Seirei no Moribito - Volume 1 - Chapter 3.4

CHAPTER IV: ON THE TRAIL OF SHIGU SALUA 

Summer was beginning by the time Shuga found the tale of Nyunga Ro Im engraved on the stone tablets of Nanai’s memoirs. As he read it aloud, tracing the letters in the stone with his finger, he could not keep his hand from shaking. This was it! The water spirit mentioned in the legend of the sacred ancestor and the founding of the country; the thing that the Yakoo magic weaver had referred to as “the egg.” This at last would give him the answers he sought. 
But as he painstakingly read the story, stumbling over unfamiliar words, he discovered that the facts were very different from the legend he knew. When the “portent of dryness” that foretold a great drought appeared in the sky, Nanai himself had gone into the mountains to find the Yakoo, leaving the construction of the capital in the hands of a trusted few. There he met a young boy who bore an egg in his breast and a group of Yakoo who were guarding him. Just once every hundred years, the Yakoo told Nanai, humans were given the chance to aid the workings of the universe. This was a great blessing, they said. They taught him about the worlds of Sagu and Nayugu and how the egg of Nyunga Ro Im begins to grow when winter ends, causing changes in its host. Around the same time, the Egg Eater, Rarunga of Nayugu, starts to move, like a snake hunting birds’ eggs. Everything Shuga read confirmed the truth of the Yakoo story. 
As he realized what a terrible mistake he and the Master Star Reader had made, he broke into a cold sweat. What month is it? he thought suddenly. He raised his eyes from the stone tablet and gazed up at the dark ceiling. When did he last eat? He had to remember! What had it been like outside? It’s already the month of the cicada’s song! There are less than twenty days left until midsummer. Is Rarunga already hunting the prince? It took him at least half a day to decipher a single stone tablet, sometimes a whole day. At this rate, it would take him ten more days to find out how Nanai and the Yakoo managed to destroy the Egg Eater and save the egg! 
Calm down, he chided himself. The Master Star Reader has already sent the Hunters after the prince. Right now, the most important thing is to learn every fact I can. 
And thus he immersed himself in deciphering the tablets, sparing no time for either food or sleep. Two days later he stumbled upon a crucial fact and raised his eyes from the tablet. Although his head ached as if it might break in two, he paused in thought and then climbed unsteadily up the ladder to the room above. The Master Star Reader was just returning to his room to sleep. He started back in surprise when he saw Shuga emerge from the trapdoor. “Shuga! What’s wrong? You look so pale!” 
Shuga staggered and sank to the floor. Supporting him, the Master Star Reader bent his ear to his mouth to catch what he was saying. A light kindled in his eyes and he nodded eagerly. “Yes, of course. You did well, Shuga. I’ll send a message to the Hunters so they can get there first. This time it will all work out,” he reassured him, patting him gently on the back. “Reading the tablets is very important, but first you must rest. If you collapse, there will be no one left to uncover their secrets.” 
Shuga raised his bloodshot eyes and pleaded, “Master Star Reader, we’re racing against time. Couldn’t you read them for me?” 
The Master Star Reader thought for a moment but then shook his head. “Like you, I have no time. I’ve been so busy trying to save the life of the First Prince that I haven’t had any rest either. Tonight is the first time I’ve been permitted to sleep, and I must be by his side again tomorrow.” 
Shuga nodded, so tired he felt faint. He could do no more. 
“You can sleep here tonight. I’ll have some bedding put out for you. Go straight to bed. There’s no need to wait up for me.” 
Although Shuga vaguely remembered him leaving the room, he immediately collapsed into a deep sleep. 
 
The next change in Chagum occurred one hot, sticky morning five days after Torogai and Tanda returned from their trip. 
This time when he complained of being tired, no one was deeply concerned — not even Chagum himself. It was as if a long-awaited day had finally arrived. He slept for only a few hours, and woke to find himself filled with a strange compulsion. “Something’s calling me,” he said. “It’s a bit like that feeling I used to have, the feeling of wanting to go home. I just know I have to go — as if I’m being called there.” 
“Who’s calling you?” Balsa asked, but Chagum shook his head, perplexed. 
“It’s hard to describe, but it doesn’t feel like a person. It’s more like being pulled by an invisible thread. And I feel like I’ve got to follow it.” 
“Sounds just like the toburya in the Aoyumi River,” said Torogai. “The young fish swim out to sea, then climb back up the river again to lay their eggs. Nyunga Ro Im’s egg is being drawn toward what it needs in the same way. The knowledge must have been planted inside it from the very beginning, the same way birds know the route they must travel. Chagum, which way do you want to go?” 
Without any hesitation, he pointed. Torogai frowned. “That’s odd. I thought it would be toward the sea, but it seems I was wrong. I guess there must be something you have to do before the egg goes there. Well, we have no choice but to do what it wants.” 
