Laughter rang out as Ada ran, swiftly dogging tree branches, she heard footsteps behind and knew her pursuer was gaining on her.  She tripped on a raised root in the forest. She braced herself for impact which never came as a hand around her middle snatched her up.

Laughter, loud and deep rang in her ears as her saviour pulled her closer to his body, "you have to watch where you are going or you are going to hurt yourself."

"Esomchi, put me down this instant!" she struggled to free herself from his hold without much effort while he kept laughing.

He let her go, his large hands on her hip offering support as he turned her to face him, "where have you been? The entire village has been searching for you."

Ada heard the sadness in his voice,she buried her face in his chest, "i—

She couldn't finish her words as he roughly pushed her away from him, she landed ungracefully on her butt on the floor in shock and surprise, maybe she deserved that but he didn't have to be a jerk about it.

"Hey—" the rest of her words died in her throat.

Esomchi no longer stood before her, in his place stood the mean guard from earlier, his face twisted in a sneer making his features even more formidable than usual.

He held a cutlass in his right hand, high above his head, his eyes held cruel intent. She just knew it, there was no reasoning with this man- he was going to kill her and enjoy doing it.

The cutlass began it's descent towards her. A blood curdling scream left her throat.

Ada jerked her body into a sitting position, sweat poured down her back as she took deep breaths.

"Ada, are you alright?"

She turned towards Nmachi who was on her knees by her side, concern etched on her features. "You were screaming in your sleep."

Ada swallowed past the lump in her throat as she ran her hands through her body.

It was just a dream, you are OK, nothing happened.

"I had a bad dream." Ada spoke when she finally found her voice, "someone was trying to kill me."

Nmachi waved her right hand in a circle above her head before snapping her fingers, a symbol of rejection of sorts.

"Chukwu ekwena! the gods forbid!"

Ada nodded, her mind still lingering on the dream and what it meant.

Elders say dreams are a means the gods used to send a message. What are they trying to tell me? Is my mind playing tricks on me?

"Come,"  Nmachi held out an outstretched hand. "You need to wash your face and have some water, that should calm your nerves, you are shaking."

Ada looked at her hands, truly she was shaking, goosebumps appeared on her skin, a cold draft of air blew from nowhere as she took Nmachi's proffered hand.

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Ada splashed water on her face from the bathing vessel Nmachi dropped in the bathing hut, she took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

She was still shaken from the dream, it seemed the whole training and talk of spirits was getting to her.

She splashed some more water on her face before exiting the hut, Nmachi was nowhere in sight when she came out.

Where could she be?

She turned to go back to her hut, she took a few steps when she stopped dead in her tracks.

My eyes must be deceiving me! Maybe I am still dreaming. This must be one of those dream inside dream situation.

She continued on her way to the hut. It was empty, the girls were probably talking at the obi, It was the only way to have fun, she had gone yesterday, they had talked about their villages and the things they missed.

She was about to lay back down when Nmachi came into the hut looking flustered.

"You were not outside the bathing hut."

Nmachi let out a squeak as she jumped in fright. She placed a hand on her racing heart as she turned to face Ada, "you are here."

Ada gave her a-is- that- the -best- you- can come- up -with -look. "Yes I am, you were not outside the bathing hut when I came out. Where were you?"

"I... I... " Nmachi scratched the back of her neck before retying her wrapper

"Anyway, that does not matter, come sit." Ada patted the space beside her, "we need to talk"

"Earlier, when you talked about fear making you do things you didn't know you were capable of, you weren't talking about our ordeal. Were you?"

Nmachi picked at invisible flecks in her wrapper. She looked away from Ada and kept silent.

"It's OK if you don't want to talk about it," she placed her hand on Nmachi's arm in comfort.

"Just know that I am here whenever you want to talk, you seem to hold so much pain inside you and it bleeds out sometimes."

Tears swam in Nmachi's eyes as Ada spoke," I am here okay?"

She hugged her to her chest, she felt tears soaking into her wrapper as heart wrenching sobs broke from her throat. Her body shuddering as pain filled sounds left her throat.

"Nne ozuguo! Kwusi ibe akwa." Ada's voice cracked with emotion, a single tear running down her cheeks. "O ga-adi mma. Inula?"

Nmachi's hands went around her waist, her grip was so tight, Ada was sure she had cut off blood circulation to her waist. "it is going to get better. Whatever it is, you are not alone. You hear me, you are not alone."

Few minutes later, the sobs subsided and tears dried up.

"Whenever your are ready", Ada smiled at Nmachi as she came out of hiding, she used her thumbs to wipe her face. "You are such an ugly crier."

Nmachi laughed as she shoved Ada playfully, she sniffled as she wiped her face with the back of her hands.

