Unsung Desire (Book 1)

Chapter 5

The Dihns’ dead are vertically laid to rest in cave walls or in live trees to be one with nature, to be at peace, and to easily ascend and enter the immortal world through Ruzgarri and Mahviyuz’s favor.

                                                                                         ֍֍֍

I saw how Dahk’s hand grip tightly around his sword. He was ready to strike any time soon, if threatened. But he just waited. And my breath left my lungs… oblivious to the death scent mixed with smoke and fire that surrounded us in this cave.

“Who? The one we’re looking for?” the first Dihn asked.

“I must not be mistaken. This blood on the passageway… it has Cigihm’s boot prints. The diamond pattern…” the second Dihn trailed off.

“But he’s dead! We’ve been looking for him for almost a decade now but he’s nowhere in Dihnya!” the first one roared. His voice echoed in the cavern like thunder. “Someone must have found his boots in Yahrezur or somewhere—”

I could feel my mother’s tension began to ease when I looked at her. In the dark, I could feel Mahk’s eyes were directed to Dahk’s, who was still not easing up. I was confused. And these Dihns were talking about where we came from. Who was Cigihm and why were they looking for him?

“That’s just one theory. But we have to find him! Ahnlek must be with him. She must be. And those children…” The second man butted in but trailed off again.

Ahnlek and those children? I tried to process this.

“Kraddash… Rehdaaf…” Mahk whispered.

Sekkiz and I just looked up at her in the dark, trying to breathe quietly. I supposed Mahk knew who these Dihns are. She was about to step out but Sekkiz held her back. Dahk’s eyes darted toward us in the dark nonetheless, like he warned Mahk not to move an inch.

“They must just be around here if not inside the cave,” the second Dihn said.

“After that huge dinner we had, we must retire for the night, Rehdaaf,” the first one said. “But why would they leave this place if the fire is still burning?”

“Maybe they will come back, Kraddash. We must wait for them.” The Dihn named Rehdaaf insisted. “Or, they’re just hiding inside. I don’t see any boot prints going out.”

“If it’s indeed Cigihm as you believe it, he can fool his enemies.”

“That must be how he’s still alive, with Ahnlek and those children!” Rehdaaf pointed out.

Dahk started to move when a stocky Dihn came into our line of vision, who just emerged from the passageway. My father’s sword edge was so close to the stocky Dihn’s throat, while his other hand procured a knife to point it threateningly to the other Dihn that started to appear at the passage. The stocky one stepped forward, and Dahk retreated in a slow, calculating step.

“You were supposed to be dead!” Dahk’s voice was firm but low. “You were gravely wounded, Kraddash! And you, Rehdaaf,” he said and turned to the slim but lean Dihn. “Where were you when I needed you?”

The two Dihns, with dark hair tied on top of their heads, wearing shabby robes and having swords resting on their backs, stood staring at Dahk in disbelief. Their jaws hung and eyes were wide. But I could clearly see the excitement in Rehdaaf’s eyes.

“Bihs kobehk, don’t!” Mahk begged. Her voice shook, and she was about to cry, it seemed. She slowly let us go but was signaled to stay in the dark and stay quiet through the firm squeeze she gave us in the hand.

My twin sister took my hand, and we quietly retreated farther into the dark corner. The smell of death was stronger than ever. It was the foulest odor I’d ever breathed into my lungs. I thought it made my chest go tight and felt heady.

“Stay back, bihs kobehk!” Dahk ordered with a hard tone in his voice.

“But—”

“We can’t trust them!” he cut off.

“Cigihm, don’t do this!” Kraddash warned. “We’re not here to do you harm. In fact, Rehdaaf hadn’t lost his trust that you’re still alive with those children! That’s why we’d been searching for you for almost a decade now!”

“Cigihm, Ahnlek, I’m so happy to see you both alive!” Rehdaaf’s honest face shone with glee, looking at Dahk and Mahk. Back and forth.

Sekkiz and I never knew it was their real names! This was the first time we heard this information. For us, they were always Dahk and Mahk—Father and Mother. Nothing more.

I swallowed and continued to look on. Sekkiz seemed to feel the same as I did. I could feel her hand that was as small as mine tighten in mine.

Rehdaaf tried to step toward Mahk but Dahk was fast to push him back. But in the process, Kraddash caught his hand that held the sword, trying to break his hold. Dahk was forced to let go of the sword, lest he broke his wrist. But he twisted his body and kicked Kraddash in his thick tummy, crashing the Dihn to the passageway. I could not see him any longer.

