35-2-2-4012 DM, Perangar Eranga, Telama, Hilaraya
The bells of the Garalahi had just heralded the coming of the third hour of light and Dari was already on his way towards the main door of the Great House. He still had an hour to relax after eating, but the anticipation of his first lesson with Saraji Fernon was making him restless. He remembered waking up several times the night before, feeling a sense of dread that he had missed his first lesson with the Saraji each time he woke up, only to find out from the nearby window that the hours of darkness had not yet passed. While he was walking towards the main door of the Great House, he realised something. It was the first time that he didn't dream about his horrifying abduction. He silently thanked Amai for giving him a less terrifying dream, and asked for his divine protection so that the trauma of his abduction would no longer haunt him. As he finished his silent prayer, he arrived at the main door, grabbed the metal door handles, and pulled them open. The crisp smell of the early morning air immediately filled his lungs. The air was filled with birdsong, accompanied by the soft rustling of leaves as a gentle wind blew from the west. He took a deep breath and smiled widely. It was a beautiful day for his first bayahara lessons.
While breaking their fast earlier, the Periji told Dari that the tree of the Weeping Lady was the lonesome darkwood tree that stood at the edge of the lake, just a few arms outside the northern gates of the Perangar. He searched the horizon for the rising sun and pivoted perpendicularly to the left to face the north and started to walk. As he walked on the pebbly ground, he visualised how his first lessons with the Saraji would be like. What were the things he would learn from him? Would he teach him how to fly the airship that he owned? What if he was too old to learn? Would the Saraji send him back to his parents? The thought of him going back to Arang and live with his parents wasn't too bad. He missed Anya and Amyi after all, and he would give anything to see them at that moment. He held the kurami pendant on his chest and saw his parents in his mind's eye. He imagined that they would be disappointed if he failed, so he pushed away the homesickness in his heart, and decided to do his best to become a great bayaharadu.
As he walked past a rock garden under a marblewood tree, Dari heard a soft twittering sound. It didn't sound like any bird he had heard before. He looked around, trying to figure out from where that sound came but it had stopped. He strained his ears for anything that sounded like it again, but all he heard was the sound of the chirping sand birds flying around and the rustling of the branches of the nearby marblewood tree as they danced with the wind. He shook his head and thought that he had imagined it. After all, he was still rather sleepy. He continued to walk northward, humming to himself, and tried to keep himself from speculating what would happen in his lessons that day. As excited as he was, he was also quite nervous, but early morning sounds around him helped to calm his nerves. After a few minutes, he finally arrived at the northern gates of the Perangar where two Chanayani stood guard.
"Good morrow!" Dari greeted with a smile.
"Good morrow, Dari," the Chanayadu to Dari's left said as he bowed low. It seems like the news of their arrival last night had already reached the ears of everyone at the Perangar.
"Ah yes," Dari started, feeling rather awkward. "Uhm, I was asked by the Saraji to meet him by the tree of the Weeping Lady."
"Of course, just a moment," the Chanayadu to Dari's right responded, bowing low towards him as well. The acolyte pulled a rope that hung close to his right hand and a soft clanging sound issued from a bell somewhere above the five arm high wall. A moment later, the sound of metal on wood started as the heavy doors swung open.
"Our brothers will be watching over you from the top of the wall," the Chanayadu to Dari's right declared. "The Menaji asked us to keep a close eye on you for your safety."
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The Journal of Dreams (The Tales of Tahana - Book One)
Fantasy** Peaked at 3rd in #Fantasy & 4th in #Adventure ** One windless summer afternoon, Dari Lamuan unexpectedly receives a rare gift from the Ten Gods -- the Gift of the Winds, which gives him the power to control the winds and to commune with wind guar...
