Armaran chapter 18

FIN - Niinhän siinä sitten heti kävi, että olen muutaman päivän myöhässä. Oikolukukin venyi sen verran myöhäiselle tunnille, että saattoi olla yhtä tyhjän kanssa.

ENG - As I anticipated, I'm a few days late straight away. Proofreading took place at such a late hour that it might have been good for nothing.

Armaran chapter 18

Amina looked at her surroundings keenly even though Mr. Augustin's pace was quite rapid. Signs of the approaching autumn could be seen everywhere, but the day itself was still warm with lingering summer. At first, they walked along clear roads, which eventually turned into wide paths, and in the end, they were walking along tracks that were used only seldom, though they were still clearly visible from the surroundings. Mr. Augustin didn't stop once, and Amina was getting thirsty and a little bit hungry as well. Terry and Sean hadn't said anything since they left Tenera and Klara gave up trying to have a conversation with either of them soon after. From time to time, Mr. Augustin asked Tom to clear some branches or coppice out of their way.

As far as Amina could tell, it was almost noon when they finally stopped for a moment. Mr. Augustin seemed to be planning their route ahead, and everyone else used the opportunity to drink some water.

”We will soon be there. Let us rest for a moment,” Mr. Augustin said eventually and turned to face them. Terry and Klara had made seats out of some moss-covered rocks and the others followed their example.

Mr. Augustin explained to them what kind of terrain would lie ahead. The forest itself might be overgrown and it could be dangerous to walk close to the roots of some trees, as the soil underneath was rocky and there were unseen pits, covered in undergrowth. The hill itself was very steep at some points, and that would very likely slow them down. As Mr. Augustin didn't think he himself would be able to move very fast up the hillside, he described the plant they were looking for in great detail.

Amina listened to the instructions very carefully and tried to ignore Tom who was entertaining himself by throwing his axe up into the trees to see if it would stick to a branch or better yet cut it off. He wasn't there to help them gather the plants, but his indifferent attitude bothered her. Ruffian was the only word Amina could think of to describe him.

They set forward, and as Mr. Augustin had suspected, the path was covered in bushes, and Tom got to work. He still had the energy to brag about his own strength and showed no signs of fatigue even after the had to chop down several branches as thick as his thigh.

They hadn't been far from the bottom of the hill, but they moved much slower. The sun indicated well after noon and Mr. Augustin measured the shades with some worry. According to him, there was no need to hurry yet, but there was no time to take a break. The youngsters soon took over Mr. Augustin whose pace was significantly slower than theirs. Amina didn't have enough strength to go on with the young adults so she walked with Mr. Augustin instead. A lot of sunlight penetrated the tree branches and lit up the surroundings, but the trees were growing so askew that it was difficult to see much farther. After a while, they saw Tom lying at the roots of one sun-lit tree. His eyes were closed and he had a straw dangling from his mouth.

”We'll let him rest,” Mr. Augustin said quietly and they passed him several metres away.

The hill was higher than Amina had expected and her legs were aching. Mr. Augustin was panting lightly but kept going with much determination. They were about one quarter the way from the top when they saw Sean crouching a little way ahead. ”Ah, I was just thinking I could remember them growing somewhere around here,” Mr. Augustin mumbled and went over to Sean to see what he had found.

There were flowers with five petals in front of Sean. Their colours ranged from slightly bluish light purple to dark blue. The leaves looked as though they were covered in soft fuzz. Amina fell in love with them immediately. Sean was as meticulous as ever as he picked the flowers one by one and cut off the different parts of them according to Mr. Augustin's instructions.

”I'll go a little higher to see if there are more flowers there. Maybe I'll find Terry and Klara there,” Amina suggested. She didn't want to stay near Sean in case he'd have another nervous breakdown and despair.

Mr. Augustin simply nodded and said he'd stay there for a while as there seemed to be plenty of flowers growing there.

Amina continued her way up the hill even though her legs were crying for a break. There were no signs of Terry or Klara and they hadn't stomped the undergrowth enough that Amina could have followed them. The hill wasn't more then 20 metres wide, so it was very unlikely that she would get lost, but she felt very lonely. As she walked by herself, Amina payed more attention to her surroundings – even more than she normally would when she was looking for herbs. Many trees had deep, old cuts on their trunks, and Amina wondered what could have caused them. To make such huge marks on trees that made them grow askew would take a lot of force. Eventually her curiosity got the best of her and she brushed the surface of one tree with her fingertips. Praie stated immediately that the marks had been left a very long time ago by some Gahim. Amina instinctively pulled her hand away. A powerful spirit. Maybe it was still moving in the area. What had driven it so mad that it had nearly ripped these trees apart? Amina decided that she really didn't want to know, and moved on quickly even though her legs and thighs were burning painfully and her breathing was heavy.

All of a sudden there were no more trees and for some metres there was a meadow-like hay growth around her, and the very top of the hill was just bare rock. Terry and Klara were moving systematically along the meadow, gathering flowers. On the hilltop, their colour ranged from pale lilac to almost pure white. Amina was mesmerized by their beauty for a moment and then started collecting them herself into the small sack Mr. Augustin had given her. She used her schoolbag as a seat as she let her legs rest for a while.

