23-2-2-4012 DM, Kanay, Telama, Hilaraya
Dari didn't think that summer could be any hotter, but it definitely felt much hotter as he walked through the streets of Kanay. Back in Arang, there were many trees that offered shade against the sweltering heat of the sun. In Kanay, there were barely any trees, especially in the Pamaya. As far as he could remember, the only place in the city with trees was the park between the Garalahi complex and the Palace of the Dewa Majarani, which was at the centre of the Kanay. The only shade available in the Pamaya were the shadows cast by the buildings on streets and alleyways. He wanted to feel as excited as he was earlier that morning at the thought of seeing his Lamayi again, but the heat was weighed him down, even under the shadows of the buildings. It was not even midday yet, probably just after the seventh hour of light, but it felt as if they were walking through a furnace. His marapi was already damp with sweat, but he was glad that he wore his light cotton tunic and trousers because if he had worn anything thicker, he would have been swimming in sweat by now.
Under the terrible heat, Dari wished he was back at The Hungry Sailor. There weren't many patrons in the common room of the inn that morning when they arrived. Only a few lakani were seated on separate tables, having kopi and some bread and minding their own business. The serving maids busied themselves tidying up the place before the expected morning rush. The scruffy and beefy innkeeper, Master Jarami, who looked like the painting of the sailor on the inn's signage, was glad to offer them two rooms. He and Amyi stayed in one room on the third floor of the inn, while Jesi was happy to share the adjacent room with the Periji. Their room was about as big as Dari's room in their house in Arang, but this one had two beds on either side of a small wooden bedside table where four deep red apples were neatly placed on a wooden platter. The room smelled a little mouldy, but there was a hint of lemon in the air, probably from the cleaning cloth they used to wipe the dust off the room's furnishings. There was a closet about an arm and a half away from the foot of the beds. There was a wash basin and a jar filled with water on a small table by the window, which gave a view of the a view of the harbour district. The beds were soft and the pillows were fluffy, inviting Dari to bury himself in bed, but he knew that they had to leave soon.
Dari suddenly tripped on a loose cobble stone, bringing him back to the present, but he kept his balance and wasn't hurt because the stone just grazed the tip of his sandals. He saw Amyi walking just a couple of arms ahead of him and Jesi along a narrow alley two blocks to the south of The Hungry Sailor. They were going to the northern edge of the harbour district where Lamayi lived. He asked the Periji to join them, but the Periji said that he had some business to do at the Kanayi Garalahi. There were only a few people walking along the alley, including them. He reckoned that most would be at the harbour market at that time of the day, or probably staying indoors because of the intense heat.
Dari noticed that he wasn't hearing any chimes in his ears. There wasn't any breeze at all. He whistled a long high note and waited. Suddenly, a cool gust of wind started blowing from the opposite end of the alley carrying the stink of the rotting refuse from the corners the alley. It didn't smell very pleasant but it helped cool them a bit.
"Thanks, Dari," Jesi said with a smile as he wiped the sweat off his face with his own marapi.
"Don't mention it," Dari replied, silently thanking the Sepalahi for his gift.
The buildings along the alley, mostly residential buildings or makeshift shops, were made of greystone blocks and some wood like The Hungry Sailor, but , even in daylight, all of them had an aged and ominous feel about them. Kanay was a very old city and Jesi had told Dari stories about restless spirits that haunted some of the buildings in the harbour district while they were breaking fast aboard the Seabird that morning.
Dari thought that those spirits that Jesi mentioned were actually asuwani, lurking inside buildings in the city. He remembered one of the classes of the Periji where he mention that the asuwani prefer to inhabit cities or large towns because they feed on the negative thoughts of the people who lived there. He suddenly felt his skin crawl after they passed by a dilapidated building. He had the uneasy feeling that someone had been following them since they entered the alley but when he looked behind, nobody was there. He had an urge to run but something inside him told him to stay calm, and so he did, but the uneasiness didn't leave his mind.
They continued to walk down the narrow alley until they reached an intersection that crossed a wide street, which appeared to be a street market. The street was lined with stalls filled with fruits and vegetables of different kinds, and vendors were loudly inviting people to taste samples of their produce. People flocked here and there to buy from the stalls, talking loudly in different accents. There were the usual Telami who wore linen shirts and trousers of different shades of green, blue, and brown that most peratani and silapani wore. There were also a few of outlanders in their outlandish clothing, moving about and trading with the vendors.
