On the second day after meeting the Saem, and nearly a month and a half after leaving the Castle Guard Ruin behind, Jahrra and Jaax found themselves looking down into a quaint little village from the small hill they had just climbed. Jahrra stared, not knowing what to think, as Jaax exhaled behind her, ruffling her hair.
“Crie,” he said, his voice somewhat stoical.
It was a little before noon and the spring sunlight was drifting through the new leaves of the oak, aspen and sycamore trees growing on the shelf of land that stood near the edge of the river, casting emerald shadows upon the forest floor. The tiny settlement of Crie was much smaller than Jahrra had imagined but the strange, beehive-shaped houses reminded her a little of the huts in the fields back at home. The people roaming around below, mingling and setting about their daily chores, were hard to see from this height and distance but the friendly chatter of neighbors greeting one another blended nicely with the rush of the river.
Jahrra wondered if they were all elves but didn’t voice her questions. She turned and looked at Jaax who was studying her the way she had studied the buildings and people below. Sometimes his gaze was too much to bear as if he was trying very hard to see past her outer shell to determine what she consisted of just beneath her skin. Jahrra had grown used to Jaax in the past few months but she wasn’t sure if he was comfortable having her nearby on a constant basis yet. She had a feeling that, habitually, Jaax was a solitary creature.
Jahrra straightened in the saddle once again, her lips drawn tight over her teeth, and tried to convince herself she was reading too much into her guardian’s scrutiny.
“Shall we make ourselves known?” Jaax queried after a few moments.
Jahrra merely nodded, kneeing Phrym forward towards the narrow trail that descended into the village.
It didn’t take long for someone, a young boy playing with a wooden toy, to notice them picking their way down the hillside. He glanced up at the sound of Phrym’s soft nicker, eying Jahrra curiously then dropping his toy as his eyes grew huge. Jahrra didn’t have to turn to know he had spotted Jaax behind her. Everyone had that reaction when seeing the Tanaan dragon for the first time.
The child scrambled off between two houses, calling out to his mother or father along the way. Within seconds of the boy’s departure the rest of the village began to gather around, noticing their visitors. Soon a small murmuring crowd had collected and Jahrra suddenly felt like one of the strange insects she, Gieaun and Scede used to capture and study.
“Raejaax!”
The exuberant shout caused Jahrra to start. An older man was pushing his way through the mêlee, trying to get to them as quickly as he could, his faded brown, fly-away hair giving him a disheveled look. Finally he managed to break through the sea of people to stand before them.
“What in all of Ethoes are you doing here?”
There was laughter in the man’s breathless voice and he was careful not to look too long at Jahrra as he spoke. He obviously knew Jaax but something told Jahrra he wasn’t quite sure about her. Surely he must suspect who she was. Why else would Jaax be traveling with a girl who matched the age of the child they had handed over to him seventeen years ago? Jahrra shook her head. Maybe they didn’t realize just how much time had passed since Jaax took her away.
“Aydehn,” Jaax said.
Jahrra heard the smile in his voice but she glanced back to make sure. It was more of an excuse to escape the eyes of the townspeople than to prove what she suspected.
He took a breath and continued, “Allow me to present Jahrraneh Drisihn.”
A dead silence ensued. Jahrra suddenly felt very uncomfortable atop Phrym, even more so than she had two minutes ago. She held his reins slack but her knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip. Swallowing several times, she braved a look at the people all staring at her.
A heartbeat or two passed and then everyone did something exceptionally shocking. As if following a silent order, every last villager, from the older man standing in front of them down to the small boy who had run off to announce their arrival, lowered themselves to their knees, their gazes no longer curious but filled with reverence.
Oh no, this was not good. Jahrra tried to say something but the words got stuck in her throat. She turned once again towards Jaax, her eyes saying it alclass="underline" Why are they doing this? How do I make them stop?
Jaax, curse him, merely grinned and bowed his head slightly, taking a smooth step back as if to detach himself from her presence. Jahrra’s mouth dropped open, both in horror and from a feeling of abandonment. She was utterly alone. This entire village was kneeling before her as if she was a queen and Jaax had left her all alone with them.
Finally, the man who had recognized her guardian rose tentatively, licked his lips, and cleared his voice. He addressed Jahrra without looking her in the eye, something that seemed more disrespectful than the deference he was so obviously trying to display.
“Drisihn, Jahrraneh, Lady,”
He was clearly having trouble deciding what he should call her.
Jahrra opened her mouth to speak, grateful to discover she had finally regained her voice, “Please, call me Jahrra, and please do get up, all of you. You don’t have to treat me like a royal.”
Jaax snickered behind her but Jahrra ignored him. All those days on the road he remained as serious as a headache and now he decided to be in good spirits? When the man continued to stare at her, mute, and when the people of the village remained where they were, Jahrra huffed a breath and swung herself off of Phrym.
“Really, I don’t deserve nor do I want this generous respect. Please, treat me as an equal. It would be better than what I got from some of my peers back in Oescienne.”
Reluctantly, the multitude of people slowly rose to their feet. Jahrra scanned the crowd as they did so, noting that the majority of them were Resai, including the man Jaax had called Aydehn. They hadn’t been far removed from their elvin ancestors, however; she could tell by their features. Some of them may have even been first generation Resai, but Resai they still were.
“Please,” Aydehn said, stepping aside and gesturing, “come join us in the town square where we can hear your story and perhaps tell you a little about your beginning. And you must be tired from your journey.”
Jahrra nodded politely as she pulled Phrym forward. Jaax stepped up so that he walked beside her. To her dismay, the crowd parted to give them space, bowing their heads obsequiously as she passed. All of this was simply too much to take in. It would have been overwhelming enough if they had simply greeted a small village after being alone in the wilderness for so long, but to enter a village and then to be gawked at as if she were some sort of goddess? That was even worse. Jahrra shook her head and considered the dragon walking smoothly beside her. She frowned and moved closer to him.
“They treat me as if I’m of royal birth,” she hissed in Jaax’s direction.
“Yes, and you had best get used to it. We’ll meet several people who will do so; the people of Crie just happen to be the first.”
Jahrra cringed. “You don’t treat me like royalty.”
Jaax smirked but it was more of a grin.
“Aye, and I don’t intend to. Besides,” he added with a wicked lilt to his voice, “how can you be so sure it is not I they bow to?”
That made her laugh. True, it was tinged with bitterness and disbelief, but it was still a laugh. She hadn’t laughed since . . . since before Hroombra died.
As they moved through the village, Jahrra felt her unease dissipate. Though the ground they walked on had patches of mud in several places its location was ideal. So long as the river never rose and overflowed the beehive houses would be safe.