Eventually the sensations ceased altogether, and Felar opened his eyes. “You are very lucky that Aneh has such a strong Weaving,” he said. “I could detect no sign of the venom, something only a Master Weaver would usually only be able to achieve. For her to achieve this with you and also with her Shosa… well, that is remarkable.”
They said little else, Felar explaining that the damage to his ankle was largely healed, but that he should still not do anything strenuous on it for a few days. Felar then pottered about his tent while they awaited Aneh’s return.
She took longer than he expected, and when she appeared through the tent flap there was an urgency in her expression. “The Lora is being gathered. You must come.”
As Michael stood, he realised he could no longer feel any pain in his ankle, but Felar called as they left, “Remember, do not run! Your ankle still requires rest!”
They heeded his advice not to run, but their walk was brisk, and it wasn’t long before they reached the tent Michael had entered on his first day in this land. Aneh’s mother was awaiting them, and quickly ushered them both in. On his previous visit, Michael had been too overwhelmed to study the faces of any but Arevu and Aneh’s mother; now he looked at the others. He had previously thought there were about ten people in total within the Lora, and as he counted now, he realised that there were eleven, including Arevu: six women and five men. Though they varied in age, none were younger than about forty.
To his surprise, Lohka spoke first, instructing her daughter to relate their tale by the river’s edge. Aneh spoke carefully, explaining their purpose for first going to the forest and then to the river. At her first mention of Chet’tu, several members of the Lora visibly stiffened, and some cast their gazes at Michael rather than Aneh, their stares accusing him of the danger which had threatened one of their own, and potentially now them all.
When she had finished, Arevu addressed the Lora, “Though we know Aneh to be a loyal and trustworthy member of our Stay, we will follow our customs. Sooth Weaver, has she declared the truth?”
“She has declared only truth, according to her knowledge,” came the formal reply.
Arevu then turned to Michael, her look grave. “Not in more than a generation have Chet’tu appeared near us.” She paused, seeming to expect a response from him, continuing only when none came, “Tell me, Michael, do you believe it is a coincidence that such peril comes to our doors and threatens our wellbeing so soon after your strange arrival amongst us?”
Michael felt the question had been intended as an accusatory one and could have been offended by it, but he remembered the look in the Chet’tu’s eyes – the knowledge that came to him that it was he who was the target. He had assumed that the uncertainty he carried with him in his strange surroundings had been visible to the evil beast; that it had focussed on him because it had sensed he was the weaker of them. But the question caused him to rethink. Had he been the reason they had come at all? Was he putting these people in danger by his mere presence? But he couldn’t comprehend how that could be the case.
“I don’t understand,” he finally said. “I don’t know how I came to this land. If there is a reason for me being here, I don’t know it. Why would they be after me? If they’re here because of me, then I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about it.”
“You lie!” The words came suddenly from a man with a long grey beard that hid the creases across his face. As Michael looked to him, he saw anger in his blue eyes.
But a rebuttal came swiftly from Lohka, “He does not. He speaks the truth as he knows it.”
“Then you are deceived!” he retorted at the Sooth Weaver, the anger intensifying. “It is written that there was once a man whose Weaving was deception. How else can we explain the evil he brings upon us?”
Lohka’s voice remained calm, though Michael thought he detected a hint of anger in it, “I am not deceived. I am Sooth Weaver, and I declare it. Do you deny my testimony, Berah?”
A tension filled the ensuing silence, Lohka and Berah staring at each other. Eventually Arevu spoke, breaking the unpleasant spell, “Speak, Berah. Do you deny the Sooth Weaver’s testimony?”
At the challenge from the Hafashal, Berah’s face softened, “I do not. But she would not know if she had been deceived. Considering events, we must be alive to the possibility that even with our Sooth Weaver, the boy’s words cannot be trusted. We know the Guardian plots against us.”
Another voice spoke up, from another man, this one perhaps in his fifties and with a shorter beard, “Can you hear yourself Berah? Our Lora is built on unity. If we were to heed your advice, it would divide us, and all that we are would be at risk of falling. Despite the dangers, we must trust the words of the Sooth Weaver.”
Voices from all sides then came forth, one after the other. They respected each other’s turn to speak, never talking over one another, but Michael saw that they were evenly split between those who took Lohka’s testimony at face value, and those who remained suspicious – or even accusing – of him.
Michael couldn’t tell which side Arevu supported, until she finally spoke, “How can you be certain, Lohka? How can you be sure that his own Weaving isn’t that of deception? It is this question which divides our unity, and is the one we must consider. Until we have the answer to that, given all that has happened we must consider him dangerous.”
She stopped and waited for Lohka to respond, all eyes in the room now looking at Aneh’s mother. Only the previous evening she had said to him, There are… other things, that have contributed to my understanding of you, but she had not elaborated on that and he wondered if she now would.
It seemed she was about to say something when Aneh spoke up, all eyes turning to her in surprise as she did so. “A Shosa has claimed him,” she proclaimed.
