Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor Page B

said. “I don’t speak Igbo.”
    “Let Sunny,” Chichi said.
    Sunny shook her head, stepping back. “Let me just watch this first time.”
    “You learn faster by doing,” Chichi said, pushing her toward the vévé . “Take a deep breath and loudly say, ‘Night Runner Forest come,’ in Igbo.”
    Sunny started sweating. Who knew what would happen if she messed up?
    “Go on,” Orlu said softly.
    She spoke the words in Igbo, making sure they were loud and clear. Instantly, the vévé started to rotate in the dirt. It sounded almost solid as it pushed aside pebbles and scraped over the dirt. This magic was happening because of her own words! When it stopped, the top of the tree Sasha had drawn pointed off the path and into the forest, toward a new but darker path that hadn’t been there before. Occasionally, a firefly flashed its tiny light.
    “Orlu,” Sasha said, “you first. You have the best defense.”
    Orlu stepped in front. “Okay,” he said, looking around. “Let’s move.” He brought out his juju knife, held it up, and moved it vertically before him. “Bring light,” he said in Igbo. A firefly rushed to him and hovered before his face, flickering orange light every few seconds. “Tomorrow is a better day to find a mate,” Orlu told it. “Tonight, please bring light for my friends and me.”
    For a moment longer, it hovered, still calling its mate. Then it must have decided that Orlu’s cause was worthy, because it began to blaze the brightest light Sunny had ever seen come from an insect. She thought of the ghost hopper that lived in her house. Maybe this wasn’t the usual type of firefly.
    “That lightning bug has attitude,” Sasha said. “For a second there, I thought she wasn’t going to give us light.”
    Orlu shrugged. “It’s her choice, isn’t it? She has the right to think about it. Plus, the ones with attitude have the best light.”
    The firefly must have been listening because it burned brighter. Orlu chuckled. They started walking. As they moved along, the trees they passed were taller, wider, and closer to the path. “So does anyone know what Kehinde looks like?” Sunny asked, wanting to break the silence and focus on something other than the creepy forest around them.
    “I hear he’s very tall,” Sasha said.
    “I’ve heard he’s really, really short,” Chichi said.
    “Well, that helps,” Sunny said drily.
    “Doesn’t matter what he looks like,” Orlu said. “This is Night Runner Forest. If he lives here, he’s powerful. If he’s passed the fourth level, he knows that the body is just the body. For all we know he could be a shape-shifter.”
    “No,” Chichi said. “He’s not a shape-shifter. Kehinde was born physically perfect, no deformities or anything.”
    “Why does Anatov want us to meet him?” Sunny asked.
    Suddenly, the forest heaved with life. Leaves shook. The ground hummed. Branches creaked. And a high-pitched chittering seemed to come from everywhere. “Down!” Orlu shouted.
    Sunny dropped to the ground, her hands over her head. Bats. Tons of them. She shut her eyes as the air grew very hot and then cool. Above the chittering noise, she heard the scuffle of feet.
    “Chichi!” Orlu screamed. “Watch out !”
    Sunny began to get up, but a bat smacked her in the side of her face. Then another. She dropped back down. “What do I do?” she shouted.
    “I can’t reach her,” Sasha shouted, his voice cracking.
    Chichi cried out. Now Sunny didn’t care about being smacked or bitten by bats. She stood up. Around her was chaos. The night was full of bats. All she could see was Orlu’s firefly still burning bright, the bats whipping and zooming around it. Orlu stood with Sasha only a few steps away. Where was Chichi? A bat snapped up the firefly and everything went dark.
    “Everyone!” Orlu shouted. “Close your ears! Sasha, do it! Make it as high as possible! Bats can hear ultrasonic sound!”
    Sunny clapped her hands over her ears, but