All Chapters of Toward the Sun: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Wisnumurti was still breathing hard, thoroughly satisfied after kissing Pratiwi on the lips and cheeks. Her eyes narrowed, looking strikingly beautiful with her hair and face dripping wet.“Am I going to get pregnant?” Pratiwi asked in a low voice.“Maybe.”The girl stared at him. “Then I’m dead! We’ll have to get married. My father will kill me if he finds out I’m pregnant without a husband!”“Of course. The moment I meet your father, I’ll ask for your hand.”Pratiwi laughed. “Funny, isn’t it? We never even planned on getting married. My father and mother haven’t even started looking for a husband for me.”“Maybe we should be allowed to choose our own husbands or wives because we actually like them. We shouldn’t always have to wait for our parents to arrange everything.”“That’s the kind of deviant thinking you martial-arts people have.”“Maybe. But isn’t it the sensible way? Who’s getting married, anyway? You or your parents? Why should they be the ones doing the choosing? You shoul

The place known as Gedong Putih was breathtaking.It stood on the crown of a hill, surrounded by nothing but waist-high hedges. No wonder the view was completely unobstructed.From there, every mountain stood clear against the horizon, some of their peaks shrouded in drifting clouds. Down the northern slope lay a lake of astonishing clarity. A footpath paved with polished black stones connected the hill to the lake, winding downward in a series of terraces before ending at a pier that jutted well out over the water.A small rowboat was moored there, waiting for visitors who wanted to explore the lake’s beauty from the water, or perhaps cast a line and fish.Rinjani imagined that just before dawn, when the full moon hung low over the horizon, its reflection would cast a pale road across the surface of the lake.Unfortunately, she had no time to dwell on any of that.As she helped Ki Soma and his wife out of the carriage and into the cool-tiled house, a shadow shot past toward the rear

“Who is it?” Ki Soma asked, moving closer to Rinjani.She didn't answer. She strained her ears, and the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. Light, almost soundless. Whoever was coming was clearly no ordinary traveler. He moved with the control of a highly trained fighter.Then a figure emerged from the brush.He was tall and solidly built, dressed entirely in dark clothing, with a long sword strapped across his back. Rinjani's suspicion eased for a moment. There was nothing particularly threatening in his eyes or expression. His face was clean, his short mustache and beard neatly trimmed. He looked well-groomed, not like the kind of man who spent his entire life hiding in the wilderness.“Excuse me. Are the three of you lost?” he asked politely, making no move toward his sword.Rinjani stood, deciding against drawing her own weapon.“Yes,” she replied. “The sky has been overcast, and there hasn't been any sunlight for hours. We lost our bearings. Our horses ran off, too.”The

“Why is it so damn quiet here...? Something’s not right.”Pratiwi jumped down from her horse. The others followed.Jaladri clicked his tongue and shook his head. Ki Randu Alas slowly scanned the area. She was right. Something was wrong.He had been here many times before, and never once had he found Wijil Ngisor this silent and this dark. Even when he arrived late at night, there were always students from the Sun Sword School awake and keeping watch.But tonight, on the eve of dusk, only the belongings left in storage remained.The people were gone.The lanterns and torches that normally burned at this hour were nowhere to be seen.“Check the houses!” Ki Randu ordered. “I’ll tie up the horses at the stable.”Pratiwi helped him secure the horses.The other three went from house to house. When they returned, none of them looked pale.“They’re all asleep,” Wisnumurti said.“They must have been put under a sleeping spell so they won’t know what’s about to happen up there,” Ki Randu said.

They immediately started shouting at Ki Gede Nipir. Both figures quickly rolled backward, putting some distance between them.“What’s going on?” the attacking man asked. It was indeed Ki Gede Nipir.“He’s not a kidnapper,” Pramesti said. “That’s Prince Wiratmaka.”Ki Gede froze. “What?”His question was cut short by Prince Wiratmaka, who suddenly looked in another direction, frowning.“You people are always late!” he shouted. “You almost missed the party!”Jaladri laughed with delight. “Well, look at that. Wa Nipir made it here too. Looking for Memes, huh? You really didn’t need to. She’s been the source of trouble from day one!”Ki Gede quickly turned toward the people appearing behind Jaladri.“Why did you bring her here?” he asked Ki Randu Alas. “She’ll cause trouble. She’s always doing something crazy.”Pratiwi shot him a glare. Wisnumurti laughed.“I ran into her and Wisnumurti on the road,” Ki Randu Alas explained. “Things got more serious, so we didn’t have time to go back to K