Maliha

Maliha charged into the circle of women, her face a mutinous red and her hands shaking with anger. Her disruptive and aggressive energy surging into the air in forewarning.

“Why did no one feel the need to tell me that Ujarak and Ray’et are cousins?” Maliha growled.

One by one heads rose with interest, eyes gliding over Maliha’s frustrated body before shoulders shrugged as they continued their sewing of materials and basket making. They moved as a unit, not one woman going against the group and responding to Maliha.

Maliha felt her blood boiling at their relentless silence but no one paid any attention to her flustering. Companionable silence surrounded them as they bowed their heads and focussed on their work. They communicated amongst each other with hand gestures and hushed sentences made up of broken words filled with grunts and incomprehensible sounds.

They ignored Maliha and her anger completely. Their day continuing as if she had never appeared before them.

It wasn’t until Maliha collapsed to the floor in a defeated heap, that heads snapped back up and acknowledged her reluctant presence.

“Are you done with your anger?” Nahi murmured into her son’s hair, still not making eye contact with Maliha.

Taking her greedy daughter off of her breast, Nahi handed her to Maliha before shifting her son into a more comfortable cradle.

“No,” Maliha huffed sullenly.

She was clearly lying. All feelings of anger and frustration had begun to ebb away at their silent lesson but holding Namali closer to her skin was the final soother for Maliha.

The little girl and her milky, sweet, scent always had that effect on Maliha. She could never remain frustrated or sad whenever Namali was near her or in her arms. Perhaps that was due to the bond that had tied them together the moment she cut the umbilical cord, or due to her presence the naming ceremony. Maliha wasn’t sure what it was, but Namali always managed to make her happy when no other baby could. Not even her jovial brother.

“We never told you about Ujarak and Ray’et because it never occurred to us.”

Maliha’s eyebrow shot skyward as she patted Namali on her back.

“It never occurred to you?”

That didn’t seem right.

“Ray’et is Ujarak’s closest blood relative barring my children but nearly everyone in this tribe is somehow related.”

Heads nodded in agreement even as many of the females remained engrossed in their sewing.

“It has never stopped us before,” added Mya.

“Especially not Miat,” Chuckled Ciur, nudging the woman’s arm.

“There isn’t a family she hasn’t been intimate with.” Teased Nahi, earning clicks of tongues and scoffs of agreements.

Maliha was beyond shocked. She knew that this tribe flirted along the fence of sexual promiscuity. They had a freedom with bodies that she had never witnessed elsewhere. Girls were given the same sexual freedom as males and it was rare that a girl remained a virgin on her handfasting. Girls and boys were allowed to begin their sexual exploration with partners as young as fourteen, yet Maliha was still surprised by such blatant openness.

She had come from a tribe where women were seen as possessions, possessions that men did not share with each other. Though the women were opinionated and sometimes wilful, the Melikit tribe had not encouraged promiscuity. The same could be said for the majority of tribes she had visited in the past three years.

“This is normal?”

“There aren’t many women in this tribe Maliha,” deadpanned Ciur.

“And there are so many men to choose from,” snickered Miat, her eyebrows wagging suggestively.

“As long as there is no unfinished business, there has never been an issue with dating a set of brothers or cousins. Never”

Maliha was dumbfounded. They all acted so blasé about everything as if it weren’t a big deal and maybe it really wasn’t. Perhaps Maliha was still stuck in her old ways of thinking and hadn’t realised that she hadn’t completely broken the mould the Melikit tribe had cast her in.

“It’s not as if you slept with them both,” scoffed Nahi.

“And even if you had, it’s nothing we haven’t all done ourselves.”

Miat’s hand rose as she looked around the circle of women for support but all she received was their teasing and laughter.

“Don’t worry, in no time you will have no fear about dating cousins,” Mya clapped Maliha on the back jovially.

“Or brothers,” added Miat.

“Or sisters,” called another female, earning a clap on the back and uproarious laughter.

Maliha smiled at their light-hearted banter. In moments like this, she was reminded of how far she had come and how far she still had to go.

There was so much about the tribe she did not know and as the days passed it seemed that the knowledge she did gain was nothing but a drop in the ocean compared to the plethora of information there was about the Der Surjaz and the Dahsolik nation.

Their laughter was crushed by the shadowed figure of a solemn and bruised male.

“Maliha, can I-?”

“Not now Ujarak.”

Maliha didn’t even have to look at his face to know that he wore a thunderous expression. From the aura surrounding him, it was clear that Ujarak was not happy but Maliha didn’t have the energy to cater to his mood.

