Celestial Roots

Chapter 2 - A whole new world

Behind her back, she did not hear Asgeül and Slavan leaving the house in their turn. She was completely absorbed by her environment. Her two companions, reassured to see their brathaïr in good health, had decided to follow her. But, unlike Taghna, after getting used to the outdoors, they had been quick to join the adults. They helped them in their task by giving them little heels and were already participating in the life of the village.

Compared to what she observed with greed, Taghna didn't care what the rest of the people did. She remained alone, absorbing the sounds and scents that enveloped her. All this snow kept surprising her. Of course, she had already seen some, without dedicating more than a quick thought to it. Her néach would go and get some near the roof beams when they had to collect water to prepare a meal, but in such a quantity, it was unbelievable.

Her field of vision was limited to the forest in front of her. Her eyes could not help but go up along the trunks. They divided into smaller and smaller branches and, from where she was, they almost looked like hair so thin they were. The branches swung gently in the wind, shivered, held on.

- So that's the world, thought Taghna.

She was amazed and stunned by all the new things that were open to her. The adults had told them about it, countless times. But the words, the lapidary and fuzzy descriptions, as well as the few specimens of dried leaves they had handled, did not reflect what she was going through at that moment. The sound of insects, the ringing of a drop of water falling from a patch of ice and the bite of the wind on her face filled her with a powerful joy that made her want to explore the surroundings, touch and feel this nature with all her senses until every detail was known to her.

Even more attractive was the huge blue area that stretched over this delicate mantilla. By tilting her head upwards, her entire visual field was occupied by this void. The mystery it represented was total. Her néach had never lingered in this part of the world before. Their stories favoured the land, the plants and the animals. Taghna was fascinated by the beauty of this element and spent a long time contemplating it until she felt a small pat on the back of the head.

- Stop looking at the sky or you'll lose your mind. Come on, we have to introduce ourselves to the séalyar.

She thought it was Asgeül who was still acting up, but it was Drahul, her fourth and last néach. He had gotten rid of the dirt on his face. His light irises were now clearly visible and he was almost unrecognizable. Taghna followed him and arrived behind the procession of adults and children heading towards the mataïg, the home of the elders. Its structure was identical in every respect to the other buildings, except for its size, which was almost twice as imposing as the other houses. Two or three people were already attacking the smooth face of the wall. Their concerted efforts paid off quickly and a tense silence settled over the assembly. The children quickly began to get bored with the lack of action but they did their best to stay focused.

Finally, three women emerged with dignity from the entrance, one after the other, before standing in line in front of the rest of the village. Taghna, who had paid little attention to the scene, as she was too attracted by the new things around, could not help but be interested in the séalyar. Their faces were covered with tiny folds that made them look like dried-up plants. They stood there, in front of the mataïg, like pieces of wrinkled leather. This appearance, at the very least pitiful to the little girl, contrasted with the immaculate whiteness of their hair, which certainly ennobled them, at least according to Taghna.

She wondered what had happened to them and whether this physical weakness was a sign of their great wisdom that Vorn or Drahul had never ceased to mention. Despite their weak appearance, Taghna could see how respectful the adults were in front of the deans. They were on the lookout, hypnotized by their presence, so much so that she did not dare to make the slightest gesture or say a single word.