Revealing the stone next to it, he found that rather than emit light, it emanated warmth. It was hot to the touch, though not enough to burn his fingers. Although it was autumn, it wasn’t a cold day, though, and so he replaced the cloth over its surface, the heat disappearing again under its cover.
In total, there were half a dozen stones around the pole, alternating between light and heat emitting rocks. He tried lifting them and found that they were much lighter than he expected for their size, but he examined their surfaces and discovered that other than the light and heat – admittedly unusual characteristics – they otherwise seemed to be normal rocks; and he added it to the list of things in this world that puzzled him.
When Aneh returned as the daylight was just beginning to dim, he asked her about them, but he wasn’t surprised at her response of “Stone Weavers.” Unfortunately, that gave him no greater insight into how they acquired their strange attributes.
She led him from the tent, explaining that he would be eating with her family, and took him past a dozen or so cloth structures. As they walked the short distance, she responded to his question about sleeping arrangements by saying that she would remain with her parents for the time being, so that Michael could stay in her tent. He felt guilty for that, but couldn’t suggest an alternative so simply thanked her.
Entering her family’s dwelling, he was greeted first by a girl two or three years younger than Aneh who called herself Kasha. She shared the same facial shape and colouring as Aneh and Michael instantly knew that she was Aneh’s sister. The tent was much larger than Aneh’s, and had various compartments which Michael guessed would include different sleeping chambers. A wide stone surface surrounded the central pole a foot or two above the ground so that it would be comfortably waist high if a person was seated on the ground. Upon it were carved intricate patterns that Michael would later think were beautiful when he was able to study them.
Aneh immediately set to working with some stone pots that contained food, lying above flat stones – Michael guessed they were of the heat-emitting type. Meanwhile, Kasha instructed him to sit next to her while she issued a string of questions.
After the initial uncertainty of their first meeting, Aneh had appeared a naturally happy woman to Michael, and Kasha had the same trait, only multiplied. She quizzed him with excitement about the world he had come from, often giggling or looking amazed at his answers. On occasion, Aneh would give a somewhat annoyed glance at her sister. Whether that was because she felt her questioning too intrusive or because she expected help with the food preparation he didn’t know, but she said nothing, allowing her younger sibling to continue with the happy interrogation.
The first of their parents to arrive was their father, who introduced himself as Hurala. He was a balding man, with the hair that remained on the fringes of his scalp dotted with the first specks of grey. Michael thought he had a kind face, and his first impression gave that of a mild and unassuming man. No sooner had he given his greeting than he took over from Aneh in tending the food so that she could join Michael and her sister. Michael had spent a lot of time with this man’s daughter over the last couple of days and he expected a more intense grilling from her father than he had received from Kasha. Perhaps it would come later he thought.
The examination from Kasha continued, though, with Aneh seemingly happy to sit nearby and listen to his answers.
Finally, their mother arrived, Michael instantly recognising her from the tent of the Lora from the previous day. He had seen her enough then to surmise that she was Aneh’s mother, but his attention had primarily been on Arevu – the voice of the Lora, or Hafashal as she had called herself. This time, as soon as she entered the tent Michael thought she carried a natural elegance about her, and though her eyes were the same hazel colour as those of her daughter, they seemed to enter his soul when they met his, making him feel exposed before her.
“I am called Lohka,” she announced to him with a deep but gentle voice, “And by Ashael’s grace you are welcome in our family this day.
“I hope that Kasha has not driven you to madness with her incessant questioning,” she added with a smile, a dimple appearing on her left cheek that identified from where Aneh had obtained that particular trait.
“Oh mother, stop it!” cried the younger daughter, her own face turning pink.
Some happy family banter followed, with Aneh and Hurala proclaiming Kasha’s guilt, and Kasha making playful accusations in return. Michael had never witnessed a family scene of almost any description in person. His own home life had consisted of an unofficial adopted father who largely ignored him, and his solitary tendencies had resulted in few friends whose houses he could visit. As he witnessed the interaction of Aneh and her family he found his emotions conflicted. He felt happy, for certain. But there was also a tinge of jealousy at life’s unfairness to him, and no small amount of confusion as family members anticipated each other’s words, and made references to incidents long since passed.
Soon the meal was prepared and they sat around the floor table in the room’s centre to eat, Michael carefully looking at others to take cues for what eating customs he should mimic.
“Thank you,” he said as they neared the end of their meal. “You’ve all been so kind to me, and I really appreciate it.” Thinking of Devu, he added, “I know not everyone here thinks I’m safe to be keeping around. So… well, thanks.”
Lohka was studying him carefully, as he spoke. “I am Sooth Weaver, Michael. You have not spoken deceitfully, and I have declared it to the Lora. None amongst our people will fear you.”
She had said it with such a certainty, and yet he remembered the look on Devu’s face; the hold on his arm, and the sound of his voice, You may have deceived the Sooth Weaver, but you will not deceive me. Leave while you yet live. Michael hadn’t realised that the Sooth Weaver was Aneh’s mother, and was now not surprised that Devu had whispered those words so that Aneh wouldn’t hear.
