Kurasa no Moribito

Guardian of the Darkness


Chapter 5

Darkness in the Deeps

Three weeks passed since the loss of their child. Balsa was slowly grieving and had come to accept the reality that her empty belly, still swollen, gave the impression that she was still pregnant. Alika had visited the different places near Yuka's house in Yonsa territory. Tanda had been a little homesick, but he planned to return to Yogo in the next two days before the first snow. For now, it was still warm enough to travel without problems.

"I know I said we would all come back together," Balsa said, searching for words. "But... I really need to stay here longer, now that... we have an angel watching over us."

Tanda understood what Balsa was saying. He nodded slightly. Sometimes, women isolated themselves and completely disappear after losing their children. In Yogo, half the month, they could be seen, wandering around the mountains in torn up clothing. In those situations, the villagers said that "the woman was called away by the mountains".

"If you stay in the village, cloistered at home, it feels like you can't breathe," Torogai explained. "Only picking herbs and wild flowers in the mountains, changing of air and place can soothe your heart."

Balsa hadn't been called by the mountains, but Kanbal was a mountainous country and she was mourning. It was a strange correlation in itself. They argued a little about who would keep Kasem's box, but Tanda preferred to leave it to Balsa, so she could take a look at the portrait of their son during a crisis of nostalgia and stabilize emotionally. Alika wanted to stay with Aunt Yuka as well and Tanda didn't stop her from staying with Balsa until they returned to Yogo.

"Alika and I will be back next spring," Balsa said as they got onto the saddle, to accompany Tanda back to the traveler's gate of Kanbal. "I promise to not make you wait two years."

"I trust you." He smiled. "I know how to be patient."

They left Yonsa territory, crossed the Yonro territory to reach the city in which their journey had begun. Tanda had enough food to last until he returned to the hut. Alika gave Tanda a big hug, and Balsa finished with a kiss on his lips, asking him to be careful on the road.

There was a small silence as Tanda's horse rode away from the Capital before disappearing into the distance. Alika looked at her mother and took her hand: the pain of losing her little brother was still like a knot in her heart. And at the same time, Balsa was still feeling a void in her stomach. Jiguro leaned close to Alika and rubbed her head.

"I have a little duty to do here," he said.

"When are you coming back?" Alika asked by telepathy.

"Give me some time. I'll not abandon you nor replace you. I have to go into the heart of the Yusa Mountains to fulfill a special duty. Motoko will watch over you with Nahoko."

"Hmm... okay. But won't you come back to sleep with me every night?"

"No."

"All right... Be careful, then."

He struck the ground with his spear and put his arm over his chest: it was a solemn oath as a spearman. He pulled away and vanished from her vision.

"What are we doing Mommy?" Alika asked.

"... I'd like to go to a particular place."

"Where?"

"You'll know when we get there."

"And what do we do with our horse?"

"I intend to pass it to a Yogoese merchant; so he could bring it back to Yogo with the indications that I will have written on a paper."

"We're going to walk back to Aunt Yuka's?!" she exclaimed.

"Why not?" She smiled. "We're going to change our daily routine a bit. And remember: I took a horse as a safe way for when I was pregnant. And since I'm not anymore, well… I'd rather our horse to help someone who needs it more than us."

Balsa went to a groom and left him the Kokku's horse with the rental price and the directions. Like that, Yogoese merchants who intended to return to Yogo could bring the beast back to its original owner.

Alika followed her mother without asking for more explanations when they took an unknown path. One thing was sure for her: this was, by no means, the path that led to Aunt Yuka's and the Yonsa territory. They were outside the town of Kanbal and walking on the side of the mountain.

The hot, dry summer had begun to fade the green foliage. In a month, the sides of the mountain would be covered with the flamboyant colors of autumn. They were now standing on a rocky ledge beside a cave. A stream rushed from the cave mouth and thundered into a basin far below, wrapping the two warriors in the tingling scent of fresh water. It was now dusk.

"What's this place? Why don't we go through the traveler's gate at the capital?" Alika asked. "It's dark. I have goosebumps..."

"I know the way. The rugged land of Kanbal follows the contours of the Yusa Mountains, 'the mother range'. In truth, these mountains hide a deep maze of caves. Parents constantly warn their children to stay out of the caves, telling them the story of the darkness ruling by the Mountain King and the terrible hyohlu who guards his kingdom."

"The hyohlu? What's it?"

"The Guardian of Darkness. I'll tell you later."

"We're not going to go through that, are we?"

