THIRTY-EIGHT-AN AMBUSH

The sun in Agatha no longer felt warm and welcoming; it bore down on the travelling youth, glaring sullenly as if in spite. Uloma felt every shadow cast by the glare of the sun, but what she could not feel was the attention of the things, and that was all she wanted to be able to sense. She knew they were there; that was as much as she was able to glean, but they must have learned to shut her out, how? They seemed like beings consumed and led by hunger. How could they have evolved enough from their last encounter to know to block her out? 

“You still can’t feel them properly?” 

Abu asked her, brandishing his sword in front of him, as he walked. His eyes darted around every couple of minutes. They had argued and fought over how to proceed and had concluded that sticking together was their best option. ‘This is a new threat,’ Eligwe had insisted, ‘we lose our existence if we are foolish enough to try dividing to conquer.’ Abu had not been happy with this suggestion; he wanted to canvass the area and search for threats. Instead, he was tuck brandishing his sword as they marched through the empty Agatha.  

“Are you sure you cannot feel them?” 

He asked again when Uloma did not answer his first question. 

“You keep asking her every other second, you think that she is trying to keep it a secret? Maybe escape when it is opportune and leave the rest of us behind?” 

Abali snapped, and Abu huffed, offended. 

“Let’s all calm down. Abu is just tense.” 

Ogba defended, but he appeared tenser than Abu, his wings held like a clasped finger behind him, fluttered as if compelled by the wind. His facial muscles were taut, and his teeth were grinding against his gums as he clamped down on them, a nervous tell that Uloma was beginning to notice increasingly, the farther they walked into Agatha. 

“We are all anxious, but asking her every second does not help her feel those things more.” 

Abali replied after a pause. Uloma ignored them. She had to locate those things; Oma had been clear: they were walking into an ambush. It was not as if they had a choice at this point; they could not go back. Ela was closed to them, the only way out of Agatha was through. The squabbling was starting up again, Uloma thought, distracted from her contemplation. Concentrate! She yelled at herself in her head. Block out the noise; there was no way they would survive an ambush from those things. These lives and deaths depended gravely on her ability to sense things that were very obviously shutting her out.  

“We cannot just keep walking senselessly towards our extinction like sheep to a slaughterhouse. We need to go back to my suggestion.” 

Abu argued, and Abali shook his head vehemently. 

“We stick together.” 

“Abali is right, we stick together for now.” 

Eligwe said. Uloma wondered about the people of Agatha, and viscerally shook the thought away. Those dreams happened in similar realms to Agatha. Peaceful realms where people existed for the love of existence, with no powers or cosmic abilities. She could not dwell on that, she chided herself. The cosmics here were her responsibility, and so were Ogba, Abu, and Eligwe. Poor Eligwe, he flagged her on her left, trying to protect her from things he probably couldn’t fight, things he had no business fighting; he wasn’t even a cosmic. A wave of emotions hit her at that moment. But they weren’t hers. She stopped abruptly, colliding into Asi in front of her, who cursed and whirled around, indignant. 

“I have been doing this all wrong. I have been trying to connect to their vision, but they won’t let me see through their sight.” 

“Still, you have a bond with them that you could leverage.” 

Eligwe told her, and Uloma nodded her agreement. 

“Yes, their emotions, I can feel their emotions.” 

“Then do it!” 

Asi said impatiently. Uloma muttered about it being more complicated than it sounded as she closed her eyes in concentration. Their emotions were one. It was the reason she had not noticed it. She had felt it in the back of her mind and had mistaken it for anxiety. It was a sickly glee and excitement that made her want to scratch and itch all over. The harder she concentrated, the deeper she felt herself fall into their consciousness, and the itchier she felt. 

The wind blew across her face, bringing with it scents and a memory. A dream... 

“I have been here before. In Agatha.” 

She murmured as dreams and memories mingled in waves across her mind. She never stayed in the dream long enough to see the end, but now she saw it. Splintering bones of children and adults, babies reduced to blood and tissues. The emotions accompanying her memory were worse than sickening, a joyful sort of feeling for all the lives lost? Uloma held her hand to her stomach. She felt sick, she wanted to climb out of her body, the itchy feeling intensified, it was worse than the feeling of foreboding that those things brought with them.  

She felt someone shake her, but she shoved and clawed at the hand, thrashing and flailing, as the hand wrapped itself around her. She could hear bones, so many bones, cracking and breaking, splintering, blood filled her vision again, but it was different this time. This time, there was more than one being; there was an ocean of beings bursting, breaking, and combusting. So many of them. Where there was once existence, only blood remained. 

