Dreams and Shadows (The Aylosian Chronicles Book 1) (16 page)

***

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.

There was an anxious moment amongst the Elahish when a scouting party returned, reporting a skirmish with a small group of city soldiers, but though Aneh was required to heal some minor injuries, no-one had been seriously hurt.

Most of the time Michael and Aneh spent wandering the nearby forest, Aneh continuing to teach him the names of trees and plants, and of how to discern edible berries from poisonous ones. It was still confusing for him, but he thought he was slowly beginning to absorb some of her words.

On the third morning, Peran and Ippi appeared in the forest as they ambled through. He again marvelled at the beauty of these enormous animals. He had almost convinced himself that Peran’s claiming of him had been some kind of misunderstanding; that it had not been what it had seemed to Aneh. But the creatures stood before them again now, crouching low so that they could mount.

Michael followed Aneh’s eager lead, and in no time they were off, the Shosa jogging through the trees. He had never ridden a horse and felt uncertain on the animal’s back, clinging to its long soft fur; but the ride was much smoother than he imagined, and he remained steady on its back. Through the thick soft coat, Michael could feel the Shosa’s muscles, and knew instinctively that they were powerful. Even if he had not seen it kill a Chet’tu with a single bite, he would have known that its strength was beyond anything he had seen in his own world, and he was grateful that it was his friend – his protector even.

After a short while, they began to rise up an incline, and as the trees started to thin, the two Shosa suddenly increased their pace to a run. Michael stared across at Aneh, hoping she would not see the worry in his eyes, and was surprised to see her sitting up straight, her arms outstretched to feel the wind speed past as much of her body as possible, her long hair blowing fiercely behind her.

When she turned her face to look at him, her smile grew broader, both her comfort sitting astride the racing Shosa, and her deep love for it, clearly showing.

Despite their speed, Michael could still feel that the muscles beneath him were holding back, that they were demonstrating just a fraction of their power. But the look from Aneh eased his worry, and while he didn’t feel comfortable enough to expand his body as Aneh had done to feel the wind rush past him, he was able to relax his muscles somewhat.

He had even begun to enjoy it a little as their two guardians slowed to a walk and then stopped next to some large rocks, allowing Michael and Aneh to climb off easily. As they climbed down from the boulders, Ippi and Peran raced away – this time Michael was sure at a much higher speed than that which they had used to bring them here. As they began to dart amongst the trees, Michael realised they were playing and smiled as they eventually disappeared from view.

“I can see why you like them so much,” he said, still looking at the place where they had vanished.

At his comment, Aneh touched his arm, causing a shot of adrenaline to thrill his body as he quickly looked back at her. She was smiling, and she turned to walk further up the hill, letting her hand fall back to her side. He watched her for a few seconds, the pleasant swing of her hips as she climbed ahead of him causing his breathing to increase. Pulling his eyes away he started after her, allowing the mild exertion of the climb to replace the cause of his heightened heart rate as he caught up to her side.

It wasn’t a long climb before they reached the top of the hill, and they sat next to each other surveying the surrounding forest.

“Where’s the Stay?” he asked, not able to see the coloured tents in any direction.

Aneh pointed as she answered, “It is over there, but the hill is not high, and so the trees hide our location.”

“Is that intentional?” he asked, wondering whether she had used the word deliberately. “That you’re hidden, I mean.”

“The warriors from Aperocalsa enter the forest from time to time,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as she did so, “and if they could spy us from this hill it would be dangerous for us.”

Talk of the threat hadn’t dampened her spirits, though, as she happily put her hand into a small sack hanging at her waist to withdraw two hettlesip fruit. Michael thanked her as he took one of them.

“You haven’t shown me the trees these come from yet,” he accused her. “Worried that I’m going to steal them all?”

Leaning back on her right arm to angle her body slightly towards him, she gave a mock scowl, lifting one eyebrow. “And you would not steal them all?”

“Well… maybe.”

They laughed together, and then continued their happy banter for some time, before Michael turned serious. “You really have a great family,” he said.

Aneh looked at him questioningly for some time before replying. “When you related your dream, you spoke of the longing for your mother. And when we first met and you stood before the Lora, you said that you did not know her.” Her eyes now held a sadness that Michael knew was for his plight. “Have you never known family?”
 

The kindness in her expression gave him the confidence to speak, and he told her of his early abandonment; how he didn’t even know how old he was; of the upbringing by Rob, who paid him as little attention as possible; of the anger he would feel when other children would complain about their parents.
 
He even told her of the instance by the stream when time had seemed to freeze as he had stared at the bee with the flower and he had imagined his mother, now feeling embarrassed when a tear fell from his eye.

“So, no,” he eventually finished, “to answer your question, I have never known family.” Sighing, he said, “I would do anything to have a family like yours.”

It had only been a week since they had met, and already Michael had felt able to share more with Aneh than he ever had with anyone else, though he had kept his eyes to the ground as he spoke, still self-conscious of baring his soul.
 

When he looked up he saw that Aneh’s eyes were wet, and she looked at him with both pity and kindness, before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Awkwardly returning her hold, they stayed like that for a full minute or longer, before she pulled away.

She continued to look at him as she spoke, “You have spoken so openly of yourself Michael, and I am ashamed not to have returned such a gift in kind.”

“No, it’s okay,” he protested. “You’ve done so much for me; more than I could ever say.”

But she interrupted, “And now there is something which I must tell you.”

It was Aneh’s turn to now look apprehensive, and forgetting his own recent tale he smiled to try to reassure her. “It’s okay,” he said, “You can tell me anything, but I really don’t mind if you don’t want to.”