of the deep, followed by turbulent eddies that swerved to the right with the black fin, like huddles of fine sands on the surface of a rock.Ada watched as the other girl’s eyes narrowed with an aura that sent chill down the spine. She skillfully nocked two arrows an
“Don’t you dare leave me, you hear me?” Ikedi’s panting breath resounded on the surface of the rocks. His strong arms were around Ada’s stomach, hoping to make the girl spill out the salty liquid. “Come on sunshine,” he grieved, “You can’t die here, you’ve faced worst things and survived. Mmili bu ndu
The bed of the rock cried with vibration as the heavy feet of the barbarians trampled on its rough skin. Nothing was visible, save for the flags of flames that walked down the ledge, towards the position where Ada and her friends were hiding. But for the chattering sounds of the barbarians, the night could have passed for its serenity and peace that waxed with ease with the cold.
“He saved us,” Chira said softly and placed a gentle hand on Ada’s shoulder.Ada only stared at the blurred vision of the fires that boogied over the horizon. It had all converged, lighting the night with its bloom. The voice of the savages still revel what should have been a speec
Ada heaved again, this time, resisting the urge to clean her sweaty palms on her neck. She wished the cold rock could pierce her soul and calm her troubled breast. Every attempt to keep her mind away from Ikedi was just becoming more and more difficult.They had walked quietly through the edge of th