23-2-2-4012 DM, Kanay, Telama, Hilaraya
Aron walked through the familiar streets of Kanay while trying to ignore the scalding heat that reflected off the white cobblestones. The soft westerly breeze that ran through the thin fabric of his green Perayali robes helped ease the growing intensity of the heat. The city was already buzzing with life. People walked hurriedly past him, eager to go about their business for the day, while carriages rang their warning bells to alert the crowd of their passage. The toll of the Kanayi Garalahi heralded the coming of the ninth hour of light, which meant that it was already open to visitors. This reminded him of the shade under the tall greenwood trees that surrounded the park where the Garalahi stood. Excited at the thought walking under the cool shade of trees, he quickened his pace a little, just enough so he wouldn't break a sweat. He had just passed by a glamourous jewellery shop at the corner of a busy intersection and was about to make a right turn when he suddenly bumped into a lakadu.
"Oh, my apologies," the lakadu said immediately as Aron kept himself from falling to the ground.
Aron felt strong hands gripping his shoulders, which, thankfully, steadied him.
"Periji Aron?"
Aron was surprised to hear a familiar voice. He focused on the lakadu's face and saw a pair of friendly round blue eyes. The lakadu was completely bald and wore the traditional green Perayali robes.
"Sandi? I mean, Periji Sandi?"
"By Suraya, you're here! I thought you were going to Eranga?" Periji Sandi asked as he let go of Aron's shoulders. "We received your falcon yesterday. Periji Yani left for Arang this morning to take your place at the Arangi Garalahi. Where is the bayaharadu?"
"Ah yes, we just arrived this morning. We had quite a rough time at sea coming here, and I thought it best for us stay here for the night before heading out to Eranga on the morrow. The bayaharadu went to visit his Lamayi at the harbour district together with his Amyi and his friend. I'm actually on my way to the Garalahi to confirm if you already sent my replacement and to ask you some questions."
"Questions? Well, not here! By the elements, Periji. We'll melt under the sun! Come, let's go to the park."
"Of course," Aron replied, chuckling, and two of them walked side by side towards the city centre.
Sandi Peri-Samera was one of Aron's long-time friends. They met at the Perangar Lagarne, which was located in an island in the middle of the Emara Sea in the Kanaraya region, when they joined the Brotherhood of the Reja Perayali over thirty cycles ago. As they went through the different stages towards becoming fully-realised Perayali, they became really good friends. During their first few cycles as Perayali, they both served as apprentice Pembaji at the Garalahi in the city of Marenin. Eventually, they parted ways to pursue expertise in their chosen fields of study. Aron's fascination with different plants and animals brought him to remote places in the continent to specialise in Aramkaya. Periji Sandi, on the other hand, focused on Pemerikaya. This led him to seek forgotten knowledge hidden in dusty tomes within the archives of the greatest libraries that ever existed.
Aron and Periji Sandi, both of whom were very familiar with Kanay, expertly navigated through its busy streets until they arrived at the northern gates of the Evergreen Garden, the park at the centre of the city where the Palace of the Dewa Majarani and the Kanayi Garalahi stood.
The majestic northern gates of the Evergreen Garden were called the Fallen Trellis. It was made from the tips of the spears used by the brave Telami warriors, famously known as the Fearless Four Hundred, who died for the freedom of Telama during the Great War. The spear tips were painted green and welded onto the bronze railings and pickets to resemble leaves and vines. The Fallen Trellis served as a monument to celebrate the end of the Great War, the founding of the Pacific Republic of Telama, and the establishment of the Alliance of Independent States over a thousand cycles ago.
Two Kanayi Watchers, who wore yellow tunics and trousers with a blue sash around the waist, stood at the base of the two ten-arm high whitestone posts on either side of the Fallen Trellis. They both took off their wide blue conical reed hats as Aron and Periji Sandi passed through the open gates.
Aron immediately felt relieved when he and Periji Sandi were engulfed by the shadow of the lush green canopy of the greenwood trees that grew along Greenway, the main thoroughfare inside the Evergreen Garden. There were a few people in the park already. Some looked like they were simply enjoying a leisurely walk, while others looked like council staff on their way to the Palace of the Dewa Majarani just a few arms ahead. There were a few coachmen waiting by their carriages near the Fallen Trellis. He considered hailing one of the coachmen to take them to the Kanayi Garalahi at the southern end of the park, but he wanted to enjoy a morning walk under the trees with his friend, so he simply gave the coachmen a polite nod and bade them a good morrow.
