by Rama Nugraha
“Irirana?!!” shouted Datan, eyes locked on the Leader still.
Irirana panted. “I’m right here!” she replied hoarsely. “They have us surrounded!”
“Stay there! Don’t move!”
“He’s challenging you, Datan!”
Datan was then aware that at least fifteen Ludajs had surrounded them, forming a circle, resembling a hairy rock formation. All of them then sat down with crossed legs. They caged Datan in front of the Leader who stood in the center, as well as Irirana who leaned her back on a broken Yeklip stump. Datan could feel the tension in the air. The Ludajs glare might as well bore holes in him as it tried to intimidate him. They kept making wild threatening growl.
Meanwhile, the Leader only focused on Datan. Its glare was cautious, unlike the others. It was examining Datan, thinking of a way to fight him.
Datan unsheathed his daggers in both of his hands, not wasting any time. “You seem faster than the others,” he provoked.
A Ludaj from the formation roared, signaling the start of the duel.
The Leader moved and Datan moved forward welcoming the attack.
Two hairy fists as hard as iron swung towards him from above. It was an easy pattern to guess. Datan dodged the hit swiftly, then with his dagger, he sliced the back of Leader’s hand which landed next to him. Not taking any time, he moved to stab his other dagger to the left ribs of Leader. Those weapons given by Kanas were truly sharp and perhaps was specially made to wound Ludaj.
The Leader shrieked, then tuned at him fast.
Datan was aware of what came. He shifted his step, turned his back. In a blink of an eye, he cut through the whip-like tail which came for him.
Piercing howl shattered the air. Thick blood spattered everywhere. The leader’s tail had been cut in half. The Ludajs around them shrieked angrily, hitting the ground. The Leader might have been fast, but not fast enough for Datan’s eyes.
Datan did not give it a chance to breathe. He sheathed his daggers, then walked behind it. He used a rock as leverage to jump onto the back of the now disoriented creature. Datan held onto the thick coarse sticky hair to climb up. He was truly irritated, feeling impatient to just kill the Leader. Instead, he attempted to snatch the necklace from its neck.
Irirana was startled seeing him. “No! There’s Jelaga Spider!” she yelped. “Let him go, Datan!”
At that point, Datan did not hear her.
Like an untamed cat on someone’s lap, Datan clung onto the Leader as if he had claws. With his dagger, he stabbed every body part he could reach. It felt like trying to stab an iceberg yet Datan kept mercilessly stabbed it. The Leader howled in pain, what was left of its tail wriggled harshly.
Irirana covered her mouth, unable to move to witness the duel.
Datan reached out to the necklace, trying to take it. The Leader wriggled, still howling. The creature’s gigantic body quivered, staggering unsteadily. Datan held on, yelling when the back of his hand was on fire.
Jelaga spiders! They were black and small. They had five eyes with eight long legs. There were stripes in its bloated stomach, and its jaw was jagged like a saw!
Datan’s head suddenly felt heavy and his vision swirled. It felt like his brain had just been injected with a lot of sleeping medicine. He staggered in the Leader’s back.
The Leader realized what happened and he captured Datan who wiggled weakly on his back. A large hand was swung, throwing Datan to a stump. He could hear the cracking sound in his body as it made contact with the solid object. The Leader roared hoarsely towards him.
Under the Yeklip tree, Datan felt his bones shattered. He steadied his breath to hold back pain. The dammed Jelaga spider was still clinging to his hand, chewing his flesh. Datah shuddered, hastily gouged the spider with the tip of his dagger. He stabbed it as soon as it fell to the ground. He heard a small whimpered as he did so.
For a moment, Datan felt his hand cramped. He was unable to hold the dagger!
“Blood!” Irirana yelled. “Wipe it with the blood of the Leader! Hurry, Datan! Hurry!”
With ragged breath and boiling rage, he got back to his feet with his limp left hand on his knees. His wrist was numb and his while arm started to hardened. Jelaga spider’s venom had spread and petrified his joints. It turned his skin blue and dried it so much that it looks like it was flaking off—and it hurt so bad.
