"The guards told me what you did to the panther maiden. I thought we had an agreement," Tiana and slapped Agna on the face, but he was quick to block it as she did predicted.
But what Agna didn't see coming was the punch that landed on his damage eyeball.
Shilla marked the swine very well, Tiana thought.
Agna winced in agony, clutching at the bleeding eye, as it oozed blood.
Under different circumstances in a different terrian, he would have taken delight in teaching this princess a lesson. But not here. this is her domain and she has the upper hand.
He will bid his time, but a day will come when he will be the one relishing her roasted spleen, the thought was delightful enough to ease away his pain.
Straightening himself up in an arrogant posture he replied flatly;
"Everything changed when she damaged my left eye. And to call the Alpha here, that is the only way. Severe pain inflicted on any of those maidens, especially psychological pain, and you will get him running to her rescue. Now, we wait to trapped the scum, you call Alpha or whatever…"
As his head breathe with the agony of one damaged eye, and the strain of the right eye doing the job of two, he thought his brain is being hacked away like a rock at a quarry. 'Damn the bloody princess', he hissed under his foul breath, loud enough for Tiana to hear.
Why was he still here? Why not save himself and his men the trouble of capturing the half breed, and simply escaped with Shilla? He still had great plans for both of them… that's if she is not dead by then, for he did see the gaping wound he created on her side.
But to have her he must make sure this Alpha is captured, and shipped to his uncle, Nka.
That way he will have the throne to the house of Agna, and his brother will not be able to contest him.
Rygna had always been a prospect, and the panther lords may hand the throne to him now that their father is no more. Once that happen, he agna, the elders' son will be the one to face the hatchet. The mere thought made his mouth taste of bile.
"which side do you think they will be coming from?" Tiana asked.
"From what I have gathered about the man so far, I think he may be coming alone…" Agna replied, without ceremony.
"How can you be sure of that…?" Tiana pressured.
"Just believe me princess."
Tiana looked at the pompous panther prince with repugnance. Not now, one day after all this is over, she will be the one to personally castrate him. What he did under her roof is an insult to the house of Kong.
Men were shouting, and backing orders. A tall guard stepped into the parlor; "lord Agna, my lady, a panther is coming from the east gate of the palace."
"Shoot him on sight…." Agna ordered.
"No, I thought you want to trapped him alive," Tiana interjected.
"Dead or alive. I will want his body than to capture him alive to give him a chance to fight…." He replied in a snigger.
Another guard emerge out of the darkness unto the parlor where Tiana and Agna stood. "We shot the panther, but another one showed up on the hay roofs of the palace to the west."
"Shoot every damn one." Agna hissed in agitation.
"It could be some of our people, my lord."
"Kill every damn panther that approaches this palace!" Agna shouted this time, with the zeal of a maniac.
"You are so pathetic agna, is that how you intend to capture this fiece Alpha?" Tiana asked in a taunt, and reached for her bow and arrow on the wall.
If there is one thing she could well it was how to hunt with a bow and arrow, and darkness dulls not her skill in the least. She found her vision more acute in the night.
She heads towards the east gate, where the confused guards where now stirring more chaos, as the black panthers or panther blend in well with the darkness so well, they find it difficult to know how many they were.
The men seem to see the enemy everywhere yet they have not nailed any. The first one the shot was a dog…..
Now they were not even sure about a panther being in the vicinity.
They did open the gates rampaging through the nearby brushes, but came up with nothing.
They went back into the palace, locking gate on their way in.
None of them took notice of the tall stranger who now rub shoulders with them around the gates, and merge into the shadows, manuavering his way in the darkness like a cobra.
He went behind a big mohagany tree fifty yards away pretending to take a leak, grabling at his trouser fly.
Approaching the gates from a distance, Tiana saw the tall figure of the man, clearly separating himself from the group of men by the gate.
Something wasn't right. No guard among her detail will dare such a thing, it may me one of Agna's men, except Agna men were not very tall like this one, at least none she has encountered.
She run towards the tree drawing out her sword, but found no one behind the tree…
"Spread out. He is within the walls spread out….." she shouted to the men and head towards the cell where the Shilla is being held prisoner.
The Alpha smiled in the shadows, stepped out, and started stalking Tiana. She will take him exactly where Shilla is. She will lead him right to the captive.
There are a thousand ways he could break her neck. He thought, but he will need her to open the doors to the cell like she was doing now.
Tiana sensed him stalking her and her mane stood up, but she kept walking. She didn't want to do anything to alarm him, and because he didn't want to be discovered, it was easy to double cross him.
She open an empty cell and walked inside. Once inside, she stood behind the gate with her long dagger, ready to stab the man.
What is keeping him from coming in? from the way he was closing in on her, he should have come in by now.
She heard the heavy feet of a drunken man instead, and a surge of hot fear seeped into her bone marrow.
The man must be very sly, what is he trying to do, by making his feet fall like that? he wanted her to lower her guard, but she is ready for him.
'I will make sure I bury the dagger into his belly up to the hilt,' She thought doubtfully as her hands vibrate in perspiration.
The Alpha stopped abruptly as he near the door. His heart is failing him, shuttering into a million pieces.
Why is he feeling this way? He broods. His gullet constricts and squeeze. His heard hammered and his nose started bleeding.
He forced to block away the pain and focused on handling the matter at hand, but to no avail.
His gullet itches now and he tries to stifle the cough. The force hit him hard in the chest. The bloody vomit shoots out from his mouth as Tiana stepped out in front of him, ready to thrust the long blade into the belly.
However, She found there was no need when the hot blood from the man hit her on the face.
The Alpha went down on his knees, massaging his chest with both hands, fighting for breathe.
Tiana watched in stupefaction as the devilish Alpha went down, blood oozing from his mouth a nostrils.
Tiana couldn't believe her luck. Destiny have handed over to her the most dangerous man in Kong Island, right on a silver platter.
"Well, well, a victory not unearned, is a victory gain nonetheless," She giggled mischievously in the dim lighted cell.