Chapter 3: The Race Against Time
341 Words
"Ifunanya! Ifunanya, come back here this instant!"
Her mother’s voice pierced through the night air, filled with shock and rage, but Ifunanya didn't stop. She abandoned her mother and sprinted past the high gates of the British colonial quarters.
The night was pitch black, and the forest path back to Umuoka was fraught with danger, but adrenaline pushed her forward. Her bare feet smashed against the cold earth, thorns tearing at her skin. She had to beat the soldiers there.
By the time Ifunanya crossed the boundary into Umuoka, she ran straight to the heavy wooden gates of the King’s palace.
"Open the gates!" she screamed, pounding her fists against the wood. "The King is in danger! The whole clan is in danger!"
The palace guards rushed out and dragged her before King Eze, who stepped out onto the veranda, wrapped in his royal cloth.
"Eze, you must listen to me!" she cried out, falling to her knees. "The white men are coming! My mother has made an alliance with the British government. She has given them the secret pathways. Even as I speak, their soldiers are preparing their weapons to march here and burn this village to the ground!"
At first, the King didn't believe her. His pride and suspicion made him doubt the girl. But something deep inside told him she might be telling the truth.
"Guards," the King commanded. "Take her. Lock her in the palace prison cell. If tomorrow comes and the sun sets on a peaceful village, she will be executed at dusk for treason. But if the white men truly march... she will be released."
Though he locked her up, the King did not waste a single second. He prepared his soldiers that night. Before the first c**k crowed, the village warriors smeared charcoal on their faces, sharpened their machetes, and loaded their hunting muskets, hiding in the dense bushes along the secret pathways.
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