They had no breaks except for a few minutes here and there to eat and drink a little and they hardly spoke anything. After a couple of hours Tom climbed up to see them. ”It's about time to head back, says the old man,” he blurted out.

Amina stood up and stretched her arms and shoulders. She had been crouching a lot while cutting the plants apart and her head felt heavy on her shoulders.

Terry and Klara packed their things immediately after they finished cutting the plants they had had in their hands when Tom arrived.

Amina took a quick look around. The top of the hill was a beautiful place. It didn't offer a great view because of the thick forest but the contrast between the bare rock and the soft meadow was in itself attractive.

They climbed down the hill and found Sean and Mr. Augustin pretty much where they had left hem.

The whole party carried on downhill and Tom began to entertain himself again, this time by throwing his axe at the nearby trees or swinging it at the lowest branches. One of his throws hit right in the middle of a scar on the trunk, and Amina made a sound. Everyone turned to look at her.

”I don't think that does much harm to the tree,” Mr. Augustin said. ”The strike is so old that I don't think any sap has been flowing in that spot for decades.”

Amina didn't know what to say. She was afraid that the Gahim that had originally made the marks would suddenly appear, but how could she voice any of that? Would anyone believe her if she told them what had caused the scars in the first place?

Tom just laughed. ”Trees don't feel a thing!”

”Probably not, but all kind of life leaves its marks on them,” Mr. Augustin said. ”According to an old tale, through times immemorable several Gahim have inhabited this hill. Usually they have been living in peace with one another, but sometimes they have fought amongst themselves. Several hundred years ago there were but few people who dared to climb this hill. They were the only ones the Gahim let approach the place. But it may all be nothing more than a tale. No one can remember what really happened here and whether any Gahim were actually involved in it or not. I have sometimes seen lightning scar trees badly. Of course, it would be rare for so many trees in a small area to get hit, but it could be so. Perhaps there is some metal in the rock of this hill that draws lightning.”

Tarn, Amina thought. A spirit with the power of lightning. It could easily harm so many trees. ”Don't the trees usually die when they're hit by lightning?”she asked Mr. Augustin.

He nodded. ”In most cases, yes. If the lightning doesn't burn the tree too badly, or split it thoroughly, I believe it could survive.”

Amina thought about things some more. She had learned the different Gahim by heart at a young age. Maybe there had been a fight between Tarn and Pung, which had the power equivalent to the lifeforce of plants. Maybe Tarn hurt the trees, and Pung tried to save them. However, both types of Gahim were extremely rare, and this was still something Amina didn't really want to think about so much, as cold shivers went down her spine and the hair on the back of her neck were getting up.

Their way back was faster as the path had already been cleared and it was still light as the sun had hardly made its way behind to the tallest trees. Mr. Augustin had again taken the lead and determined their pace which was a little bit slower than in the morning but still quite brisk. All of a sudden he stopped. Amina was walking second to last and tried to see past the grown-ups what was going on. Terry who was standing in front of her said in a loud whisper: ”There is blood on the path.”

Tom made his way past them to get to Mr. Augustin. After a short conversation in a low voice Mr. Augustin straigthened his back. ”It has been some kind of wild animal. There isn't too much blood, so it was hardly hurt seriously. We will carry on. Tom will go first. Terry, would you be kind enough to hold the rear?” he asked.

Terry shrugged and moved to stand behind Amina.

Amina felt shivers go down her spine. Something was staring at them from the woods, a little way back towards the hill. It was a Gahim, but its stare was so intense that Amina was scared. ”We are going home. We won't hurt any more plants or animals unless they get in our way. We don't want to hurt anything,” she whispered and her voice was trembling.

Terry gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. ”There's really nothing to worry about. I'm sure it was just a rabbit that got caught by a fox. It happens all the time.”

Amina gave a bleak nod. No one else must have felt the Gahim the way she did. What if it was Pung after all, and it had come to see the damage Tom had done! Amina tried very hard not to think about it and focused on walking instead. Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. Breathe. Right foot, left foot, breathe.

After a while they stopped again. Tom signaled Mr. Augustin to come over and whispered something, keeping his eyes on the path ahead.

Mr. Augustin backed down a little and whispered something to Sean, who squeaked, and then to Klara who came to Amina and put her arm around her. ”There's a wild boar,” she whispered into Amina's ear.

Amina had never seen a live boar before, hardly even one that was still in one piece, as the hunters seldom brought more than pieces of the animal to the market. However, she had heard that they could be vicious animals when angry and at least very strong and could tear a grown man to pieces with their tusks. She shivered.

Tom moved forward, slowly and carefully. He stopped after a few meters. After a moment he took some steps backwards, still keeping his eyes on the path ahead. ”It's hurt. It must be its blood we saw. I bet it's bloody pissed,” he said in a low voice.

