“How unfortunate is it that your parents died? And so young as well,” the village chief started as soon as she entered his chamber, donning his gold fabric crown. It was a large room in the large stone village hall. He was sat at the head of a small table that Abeni was escorted to sit at the end of it by one of the four attendants on the walls of the room, Caterina. The only attendant in a pencil skirt who now stood by his left looking down at her with the rest of them.

These wooden chairs with cushions were quite comfortable, Abeni noted. Much nicer than the bare ones she had at home. “Yes, chief.”

The village chief smiled. “Hm…is your uncle taking good care of you?”

No. After she ran from him and evaded his questions, it seemed he didn’t want to see her anymore. Which was fine because she didn’t know how to feel about him either. “Yes, chief.”

“Good. Do you happen to have any friends? Is there anyone that you have taken a liking to? Girls always start liking boys at this age,” Martin was the only one. Her only friend, her only crush. But...now that the female ẹda who she barely knew sympathised with her…she wondered if he even—

“Abeni?”

Pay attention! The quicker she responded, the quicker she’d be able to resume funeral preparations. Abeni straightened her posture. “I have one, chief.”

He hummed once more, letting a loud tranquillity descend on them as he lifted a hand and a bowl – double the size of her head and filled to the brim with well-seasoned cashew nuts – was swiftly put on the table by one of his white-clothed attendants.

“Do you know why you are here?”

“No, I don’t, chief.”

He chuckled to himself, breathing in a low breath before finally revealing his thoughts. “You have something in your hut.”

“...What?”

One of the four attendants kissed his teeth at her short response and unsheathed his short sword, but the chief simply raised a hand to reach for another cashew nut. Giving the attendant a look, that had the man quivering back into place.

“S-sorry, chief,” he apologised.

The chief smiled Abeni’s way again, but it looked dangerous. Like he was holding something back. “As I was saying. Abeni. You have something in your hut that is of interest to me. Do you have any idea what I could be talking about?”

No. No way.

Did he know?

About the female ẹda?

Already? No way!

“No…chief. I have no idea.”

“Oh,” he nibbled on some more cashew nuts, looking amused. “I believe you do. You may be ill-mannered and unintelligent, but I am aware that you are not a complete imbecile.”

But the female ẹda said that no one noticed her come in! She said that she was subtle!

Abeni would have to lie her way out of this situation, go home and then come up with a way to get the female ẹda outside of the village without being spotted. If what the village chief and Caterina said the day she returned was true, that there were eight other junior manipulators here, excluding her parents. They should be more than enough to kill the one ẹda. Apparently, even five would be enough.

But before Abeni could make an excuse, the village chief sighed, looking at her as if disappointed. “Stupid child, I’m talking about the weapons your parents left behind. The short swords.”

The…what? Short words? Her parents had short swords? Why would they need swords if they had those kinds of abilities? “They are too dangerous to be left in a child’s possession. You will give them to me before the day is over. This is all for your own benefit.”

Don’t react. Don’t react! Oh, those swords. She always knew about the swords!

“So, I was right…” Abeni mumbled out with fake hesitation, she had to deter them from searching her home since she isn’t able to provide them by then. She doesn’t even know where they are! “The short swords…my parents took them with us on the trip. They lost them in the fight.”

“…Really?” He raised an eyebrow, still looking unimpressed. Did he believe her? “So, they disobeyed me. Did they take out the nightguards?” The chief muttered to himself.

“Um…” What? Were short swords not allowed to be taken out of the village?

But he turned back to her with a smile. “But I heard those swords were so precious to them.”

Abeni looked at him with her best wide, innocent eyes to hide her emotions, clenching her fists underneath the table. “I didn’t realise hunters held them so close to their hearts, chief.”

“Yes, every hunter does. That is another reason why I need them, to give them to the hunters who will replace your late parents. So, it would truly be a shame if they just....lost them.”

How could she convince him? The village chief was a simple man. Judging by what she’s seen so far, he seemed troubled about the state of the swords. He also seemed to enjoy being in control of situations he was in. How could she appease both sides of him?

Flattery! That should distract him.

“Village chief, I really appreciate your worries, but the swords are not in my hut. I’m not sure, but the swords your attendants have are in so much better condition than any…” she grits her teeth. This was for her safety, their safety! She couldn’t let them search her hut and find the female ẹda after they were finally seeing each other again. “anything my parents had. Trust me, their worn-out swords are not worth worrying over.”

He stared at her, pausing eating to appraise her, before humming. Seeming satisfied. “If you say so. I was going to further investigate this situation, but you seem sure.”

That worked? Really?

Abeni had to resist the sudden strong urge to gulp while she was still being scrutinised. It was hard. “I am. Those swords…are long gone.”

“Hm,” the village chief sent a look to Caterina beside him with a raised eyebrow and Abeni watched as Caterina proceeded to walk over with a straight face, sat sideways on his lap and… massage his shoulders? Wow, talk about excessive. “Then…do you need any aid?”

“I’m sorry?” Abeni was startled out her train of thought, but this time he refused to repeat himself, just staring as he tilted his head to the side as Caterina massaged his neck muscles. “Aid? I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

“Oh, god. This child doesn’t know what ‘aid’ means? How amusing!” The village chief started laughing, the three male attendants by his side joining in with their own nervous laughter and Abeni had to bite her lip.

Of course, she knew what ‘aid’ meant, she just didn’t know what type of aid he of all people was willing to offer. But saying all of that would be foolish. This man was in charge of the village she resided in, he had eight junior manipulators who might be able to block her mind manipulation ability on his side. No matter what her opinions of him were, she had to respect him.

She couldn’t succumb to pettiness.

“Ah…that did make me laugh. Abeni,” the village chief tightened his arm around Caterina’s waist as he decided to spoke at a leisurely pace, clearly mocking her. “I am asking…do you need me to give you anything? Your parents are gone now and they didn’t even leave behind any weapons…It will be hard for you to survive on your own…so I wish to help you. Especially after I had you come all the way to the village hall over a false alarm.”

Really? “Oh. Yes, chief. I would appreciate some aid.”

“Oh?” He asked, narrowed his gaze as if he had not been expecting her to actually say yes. “What is it then?”

Abeni responded without hesitation as her steadily calming heart beat. Twelve zincs may not be enough for a shrine and she was sure he had significantly more money than that. “A shrine, fabric, ink and some flowers…sir. That’s all I need.”

“…That is all?” He sounded confused, but honestly, that was truly all Abeni wanted right now. The tools to say goodbye.

“And…I would like you to come to the funeral I’m running.”

Because while Abeni didn’t trust him any more than Uncle Ibrahim or Martin, she’d invite him. Since he cared enough to be disappointed by her parents’ death. And as Uncle Ibrahim cared enough to hug her when she returned and Martin gave her advice about dealing with their deaths...she thought it made sense to invite them too.

She knew it was a bad idea, but who else could she invite if not them?

Abeni could just ask the female ẹda to hide or leave during the event.

So, she gathered the shrine, fabric, ink and flowers worth way more zincs than she had at hand provided by the chief later that day. Abeni then set a date and invited her guests. The chief, Uncle Ibrahim, Martin and his family who agree to come. Tomorrow.

This time tomorrow…she would let it all out and start her new life. Learn how to live her life as a normal villager from Aajiz Village. Who just happened to be housing a stray ẹda under the entire village’s noses.

Ugh...

What had she gotten herself into?

[Current Total Beings In ‘Abeni’s Army’ – 1]