A little female servant, probably no older than fifteen summers, stood quietly next to Yuer’s bed. She had been in this position for what might have been an hour or so on a candle clock. Despite that, her skinny back remained straight. Her small hands continued to be neatly folded across her belly. Not a single word came out of her mouth since he woke up and found her there. Yuer threw a glance at her sweet-looking face and beyond a slight lowering of her chin, she displayed no reaction.
He dragged his gaze away from her and stared down at his own hands. They were slender, dainty-looking things. The skin on them was young, flawless and clean. There was no signs of abrasions, callouses or burn marks. He had the strangest impulse to touch them, so he began to trace his fingers across the palm of his other hand. The surface of the skin felt soft and smooth; the way a palm of a young, pampered Dasrari master ought to feel.
“Sakina.” The familiar name rolled off his tongue.
The once motionless little servant swiftly moved. Before he could look her way, she was already on her knees before him. Her lithe figure suspended in a perfect bowing posture.
“Yes, young master.”
Yuer let his gaze roam over her for a bit before softly asking, “What year is it?”
“It is the year 1552 on the Solis calendar. Today is the twenty ninth day of the ninth month.” As Sakina answered, there was not a single hint of hesitation or fluctuation in her tone.
“How old am I this year?” He blurted out.
“My esteemed young master is sixteen summers old as of last month.”
“Sakina, bring me my mirror. You know which one.” His line of thoughts was leading him toward the craziest of conclusions but he needed to make sure.
“Right away, young master.” Sakina nimbly jumped to her feet and briskly walked out of the inner chamber. She reappeared a moment later with a small red-colored box. She offered the object to him with a bowed head. Yuer took it from her hands and settled it across his knees. He took his time caressing the exquisitely carved initials on its smooth-looking surface. Sakina remained quiet and steady next to him. She properly noticed how his hands slightly trembled against the redwood. She might have also noticed his strange mood. However, she didn’t speak out of turn and she didn’t ask any questions.
Yuer took a long and deep breath before he pushed the lid open. A transparent orb, the size of a pinkie finger, lay within the box. He took the orb and gently placed it on the palm of his hand. He closed his eyes and channeled the Light Echo that resided within him toward it. The familiar, warm sensation of the Divine Echo coursing through him made his blood sing. For a brief moment, his very soul was soaked in the feelings of joy, nostalgia and relief. However as soon as it came, the momentary elation disappeared. The orb lost its initial shape and had morphed into a flat, circular frame with the length of an adult’s arm. The frame stood suspended in the air, facing him.
Inside this frame, his countenance was reflected back at him in the most glaring clarity ; A full head of lustrous brown hair. A healthy, slanted pair of blue eyes. A complete, snub-shaped nose. Fine, downward-turned lips. Unmarred peach-colored skin. Overall, it was quite the pleasant-looking, youthful face. A chuckle escaped his mouth. Then, it was followed by another. Soon enough, the boy was bawling with laughter.
For the first time since she was bought into the Ayaseen residence, Sakina breached her self-imposed code of propriety and approached Yuer without a prior order. She kneeled at his feet and cautiously placed her hand next to his, “Young master…”
Yuer’s gaze sought hers and it was then that he realized how blurred and hazy the world suddenly looked. For some reason, the laughter died in his throat. In his mind, the hazy outline of Sakina’s face began to overlap with another. A rotten and bloated face. His guts suddenly churned and bile crowded his burning throat. Next thing he knew, he was a wrecked mess on the floor, dry heaving. At this conjecture, the trickles of heat began to freely stream down his face, scalding his skin in the wake of their fall.
Sakina bolted to his side like a frightened animal, “Young master, I will go get the clan healer right away.”
She moved to stand but Yuer managed to catch the hem of her robes. She looked back; her usually composed face etched in concern. He shook his head at her and her jaws clenched in response. She hesitated a bit before running to the outer chamber instead of the courtyard.
The heaving lessened after a moment. Yuer crawled closer to the bed and laid the sweat-drenched skin of his forehead against the cool floor. He didn’t know how much time passed before Sakina reappeared next to him. Her deft hands worked quickly as she touched a wet piece of cloth to his face, wiping away sweat, tears and saliva. She repeated the same routine a couple of times before handing him a steaming cup of what smelled like Hufi roots.
