
The shadows of the night are thinning, followed by dawn breaking behind a thick mega overcast covering the eastern horizon. The cold got into the bone marrow. Like there was no sign of any one life around the desolate area of sheer rock. Even if there were trees around, they all dried up.
A figure popped from the surface of the river that was originally calm, two others followed. Then one by one, they came out of the riverbank. Taja first got to the top, looking around the place.
”Where is this?” said Taja took a look around the place. A step below him, Purwa crawled. Under such conditions, he is not strong enough to flail upwards, unless Taja pulls him off. A short while later, the most recent one emerged from the surface of the river as well.
”Hei!” His voice called Taja.
”Raojhin!” Just look at him.
”Mana Lorr En?” ask him when he gets to the top.
”He came out first,” said Taja as he pointed ahead there, behind the rather high steep rocks, the figure of Lorr En from behind, appearing to walk half bent.
”He is?” Raojhin looked at his figure from behind, looking somewhat different in his opinion. But Taja was silent except to notice Raojhin's somewhat astonished face.
”Ago fast! He was with me!” Raojhin was not in the least.
”Lorr En is not only a swimmer, he is also an accomplished diver!” that was the only word Taja said.
They climbed steep rocks until faced with barren plains spread. And the sunlight began to rise on the horizon, slowly illuminating the dark ceiling.
”Where are we?” gumam Taja lirih's. Lorr En far ahead halted his steps. While Raojhin thought hard for a while, it seemed that he was trying to recognize the place.
While Purwa fell again, he fell to the ground rocks.
”Purwa!” Taja. I saw Purwa's eyes getting dimmer.
”If not wrong, we are on the border of barren plains! Far ahead there is the Yaz Desert!” raojhin exclaimed after coming out of his mind.
Lorr En looked at him. Taja who is refuting Purwa is also like that.
”How far from Tanapura?” ask Taja. Raojhin looked at the ceiling.
”Very far away, even we are outside Tanapura!” answer Raojhin.
”How long will it take for us to return to Tanapura?” Lorr En asked behind a silhouette face.
”Maybe dozens of days of riding!” answer Raojhin.
Taja's shock moved to Purwa again. He spewed green blood. Raojhin was astonished when he saw that.
”He was heavily injured!” Taja called Lorr En because he was panicked to realize Purwa's condition was getting worse.
They pulled down the stone mound. Taja, Lorr En and Raojhin swarmed Purwa who seemed to want to convey something.
”We will go home ...,” Purwa said. His breath went up and down while faltering. His hand did not take off Taja's grip.
”It feels like I'm dying ..” Purwa said again. He revealed a black knitted cloth, a wide gaping wound appeared behind it, a sharp object punctured right in the heart.
”I could not have survived until the ship of light passed the edge of the ocean.., not until then might I have ...,” Purwa's tone of voice grew louder and choked on his own blood.
Raojhin has only been stunned to see them speaking in a language he does not understand. More than once whispered the same question to Lorr En,”Who is he?”
But Lorr En was silent without an answer.
”What is this?” accidentally, Raojhin sees Lorr En's neck remaining green patches then fading. Kontan, Lorr En flapping Raojhin's hand had touched the skin of his neck like that.
”Do you want to explain who you really are?” during this time Raojhin held strange thoughts, especially since meeting foreign men like them who were called Purwa was behaving strangely, his fingers sticking out long rooted, sticking out everywhere. And so he finally spoke.
Taja did not move near Purwa, he simply replied from his place leaning on the rocks, ”You will not easily believe, I just want to say that.
Didn't care about Raojhin long enough. Purwa groaned again.
”We will go home ...,” he said repeatedly.
”We can't go home without that antidote spell. I can't back down ...,” said Taja while refuting Purwa's body.
”I've got it ...,” Purwa groped behind the shirt. There's something that she's thrust on Taja.
”This is what we are looking for? Antidote Charms!” there was a hint of spirit in Purwa's eyes.
Taja glared at the object made of lion skin, rolled up and tied with a red rope. Lorr En was also dumbfounded without a sound.
”I stole it from that witch!” purwa said, ”He is a wicked and dangerous human being. After I was caught, every time I was tortured. And it is not an easy struggle to survive in that place until you come..,” rather faltered Purwa told a glimpse that has happened to him.
”He is very powerful, can resemble anything seen by his eyes. It often comes unwittingly..through water, soil, dust, fire.even...imit other people's faces and bodies!” Not yet separated from fear, Purwa glared as he imagined all the things he experienced.
”You're safe now, we'll be home..soon! Hang on!” Taja convinced Purwa.
But he shook his head, ”Not as easy, they must have chased us anywhere.
”No one can go to Gunggali other than us ..” Taja said.
Purwa's tears flowed, soaking Taja's grasp near his eye pelup. He also extended a hand to Lorr En.
”I'm sorry, especially to you, Taja ...,” Purwa looked at Taja and Lorr En alternately.
"Sorry for what?" not understanding, Taja and Lorr En took it seriously.
"If one day, I become the one you don't think I am, maybe you will hate me" Purwa replied. Taja and Lorr En don't understand what that means. But the presence of the witches crowded over to where they are now.
”Celaka! They got here!” in silence, Raojhin suddenly cried out loudly. His eyes have been watching all around. Taja, Lorr En, and Purwa switched in the direction Raojhin pointed.
”They are chasing us!” Purwa was again tense in the rest of his strength.
”A lot!” raojhin again. Seen from a distance there, hundreds of creatures were chasing fast, fixed on the place of the four boys.
”Running!” peekik Raojhin, no waste of time. He first lifted his feet as quickly as possible. While Taja and Lorr En struggled to refute Purwa almost helpless condition.
...* * *...