The Leader howled desperately and was unable to stand up straight. The hair on its body stood. Its horrifying face was drench in sweat, looking frightened. It bled out bad from the wound in its body, starting to be filled with dread as death was on its door. It pays Datan no more attention and he took this chance right away. He walked fast.
He turned around. In a blink of an eye, he threw an attack with all of his might.
There was a sound of a collision. Then, there was nothing. Time stopped.
The forest and the entire creature within it were stricken with fear. There was no sound. A blade impaled the Leader’s unguarded neck. The weapon pierced through its throat, cutting air circulation. A harsh cough and chocking sound filled the air.
Datan stood up, panting. He looked up slightly. The Leader bleeds like a crimson waterfall before it collapsed to the back.
At the side of the arena, Irirana sat hugging her knees, curling up into a ball. Her face was tense and pale. Her eye displayed fearful gaze from seeing something so insufferable.
Datan wiped his sticky eyelid splattered by blood. He approached the sprawled dead body. He heard a pitiful small growl as the Leader’s chest heave before it went completely still. Datan did not feel any emotion. He stepped on its hand, searching, then he shoved his hands into its open wound, dipping his hand in blood.
Datan could feel its muscle squeezed his hand—like a delicate massage. It was reacting to the venom. It was less than half a minute later that his foggy vision cleared up. The muscles and joints in his right arms relaxed as the pain faded. The venom stopped spreading.
Datan regulated his breath.
He pulled out his hands as well as the blade impaling the Leader’s neck. He reached for the necklace and took it off. The old necklace was bigger than he expected. The pendant was made of a round topaz stone roughly ten centimeters in diameter. It reflects a dull light as the moon shone on it. Datan snatched it and put it in his satchel. The Ludajs that surrounded him were unmoving. They were unable to breathe. They were terrified and furious.
Datan approached Irirana.
“You must let me go, Datan,” she said mournfully. Her eyes showed fear of Datan who was covered in blood.
Datan was not having any of her words. “I need to rinse in the river,” he said. “How about your feet?”
She held back a pained grunt, “I think it’s alright,” she said.
Datan continues carrying Irirana who looked reluctant—but lacked the strength to refuse. A pair of Ludajs stopped abruptly, moving away from the formation. Both of their heads were bowed. Their tails moved about nervously. They allow Datan to pass through to carry Irirana. The other Ludajs seemed to understand that they had lost. Now, Datan was in charge.
Datan carried on.
The footpath in the northern area the forest was filled with a revolting smell. Datan found numerous skeleton of those who failed, many of whom were not in one piece due to an extreme cause of death—including an attack by Yeklip vines in their dying moment. The sight made him quivered.
Datan started to stagger. His looked at his surrounding to find a hiding place, hoping to hide for a while. Because he could not shrug the thought of the Ludajs change their mind and came for them once more.
Datan thanked Irirana who told him to use the blood of the Leader. Now, the bite wound left by the Jelaga spider was already healed. On top of that, his Ingra blood actually allowed him to heal fast to get rid of the remaining venom.
Even so, his entire body ached. It felt like he was about to explode due to exhaustion. Bruises colored his entire body, aching. Datan wanted to sit down, resti
ng his body, even get some sleep if possible. Then he fell into a hole under a pile of bushes.
They toppled over a long dark tunnel, stumbling in the dark.
◆◆◆
Datan still hoped to get away from the hoard of Ludaj when he was falling into the hole that was Ludaj’s nest. Luckily, the sole owner was found dead of old age and apparently had buried itself under the ground.
Accompanied only by cold air Datan and Irirana was hungry and hurting. There was not even the slightest light. The hole was filled with skeletons and disgusting worms. The rotten smell of blood and carcasses pierces their nose—especially Datan’s—in the suffocating space. It was the worst.
Datan wanted to get out of there fast.
Irirana, who looked almost unbothered with the situation under there, sobbed slightly.
“I serve the League of Royans, Datan,” she admitted when asked who she actually was. “That’s why I’m allowed to enter the forest.”
