Emasaran, the Land of Giants
Arrazanal didn’t experience any happy dreams; she didn’t even experience any nightmares. She awoke from sleep with dryness in her mouth and down her throat. She lazily licked her lips trying to create some moisture on her tongue, but her saliva tasted like dust. She rubbed her neck, feeling an overwhelming thirst. Her eyes darted around the dark cargo box, looking for some water containers. She felt around in the blackness, and her hand grazed past something warm and furry. Arrazanal flung her hand back; she focused on a white outline of the creature’s aura. It was so large that it nearly covered the entire back end of the box. She watched in stunned silence as two orange orbs opened and blinked. Her heart began hammering in her chest, completely forgetting her thirst. A low growl came from the darkness and she watched in terror as the two orange orbs drew closer. Sunlight from above the box caught the reflection of the creature and she instantly recognised it. It was an enormous violet-stripped tiger.
She wanted to scream, to call out to whoever was out there, but the creature had its long sharp teeth bared, and it only needed an inch of movement to attack.
“Shhh, don’t hurt me, I’m not going to hurt you,” she whispered to the deadly tiger.
It growled again, this time louder and more malicious. Its large eyes locked onto hers.
“I’m sorry to have disturbed your sleep,” she said. The tiger drew closer. She could feel its hot, meaty breath on her face and in her nose. She looked deep into the creature’s beautiful eyes; she sensed anger and great fear from it. A self-destructive urge came over her. She carefully raised her hand as if it had a mind of its own and gently touched the tiger’s wet and cold nose. The creature stopped growling; its jaw relaxed and licked her shaky hand. The tiger cocked its head towards the air holes and made an ear-splitting yowl, calling out to someone outside. Arrazanal slapped her hands over her ears. For a moment she believed she was deafened until several stomps vibrated from the ground, getting closer to the container.
“Why is Sheek’zeer inside that horrid box? Release her immediately!” shouted a familiar voice from outside. More steps came in quick succession to the wooden container. She heard metal grinding and clicking, Arrazanal turned just before the door slid up, sending her toppling over onto to the planked wooden floor. The tiger leapt over her and disappeared beyond her vision. She was met with several heads looking down at her in disbelief and disapproval.
“What in the spirit’s name are you doing, girl?” said one of them. Arrazanal scrambled to her feet. Her vision was blurred at the suddenness of her rise and dehydration. She looked around to see two-dozen Ezoni, some dressed in long druidic emerald and purple robes and others dressed in bandages staring back at her. Her eyes locked with one druid. Her long white mane floated in the wind Incredibly, sitting beside her was the great tiger.
“Lari?” Arr croaked.
“Spirits be praised, you’re alive!” The old female said, opening her arms and embracing the shaken girl.
“Where am I?” Arr said, glancing around the other Nalashi who was gradually losing interest on the two and returned their attention to the wounded.
“You’re still among the living, this I promise,” Lari said pulling herself away from the embrace, “and all of us are on a sea ship. Look at that breath-taking blue ocean!”
Beneath Arrazanal’s feet, she felt the floor tilt from side to side, almost sending her to the wooden floor again. Above her, there were four violet silk sails with the Wild Ones in satin embroidery, flapping in the sea wind. Sudden sickness rose from her stomach. She rushed to the edge of the ship, nearly falling over the railing and spilt all her stomach contents into the navy water.
“Oh my, that’s not a way to appreciate the sea, is it?” Lari said, patting Arrazanal on her bare back.
Arrazanal looked across the water. A thick silvery mist hid the horizon and the sky, but her eye was caught by the dark silhouette of mountains in the distance. As the ship twisted and tilted on the ocean’s surface, the mountains gained clarity and soon she realised they were tips of gargantuan trees with the high branches as thick as a ship. Her eyes widened in awe at their size. She felt more dry sickness coming and burning the inside of her throat.
“I need water,” Arr said turning back to the druid and wiping her mouth.
“Of course, come with me,” Lari said grasping Arrazanal’s forearm and leading her to a stool-height crate with several large leather pouches rested against it. She dropped to the crate, grateful to be off her feet again and watched Sheek’zeer follow Lari.
“Here, this is my personal supply of blessed water,” the druid said handing over a small pouch. Arrazanal snatched the pouch and pulled off its lid before pouring all the cool contents down her scratchy-dry throat. In four big gulps, the water was gone, and she looked to the old druid for more.