She heard a guttural groan and moaning that she recognised was coming from her when she finally opened her eyes. She was on Abali’s chest; she smelled his sweat, his fear, and his strength as he held her. She had thrashed and clawed at him; she could see the signs of it on him. 

“You are okay. I am here.” 

He repeated to her in a small soothing voice. His owl and raven fluttered overhead, the owl making a throaty sound that added to Abali’s soothing. 

“Hey.” 

Eligwe said simply, she lifted her head off Abali’s chest to peer at him. Eligwe’s eyes did not hold pity. He did not look at her as if he could save her or as if he wanted to save her. 

“Hey.” 

He repeated offering her his hand, she hesitated for a second, and took it. He pulled her gently from Abali and into a hug. Uloma felt involuntary tears spill out of her. She wept for Agatha, for dreams and hopes and love and hate and everything that had been stolen, ripped away from the people of Agatha. 

“You have to fight for the lives and deaths present here. You cannot save what is already lost.” 

Eligwe told her, his palm running over her back. Uloma knew that he was right. But how could she protect everyone when she was this tired, this helpless, this clueless? She had seen Agatha in her sleep night after night, and still, she could not save them. How had she missed it so monumentally? How could she be so useless? 

“There is a time to fall apart. That time is not now, Ulo.” 

He told her. Snorting and sniffling, Uloma willed the tears to go away; she willed her heart to mend itself from the cracks running all over it. But her heart stayed broken, and the tears did not stop coming.  

She saw them, through teary eyes, blurred from grief. She saw her friends, watching her, unsure what she had seen and how they could help her; she saw the anxiety for themselves as well on their faces. She saw the other cosmics, fear and trepidation oozing off them; their eyes full of worry. Abu and Ogba tensed and anxious, brandishing their weapons at enemies they could neither sense nor see. 

“They are coming.” 

Uloma said as she watched the cosmics draw closer. They were being advanced on. Eligwe removed her gingerly from his arm; he had been the only one who heard what she said. 

“They are coming.” 

He shouted desperately. 

“Cosmics! Shut your eyes.” 

Abali screamed over the chaos of scrambling cosmics. 

~ 

The things had descended on them on all sides, not giving them enough time to get their bearing about them. It was difficult to fight things that they could not see or sense, but it was more challenging to fight things that overwhelmed their senses and overpowered their reasoning. Uloma watched as all around her, cosmics fell to the ground in various states of agony. Abali groaned beside Uloma; he and Asiya had stayed upright, but it was evidently a struggle. Asiya was fading again, and darkness wafted off Abali as if he was unravelling. Abu and Ogba sprang into action, pulling out their weapons and running towards the things. Eligwe stood in a battle stance, his hands extended outward from his body. Balls of flashing light appeared in his palm, taking the shape of a fierce sword. He, like the dragon brothers before him, ran forward to meet the things, putting a distance between those things and the cosmics writhing in agony. They did not look directly in the faces of those things as they slashed and thrusted at them, slaying and dodging. Uloma realised that she was the only one who could see what they were fighting. Men and women in white and no beads with skin that made the sun jealous, and a beauty that contended with the perfect day. They moved with grace, in a manner that resembled prowling hunting tigers.  

Unphased by the three boys, more of those things poured out from every corner. Uloma felt helpless. It was taking everything for Abu, Ogba, and Eligwe to face those things and keep them from the cosmics, but they were already swamped and surrounded; they were barely holding up. 

The night of the fire! Uloma heard her mind screaming at her. She had found a way into the mind of the academy; she needed to find a way to do the same thing now. Ogba, Abu, and Eligwe would not hold them back much longer; more cosmics had to join them. She closed her eyes and thought back to that day; what had she done? How had she bridged the mind of the academy? She was like the things in that way; she could bridge minds, and she was connected to them. She had assessed their emotions even when they had tried to block her out of their collective mind. She thought over the gleeful laughter, churlish chuckles, and childish giggles of glee from hundreds of those things. She tried now to return to their minds; they were close enough now, too occupied with torturing the cosmics to bother with holding her off.  

She let herself step out of her mind; she was not one person, they were one people, working towards a common goal. Uloma felt weightless, and she clung to the hive. It was abuzz with excitement and drunk on power from feasting on the Agathas. But she did not stay with them; they were not her target. The cosmics were. She dove into their emotions; emotions they willed as weapons, emotions that powered them, cosmics in agony. She wanted to reach any of the cosmics; one cosmic was enough. 

