Every royal blooded including the palace servants gathered near the river. There in the water floated several boats loaded with offerings—fine linen, grains, goats, chickens and other things that the villagers would deemed worthy to be offered to the Devil"s child. According to their tradition, these offerings served as the first meal of the devil"s child, making it not too hungry too make more casualties in the villages. Without these offerings, chances would be that the said devil will bring them trouble and curse beyond compare.The current of the river where everyone gathered around can lead these boats to the Devil"s lure even without a person to maneuverer them. It had been like that ever since the tribesmen can remember and they knew sooner or later, these offerings will reached the Devil"s lure where the evil ent.i.ty was nesting, patiently awaiting for the red moon to appear and vanished the G.o.dly bars that had imprisoned it for years.
The Chieftain led off the untying of the boats while the rest of the household stood at the riverbank. There his wife, the Chieftana Ari, stood together with elder Nan conversing quietly with him while the offering was taking place, they had been discussing things that only they could hear.
"Is everything fine?" The Chieftana asked elder Nan, as the former stood beside her nonchalantly as if they were not plotting things against the royal blooded right then.
"Don"t worry about it anymore, everything was executed according to what had been planned" The old bearded man replied without giving the Chieftana a glance and had rather busied his eyes on what was transpiring in the river with the Chieftain. "It"s just a matter of time and Somer village will be ours"
"And the boy?" She doesn"t have any slightest concern for the little Baruk but she was curious as to his fate.
"Unfortunately for him, he had to follow his ancestors early" Elder Nan said. They had been trying to own the land of the Somer people to extend their boundaries yet the Somer royals refused to give it up. Previously, there was no Somer village and everything there belonged to the Nan-people. However, at some point in their history, the Chieftain gifted that part to the Highest Gunta and it was he who started the Somer community.
"I hope everything goes well this time," The Chieftana whispered. They had been trying to get the Somer village back for years yet the Somer royals had been giving them a headache. Also, it was the Chieftain himself who gifted those lands to the previous Highest Gunta and so they cannot retrieved it back openly as it might offend him and the rest of the villages might condemn them. All they could do was to plot against the Somer royals back by pus.h.i.+ng them to a point where they had no choice but to abandon the lands.
The boats for the offering had been freed up into the river and everyone became soo quiet as they watched the boats float away into the direction leading to the Devil"s lure. Together with the boats blew the island"s cold wind making the ambiance a little creepy. Xhemin who stood beside the princesses felt very uncomfortable. She was aware that a lot of people had joined them on the offering yet she felt like there was a single individual that was watching her from a distance. She couldn"t explain what she was feeling but she was certain that something was not right, something bad was about to unfold and that things will not be easy on her even though she was now part of the royal household. She just hoped that the things her personal handmaid had said were true, that every one of them feels the way she was feeling and that was because the red moon was about to come.
"What is Father doing?" Princess Song asked worriedly when she saw the Chieftain rode an empty boat and followed the offering boats alone as it journeyed through the river.
"He does that all the time," Princess w.a.n.g, the current highest princess obliged herself to answer her little sister"s question. It was the first time that Princess Song was allowed to attend the ritual as she was so young to be brought to such ritual previously. "He was following the boats offering to make sure that their direction will go straight to the devil"s lure. Don"t worry he will stop at the far end and just watch the boats as the current will continually pushed them to devil"s lure"
"Why does he do that?" Princess Song wondered "I mean he can ask the Guntas to do that for him and yet he chose to go there alone and risk himself,"
"It had always been like that ever since I could remember," The Highest Princess w.a.n.g recalled "But I previously asked elder Nan about it and he said father makes prayers at the far end to ask the Highest G.o.d for mercy and protection"
Like the two princess that were conversing, Xhemin looked at the Chieftain too as he cautiously paddled his boat and followed behind the offerings. Even though he was facing his back at Xhemin, the girl can still tell that he was in fear and in much worry. Xhemin only sighed at what she witnessed. She cannot blame the Chieftain for his fear. He was after all the tribe"s leader and the Devil"s child was sure a serious threat to everyone.
"What"s taking him so long to come back here in the riverbank?" Worried than she can ever be, Princess Song asked when the Chieftain suspended his boat at the far end for a long time. He stood there and stared into something no one knew. Although, their father"s boat and silhouette were still visible from where they were standing, Princess Song can"t help but worry about her father"s safety.
"Hus.h.!.+ He probably offered a very long prayer," Princess w.a.n.g warned and answered the girl"s query again "We all need long prayers after all"
"Huh?" Princess Song had no idea what Princess w.a.n.g was implying. The former was in her complete self yet because she was just a little girl she probably don"t understand adult"s conversations, concerns and gestures.
"The red moon is to appear tonight," Princess w.a.n.g revealed. "That"s why we should go and start our long prayers like the Father did"