"Yes. That said, we could've return to Aunt Yuka's through the official gate and normal roads, but I wanted to come back to that same cave."

"Why?"

"... Because of what you so often call the 'intuition'. And also, to face my past; I walked through this cave once when I was only six years old... and never went back to Kanbal again."

Even so, since her earliest childhood, Balsa too had taught to fear caves. And though she had survived countless battles through strength and bravery alone, she felt the familiar terror rising in her stomach as she stood before the dark opening with her daughter. She didn't show it, so as not to stress more Alika with. She was her guide after all.

"You're nervous," her daughter said.

"Yes... I can't hide anything from you. I've always been scared of caves, and yet this is the only way to fix my fear."

"It'll be fine; I'm with you."

Balsa opened her eyes, took a deep breath and her daughter's hand.

"Well? Let's go."

With a synchronized step, they entered the dark cave. The light behind them dwindled to a tiny point and then vanished altogether. Still, they continued to walk slowly, their eyes wide open while keeping a hand on the rocky, cavernous wall.


Alika pressed herself against Balsa. Being sensitive to the invisible and intangible energies, her stress was very hard to manage. The slightest souls drew her attention from all directions to all sides. It even seemed to her that they were walking very close, enough to touch her.

"Never bring fire into the caves," Balsa warned. "The hyohlu hates fire. If you bring a torch or a lantern, they'll smell it and track you down. The only way to get through here alive and safe is to walk slowly, feeling the rock."

"Can we talk?"

"Sure. But don't talk too much aloud."

"Why would I talk aloud like if I was screaming? I feel so suffocated right now…"

"Everything's fine. I know you won't scream. I felt as suffocated at your age as you are right now."

"Keep talking to me, Mommy."

Balsa smiled.

"As said earlier, parents constantly warn their children to stay out of the caves. But despite these warnings, however, I would bet that probably every Kanbalese children has ventured a little way inside at least once in their lives."

"Even you?"

"Yes, even me. But I've never been that far; maybe a meter deep from the entrance, nothing more. The rock near the surface is limestone, and if you go further, it will soon give way to a smooth white stone, the hakuma. A piece of hakuma is the highest badge of courage among Kanbalese children; because it proves that the bearer of that piece of stone had gone into the darkness beyond the reach of daylight. Every few years, one or two children who snuck into the caves failed to return. Maybe they were eaten by the hyohlu; that's what their parents claim. Or maybe they just lost their way in the complex maze of tunnels. But I know most of them just got lost. The hyohlu doesn't really eat children... grownups say that to prevent children not to venture here."

"Like the third door on the right in the Hunters' Hole."

"Exactly."

Alika's hand squeezed tighter.

"The smooth white hakuma will eventually give way to lyokuhaku; a milky green stone."

"Could I get one of each? Like that, I could prove my courage to the other Kanbalese children, right?"

Balsa smiled. "We will see. You know Alika, a legend hold that if a traveler goes far enough into the cave, he might find the palace of the Mountain King who, supposedly, creates the most precious jewel gem of Kanbal: the luisha, a luminous blue stone. His palace is entirely made of luisha."

"Does it glow in the dark?"

"Yes. It's the most precious stone range in Kanbal; the one that also allows the survival of my native country."

"... It's like the necklaces that Niisan gave us, then!"

"Exactly."

When they received their rewards, Chagum gave his first necklace to Balsa as a gift and Alika received the second one – which was the Second Empress's second earring. Alika always slept with it, bathed with it, refusing categorically to take it off. But she always managed to hide it.

"Are close to the exit?" her daughter asked.

"Not yet. It takes a full day to walk through the cave in the dark."

"I'm tired of being in the dark..."

"Even if you're with me?"

"No."

Balsa nodded and smiled. The further they walked in deeper, the more they felt the air being squeezed out of their chest. Balsa struggled to keep herself from bursting into a run.

"Breathe more slowly," she suggested to her daughter.

"All right…"

They continued to sink into the darkness. The rushing stream of the river, which had roared continuously roared in their ears, gradually receded into the distance. Their breathing now seemed very loud in the silence. As they'd just reached the next passage and were turning the corner, the acrid smell of smoke stung their noses.

"Never bring fire into the caves," Alika murmured, repeating her mother's words.