“To rinse the mouth.” She clarified, “It’s also good for getting rid of nausea.”
The trembling had subsided so Yuer was able to hold on to the cup. He took a moment before throwing its content down his throat. He handed the cup back to Sakina before leaning his head against her shoulder. Sakina stiffened. The young shefrin servant was well-aware of the consequences of touching one’s master without an invitation. It was especially true for her master, who was a twice-blessed person. She decided to remain still until her master commanded her otherwise. If he wished to use her as a recliner, she would voice no objections. Yuer, on his part, could barely open his eyes. Weariness started to cling to his limbs like heavy chains of black-iron and along the weariness, came the chills.
“Sakina, help me up. I wish to lay down for a bit.”
The young servant nodded. She stood up and with a bowed head, offered her hand to him. Yuer took it. He staggered for bit before steadying himself. Together, he and his servant walked to the bed. Sakina let him lay down before arranging the covering. The boy’s eyelids grew far too heavy for him to keep them open. His awareness started to slowly fade but he could still hear the rustling of Sakina’s robes against the floor as she moved about the place. He must have muttered her name because she was right next to him in an instant. Yuer felt his way around for her hand. Once he found it, he squeezed it with his own.
“I’m sorry, Sakina. So sorry.” He murmured, “I’m so happy I could see you again. This time…” His tongue started to grew leaden, “This time I swear…I will…” Sleep claimed Yuer before he could finish what he wished to say.
Sakina stood there for a long time. Her deep, brown gaze fixated on the gentle, sleeping face of her young master. His mumbled words were still ranging inside her ears and her state of mind had long shifted from confusion to concern to determination. She was clearer than anyone on the tender nature of her young master. She was also well-aware of his true predicament. On the surface, he was a twice-blessed person, an Alikana-marked, who had the support of the holy Tewekaga, however the reality of things was otherwise. The Ayaseen clan’s elders couldn’t wait to sell him off to the Reznali and the latter couldn’t wait to use him as leverage against the Zaradate Temple. Each party wished to push her young master into the jaws of the storm. No one truly cared for what he felt or thought. Least of all, his own sire.
Sakina might be an unlearned and lowly shefrin servant, but she was not without ears. She did hear of the palace, of the type of place it was. The harems of the Rezas and his sons were no place for her softhearted master. He would be torn alive in that nest of vipers. She must protect him. She must shield him at all costs. She owed him her life the day he took her off of the plague-ridden and damned streets of the Under-city. This eternal debt, she would never forget.
Sakina took a step back from the bed, bent her knees and kowtowed to her sleeping master. Not once but three times. In her heart, she vowed to him a lifelong vow. Be it hailstorms, fire rain or freezing gales, I, your humble servant, shall accompany you until the end.
Then she closed the doors to the inner chamber and left.
When Yuer woke up for the second time, he had the strangest sense of lucidity. It was as if the cobwebs that had long dangled across the corners of his memories were suddenly swept off. He wondered if it was because of the previous shock he had or because of the invocation of his Light Echo, which had healing and soothing properties. Or was it, perhaps, a combination of both? Regardless of the reason, he was faced with the startling realization that he was well and truly back from the dead, or more correctly, he was back in…time.
He had no recollections of what happened after he died but he could clearly remember how he died, what led to his demise and the entirety of his previous lifetime. A certain smiling face flashed across his mind and Yuer's blood halted in his veins. Rage, so cold it could freeze a nation,coursed through his very bones. A savage, feral smile broke out on his otherwise expressionless face. If Sakina was to see him right now, she would run screaming to the closet Kumatani she could find and plead him to cajole out whatever evil spirit that had possessed her gentle,tender master.
Yuer unhurriedly carded a hand through the back of his hair, as if feeling for something. Whatever it was that he was looking for, he didn’t find it. He looked neither surprised nor disappointed at the outcome. So instead, he retrieved his hand and arranged his countenance back into a smooth, gentle expression. The vicious smile on his face dropped as if it never appeared. He rose from the bed and leisurely strolled around his inner chamber as if he had the whole time in the world. His fingers meticulously brushed against every piece of furniture and every wall of the building. After a while, he strode toward the open window and patiently watched the dawn as it broke across the horizon. The red glow of the sunrise reflected across his impassive face and for a moment, his glittering blue eyes looked as if they were bathed in flames.