Most of the people in the market looked uninteresting to Dari until his eyes fell on two lakani who stood beside a stall filled with stacks of pink pineapples. They stood side by side with arms crossed and had stern looks on their faces while they quietly observed the people in the market. He first thought that they were one of those lakani they called Blue Birds, but he noticed that they didn't wear blue uniforms. They wore identical short purple tunics, knee-length trousers with a white sash wrapped around the hips, and brown leather sandals on their feet. Both had black hair in fine braids with purple and white beads on the ends that fell to their shoulders. They had high narrow noses, strikingly orange eyes, and chiselled faces that made them look like they were carved from wood. They both towered among the people in the market, standing almost two arms in height with big muscular arms. He had not heard of any race of people who looked like them.
For some reason, Dari felt a sense of foreboding when his eyes fell on those two lakani. He quickly turned his gaze away from them, thinking that ignoring them might help ease the warning in his heart. Suddenly, he felt Jesi grabbing his right arm and tugging him to walk faster towards the alley across the street market. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who was scared of the lakani in purple because Jesi was looking at them as well. They walked faster until they almost overtook Amyi at the mouth of the alley.
"Where did they come from?" Dari whispered to Jesi's left ear.
"I don't know," Jesi whispered back nervously as they entered the alley and walked close behind Amyi. "I started seeing those purple lakani in the city at the start of spring of this cycle. The vendors said that they are from Aljalan in Silaraya, but they look nothing like my Menaji's Aljalani patrons."
"Do all of them look that scary?" Dari asked.
"Yeah, and they are always seen in pairs. No more, no less. There must be several pairs scattered around the city, but I'm just guessing. They don't talk to anyone, you see. I've never even seen them trade with anyone or talk to other people in the city. The Kanayi started calling them, the Purple Jays," Jesi replied, gripping Dari's arm tightly.
"Hmm... That's quite strange..." Dari mused. "And I can't feel my arm anymore."
Embarrassed, Jesi immediately let go of Dari and contented himself with crossing his arms to cover his bag.
"Anyway, they don't seem to cause any trouble, aside from looking scary all the time, so the Blue Birds and the City Watchers let them be. They don't even carry weapons, but they look like they could kill with their bare hands," Jesi said, shivering visibly.
"Yeah..." Dari agreed, imagining one of them grabbing someone by the neck and breaking it without any effort. He immediately shook the horrible image off his mind. "I don't want to be near a pair of them if I can avoid it."
"Me neither," Jesi seconded.
Dari and Jesi followed Amyi down the alley that looked much the same as the previous one. This alley, however, had more people walking about, making their pace a little slower. Soon, they reached the end of the alley where Dari could see the harbour behind the rows of houses about ten arms away from the edge of the cobbled alley. Coarse pale brown sand mixed with smooth and flat grey stones covered the ground off the alley. The stones reflected the heat of the sun and without trees nor buildings to cast any shadow, they were at the mercy of the sun's raging heat. It was fortunate that there was a gentle breeze blowing southward, making the heat a little less harsh.
Dari saw Amyi turn to the left, then turned right into a path between two rows of wooden houses, which were smaller than their own house back in Arang. He and Jesi followed close behind, not wanting to be lost inside the labyrinth of houses in this area of the harbour district. They kept to the path until Amyi stopped in front of the door of one of the houses and knocked.
"Dawari! Open up! It's me, Rami!" Amyi shouted while knocking.
The door creaked open inwards and a babinidu, who had seen about five cycles and about an arm tall, stood by the doorway with a curious look on her face. She had black hair in soft curls that fell to her shoulders and familiar tilted amber eyes.
"Anya! Someone is looking for Amyi!" the babinidu shouted in a high-pitched voice. She was eyeing the three of them curiously, as if assessing their importance.
"Who is it?" came the voice of a babidu from inside the house.
"Come here, Anya! There are three of them," the babinidu shouted back, looking quite impatient now. Footsteps shuffled from inside the house, and then, a moment later, a babidu appeared behind the babinidu.
"Tala, go back inside and check if your little ayi is still asleep. If he wakes up, just give him his milk. Go on now," the babidu said, leading Tala back inside the house with her right hand.
"You're looking for my husband?" the babidu asked curiously. She looked familiar, but Dari wasn't sure where he had seen her.
"Yes, is Dawari here? I'm Rami, his sister's husband," Amyi answered, bowing slightly.
"Oh! Dawari didn't tell me you are coming over. I'm Kahara, his wife. Come in! Come in! It's too hot out there," the babidu said as she opened the door to let them inside the house.
