Poor princess Zafir

I gasped in shock. The woman was now standing just a few steps away from me. Her eye sockets, filled with wax, were fixed on me, even though there was nothing in them but yellowish darkness.

"No, you're not them," the girl whispered to herself, stepping back in fear. "You are... I have never met you before. What...," she began, but she didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she covered her mouth in horror as if she had just said something dreadful. She started shaking her head frantically and shuffled back into the darkness.

"W-wait," I blurted out finally. "I don’t want to hurt you. Just stay calm. I’m... a friend. You don’t have to be afraid."

My attempt to reassure her was futile. The girl shrank into the corner of the decayed temple, hiding her head between her knees. I had no idea what to do. You idiot, you completely terrified her, I scolded myself. But I couldn’t just leave her here. Moving as slowly and carefully as possible, I took small steps toward her, as if approaching a frightened animal. I even raised my hand in a calming gesture before realizing she couldn't see me. I felt even more stupid.

"Okay, just stay calm. My... my name is Olgrin Dux. I’m from Oitchestr. I came here to study customs and cultures... I..." I began, but then I realized that introducing myself as a foreigner might make her even more unsettled. I started to panic again when suddenly, from the darkness, she whispered:

"Duuksh? Duuksh?! Duuksh will come from the east at sunset. A stranger who is not a stranger." Then, another gasp followed as she covered her mouth in fear once more.

"Wait, wait, what does that mean? Duuksh, you mean... the mountain fox?" What on earth is she talking about? Why is she speaking of foxes and strangers? But no matter how much I pressed her for answers, she remained silent. I realized there was no point in trying to get more out of her. With a sigh, I stood up from my crouch.

"I’ll get help, alright? I don’t know who you are or what happened to you, but I can’t just leave you here."

"No!" the girl suddenly screamed, making me flinch. "No, you mustn’t. Aaishira must not find out! Please, I beg you, Duuksh, tell no one. No one must know about me."

"But—"

"Please, don’t do it," she pleaded.

"Wait, I can’t—" I protested, but once again, I couldn’t finish my sentence.

"And don’t talk to me anymore! You mustn’t. It’s dangerous, that’s why I’m here. Around me, the Chations weave their threads, just like they did around poor Zafir."

Despite my confusion, I recalled the legend of Princess Zafir, who had been entangled in a cocoon of webs by the evil spirits called Chations—half-human, half-spider creatures. A shiver ran down my spine. I abandoned any further attempts to persuade her. I had no other choice but to leave her. But I quietly promised to her and myself, that I will be back.

Darkness had fallen over the land. The last rays of sunlight had vanished.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. It was unbearably hot even under the thin blanket, and eventually, I threw it off. I stared at the ceiling, covered in draped carpets that overflowed with red and golden during the day but now appeared dull in the darkness of the night. I pondered about that girl. I would have told someone about her already, but the urgency with which she had begged me to keep it from aaishira held me back. Why? What would aaishira—the tribe’s priestess—do to her? Was she hiding from her? Was she some sort of criminal? And those cryptic words about strangers and demons… I couldn’t make sense of them either.

But there was one thing I decided to verify in the morning. I was almost certain that the names she had first called me—Ghani and Shahír—belonged to two members of the Nashir family. That realization unsettled me even more.

I rose at sunrise. I thought I’d be among the first awake, but the women were already busy preparing breakfast. I washed my face at the well to clear my head, leaning against it as I considered my next steps. I decided to confront Djashír, as I had spoken to him the most and felt I understood him best. I didn’t have to look far; I found him outside the stables, brushing a small, wiry pony. We exchanged morning greetings with a slight bow.

"You're already up, Olgrin-ru? I thought you'd be sleeping in," he said with a laugh.

I attempted a smile but failed. I was exhausted and unsettled. So, I got straight to the point. I asked him about Ghani and Shahír.

"Yes, Shahír is my younger brother, and Ghani is the second olde—" he hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Ghani is my eldest sister. She’s sixteen. She’ll be getting married soon."

I didn’t miss his brief hesitation. Did he really forget which of his sisters was the oldest? Maybe, but it still seemed strange.

"Have you ever been to the ruined temple north of the village, by the stream and the forest?" I fired my next question. I couldn’t think of a better way to ask.

He looked at me, puzzled. "Well, yes, I have. But only once. No one goes there anymore. The bees left, and a long time ago, a lightning bolt struck it during the solstice. Aaishira saw it as a bad omen, so we abandoned it. If I were you, I wouldn’t go near it—it’s crawling with Chations. Have you… have you been there, Olgrin-ru?" He kept brushing the pony, but his strokes were now distracted and nervous.

"Yes, I wandered there yesterday and... and I met a woman."

Djashír froze mid-motion. Out of the corner of his eye, he cast a terrified glance at me, like a trapped animal. "W-what? A woman? That’s nonsense, Olgrin-ru. Those were... those were the Chations deceiving you, I already told you, they swarm that place," he stammered.

"That’s impossible. She was real, I wouldn’t imagine something like that," I countered weakly. I didn’t want to push too hard—I felt ungrateful interrogating my host like this. But I couldn’t help it. "Her eyes were sealed with wax," I added.

"Olgrin-ru, listen to me carefully. Forget about it. It will only bring trouble. Just... just believe that it was an illusion created by the evil spirits, that’s all. It was only a mirage." He turned to leave, but before departing, he glanced around nervously, as if making sure no one was watching. Then, he leaned in and whispered, "Aaishira must not find out. This isn’t just about you—it’s about us too. If you care for the Nashir family, please, keep this secret." Then, he hurried away.

I desperately tried to forget about the woman, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t. I couldn’t forget her. That beautiful face, marred by those wax-sealed eye sockets. I wanted to know who she was, but more than that, I wanted to see her again. Just once more. But before I did anything rash, I decided to gather more information. A mix of fear and strange excitement filled me as I made up my mind—I would visit aaishira.