The Journal of Dreams (The Tales of Tahana - Book One)

Chapter 17: Deep in the Forest

26-2-2-4012 DM, Takyanan Forest, Telama, Hilaraya

Dari woke up to a very peculiar sensation. He felt very weak and his body ached all over. He tried to open his eyes but he felt something covering them. His mouth was gagged and he could smell the stench of his own rotten saliva. He tasted something sour in his throat, immediately followed by a sharp pain, which made his eyes water. He could sense the metallic smell of blood, which could only mean that he was bleeding. He was lying on his right side and he could feel a rough wooden flooring vibrating against his right arm. There was something that was repeatedly hitting the top of his head that was starting to irritate him. Where was he? How did he end up there?

Suddenly shook hard. His head was momentarily lifted a few fingers off the floor, then his head fell hard, making his head hurt even more. His head immediately started to swim with the pulsing pain from the impact, and the putrid smell around him was making it worse. He was very close to passing out, but desperately clung to his consciousness. He tried to move away from whatever was hitting his head but his hands were bound tightly on his back, making it impossible for him to move.

"Oh Amai..." Dari thought as fear started to take over him. He knew that if he gave in to fear, it would do nothing to help him in his current predicament. He forced himself to breathe slowly through his mouth to block out the disgusting smell and the searing pain all over his body. Slowly, he felt his muscles relax as he breathed more steadily. After a few more breaths, he felt comfortable enough to think.

Dari struggled as he tried to recall how he ended up like this. He scoured his cloudy mind for something that made sense while keeping the pace of his breathing. Pieces of incoherent visions slowly came to him. He accepted the visions and allowed them to swim in his mind. Gradually, the pieces coalesced into a solid memory, the horrifying memory of the night they arrived in Janang. He was walking by the stable houses with Jesi and the Periji when they were attacked by a lakadu in black clothes. He tried to defend himself using the force of the wind, but the lakadu was too fast for him. The lakadu sped towards him, then he felt something prick his left arm. Everything after that was a blur and... He knew what happened. He was a fool to think that he could use the wind to defend himself. He was a bayaharadu, yes, but he had not yet learned how to control the wind to his favour.

"The wind... Of course! Maybe the wind could help me get out of this!" Dari thought as he strained his ears for any sign of tinkling chimes. He didn't know how the wind could help him escape, but he had to try something. He listened for the faintest sound of chimes, but he heard nothing. Absolutely nothing! He suddenly realised that he couldn't hear anything since he woke up a few minutes ago. He deduced that he was at the back of a moving wagon or some such, but he could hear nothing but silence. Again, he tried to listen for any sound. He was trying to tilt his head to uncover his right ear when he felt it. Something was plugged in his ears that kept him from hearing anything. Whoever abducted him knew how to overpower a haradu like him. Without the sense of hearing, any haradu would be useless.

Dari's heart sank when he realised that he could do nothing to help himself. He remembered the Periji telling him to run and call for help but he didn't listen. If he hadn't been too stubborn and had obeyed the Periji instead, he could have reached Janang's centre in time and the lakadu wouldn't have had the chance to capture him. His parents would probably blame the Periji for what happened. How could he tell his parents that it was not the Periji's fault? Would he ever see his parents again?

Dari suddenly remembered the necklace that Amyi gave him at the Pamaya. He tried to move his head around to feel if the necklace was still around his neck. After a few seconds, he felt the kurami pendant gently tapping against his chest with the rocking motion of the floor. It was still there! He silently thanked the Sepalahi for preserving the only token he had from his dear parents. He tried to recall their faces to draw courage from them, but instead of giving him the strength he needed, he felt guilt and shame. His eyes started to well up. He had let his parents down. He felt helpless and terrified as he began to imagine what his abductor would do to him. He thought that his adventure to Eranga would be a pleasant one, but he ended up feeling sore, famished, parched, and tightly bound like an animal about to be slaughtered.