“Give that water some time, child, it will refresh you momentarily,” Lari said with her wrinkled lips curving into a warm smile.
“Thank you,” Arr said rubbing her throat. She felt the cool water slip down her body centre and her head beginning to clear, “please forgive my rudeness.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. I only hope your siblings are also stashed away on board somewhere,” she said rubbing the tiger’s unusually large head.
“They’re still back there…” Arr said looking at the creatures enchanting eyes.
“Many are. We tried to save more before the ship left for Emasaran, but our time was far less than we had thought,” Lari said. Her smile had vanished as she sank onto a crate beside Arrazanal.
A prang of anger rose in her chest. How could they not warn the rest of the village? Were the spirits truly on the Nalashi side? She was contemplating. Her mind wandered to her siblings, wandering if Dathazanal was still fending off the invaders and if Zjelazanal was still home and perplexed about where her family had disappeared to. Was she captured and taken as a prisoner or was she another victim to their savagery? Arrazanal dared not to think.
“I have to go back. I need a canoe,” Arr said trying to rise to her feet, but Sheek’zeer placed her paw on Arr’s lap.
Lari sighed, pushing the tiger’s paw from Arrazanal. “It wouldn’t be in your best interest to return there, the warriors are handling-,”
“There was so much bloodshed, there was so much death that I couldn’t do anything. I shouldn’t have left them behind!” Arr said slapping her forehead, “Dath was right – I keep leaving them behind to pick up the pieces.”
“If I could, I would still be there helping any to leave the chaos and see reason. We are only hours away from the sacred isle. Have faith in our warriors and the Wild Spirits to protect them,” Lari said patting Arr’s shoulder.
Arrazanal said nothing for a while. She knew the druid was right, but she felt she had failed her family for a second time. “Why didn’t the spirits warn us? How did they come so quickly?” she said under her breath.
“They hid a portion of their army around our village. They had been there for some time before their main forces attacked. When one of our scouts discovered the truth, they were administered an amnesia potion, however, few ever managed to regain their memories,” Lari said staring off into the ocean.
“What about our sleepers? How did they not see this?” Arr said beating her fist on her knee.
“They had, but I was assured that it wouldn’t come to pass. I was wrong in that assumption,” the druid said still holding her gaze to the blue horizon.
The mist had clung to her skin. She embraced her bare arms, but their sudden coldness had shot through her spine. The tiger locked eyes with hers. The orange eyes were burning a warmth that soothed her from the cool change in the air and in her heart.
“Oh, I have something for that,” Lari said, slipping off her feathery cloak and draping it over Arrazanal’s shoulders as she discreetly passed her another smaller leathery pouch in her cold hands, “I shouldn’t be giving this to someone as young as you, but I think in times like these we can make an exception.”
Arrazanal popped the lid of the pouch and sniffed its contents. The inside of her nose and lungs felt like they had been burnt from the revolting odour of the clear liquid. “What in the spirits is this? It reeks worse than some of my failed potions!” Arr said, trying to wipe away the smell from her nostrils.
“It’s heresy to refer to that sacred liquid as ‘reeking’, child. It’s a source from where a druid gains her ultimate strength, but I’d like to think of it as a pick-me-up and warm-me-up,” she said innocently bumping into Arr’s shoulder.
Arrazanal raised her brow at the female and drew as much air into her as she could so it would dull the stench and taste of the liquid. It had helped her. The moment the first drop landed on her tongue, it was like drinking firewater, only it didn’t end her life as she had thought.
“The whole thing, you must drink the whole lot,” Lari said, even tipping the end of pouch higher.
In one gulp, the liquid eased down into her stomach. She held her mouth, believing she would have to revisit the edge of the ship.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” the druid said, slapping her knee.
Warmth rushed through her body. She instantly felt revitalised by the strange concoction. The tiger sympathetically cocked her head and wrapped her body around Arrazanal’s heated legs. She glanced to the smiling druid. A sense of happiness and tranquillity irradiated from her and washed over Arrazanal that repeated every time she was in Larizinal’s presence.
“Sheek’zeer is fond of you strangely,” the druid said, patting the tiger.
