Moon Shadow

10

After ringing the doorbell, I placed my palm on the perimeter wall and the wards hummed like Kid Cudi. A less powerful sorcerer must've cast them. I spotted several weak points that could be used to take them down within seconds.

"Amateurs." I scoffed.

The preachers could've asked a seasoned sorcerer to help them, but their hatred towards us must've made them think we were all the same. Anyone could conjure a protection spell and it would have the same power, right? Mxiu! The disrespect.

The wicket opened, revealing two dark-skinned security guards in black uniforms and boots, carrying automatic rifles across their chests and metallic batons on their hips. Hmph! Like the weapons could harm me. They also reeked of sweat, seeming to have spent all day under the sun.

The tallest one beckoned me to follow him while the other closed the door.

A yellow tent—the length and width of the perimeter wall—stood to the left, with two Ferraris and Lamborghinis under it.

If you asked the preachers where they got the money to buy the expensive cars, they would say from God. It was crazy how they used "God" to dodge valid questions, especially concerning where their parishioners' money went when they've been building their church for years. But because Africans feared God, the moment the preachers brought him up, the people stopped inquiring.

The tall guard led me to the back of the house, where there was a one-room building to its right, before leaving. The building had a wooden door with the word "TOILET" written in white at its center. It must've been for the guards to use.

The house's backdoor opened, and a brown-skinned woman in a white flowery dress walked out. She had brown eyes and a buzz cut. "Welcome, Binti Nasra." She smiled. "I'm Suzie, the house girl."

"Nice to meet you, Suzie." I shook her hand.

"Come in." She stepped aside, then closed the door after I entered, finding myself in the kitchen. It was hot in there.

A pot of stew sat on the stove to my right, its smell covering the room and making my stomach growl. Beside it were two other pots with glass lids: one had rice and the other vegetables.

She led me out of the kitchen and into a long, empty hallway with a doorless room on each side and a staircase at the end. "Mr. and Mrs. Bendera will be with you shortly. You can wait in the waiting room," she pointed to the room on the left, "with your partner."

"Partner?" I curled my lip. I had employees, not a partner or partners. Aisha and Preacher Boy worked for me, not with me. I built my business alone. No one—not even my family—had contributed a cent. "I don't have a partner."

Suzie frowned. "Really? She arrived an hour ago, saying she was your partner and that you'd be late."

Someone was fucking with me. The whole sorcerer community knew I didn't do the whole "having a partner" shtick because it would hold me back. I did things alone; quick and simple. Working with others brought complications like having to look out for them. I didn't want that. I had my own back—made it easier not to be stabbed.

"Is she still in there?" I asked.

She nodded. "I'll fetch you when the preachers come downstairs."

After watching her return to the kitchen, I entered the waiting room and found this "partner" of mine sitting on a brown couch with her long legs crossed and arms spread apart. She looked comfortable. Too comfortable for someone who didn't live here.

A wide-brimmed sun hat and sunglasses hid her face, while the long black coat she wore grazed the floor. Upon noticing me, she stood and removed the hat and sunglasses, revealing her bright green eyes and thick eyelashes.