Watching the boy's face coat with sheens of sweat, Bazil shook his head at this stubborn boy.
Then he removed his headband, the one he treasured most, soaked it and handed it to the girl without a word
Right after he made an x, signaling for her to call out if she noticed anything amiss during the first shift that she insisted on taking. Then he, too, curled up as close to her as possible, all while drifting off.
She expected to be the only one awake. But the girl was stroking the sweating boy's hair and praying to the stars.
He shook turbulently all around. But she stayed calm, as if used to it, and lightly wrapped the cooled headband around his head.
Once she had completed her prayers, she just stared at the fire.
"Zaza, can't you just heal him while he's sleeping?"
"Sorry, little one. No matter how much I want to, I can't force my ways onto somebody."
"But that's what his brother does!" she fretted. "Always making him take those pills, even when he doesn't want to. He even scolds him if he forgets. Says he won't get better if he doesn't take it. But I think it makes him worse. Still, brother never listens to me."
Pills? In Salazā, our medicines are mostly liquid.
Our healers rarely make pills unless the condition calls for it. Maybe because they're traveling outside the land with zazi, it was only convenient.
Even so, it's strange that these children are wandering about alone.
"You know, you remind me of that zazi and me. But in some ways, you're more like my brother and sister. They're attached to the hip and protect each other just as fiercely."
They're also out wandering this realm.
"But I can't imagine them traveling through this land alone. That's very brave."
Bazil said we wouldn't ask more questions, but hopefully I can still get answers.
"We're not alone. My father will be back soon. His brother said it should be by tomorrow."
She took a stick and started drawing in the sand.
"You must be happy about that."
"Very," she lit up. "It's been a long time."
Her drawing revealed her, the boy, and a big man holding their hand with a xira. Above it, she carved their names.
"Nice to meet you—"
"Shh," she put a finger to her lips, gesturing to the boy, whose head she was still stroking.
Salīa nodded.
Next, the girl drew animals behind each of them. For her father and her, there were a pair of zebras.
So, her ancestral animal is of a familial and bonding nature. That's probably why her father kept her close and why she was willing to stay with us.
The drawing of the boy was harder to make out, but details were added.
Ha! A honey badger. No wonder he acts so rough and ready to claw and bite at any threat.
She scratched her head, then drew another figure beside the boy. He was quite tall, and also had a xira. She didn't draw a name, only the animal.
Is that a spotted hyena? Interesting. They're usually quite clever and tactical, their nature as competitive as lions. But if that's his dominant animal, then does that mean the boy and he are mixed or half-related?
"Did you like my drawing?" she asked cheerfully. "It's pretty, right?"
She handed Salīa a stick as well.
"Can you draw me something pretty, too?"
This girl stayed smiling, her eyes not revealing anything as she waited. Salīa understood and said, "My drawings might not be as pretty, but I'll try to make them as pretty as yours if I can."
Even though they were speaking cryptically, the girl still blushed at Salīa's words.
Drawing the figures of them was easy enough. It was the names and animals that made it tricky. But something within her told her to draw on.
She knew she couldn't expose her royal standing, so she just drew an X, which was a casual, no-name name spiritual people used in Salazā, and a plain tiger.
But this girl was too clever, and it seemed she understood the deeper hints.
"Your drawings are pretty; it reminds of old vagarī drawings in the Salazā Spirits."
Salīa felt her heart tighten.
The message was clear.
This girl, as little as she was, was saying that she knew enough of the obsolete language to know Salīa was using evasive reveals of her identity.
"Let me help out," she insisted and added a few touches that made Salīa's throat squeeze.
An X was put on the tiger's forehead. This was symbolic of ancient drawings distinguishing tiago tigers. Then, around the X, she made the outline of an eye.
That was the old vagarī way of naming the Protector.
Salīa shivered.
Maybe I shouldn't have shown my gold-blue essence. I clearly underestimated her.
"I like your drawings a lot, zaza. But not everyone deserves to see them," she wiped out the details she'd added, and winked, her essence blooming with warmth. "You're my favorite kind of zaza. The kind that I hope to be when I grow up."
This girl smiled at her, taking her hand. Salīa was stunned. Instinctively, she'd usually pull away the moment someone touched her without consent, but thinking of how similar she was to her siblings had her force urge away.
"You know, I actually thought that drawing was of a leopard."
"A leopard? Why would you think that?"
"Ah, because it has so many spots," she giggled, then tapped on Salīa's neck. "Do you not have any lemongrass balm for it?"
"It?"
"Yes, it looks like some kind of bug wanted to mark you."
Salīa felt her neck. It did feel tender in some spots, but she had no mirror to check.
She was certain she had been rubbing all sorts of balms and oils all over her every day, as mosquitoes especially had a taste for her. But it's possible some kind of bug persisted anyway.
The girl tapped on the drawing of Bazil.
"Is that a…"
She trailed off, realizing it was indeed a lion. For some reason, the girl started trembling. And this had the boy sweating and shaking even more.
To calm her, Salīa focused and let her gold-blue energy flow through their hands until the girl's breathing steadied, and the boy's body simmered.
"Sorry for getting grumpy, zaza. It's just that I always thought my drawings were good, but I think yours are better. But since you're bigger, and I'm still small, would you be kind enough to give me one more chance to try?"
"Of course."
"Maybe I'll be better on paper," she said, then gestured to her words, 'Do you have a map?'
"I might have some paper for you," Salīa revealed the map.
The girl nodded, letting her eyes trace over until she found it. She circled on the spot repeatedly as if she were drawing.
"Thanks for letting me try again. I'll even let you keep that one to remember us by. But I'll miss you a lot, though. It's a pity we have to leave."
So, this is where they're going. I know I'm not supposed to ask anything, but, "Are you sure you don't want to stay?"
The boy cringed.
Instantly, the girl wiped the sand drawings and stuffed the map back to Salīa. A rustling sound came from beside them, jolting her a little. But it was just Bazil's legs adjusting in the leaves.
Salīa's hands took hers again, letting more energy flow.
"You've both been so kind. But we've been away for too long. I'm sure my father misses me. And his brother is worried, so we shouldn't keep them waiting."
Plenty of questions tangled at the tip of Salīa's tongue. But before she could ask them, the girl yawned and said, "I'm feeling quite tired. Thank you for spending time with me. If it's not too much to ask, would you mind singing me to sleep? I have a feeling your songs will give me sweet dreams."
She hummed a few lullabies, all ones she had made for the children of Salazā and the outskirts back when she was a child their age.
The girl drifted right into slumber, hugging Salīa. Even the boy had stilled, unknowingly having curled up beside Salīa too. She smiled, feeling tears trickle down.
Being sung to sleep, snuggling into her, and blissfully dreaming was just as her siblings would do as well.
Sometimes her mother would stroll in and rest on a couch close by, but still a fair distance.
Just like Bazil as he slept, her face would soften, but her body always kept upright. Salīa would usually be awake for a while after, just watching it all.
Yet now her nights would end only with her embracing the links holding her pendant.
I miss my family.
X