chapter 17

THE ANCIENT TRAINNING GROUNDS was cast in darkness, making the whole atmosphere which was always bright to look different. A large bonfire burnt in the middle of the clearing not far from the castle, and smaller fires with roast meat on them littered the around filling the air with scent of burning meat, pepper and spice. People gathered in groups around the smaller fires, while the matrons and the council sat the center, a few feet away from the larger bonfire.

We sat before one of the smaller fires at the fore front of the gathering; I, Iditan, Chike, Ramatu, Biola, Kola, Irene and Bashir, and a wild pig sat roasting on our fire as we faced the council directly. Oniko was absent, out following a lead on the cursed ones, and Damola who had been monitoring the arrangements of the whole setup with the help of some of the older nighthawks finally returned to join us.

“What is this all about?” I asked Damola as soon as she came back. We had arrived at the trai