A scream jerked them back to reality. The wordless wail bounced off the walls, echoing through the caves – a child's voice, high and shrill. Dropping her bag on the ground with her daughter's, Balsa took her spear and sped cautiously through the dark, still holding Alika's hand tightly. The crisscrossing cave distorted sounds, making it hard to locate the scream's origin. At the next branch, however, she saw a light and raced towards it, taking care to remember the route back. Alika followed her on her heels with the speed her little legs could allow.

To Balsa's eyes accustomed to the dark, the light of the torch seemed as bright as day, reflecting off the white hakuma stones with a brilliance that lit up the entire cavern. Then a streak of light whistle through the air and struck the torch, quenching its flame. Darkness returned, but not before the scene had imprinted itself on Balsa's mind: a boy gripping a torch, his back pressed against the wall, and a girl cowering on the ground beyond him. The smoke from the extinguished torch tickled their nose as Balsa felt her way to where she had seen the boy. His ragged breathing told her he was still alive. Since she didn't smell blood, she was fairly certain he was unharmed. Balsa removed her daughter's hand from her. Alika instantly grabbed her belt instead so she could guide herself. Reaching his side, she grabbed the boy's shoulder. He jumped.

"Don't scream," she whispered fiercely. "Tell me what happened."

"My sis— my sister... the hyohlu..."

Balsa turned in the direction of the little girl. Something lurked in the darkness just past her – something uncanny. Alika clung to her mom as best she could, shaking, as if she wanted to merge with her. Swinging her spear towards it, Balsa exhaled slowly. The stillness that always came before battle settle over her and adrenaline surged through her veins, shrinking the world down to nothing but herself and her enemy. Drilled to fight even in the dark, she could just make out a phosphorescent pale blue light. Keeping her eyes wide open, she shifted her gaze silently to the side until she discerned a shape within the bluish haze. So that's a hyohlu, she thought. She felt chilled to the core.

Alika blinked and looked at her mother.

"I've done this before, a long time ago," Balsa murmured.

"Mommy...?" Alika asked, snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, I just... had a weird feeling while facing the hyohlu..."

"Oh? You did?"

Just then, they heard a faint moan behind her – the girl. Balsa collected herself abruptly and turned around. Moving cautiously toward the sound, she reached out to touch for the child.

"It's all right now," she said. "The hyohlu has gone. Are you hurt?"

"My foot...," the girl answered between sobs.

Alika felt the boy's energy approaching her, unsure. His hand moved in the dark and he finally touched one of their two heads, well... not Balsa's head, but Alika's. If there had been any light, she probably would have showed her annoyed stare to him.

"Hey, boy," she growled to her mother's surprise and taking the chance to speak Kanbalese. "You're touching my head."

She took his hand and placed it on her mother's arm.

"That's my Mom... your saviour..."

Balsa took the boy's hand to guide him toward the girl.

"Gina, are you okay?" he whispered.

"Kassa!" the girl cried.

"It's all right now," Balsa repeated quietly. "But let's get out of here. I'll carry your sister. Grab the end of my spear and follow me quietly."

The boy helped the girl climb up on Balsa's back. Alika suppressed all jealousy. Recalling the route she had taken to find them, she traced her way back to the passage where she had left their bags. By the time they finally left the cave, the moon was already sinking in the west of the sky. Outside, the night air enveloped them, surprisingly cold and smelling of snow; night's breath blowing down from the eternal snow-capped of the Yusa mother range.

"Er..."

The boy looked up at Balsa, his face faintly lit by the moon. A head shorter than her but sturdily built, he looked about fourteen and fifteen years old. His tunic of tanned goat hide marked him as a member of the warrior class, as did the broad knife that hung from the back of his thick leather belt.

"Thank you," he said his voice husky, as if it had only recently changed.

"Yes, well, we were just lucky to get out here alive," Balsa replied, and then added sternly, "How could you be so stupid? Taking your younger sister into the cave to test your courage! A young man like you with the right to carry a dagger – you should have known better. She could have been killed!"

The boy looked surprised.

"No, you've got it all wrong!" her sister interjected. "I was the one who went in to get the stone. Not my brother."

Her voice was surprisingly firm and steady. Balsa had assumed she was only ten, but she revised her estimate to twelve, or even thirteen.

"There's this boy in our village who's so stuck up – he keeps bragging about 'how' he's from the chieftain's line and laughing at us. He said if we went into the caves to get a stone, we'd never come out alive because we're just from a branch family. That's why I did it."

Balsa suppressed a smile.

"I see. Now I understand why you did it. But it still wasn't worth risking your life. You should never have underestimated the caves. You almost died in there tonight."

