Halo

Chapter One (Dazha)

Dormant Season, Year 9584 AGC

Dazha was roused by the cart's sudden stillness and loud, gruff voices near the mules at the front of the cart — likely stablemen freeing the animals and setting them to food and rest. She slowly came awake but remained in the cart bed, covered in the heap of feed sacks and pungent animal blankets under which she'd spent the weeks-long journey.

Her excitement at finally reaching their destination was somewhat tempered by exhaustion, but Dazha could not wait to get out into the streets of the capital to explore. Nrijaa. Even the name sounded musical and exotic to her ears.

Her elder brother Jemer had not told Dazha of his plans in Nrijaa, but she hoped they would take the time to see everything the sett had to offer before purchasing the mules and returning home. At the very least she was exhilarated at the prospect of staying at a real, capital inn.

In her seven years she had never been out of Zhyr, their small, dying sett near the arid center of the continent of Sotho, let alone to Sotho's very grandest sett, and she was eager to see absolutely everything. For the past week, as they traveled north up the Great Byway, they had been surrounded by lively, majestic trees that seemed to fairly burst with heart and breath. The north was so filled with life that the scents had reached the girl even buried in her nest of blankets. The air teemed with the redolence of greenery and fertile loam.

In Zhyr little life remained aside from the people themselves, struggling to survive in an area that was slowly being reclaimed by the desert. Soil so dry it whipped into whirling frenzies in the wind. An oasis that seemed to be ebbing away into the sand. She thought Jemer was wise to bring her somewhere that had so much life, so she could see that there were better places in the world.

Perhaps on their return journey he would allow her to sit up at the front of the cart with him, rather than hidden in the back until they camped each night, as far off the Byway as was possible.

Waiting for Jemer with increasing impatience Dazha tried to distract herself by imagining how the conversation might unfold, with her telling her brother she could be useful, even help him keep an eye on the animals they planned to purchase here in Nrijaa.

After what felt like hours, Dazha was rewarded by the sound of her brother's heavy tread moving toward the rear of the wagon. It sounded as though he was just finishing up haggling over a barrow of some sort. She could not imagine what Jemer could possibly need a barrow for; they had brought few belongings with them. They each had several changes of clothing and she had been allowed to bring along a doll, but their satchels were mostly filled with compact traveling cakes and dried, cured meat, which Jemer supplemented with fresh greens and smoked fowl or, if they were very lucky, fish from the occasional track-side markets or travelers' houses.

Dazha was suddenly blinded by bright lamplight shining on her from above as her snug nest was pulled apart. Jemer indicated with a silent gesture that Dazha was to remain in the cart as he separated the animal blankets from the empty feed sacks and moved the blankets directly into the new wooden barrow. He then placed the satchels containing their clothing and the remainder of their food into the handcart and searched the bed of the wagon one final time to ensure he had not left anything behind.

Jemer lifted his sister gently out of the cart and placed her on her feet. He wrapped her in a warm cloak and hugged her close for a brief moment, holding her in the strong arms that had always made Dazha feel safe, and even gave her a kiss on the top of her head before he pulled the hood so far over her face she could hardly see. She took a breath to stretch a little and then her brother bundled her into the barrow

"Cover yourself quickly, and don't let anyone see you. Just like on the journey up here," he said. His voice was rough and rasping, the way he sounded when he was trying not to cry.