They hurriedly cleaned up the cave and prepared to travel. Looking around the big empty room, barren now even of the ashes swept from the hearth, Chagum felt a cold loneliness. He looked up at Balsa, who had hoisted her bag onto her back. “Balsa?” 
“What?” 
“If the egg hatches safely and I’m no longer needed, do you think we could come back here again? Can I live with you and Tanda?” 
Balsa was glad Tanda had gone outside. “Well, that’s certainly one possibility,” she answered noncommittally and pushed him gently toward the door. “Come on. It’s time to go.” 
“All right.” 
Chagum had grown so much sturdier since she had met him last autumn that there was really no comparison. He could now light a fire by himself, and thanks to their thorough training, he knew enough to survive on his own, even in the middle of the mountains. 
As he followed the others along the mountain path, Chagum occasionally glimpsed strange sights. When he focused his attention on them, he could see Nayugu spreading out before him, superimposed on the solid world of Sagu. That other world was much more rugged than Sagu. Mountains towered black against the sky, mist climbing slowly toward their peaks. There were no roads that could be traversed by humans, and the land was devoid of any sign of people. As he walked along a cliff path looking down into a valley in Sagu, he saw it superimposed over a valley in Nayugu — one so deep and dark it appeared bottomless. Occasionally he sensed something squirming in the damp obscurity that concealed the valley floor. But what he saw of Nayugu was not always frightening. At times, its beauty moved him profoundly. Its water was as blue as lapis lazuli and so deep it seemed to go on forever. Its flowers bloomed in vivid colors, as if proud to be alive. The air was so clear and sweet it refreshed his spirit. 
“Hey! Chagum! Watch where you’re going!” Balsa grabbed his arm and he started in surprise. Trying to avoid a large rock in Nayugu, he had almost stepped right off the cliff. He hastily stopped looking at the other world. 
That night as they sat around the fire, with green grass spread on top to smoke out the mosquitoes, Chagum related what he had seen. “You’re so lucky!” Tanda exclaimed. “What a fantastic opportunity. Not even the greatest magic weavers can see Nayugu so easily. I wish I could see it like you.” 
“No kidding!” Torogai chimed in. “It’s totally wasted on a kid like him!” 
“Chagum,” Balsa interrupted. “When you’re looking at Nayugu, can you see any sign of Rarunga, the Egg Eater?” 
“No, none at all.” 
Balsa looked at Tanda. “It’s almost midsummer, and Chagum has started to move. I expected Rarunga to appear almost immediately, but I don’t feel anything. Do you?” 
“No. It’s almost worse than if we did.” 

Torogai snorted. “Ha! Don’t be ridiculous. It’s going to turn up sooner or later even if you beg it not to. Just keep your eyes peeled. That goes for the kid too.” 
She was right, but just because they saw no sign of the monster did not mean they could rest easy. Tanda and Balsa decided to take turns sleeping. 
They continued walking west through the Misty Blue Mountains. On the fourth day, they came to the upper reaches of the Aoyumi River. 
“The water is so low,” Balsa murmured. Judging by the watermarks on the boulders, it was only a third of its normal depth, and the exposed rocks, bleached white by the relentless sun, made her uneasy. As they walked on, they discussed the drought, but Chagum paid little heed to their voices. As soon as he saw the clear stream running through the damp, mossy stones, he had felt his heart begin to throb. The rushing water sent up a white spray where it crashed against the boulders, and the smell of water enveloped him. It’s this way. There’s no mistake. We’re almost there. For some reason, he felt his mouth fill with saliva. 
Tanda turned to Balsa and said, “We should reach Aoike Pond around noon. The shigu salua will be blooming there at this time of year.” 
“Shigu salua?” Balsa murmured. Something stirred in her memory. 
Chagum’s pace quickened. The other three glanced at each other. He seemed to be headed for that very pond and broke into a run when they caught their first glimpse of it through the trees. Ordinarily, they would have stopped him; running made it harder to detect an enemy. But they had seen no signs that they were being followed, and they were so distracted by Chagum and their curiosity about what he would do that even Torogai neglected caution. 
A grassy glade surrounded the large pond, and just as Tanda had predicted, the water near the banks was covered in small white shigu salua flowers, floating on their round green leaves. They gave off a peculiar and overpowering smell — the heavy scent of water, like the wind after a summer downpour. Instantly, Balsa remembered: It was this scent that had clung to Chagum when she had stopped him from stumbling out Toya’s door — the scent of shigu salua. 
The scene that Chagum saw at that moment was very different from the one his companions saw. Before him in Nayugu lay a body of water as big as a lake, with a surface like a deep blue mirror. Superimposed on this he could still see the pond in Sagu. Faint ripples disturbed its surface whenever a breeze passed over the lake in Nayugu. 