Now Rehdaaf faced Dahk, trying to hold him by the lapels of his robe. “Snap out of it, Cigihm! We’re here to help!”

“No!” Dahk was stubborn. He pushed the lean Dihn away from him and kicked him in the chest. The latter hit his back against the corner of the passageway, wincing in pain. He seemed to have no choice but to fight with my father.

Dahk was quick to roll and pick up the sword he dropped. Kneeling, he raised it horizontally to stop Rehdaaf’s s***h attack. Then Dahk’s elbow countered the slim Dihn’s kick, making the latter groan in pain when his shin was hit.

“Oh, for the name of Cahzlik stop it!” Mahk bellowed. Her voice echoed in the cave.

The three male Dihns stopped in the middle of their fight like statues. They looked at Mahk wordlessly.

Mahk quickly went over to them and took away their swords and knives. “I will keep these for the moment. Now, let’s talk like civilized Dihns. We’re all from Yahrezur, and we must not fight like this! We are, after all, in the presence of the royal deities.”

Dahk and Mahk were on all fours and bowed their heads in our direction. Hesitant at first but Rehdaaf and Kraddash also did the same.

Royal deities? Who? Sekkiz and me? How did it happen?

Sekkiz started to emerge from the dark, dragging me along with her. The four of them slowly raised their heads to look at us. And then, they straightened up while their knees were still on the hard ground.

“Mahk? Dahk?” We both asked in confusion as we approached them.

From what I knew, we were just ordinary Dihns from Sorradan. Well, that was what we knew until today.

Kraddash and Rehdaaf, who seemed to be the same age as my parents, stared at them with bewilderment. Their eyes were filled with questions. At my young age, I could at least read their expressions pretty well.

Mahk and Dahk got up and they followed suit. We watched as they gathered around the dying fire, sitting crossed legs. They put more twigs and wood while Mahk held me and my sister’s hands.

“These are the direct descendants of the North’s deity, Ruzgarri, and the Sky Deity Mahviyuz, our late King and Queen’s twins,” Mahk declared.

Sekkiz and I gaped at our mother. “What?” Our outburst together with Rehdaaf and Kraddash.

“B-but their hair…?” Kraddash gestured toward us.

“They colored it. And it’s good, to keep them safe like this,” Mahk answered.

The two male Dihns that we just met stared at me and Sekkiz. But they averted their eyes when our very own clashed with theirs. They both cleared their throats.

“So… how did you live and where did you go? We’ve been up and down Dihnya but we couldn’t find you all these years,” Rehdaaf asked.

The night went on as my parents recounted how we lived. All the while, the two Dihns who looked warriors to me stared at me and Sekkiz and our parents, now and again. Later on, I didn’t realize I was already sleeping, my head resting on Mahk’s lap.

***

“Mahk?” I called out in a whisper when I woke up. I had no idea if it was already morning or if I was just asleep for a few hours. It was dark. I wondered how it was I wasn’t suffocated or anyone of us, since the foul smell was still there. It was strong and thick. I also pondered how was that I didn’t even retch?

The fire was already dead, so my eyes were strained looking around the dark cave. The passageway was clearly blocked by thick leaves.

A hand held me down when I was trying to get up. “Let’s sleep more,” Sekkiz said, groaning in her morning voice. I dropped my bottom back to the cold ground and she hugged me. But a few minutes later, the passageway was suddenly flooded by light from the outside.

“It’s already morning, Sekkiz!” I blurted out. “Maybe we have to go now!” I said, sitting up. I looked around and found out it was only me and her that were left there. Then I saw our parents with the two Dihns come in, in a single file.

“Hey! Want breakfast?” Dahk smiled at us.

I gently rubbed my eyes while Sekkiz was forced to get up. Upon opening my eyes again and adjusting to the light, I screamed when I found someone was standing in the cave niche in the rightmost corner. It had without eyes and skin and flesh that looked ugly as they came off from the inner parts of the Dihn.

Mahk followed the direction of my sight. She quickly blocked the view and smiled at me, trying to calm me down. Sekkiz missed seeing it because it was already blocked.

“Sorry for that, Sertti angel. You shouldn’t have seen it. But you shouldn’t be afraid of it. I-it was Kaddrash’s brother. Anyway, we’re going outside. Shall we eat outside now?”

Dahk helped me up and ushered me out, following Rehdaaf and Kaddrash. Sekkiz and Mahk fell in behind me.

“How did he die, Mahk?” Sekkiz asked, referring to Kaddrash’s brother resting in the cave.