Chapter 4: The village
Tak'Oba managed to catch the thief of the Great Library. However, he found himself in an unprecedented situation for him. Faced with his opponent's overwhelming experience in combat, he passed out after receiving a violent blow to the temple.
When Tak'Oba painfully opened his eyes, he has forgotten where he was. He rubs his eyes and begins to make out Selos' head, bent over him.
Still stunned, he slowly sits up and begins to wipe his face.
Tak'Oba has woken up in better ways, and the blow he received is still echoing in his head.
After a few minutes, he regains full consciousness and sees that the thief and his mount have disappeared.
He immediately thought of the elders in his village, who must have been in the same situation. He hastily touched his chest.
Fortunately, his seed is still there.
He looks around and notices some scraps of clothes scattered on the ground around Selos and on her paws.
He looks at her, laying down on the ground, exhausted but still smiling at him. The Ecleray gets up to hold the animal in his arms.
"Thank you", he tells her while holding the head of his partner between his hands. “It must have been a tough fight for you."
Selos puts her paw on Tak’Oba’s thigh to complete this emotional exchange.
The young elder then notices something strange. The claws of the animal are covered with bark. This happens frequently, especially in a forest. But this bark seems different from the surrounding trees.
Tak'Oba stands up, thoughtful.
The idea that an Ecleray could be hiding under that hood seems plausible, but unlikely.
An Ecleray would never have stolen a book, let alone attacked a fellow Ecleray.
It goes against their peaceful nature.
A growl brings him out of his thoughts. He joins Selos and bents over what seems to be Fabwook tracks.
The Ecleray notices that the trail is going deeper into the forest.
He exchanges a glance with Selos and the two partners start to follow it.
After a few hours, they reached the edge of the forest overlooking a hilltop.
Tak'Oba gets off his mount. On his knees, after checking the tracks, he notices that the valley is home to a village.
"I think we’ve just found our next stop. Let's go ask if they know something about our thief."
Going down the hill, a typical Ecleray village offers itself before them.
A large red tree sheltered the central building built around it. The other dwellings blended into the giant roots of the tree, which rose above the ground before plunging into it in search of nutrients.
He approaches the nearest Ecleray, greets him politely, and asks him to meet the dean.
Tak’Oba lets Selos at the entrance of the village and starts to follow the Ecleray.
He then arrives in front of a group of elders strongly discussing. The Ecleray from the village announces his presence.
The elders turn to him, and Tak'Oba recognizes the mesmerizing lantern hanging from the belt of one of them.
"Dermo?"
"Tak'Oba! What brings you to Guja? Have you been able to reach the Great Library?"
"Exactly. I just came from there. The guardian wanted to give me a book related to the disappearance of my tribe’s Mwahindoes, but a thief got hold of the book. I chased him all the way here. I think he might be hiding in your village."
"A thief?"
"As crazy as it sounds, he might even be an Ecleray.", Tak’Oba told to the old Ecleray he previously met at the dean's assembly.
"Why would an Ecleray do such a thing?" Dermo replied, baffled.
"I don't know yet, but I have a strong suspicion," said Tak'Oba.
Dermo then turned to the Ecleray who had accompanied Tak'Oba.
"Sibil, did you see anyone else enter the village before Tak'Oba?"
"No, no one has entered the village for the past three days." he replied.
"I followed tracks that led here." insisted Tak'Oba.
"If a thief is hiding in the village, we must be on guard. Sibil, pick a dozen eclerays and watch the exits of the village. Do not let anyone leave.”
The Ecleray saluted the elder and went to do so.
"Tak'Oba, you are my guest, you may settle here for as long as you need."
"Thank you very much for your hospitality. And for your help."
"It is natural my young friend, this is an unexpected situation and we will face it together."
Dermo walks Tak'Oba out of the gathering to lead him to safety.
While leaving, the young Ecleray notices a wound on the leg of one of the ancients. Four very distinct marks.
Either the counselor managed to sneak into the village without being noticed by the Ecleray who keeps watch over the village, or Dermo had just blatantly lied to Tak’Oba.
“Is it really what I think it is, or I am becoming paranoid?” Tak’Oba asked himself.
One thing is sure: the only person Tak’Oba can trust in his quest for the truth is himself.
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