"We didn't have time to inform Dawari of our visit. I'm sorry for intruding, but we won't stay too long. By the way, this is my son, Dari, and his friend, Jesi," Amyi said as they sat themselves on wooden chairs by a rectangular wooden table.
Apparently, this was the dining room, just a few steps from the front door. The house was quite small, about half the size of their house back in Arang. Dari had already been here before, but the place looked much more cramped than he remembered.
"Oh, well met Jesi!" the babidu said, turning to Jesi.
"And Dari! You've grown so much. You were just a lakanidu, about Tala's age when I saw you last. You may call me Lanaya since I'm your Lanaya after all," the babidu said as she turned her attention to Dari.
Then, it struck Dari. Of course, Lamayi's fiancée, Kahara! He remembered her from six cycles ago. That's why she looked familiar. She and Lamayi were not yet married back then. They took him and Anya to the menagerie just outside the city to see the animals from different parts of Serinaya. She looked almost the same as then, just a little older now. She had tilted brown eyes with a small nose, full lips, and a heart-shaped face with skin of a lighter shade Anya's. She had chestnut hair like Anya, but she wore it in a ponytail behind her head. She was wearing a light green dress with wide skirts that fell just below her knee and a white apron over it.
"Yes, I remember you, uh... Lanaya," Dari said with a smile, still unused to calling her Lanaya. He used to call her Aya the last time he saw her.
"Oh, you've really grown! And quite handsome too! I told Dawari that if I had a son, I'd like him to look like Dari, and the Sepalahi granted my wish! They gave us a son who almost looks like you, except that he doesn't have the colour of your eyes," Lanaya beamed at him.
"Anyway, Dawari will be home soon for midday luncheon. You should eat with us," Lanaya continued, looking towards Amyi.
"We would like that, thank you Kahara," Amyi replied.
"Wonderful! Would you like some water? You three look absolutely parched," Lanaya commented, followed by a small chuckle.
"Indeed, we would like some, thank you," Amyi replied graciously.
"Alright. Three cups of water, coming up!" Lanaya exclaimed cheerfully, then turned towards the kitchen out by the back door. Moments later, she returned with three tin cups of water, and gently placed them on the table.
"I'll leave you here for now while I prepare midday luncheon. Just call me if you need anything," Lanaya said with a smile on her face, then she went back out to the kitchen through a door on the right side of the house. It wasn't difficult to understand why Lamayi married her. She was charming and very amiable. Lamayi was definitely lucky to have her for a wife.
The three of them took generous gulps of water from their cups until they finally settled the cups back on the table. Suddenly, Dari felt someone's hand touch his right arm.
"You have silver eyes," It was Tala, looking straight into Dari's eyes.
"Yes, I was born with them. You're Tala, right? My name's Dari. I'm your cousin," Dari said smiling.
"My cousin? What's a cousin? You look like my little ayi, but you have silver eyes. Are you my big ayi?" Tala said, tilting her head sideways to the left and examining Dari's face.
"Oh uh, a cousin is the son or daughter of your Lanaya or Lamayi. I'm your mayayi. In your case, I'm the son of your Lanaya, your Amyi's aya. You haven't met her, but my Anya looks like you," Dari replied.
From the look in Tala's eyes, she didn't understand anything that Dari said, so he added, "But I can be your big ayi if you want."
At this, Tala smiled and giggled. She raised her right hand to touch Dari's marapi and then pinched his left cheek. She giggled again, probably amused at the thought that she suddenly had a new ayi. Then, she turned her gaze to Dari's Amyi.
"And you are my big ayi too?" Tala asked as she forced herself up to sit on Dari's lap. She was quite heavy but Dari didn't protest. It was the first time he was meeting new relatives and he was glad about it.
"Oh no, I'm your Lamayi, husband of your Lanaya. I'm Dari's Amyi," Amyi said with an amused smile.
"Hmm... And you? Are you my Lamayi or my big ayi?" Tala asked, turning towards Jesi this time. Jesi was obviously entertained by Tala's questions.
"Uh me? I'm neither. I'm Jesi, your big ayi's friend," Jesi replied with a smile. He looked much more comfortable compared to the bundle of anxiety that he was earlier.
"Hmm... Alright," Tala said finally, as if she already understood everyone's place in her little mind. "Are you staying here long?"
"Uhm, maybe until after luncheon," Dari replied. As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw Tala's expression change from a hopeful smile to a sad pout.
