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

Chapter 31: A Promise Kept

34-2-2-4012 DM, Perangar Eranga, Telama, Hilaraya

The cool breeze from the north, which Dari called earlier that morning, continued to follow Aron and his companions along the road while the skies changed colour above them. Winking stars started to appear against the dark shades of grey and deep purple in the east, but the western horizon still blazed in gold and scarlet hues. It looked as if they were giant flames from an enormous furnace, but a few minutes later, it started to get dark as the sun slowly disappeared behind the Sandaya Mountains to the west.

Aron marvelled at the stunning transformation of the skies above, which momentarily took his mind off his exhaustion. He stretched his arms and neck and allowed himself a wide yawn. He enjoyed countless journeys on horseback when he was younger, but now that he had seen his forty-fifth cycle, his body could no longer endure an entire day on horseback. He was starting to feel a sharp pain on the small of his back and he almost couldn't feel his bottom and thighs. Every now and then, he felt Alyana shifting behind him, trying to find a comfortable spot while she bounced with the trotting of Vinara. He looked around and saw that the others were also feeling the strain of their journey, stretching and shaking their limbs to keep themselves awake.

While everyone was trying to make themselves more comfortable, Aron heard the most pleasant sound that he heard all day – the peal of the bells of the Garalahi at the Perangar Eranga as it heralded the coming of final hour of light. They were just about a field away from the Perangar and he could already see the high walls that surrounded the Perangar's borders. The tip of the tall black tower that housed the great bells rose high above the rest of the Perangar, like a looming beacon without the guiding light at the summit.

"Is that..." Dari started as the last note of the bells' toll lingered in the air, pointing his left forefinger towards the structure that started to grow more immensely as they moved closer.

"Yes, Dari. We're almost there," Aron replied, looking towards Dari to his left with a smile on his face.

Aron saw Dari look towards him, smiling, and a tear fell from Dari's glimmering right eye. He was trying to keep himself from bursting into tears himself. He was beside himself with joy and relief as they went closer towards the Perangar. They were almost there and he was very close to fulfilling the promise he had made to Rami and Asha. Even though the trip didn't exactly turn out as he had planned, he closed his eyes and thanked the Banaramai for guiding them and leading them safely to their destination.

Aron was looking straight ahead at the walls of the Perangar when he noticed that torches were suddenly coming to life, one after another from north to south. That simple but solemn ceremony made him nostalgic of the days when he was a young Chanayadu at the Perangar Lagarne.

Aron was about Jesi's age when he passed the Kasineju, or the Test of Loyalty, and was raised from being a Baruadu, a novice member of the Brotherhood of the Reja Perayali, to a Chanayadu, an acolyte. As a Chanayadu, he was expected to devote the next four cycles of his life to studying the Divine Mysteries of the Sepalahi, the power and virtues of the elements in relation to the cardinal directions, and the nature of the diwani. Chanayani were also expected to join the children who lived outside the Perangar to pursue their studies of the kayanesi, the eight bodies of knowledge, which were taught at the nearby Garpanji. Aside from their rigorous study schedules, the Chanayani were also assigned different tasks around the Perangar. One of the tasks assigned to Chanayani was to serve as evening sentries, who were responsible for lighting the torches along the walls at final hour of light and stand guard throughout the evening.

As a Chanayadu, Aron enjoyed the moments when and the sky was clear and he was assigned to sentry duty. The haunting magnificence of the skies above the Emara Sea gave him a sense of peace. He enjoyed those moments when he bathed in the light of the stars and the moon from the final hour of light to the first hour of light the following day. He smiled at this recollection and thanked the Banaramai once again for allowing him to experience those wondrous moments when he was at the Perangar Lagarne.