Raliena was not certain how long she travelled on the Unisayan. They remained in Canah forest but had travelled so deep in, that she did not recognise where she was. They stopped only once by a stream to drink, the Unisayan lowering its large body to the ground for Raliena to dismount, then he nudged Raliena to get back on and travelled through the night.
Raliena’s thoughts reeled. She began to remember things that had long been passed off as insignificant; lost in her more pressing memories.
“Do not cry my little miss.” Her mother’s voice was soft and loving as Raliena remembered her holding the hand she had just grazed when she had fallen to the floor as a little girl. Her mother, Chasra, had placed her lips gently on the wound and Raliena remembered feeling it grow warm and glow as if by magic.
“All better.” Chasra smiled, showing Raliena her hand, now absent of a wound.
As a child Raliena had thought nothing of this and had buried the memory until something triggered a need for it and the understanding. Her mother had the same ability.
The revelation exhausted her reasoning and eventually Raliena felt herself slump over the Unisayan’s neck and closed her eyes briefly. Being slightly bigger than a horse, the animal was much more stable to rest on, even without a saddle, and Raliena allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
Halfway between dreaming and waking she heard her mother’s voice but a faint whisper in her mind, “...I give you what is mine to give...” Then it was forgotten.
When she awoke fully, with an early sunlight warming her face, they were still in the forest but the trees were starting to thin out and the Unisayan had slowed his pace.
After a couple of minute’s steady riding, Raliena could see ahead of her a wide clearing, which the Unisayan confidently strode into. Raliena, on high alert, looked around her for any sign of danger, but the clearing was deserted and they had still not reached the end of the forest.
Looking above the tree line, the mountains in the distance looked no closer than back in Verxia.
Raliena flinched when she felt something brush against her ankle. She looked around her, expecting it to be some kind of animal, but saw nothing; it had felt too large to be an insect. However, she could hear a low murmuring sound coming from, everywhere. It was barely audible above the sound of the Unisayan’s hooves on the grass and if it had not been for her heightened hearing she would not have noticed it at all.
Raliena felt another brush against her other ankle and then noticed the unusual way the Unisayan was moving across the clearing. He was weaving through the empty plot of ground, as if avoiding objects that weren’t there.
Raliena lent over him to try to see if he was maybe avoiding rabbit holes, but could see nothing and yanked back up after something hit her head this time.
She was starting to feel more than a little uneasy and wished they would reach the far line of trees faster than this easy pace.
Once they reached the centre of the clearing, the Unisayan stopped, but did not make to let Raliena off as he had before. Instead, he started to buck his head and stamp his feet. Perhaps he didn’t want her on his back after all.
Raliena looked up suddenly at the sound of swords being drawn around her. She was shocked to find the clearing was now full of people, all slowly looking up from what they were doing to stare at her. There were also tents and carts dotted around the large camp and some livestock that had been allowed to roam free. Raliena would have assumed they were humble travellers, if they were not so heavily armed; many of them had drawn their weapons and were now forming a circle around her.
The Araman remained on the Unisayan in a state of bewilderment at the appearance of this humble army. A young woman stepped through the crowd towards them, a short sword held steady before her. Her clothes were plain brown, as were those of most of the other travellers. Many of the women wore breaches and shirts with sturdy boots and fur lined collars, as did the woman who had stepped forward.
Her hair was just as brown as her clothes and pulled back from her face in a long ponytail. Raliena must have looked very regal in her traditional Araman dress and golden hooded cloak; even mud stained as it was. The Unisayan turned towards this woman, who considered him for a long while before speaking.
“Eni?” She questioned and the animal bowed his head in response to the name.
The woman’s mouth fell open and she stared up at Raliena, who had not expected the next thing that happen.
The woman sheathed her sword in one swift movement and bowed down on both her knees.
“Armon.” She seemed to address Raliena, though her pronunciation of the title was different and thick with an accent she had not heard before. “At last you have joined us.”
Her announcement met with gasps through the camp and eventually everyone was on their knees and bowing their heads to the new arrivals.
Raliena was stunned to silence. The camp must have already been here but concealed somehow. The whole scene was overwhelming and she wondered for a moment if she was still asleep.
When she did not reply and the people in the clearing did not move, the Unisayan stamped his feet and blew through its nostril at the woman, who shook herself from the almost religious greeting and stood with a smile on her face; she gestured to the people closest to her.
“Go fetch Jaya.” They nodded and hurried away through the crowd who slowly started to stand.
“Go and wake Zinib” She said more quietly to one young boy still on his knees who nodded and obediently got up and headed towards a couple of tents, placed a little distance away from the others.