"Oh no, don't be sad. I wish we could stay longer, but I will come back to visit again, I promise," Dari said, giving Tala his most reassuring smile. Tala's expression softened and giggled softly.
"I'll see if my little ayi is already awake. I think I can hear him cry," Tala said as she slid down from Dari's lap to the floor.
There was indeed a crying sound coming from the room on the left side of the house just across the dining room. Tala ran into the room and moments later, she came out carrying a lakanidu in her dainty arms. At first, Dari couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was as if he was seeing himself at a looking glass from eleven cycles ago. The lakanidu truly looked like him except for a pair of bright deep brown eyes, which glistened with fresh tears. The lakanidu was still sobbing softly, but he was looking at the three of them curiously as his elder sister did earlier.
"Hello, young lakadu!" Amyi greeted, beaming at the newcomer.
Dari could see that Amyi was delighted with what he was seeing.
"Oh, you really look just like Dari," Amyi said as he stretched his arms towards the lakanidu in the act of taking him from Tala. The lakanidu smiled and extended both his tiny hands towards Amyi, accepting the invitation to be carried. Tala gingerly passed her little ayi to her Lamayi and moments later, he was sitting quietly on his lap, sucking on his left thumb, and looking curiously at Dari.
"What's your name little one?" Amyi asked the lakanidu. The lakanidu looked up towards him and reached for his nose.
"His name is Dahari, after my favourite nephew!" a jolly voice from the front door answered the question.
They all turned to see that Lamayi had finally arrived. He wore grey tunic and trousers and black sandals. His black hair was cut short, and he had side burns that grew to his trimmed beard and moustache. He looked very different from how Dari remembered. He looked much older, almost like Amyi. His tall figure loomed over them and almost blocked the entire door.
"I am your only nephew, Lamayi," Dari said, chuckling.
"And that makes you my favourite!" Lamayi said as he walked towards the table and ruffled Dari's hair.
"What a surprise to see you here! Rami, big brother! How's aya? Is she with you?"
"No, she isn't, Dawari. She is in Arang to attend to some things. We won't be staying long. I have to go back to Arang on the morrow, and Dari will head off to Eranga for his training," Amyi replied.
"His training? Why Eranga? You don't mean the Perangar, do you? Are you planning on becoming a Perayali, Dari?"
"No, Lamayi, but I will be training there to be a... A bayaharadu," Dari replied reluctantly.
"A what?" Lamayi asked with absolute surprise in his face. It was a strange mix of happiness and horror, and Dari couldn't tell which one was greater.
"Oh, by Suraya! You have to tell me how this happened," Lamayi finally said after about a minute of nursing his shock.
"Tell you what?" Lanaya asked, suddenly appearing behind Jesi, whose back was to the door to the kitchen.
"How our nephew became a bayaharadu," Lamayi replied.
Lanaya's reaction to the news was almost nothing if Dari ignored that she dropped the ladle she was holding when she came in. She hastily picked it up from the wooden floor and wiped it clean with her apron.
"Uh well..." Lanaya began, clearing her throat. "Luncheon is ready. We could talk about that while eating. Darling, can you pull up more chairs around the table so we can eat together?"
"Dari, I hope you like sour stew," Lanaya continued smiling as she turned towards the kitchen to prepare the table.
"Oh, you're in for a treat, Dari. Her sour stew is just like how aya cooks it. I'm sure you'll love it!" Lamayi said, beaming at his wife.
"Oh, you're too sweet, my darling," Lanaya said, looking back and smiling sweetly at her husband. "Now, I have to move or the stew would go cold."
Soon, they were all sitting at the table, enjoying a meal of steaming red rice and hot bowls of sour stew, which had with tender sea grazer meat, bits of yam roots, roasted tomatoes, and leaves of a type of edible water lily called kanyong. The sour taste of tamarind in the soup was just right and the rice was of good quality, making the meal truly satisfying. Lamayi was seated at the head of the table, Lanaya to his right with the little Dahari on her lap. Tala sat across her Anya, quietly eating her stew. Dari sat beside Tala to her left while Jesi sat across the table from him beside his Lanaya. Amyi sat at the other end of the table facing Lamayi. They all busied themselves with the delicious food that Lanaya prepared for them. Nobody made any sound, except for the occasional slurps and gulps around the table while little Dahari just sat quietly, drinking his milk from a small feeding bottle.