Ada was just happy to see her laugh, she never wanted to hear such heart breaking sounds from the girl before her ever again.

"It's your turn to wash your face and have some water, you don't want the girls to see you like this. You will loose respect." Ada joked as she helped the other girl up.

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The day started with running again, the girls were woken at the crack of dawn to go to the arena to run. They had been running for two hours now, unlike the last time most of the girls seemed to have gotten the hang of it and no longer complained or fear of Scar-as Ada dubbed him- prevented any complaints.

Ada was wary of Scar and tried as much as possible to avoid him. Dera was the total opposite, it seemed she was a magnet.

Scar was never far away from her, Ada didn't know what to make of it.  The little girl though loved the company as she bugged the tall brick wall of a human with questions.

"Stop!" Scar's voice rang out loud and clear in the wee hours of the morning. "That is all for now, hopefully speed can save you when something in the land of the spirits decides to chase after you."

The girls were in a single line with Dera closest to Scar, how the girl wasn't deaf yet with all the screaming the man had been doing was beyond Ada but she was grateful for the break.

"Don't spirit like appear and disappear?" The little girl asked which earned a a look that would have grown men quaking in their boots but bounced right over her.

"You can have some water and rest, the prince will be here to address you shortly."

Dera smiled brightly at Scar before he turned to leave. The girls moving in the opposite direction towards the water shed for some water.

Now that Ada knew the king was ill she breathed easier that when she thought that horrible man was king.

"Isn't he cute?" Dera asked when she got close to Ada.

"Who is?" Nmachi asked, bringing a cupful of cool delicious clay pot water to her lips.

Dera giggled as she filled her cup with water, "Ikeagu! He is such a grumpy darling."

Ada exchanged looks with Nmachi, alarm written all over her face in bold letters. Good thing Dera wasn't looking at them, she was watching Scar talk to the man who had addressed them on the first day.

"Ikeagu?" Nmachi's eyed Scar before nodding, "perfect fit, I wonder what he looked like as a baby for his father to come up with such a name."

Ada raised a questioning brow.

is she serious, was Scar ever a baby?

Images of a muscular scarred baby came to her mind even though she knew she was being unreasonable she couldn't shake the image.

"His mother gave him the name, he was a difficult baby." Dera replied a glassy look in her eye.

Ada eyebrows shot to her hairline as she wondered how Dera came about such information.

"Only the gods know what that horrible man wants to say to us, the last time wasn't pleasant." Ada attempted to bring both girls back to reality.

"That is not true, he was the one who addressed us on the first day" Nmachi answered.

All the girls turned to look at her, "What? The maids that bring us food talk." She hurriedly drank some water and began chocking on it.

"Are you alright?" asked the man they were just talking about as he approached them.

Nmachi nodded as she fanned herself with her right hand, her eyes watering.

"I thought we were going to be addressed by the prince?" a girl asked a dreamy expression on her face, Ada always forgot her name.

"Me too, I hope he is good looking. Wait o! Like after we successfully get the healing cup—"

"Or die trying." Nonye chipped in.

Nazza sent her a glare,"—what do we get as compensation? There has to be something that keeps my eye on the goal or I might just get hitched to the prince."

The man before them cleared his throat loudly, pulling their attention back to him, he gestured towards the sitting area.

"Girls you might have to seat for the next part."

The girls moved toward the sitting area and took seats while the man stood before them, a mischievous smile playing about his lips like he knew a secret they didn't.

"I am Okenna, first son of Igwe Agubata and heir to the throne of Ede." he winked at Nazza as the girl coloured. "I am sorry I did not introduce myself earlier. The state you girls were in the first time we met didn't exactly allow for pleasantries."

"I was hoping you would be ugly, it would make it easier to hate you." Agbomma pouted.

"You are yet to apologise for kidnapping us." Dera complained.

"You realise he is royalty right and he could demand for our heads to be cut off because of the way we are speaking to him." the girl Ada always forgot her name stage whispered.

Okenna laughed hard, his shoulders shaking,  a smile appeared on some girls faces.

"Glad we amuse you." Nmachi snapped, Ada held her hand, a form of warning.

Okenna smiled brightly at her, the sun was breaking through the clouds casting a sort of halo around him, making him seem like an otherworldly creature. "I am sorry we kidnapped you, it wasn't our best move but we were desperate. My father's condition is really grave and we need your help."

"Are you asking or telling?" Ada snapped, the dream earlier making her edgy.

"More like pleading." His voice held something she didn't want to name.

"You do realise you are  sending us to our graves, the tales we have heard of this journey hasn't exactly been encouraging," Ada corked her head at him "Why should we help you?"

Glossary
Nne ozuguo : my dear, it's enough.
Kwusi ibe akwa :  stop crying
O ga-adi mma: it's going to be okay
Inula: have you heard.