‘I don’t want to hear it. Finish this. Get rid of them,’ Command said and slid back into the shadows.
L’?r? steadied herself, grounding her feet into the loose sand beneath her, preparing for her attackers and calculating who’d be the easiest to strike first. It had to be the thin one with the scarf tied too firmly to his face. No way he could breathe easily under that mask. Knowing Command would never engage in a street fight, she prayed Alawani would join her before she had to attack the slowest but heaviest one. His yam-like muscles contoured in the moon’s light, and she didn’t want to know what it’d feel like to be on the receiving end of that fist.
By the time the advancing men were close enough, she’d chosen a different fighting stance, trying to determine her best move.
‘Make up your mind!’ came the order from the shadows. Her commander had obviously decided that this would be her training for the night.
L’?r? held on tight to her blades and struck at the man who reached her first. This one flashed his yellowing teeth with pride as he ran towards her, jumping the stairs in twos.
Yellow Teeth evaded her blades faster than she’d expected, ducking and sidestepping her blows.
‘Focus! Watch his feet,’ Command said.
L’?r? could smell the strong stench of days-old palm wine on his breath. Behind him, the dim light caused his comrades to trip and fall as they attempted to skip down the flight of stairs. L’?r? returned her focus to the one before her.
‘Try again, ?m?’ge,’ Yellow Teeth winked and laughed, moving so quickly it looked like he was gliding over the sand.
L’?r?’s frown deepened. He was toying with her. She lunged at him and tripped onto the sand.
‘Get up! Use your head, L’?r?. End this,’ Command said.
L’?r? didn’t allow his quick steps to distract her from the real danger – his hands. While his glowing palms wouldn’t burn him – as agbára was an extension of oneself – it’d burn anything and anyone it touched. But her hands were wrapped in the heat-resistant fabric her father had sourced for her after one too many burns. Now, she never left home without them. It wasn’t enough to cover her full arms, but she’d make do.
L’?r? heard the bald man, the second of the trio, finally jump into the pit, a gash on his forehead from the fall earlier. She drew back from the pair, trying to take them on one on one, but as soon as she got close enough to the bald man, he grabbed a fist full of her hair and dragged her across the sand. Her blades dropped instinctively as she reached for his hand, scratching at his grip. She ground her teeth, preparing for the pain, and yanked her head in the opposite direction. Her roots burned from the pull, and she drew a dagger from its sheath and sliced at his calf. He went down quickly, screaming as his blood pooled around him.
Enough of this. L’?r? ran towards Yellow Teeth and threw her dagger to the ground in a wide arc. He glanced at it, falling for the distraction. She jumped and pulled him by the neck, and did not let go until his head crashed against the sand. A jolt of pain shot through her elbows, but she rolled away before he could burn her. Whatever pain she felt, she hoped his head felt much worse.
It didn’t seem to.
His lips curved into a wide grin. ‘Notin do me! I resemble who dey fear blood? Na iron dey my head o!’ he said,twisting and turning his head as if to check that it was still attached properly.
He lunged at her, and she ducked, but not before his hot palms grabbed the part of her arm that wasn’t protected. She screamed. It felt like someone had poured boiling water on her. She pulled him in closer and knocked her head into his. He yelled and staggered, releasing his grip on her as she stumbled backwards, but didn’t fall.
‘You should’ve seen that coming,’ Command said.
Or you could help me, L’?r? thought but didn’t dare say out loud. She glanced at the blades she’d thrown to the ground. They were too far out of reach. L’?r? surveyed her burnt arm. Curse the sun! She wouldn’t be able to hide this from her father. The wound had already formed blisters. She didn’t initially notice when the masked man joined the fight and turned in time to see his fist inches away from her face.
‘Too slow!’ Command shouted. L’?r?’s knuckles cracked as her fist crashed into the masked man’s hardened core. He grunted but didn’t move an inch. She squared up to him again. But he was too fast. She couldn’t land a single strike. Her sore arm stung with each blow as salty sweat pricked at the raw wound. A howling laugh erupted from him, vibrating his entire being. At that moment, L’?r? knew she wouldn’t win the fight. Not if she kept fighting without a plan. How would she explain to Command that she lost a fight to drunken street thugs?
‘Strategy, not rage,’ Command said, as though her commander could read her mind.
L’?r? nodded firmly, her eyes fixed on all three men. Somehow, she felt like even if Command wasn’t there ordering her steps, she’d still hear the woman’s deep voice echoing in her mind.
‘Keep your feet light on the ground,’ Command’s voice boomed.
‘Who dey talk for there?’ Yellow Teeth shouted, glaring at the shadows before lunging at L’?r?, a deep grunt rumbling in his throat.
L’?r? waited for him to get close enough before throwing a punch with her left hand, and he caught it. A wry smile crept up her face – the charred cloth was better than charred skin. The man pulled her close, and as he swung his head to slam it into hers, the stiff edge of her fingers met his throat. A long dry heave erupted from him, followed by short, ragged gasps. L’?r? went after him, pulled him forward and kneed him in the face, breaking his nose and tossing him to the ground.
‘Keep moving,’ Command said.
Yellow Teeth was on his feet again. He cackled, revealing his now crimson-stained mouth. What were these guys made of?
Exhausted, L’?r? lunged forward, landing on a single leg. She’d miscalculated. With only one foot on the ground, he took advantage of her mistake and swiped at her leg, sending her face-first into the sand.
‘Recover,’ Command said briskly.
Blood and sand clung to her lips, filling her mouth with the sour tang of metal and clay. She groaned as the heavy weight of his boot dug her face into the ground. Command’s voice echoed like a distant bell in her mind.
