The Wave of war

Few days later. On a surface water.

"What's that coming, Father?"

Tahni asked standing at the edge of the stretched and borderless wooden balcony. She turned to face her father who was seated on a acacia chair before the wooden hut seating on the surface water, half way into the breadth of the large lake.

According to Ayla who had situated their new dwelling place on the water, they wouldn't be scene by any mortal. Even a boat plying the water wouldn't see them. Only that when the boat gets to the portion of their building on the water, twouldnt be able to pass through. Twould feel a barrier but wouldn't see what it was.

"You don't have to bother yourself. Whatever it is would come to light sooner or later."

She heard her father say, yet she wasn't satisfied. She didn't know why not. She could smell quite the numbers of omens in the air. She didn't know when she began to have spiritual traits. Abilities to discern strange things which were bound to happen.

The first day Ayla had built that magical house, after they had sought to live peacefully in the forest to no avail. That very day, Tahni had felt like something was going to happen. Something quite ugly and she didn't hold back from her father.

Her father had told her that she was only scared of silly things. That twas bound to be, since she was going to be living in a magical hut on the surface of water for the first time. But she didn't feel comfortable and went to meet Ayla who seemed nicer than Prium had described her.

Ayla had told her that, the magical hut had a condition. Though the advantage was that they wouldn't be seen by any mortal but they wouldn't be hidden from the sight of any stray spirit or any magical creatures.

She feared to think that they were living in a magical world, while in mortal flesh. But her fears weren't really taken seriously, neither by her sister who was blinded by hate, nor her father who was always busy expecting his so called Athena. And Ayla on the other hand was no human, there was to an extent she could relate with a Nymph.

But if the princess had been there, things would had been very different. She would had had someone to discuss with. Someone who would understand her plight and see from her own frame of reference. Because to herself, Tahni saw herself as the only person who was sane amongst the lot.

Then suddenly she was knocked out of her thoughts as she heard footsteps approaching the the shore of the lake; she would had said twas a lie if she had been told that there was such huge lake at the edge of that huge forest to the East.

Then soon, a group of men began to walk towards the edge of the lake by the left towards the direction they were facing.

"Father."

She called again and then Vulcan looked up muttering,

"What again, Tahni, quite a tr--"

He held back the words as he saw the group of men. He stood up from the chair and walked to stand beside her.

"It seems like you have some gifts I find difficultly to see."

He admitted looking at her, then to the group of men. The men began to drink from the lake and fill their waterskin. They were having discussions indistinctly.

"I don't think this people are from our land. They are from Aiowa."

Tahni said. He looked at her and asked,

"Aiowa?"

She met his gaze and reached one of her arms to his side, sliding that arm into the space between his arm and the ribcage. She said,

"You seem to have forgotten a lot of things father. Even Aiowa? Where you go to present your poetry? Whatever happened to you wasn't no game."

He sighed, trying to read the expression on her face. He couldn't, he said instead,

"Of all things I have forgotten, at least I can remember vividly that I was a poet and... I can't be sure if I still am. It's been forever since I wrote even a kinkih."

"Those two lines favorite of yours."

She had complimented. He pat her on the back and knocked the distraction off.

"I'm certain that they are going to our land. But I don't know what for. And in no time they would leave now."

Tahni complained. Vulcan caught her curiosity and said,

"Don't bother. There's only one way to find out."

He shot her a smile, and watched her concerned face melt into a neutral counterpart.

He turned and called,

"Ayla."

As though she had been expecting to be called, she appeared at the door of the hut and said,

"At your service, Lord."

"Lord."

Tahni muttered, nudging her father playfully but gently in his weak side. He didn't build on it. Ayla got to him,

"You want to know about them?"

Ayla asked even before he could speak. He nodded his head, while Tahni gave the impressed nod.

"Few seconds."

She said and walked to the other side of the hut and jumped into the water. But her force made a dull impact on the water as she began to swim towards the direction of the men.

"I wish I had magic like her."

Tahni said and Vulcan said to her,

"She doesn't have it. She was born with it. If you aren't born with it, it's not meant for you. You'll be corrupted by that and at the bid of controlling the magic you become its slave."

Tahni sighed and looked away from him. Old men and depth of thoughts sucked.

They looked in the direction of the men and saw no sign of Ayla.

After few moments later, they heard from behind them towards the same part of the balcony from where Ayla had jumped into the lake,

"They speak of war. They want to take Tyhis while it's in ill shape."

That was Ayla. The news couldn't let either of them ask how she did it. Vulcan asked instead,

"Tyhis?"

Tahni answered,

"Yes, father. That's the sacred name of our land."

Vulcan turned to Ayla swiftly,

"Is there anything we can do to help the land?"

"You can't be serious. After all they did to you?"

Tahni had argued.

"I'm hungry."

The strange but familiar voice came from the door of the hut. They all turned to hold the indifferent Prium in their gaze.

Tahni shook her head and walked in another direction to the end of the balcony by the left, leaving Vulcan and Ayla to the mercy of the beast amongst them.

"Food is all you can think of now, Prium?"

Tahni heard their father snap and continued remonstrating, but she wasn't interested. She had more than enough things to be worried about.