Raen looked from what he thought was childishly giggling mother over to the riders and wished he could be there too. He squinted into the sunlight until he finally saw his father among the crowded, black-robed warriors. He watched him admiringly. The hilt of his sword protruded over his angular shoulders and he sat quietly on his nervous horse, his head held high. His gaze was focused on the edge of the forest in the distance. He wanted to be like his father one day.
After all riders and spectators had gathered at the start, it was quiet and the high priest stepped forward.
“With this race we thank Hrauna's benevolence according to the traditions of our forefathers! The hooves of the horses and the sweat of the riders should make their earth fertile, so that our great breadwinner may give us a good harvest! Today's winner, of course, deserves the solemn honor of making the first cut with the sickle at the beginning of the harvest moon! ”, The Hyaunset expla
And when they were finally seen again, Reni still held on to the lead. A little behind him was a warrior named Rika and right on her heels was Roman! They turned onto the road that led through the pastures directly to the finish line. Alea, Andra and Raen screamed their hearts out, and as if Kaeisan could hear this, he went to great lengths once more and carried Roman past Rika on her white horse. He was now about a hundred paces from Reni, who was only half a mile to go. Reni glanced over his shoulder at his pursuer and laughed. Suddenly he reined in his foaming horse and waited for Roman, who flew up quickly. Shortly before he caught up with him, however, Reni dashed forward again, Roman now close to his neck. The last few steps it was a head to head race. But at the finish with the eagerly cheering spectators, Reni finally kept the nose in front. And no one except Roman himself knew whether he hadn’t taken his horse back at the last moment to let Reni go on ahead. The crowd
With a need for conversation in his heart, he jumped up and pulled on a long tunic made of thin fabric, which he fastened around his waist with a belt. He tied his hair and left the room to look for his aunt Sama-Karla.He found her sitting in the glow of the oil lamps on the large roof terrace above the west wing, where she had watched the sunset. She often did this alone. Sometimes she cried while doing it. Kanaima had observed this secretly. He hadn't known why then, and it had struck him as strange. But today he understood her sadness, which was very similar to his and which could quickly turn into anger. His aunt was very temperamental and it tormented her deeply to be locked up here in this disgusting festival, as she called the castle.He thought back to their first meeting when he had arrived here in Kalav with his little escort after a long journey through dusty landscapes. Sama-Karla had smiled at him, hugged him warmly and hugged him. A feeling he had only s
“ No, I haven't yet. But maybe it will be better if we stay here. I have something important to tell you. ”She motioned to the servant to bring another chair and pillow. When he got what he wanted, Kanaima took a seat next to her and waited for her to begin. But first came the food. He patiently ate the well-seasoned meat from a silver bowl and drank diluted, cool wine with it. Sama-Karla looked at the young man, the son of her hated brother. He looked painfully like him! The cool blue eyes, the sharp-edged, curved nose, the curved, narrow lips, the first dark beard on the cheeks and chin, all framed by lush black strands of hair. And although his features were similar to those of his father, Kanaima's insides were quite different. And that is why she had grown to love him like her own child, whom she had been denied. She had given all her care to Kanaima and done everything in her limited power to make life here in the lonely castle easier for him. It wasn't easy, becau
There was a lot to do. The harvest was just around the corner, and the Shari clan needed every free hand now. As every year, a large number of the warriors were divided among the farms and billeted there until the harvest was over. So they could start their work in the fields with the farmers early in the morning without having to travel the long way from the chorten.But there was a bad omen in the still air of the sultry late summer. Even the ancestors of the winds hid for days. And finally, the busiest time of the year began not with Reni's ceremonial first harvest cut, but with a violent storm!As if to remind human beings of their power, Zaizura drove one heavily rain-laden cloud tower after another from the sea to Hy. They got stuck on the Junghal Mountains and discharged themselves violently. One violent thunderstorm after another swept across the land and flattened the ripe grain in the fields. The hail hit the fruit from the trees and shingles from the roofs.
Actually, you shouldn't get a reward for doing so much work for me!" He said sternly. Then he checked that the knot on the beam was tight enough and that there was enough water. Hopefully the storm wouldn't get so violent that it worried the horses."Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Laughing, Roman nudged Kaeisan as he was just about to nibble on his headscarf, which he wore instead of his helmet when working in the fields. He went through under the horse's neck and was handed the pitchfork from Hroenka, a young warrior. Roman thanked him, fetched two large forks full of hay from next door and then passed the forks on to the next one. After a few loving taps on his horse's neck, he left the stable. To his not-too-great surprise, it was already pouring rain outside and the wind was sweeping across the rooftops. Roman ran right along the wall to the washhouse. There he took off his mud-stained clothes and washed himself thoroughly. The clothes stayed as they were, he would j
After giving instructions to saddle up his horse, Roman crept quietly into the house. It was his job to bring the bad news to the farm board. He thought with great concern that now all warriors would have to leave the farms and the choir and that many strong hands would be missing from the harvest. Harvest time was a particularly bad time for war - the enemy certainly knew that too! But that was fate. They were all just little plants in the field of the universe. Some of these little plants were cherished. They blossomed and bore fruit, they could multiply. Others, however, were destined to be trodden down, mowed down, in order to use their bodies to form the breeding ground for others! Everything was an infinite cycle, and human beings were only a tiny part of it. Roman sighed, went into the old farmer's room and woke him up. The old man started up a little rudely, blinked in the light of the oil lamp and found himself facing a very serious warrior in full armament."Hraunap
His mother looked back, embarrassed. “Forbearance. He just knows peace! ”She apologized. "We should all envy him that he doesn't know what Shazura is!" Nodding inagreement, the people turned back to Richol, who had already divided the warriors into groups and appointed the leaders. Roman's name fell and Raen looked over at him again. His father seemed aloof and quiet.He's not afraid either, he thought morosely, still feeling his mother's clenched hands on his shoulders.After Richol finished the meeting, the warriors left their horses to Henendra's helpers, who tended them and filled the saddlebags with whatever would be needed on the journey. Quietly and without turning to their relatives, all members of the warrior caste went up to the temple. Raen almost burst with curiosity. What was going on up there now?Depressed silence and indecision settled over the chorten. Nobody dared to move from his place. Raen watched the people around him wi
Raen nodded again, this time a little more docile. Roman broke out in a sweat. Why did this kid manage to corner him so much? First these dreams with the blood horse and now this! Why couldn't his son be normal? He thought of Soghul's prophecy, but the thought overwhelmed him. He also felt his wife's questioning looks on his back. He took a deep breath and let out an overwrought sigh. Finally he hugged Raen again.“Don't be afraid, I'll be back soon. Take care of your mother and your soon-to-be sibling for so long, will you? ”He winked at his son and smiled."If you're not afraid, then neither am I!" Raen said confidently."Promised?""Promised!"Roman rose and Alea came over to him."Don't worry, my love." Before she could reply, he closed her lips with one last long kiss. Then he loosened his belt and wrapped another, narrower one around his waist. He was ready to put on protective clothing. Alea handed him the sturdy leather g