Arrazanal turned to the druid as if the old female had intended it as an insult. “Is she yours?”
“Oh nai, nai one owns animals, the true natives of the wilds. They see into the truth of things and have greater insight than we can possibly imagine. If she didn’t like you, you would’ve found out it in that container.” Lari said, slightly chuckling to herself.
“She didn’t seem to be pleased with me when we met,” Arr said under her breath.
“She was just judging you, to see if you would be ready for the trials to come,” Lari said rising to her feet as she held out her wrinkled hand to Arr.
“What sort of trials? I’m not here to become a druid,” she queried, taking her hand and raising to her feet, careful not to step on Sheek’zeer’s limbs. Her heart hammered in her ribs, worried that Lari had intended to put her through the harsh druid training.
The old female cackled. “Arrazanal, you may think that Emasaran is just a place where we hone our gifted children into druids, rather this is where we breed true strength!”
Lari slipped her arm under Arrazanal’s and led her to the nose of the ship. The mists had cleared to reveal the breathtaking shores of the island. Roots the size of towers twisted and curved from cliff boulders and sunk deep into sands. Plants of all manner grew here, and their colours were vibrant from the nourishment the giant trees had provided. Houses along the shores were mostly carved from the roots. From the sea, Arrazanal could see their internal lights glowing. Her eyes drew higher to the upper cliffs where there were white and silver buildings like the Temple of Eternity in architecture, all made by the ancient Na’leu. Between some of the buildings were giant tree branches, used as bridges to connect different levels and trees.
Arrazanal had never seen such wonder, but her heart sank as her eyes drifted to the piers where several ships docked with Noszarel sails on them.
“They’re here too?” Arr growled at the ships’ direction. She felt the hot liquid inside her temper her anger. She was tempted to poke holes through Noszarel ship hulls and then swim all the way back to the peninsula.
“Like you, many have no desire to become druids and are here for sanctuary, but Emasaran doesn’t discriminate and has its own way to test you. All who seek knowledge and peace are welcome, Arrazanal,” Lari said.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” Arr said staring at the Noszarel walking on the pier.
“Nothing important ever is,” the old female said as her lips curved into a grin.
~
The Nalashi ship finally reached the shore and Arrazanal helped to push the wooden slats to connect to the pier. Several long, arm-thick ropes were hauled from the ship’s hull by sailors and tied around the tree root pillars. Lari had other matters that needed attending with the school’s administrators and the island keepers. She requested Arrazanal to take her personal belongings and extra scavenged items from the village to the docks. Reluctantly, Arrazanal rolled her eyes and believed that it was just Lari’s way to avoid saying outright ‘I’m too old to help.’ Fortunately, Arrazanal did have Sheek’zeer’s company as she hauled several heavy containers from the ship.
She watched the other piers that had docked Noszarel ships. She overheard quietened voices of the survivors she had travelled with and their extreme displeasure of seeing members of the northern tribe sharing the same land.
“If they start something, I swear by the Wild Ones, I will finish it,” said one young male from a group ahead of her.
“And we will be there to help you,” said a female, along with grunts of approval from the others. Arrazanal couldn’t help but agree.
Upon reaching solid ground, she came to drop the box beside the pile of cargo next to the pier like the others before her had done. Several island keeper attendants came with two large empty wagons tied to four elks. They rushed over to the mound of containers and began lifting and tying them to the wagons. Arrazanal recognised their orange and golden robes with silver eye-shaped broaches pinned to their chests to symbolise they had completed their druidic training.
One of the male island keepers awkwardly came to her and held out his shaking hands to take the box from her. Arrazanal almost thanked him but immediately realised that he was certainly from Noszarel descent. She frowned at the young man, who was clearly too timid about meeting her glare as if he already knew what happened to her village. Anger flooded her senses and she threw the box at his feet and walked away before she did anything else.
There was a mass of people gathering near the entrance to the school of the island. She grouped herself with the other Nalashi, staying well away from the Noszarel group on the other side. To her surprise, she saw Ezoni who didn’t share features or clothing of Noszarel and Nalashi tribes. They had belonged to other smaller tribes from different areas of Perishi Peninsula and other unknown lands to her.
“Look at them, pretending like they don’t know or care what they’ve done to us,” said the boy from the pier. His crossed arms were wrapped in bloody bandages.