"Do you remember the first time we came here?" Periji Sandi asked.
"Yeah, you still had hair back then," Aron replied, chuckling.
"Oh, you! And to think I saved that hair dumpling from falling off your head earlier," Periji Sandi retorted. Then, they both started laughing out loud.
A few people close by looked towards them, but upon seeing that the laughter came from a pair of Perayali, they quickly looked away with shy smiles on their faces. Aron and Periji Sandi continued to laugh heartily until they reached the grassy field at the back of the Hall. Their laughter subsided and Aron saw a serious look on Periji Sandi's face.
"You said you'd stay here with me in Kanay for a cycle, but you suddenly decided to leave me behind a few moons later," Periji Sandi said suddenly, sounding a bit dismayed.
Aron was surprised that Periji Sandi had brought that up. Twenty cycles ago, a team of Aramkaya specialists in Kanay decided to survey the vast Takyanan Forest to assess the conditions of its diverse flora and fauna. It was an excellent opportunity for those like him who wanted to become an Aramkaya Menaji at that time, so he decided to join the team as a surveyor. Periji Sandi was distraught when he told him about his decision, but they were able to patch things up before he left with the team.
"That was a long time ago," Aron commented.
"Well, you know me. Ancient history fascinates me," Periji Sandi replied in jest. He laughed weakly for a few seconds and sighed. "I was just, uh... Never mind."
Aron was about to comment further on the matter, but he suddenly remembered the reason why he wanted to visit the Garalahi in the first place.
"Speaking of ancient history, do you know of any haradu who received a gift that didn't follow the laws of the Pura na Haradesi?" Aron asked.
"The Cycle of Gifts? No, I don't. That's impossible. Why do you ask?"
"I know it's ludicrous to even think it, but the bayaharadu from Arang should have been a piriharadu."
"Shush! Not too loud," Periji Sandi said suddenly.
Periji Sandi yanked Aron's left arm with his right hand, and hurriedly led him off the Greenway to a wooden bench that faced the lagoon at the centre of the Evergreen Garden. He let go of Aron's arm and gestured for them to sit on the bench.
"We should be very cautious when talking about harani here in Kanay," Periji Sandi began in a low voice. "The Piriharani Council has reported the disappearance of two of their members this summer, and every Watcher in the city is on high alert."
"Just because they couldn't find two of their members? That seems too much," Aron commented incredulously, but a sense of foreboding was starting to grow in his mind. "They could have simply gone somewhere and told nobody. That happens."
"All of their possessions are still in their quarters at the House of Piriharani."
A cold gust of wind blew towards them and made Aron's skin crawl.
"Alright, that's suspicious. Do the Watchers have any idea how they disappeared?" Aron found himself asking after a few minutes of silence.
"Well, they have a vague idea at best. A vendor from the Pamaya claimed that he saw a hooded figure carrying a heavy bundle close to the House of Piriharani the night before they realised that another piriharadu was missing last quarter moon."
"And the heavy bundle was the unconscious body of the missing piriharadu? It's possible, but it seems rather farfetched, isn't it?"
"I wasn't there when the vendor gave his statement to the Watchers, so I can't really comment on it. I just heard the story from one of my students at the Garpanji the other day. In any case, it appears that it's the only lead they have, but the members of the Dewa Majarani decided to place more Watchers around the House of Piriharani to prevent further mysterious disappearances."
"That makes sense."
"Right. But because of the heightened security in place, rumours have started spreading that the Mamuja Jayamalan has re-emerged and was responsible for the disappearances."
"The dark cult? That's ridiculous!"
"I agree! When the vendor's statement reached the ears of the Dewa Majarani. Then, the next day, an elder member made a very public comment that similar disappearances occurred at the beginning of the Great War. This somehow evolved into rumours about the Mamuja. It spread like wildfire all over the city in just two days."
"Some politicians would do anything for attention, wouldn't they? By the elements! But the Mamuja? Seriously? They were wiped out at the end of the Great War, weren't they?"
