“You expect me to believe that?” Labake asked, a smirk playing on her lips. Despite the hand resting on the pommel of her sword, she sounded amused; the Egbere were a diminutive forest dwelling race of supernatural origins. Legends claimed that anyone who could steal their mat and keep it safe for a full seven days would become unimaginably wealthy, but first they had to put up with the creature's incessant crying and violent attempts to wrest their property back from the thief. "You just waltzed into the forest and took an Egbere's mat? What, was it asleep? We both know you couldn't fight one off without help."
The western guard tower offered a sweeping view of the horizon, the dense forests and rolling hills stretching out endlessly. Labake’s eyes scanned the distance, alert for any sign of the marauders of the Fayowa tribe. Attacks on outlying villages had become more frequent, and Princess Inikpi was growing concerned enough that she’d doubled the number of guards on patrol.
“Look there,” Labake said, her tone shifting to something more serious as she pointed towards a distant ridge. A plume of smoke was rising, dark and thick against the clear sky. Her playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a steely resolve.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” she muttered, drawing her sword. The sound of metal scraping against leather echoed in the tense silence. “Ready yourself. This isn’t going to be easy.”
As the smoke thickened and began to spread, the unmistakable figures of the Fayowa warriors emerged on the ridge, their weapons glinting in the sun. Labake tightened her grip on her sword, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
And then, nearer than any of the warriors, an infant wailed. Labake's skin prickled. It couldn't be the Egbere. Egbere didn't even exist.
"What damn fool of a woman brought her infant this close to the city walls when we're at war?" she snarled, not taking her eyes of the Fayawo lest her disbelief be tested.