Ekleipsis (Fantasy Romance - LGBT, manXman)

7.4

The children were the first to spot the newcomers. Still curious and alert, they stopped their games and gaped at the travelers. Alva smiled at them, and they smiled back. The adults, busy about their chores, nodded welcome, and waved sometimes, but were not in any hurry to drop what they were doing.

All in all, there were about fifty households in Ujjay. Several buildings were clearly smithies, so there was hope they had reached the right destination. The village did not look poor: the small and black Jinnjarati piglets scampering around the place looked well-fed, and the villagers appeared healthy and content. Although Kintaro noticed that quite a few people were scarred, evidently from animal claws, and many carried weapons even within the village fence.

A huge sycamore-like tree grew in the middle of Ujjay. It shaded the entire village square. A spring bubbled at its roots and gushed from the mouth of a stone fish. The water fell into a pool, and from there ran down a wooden trough all along the street.

The three travelers were starting to attract a crowd. Evidently, the placid Jinnjarati were first going to finish with the chores and then drop in to take a closer look at the visitors. They smiled cheerfully and fluted in their tongue, gesturing softly in a way that made silver bracelets jangle on their wrists. Only silver jewelry was worn in Ujjai; it appeared that gold was not popular, as was the case pretty much all over Jinnjarat. That was why Alva had brought silver bars with him as means of payment.

"Hau au you?" a young Jinnarati warrior articulated carefully, clearly proud of his grasp of the Common Tongue. An old lady shuffled up to Kintaro, rose up on tiptoe − the top of her head barely reached up to the Essanti's chest − and touched his bicep, clicking her tongue in admiration. A young girl, blushing − odd that you could see a blush even on the dark skin of the Jinnjarati − gestured for Alva to bend down and put a flower garland around his neck. A woman smiled and proffered them a jug of milk; and a man brought a straw-encased bottle of palm wine. A chubby bare-bottomed baby pulled on Ithildin's tunic and handed him a banana.

Alva laughed and said, "You probably look too skinny and ill-fed to them!"

He took one of the bags off the horse, opened it and spread gifts for the villagers on the bench set at the stone-fish spring. There were trinkets from Kimdiss, mostly glass beads, scissors, mirrors, hair clips and embroidered pouches. The Ujjay people's smiles grew even wider. Without any fuss or scrambling, they went to pick the stuff they liked. The travelers were then taken to a large house, and told by signs that they could stay there. The house was empty and devoid of any residents. It was clear that the hospitable village people had built it for the occasional travelers.

In the morning, they discovered that the verandah was covered in plates, pots and jars with butter, fried yams, sugar cane and various unidentifiable local dishes. Evidently, every housewife had tried to impress the visitors with her cooking.

"Never met a more peaceable people in my entire life," said Kintaro tearing at a roasted pork knuckle and winking at the girls who were gawking at him from across the street. The girls were giggling and nudging one another. "And you say they have let Arislan had it, at one time?"

"Did happen," Alva said. "About three hundred years ago, or so. Khalid Astawan Shakhriyar did his worst to rule over the entire continent. Had managed to lop off the present Verlow and a part of Marrangha. But then he got kicked out of Jinnjarat, and his army rebelled... Kind of tough to keep going in the jungle, with the fevers, the snakes, the wildlife and all the natives shooting poisoned darts at you from the bush."

Kintaro said, thoughtfully, "I'd hate having to fight these guys. They are so small, can't even poke at them with a sword."

In the afternoon, they were presented to the local elder − the very oracle whose fantastic fame spread beyond Jinnjarat. The grey-haired old man looked emaciated, and it became clear why when a peasant, obviously ill, was brought out from the elder's house on a stretcher. Apparently, the elder had spent several days by the sickbed, letting the peasant go home only once danger passed.