Arrazanal followed his gaze to the Noszarel group who was also staring back at them. They appeared healthy and unwounded, most of them were in their teenage years or younger. However, there were a considerable number of maroon armoured Noszarel guards separating them from other tribes. Their guard’s presence made her uneasy and she wished that Nalashi warriors too had travelled on the ships with the refugees. But their hands were full of defending themselves against Noszarel swords and amnesia potions.
Her eyes drifted among the hateful and mocking stares of the Noszarel and her face also twisted in disgust. Near the edge of their group, her stare came to a girl’s face that appeared unusually calm and almost serene. Her white and gold aura nearly blinded Arrazanal. She could barely make out the girl’s feature. She saw her loose braided hair was of typical lavender and magenta mix, her skin was strangely pale even for Noszarel tribesmen, but her oddest feature was her blank white eyes.
It took a moment for Arrazanal to adjust to her haunting stare, but the girl’s red lips curved into a smile when she did. She turned her head away from the girl, hoping that she would get the message, but in the corner of Arrazanal’s eyes, the girl continued to watch her and smile. Fury charged her heart; she puffed out her chest and intended to call out to the girl and demand what she was so intent on looking at. Arrazanal turned to open her mouth but was interrupted.
“Lend me your ears!” Lari’s voice boomed across the horde of people. The chatter among the crowd died, and her attention was snapped to the front. There Larizinal stood on a platform that she shared with several other older island keepers and druids from Nalashi and Noszarel origin.
“I welcome the future druids and the refugees to Emasaran Island. This is a place of learning and development, even if you are not here to become a voice of the wilds,” Lari glanced to Arrazanal and gave a small wink, “we understand what the previous night had brought to you, and that this sacred place is not accustomed to caring for those seeking shelter away from the war, but remember that the war is out there.”
She moved back from the centre of the podium and an elderly Noszarel male druid stepped forward. His blue eyes were shadowed by his thick brow, his squared face appeared to have never smiled, his violet hair was pulled up in a tightly braided topknot, and his navy-blue robes had odd coloured stains on the front. Arrazanal shivered as he scanned across the crowd with his cold face.
“Though our school and town share space equally with other tribes, after the events on Perishi, we will segregate and allocate space for the refugees and students. Students may still be required to share classes with other tribes, but beware, any fights will result in immediate exile from this land!” he said. Arrazanal hoped that Noszarel would be the first to leave.
Larizinal and a handful of Nalashi druids directed Arrazanal’s crowd to another section of the entrance into the island. She looked over to try and spot the strange Noszarel girl, but she had vanished behind the wall of guards. After a hike up the winding marble staircase, they came to a tall building with trees growing from either side supporting the structure that sat uncomfortably close the cliff’s edge. Inside, the hall was large enough to hold four hearths. People in trainee garbs sat and chatted amongst themselves as the Nalashi refugees flooded the halls and took up seats around the tree-length tables.
After a few hours of breaking bread and stuffing her face with as many raw fruit and vegetables as she could reach, she prayed that the food would help her sleep well that night. It didn't. Her thoughts returned to her siblings. She yearned to return to her village and take her brother and sister aboard a boat to bring them to Emasaran, but she knew any more refugees would stretch the resources here even thinner. In the dorm room, she rolled around in her itchy hammock and was forced to listen to other female Nalashi snore or quietly cry to themselves. How long must she remain here? She wondered.
Arrazanal silently slipped out of the hammock and tiptoed her way out to the dorm’s balcony. The fresh night air struck her nose, and she breathed in deep its tranquil aroma. Across the cliff, she saw the Noszarel building; their loud music and celebration stung her chest and twisted her face in disgust. A dark part of her desired to create a fast-burning oil, throw it against their building and watch it engulfed in flames.
A distant squawking came from the sea and her attention was now directed to the swarm of hawks fluttering to the pier with tiny scrolls wrapped around their talons. Her eyes widened in joy as a handful of the hawks landed on the fence around the balcony. Their loud screeching woke the sleeping refugees from her dorm room. These birds were sensitive to psychic messages, trained by the druids to send messages to specific people and were renowned for their fast wings.
A scarlet hawk hopped across the marble fence to Arrazanal. It flapped its wings wanting her to read the message around its foot. She carefully unwrapped the small parchment and held it against a dim torch on the balcony.