After a few minutes, Amyi relayed the story of how they Dari's gift emerged and why he had to go to Eranga for training. Dari saw the incredulity in Lamayi's eyes as Amyi told the story. Dari noticed that Amyi left out what happened to them aboard the Seabird but he kept his mouth shut. He reckoned that Amyi didn't want Lamayi to feel worried.
"And so, we're here today. On the morrow, I'd be travelling back to Arang. Dari, Jesi, and the Periji would be off to Eranga shortly after," Amyi said, finishing his story.
"Then nobody should speak of Dari's gift to anyone else until he reaches the Perangar," Lamayi said suddenly, looking worried.
"Why not, Lamayi?" Dari found himself asking.
"It... It isn't safe," Lamayi began reluctantly. "There are rumours spreading around that some harani in the city have gone missing."
"Missing? How?" Amyi asked, worry showing in his face now.
"Every instance was different, but all accounts say that the missing harani were all abducted. Nobody knows where they went and there were no traces of evidence that can point to the abductors. The Kanayi are saying that this is the work of the Gorasha, a surviving sect of the Mamuja Jayamalan," Lamayi explained with his brows furrowed, a hint of fear in his auburn eyes.
"The Mamuja? But they were all executed at the end of the Great War over a thousand cycles ago, weren't they," Jesi said incredulously.
"It's the popular theory going around the city. I sincerely hope that someone just made up those rumours but the abductions were real. Whoever is responsible for the abductions is quite cunning. Whatever would anyone want of a bunch of harani anyway?" Lamayi shook his head in disbelief, then turned to Dari with a concerned expression on his face.
"In any case, please be careful. If anyone knew you are a haradu, you might be in danger yourself, Dari."
"I will be careful, Lamayi," Dari replied, unsure of what else to say.
"Now I wish I hadn't promised Asha that I'd be back so soon," Amyi suddenly said, making a fist on his right hand.
"It's alright, Amyi. If we keep it to ourselves, there is no way for anyone to know that I'm a haradu," Dari said, keeping a calm expression on his face, but, deep inside, his innards squirmed at the thought that he could be abducted. If that happened, he would never see his parents again.
"You're right, of course," Amyi said, but his worried expression didn't go away. "But still... Oh, by fire and water."
Nobody said anything for some time. They just sat on the table eating quietly. Even Tala was quiet, eating her food and occasionally feeding bits and pieces of stew to her Amyi from her bare hands. Little Dahari, on the other hand, looked like he already had his full and was ready for a nap.
After midday luncheon, they spent the rest of the afternoon talking about more pleasant things. Dari, together with Jesi, played with Tala and little Dahari on the floor by the open front door. He whistled to call the wind to lessen the heat of midday. They all had a good time listening to Tala's strange musings. He reckoned that Tala would be a brilliant student when it was time for her to study at the Garpanji. On the other hand, Dahari had become fond of Jesi's hair and kept tugging it while Jesi carried him in his arms. The two were almost inseparable and Jesi seemed to be really good with children.
It was just after the fifteenth hour of light when Amyi decided that it was time for them to head back to the inn. They bade farewell to everyone. Tala gave Dari a kiss on his right cheek and little Dahari left a smudge of drool on his left cheek. Dari hugged Lanaya and Lamayi.
"You will be careful, alright?" Lamayi said after releasing him from his grip. "I wish you all a safe journey. Palasari lagi."
"Thank you, Lamayi. I will be careful and I will visit sometime if I can. Palasari lagilagi," Dari replied. He was about to turn away from him when he remembered something. "Jesi, do you have the package from Anya?"
"Oh! The package, yes, I have it," Jesi replied as he fumbled in his bag, searching for the package that Anya wanted to give Lamayi. "Ah, here it is!"
Dari took the package from Jesi and handed it to Lamayi.
"Anya wanted you to have this."
"What is it?" Lamayi asked as he took the package and opened it eagerly.
"It was your Amyi's ring," Amyi replied, putting his right hand on Lamayi's left shoulder.
"Oh aya... But I gave this to her."
"We had enough coin to get by so we didn't sell the ring like you asked. And here," Amyi said as he gave a small heavy-looking pouch to Lamayi.
"What's this?" Lamayi asked as he felt the pouch on his left hand.
"It's just a few pieces of Telami Kahari. It should help you buy a new house in a better part of the city. Dari received a lot of gold from the Arangi Majarani and he thought we should give you some."
"Oh, Dari..." Lanaya started but she choked. She reached for Dari and locked him in a tight embrace.
