‘Okay, I’m coming with you,’ L’?r? said, pushing her food aside.
‘No, finish your meal. I’ll be right back,’ he said, shoving the bench underneath the table. ‘Don’t talk to anyone. Keep your head down.’
L’?r? sighed, ‘Hurry.’
She cautiously glanced around the room. No one seemed to pay attention to either of them. Her eyes lingered on the two hooded figures in the corner, but she quickly looked away. If they weren’t looking at her, then she shouldn’t be looking at them. She washed her hands in the bowl beneath her table, too anxious to finish her meal.
One of the men nearest to her stood abruptly, raising a small gourd of palm wine. ‘To Máywá, son of Ìlú-p?, our Àlùfáà and chosen priest of the third ring.’
The room echoed, ‘To Máywá! The chosen of the chosen.’
L’?r? shrank in her chair. She needed to get out of this room.
The man continued, ‘It’s been decades since an Àlùfáà from our great state has survived the stripping ceremonies.But I’ve heard on the grapevine that our Máywá has survived the first stripping!’ The room cheered louder.
Alawani burst in through the door, soaking wet from the rain. ‘Let’s go,’ he said quickly as he reached for her.
‘What’s happened?’
The words had barely left her mouth when a middle-aged man burst in after Alawani, his frown so deep it further disfigured his scarred face. ‘I’m talking to you, ?m?’ba.’
The man’s words slurred as he moved to corner them, ‘You think I won’t recognize the son of our king?’ he hiccupped.
The music stopped. The room quietened and the buzz that had lingered in the air floated away. L’?r? could feel her chest grow cold as panic rose to her throat. They backed away from the man until they were leaning against the bar top.
‘We don’t want any trouble,’ Alawani said, his hand outstretched to the man. ‘What do you want?’
L’?r? glanced from Alawani to the man inching closer to them, his eyes bloodshot. How had their night turned to this in mere moments? At least this wasn’t about her. The people of the third ring seemed less concerned with fulfilling their civic duty to harass the coward’s daughter and instead, were more enraged by the presence of the prince.
‘Gbk, go home,’ a deep voice came from one of the hooded figures in the corner.
Gbk croaked and spat on the floor, ‘Mfà, stay out of this. I only asked this young man a question.’ He turned to Alawani, ‘Are you or are you not the ?m?’ba? The oath-breaker’s son.’
‘He’s not the prince,’ L’?r? said, squeezing Alawani’s hand even tighter.
‘Then he only needs to take off his hood and prove it,’ Gbk said.
Eyes roamed and the room went silent. Their gazes settled on Alawani and L’?r? felt the hackles on the back of her neck rise.
‘You’re drunk,’ Alawani said sternly.
‘Even so,’ Gbk said and hiccupped, pointing at the wall. ‘I may be drunk but I’m not blind.’
Curse the sun. Right there was a sand portrait of the late king next to the Lord Regent. Right on cue, Command was in her head:Another fight?L’?r? nearly spoke out loud defending herself and telling the voice that none of this was her fault.
Whatever you do, don’t use those blades or agbára. The secrets you hold will turn this crowd on you quicker than you can imagine.
L’?r? stepped forward. ‘I told you, he’s not the prince,’ she said above the man’s voice.
Gbk glanced at L’?r?. ‘Why don’t you stop talking before I make you stop talking.’
‘Touch her, and there’ll be nothing left of you to bury,’ Alawani growled.
Get ready now. This is going to turn into …The sound of Command’s voice was drowned out by the loud cry from Gbk as he lunged for Alawani, reaching for his hood, trying to pull it off.
Alawani lit his agbára and punched the drunk man with a blast of energy that flung him back against the entrance door. The bar erupted in a frenzy with men rushing towards them.
L’?r? picked up the stool nearest to her and broke it over the head of the man who approached her with a raised cutlass. She held on to one of the chair’s broken legs and swung at the next man’s face. Behind her she heard a crunch as Alawani crashed his fists into one man’s jaw and slammed another face down into the bar top.