The two teenagers said nothing; most likely reliving the terror they felt when they met the hyohlu. Gina shuddered on Balsa's back, and she hitched her higher up.

"Don't ever go into the cave again, do you understand?" Balsa said in a warning tone.

They nodded obediently.

"Good. That's settled then. Is your village near here?"

"Yes. I'm Kassa, son of Tonno of the Musa clan. This is my sister Gina."

Alika withheld any comment about the Musa name.

"Excuse me, but are you both foreigners?" Kassa asked hesitantly.

"What?" Balsa asked.

"You're dressed like people from New Yogo... and the way you talk is, well..."

"No, I was born in Kanbal. But I've been on a very long journey."

Balsa thought for herself that she needs to be careful from now on; even though Tanda had gone back to Yogo.

"You're Kassa and Gina, right? I want you to do me a favor."

Kassa nodded, ready to listen.

"Don't tell anyone that you met me in the caves with that child," she said, pointing at Alika.

"It's yours?"

"Yes."

His eyes looked at her amber-handled spear dubiously.

"She's young, too young even, to carry a spear..."

"Some have the talent. Don't worry, I didn't kidnap her," she laughed as Alika looked at her indignantly.

"Mommy!"

"I know, sweetie. Anyway, you can tell your family that you saved Gina yourself."

It was too dark to see his expression clearly, but Balsa felt that Kassa looked troubled.

"Can't we tell our parents?" Gina asked, from her perch on Balsa's back. "If you come with us, I know they'll want to meet you and have you staying for a meal. Please come with us."

"Thank you very much, but I really can't."

Balsa had already thought of her excuse for traveling around Kanbal, and she used it now.

"I'm on a journey of penance to save my foster father's soul. If I accept any hospitality from your family, my good deed won't have any effect. You know that, don't you? So please don't tell anyone that I helped you."

The teenagers nodded.

"Can you make it home from here on your own?" Balsa asked.

"Yes," Kassa said.

"All right, then. Oh, and by the way, what did you do with the torch?"0

"I still have it, but it was snuffed out."

He held it up for Balsa to see. She frowned. The usually bristly top was flat and smooth, as if it had been sliced with a sharp blade. After a short analysis of the torch, Balsa lowered Gina to the ground and helped her climb onto Kassa's back. Then, she took a flint box from her bag to light the torch.

She gave it to Gina and asked Kassa, "Will this last you until you reach home?"

"Yes," Kassa replied as they nodded.

"Good."

Kassa had a boyish face and looked a little unsure of himself, but she could tell he was a serious youth who cared about his sister. Gina was dark skinned and her braided hair was looped on top of her head. Although there was still a trace of fear in her eyes, her firmly set lips betrayed a strong will.

"I guess it's time to say good-bye," Balsa said. "I don't suppose you could tell me the quickest way from here to the nearest market?"

"It would be Sula Lassal," said Kassa. "It's about thirty lon here – what you'd call an hour's walk that way, down at the bottom of the valley. It's the biggest lassal in Musa territory, so you'll find lot of inns."

Balsa thanked them, relieved and took her daughter's hand again before parting with them. She had no intention of staying in an inn tonight. She would camp outside and wait until several hours after sunrise, when the people were up and about. She also had to go to the market to buy some local clothes. If she wanted to be inconspicuous, everything else would have to wait. She hadn't thought about clothes before as she was on vacation with Tanda and it was clear they were visitors, so more indulgence. But since the loss of her son, Balsa had to breathe some new air and had chosen to stay in Kanbal to soothe the injustice, the anger and the pain that consumed her heart.

"What does penance mean, Mommy? Are you on time-out?"

Balsa laughed, "No, sweetie. Doing 'penance' here in Kanbal means that people believe that those who died without righting their wrongs suffered eternally as slaves of the Mountain King, the mysterious ruler of the land underground. Their only hope for salvation is for one of the living to abandon home and family and wander about doing good deeds in atonement for the dead person's sins. But people doing penance might as well wear a red headband or even put on clothes of the opposite sex."

"That would explain our spears?"

"Partly."

"And our belts and our pants?"

"Partly, too, I presume. But it's as much feminine as masculine. We'll sleep here until tomorrow morning."

"I'm cold... why can't we take an inn?"

"Because given the time it is, and the meeting of Kassa and Gina in the caves, there may be problems in the next future."

"Oh really? How?"

"Now, enough talking; stick to me and rest."

Alika sighed and leaned against her mother. Jiguro hadn't returned, but Motoko was watching over her.


