The Lord General quickly got drunk on palm wine with his right-hand man, Captain Méjìlá, and Tofa could hardly hear himself think over the sound of their laughter.
He noticed Milúà’s clenched jaw and knew she was still upset, sending scathing looks to the dancers and the men that cheered them on. After a few moments, she got up and bowed next to him. Her face nearly touched his. ‘This is a waste of time. I have a mission to complete, and I need you to believe me when I tell you that I can find the prince and the girl. And I know they’re here.’
‘How?’
‘Does it matter? Would you rather stay here in this filth?’
Tofa’s eyes swept across the room, taking in the noise and the smell of sweat in the air. ‘They could be anywhere in this state. There are thousands of people here. It’ll be easier for them to hide. We need a more strategic approach than just searching the streets hoping to bump into them. The Lord General knows this ring, it’s his domain. With him and his hounds tomorrow, we’ll find them before sunset.’
‘They can’t hide from me,’ she said with poison in her voice. ‘They are harder to trace in this state. Every soldier is powerful, and the threads blur into each other. But I’ll find her. Just trust me.’
Tofa saw a flicker of gold in her eyes, and at that moment, he realized why maidens weren’t to be touched and why crowds parted for them. Her eyes looked like they were on fire and would scorch anyone who looked into them for too long. He blinked, nodded, and followed her.
‘That’s right, my king, show the maidens what they are missing!’ the Lord General called after them.
Tofa ignored the drunk man, glad Milúà wasn’t close enough to hear his remarks, or he’d have spent the night putting out fires.
Suddenly Tofa turned, only to see Milúà’s spear flying right past him, sinking its sharp end deep into the Lord General’s chair. The man jumped up and roared at her. He shook his hands, and a light, golden glow soon accompanied the gentle hum of energy buzzing around him. Milúà did the same, and the battle line was drawn. Tofa knew this couldn’t end well, but he was willing to see what the warrior maiden was made of. It had taken him weeks before he won his first battle against the general.
Captain Méjìlá whispered in his ear, ‘My Crown, you cannot allow this.’
Tofa looked at Captain Méjìlá, his personal guard in Ìlú-Òdì. ‘Why do I have to? The Lord General deserves this humiliation.’ He turned to see the pair fighting in the circle created for them, men all around them, cheering for their general, who was not winning. He couldn’t help but smile at Milúà when she looked up, eyes filled with rage that seemed familiar to him. The soldiers had formed a fighting ring around them, and it was too late for either of them to backout. With a nod of encouragement from him, she sent the Lord General sprawling onto his back.
Captain Méjìlá urged, ‘My Crown, in a few blood moons, these men will swear loyalty to you as king. Don’t make enemies of the men who protect your kingdom. You may be their king, but that man is their god.’
Tofa sighed and shouted, ‘Enough!’
His voice reverberated through the hall, bouncing off the walls and echoing in the rafters. Everyone froze. The cheering died out in an instant. He heard only the heavy panting of the two fighters. Tofa walked towards them, and the circle broke, allowing him to pass through. He walked over to the Lord General’s body sprawled on the floor and went to Milúà. Blood poured from her lips, and there was a deep cut across her temple where the Lord General had smashed his head into hers.
He held her face, and she let her head fall into his palm. She looked exhausted, her face swollen and bruised, but she had won the fight. He yielded and she was the last one standing.
‘The party is over. Shut this down. Shut it all down,’ he said as he scooped Milúà into his arms and carried her out of the hall.
MILÚÀ
Milúà woke up the next day with a terrible headache. For the first few moments, she struggled to keep her eyes open. Then she turned to see Tofa sleeping on a mat a few feet from her bed, and she jumped at the sight of him.
He woke up startled and quickly rose to his feet, his eyes still heavy with sleep. Milúà raised the sheets to cover herself.
‘You are not naked, maiden,’ Tofa said, smiling and rubbing his eyes.
Milúà looked down, observing her body for the first time. He was right. She was still in her warrior’s outfit. Only her armour had been removed. But the sheer material still made her feel naked as she sat before him, and she held on to the sheets even tighter.
‘Why are you in my room?’ she scowled.
‘I’m not. You are in my room,’ Tofa replied.
‘Why am I in your bed?’ she frowned.
‘You passed out from the pain last night, maiden. You picked a fight with the Lord General in his house and won. It wasn’t safe for you to be alone.’
‘He wouldn’t dare,’ Milúà muttered, annoyed. Frowning made her head hurt even more as her skin pulled on the cut across her temple.
‘Come, let me help –’ Tofa said, but stopped when Milúà moved back from him.
He let out a long, weary sigh. ‘I’ll send the servants in to help you clean up. We must find L’?r? and Alawani today,’ he said as he headed for the door.
‘Thank you,’ Milúà blurted out. While she hadn’t needed his help, he was still the crown heir, so when he turned to face her, she let the sheets in her hand drop and bowed to him.
