Chapter 25: Midst Of Life
The sun rose over the jungle, and its rays swept across the forest floor.
Isobel had left long before any had awoken, but she had told her plans to Julien the night before so he wouldn't worry.
Mikhailov had come with Isobel, as it would only be proper. She sat on his back as they crossed into Talamaru.
The jungle looked different during the day. The plants did not give off bioluminescence now, and there were different creatures out. Tiny deer weaved between Mikhailov's large paws, and beautiful bird-of-paradise flitted between the trees, showing off their long feathers. Flowers bloomed and put out a wonderful scent. Spring had just begun.
Isobel's ears twitched as she listened carefully to the sounds of the jungle. She memorized the repetitive calls of the birds until finally she was able to pick one from the rest; a sharp, two-note call.
"Wait." She told Mikhailov. She made the same call, and it came again.
Mikhailov took the hint, and followed the call.
They found Sequoya waiting for them in a high tree, and she smiled down at them before joining them.
She knew exactly what Mikhailov was, but she had not seen one in so long. She laid a hand on his shoulder, and took a breath. "It is good to see you here. Isobel told me of you. You're Russian?"
Mikhailov nodded. "Da, and a very hungry Russian at that. I vill find you later."
He turned on his heel, excited to hunt in this new place.
"Northern Firebirds used to be so rare." Sequoya remarked as she and Isobel walked on. "But now it seems the southern ones have gone extinct."
Isobel nodded. "Who is the sheikh, khala?"
"Ajihad." Sequoyah said softly as she smiled. "Your uncle, my husband."
"This is good." Isobel figured it would be him, and her heart beat happily that she would see her mother's brother.
They entered the village, and Isobel stopped in her tracks; it was exactly like her dream.
It was centered in a large clearing, and was not far from a river. Women carried baskets of fruit from the harvest while warriors, who had actually never had to see war, thanks to their sheikh, practiced their bow making and played games with the children.
Isobel took it all in. She looked to the left, where their home tree towered high, high above the canopy of the other jungle trees. This was where they all slept, safe in each others protection.
Isobel remembered that fateful night, when she had sat on her frightened mother's lap just before she died.
She pushed those thoughts away, and searched for familiar faces. Before long, she could spot her uncle, the sheikh. He was walking through the village, his Aztec-style crown commanding space as the yellow, gold, and striped pheasant and bird-of-paradise feathers stretched out from it. He was tall and lean, and perhaps only seventeen years older than Isobel. His fur was like hers, but with more black and no white on his chest. When he looked in her direction, she could see that his eyes were deep green like the jungle around them, just a shade darker than hers.
Their eyes met, and he stopped in his tracks as well.
People passed between them, blocking their views every now and then, but Isobel could see tears welling in Ajihad's eyes.
Finally, they closed the distance and embraced each other.
"Isobel." Her uncle said it like he still did not believe she was there, after so long. "You are home."
She held onto him tightly. He was her blood, her bones, her flesh. She had not been able to feel that nearly her whole life.
When they let go, Ajihad led her to stand in front of the home tree, called nyumbani.
Ajihad cleared his throat. Within a few moments, everyone noticed their sheikh standing how he would before a speech, and they ceased their work to look and listen.
"Our lotus flower has come home." He stated, his voice clear. "Through her veins, the blood of Niloufar and Wilan flows on. Isobel, our princess, is home."
While the Ta'li people applauded for her, Ajihad smiled.
"Tonight, we will feast in her honor. Until then, she and I have much to speak of."
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Skipper finished cleaning the sand out from the crevices of the Charley's belly. A toothpick dangled in his beak, a habit he had grown accustomed to. Julien had said Isobel was in Talamaru, and Skipper thought of what that would be like. He himself was excited to see it, and not just for finding the heart of the earth that the AG8 wanted so badly.
"Skippa!" Private was walking towards him along the shore. "I was thinking of collecting some new fruits today. We could have a fruit salad or something."
Skipper nodded once. "That's nice, Private. Take 'Walski with you."
"To where?" Kowalski had been sitting in the doorway of the Charley, flipping through a manual and not paying attention.
"Just to collect fruits." Private explained. "Plus this would give you a chance to collect those samples you were talking about."
Kowalski nodded. "Certainly. Then I'll have specimens to compare the ones from Talamaru to."
They were on their way, and Skipper was by himself again. Rico was having fun looking at the weapon hold on Jack's ship at the moment, and probably wouldn't be back until after noon.
Skipper climbed up into the Charley and pulled out the papers Alistair had given him. He knew what the ruby looked like, but one of the papers was able to give a better idea about the location. There were confusing instructions, like "Two-hundred paces southward of nyumbani". He had no idea what that meant. He figured that once he got to know Ta'li itself, then it would be easier. But he was still finding it hard to believe that this ruby was something they wouldn't want.
He shrugged, and put the papers away.
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"You have journeyed far, Isobel." Ajihad said as the pair walked along the clear jungle paths that were teeming with life. "How did you come back?"
"Well," Isobel smiled, forever happy to tell this tale. "It began when I was venturing outside of the Atlantean boundaries…"
She gave him detailed descriptions of the penguins, and he nodded along.
"These sound like highly intelligent birds." He remarked.
She went on to tell him of Jack, of her father the king, and of course about Mikhailov. But she left out Julien and Clopar.
"When could I bring visitors?" Isobel asked.
"After you have been re-established." Ajihad explained. "I want to meet these people who have helped you so much, but we do not want to make the people uncomfortable. Our last visitors…"
Isobel nodded, remembering all too well, and so Ajihad did not finish what he was saying.
They began going around so Isobel could meet everyone. She was so happy to see her people. But what she noticed was a lack of Ta'li eyes, which were usually a few different shades of vibrant green and turned golden against firelight. But most of their eyes only had streaks of that. Some had grey or light green eyes, but none were like hers or Ajihad's. This was strange, but she figured it was from marrying into different tribes, which meant there would be strong ties. So this was not bad.
Ajihad explained to her that not all of the villagers were there, as they were out gathering fruits and practicing archery.
"Do any of them have Firebirds?" Isobel asked, hopeful, even though she knew how rare they were now.
Ajihad shook his head sadly. "We have none. We do not know what happened to them. For a while, they were coming back to Talamaru, but they disappeared almost four or five full moons ago."
Ajihad continued to speak to her, but his voice trailed off in her ears. Isobel stared into the clearing, her breathing growing rapid as she tried to slow it through her nose. Blistering anxiety crept into her chest. For there, in the midst of life and among her people, and free of the desert, was Clopar.
Wow, major cliffhanger and plot twist! What do you think of that?