Her Dawning Empire: The Prophecy

Chapter 80

I looked to the lake as we neared, marvelling the small strip of blue that reminded me much of the place Emut had taken me. It was where I had come to grab water with Saf. I looked to the direction where the barn would be on the side, but the veil covered the view and I could see that even the lake was segregated across with a veil.

"Come on, we're already late." Ayla whispered, ushering me over with a hand and I looked to see that all the female villagers were already immersed in the ablution, talking to one another idly. Some were even making their way back towards the blossom forest, smiling at us as they passed.

I let Ayla haul me over to the water bank where I stood right beside the veil. Ayla was beside me, followed by Dendi; Maya; Saf and Jamila. Despite being right at the far end, Jamila poked her head out to look at me, a smirk on her face.

"Remember when I mentioned what the best part was?" She asked coyly, making Dendi giggle and Maya let out a groan. I nodded in response, making them giggle all the more until she pointed to my right where the veil was.

"See anything you like?" She merely said, in a playful voice and my eyebrows furrowed when all that met my sight was a white veil. It was only after a few minutes of staring that I realised that it was somewhat transparent, showing the silhouette of bodies. It wasn't enough to make out faces, but I found my cheeks tinting red when I could see the distinct action of males pulling shirts over their head.

I snapped my gaze back to the girls, feeling as though I was intruding, but the girls continued with ogling eyes. I gaped at this, even more so when Dendi sent me a wink.

"And, that's supposed to be the best bit?!" I squeaked out to which Dendi rolled her eyes, motioning for me to turn again and I obeyed her request with a heavy sigh.

"It's not a crime to appreciate art, Hanna. Besides, look again and tell me it's not worth staring at." She spoke pointedly and I tutted at her words. Nevertheless, I let my eyes linger for a mere moment. I couldn't make out any faces, but the clear define of the silhouettes could be seen and, from that, the muscled forms of the males who were performing their ablution. Maybe to Dendi, but I wouldn't lie to myself and say it wasn't an enthralling sight.

Despite this, I still found it in me to turn around and instead turned to see that most of the women had dispersed and the girls had now begun their ablution. I turned to Ayla in panic as she washed her arms in a- somewhat- specific manner.

"What do I do first?" I asked unsurely to which Ayla gestured to her own hands with a look of focus.

"Wash your hands, right first and then clasp the right fingers into your left fingers to wet in between." She explained and I nodded, following her instructions. It went on like this for a moment, with Ayla telling me what to do and me following, often asking questions to make sure I was doing it right. I made sure to try remember as much as I can, if the need arose to do it again or if I was here next year for the ablution. For a moment, I let myself dwell on the fact that I had made the decision to stay here for my whole life, but I chose to dismiss the thought. I had made that decision without regret and now had to stick to it. I, instead, chose to wonder how next year's festival would be without the looming of an impending war or without a vicious treasure hunt for keys. How it would be to finally be at peace.

"Quickly, Hanna, the next step. The moon is high, so it's going to be time to feast soon." Ayla urged, breaking me out of my reverie and I shook myself out of the trance before instinctively looking to the moon. It was on the other side of the veil, but it was clear even through the thin material and I raised my hand to place my palm against the veil, trying to feel the comfort of the moon. It had been a while since I had last looked at it. It was still at its thinnest, making me think back to how we had fought the Baken on the first day of the thin moon. I knew, soon it would be the new moon whereby the light of the moon would disappear.