Mother Forest

5.4

Iano

Perhaps it was because Iano still had alcohol in his blood. But he felt invincible. He still could not believe that for once in his life things were going his way without obstacles. He had explained his plan to the barelander, and he took in the words and nodded.

He nodded as Iano explained that the aim was to stall near the entrance of the Central Jango-Iano had lost his maps to show them the schemes he drew on them. But one couldn't miss the building and the eternal tree. He nodded as Iano explained to them that they must flee as soon as the rifle shots were fired.

What they gained from coming to the village seemed like a good enough reward. But it didn't matter at this point. As soon as they fired those shots, they would condemn themselves. The guards around the Central Jango would find them and imprison them for judging by the council.

Whatever they were after, Iano knew not to trust barelanders. They were bait for him. Their role was to attract the guards around the Central Jango so that he had a free way to see Mother Forest.

As he had galloped from the village to their settlements, Iano had asked himself the question many times. After all, the barelanders had never been violent toward him. But the elders were surely right when they said that whatever ill intentions you have, the barelanders have it times ten.

Now as he galloped toward the village. Toward his aim. Iano felt even more convinced of the necessity of what he was doing. He was a good tracker. A good tracker, an outsider from the central domain of the forest and with a maddening wish to see the Goddess too, but still a good tracker bent on protecting the village from dangers.

The pace of their gallop across the forest was faster than Iano liked, so he asked the barelander who spoke the Anuka language to slow down, and he passed the word to the other one.

They entered Keru by the outskirts. It was late and the night was moonless. All Keru was sleeping, except for the guards of the Central Jango. But Iano preferred to be too prudent rather than not enough. So, after they abandoned their horses, tethering them to trees, they moved in the shadows as they approached the Central Jango.

Iano could feel the surprise in the face of the barelanders. Even the stoic one who never spoke. They were close enough to the Central Jango. Iano's fingers brushed the saber sheathed at his waistband. Then Iano said, "Watch me as I approach the building. You must shoot when I'm next to it."

"Alright." He said something to the other one. The one who had the rifle, but it seemed he didn't want things to go as Iano said. "What is he saying?" Iano asked. But the barelander wouldn't say a thing. They were still debating, causing Iano to grow angry. "If you don't do as I say, I'll have the guards turn on you now."

That caused Kairou to fall silent for a moment. He translated the words to the other one. But none of it seemed to appease him. He looked at Iano with a real air of defiance. So angry that Iano wondered if he would shoot him there. But he said nothing. Did nothing. He knew. They had come too deep inside Keru to leave unharmed. Their best bet was to collaborate with Iano. But Iano was sorry not even that would help them. Their destinies were sealed.

Iano walked ahead. Conscious of the weapon behind his back. He walked toward the Central Jango, its large shape like a mass against the darkness of the night. When he could see the faces of the guards in front of the door of the jango, the shot finally echoed. From behind him, its sound was so strong it seemed to blow inside his head. Iano saw the faces of the guards as they decomposed first, then a moment later, hair hands were at their blades as they searched around.

Iano bolted forward and screamed, "Barelanders!" He caught his breath. Saw the guard's panic grow. "Two of them in the bushes behind me. Get to them before they attack us. Fast!"

The guards sprinted forward.

Iano's hand was already at his saber, ready to destroy the door as he neared it, but in the rush of the moment the guards had left it open, and he pushed it and scampered forward. Inside the courtyard. He did use his saber to destroy the lock of the door of the room of the council, his hands aching from the blows. But he employed as much force as he needed to, finishing the work with a kick that threw the door open. In the room of the council, fires still burned and bathed the whole space in a dim red light.

At the end of the vast place, he spotted the door that gave to the eternal tree. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. When he had pictured himself traversing that door, to finally get to the Goddess, he had always imagined that he would run.

Perhaps the grace of the Goddess had come upon him because he found himself unable to run. He walked. Slowly. He felt each step he took across the room. In his mind were playing the things he had heard all his life about the wrongness of what he was about to do. You're not worthy of seeing the Goddess. Mother Forest abhors the sight of those not belonging to the central fief.

But Iano had always had trouble believing any of it. Mother Forest had created the Uluh River because she loved the people of Keru. She had made a forest grow in the depths of the river to keep the barelanders at bay so she could protect all the kerumen. Not only those from the capital area. Her incarnation on earth would never despise the people for whom she had done all these marvels.

When Iano was standing in front of the door, his saber seemed to weigh too much. But, as if by a miracle, the door in front of him budged. It opened, slowly creaking and revealing the view he had been longing for all this time. Only it wasn't the view he had been longing for all this time.

Past the threshold, there was a small compartment that separated the room of the council and the space where the eternal tree took root. Inside the small cage stood Gelinakeru, foreboding, and Miano. The first looked at him with a sly smile, the second, his brother, was on the brink of tears. Iano stared at the map in Miano's hand. He had left it in his brother's house. How stupid could he be?

Gelinakeru's hand nudged his brother's shoulders. "Well seen, Mianokeru. Well seen," he said, "may the Goddess reward you for putting your righteousness above all things."