As I approached the main gates of Uka, the Onowu's estate, the walls of strong baobab wood loomed before me. Two hefty guards, bare-chested and easily twice my size, stood watch. Despite my own considerable height, they still managed to tower over me.

"Halt," the one on the left growled, his hand resting on the hilt of a curved blade. "State your business."

I met his gaze steadily. "I need to speak with the Onowu. It's urgent."

The guard on the right let out a bark of laughter. "The Onowu doesn't take unexpected visitors. Turn back now, if you know what's good for you."

I took another step forward. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Their postures shifted, muscles tensing as they moved to block my path. "This is your last warning," the first guard snarled.

I sighed, almost regretfully. "So be it."

As the guard on the left reached for his weapon, I exploded into action. My right hand shot out, striking him precisely in the throat. He stumbled back, choking and gasping.

The second guard, caught by surprise, swung a meaty fist at my head. I ducked under it, feeling the wind of its passage above my head. As his momentum carried him forward, I drove my elbow hard into his belly. The air left his lungs in a beat.

Before either could recover, I spun, delivering a roundhouse kick to the first guard's jaw. His head snapped back, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The second guard, still struggling for breath, lunged at me with a roar. I side-stepped, using his own momentum to guide him past me. As he stumbled by, I brought my knee up sharply into his belly. He bent forward sharply, a strangled groan escaping him before a precise strike dropped him to the ground, out cold beside his companion.

The entire exchange had taken less than few moments.

I looked down at the two unconscious forms, a brief pang of regret settling in my chest. They were only following orders, but I had my own duty to fulfill.

For a moment, the air seemed still, the world holding its breath. Then, with a deep exhale, I stepped over their prone bodies and pushed open the heavy wooden gate. The silence shattered as a horn blared, echoing across the compound, summoning a storm I was all too ready to face. I knew what was coming, and I welcomed it. My blood sang with a familiar rhythm, one I hadn't felt in years.

The first wave came at me like a flood - five men, all muscle and aggression. I could smell their sweat, see the hunger for violence in their eyes. But where they had brute force, I had experience and a lifetime of honed instinct.

The leader, a brute with a nasty scar across his cheek, swung a heavy club at my head. I ducked under it, feeling the whoosh of air as it passed. In the same motion, I drove my fist into his belly. He folded like a piece of wet cloth, gasping for air.

Two more rushed me from either side. I waited until the last second, then stepped back. They collided with a satisfying crunch. As they stumbled, dazed, I grabbed their heads and knocked them together. They dropped like stones.

The fourth man came at me with a spear. I side-stepped his thrust, grabbed the shaft, and used his own momentum to fling him over my shoulder. He crashed into a nearby fruit stand, disappearing under a cascade of mangoes and papayas.

The fifth, seeing his comrades fall, hesitated. Smart man. But not smart enough. He drew a machete, circling me warily. I stood still, hands relaxed at my sides, waiting. He lunged, blade flashing in the sun. I caught his wrist, twisted, and the machete clattered to the ground. A quick knee to the gut and an elbow to the back of his head, and he joined his friends in unconsciousness.

But it wasn't over. More came, pouring out of huts and from behind walls. I moved through them like a dancer, every strike precise, every dodge calculated. A man swung an axe; I caught his arm, redirected the swing into a wooden post, then used the handle to flip him onto his back. Another came at me with a net; I let him throw it, then yanked it, pulling him off balance and into my waiting fist.

I used their own weapons against them - a staff here, a whip there. Each weapon I touched seemed to become an extension of my body, and each I discarded just as quickly. The ground became littered with groaning men and abandoned arms.

Through it all, my machete remained on my back, untouched. This wasn't about killing. This was about sending a message.

As the last man fell, clutching his bruised ribs, I stood amidst the chaos I'd created. My chest heaved, but my mind was clear. I hadn't felt this alive in years.

I looked up at the main hut, where I knew Uka would be cowering. "Onowu!" I bellowed, my voice carrying over the moans of his fallen guards. "We need to talk!"

The silence that followed was deafening. But I knew he'd heard me. And I knew he understood - the reckoning he'd long avoided had finally come.

"Onowu!" I shouted again, my words echoing across the compound. "Come out and face me, or I swear by the gods, I'll tear this place apart piece by piece and burn what's left to the ground!"

There was a tense moment of silence, broken only by the groans of the unconscious men at my feet. Then, the door to the main hut creaked open, and Uka, the Onowu, emerged. His trademark sly smile was plastered on his face, but I could see the tension in his eyes.

"My dear Orji," he said, his voice oily smooth. "Such violence against your Onowu? There would be... consequences for such actions."

I snorted, unimpressed. "Consequences? What will you do, Uka? Have your puppet Igwe banish me? You can't kill me, even if you tried."

His smile widened, showing too many teeth. "Come now, it hasn't come to that. Let's talk like the men that we are."

I crossed my arms, fixing him with a hard stare. "Fine. Let's talk about the prisoner you took. The woman. I want her released. Now."

Uka's eyebrows rose in feigned innocence. "Prisoner? Which one might you be referring to?"

My patience, already thin, snapped. In two long strides, I closed the distance between us, my face inches from his. "Don't test me, Uka. You know exactly who I mean. The foreign woman brought in yesterday."

Uka's smile never wavered, but I saw a flicker of something – fear? – in his eyes. "Ah, that one. But why the sudden interest, Orji? I thought you'd washed your hands of such matters."

"My reasons are my own," I growled. "Release her."

We stood there, locked in a battle of wills, neither of us willing to back down. Finally, Uka chuckled, a sound devoid of any real mirth.

"Very well," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "Take her. She's more trouble than she's worth anyway. But remember this kindness, Orji. One day, I may call upon you to return the favor."

I bit back a retort about his 'kindness'. This wasn't the time for further antagonism. "Just bring her out," I said instead.

Uka barked an order, and moments later, two guards emerged, dragging a struggling figure between them. Even with her face covered, I could see the fear and defiance in her eyes. But as she saw me, those eyes widened in surprise, and perhaps a glimmer of relief.

The guards roughly shoved her towards me. As soon as she was within reach, I gently but firmly grasped her arm. The moment our skin touched, I sensed her tension dissolve, as if she'd been holding her breath until that very instant. It struck me how fragile she seemed, yet there was a flicker of defiance in her eyes, a quiet strength that echoed somewhere deep within her.

I turned back to Uka, my voice low and dangerous. "I hope, for your sake, that you haven't laid a finger on her."

Uka's smile turned cold. "I assure you, she's untouched. Though I can't say the same for her companion."

My grip on the woman's arm tightened involuntarily. "What companion?"

"Oh?" Uka's eyebrows rose in mock surprise. "Did you not know there were two? How... interesting."

I cursed inwardly. How had I missed that? "Where is the other one?"

Uka shrugged, the picture of nonchalance. "Who can say? Perhaps she escaped in the night. Or perhaps... well, the forest can be a dangerous place for a lone woman."

I felt my anger rising again, but I forced it down. One rescue at a time. "This isn't over, Uka," I warned.

His smile never faltered. "I should hope not, my dear Orji. Life would be so dreadfully dull without our little... chats."

Without another word, I turned and led the woman away, my mind racing. There was another prisoner out there somewhere, and if Uka was to be believed – a dangerous assumption at the best of times – she was in grave danger.

As we passed through the gates, leaving the Onowu's compound behind, I looked down at the woman beside me. Her golden eyes, visible above her veil, were full of questions and fear.

"Don't worry," I said softly hoping she would understand. "You're safe now. And we're going to find your friend."

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