The Journal of Dreams (The Tales of Tahana - Book One)

Chapter 15: Under a Moonless Sky

24-2-2-4012 DM, Janang, Telama, Hilaraya

The western sky was a pallet of cobalt and purple as the last rays of the sun faded to make way for the first hour of darkness. The faint light from the early evening stars could be seen between the patches of clouds, which floated by lazily. A gentle but steady easterly wind blew, carrying with it the smell of dirt and dry grass. The Southern Kanayi Road was almost desolate except for Jesi and his quiet little company. Dari, who didn't speak much since that after midday, was the lumbering leader of their party. Jesi trudged a few steps behind Dari while the Periji brought up the rear, looking quite pale even in the darkness.

Their journey from Kanay was exhausting. Jesi felt a growing urge to stop walking, lie down on the hard dirt road, and pass out. He knew that his legs would give way very soon, and his entire body was already screaming for a soft mattress and a pair of fluffy pillows. The only thing that kept him going were the contents of his pack, the precious Arangi pearls that his Menaji had asked him to buy. He looked ahead and sighed. Janang was still out of sight, which meant that he needed to drag his feet for at least a couple more fields before he could rest. He took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore the aches and pains all over his body, and desperately tried to keep his mind from wandering.

Earlier that day, Jesi, Dari and the Periji left The Hungry Sailor shortly after they arrived from the Pamaya. They hurried through the maze of streets of Kanay to reach the trading post by South Gate, where they would to seek passage on one of the merchant wagons that could take them to Janang, the first town south of the capital.

Jesi was hopeful that they would make it to the South Gate in time, but when they finally got there, his heart sank. The trading post was completely empty. The merchants had already left and there was nobody else from whom they could seek passage to the south.

With a heavy heart, Jesi reluctantly agreed to the Periji's suggestion to start their journey to Janang on foot. They had no other choice. The three of them began their southward journey in silence as the heat continued to intensify. By midday, his tunic was already wet sweat and his vision was starting to blur. Just as he was about to pass out from heat and exhaustion, he saw a small blackwood tree beside the road about half a field ahead. When they finally reached the tree, he hurriedly sat under its comforting shade, and pleaded to the Periji that they take refuge under the tree. He suggested that they should wait for an empty wagon to would pass by and ask for passage from its owner. It was a long shot, but the road to Janang went through vast rice fields and there were hardly any tress in the distance. Upon seeing the rest of the road ahead of them, the Periji agreed to his suggestion and decided that they should have midday luncheon under the shade of the blackwood tree.

The three of them ate their midday luncheon in relative silence, speaking only to ask someone to pass this and that. When the last morsels of food were gone, Dari sat on a patch of dry bluegrass to Jesi's right and cuddled his pack between his legs. Jesi decided to sit on one of the protruding roots of the blackwood tree and rest his back against its trunk. The Periji, on the other hand, placed his pack beside Dari. He laid his prayer mat on the hard earth, sat down with his legs crossed in a lotus position, laid his walking staff on his lap, closed his eyes, and started to meditate. After that, they hardly moved or spoke a word. A few minutes later, Jesi heard something fall with a soft "thud" to his right. He turned to see what made the sound and almost guffawed when he saw an unconscious Dari lying on the bluegrass, still cuddling his pack, snoring softly.

After recovering from the mirth of seeing Dari literally fall asleep, Jesi tried to concentrate and kept his gaze northward, hoping to see a wagon that would save them from the infernal heat. About half an hour later, the distant image of a horse-drawn wagon heading their way made him jump to his feet. He hastily walked towards the Periji, who was still deep in meditation, and informed him of the oncoming wagon. Then, roused Dari, who looked rather dishevelled because of the bits of dried bluegrass that stuck out of his unkempt hair.