The Witch Woman's Prophecy

21 | Soni's Home |

When we emerged from the dark coolness of the Ustelin, the sun threw spears of light straight into my eyes, adding more pain to my headache. More than anything I wanted to sit in a darkened room, drink cool water and then to sleep.

Our guards were waiting to escort us to Soni's home. She spoke to them only to give directions; her gaze was fixed on the ground as we walked and she did not mention the archer or anything that had happened in the Ustelin. My excitement at finally entering Polemmy was lost beneath the exhaustion of so many days of travelling and the broken sleep of the night before. Staying upright and putting one foot in front of the other took all my strength and concentration, although the pellet may have added to the feeling of distraction.

A change in the quality of the light surrounding me drew me out of my daze. The waving fronds of palm trees high above me blocked out some of the harshness of the sunlight. We had arrived at a sprawling white house which was shaded by tall trees. Scarlet flowers blossomed against the walls. I was astounded. How did they get the water for the garden when the river was so low and so far away?

'My home,' said Soni and she knocked on the stout wooden door. It was opened from the inside by a young woman in a long white dress, whose dark hair was tied back with a strip of white cloth. She gave Soni a quick smile before bowing to her and then dropping her eyes to the ground. She gestured at us to enter but did not raise her eyes again.

'Thank you, Umae,' said Soni. The maid nodded again and left us.

The room we stood in was almost empty, with only a red and blue patterned carpet covering the floor and a tall painted pot in one corner. I was amazed that anyone could be so wealthy they could afford to have a whole room which they only used for decoration. Soni urged me to remove my sandals before I stepped onto the carpet.

'Yah! Yah!'

I was bending over to untie my laces when a curly-haired boy of about seven summers rushed out of an inner room and began swiping at my legs with a small wooden sword.

'Farlan! Stop that!' shouted Soni.

The boy ignored her and continued battering my legs with his weapon while dancing around me so that Soni could not catch him. He reminded me so much of myself when I was his age that a lump formed in my throat. I thought how nice it must have been for him to have an older sister, even if she was several summers older. I had often wished for a sibling when I lived with my foster family, but Veena and Kershel had never managed to have children of their own.

'Farlan. Thamet is our guest! Stop it now!' Soni managed to imprison the giggling Farlan within her arms, and she tickled him until he dropped his sword.

'Soni, Soni,' he murmured, an expression of bliss on his face. 'I missed you.' He flung his arms around her and hugged her with all the strength in his body.

'You saw me at breakfast, little prince,' Soni murmured, stroking his hair. 'Not so long ago.'

The boy squirmed away from her and giggled again. 'Is this the man you found in the desert? He's not as old as I expected.' He looked up at me with his large brown eyes and I noticed how chubby his cheeks were in comparison to Quain and Reesa's thin, dirty faces. He was a handsome little lad, with huge dark eyes, soft brown skin and a ready smile that revealed perfect teeth that contrasted with his dark skin.

'Yes, this is Thamet. Greet him properly.' Soni gave him a small push towards me.

'Hello, my name is Farlan. It is good to meet you, Thamet,' he recited, putting his hand over his heart and making a small bow.

Soni raised her eyebrows and nodded at me. I turned back to Farlan and told him I was happy to meet him too and made the bow with my hand over my heart.