Sula Lassal market lay at the bottom of a bowl-shaped valley. About thirty small shops lined the crossroads where two main thoroughfares met. Despite Kassa's claim that it was the biggest market in Musa territory, to the well-traveled Balsa, it seemed surprisingly small. Alika saw no difference with the one at the Yonsa territory, the Capital's and this one.

Even though Balsa had hoped to go unnoticed, she felt painfully conspicuous among all the shoppers from the Musa clan. All eyes followed them as she passed by the shops. At the same time, Alika also held a spear for her very young age, which accentuated the number of eyes on them. And it was clear she was girl, and not a boy. Eventually, Balsa managed to find a stall selling clothes, all brightly colored to make it easier to spot anyone who got lost in the snow, for a good price. Long leather boots lay stacked on the floor underneath the table, and a few kahls, thick cloak of woven goat's fur, hung on the walls.

She showed some clothes to Alika who was looking at the Kanbalese dresses with long sleeves in pink and purple color. The shopkeeper watched them suspiciously, but as soon as Alika looked him straight in the eye to analyze his energy, he was surprised to find a certain charm give off her aura.

"Surely you don't want those? These are men's clothes."

"But I want men's clothing," said Balsa. "I'm on a journey of penance."

"Ah I see," he said surprised, his forbidding expression softened slightly. "I'm sorry to hear that. And where was it you were coming from?"

She pressed Alika against her, noticing the owners of the surrounding shop, and even their customers were straining to hear their conversation. Balsa gave up any idea of being discreet and decided to supply just enough information to satisfy their curiosity.

"I came from New Yogo. I was born in Kanbal, but my foster father took me to Yogo when I was young, and that's where I grew up. He committed a crime in Yogo, so I decided to come back here to do penance... but please don't ask me any more than that."

"Oh no, no."

The shopkeepers hurriedly waved his hand in front of his face.

"I wasn't meaning to pry! It's just that the mark on your spear there is the same as the chieftain's, and I was wondering how you might be related, considering you're dressed like an outlander and all."

Balsa felt her pulse race. Oh, blast! It had never occurred to her that people could tell at a glance where she came from, just from the pattern on her spear. She feigned polite surprise.

"Really? I didn't know there was another clan with a similar mark. Well, that's certainly interesting, but this spear is a memento of my father and I don't think he belonged to the Musa clan."

"Is that so? Well then, I guess you're right. There must be other clans with the same design. But there, I go prying... That outfit with the boots is fifty nal. I give you the belt for free because you're doing penance."

"Do you take Yogo currency?"

"I sure do. Yogoese merchants come to buy fur around this time of year."

He looked at the furry tails clinging to Alika's waist.

"One piece of Yogo silver is worth a hundred nal."

"Hey there!" the woman who owned the stall across the street yelled, "Don't let him cheat you just because you're doing penance, you hear? That should be a hundred and ten nal!"

The customers burst out laughing. Alika was starting to get tired. Fortunately, her mother managed to keep her composure and above all, a touch of humor in the second degree.

"I wasn't going to cheat her," the first shopkeeper retorted. "I just meant this is the exchange rate for Yogoese merchants in my shop!" He winked at Balsa. "So, what about it? While you're at it, why not buy that wool coat? I'll give you a lot for one piece of Yogoese silver. If you've been a while, you might have forgotten, but the winters here come early, and the cold is enough to freeze the marrow in your very bones. This kahl, though, it's woven from Kanbal goat's wool. The natural oils in it keep off the rain and the bugs, too."

Balsa smiled and said she would take it. Alika, who hasn't said a word since the shopping started, pointed to the pink dress she kept staring at and her mother took it. Now, her daughter has two souvenir dresses.

"Do you have the same kahl, but for children?"

"Sure. It might be a little too big for her current size, but I think it should be fine."

"She will grow, I can assure you. In return, would you exchange another silver piece for me? A hundred nal will do."

"Hang on. I'll have to see if I have enough."

He rose and opened the box on which he had been sitting. He counted the money inside and exchanged the silver coin for copper nal.

"Thank you," Balsa said.

Alika helped her to carry the packages. They hadn't walked far when a delicious smell wafted through the air – deep-fried losso. Balsa bought some lossos before going to sit on a bench near a group of merchants who had already started on an early lunch. She told Alika her plans for the day: renting once again a horse, but shorter and smaller than the Kokku's, and then, they would go back to Aunt Yuka.