Arrazanal,
I hope this letter finds you well and alive, Larizinal sent a hawk to the Conclave asking where most of our people have gone. We’re still fighting for our village but are losing. There’s a camp far from the village, we’re sending the rest there, Zjel and Dath have gone ahead. Be safe.
Kai.
Relief washed over her like a wave over a hot stone. She threw the letter in the torch and watched curl into black char, ensuring that his message will not be read by the wrong eyes. The others spoke among themselves as they rushed back inside. Arrazanal’s attention turned to the docks a field away from her hearth. She studied a dozen island keeper guards patrolling the shores, perhaps to avoid anyone destroying the Nalashi ships. No one had explicitly said she must remain on Emasaran.
When she was the last to remain on the balcony, Arrazanal climbed over the marble railing, her sweaty hands gripped the strong tree branches as she slowly made her way down the cliff face. Her agile body climbed down the branches, their jutted roots and smooth boulders until her feet finally contacted the grey sands. With all her energy, she sped across the shore to the docks. On the edge of the pier sat an array of canoes on the sand, all of them tied to ornately carved poles. In the distance, dark clouds rolled into the sky, blurring the line between the sea and the heavens. She sensed someone coming close. She froze to hear footsteps of the guards echoed above her, but there was something else that was closer – something or someone her empathic power had never detected. Her fingers awkwardly tried untying the sailor’s knots, but they were impossibly tight. She harnessed her inner energy and a tiny green light sparked from her fingertips that began burning the rope.
“I didn’t take you for a sailor,” said a voice from behind her. Arrazanal jumped so high that her head almost struck the planks above. She spun around to see the white-eyed Noszarel girl. She wore a maroon and scarlet cloth tunic with an assortment of silver bracelets and bangles covering her bare arms. Her violet and black skirt was almost transparent against her fair legs, and her silver toe-rings glimmered in the moonlight.
Arrazanal’s eyes widened with fury, she wanted to slap the smile from the disturbed girl’s face. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
“I’m just enjoying the beach, we don’t have those where I come from,” the girl said, kicking the sand.
“You bring death where you come from, get out of here or I will kill you,” Arr said.
“You wouldn’t do that to a blind girl,” the girl said staring blankly to the sea.
“And what makes you so certain, Noszarel?” Arr said, slowly walking up to the girl. Her heart wanted to toss her into the water and push her head under, but a flicker of compassion begged her not to act on her desire.
“Because that’s not what you are anymore. To be honest, I didn’t know that you were Nalashi until you chose to wear your hate on your sleeve,” she said with a calm smile.
“Like there’s nothing to hate about your kind. Now leave,” Arr said as she glared at the girl’s face, trying to imbue hers with terror.
“That won’t work on me, sorry. You’re a strong empath, but you’ll need more work to get past this barrier,” she said tapping her temple.
Arrazanal didn’t want to hear any more of her nonsense. She turned to kick through the singed rope, and the canoe came free.
“You don’t even know how to sail, let alone help your family right now. Please, give this place some time to help you,” she said.
“Get out of my head! What if I took you as my prisoner and made you row?” Arr said, glancing back.
“Is your memory that poor? I just told you I was blind. We might end up at the neck of the peninsula with me as a navigator!” she said, curling her lip in a smirk.
“Then what can you possibly do for me?” Arr spat.
The girl bit her pink lips and sighed. “If you go now, you will die – then you can’t help your loved ones,” she said, pointing to the open ocean.
Arrazanal turned to watch the waves crashing against the shore. She looked to the misty black horizon while hoping to see a shape of her homeland. There was nothing but darkness. She felt her eyes sting as they filled with tears, but she held them down, not allowing the girl to see them. She scoffed at the idiocy of that thought. She kicked the hull of the canoe and turned to see the girl had taken several steps away from her. Without another word, Arrazanal stormed off to the winding marble staircase to return to her itchy hammock. The moment her feet brushed against the stone step; a flash of blue light exploded followed by a boom so loud that she almost lost her footing. Her head shot up to the sea to see a peel of thunder echo across the shores.
She gulped down the saliva forming at the back of her throat. Arrazanal shot a look to the mysterious girl on the beach who warned her about her death, but the girl had vanished.
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