His memory must have shown on his face as Hurala spoke, sounding concerned, “Your experience has been otherwise?”
“It’s nothing.” Michael quickly answered, but he immediately heard a gentle laugh from Lohka.
“You forget so soon,” she said, “I am Sooth Weaver. And for the first time since we have met, you speak falsely. It is not nothing.”
She had again spoken with certainty, and the speed with which she had detected his lie caused him to dart a glance in her direction. However, she didn’t force him into revealing his thoughts. “But no matter, let us speak of lighter things.”
And with that, the family broke into stories about each other; Aneh and Kasha alternately becoming embarrassed with tales of their childhood escapades. Michael found that by evening’s end all feelings of life’s unfairness had vanished and he felt happy to have shared a moment of a family’s joy; a contentment filling him.
It wasn’t overly late when Lohka suggested that she lead him back to Aneh’s tent, and he left after bidding the rest of the family a good night. His surprise at Aneh’s mother accompanying him soon left when he remembered that she was the Sooth Weaver. He still didn’t know what that – or any other “Weaver” – was, but it evidently enabled her to detect a lie, and she may be able to ask questions in private that she preferred not to in front of her daughters.
But their slow walk was largely in silence. The air had a distinct chill, the sky clear.
Lohka was staring at the night sky when she eventually spoke, “Do you know any of these stars? Do you recognise any patterns?”
Michael stopped and looked up. Amongst all of the books he had devoured through his years had been a handful about the night sky, so he was familiar with some of the constellations. But having lived his life in a large city with its innumerable lights, the stars had appeared dim and he had never made any physical study of them.
Nevertheless as he peered into the bright heavens in this place, he couldn’t see any familiar starry patterns. Even the moon, shining full and
bright, seemed slightly larger than he expected, its face bearing a pattern of craters and shadows that were unfamiliar to him. He didn’t know whether she could see him shake his head as he replied, “No. It’s sure beautiful though. Where I come from, you can barely see any stars at night. I think I could lie on the grass and stare at these stars for hours.”
“You may if you wish,” she responded, before adding purposefully, “If you think you are safe.”
As he returned his gaze to hers, Michael could see that she was studying him again, and although he could not see the colours of her eyes in the dim light of the night, he could still feel their penetrating stare.
“Who do you fear here?” she asked.
Devu had said that it was his mother who had allowed him to stay here. That would be Arevu, Michael thought, and he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to declare the threats he had received from Arevu’s child, not knowing whether that would itself precipitate further peril.
Rather than answer her question, he asked one himself, “I don’t really understand what a Sooth Weaver is, but can you be tricked? Could you be wrong about me?”
“I am not wrong about you, Michael,” she assured. “I would ask again who you fear, but I believe you will still avoid answering. I will not press you on it… yet… but rest assured Michael that I am certain that you do not mean us harm.”
There was conviction in her voice. She had not fully answered his question, but she had not pursued her own unanswered question and so he tried a different angle, “Thanks. I said before that I’m grateful to your family for being kind to me, and I mean it. But does everyone here believe what you say about me? I mean, why would people not worry about someone who pops out of nowhere, just because you say I’m no threat?”
As soon as he’d said it, he regretted the question. It almost sounded like an attack on her, and he knew that wasn’t fair: it wasn’t what he had intended.
But she didn’t take any offence. “Tell me, what do you know about Weaving?” she asked.
At the word, he couldn’t suppress a sigh. “You know, just about every question I ask gets answered with it having something to do with a Weaver. Aneh always says, ‘Because it’s a Stone Weaver, of course’, or a Plant Weaver, or a Cloth Weaver, or a Sword Weaver. Where I come from, a weaver is just someone who works with fabric or something; with like a needle or something.”
He sighed again, “Here it seems to be the answer to everything. You know, when Aneh found me she basically said that I shouldn’t try and hurt her because there were Bow Weavers, and I just thought, ‘Why should I be afraid of someone with a needle and thread?’ But don’t think that’s what she meant, is it?”
Lohka started to walk again. Michael followed as she talked, and thought he could hear a faint smile in her words, “No, it is not the same thing. I will ask Aneh to speak to you of Weaving, and then perhaps you will understand why our people trust me. Although with you, things are perhaps… nuanced.”
Michael didn’t understand the cryptic words, but they had arrived at Aneh’s tent now, and as they paused, Lohka spoke again, “You have not asked the question that worries you most concerning the Lora.”
It was then that Michael realised that she had accompanied him not because she wanted to ask him more questions in private, but because she wanted to give him the opportunity to ask her questions. He was grateful for her thoughtfulness.
“The Lora’s judgement,” he began, “was only an interim one, until a full decision can be made. Can you tell me why?”
He could see her nod, and knew that this was the question that she had been expecting. “As you know,” she replied, “when you came before the Lora you were unable to answer many of the questions you were asked, and of those questions which you could answer, we found your words strange.”