“I see you.” 

She laughed. 

“What? How are you doing this?” 

Asiya asked her. Uloma wanted to shrug, but she did not have a body to shrug with. So she replied with words instead. 

“I searched for you. I thought that if the hives were holding your minds hostage, I could as well.” 

“So, this is you holding me hostage?” 

“Are you still in agony? You are not. That is because the hive no longer has you. But I do!” 

Uloma screeched, laughing until she no longer could. 

“Ulom, I will say this as your sister, you are worrying me. You sound actually evil, and while I admire that for you, we haven’t got the time for it right at this moment.” 

“Fine, you are no fun.” 

Uloma told her. It wasn’t easy holding on to Asiya’s mind anyway; she was too self-possessed and stubborn. Some part of Uloma knew she would be facing a fight if she attempted to break her mind. Asiya’s mind was mainly darkness, full of misty greenness and stalky vines and branches in a domineering form that tried to reach back as if to trap you. 

“I can’t let you go fully, or they will reach out for you again.” 

Uloma warned her sister as she started to release her. 

“Wake Temi as well.” 

The whisper of the last vestige of Asiya was heard as she was released. Uloma dove into Abali’s next. 

“Ulom?” 

Abali asked, confused. And Uloma wished she had a body to nod with. 

“You are going to ask how I am doing this, and I am going to attempt to keep you here with me, because the connection I have with those things makes me like them. Power possessed. But I am letting you go, not all of you. I have to hold on to some part of you for this to work. Bye!” 

“Wai...” 

Abali attempted, but Uloma had already released most of him. She repeated the same thing with Temi, Echi, and Ekama. Ekama was more difficult to dismiss, but by the time Uloma reached her, she was nearly consumed with power.  

“How many of us have you held on to then? You are not getting rid of me that easily.” 

“Fine.” 

Uloma pouted; she was a form, a form that could stalk, and she stalked around Ekama’s consciousness.  

“You are cloudy in here, just bolts and lightning.” 

“Stop avoiding the question.” 

“I don’t remember.” 

Uloma shrugged.  

“You have to wake up or whatever you need to do, to come out of here then. Where are you exactly?” 

Uloma was a firmer form that could shrug now. 

“I am not sure. I think in your mind, and all their minds as well, and maybe in mine? I am not sure. I don’t know how this works.” 

“You are losing yourself. You don't even sound like yourself. Let’s go.” 

“I don’t think I should. If I let go, I think the other things will occupy all your minds again.” 

“Fine. Then my mind should be the last mind, then. Don’t hold on to any more minds. I should be your last!” 

Uloma let her go; she stalked around, jumping from mind to mind, hungry for more minds. Just a little more, an inch more from one of the minds. She floated into a mind full of darkness and green mist. It smelled and felt familiar. 

“You are back, why?” 

“I know you. Do you know me?” 

Uloma asked. 

“I see, you are holding onto too many minds. Follow my voice back to your body.” 

“But I cannot let go. That much I remember.” 

“I am not asking you to. But right now, you are a lost being with no body, borrowing minds to exist from. If you stay this way much longer, you will lose yourself completely. You will keep a hold of all our minds by letting go of a bit of it.” 

“NO!” 

Uloma screeched. 

“Mine. My minds! I will not let go!” 

“You listen here. You have a body. You have a world of beings who love you and cosmics who depend on you. They are overpowering us out there. We cannot survive this if you start to lose it.” 

“I am more?” 

Uloma wondered out loud. 

“Yes. Yes, you are. You are so much more.” 

Uloma, the form, considered what the girl was saying. The more would have powers as well, wouldn’t she? 

“I will come with you.” 

~ 

Cosmics were no longer on the ground; they were huddled together in a closed formation. Ogba was screaming at them. 

“Closer together. Your existence depends on it.” 

Sweat and spit poured out of him as he shouted, slashing at one of the things. It split in half, blood spraying Ogba. It was impossible to tell cosmics apart; there was blood and essences everywhere Uloma looked.  

“Welcome back. Now join in.” 

Asiya yelled at her. She stood with the others as shields for the other cosmics, keeping those things at bay. Asiya moved her hands in front of her, lifting two of those things. She opened her palms, and they flew with force, landing on a cluster of some of the things. Abali was weaving in and out of visibility, taking the things with him and returning with their lifeless forms. Echi and Ekama worked as one, raining searing, steam. But for every one of the things they defeated, there were ten more of them still standing. 

