Chapter 5 Adike

The west watcher outposts are in all of the west of Nigeria, the nearest outposts to the college is a little town close to the city, close enough to answer the call of demon sighting. The five portals are like doorways but sometimes a demon with enough power will be able to create a "window" a rift to pass into the human world.

This outpost is disguised in form of a selling shop for those who want to buy trinkets and beads. They enter the shop, the door chiming, behind them. The shop owner came running and stop dead, gaping at her, even in her glamour the ànjanu knows their kind, their heir. She bows deeply.

"Greetings my lady." The shop owner muttered looking flustered. "We weren't told you will be coming.

She shrugged.

"The watch master must have forgotten." She move to Ola, who had begun to browse different types of beads array on the shelves. Yina stayed at parade rest at the door, motionless. She simply did not know if the watch master knew about her coming or not, she supposes her father must have told him.

"Can you tell him am here?" The woman ran off to the back door, she must be new to the human world, she's not a watcher, all watchers powerful or weak carry the echo of their power, it is impossible to fully mask it.

The back door opened, revealing the watch master that controls this outpost. She's a woman. Adike guess of about thirty years, which is young for such a position. She's tall and powerfully built, a pink scar split her face from the temple down to her cheekbone, giving color to her black skin and making her look dangerous. She wore the black body-fitted cloth body armor, the wolve of the west watch howling on her left chest, hair pulled up in watchers braid. She saw Ola straightened, even Yina raise his shoulder straighter.

They looked at each other, heir and watch master, it's a contest of will. Adike had been trained in the arts of keeping her emotion closed up and opening other people's. She got nothing on the master.

The watch gives her a bow, more of a head dip than an actual bow. The watchers bow to no one save their lord. Adike inclined her head.

"Let go in my lady." The watch master said. Her gaze flicks in Yina and Ola's direction, dismissing them. "Your guard should stay here, it's quite safe inside.

Adike thought she perceive some type of mockery in her tone, but she can't be sure since her voice is perfectly polite, if dismissive.

This is not the first time she'd heard this type of tone from watchers, dismissing her as if she's no more than a guard. She saw Ola's eyes narrow.

"Am afraid they'll be coming," She smile through clenched teeth. "Since what I come here for concerns them.

The watch master shrugged. "As you wish, my lady.

They move to the back door, passing through corridors with closed-door till they reach the last door, the master opens the door to a flight of stairs that lead down. The stairs lead to a large room with many corridors leading to different places, the master choose the one at the center, they followed her through the corridors that are lit with electricity. At last, they reach the door they were going, a black metal door with the wolve of the West etched at the center.

They enter a large all full of people, going about or just standing and chatting. In one corner a training ground for weapons and hand-to-hand training. The room is cold and she noticed that all the people there are not using glamour, showing their blue glowing faces and pale blue lips.

It took a minute's notice that the room has quieted, everyone looking at her.

"I'll suggest you drop your glamour, my lady." The watch master said dryly.

She dropped it. It takes less than a minute to untangle the little glamour spell since it's not full glamour –only her eyes and blue lips, she also uses some to hide the veins in her hands since the blue blood can be seen sometimes even in her black skin. Powerful watchers have that problem. Immediately after she dropped it, they bow, some more deeply than the others. The watcher, she noticed bow less deeply.

"Continue what you're doing." The watch master said in a voice that expected to be obeyed. And she was obeyed. Adike looked at her, noticing how sure and comfortable she looks in her skin. She felt a stab of envy, she can mask and keep her face closed but she's not comfortable in giving a command. Not like this watch master.

She took them to a room, which Adike guessed was her study, it's was filled with books neatly packed on a small rack, there are two couches, she took one, the watch master took the other. Facing each other.

She shifted on her sit. She didn't know if her father had told the master the reason for her mission in the human world. She decided to start simple.

"I didn't catch your name the other time watch master."