Michael remembered the questions being fired at him, and his responses that seemed to be variations of “I don’t know”. He recalled his later surprise when Aneh had told him that he was free to walk about the camp, to come and go as he pleased; and disappointment to learn that it was only temporary.
Lohka continued, “I could clearly determine that you spoke the truth, but you must know that for many in the Lora what truth you spoke was still very little to aid our understanding of you. We could therefore be certain of little, and there was a lengthy debate after you departed. The Guardian increasingly sends small groups of his warriors against us, and we fear he will have other plans, many of which may be cunning. The Lora ultimately accepted my claim that you had not deceived us – as I knew they would – but determined to continue to watch you and to learn more of you.
“For many,” she concluded, “there remains reason to be wary of you. But you are to receive our welcome and hospitality should you desire it until there is reason to believe that you pose a risk currently unknown to us.”
So the Lora had debated him, and some were still unsure of him. That would explain Devu’s response, Michael thought, and there could be others who felt similarly of him.
“If some still aren’t really sure that I’m not a threat,” he asked, “how can you know? I mean, if I haven’t been able to answer enough questions to convince everyone, why is it that you’re sure about me?”
Lohka seemed to pause for a moment before responding, considering her words. “There are… other things, that have contributed to my understanding of you, Michael. I am sorry that I cannot relate these to you, but be assured that I and my family are certain of you.”
With that enigmatic comment, she appeared to have said all that she wanted to, and after a farewell she turned and left, Michael then slipping into the tent. He uncovered one of the light-emitting stones and changed into the nightclothes that had been placed there for him before recovering the stone and lying under the rugs to sleep.
***
Despite the many urgent questions that remained, Michael slept well, awaking to the sounds of birds singing in the trees and of families in adjacent dwellings starting their day. He arose and quickly dressed, then exited the tent. He felt confident enough with the handful of faces he was just beginning to recall to ask one nearby man whether there was somewhere he could wash. After asking Michael to wait for a moment, he quickly popped into his own tent and returned, throwing Michael a small piece of soap and telling him to keep it. He then pointed to a couple of young men walking towards the eastern edge of the camp.
When the two lads saw him following, they paused, allowing him to catch up, and then they chatted together as they walked to a secluded part of the nearby river, where there were already a handful of other boys and men. The river felt cold as he entered it, but it was refreshing, and he tried to listen to the talk of the others as he cleaned himself, hoping to continue his education of this world.
There had been nothing to dry himself with before re-dressing, and so his clothes were damp. With the moisture dripping from his skin he made his way back to the camp, but the day’s prospects looked to be quite literally bright, and he remained in the sunlight so that he could dry.
After Aneh had come with breakfast, she suggested they walk in the forest. Michael was still nervous about encountering Devu again soon, and was therefore pleased that they would be leaving the camp, and the two of them were shortly walking under the autumn canopy. They were strolling more casually once they arrived amongst the trees, Aneh occasionally pointing out an animal, berry, or new species of tree.
“You seem happy to walk alone through the forest,” Michael eventually ventured. “Aren’t there any dangerous animals around?” He hadn’t minded the long periods of silence as they walked, but still wasn’t sure whether he would be able to stay amongst these people forever – or even for long – and as much for his own well-being he thought it useful to know what dangers lurked outside the camp.
“The small creatures that live and wander here are harmless to people. Even the Tils will avoid all who are living,” she replied. “The mountains are another matter, though,” she said,
looking at him, “and we would never go into them even with a small group of warriors – not without Bow and Sword Weavers.”
Lohka had said Aneh would tell him about Weavers, but he ignored that comment for the moment. “Why are the mountains so dangerous?”
“There are many fierce beasts that inhabit the high reaches. Some live solitary lives like the Varchik. It is perhaps twice the height of you or me and savage if encountered, but it would prefer to hide from us. Others, like the Chet’tu hunt in packs and would seek us out if we were within a half day’s walk. Even with a trained warrior at my side, we together would fall to one Chet’tu, but if there are three of four hunting together as there usually are, our only hope would be Ashael’s grace.”
Looking again at him, Aneh sought to reassure him, “But they never come down to the forests; we are safe here.”
“Not even in the winter?” asked Michael.
“No. Not even in winter. There is prey sufficient for them in the mountains in even the harshest cold.”
Michael was reassured that even if he had to leave Aneh and her people at least he wouldn’t find danger from the animals of the forest, and they again travelled in silence for another few minutes.
Soon they stopped in front of a large tree, Aneh seeming to be happy that they had arrived at their destination. Its trunk was roughly twice as wide as a grown man, its bark variegated in large sections with a variety of mid to dark browns making it look on examination like it was covered with a patchwork blanket. As with most of the other trees they had walked under, its leaves displayed various shades of autumn, its branches just beginning to shed their summer clothes.
Dreams and Shadows (The Aylosian Chronicles Book 1) Page 9
