Chaart Acrat 1 - The Flying Bride

Epilogue

The sun had already climbed high in the sky; the ceremony should have started long ago. Gitamya yawned. He was sweating.

Mr. Waroshe was trying to wake up his napping students by poking them with his finger, but the students were sitting back on the ground, unwilling to stand up. "Pay attention, children! You won't be seeing a wedding like this every day. You should use the opportunity and note every single detail - there's a chance that you one day act as a part of some honored Tshers' wedding ceremony! Who knows, maybe as the head priest?"

Gitamya snorted. He had no chance to get to that point. He couldn't see past or future better than present, and he knew he'd always stay ungifted, since it was not something he could affect himself in any way. Physically his sight was adequate - at least he thought so - but that was not enough for a Leonceg.

He heard the crowd around him gasp. People were peering at the sky - Gitamya tried to see what they saw, but the sun was blinding him when he lifted the brim of his hat. He heard a shia-ag scream and smirked. The chief's son seemed to have arranged an elegant arrival.

Two shia-ags landed in front of the temple, their wings flapping and almost hitting the priests' foreheads. The priests startled and moved farther, and the carefully positioned formation split up. The crowd was whispering as the bride and groom landed wearing some muddy hunting clothes. The chief was standing on the stairs of the temple, gazing at her son murderously.

Despite from the chaos the head priestess started the ceremony by humbly asking the couple to move their shia-ags away and rising her both hands in the air to calm down the audience. At the same time Mr. Waroshe woke up from his momentary puzzlement, and hurried to lecture a few of the students who had started to laugh hysterically. Gitamya too felt a laughter tickling in his stomach, but he contained himself.

After the startling beginning the ceremony quickly became boring. Gitamya closed his eyes quietly as the priests were starting their third prayer chant. He grabbed his white hair slowly and started plaiting it, hoping that it wouldn't annoy Mr. Waroshe. The hair made him sweat even worse if he didn't do anything to it.

"Our Master, Sea, and Waves as your minions, we're asking for your confirmation to this marriage," the priests were singing.

"- confirmation to this marriage!" a hissing echo responded. Gitamya frowned.

"Protect the life on our island -"

"- on our island!"

"- as declared in the beginning of time."

"- of time!"

Gitamya opened his eyes and squinted towards the treetops. Who was repeating the priests' singing? The high-pitched echo came from near, probably from the tree foliage. Gitamya glanced at the girl standing beside him, Taruh. She was looking at the priests with concentration and listening to the chant.

Gitamya nudged her arm and she turned to look at him annoyed.

"Can you hear it?" Gitamya whispered.

"I could if you didn't interrupt."

"No... I mean the echo."

The girl shook her head impatiently and turned away to follow the ceremony.

Someone poked Gitamya's shoulder. "Be quiet, boy." It was Mr. Waroshe. "Even if you didn't have enough interest to follow this lesson, don't spoil others' experience."

Gitamya nodded, looked down on the ground and let his plait fall on his shoulder unfinished.

When it was time for the chief's speech, the whole audience leaned forward and went completely silent. But the chief didn't move. The head priestess was staring at her.

"We need you to confirm the marriage now," advised the priestess.

The chief looked sour, but eventually she opened her mouth. "I confirm the marriage."

The crowd cheered. There was also some confused laughter and vague shouts. Gitamya sighed and looked at the treetops again. Maybe it would be best not to tell anyone about the voices he had heard. Maybe he was going crazy.

The tree foliage cheered shrilly for his decision.