“Sakina.”
The female servant appeared behind the sliding doors of his inner chamber.
“Yes, young master.”
“Will the Dasi and the Dasiri be home today?”
The young master had never called his sire and his sire’s consort with their official titles before. In the past, he had always addressed the clan head as sire and the Dasiri as consort mother. Despite being startled at the sudden difference in her master’s tone, Sakina didn’t permit any change to her expression.
“No, young master. Esteemed Dasi will be attending court this early morning. He won’t be home until late afternoon. Esteemed Dasiri had expressed her desire to stroll the Shefrin market today. She wishes to acquire new servants for the residence. She will likely depart after breakfast.”
Yuer smiled. “Good. You and I have some trips to make today.”
Sakina felt puzzled. Young master never left the residence unless he absolutely had to. He enjoyed quiet and peace the most. Any errands he wished to run, she would naturally do it for him. Her young master felt somewhat odd today. Truth to be told, he felt odd since yesterday's afternoon when he cried and vomited out of nowhere. And those strange words he whispered to her before falling asleep. Every time, she remembered the state of her young master back then, she would feel like hitting herself. However, instead of voicing out any of her concerns, she inquired, “And breakfast? Does your esteemed self wish to take it as you usually do, in the family dining hall?”
Her master glanced back at her and for a moment, Sakina was visibly taken aback by the unusually serene look on his face. Under the breaking dawn, his blue eyes shimmered like bottomless, sleeping water. For the first time in her life, Sakina could neither read his eyes nor feel his mood. When she was but six summers old, the shefrin merchants loaded her and her mother into a commercial ship from the Reniqia Isles all the way to the capital. At that time, she spent most of her days on the deck, squeezed between hundreds of other Shefrin children as she gazed into Grief Ocean. For many nights, the ship continued to slowly sail across that ocean's dark, deep waters. As her master's gaze remained fixed upon her, Sakina was once more reminded of that feeling of staring into blue, unfathomable depths.
“Tell them that I wish to sleep in today and will not join the Dasi and the Dasiri for breakfast.” Yuer had no desire to see those faces.“Once they are both gone, we will leave.”
Sakina regained her composure and nodded. She was about to take her leave when she remembered to ask, “And what if the other servants report the matter to esteemed Dasiri?” The meaning in her tone wasn’t concealed by any means.
“They won’t because we will leave through the backdoor once it’s deserted. We will return before either of their masters does. I will wear a hooded cloak and so will you. All you need to do is to arrange for a discreet, inconspicuous carriage, one without a crest or a sigil. Have it wait at the backdoor of the residence as soon the Dasi and the Dasiri depart.”
Yuer walked to one of the few chests in his inner chamber. He fished out a small pouch and beckoned Sakina over with his hand. He placed several silver coins in her palm and said, “That should be enough for the driver and for any servants you might need to buy off.” He, then, turned to another chest and pulled out a pair of heavy and dark autumn cloaks. Yuer handed Sakina one of them, “Put this on. Also, don’t hesitate to use the silver if you have to. You don’t need to hold on to it.” The servant nodded, slipping the coins into the inner pocket-sleeve of her robes.
“Good, now run along and get us a carriage.” Yuer pulled the cloak's big hood over Sakina’s head,“Make sure no one recognizes you.”
“Yes, young master. I won’t take long.” Sakina shot to the doors.
After his servant left, Yuer strode toward his clothing cabinet. He took several pieces of clothing and slipped behind the dressing screen. He was about to take off his upper undergarments when he felt a slight sensation of heat pulsing off of the back of his neck.
The back of his neck was where the Alikana mark was engraved into his skin by the Mahatir. He touched the skin and noticed no abnormalities. The skin had no abrasions or callouses. When he pulled back his hand, it was clean of any blood. He stared into space. His mind working through his memories for any similar occurrences. He found none. The mark had never reacted this way before. He wondered if it was related to the unclear matter of his reincarnation. He decided to ignore it for now. However, as he was about put on his new tunic,the heat coming off the mark began to suddenly intensify.
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