Spirit Animals: Life Of Tarik - Book 1

Unexpected Visitors

LaReimaja leaned over the ship's railing and looked out at the wide ocean. She breathed in the freshness of the salty air, the wind tussling and playing with her dark hair which was in a ponytail. She had said goodbye to Tarik at the Greenhaven docks and was on her way home with Chan and Marlo on one of the travel ships. She was so relieved that Tarik was now safe, but she also wondered when she would see him again.

She heard heavy footsteps on the deck approaching her from behind, then a tan figure stood next to her.

"Hi," Chan began, "enjoying the view?"

"Yes," LaReimaja replied.

"It's been a long time since we were in Nilo, but I must admit that we were treated like royalty during our stay in Greenhaven Castle," Chan's face softened.

"I hope mother and father got our letter from Greenhaven all those days ago about staying a few more days in Eura."

"I'm sure they would have, even if they didn't reply," her older brother sounded calm, but less assured.

Marlo came running over to them with the biggest smile LaReimaja had ever seen on him.

"Caylif is up ahead! We're home!" He suddenly ran into one of the ship's crew members and both of them came tumbling down on the deck.

"Oh!" LaReimaja and Chan both shrieked, rushing over to help them.

"I'm so sorry," Marlo apologised to the crew member once they were on their feet. The man's hat had come off his head during the fall and he was reaching down to pick it up.

"It's fine," he said bluntly, then quickly walked away.

"Are you okay?" Chan asked, pulling Marlo closer to him and LaReimaja. Marlo's cheeks were red from embarrassment.

"Yeah," Marlo replied, looking down a bit.

"Land ahead!" Called the captain of the ship and a bell rang to signal the people of Caylif that they were coming.

As they drew closer to Caylif, the waves calmed. The people however, were not calm. Many men and women stood on the docks, with chains around their wrists and ankles, LaReimaja was close enough to see that they had been beaten. Something was definitely not right.

"What's going on?" She asked Chan who had the same worried look on his face.

"I don't know," he replied in a low voice.

LaReimaja grabbed Marlo and pulled him closer to her as the ship docked. She recognised many faces of her village's people, including her friends' from school. They all looked exhausted, but their faces lit up once they saw her and her family. The faces she could not see was Faisel's, her parents', and even Ahmar's.

Chan was the first to start leaving the ship, followed by Marlo then LaReimaja. They walked forward onto the docks passing through the crowd of their friends and people.

"Turn back," a woman said, "it isn't safe here."

"They took my mummy!" a little girl wailed.

"They'll kill you," said a man.

LaReimaja was terrified. As she walked closer to her house, she could see the destruction of homes and shops. Buildings had collapsed or burnt down, crops were destroyed, bodies had been covered with blankets. She walked passed a man who had been covered, and saw a pool of blood around his head. 

No one spoke, LaReimaja had to cover Marlo's eyes so that he could not see the scene. Marlo did not complain or ask why she had covered his eyes, he knew that this moment wasn't the right time or place.