(If you have not read my prologue or previous chapters please do so now.)

Tales of Tanjia, Chapter 3 - The Garden

   Waving goodbye to Do'naki and the rest of the villiage, I untie Liir'a and head east. Toward my favorite place on this planet, the Kue-Muleyia, or Hidden Garden. Only the Protectors, those granted the ability of controlling water, are able to find it by reading the water and sensing the garden's energy. The Garden is kept hidden by a device that keeps it hovering over the eastern ocean of Bi'migara'habii. I always know where it is because my grandmother taught me how to sense the relationship between The Garden's energy and the waters'. 

   After another two hours of riding I arrive at the cove where the Garden resides. Liir'a would upset the balance that the sanctuary holds, so I tie her to a tree near a stream before making my way inside. Using my ability, I lift the fog that veils the Garden from sight. The grand marble and arboreal masterpiece is awe-inspiring. Every twist and terrace carefully planned out to allow the life inside to thrive, each column and stairway blending seamlessly into the surroundings. All of it floating effortlessly in midair above the sea.

   Stretching out my hand, I pull the forward facing waterfall towards me and form it into a sort of staircase leading to the first level. Taking great care to maintain the waterfall's form, and with calculated steps, I walk out onto the water. Balancing the surface tension control and keeping the stairway in the correct form and position is difficult, and it took me decades to master it. When I reach the waterfall I pull myself up through the stream and up to the bottom level. Now standing on solid ground, I release my hold on the waterfall and it rushes freely once more. I take a pause and a deep breath... This is what peace feels like.

   There are five levels to this floating Garden, and each section was specifically designed to preserve the life it holds. Carefully, I make my way around each level.

   The first level is home to the Ku'iwa·to, an amphibious avian species that is very affectionate. They love to sing and are very carefree beings, but they are very fragile. For a long time the people of this world took them as pets; they took too many and nearly wiped them out. Thus, because the people never learned to care for them properly, the Protector at that time took the remaining few to The Garden to preserve them. They live freely here now and thoroughly enjoy when I visit, always wanting to swim or chirp a song in my ear.

   A minature forest makes up the second level and is where the endangered trees of Ku'ubrri are housed. The tree's wood has a beautiful, deep tone and is quite durable. It was a carpenter's first pick for just about any project and it wasn't long before the trees were nearly extinct. If a Protector had not taken seeds from the fallen fruit of the last trees and planted them in the Garden, the Ku'ubrri would have disappeared from this world.

   On the third level are the rarest flowers of Tanjia. All of the rare flowers that can no longer live anywhere but in the delicate conditions that The Garden supplies. There are Zu'aare orchids, giant Mi'liare flowers, and Ii'riaika flowers.

   The Ii'riaika flowers are my favorite. They're like nothing anyone has ever seen. Their hundreds of sheer wispy white petals glow a pale green in the night. Those flowers only spread their seeds every thousand years. The seeds are the most spectacular thing about the flower and are the reason for their name. Ii'riaika means heavenly, and the flowers have surely earned that name. The seeds of the Ii'riaika flower are so small and there are so many that it is like a fine powder; and when the flowers open at night and release the seeds the bioluminescent quality of these rare flowers is also released and it looks like some sort of fairy dust. A truly incredible to sight.

   The fourth level is where Ku'vui·gua cranes nest. The cranes tower at a height of nine feet and are incredibly beautiful birds. They were once poached for their ivory bills and brilliant plumage. The feathers are a briliant emerald color, and shine a beautiful golden rose color in the sunlight. Now are safe on this level of the Garden, free to rebuild their families.

   The fifth level is the last and most important. It is the level that holds the device keeping The Garden floating and hidden. Without it, The Garden would lower into the ocean, and become an island, subjecting the delicate life upon it to the harsh conditions once again.

   I spend a moment gazing into the device. Its surface shining with an odd opalescent sheen, and I hear the hum of the power within it. I don't know exactly what it is, but what matters is that it is essential to the survival of so many species. So many generations of Protectors have held this sacred place secret from the world, both for the protection of the Garden and for the sake of the people below. I am carrying on this silent legacy, and I intend to do it well. After my moment of reflection, I go back to rest on the third level of the garden and before long, the sweet scent of the flowers and the sound of rushing waters put me to sleep.

   I wake up and the sun is low in the sky, nearly sunset. I need to start heading back to the palace before it gets dark... I only have today excused, so getting home tomorrow isn't really an option if I ever want to leave without an armed escort. And so I get up and pick a dozen Ku'ubrri fruits to eat on the way home. With hundreds of trees, and no one to chop them down, I'm sure they can spare twelve fruits. Going down the waterfall is much easier than going up, and once I'm back on the beach I cover the area in dense fog once more. "Did you miss me, girl?" I scratch Liir'a's ear and give her one of the larger pieces that I had picked. "Let's go home." I untie and mount her, then we set off heading north. Back toward the palace.