There were looks of shock on the faces of all in the room now. Michael couldn’t tell whether her mother had added pride to that of her own surprised appearance, as her daughter had been willing to speak uninvited, or whether it was instead the sight of disappointment he saw, that she had voiced herself. But she quietly said, “You did not reveal this to me before,” then added for the benefit of the Lora, “though she speaks the truth.”
“I am sorry, mother,” Aneh replied, glancing at the floor, “There was so much to tell you, and of all else that had happened, such a wondrous thing as the Shosa seemed to be of lesser relevance.”
“Tell us,” Arevu said.
Aneh related the events after the attack, when Peran had remained in the fields until Michael’s revival, and then deliberately approached him, placing the top of his head against Michael’s chest.
Lohka again confirmed the truth of what her daughter had said, and there followed a period of silence as all members of the Lora considered the new revelation.
It was ultimately Arevu who again spoke, “The actions of the Shosa are added to the testimony of our Sooth Weaver. There will be no further doubt regarding the man called Michael. I have sensed that all present have had their doubts sufficiently removed, and I therefore declare as Hafashal of the Lora that he is to be treated as a member of our Waylet, and given all of the succour and trust that such implies.”
There were serious looks amongst the Lora, especially from Berah, but all nodded in agreement, before Arevu continued, “Now that he is considered one of us, we must learn why the Chet’tu seek him harm, and do all within our power to guard him as we would any other within the Waylet. We will all ponder what has been revealed and gather on the morrow where we will discuss it further.”
At that, the meeting ended, and Lohka ushered Michael and Aneh from the tent, the three of them beginning the walk back to their family dwelling. Partway there, Lohka changed her mind, and suggested that they find a place a short way from the camp where they could talk in private, and they steered in the direction of the river.
By now it was dark, but the clouds in the sky occluded any light from the moon or stars, so they didn’t walk all the way to the
watercourse, stopping instead just out of earshot, where some light from the Stay still extended to them.
Aneh’s mother first looked at her daughter. “It was a courageous thing to do in the Lora, Aneh,” she said.
“I am sorry if my speaking was shameful, mother,” she replied.
In the faint light, Michael thought he could see a smile on Lohka’s face as she gently responded, “It was not shameful Aneh but courageous. You risked much by speaking as you did. At times in our lives, we are all forced to risk much if we are to be true to that which we hold dear.”
Aneh simply nodded in acknowledgement of her mother’s praise. Lohka then turned to face Michael. “I regret asking you this, Michael. Truly. It is a very personal thing which I request, and I believe it may not be easy for you to relate, but I must ask you of your dream.”
Of all of the things he thought she might say, this was perhaps one of the last he had expected. Why did she want to know about his dream? How did she know about it at all? He looked at Aneh, but Lohka spoke again quickly. “Aneh did not reveal the contents of your discussion. She has not broken your confidence,” she said, defending her daughter. “I am sorry that I cannot explain more. I cannot force you, and would not if I could, but it is important that I know of it.”
The dream was never far from his thoughts, but having related it already once that day, it was still fresh in his mind. After a pause he began again, telling it much as he had done to Aneh during their ride back to the Stay. It had been easier relating it to Aneh; they had become friends and he didn’t mind sharing some of his personal feelings to her, but conversing of the same things to her mother… That was a different matter, though he forced his way through it.
“I don’t know what any of it means,” he finished. “Can I ask,” he prodded, “why is it so important that you know about it?”
As he looked at Lohka, he thought he could just make out a wetness around her eyes, visible only by the faint light that shone from the Stay, as she replied, “Because it was not just a dream, Michael. You do not know its meaning, and I must be honest and say that neither do I, but I will tell you with certainty that it is important. It is meaningful.”
He had felt that the dream had been important from the moment he had awoken from it, and her words confirmed that. He was suddenly hopeful, and asked, “I’ve been especially thinking about that Woodland Star. Do you know what it is? Maybe it’s from this land?”
“No. Sadly, I do not know its meaning,” she replied, “But I believe that the time will come when we do.”
He was disappointed that none of his questions had been answered, but for some reason didn’t regret having shared his dream again. Lohka issued a final warning to Michael not to share it with anyone else, not even to the Lora, and then they returned to the Stay together to share an evening meal with the rest of their family.
***
He slept fitfully. Though he was tired after the day’s events, it had started raining shortly after he had lain down, soon becoming a downpour that lasted much of the night. The noise of the water falling heavily on the tent’s roof, combined with the memories of his first few days in this land, meant that he spent more of the dark hours lying with his eyes open than in slumber.
Although it had eased, the rain was still falling when dawn finally came, when he permitted himself to rise. Unwilling to exit the tent into the rain too soon after dressing, he decided to study again the images on the tent’s walls, coming again to the large cat. After the previous day, he now recognised that it was a Shosa. Remembering that this was Aneh’s tent, he also thought he could make out faint circular lines within the shape of the cat, and was sure that the picture was specifically of Ippi – Aneh’s Shosa.
Eventually he decided he would walk over to the tent of Aneh’s family, allowing himself to get wet in the rain so that Aneh wouldn’t have to and was warmly welcomed when he arrived by Aneh’s father, Hurala, who was warming some bread. The women all soon returned carrying berries and fruit, and they ate their morning meal together. They had clearly discussed the events of the previous day, as Kasha was animated with her questioning about the Chet’tu and their having been saved by the Shosa. She barely blinked as Michael related what he remembered and looked awestruck when he described Peran’s claiming of him.
