Where the Wind Takes Us
Part 2 - Long Ago
Chapter 13 - The Valley of the Forest King
The previous day and night had been busy with the preparations for restoring Lagaro’s grave. A number of craftsmen and materials would need to go into the Valley of the Forest King to repair it. Most of the workers were ready, but it would take a little more time to get all the materials into carts so that they could be easily moved. Right now, the first wagons were rolling in behind the craftsmen on the path behind Agachi.
Suddenly, Agachi stopped in front of a tall, white-barked nanna tree. These trees grew all around the Valley of the Forest King. Their stark whiteness looked like polished bone in the mist. The branches of the tree fluttered and then crackled in a strong breeze.
This was the point of no return. No one could venture into the Valley of the Forest King without being guided by the Sadan Taram beyond this point. Agachi stood still and felt the wind blowing over his face. There was an old legend that the wind was the Forest King’s messenger, and that it told the Forest King of everything that went on in this wooded province. Supposedly, that was why anyone who went in without an escort ended up dead or cursed.
Agachi couldn’t go on, but he felt exposed standing in the middle of the path, even with the fog to help obscure his form. He was relieved when he heard the sound of the Sadan Taram’s instruments echoing in the distance.
The fog parted around the path, revealing Sadan Taram men holding up pine torches and women dressed in gold-embroidered robes playing instruments. Only Sari, who was out front, was dressed in a drab gray color. Those clothes were the traditional uniform of a Sadan Taram leader, which they wore for performing spirit-easing rites in the Valley of the Forest King. Lord Shisol of the Aru clan walked next to her, clad similarly in a gray robe.
Agachi was glad that he couldn’t see Lady Oria anywhere. The trek was a long one, and the Sadan Taram might still be attacked during their ritual. He also didn’t know if it would be appropriate to bring a full-blooded Rotan woman on Tahsa sacred ground. He wanted her at home and safe.
I wonder if the spirit of Lagaro is angry about his grave. Agachi had thought that before, but no one knew for certain. Hopefully, they could start putting the grave to rights today.
Right after the earthquake happened, Agachi had wondered if Lagaro’s spirit was angered because Lord Shisol had married Lady Oria, diluting the Tahsa presence in this province. Lady Oria was now with child, and his reservations about her had only grown in the intervening time since the marriage. He smacked his lips together in disapproval.
No other Aru clan lord in the region had ever married a pure-blooded Rotan. It wasn’t done, and it diminished the legacy and pride of the Tahsa people.
If only Lord Kamil were still alive...
Kamil, the previous lord of the Aru clan, had died in an accident with he was only eighteen years old. If he had lived, the future of the province would be brighter than it was now.
Agachi gazed at the ceremonial altar nestled in a grove of nanna trees with darkness coloring his vision. There were two nanna trees marking the path leading up to the altar; from this distance, they looked a bit like a gate.
Sari and Lord Shisol approached the altar, then gave the signal to move on. Agachi waved to the first wagon and said, “Our lord commands you to follow.”
Agachi watched Sari, Lord Shisol and the wagons move down the path, vanishing into the mist like apparitions from another world. The Sadan Taram took their places behind the wagons, carrying their instruments and jugs of sacred flower wine to be used in their ceremony.
Sari was given a cup of the sacred wine. She called out, “Forest King! We ask for passage, offering you this makiri wine.” Makiri was the wildflower that the wine was distilled from.
Sari passed the glass of wine to Lord Shisol, who quaffed it in a single gulp. Then Sari, the workers, and everyone else lined up in front of wine barrels to drink their own cup of makiri wine.
After Sari drank her wine, she started humming, then began to sing. By some strange trick--maybe magic--it sounded like two different voices were resounding from her throat at the same time. The direction of the wind changed, and it didn’t feel as cold against Agachi’s skin. The mist swirled in and surrounded Sari, then spiraled away all at once, forming a clear space.
Sari clutched a small harp to her chest protectively as she continued to sing.
Then the world split in half.
Agachi dropped his empty cup of wine, stunned. The morning mist was burned away by bright sunlight, but the sunlight wasn’t natural. It illuminated only Sari. Agachi couldn’t explain it, even to himself, but it was like Sari had summoned the power of another world to herself.
Plucking the water harp, Sari walked past the altar and continued up the path, singing all the while with unnatural golden light shining all around her. Agachi and the others walked after her slowly, as if held by a dream.
As they advanced, the sound of the music faded. It’s like we’re underwater or something. The golden light around Sari flickered. When Agachi breathed in, the air seemed heavy.
The woods surrounding the Valley of the Forest King were usually dense and impassable, but the trees parted for Sari as she walked, making a way. The wind fluttered the leaves of the trees, then passed through the hole in the water harp with a sweet sound.
In the distance, the green and white of the trees were marked by a monument in gray stone. It was Lagaro’s grave. Agachi sucked in a breath. The illumination around Sari lit the forest underbrush and the flat stretch of open ground surrounding the grave site.
Agachi’s head felt heavy. He’d been walking for a long way, and the sight of the grave affected him deeply. His vision dimmed, and he stumbled. I can’t make it. I’m going to fall.
In front of Agachi, Lord Shisol collapsed to his knees, then passed out. More people fell around and behind Agachi as he struggled to stay on his feet. He didn’t even have time to work out what was happening. His head pounded painfully. He could barely keep his eyes open.
Then he heard footsteps--running?--and groaned. He opened his eyes with effort and got the shock of his life.
Lady Oria?
Agachi’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out.
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