“Eni, let her down from there please.” The young woman said as she turned back to the Unisayan who seemed to be called Eni. He slowly lowered himself to the ground to let Raliena off who hopped gracefully to the floor but kept close to the Unisayan, still unsure of where she was.
Before she could ask, there was a commotion from the crowd who parted to let a big burly man into the protective circle. He was clean shaven, which accentuated his square jaw and gave focus to the deep coloured eyes that pierced through Raliena, despite his overawed smile. She felt a little intimidated being unarmed when he lifted his muscular arms out wide, as if he planned to embrace her.
Raliena felt behind her for the security of Eni and was comforted to feel he had not left her.
“It is as if you arrived when you are most needed.” The man said in an unusually soft voice for someone so large. He also had the unknown accent. “Please, dear Armon, introduce yourself to us.” He bowed his head and hit one of his fists against his chest in greeting. He had also addressed Raliena as ‘Armon’.
When Raliena did not answer she felt Eni nudge her back gently with his muzzle and unwillingly stumbled closer to the waiting crowd.
“I feel it is not I who should be acquainting myself with you first, as you seem to know of me already, yet I am caught unawares by all of you.” Raliena tried to sound like she had some air of authority hoping that the unjustified admiration from these people would aid her.
“Of course!” The man said looking almost embarrassed at himself. “We are the Lagania and I am Jaya, current leader of the people you see gathered here. We are on the move to fight a great evil hiding in the court of Verxia for which we need your help. The King’s advisor...”
“You know of Dergen?” Raliena interrupted stepping forward of her own accord.
“You know of him?” The man repeated back to her.
“I am Raliena, Araman of Verxia and have the misfortune of working closely with the King’s advisor. I have been increasingly aware that he is up to something.”
“You are from Verxia?” The first woman said surprised.
The leader, Jaya, stepped forwards and spoke gently. “Our honoured guest, we have much to tell you. You have been gifted a sacred power by the Unisayan, one which we have a great need for. One which can both hea
l and hurt...”
“You know about my ability!” Raliena interrupted in surprise.
“You have discovered it already?”
“Yes, since I was young.” Raliena revealed. Her head had begun to spin again. How could these strange travellers know all this about her and about Dergen? Is this where Dergen had come from to Verxia? No one knew much about his father, whose family had settled in Verxia many generations ago and worked their way through the hierarchy of the Kingdom to end up where Dergen was now.
“Is Eni the first Unisayan you have come into contact with?” The woman asked Raliena.
Raliena shook her head, thinking of the Unisayan she saved.
“Her powers were granted long ago.”
“Senette’s son must have known this,” Jaya said to the woman beside him mentioning Dergen’s father too. “He must have been looking for her also, we would have been notified if she was pledged already and Eni would have never brought her here to us.”
“Then we are even more fortunate that we found you first.” A voice called from the crowd and a man pushed people aside to get to the clearing.
“It is you then.” This new arrival said when he saw Raliena. “I was right in thinking your mother kept more than a few secrets from me.”
The man made to step forward but Eni was between them in a flash, snorting and stamping his hooves at the man, who held his ground against the enraged Unisayan, now brandishing its horn in warning.
“Be calm foolish beast.” The man snapped at Eni. “I can do nothing that is without her willing it so.”
Raliena was too distracted by the mention of her mother to ask what he meant by the last comment and pushed past Eni, who continued to stare aggressively at the mysterious man.
“What do you know of my mother?” Raliena asked suspiciously after what Dergen had said to her the night of the ball.
“She was my Armon. As will you be.”
Eni snorted angrily again.
“Zinib?” Jaya interrupted. “If that is so then Raliena is...”
“Of my flesh, yes.” The man Zinib finished, not taking his eyes off Raliena.
“Your daughter...” Jaya said to translate Zinib’s cryptic speech, renewing the gasps around the camp.
Raliena looked at Zinib properly. He had her same blue eyes and blonde curly hair, but what most gave away they were related, was the prominent cheek bones that made them both strikingly attractive. Raliena had always assumed she had inherited these from her mother.
“I was told that you were dead.” Zinib said indifferently once the gasps had quieted.
“And I was told you were not to be trusted.” Raliena retorted, angry at his lack of feeling.
Zinib laughed bitterly. “So, Chasra did not lie about everything then.”
He turned away and pushed back through the crowd.
Raliena felt Eni nuzzle at her hair and snapped back to attention. She had not realised she had been watching her so called father leave.
“What is it you want of me?” She asked Jaya, determined to find out what was going on now she was even less content then before.
“We need your help, Lady Armon. Your father, though it does not seem clear now, is here to help you do that.”
“He is not my father,” Raliena snapped maybe a little too harshly, so softened her tone.
“What is an Armon?”