Though still suspicious, Datan knew better not to interrogate her too much in her current unstable emotional state. Aside from that, deep down Datan was interested in her because she was the first person of Marra bloodline he met after Ana.
Ana… would he see her soon? Meeting Irirana also made Datan questioned his own mother he never knew. His mother surely is a Marra bloodline.
Datan lit up a fire, trying to ignore the ache in his entire body. Datan checked Irirana’s wound which looked awful. Her left foot was darkened, though she insisted that she would be alright. Instead of whimpering in pain, she talked.
“Uh, you killed the Leader mercilessly,” she complained.
Irirana told him that it had been three years since she lived in Yardara. She met Elina in the way to Salj Country in the Northern Land of Urimenil for some affairs.
“There was a clash between the people of Salj and the Ludajs,” Irirana looked gloom remembering the event. “The Ludajs suddenly attacked them, destroying the homes and preyed on the people. They experience an acute madness that no one knew the reason for—until now! Then I saw the little Elina amongst them, crying for her mother killed by the Salj people.
“… Elina would have been killed had I not saved her. That time, her height was no more than my waist.”
It was as if she had forgotten the pain that she kept on talking. She told him about Elina who was scared of water; Elina who loved hearing the sound of lute while the sun sets, rolling around in the grass as she did so; Elina who loved playing ball; Elina who loved eating doe meat skinned and boiled in a cauldron with salt, pepper and soy sauce.
Datan shook his head hearing it. He thought, what a high taste for a pet.
Until Irirana stopped talking and started crying again. Oh, what an endless supply of tears she had. Datan started to think that her love of her pet was surpassing Erry’s.
◆◆◆
In the morning, they decided to carry on with their journey the moment sunlight entered the hole. Datan gathered the possibility that the Ludajs had actually given up. An owl perched on a low Yeklip branch, turning around, glaring with a pair of burning orange colored eyes the moment Datan crawled out of the hole carrying Irirana.
The sorrowful singing of a bunch of tree beetle was heard. The sound of water called out them from the base of the Yar Mountain. Datan could no longer hold his hunger. Meanwhile, Irirana turned silent, saying that her leg made her welled up. Not wasting any time, Datan moved carefully yet swiftly. They got to the clean river with a steady stream to fill his water bottle and to eat some water lettuce, as well as to clean Irirana’s wound and put some lemongrass leaf on it as a remedy.
Datan also collected some seemingly edible wild mushroom as well as mulberries which grew near the river. He took a chance to rinse his body which was covered in dried blood of the Leader. Afterward, Datan started moving again. This time he was unstoppable. He reached a part of the outer area, in which the forest looked really different. There were less Yeklip trees and the atmosphere was quieter. The ground was black, showcasing a bunch of skeletons which smelled rotten and bloody. The entire area was a graveyard. Crows flew at their appearance, leaving traces of flapping sound which broke the silence. Not minding their surroundings, Datan and Irirana leaned on the trees, taking a rest and eating some food every now and then.
Irirana broke a fever. She was no longer chatty. When she did, her voice was slurred.
“Hang on, Irirana,” Datan told her. “You must survive!”
One day passed, though it felt like a week, and the end of the forest had yet to be seen. At night, Datan kept listening to the singing of the owl along with Ludajs’ howl in the dark. He felt like he was being watched even if those creatures had left them alone.
By any means possible, Datan kept hiding to erase his presence when he got nervous. Even if he had to bury himself under a pile of leaves or be still behind some thorny bushes. It had to be done because Datan did not wish to be caught off guard by any threat while Irirana got worse and worse. She kept couching and her fever was still there. So, whether he liked it or not he had to keep moving even if he wanted nothing more than to lay down.
Then, he could see the end of the forest.
A hint of relief was apparent on Iriana’s weary face which had been put through constant stress. Datan could no longer understand what Irirana went through. The woman had passed out; her heartbeat was weak and she was much lighter, yet her vanilla scent remained; her skin dried; her cheeks were hollowed like a corpse; her under eye area darkened. She no longer looked captivating, instead, she looked odd and concerning. Datan could not bring himself to check Irirana’s left ankle which—in his head—must be worsened or say the wound in her thigh, which might never heal.