When they had finished, Lohka told Michael that he would need to attend the Lora with him, and they set off. It felt strange to him not to have Aneh at his side. She had been an almost constant companion to him in this land in his first few days, and he somehow felt more vulnerable without her near. But the feelings of vulnerability turned to boredom not long into the morning. The Lora’s deliberations were largely incomprehensible to him, and he fought to keep his mind from wandering.
Any one of the Lora would occasionally ask him a question at first, but there was usually little he could offer in reply and it wasn’t long before he was largely ignored. The council continued after lunch and all the way until dusk, with little having been agreed upon. Michael was glad when they finally ended their day’s deliberations and he sat again with Aneh’s family for their evening meal, Kasha continuing her relentless torrent of questions in her uniquely excitable way.
The following day was almost identical, and as they sat again at evening’s meal, Michael realised he felt more at home now with this family than he had in any place in his life. Kasha continued her amicable inquisition at every opportunity, but behind Hurala’s amused expressions at his daughter’s behaviour and Lohka’s exasperated looks, he could see an abiding love that the parents held for their talkative daughter. A pang of regret briefly touched him for the absence of a similar love during his growing years, but it was replaced by a gratitude that he could witness such a family, and he determined that it was the sort of home that he wanted to have one day.
When talk moved to Michael’s injuries and his healing via Aneh’s Weaving, Kasha had insisted that he guess her Weaving. Without thinking he said, “Are you some kind of Talking Weaver?” which caused the whole family, apart from Kasha, to burst into laughter, Hurala stating that from now on that is how they would call her. The rest of the evening was enjoyable, and Michael felt reluctant as he left their company when it grew late.
As he made his way to the tent of the Lora the following morning, the rain of the past two days causing the grass to feel spongy and to squelch as he walked, he wished he could spend the day instead with the family he now yearned to be his, rather than with the Waylet’s leaders, but continued there anyway.
When they finally started the new day’s discussion, he was surprised, though pleased, when Arevu said that there would be no more deliberations. “We must consult with the other Waylets” she announced. “The mystery of Michael must be solved lest further danger befall him and us.”
Her brow creased as she surveyed each face in the tent, Michael’s included. “I have alerted the other Hafashal. We will await the Entwining of Pashatalor and Anurelka in four dawns, then depart for the Western Waylet where we will meet.”
The declaration had been greeted with nods by many in the tent, before there was a brief discussion about who should travel with Arevu to this gathering of Lora. It was quickly decided that Michael should go – the other Hafashal would want to see the object of their discussions – and that they would also need one each of a Sword and Bow Weaver, should they be attacked – something they should now be anticipating. Furthermore in the event of injuries a Healing Weaver should attend with them. Beyond that, a handful of other warriors would suffice to accompany two more members of the Lora; Lohka – because of her testimony as Sooth Weaver, and Berah – because of his initial doubts.
At that, the gathering finished and they each departed.
As he sat on a log a short while later, Michael wondered about the last few days. He thought of his home in England, and wondered whether anyone would have missed him. Maggie would have been furious when he hadn’t turned up for work, but would she really have cared? Then
he remembered when she and Beth had visited him after that strange incident in the shopping precinct, and decided that maybe they might be worried about him after all.
Col was really the only person Michael missed though. He realised how fond he had grown of the older man, and how he would have liked to have spoken to him each day about his unusual experiences. Somehow he would have known what to say to help Michael feel better about his situation. There was nothing he could do about it though. If he didn’t know how he got here, he certainly didn’t know how to get back.
Do I want to go back? he asked himself.
Never in his life had he been in the spotlight. The quiet boy who nobody ever noticed – that’s how others would have described him. And he liked it that way: no-one could impose their expectations on him. He could drift where he felt more comfortable without anyone being any the wiser.
But things couldn’t be any more different here in Aylosia. A jealous boyfriend-wannabe had threatened to kill him. He had been attacked by a pack of terrifying Chet’tu; apparently specifically after him. He had met several times with the people’s ruling group. And now they were about to set off on a journey, because they considered him important in some way.
It was all a little overwhelming, and he would have preferred it if he could have arrived here quietly, slipping into an empty tent, never to be discovered. But even so, there was something in this land that called to him. He was supposed to be here.
In the end, he decided that if he had the choice, if a way opened up for him to return to his quiet flat where he could sit in his armchair and read a book, invisible to the world around him, he probably would take it. But he also knew that his lack of courage to face what now lay in front of him would haunt him, leaving him with a lifelong regret for running away.
And so with a resigned sigh, he stood and went to see if he could find Aneh. Being with her would at least lighten his mood.
***
The next few days were pleasant for Michael as he was able to spend most of the time with Aneh. He became nervous as they bumped into Devu on a couple of occasions, but he just scowled, leaving Michael otherwise in peace.
Dreams and Shadows (The Aylosian Chronicles Book 1) Page 12