She knew she had miscalculated by how Yina go more motionless and Ola suck in a breath. She didn't like court way, she felt clumsy in the art of politics. It seems the watch master didn't have the same problem because she raised one eyebrow.

"I didn't remember giving it, my lady." She said, voice smooth. "I thought you knew the name of the master you'll be to for your mission.

Adike didn't much care for the slight disapproval in her voice, but before she can say anything, the door opened, admitting a new watcher. He was tall with broad shoulders, he wore a black fitted cloth that clung to all his muscular body, his skin glistening as if dusted with shining black dust.

He swept into a regal bow, his blue eyes twinkling. Sito, her cousin who is the west watch commander in training.

"I didn't know the frost is coming." He said, voice teasing. He's the only one that can say that to her face. The names the watchers called her, not in praise or kindness but mockery.

"I didn't know you are station here Sito! " She said, giving him a genuine smile, the one she reserves for her friend Old, and her cousin.

"I was stationed here last month." He returned her smile, turned to the watch master, and gave her a perfect salute. "The watch lord commanded I served the master Demolslayer.

It's Pike's turn to suck in a sharp breath. The room's temperature fell. Demonslayer – Durkjola Moduk, the only one with the highest demon-slaying number in decades. She looked at her scar, it was rumored that she got it from fighting a demon lord. Many tales are told about her – that she ran mad and started killing demons because demons killed her family who is staying in the human world as an agent of her father, they were the target and killed, her parent and twin.

No wonder she's able to gain the position of the master so young.

"We should discuss the matter you were sent for, my lady." She raised an eyebrow at Adike.

Adike decided to be blunt, a woman like a demon slayer would like that.

"Did my father tell you the reason for my mission?"

"His grace told me the prince had been found here in the human world, in the west."

Adike nods. "He gave me leave to find him and retrieve him to the west, Ànjanu west.

She saw her world affect Durkjola, she straightens but she can't tell what she thought of the command. Her face was closed.

Sito gave her a smile that asked a question, what did she think of it? Is she okay? She shrugged in the answer because as much as she hate to admit it the "new" prince had not been tested, they should not judge him for what his father did– they shouldn't but most did. She did too.

"So the west will support the traitorous Lightbringer?" The master asked. Sito answered for her.

"Loyal to the end." He touched the wolve in his right chest.

Adike gave him a quick thank you smile. "Besides, we are doing what we are charged with doing, guarding the portals and protecting the humans.

The demon slayer did not look convinced, but she didn't get the chance to reply because at that time they heard the sound of thunder so loud it shook the underground room they were in. Yina reacted swiftly, facing the door in a defensive Crouch, he formed an ice spear with his right hand.

" It's coming from outside," Ola said, moving swiftly to the door, she looked back at the group as another thunder sounds. "We should check it out.

They ran outside past the big training hall up the stairs and outside the shop. The afternoon light filled with the sound of thunder, the black cloud glow silver yellow with lightning, the air itself hung with tension and the smell of ozone.

"Lightbringer," Sito whispered.

"The prince did this? " Ola asked

"He's the only one that can get the Wild lightning this agitated." Durkjola shrugged.

"We should find out what happened, this is going to alert all of ànjanu to his presence, demons too." Yina's cool voice shattered the spell, already the sky is returning to normal.

"I had thought he had no power when I met him today, I felt only the Twin watcher's own," Adike said.

"You met him?" Sito asked, stunned.

"I didn't know there was any twin watcher here," Durkjola said flatly.

"That's what am here to tell you, and also to report to my father on what to do," Adike said. She gave her stunned cousin a little smile. "I met him today in college, and there's a twin watcher with him, my father didn't tell me about him either.

" You should find out what's wrong my lady, I'll inform your father about the news.

Adike gave an absent-minded nod, her mind on the task ahead, which she knew won't be easy, how will he react when he found out he's not human and that he's a prince of another realm, that the human world is depending on him?