As promised, here is the fourth installment to Burimen Brothers.
Here are the previous ones, to keep up-to-date
Enjoy! 🙂
Edenra was shaped like a five-pointed star. The outer points were sloping stone walls, ditches, sloping hills that kept unwanted visitors at a long range from the city. Santhara led me through the inner gate, past the crowds of merchants rushing past with hanging animals and beggars pulling at my tunic for money.
‘This isn’t what I thought Edenra would be like’ I yelled to Santhara, over the loud noise of the city. She was focused, scanning over the crowd. She stopped and made a sharp turn to the left down an alley.
‘It can be chaotic, this time of year,’ she said, slowing down for me to walk by her side.
‘This time of year?’
‘It’s Luenian, were the moon covers the sun for a full day. All trades stops for the full day, people feel the need to panic when something isn’t accessible for a full day.’
At home, people never rushed on any day of the year, we noticed the moon covering the sun but never thought anything of it.
‘Here we are,’ Santhara said after pacing through alleys and stairs.
‘This is my home, I almost forgot we where I lived,’ She laughed.
The stone building had a few holes as windows on the second level, and a wooden door the same size as me – not very tall. Santhara opened the door and I followed.
‘Mum, I’m home,’ she yelled coming through the front door. Noone answered. The bottom was full of assorted pattern blankets with a small wooden table placed in the middle and cushions scattered on the ground.
‘Come on, we’ll go on the rooftop and I’ll show you the city,’ she led upstairs, past the bedrooms – decorated like downstairs, full of earthly colours – and opened the hatch on the roof. A ladder fell from it and we climbed up it. The sun beamed onto the square rooftop. The edge was up to my waist short enough for us to lean on and stare at the city. A burning orange flared over the city, it reminded me of Ahuenan burning from the Wndith’s Dragon.
In the middle was a tower with an orange glass dome on the roof, and stonewalls built around the base, it stood out like a sunflower in a grass plain. Santhara and I both stared at the city in silence, the noises of the city were muted and the smell of hot stone wafted through the buildings.
‘Spring is a beautiful time of year,’ Santhara said, ‘full of harvest and change.’
‘When we were escaped the Dragon before,’ I diverted her conversation, ‘you said, “I’ve always been clumsy,” what did you mean by that?’
She stared at the setting sun, ‘both you and your mother lived here, when you were roughly one and I think I was four – for about a year,’
‘Why did we live here?’
‘It was too dangerous to travel after escaping from Ornheath, so you stayed low for the heat to cool down.’
‘Do you remember much of my mother?’
‘She was beautiful, caring and strong-willed.’
Thinking of her brought tears to my eyes, I missed her but there was nothing I could do to bring her back.
‘I thought I would find you up here,’ a voice came from the roof opening.
I spun around a lady with long dark hair, piercing brown eyes in a flowing crimson robe.
‘Oh, hello?’ she continued, ‘I didn’t know you had company,’
‘I’m sorry,’ I stuttered. I felt imitated by her staring at me.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Burimen, Hunter Burimen ma’am,’
She looked me up and down, then at Santhara, ‘of course you are, look at those eyes,’ she continued to stare deeper at me.
‘I am Deanna, your Godmother. Come here,’ she opened her arms and invited me in for a hug. I hesitated and looked at Santhara, she insisted by nodding her head in her Mother’s direction. I walked over and her arms wrapped around me; it felt like my mothers – warm, loving and tight like she would never want to let me go.
I sobbed in her arms, ‘it’s okay, you’re safe now.’ she reassured me, slightly rocking me from side to side, ‘I’ll take care of you. I promised Therisa.’
Deanna knew my mother was dead, I pulled my face out of her robe and looked up at her; she had tears streaming from her eyes.
‘What do I do now?’ I asked, sniffing my nose.
‘I have to teach you a few things, then we need to see your brother,’ Deanna said, pulling away from me and staring into my eyes.
‘My brother? I don’t have one,’ I was confused and felt a light-headed.
‘Yes you do. He is older, about two years older than Santhy and his name is Thorwald. He is the leader of the Rebellion against King Wethern.’
I looked at Santhara and she nodded in agreement. An older brother – leader of a rebellion. Why had mother kept this a secret from me? I had more questions but my legs felt weak, the sun shined bright into my eyes and I fell into darkness.
#DWTSmith #brothers
I like the way you’re opening up the story and adding intrigue by bringing in the past – Hunter finding he had a brother!