   As we're ride back I find myself on a rather narrow wooded dirt path. Did I make wrong turn because I'm still a little tired...? As I'm thinking to myself I notice up ahead three men stumbling their way up the path. I can tell by the violet flush across their cheeks that they're absolutely drunk. I put my head down and try to go around them. I really don't need any additional encounters delaying my arrival. The men are griping about something, I try not to eavesdrop, but they're obnoxiously loud about their complaints.

   "Tau'len, I just can't do it..." His words, though loud, are anything but clear. "I can't go back to those mines! There's hardly anything in the ones that are already dug... they're a deathtrap, Tau'len, I'm tellin' you." His friend stumbled to the left, but somehow regained his balace. He then crossed his arms, a half empty bottle of liquor bouncing on his right bicep as he walks.

   "You're absolutely right, A'chlan. My wife keeps tellin' me I shouldn't even show up next week, but do you have any idea what they'll do to me if I don't?" He heaves a heavy sigh and takes another swig of booze. "The Emperor is making the mining profession a lose-lose kind of life for us, idn't he?"

   As I begin to pass them the third man whistles sharply, which startles Liir'a. I reign her back in, but when I have control ever her again, he's right at my side. "Is there something wrong, sir?" I try and keep my voice composed, but this man's presence in unnerving. His slovenly appearnce is likely because of his occupation and drunkenness, but something else seems off...

   He leans up against Liir'a, largely for balance I assume, he's positively quaffed. "Do you have anything for a group of hard working men, m'lady?"  His speech is slurred terribly and his breath reeks of alcohol. He stretches out a grimy palm in my direction.

   "I'm afraid I don't, sir. I'm sorry."  His face switches seamlessly from drunken charm to disgust.

   "You got nothin' for us, eh?" He looks me up and down, inspecting Liir'a as well. "You're a lady of fine breeding and so's you're horse, so howsit you've got nothing to give us?" He pats Liir'a's rear and reaches for her saddle bag. I move a few hoofsteps forward and he slips into the mud. His comrades laugh, but help him up.

   "I'm sorry, sir, but I have nothing to give you. I do need to be on my way."

   His shoulders tensed and his face turned red "You hoity-toity types never pay us workers any mind!" He stumbled forward toward me, grabbing at Liir'a's tail, which he yanked as his drunken gait caused him to misstep once again. Liir'a reared up, knocking him over again and causing me to fall off and into the mud. "I'm sure you got somethin' for me little lady. At least a little bit of somethin'." He pulled me up from the mud by my wrist, a stupidly drunk smile creeps across his face. "Maybe a little, uh, ...compensation?" He brushes his grimy hand down my side and rests it on my hip. I try and get my hand free from him, but for a drunk he's still fairly strong. 

   Tau'len walks over to the man holding me and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Ke'barr, that's enough."

   Ke'barr glares back at Tau'len, keepiing his grip on me. "Easy for you to say! You've got a wife waiting for you in your bed, who do I got? Huh? With all the work I do, don't I deserve a little fun with a pretty lady?"

   "Sir, I really don't think I'm your type." I say as I try to loosen myself from his grip, but he keeps his grip on me tight, grabbing my shoulders now instead of my wrist.

   "You're pretty, and probably rich. That's exactly my type, girly." He pushes me against the tree behind me, putting his wine stained lips near my neck. I bring up my knee, readying myself to strike a blow.

   "Hey, Ke'barr, enough!" A'chlan pulls Ke'barr's shoulder toward him, but Ke'barr shoves A'chlan away and brings his hand back strong against my shoulder.

   "I'm gonna get what I want from you, lady." He brings his face close to mine again, but something flies by his head an knicks his ear. "Agh! What-?" He looks around and spots a figure between the trees. "Ugh, shoot!" He shoves me against the tree, knocking the back of my head hard on the trunk, as he quickly makes off down the road with his drunken friends.

     I slide my back down the tree until I'm sitting on the grass. I feel relieved and nauseous. Why didn't I leave sooner? I knew he wasn't going to be good news. He almost... Suddenly I'm very dizzy. I put my hand to my forehead, trying to pull myself together, but my nausea intensifies and my vision begins going blurry. My lips feel numb, and I want nothing more than to sleep. "Are you ok?" A mans voice calls out, but it sounds so far away. I look up through the haze in my head, I can barely make out the figure, but I belive it's the same man that threw whatever it was that scared Ke'barr. My eyelids grow heavy and I lurch forward, the man catching me mid-motion. "Hey, can you hear me?" He calls out again, sounding further away this time. His hands are so large and warm, wrapped around me almost like a hug. It's oddly comforting, and I surrender to the sleep falling over me.