The terrain mounted. Yeklip trees became less frequent to be seen, they grew more sporadically. Fresh air loomed over them as they stepped out of the forest.
Chapter 9
Angare Village
The sun was tranquil, shifting to the west.
Datan watched the beauty of the sunshine as it shone over the thin fog. It shimmered a gold hue in the base of a mountain resembling a steep mountain that loomed before him. Long wooden staircase split the stone right in the middle, forming an incredibly steep and narrow path. It even cut through a small waterfall surrounded by greens on its way to the top. The wind blew silently, making the pointy tip of the tree danced.
Irirana hummed with her mouth closed in his back. Her eyes were still shut, but her body seemed to feel relief that they managed to get out of the forest.
Meanwhile, Datan staggered. His head hung low. Weary. Yet, the moment he heard hurried footsteps approaching them, he went cautious right away. Kanas appeared from behind the fog, looking worried. Following him were two Urgut people in maroon uniform holding some black spear.
“For Unum, Datan! I thought you were dead!” Kanas jogged, approaching him, his grey cloak weaver behind him. “What took you so long, pan?”
“Kanas!” Datan had never felt so relief seeing Kanas. “Help me! This woman is dying.”
One of the guards made the other held his spear. The guard helped Datan put Irirana down from his back and laid her down on the grass. Kanas widened his eyes in shock. His fingers wiped away the multicolor hair covering Irirana’s pale face. He wiped the sweat off her face, put his palm softly on her freezing forehead, then he looked at the guards.
“I found her in the forest,” Datan wiped his eyes where sweat just dropped. “She was a mess. Her ankle—I don’t know—perhaps it was dislocated.”
Kanas looked solemn. “She often pushes herself too far,” he nagged.
Datan narrowed his eyes, starting to get suspicious. “She said her name is Irirana.”
Lines in Kanas’ face became more apparent, looking obviously burdened. “Take the Lady to the Healing Room immediately,” he ordered.
The man with a curly silver hair nodded. He reached out to carry Irirana in front of his chest. He broke into a small run carrying her. Soon, Datan wa
tched as his back disappeared into the fog.
“The Lady?” Datan repeated confusedly.
“Follow me. Tell me what happened.”
They walked tracing a footpath made of white limestone. The other guard followed them like an attendant. They walked into the fog, crossing over a three-meter wooden bridge with a stream under it. Pointy metal wedges resembling thorns filled its rocky base, halfway drowned in a thick grey liquid with an acidic smell.
Datan speculated the purpose of the trench—was to defend themselves from Ludaj?
Datan told Kanas how he encountered Irirana, including everything about Elina. Kanas got even more solemn. He bobbed his head understandingly, truly listening to Datan though he was frowning deeply. His expression was serious and full of empathy. Then, mournfully, he said that the Lady really loved Elina.
“I am aware of that. But she had to let her go, Kanas. The situation was too pressing.”
“I did hear the news about Elina’s sickness.”
“Why don’t you look for her all of this time? Something worse might have happened if I didn’t find her.”
A bitter smile was formed in Kanas’ thin lips. “Because we knew the Lady won’t like it,” he said. Kanas told him that there was an agreement between them. In which they agreed that Irirana was allowed to disappear on will. Sometimes, she went to the forest to visit Elina, sometimes just to examine the situation. No one was allowed to look for her nor to disturb her—except in the matter of urgency.
“Four days ago Lady reminded the guards not to follow her. It seemed like she had another business aside from seeing Elina. Sometimes she went for a week without notice.”
Datan got even more confused. Who was she really? What sort of servant was she? Datan had witnessed her innocence in the forest. Well, she was just like a youthful servant who was very innocent and she cried a whole lot for her dead pet.
On the other hand, the moments she talked, her eyes showed that there was something more to her than just a servant. Datan had never seen such a gaze. It was an intelligent yet shy gaze and it must have been owned by someone capable, clever, and compassionate.