Chagum rushed over to the flowers and inhaled deeply. Their fragrance was intoxicating. From among the many blossoms floating on the pond, he found the one that bloomed in both worlds, the one that spanned Nayugu and Sagu simultaneously. Plucking it, he shoved it into his mouth and devoured it with rapture. The nectar was far more abundant than he had expected from the size of the flower. As it trickled down his throat, an odd warmth spread slowly through him, and he sat down abruptly on the bank, as if he were drunk. 
The others watched him wordlessly from start to finish. Suddenly Balsa gripped the spear in her hand tightly. She knew intuitively that they were surrounded. 
“Balsa, don’t do it,” Torogai whispered. “I know. We’ve been trapped. But you mustn’t try to cut your way through with your spear.” 
“Why?” Balsa asked sharply, her eyes still fixed on Chagum so their enemies would not realize they had been discovered. 
“This trap was set before we even got here. That can only mean one thing. The Star Readers have found some record of how they destroyed Rarunga two hundred years ago. I want to know how they did it.” 
“But I can feel their hostility. They may not mean to harm Chagum, but they most certainly intend to kill us.” 
“I know. So we’ll just have to make Chagum our hostage.” 
Balsa looked at Tanda. Although slightly tense, he looked ready to meet whatever might come their way. 
“There are eight of them,” he said. “Torogai has already tricked them once, and I doubt they’ll fall for that again. I guess we have no choice but to do as she suggests.” 
Balsa nodded finally and then bent toward Chagum. “Can you hear me, Chagum?” He looked up at her, his eyes glazed. “The Mikado’s men have found us. It looks like they don’t mean to kill you, but they do plan to kill the rest of us.” Apprehension finally registered in his eyes. “So we’re going to make you our hostage. Will you trust us?” 
Chagum pressed his lips together tightly and nodded. Still drunk on the nectar, he stared blankly at the trees and saw several figures appear. Four Hunters surrounded them, their short bows held at the ready. Although they had a limited range, the quick bows could be fired in rapid succession, which made them an ideal weapon in a forest such as this, where there was not much space. 
The other four Hunters moved toward them slowly. Jin held a blowgun; his wounds had already healed. Yun carried a long sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. The scar Balsa’s spear had scored across his face was still livid, and he glared at her, making no attempt to conceal the hatred that seethed inside him. Zen was empty-handed, but she could see by the way his knees were braced that he would not be caught off guard. They knew her ability only too well now; there was not a trace of overconfidence in their stance. 
At Mon’s signal, Jin, Zen, and Yun began to close in. They walked so as not to obstruct the archers’ line of fire, and it was obvious that they knew every inch of ground, the location of every rock. While Balsa had no intention of disobeying Torogai’s warning not to wield her spear, she still probed carefully for some way to break through their line. But the magic weaver was right; it was impossible. Although she might have stood a chance on her own, as a group they had no possibility of winning against eight men like these. 
Torogai waited until the Hunters were about to pounce before she yelled. “Stop right there!” 
The very air seemed to freeze. The Hunters, still poised to strike, halted in their tracks. 
“Magic weaver, your tricks won’t work anymore,” Mon said in a strong, clear voice. 
Torogai grinned. “I’m not so foolish as to use the same trick twice.” She looked so perfectly at ease, it made the Hunters uncomfortable. “Listen carefully! We have no intention of fighting. To be honest, we have no time for that right now. We must meet with the Master Star Reader as soon as possible.” 
Mon had not foreseen this turn of events, but he was too smart to let it show. “Enough of your nonsense!” he barked. “We’re the ones in charge here, not you.” 
“Fine then. Get on with it! But I should warn you that the instant one of us is either injured or killed, the prince’s heart will stop beating, regardless of whether he sees it happen or not. As long as you understand that, we’ll do whatever you say.” 
“There’s no use bluffing,” Mon retorted. 
Torogai grinned wickedly — a smile so gruesome it made them shudder. “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you check it out as we talk? Go ahead. Try it and see what kind of magic old Torogai has woven around the prince.” 
Mon realized they were at a disadvantage; these three knew the prince’s value. “You think you’ve won, magic weaver,” he said quietly. “Feel free to think that. Our job is to return the prince to the Master Star Reader. You’ve said that you’ll come quietly, so come. You’ll save us a lot of trouble. But remember: The Star Palace is a sacred place, where your dirty magic tricks are worthless.” 
He signaled the other Hunters to surround the captives, leaving no room for escape. They began walking. Balsa gripped her spear in her right hand, while with her left arm she supported Chagum, who was still unsteady on his feet. The Hunters, who had come expecting to take revenge on her, ground their teeth in frustration, but they were not so foolish as to let their feelings show. 
Everyone, including Balsa, was sure that they would arrive at the Star Palace without incident.