"Uhm, not entirely, as far the historical records are concerned. Although many of the most fervent followers of the Mamuja were executed at the end of the Great War, the whereabouts of two of their highest-ranking leaders remained unknown, even to this day. Since there were no reported seditious activities from the cult after the war, the founders of the Alliance of Independent States decided to stop searching for them."
"I didn't know that."
"Well, I do. I'm a Pemerikaya Menaji, remember?"
"Are you? I thought you were a painter or –"
"Oh, by Suraya, Periji!" Periji Sandi exclaimed, interrupting Aron, and chuckled a little. "Jesting aside, the Mamuja's re-emergence may be an outrageous idea, but it is plausible."
"Whether or not it is plausible, it is still merely gossip. And you haven't answered my question yet," Aron commented, trying to change the topic of their conversation. It was already making him very uncomfortable and a little anxious.
"I have. I told you that it's not possible. No haradu in all of recorded history, and trust me because I have read them all, has ever defied the laws of the Pura na Haradesi."
"But Dari, the bayaharadu who I'm supposed to take to Eranga, was supposed to receive the pirihara, not the bayahara."
"What makes you think that?"
"Dari was born on the first minute of the first hour of light of the first day of the first moon of spring. Spring, Periji, not winter, but he was given the Gift of the Winds."
"Curious..." Periji Sandi started as he scratched his nose with his right hand while gazing into the distance.
"Are you certain?" Periji Sandi asked after a few minutes.
"Absolutely. I asked both his parents separately and they gave me the same answer. I even checked the registry at the Hall in Arang. Dari should be a piriharadu. Could his age be a factor? He has already seen twelve cycles."
"Twelve? That's really late. His gift should have manifested by his tenth cycle at the latest. But no, age couldn't be a factor. The Pura na Haradesi has never been broken from the day the first haradu received the Gift of the Waters after Desaraya returned to the Eternal Universe... Until today, apparently. This is truly bizarre."
"It is, but something else happened while we were at sea on our journey coming here. He was able to stop a storm by himself."
"What? By himself? That's impossible!"
"I thought so, too, but I saw it with my own eyes. He was crying in fright while storm tossed our ship at sea, then he started to hum. After a few minutes, the storm dissipated like it never came. He said he was just praying to the Sepalahi while he was crying, but I heard him humming, Periji."
Aron saw Periji Sandi's jaw drop as he looked at him with total incredulity. Periji Sandi, with his mouth still ajar, gazed into the distance once again, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.
"I know I sound like a lunatic right now, but I think Dari may have also received the pirihara," Aron said, almost in a whisper.
Nobody spoke for a few minutes. The toll of the bells at the Kanayi Garalahi heralded the coming of the tenth hour of light. The last note lingered in air for over a minute, like a question begging to be answered.
"Impossible..." Periji Sandi mumbled a few minutes later. "That's just not possible, unless..."
"Unless what?" Aron asked, eagerly anticipating the answer.
"Do you know how the bayahara first manifested in him?" Periji Sandi asked as he turned to look directly into Aron's eyes.
"Yes, I was there at the beach when it happened."
"The beach, you say? When the wind had been absent for a few days?"
"Yes, how di–? Ah, you must have heard the significant decline in the supply of sea dancers last quarter moon."
"No. You know I don't like that fish and I don't follow trade and commerce," Periji Sandi said, raising his left eye brow.
"Oh, yes. I remember."
"Listen, I don't want to make any conclusions until I have sufficient evidence, but I remember reading something in an ancient journal some cycles ago that may answer your questions."
"Is this journal somewhere in the archives here in Kanay?" Aron asked, hoping to finally have the answers to his questions.
"Unfortunately, it isn't, but I know that there is a copy in the archives at the Perangar Eranga where you're headed."
Aron visibly deflated at the realisation that his questions would be left hanging for a few more days.
"Anyway, I suggest that you keep your questions to yourself for the moment. I will send a falcon to Menaji Diwa at the Perangar Eranga after midday to enquire about the journal to which I am referring."
"Thank you, Periji Sandi. I'd appreciate that very much," Aron said with an appreciative smile on his lips.
"It's nothing." Periji Sandi replied. "Anyway, would you like to have midday luncheon at the Garalahi?"
"That's one of the reasons for my visit."
"Splendid. Let's go then." Periji Sandi said, as he stood from the bench and beckoned Aron to walk with him to the Garalahi.