Amina pressed her eyes shut thight. She was scared. She was the smallest of them. The boar would probably attack her first. She could also still feel the Gahim staring at them, though it wasn't as close as it had been before.

”Oh shit!” Tom whizzed, and Amina opened her eyes in terror. A large boar was approaching them along the path. Its eyes were rolling wildly and blood-stained drool was dribbling from the side of its mouth. It didn't attack straight away but was staring at them. Slowly, it began to approach them again and with every step, it gained momentum. Its breathing was rasping as it was speeding up.

Amina asked Praie to prepare for the moment she thought was upon her – how the boar would gut her and her entrails would fall on the path and at least one arm would be torn off and the boar would rip her throat with its teeth and – Praie seemed to be pushing its way into her every muscle and her body tensed in a way completely new to her. Everything felt like in slow motion as Amina was staring at the approaching boar. Praie was preparing her body for something, maybe to take a dive, as she could feel Klara pulling her towards the nearest tree, but Praie had rooted her on the spot.

Tom raised his axe and yelled at the boar, but the animal didn't notice or just ignored him. Then it locked eyes with Amina and it nearly fell over as it slowed down.

Amina stared into the wild eyes of the animal, hardly ten metres away now and still approaching, as the boar hadn't completely stopped yet. Amina stared and couldn't avert her eyes. Praie was staring, too, and still building up tension in her muscles.

The boar let out a strange sound – something between a squeal and a roar, filled with disappointment and fear. It made a 90 degree turn and ran into the woods, leaving nothing but blotches of drool and blood behind.

Tom let out a triumphant cry and waved his axe in the air.

Amina was breathing heavily. She was physically exhausted and could barely stand. Whatever Praie had done, took all of her energy. The boar was gone, though. Let Tom have his imaginary victory. She wouldn't have been able to explain what just happened anyway.

Klara supported Amina and helped her move again. ”It's okay. I doubt it'll come back anymore.”

Amina was barely able to nod. All of her remaining energy was in her feet, moving her forward. She couldn't focus on anything else. At times she managed to take in something from the environment – the sun had vanished behind the trees, but it was still light, and they stopped for a moment. She couldn't make out what the others were saying and didn't waste her energy even to try. She might have dozed off for a bit. The next time she became aware of her surroundings, she was being carried by Terry. It was twilight but not quite dark yet. She floundered a little, and he put her down. She managed to mumble that she can walk on her own. Klara held her hand and they reached some bigger paths.

The third time she came to when she saw fire. For a moment she thought she was back with her cousins, emptying her old home, and that the fire was Keok. She started but realized soon that the two small flames were the lanterns Terry and Tom had lit. They were on something of a road and it wasn't fully dark yet. Amina sighed in relief.

They carried on and Amina tried to keep her eyes open, but she took more steps blind than actually watching where she was going. Luckily, the road was even. As they were approaching Tenera, Amina could hear Terry and Klara talk. Then they talked to Sean who was restless in the dark. Klara and Sean came to her. ”We will walk you home. Terry and Tom will help Mr. Augustin take all the bags back to his shop. Is that okay with you?” Klara asked her.

Amina was so groggy that the first sound she could make was ”Mmnnhh”, but she managed to nod.

Klara put an arm around her shoulders again and held a lantern with the other. Nervous Sean walked on her other side, glancing in different directions. The other men walked straight towards the town in the light of the other lantern, as they took a turn to a smaller road that led closer to the Streckke house. Klara asked Sean to hold the lantern as she knocked on the door.

A young boy opened the door warily.

”Good evening and my apologies for disturbing you so late. We thought it's better to bring Amina all the way here because she is very tired,” Klara said and pushed Amina gently forward.

The servant boy nodded and opened the door a little more to let Amina in.

”Good night!” Klara said in a surprisingly brisk voice.

”Good night,” or something similar came out of Amina's mouth and she raised her hand a bit for goodbye.

Sean made some kind of sound as well before the servant boy shut the door behind her.

Amina wanted to fall over right on that spot but the questions the servant boy asked that she couldn't make out and a worried touch on her shoulder made her move forward. ”I'm just tired,” she mumbled and slouched towards her room. She stopped in front of the stairs and reached a point of desparation. There was no way she could climb even half way. There were too many steps! She was about to sit on the steps as she heard the apology from the servant boy and then she felt his arm under her armpit in support and he started to climb the steps.

Amina was grateful for the help but couldn't manage to say anything as her thoughts were stuck on his apology. Why did he say that? Just because he touched her? Was this again some kind of thing between the masters and servants she didn't quite understand?

At the top of the stairs the boy removed his arm and walked ahead to light a candle in her room and in the bathroom, as Amina was worming forward. She finally managed to thank him and assured him she'd be fine by herself. She managed to splash some water on her face in an attempt to wash it, she got out of her dress somehow and maybe put her school bag somewhere sensible and wouldn't fall over it in the morning. She climbed in her bed and was ready to fall asleep immediately but she had to focus for a moment longer. She thanked Praie.