Falling Shadows (The Ellocea chronicles) [#Wattys2016]

Twenty One

Zahni looked at the wooden floor beneath his chair and tried, rather unsuccessfully, to contain his laughter. He felt like he was a young boy again being scolded for getting slightly too involved in his favourite game of 'evade and attack', which often ended up in some damaged furniture or bodily harm.

"Ahkir! Zahni! Stop laughing this isn't funny, you are meant to be men now and men do not push their younger sister, or anyone, into a pool! You have responsibilities to handle and an image to upkeep for the people, especially you Zahni! Even Taavi's acting more mature and he's nearly five suns younger than you!" Taavi grinned and puffed out his chest as his older brothers scowled at him, knowing that he played far more tricks on Nuala and his other siblings than both the older brothers combined. "I can't believe you've acted like this to your poor sister especially after you've officially become a man," Their mother's words had become clipped with her Skylle accent and Zahni's heart dropped for a minute when he looked up and saw the anger swarming in her eyes. He then made the mistake again of looking to her left at Ashkir who was shaking with his efforts to contain his own hysterics and burst out laughing again himself as he remembered the look of pure shock and anger as she resurfaced from the water soaked through.

Before Elora could scold her sons again Nuala came storming through the door, hair wet and wrapped in her dressing gown.

"Zahni you are SO immature!" She screeched, "look what you've done to my dress." Nuala held up a sodden mass of coloured fabric so Zahni could see the damage he'd caused.

"Nu, it'll be fine just leave it somewhere to dry," Zahni replied trying to calm his sister. He'd obviously said the wrong thing as she grew completely silent and stared at him with daggers,

"Leave it out to dry....?" she repeated with an eerily calm and quiet voice. Ashkir had stopped laughing. Zahni gulped. Almost too afraid to break eye contact with his younger sister, he hastily looked to his mother for help but saw she was perfectly happy to let things pan out, with a small smile playing on her lips. He glanced at Taavi, a last resort, but he was sitting in the corner eating berries as if he was watching his favourite play unfold. "Do you even know where this dress came from?" she asked with an icy voice. Zahni gulped again, his mouth feeling dry.

He paused. A small bead of sweat formed on his forehead.

"The seamstress....?" His voice rose with slight panic as he tried to answer correctly but knew by the flaring of his sister's nostrils that he hadn't. Nuala let out a frustrated animalistic cry and was only stopped from pouncing on her brother by the iron grip of their mother's hands on her arms, holding her back.

"The seamstress!" She screamed. "This was a one of a kind dress!" Her eyes went wild. "From the Sand Chief himself" Their mother gasped as she lost control of one of her arms and Nuala flung out her hand like a claw aiming for Zahni's face. "For my fifteenth name day!" Zahni suddenly remembered how excited she had been when she had opened the beautiful package and realised why she was so upset about a dress. With her arm slightly free she tried again to hit Zahni and only narrowly missed his nose with her bony hand. Taavi jumped up and grabbed her arm while Zahni tried to apologise but was barely heard over his distraught sister's wails. "I only got to wear it once and then you threw me in the pool!" There had been a slight lull in her anger but as soon as she said that, it was relit and her voice grew in pitch and volume. "You RUINED IT!!!"

"Nuala I'm sor.. Ow," a slipper covered foot connected with his shin, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know!"

"That doesn't change the fact my dress is gone," her voice dropped as she seemed to lose her spirit and stopped struggling against the restraining arms as her face fell and tears gathered in her eyes. Zahni's heart dropped and guilt flooded his insides.

"Nuala," urging her to look at him, but she continued to look at the floor as a tear plopped onto the floorboards, "Nu, I'm so so sorry, I'll make it up to you I promise." He moved towards her offering a hug but she just turned away and walked off with her head down clutching the ruined scraps of fabric, with Taavi looping a hand over her shoulder, giving Zahni a dirty look over. Not wanting to upset her further Zahni stayed frozen, standing in the middle of the room, feeling horribly guilty and lost.

"It's ok, Zahni. She'll forgive you... eventually. But really it just goes to show that maybe you boys shouldn't spar together anymore... Maybe that'd be safer for everyone." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder and left the room. Zahni turned towards his brother and saw that his face mirrored the disappointment he felt.

"Well, brother, it was fun while it lasted." Ashkir offered with a sad smile, being uncharacteristically serious.

"Yeh..." He paused unable to get past the swarming guilt he was feeling, "what am I meant to do for Nu?" Zahni asked as his mind kept turning up blanks when he tried to think of something to make it up for her.

"I don't kno... Actually wait," his face lit up, "I've got an idea."