A cosmic scream drew Uloma’s attention away from the battle. She recognised the screaming cosmic as Dena; he had run out of the formation, holding his head. 

I’ve got you now. 

Uloma heard the things say as one, in her head, as cosmics scattered, trying to make sense of what was going on. Uloma felt the horror inside her; it was worse than anything she had ever felt because of these things. It came from the realisation that the things had won. Every time she had thought this in the past, she had been proven wrong, because there was always something worse with those thongs. There was no winning now. She rushed forward, forgetting everything that she feared. She had to help; she had to do more. 

One of the things rushed towards her, with a purpose, Uloma saw it too late, too focused on helping, she was moving too fast to stop from colliding with it on time. Eligwe stood between her and the thing before it could reach her. He threw his arms around her, sheltering her, and Abali was slashing at it, a second later. 

“Are you okay?” 

Abali shouted over at her, slashing at another of those things. Uloma nodded, but Eligwe would not let her go. 

“I am fine.” 

She told him. He was covered in so much blood and essence that his white clothes were drenched completely; his eyes were the only part of him that she could see clearly. He breathed deeply, as if he needed to regulate his breathing. 

“I am fine. I promise.” 

She repeated to his heaving back. 

“But I am not. I need a second. Uloma, you have to be more careful.” 

He said as he let her go and vanished. He returned to the battle, not staying very far from her. A feral scream drew Uloma’s attention to where Asiya stayed, kneeling with the remains of someone cradled in her arms. She roared again, growling. Uloma recognised parts of Teni. She felt tears sting her eyes, not for the first time that day, but this time the tears were for someone she had known, someone she had liked. She doubled over, feeling her grip on the minds of the cosmics she was holding on to slacken. 

She could not fight because she wasn’t any good at channeling her cosmic abilities; all she could do was ensure that the cosmics whose minds she was holding on to were able to keep fighting. They would be powerless against those things if she were to let go of them. Uloma stood taller, determined to hold on; she could fall apart later.  

From the corner of her eyes, she saw one of those things touch Sani. Sani barely had time to react as he spun around and dissolved. Cosmics after cosmics fell, she could barely scream for one cosmic before she was screaming for another. Asiya would not leave the ground where she sat weeping over Teni. The battle raged around her. Eligwe stood guard over her, fighting off the things when they came close to Asiya. But he moved farther and farther away from her. Uloma saw one of the things see it chance and lung for Asiya. 

~ 

The screaming was coming from her, and so was the guttural wail, but Uloma felt disconnected from them. Tears poured out of her; she heaved and cried for a while, her eyes raw from all the tears she had lost. When the sound coming unbidden from her stopped, she ran towards the still Asiya, frozen in mid growl. She threw her arms around her sister and wept some more. 

We walk outside of time like you. 

Uloma heard the things in her head.  

To freeze time, you let the mind you held from us go, and you left yourself open. 

They turned as one towards her, advancing on her. Uloma untangled herself from Asiya and faced the advancing beings with her shoulders squared. When they were close enough to her, Uloma smiled at them. 

“Do you not see that you no longer have the power over me that you did?” 

She asked them. 

No matter. 

They answered her.  

We have you in our hive. We can control you. 

Uloma laughed at this and shook her head. 

“Yes, I am in your hive. But I am not trapped in there with you; you are trapped in here with me.” 

She smirked, and they stopped in unison; Uloma laughed even louder. 

“Ah, you had not thought about that. This is where the road ends for you. We have done this dance before. Oh well.” 

She felt them remember, as they scrambled to vanish.  

They were one of us; you ended their existence. 

They were no longer pretty, Uloma observed; she grimaced wryly. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel weightless. 

“I see you.” 

She said, watching them scramble, they flew the hive in flurries. Uloma tilted her head, freezing the handful of the things left behind. She felt currents of power pour through her. 

“You are so feeble, so weak, so easy to break.” 

She tilted her head to the other side, and the forms of the things contorted, bending into shapes that were unnatural for most beings.  

Uloma opened her eyes; the physical forms of the things left behind stood frozen, like the rest of the cosmics that had survived, and Eligwe, Ogba, and Abu. 

“Break.” 

Uloma commanded, and they began to splinter, shattering into blood and essence, until there was nothing left of them.