"Dari... Ayi... I... Thank you," Lamayi said as he looked disbelievingly at Dari and Amyi.
"We're your family, Dawari. It's just coin and we're happy to share it with you," Amyi finally said and gave Lamayi a bear hug. "Until then, ayi. We need to go."
And so, they gave each other farewells once again. Dari got another kiss from Tala, another layer of drool from Dahari, and tight hugs from Lanaya and Lamayi. Then, they left Lamayi's house and walked back towards the alley that they took earlier that day. People were bustling in and out of the alley, probably coming to and from the street market they passed by earlier. Amyi was leading them, closely followed by Jesi, and Dari brought up the rear. They were just about to enter the alley when something fast came zipping from the left, hitting Jesi and toppling him over. Jesi screamed and thrashed as he tried to push a young babidu off him. Dari was too stunned to move.
"Oy! Get off! Get off me!" Jesi screamed.
The young babidu with bright red hair stood quickly as she rubbed her nose. She was clearly hurt from the impact.
"Watch where you're going next time, will you?" Jesi said irritably as he stood and brushed off sand from his clothes.
"I uh, I'm sorry. I was just..." the young babidu began and her voice broke then she started crying.
Amyi, noticing the commotion for the first time, hurried towards the young babidu. Dari regained control of his body and moved towards Jesi. The young babidu was now sobbing silently. Jesi still looked disgruntled but he swallowed his anger.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you like that," Jesi said, moving towards the young babidu.
"Why were you running? Are you lost? What's your name?" Amyi asked as he tried to console the sobbing babinidu. She looked like she was no older than Dari herself.
"Alyana! Thank Amai! There you are! I've been worried sick! You shouldn't run off like that," a voice from behind Dari exclaimed.
"Alyana? Do you know this lakadu?" Amyi asked the crying Alyana.
"Y-yes... H-he is my g-guardian," Alyana replied, her voice trembling. For just a moment, Dari saw Alyana's deep blue eyes when she looked up. Her face was smudged with dirt in some places and her long wavy red hair was tangled here and there, but she looked... Dari couldn't explain what he was feeling. It was as if his midday luncheon were having a battle inside his stomach.
"I'm sorry if she caused any trouble. I am Hamara Kunyang, the pirisaraharadu of the Piriharani here in Kanay," the lakadu said in a soft, almost inaudible voice with a Kanayi accent that was common in the city. He was wearing a sea green tunic and trousers, and he had a pair of kind brown eyes.
Dari looked at Saraji Hamara and saw that he looked too young to be a saraharadu, but he knew nothing about harani anyway, so he bowed to him in respect.
"Well met, Saraji Hamara. I don't think anyone was hurt badly. Jesi?" Amyi said as he turned to Jesi.
"I'm fine. Just a scratch but I'll live," Jesi replied as he brushed off sand from his trousers.
"That's good then. I'm worried that we lost Alyana, and with the rumours going around, I can't afford to let her go about the city on her own. It's too dangerous," Saraji Hamara said in a hushed voice.
"You mean... She's a haradu too?" Dari found himself asking. His eyes were now locked in Alyana's face. She had stopped crying but she still looked shaken.
"Shush! Please let's not speak of this here. And what do you mean, 'too'? Are you?" Saraji Hamara asked as he looked curiously at Dari.
"Yes, I am, of the winds," Dari whispered in response.
"We are staying at The Hungry Sailor. Do you mind if you join us there? I have some questions for you Saraji," Amyi said, his hands on Alyana's shoulder.
"Very well, I know the place. Alyana, my dear. Are you hurt?" the Saraji asked Alyana.
"No, I'm alright," Alyana replied.
Dari saw Alyana looking back at him, and he got startled. He forced himself to look elsewhere. He wasn't aware that he was staring at Alyana.
"Thank the Sepalahi! I don't know what I would do if I lost you again. Come now," the Saraji said as he extended his right hand to Alyana, bending down to his knees.
Alyana moved closer to Saraji Hamara, and hugged him tightly. From the muffled sound she was making, she was crying again.
"I'm sorry, Saraji. The shadow serpents kept following me. I was so scared," Alyana said as she lifted her head from Saraji Hamara's chest.
"They can't touch you, my dear," the Saraji replied as he tried to console Alyana who began crying again.
"Shadow serpents?" Amyi asked with a hint of fear in his voice.
"Yes, we'll talk about it later, not here. These alleys are not very safe these days. Let's go," Saraji Hamara said while carrying the sobbing Alyana in his arms as he stood up.