“Well I need to speak with you,” he huffed.

Maliha was running on minimal hours of sleep, her skull felt as if it were splitting open. The sun was at full peak and everyone had been up since the crack of dawn to watch the spectacle Ujarak had caused. There would be no more opportunity to sleep until night time and the day had only just begun. She couldn’t deal with him today.

“I said not now Ujarak.”

Her head collapsed in her hand as she tried to massage the climbing migraine. She couldn’t do this with Ujarak. Not now.

“Well when?”

“When I feel like it and right now is not that time, so have a nice day Ujarak.”

Her fingers waggled as she waved dismissively at him. His mouth gaped in disbelief before snapping shut in frustration. His jaw clenched in the that telling sign that he was struggling to refrain himself, but he did.

The dep sigh that rattled from Maliha’s chest at his reluctant retreat was drowned out by the cackles of laughter that followed Ujarak’s thunderous footsteps. A sardonic smile tipped across Maliha’s face. Their joy at Ujarak’s rejection was enough to lift her spirits.

“How about that Nami? Didn’t uncle Uja look funny?” Maliha cooed at the wide-eyed baby. Her fat cheeks dimpling as she drooled on Maliha’s index finger.

Maliha shot a triumphant glance over her shoulder.

“Serves him right.” She chuckled to Namali, tickling under her chin.

She made a quick glance around to make sure Enzo was playing safely with the children of the tribe before shifting Namali across her body. As soon as Namali was safely tucked under her arm, material was dumped into Maliha’s lap and she begun the tedious chore of making and repairing clothes. Some pieces were easy to make, the thin colourful panels of the cotton material were easy to sew and embroider but when it came to making bodices made of leather or animal skin, Maliha struggled. Thicker needles made of animal bone were used to create holes where long ribbons were added to create ties and fastenings. It was a hard job but Maliha did it willingly, because any spare material was hers to claim for her and Enzo’s home and clothes. She also received trades for each item she made. Though they provided the material, Maliha was able to charge for her labour which would add to her growing pile of materials and resources for her and Enzo.

Before Maliha could sink into the steady ritual of sewing, another shadow appeared over her shoulder.

One that was much smaller than the previous person who had approached her.

An exhalation of trepidation huffed from Maliha’s chest as her head rose to meet the weary gaze of Darsan. Her cheeks were pink, and her face was clearly tear stricken. The girl had been crying for goddess knew how long but she had stopped just so she could come to Maliha. Annoyance burbled in Maliha’s stomach.

She could not catch a break.

“Maliha,” Darsan croaked, licking her dry lips and clenching her hands together. “Can I speak to you please?”

Nahi’s mouth pursed as she sipped on her berry flavoured water. Her lips smacked together in thought, before she outstretched her hand for Namali.

Maliha could feel the heavy stares on her and Darsan’s back as they retreated away from the camp and into the forest. They walked in complete silence that was full of tension and awkwardness but how could it not be awkward?

Maliha didn’t begrudge Darsan her feelings but the girl had acted in an underhand manner that reminded Maliha too much of the way her adoptive sister, Nia, had sneakily stolen Petr away.

As soon as they ground to a halt, Darsan spun to face Maliha, and the tears that lined her pale eyes made Maliha feel the world of guilt.

“I’m so sorry Maliha. I never meant to kiss him, I mean I did but it wasn’t like that. I was just so alone, I always have been but then he kept coming to see me after I had my seizure and I just wanted to know.”

Any residual anger Maliha had felt, quickly begun to disappear at Darsan’s sobbing.

“I’m sixteen and have never kissed a man, have never touched a man. I live in this box where no one really sees me beyond what I can do and for the first time I had someone seeing me as a woman. He was so nice.” She snivelled.

“I just wanted to know but he didn’t kiss me back. He was so angry. He stormed away from the tent. He didn’t want me but that’s just what I deserve.”

Maliha wanted to be angry but she couldn’t find the energy needed. Yes, she was disappointed in Darsan but how could she blame the girl? Maliha knew what it was like to be starving for attention, for love from anyone but especially from a man. Darsan was a woman with a woman’s desires and yet no one saw her as anything but an Alhasmiji, an anointed one.

It had to be hard, but still, there were things that Darsan needed to learn.

“Darsan, do you know why I was so angry and disappointed?”

Darsan’s head shook as she wiped at her tears.

“I was angry and disappointed because I trusted you. If you had or have feelings for Ray’et all you needed to do was tell me. I would have understood Darsan but what you did, though not done maliciously, was wrong.”

The displeasure that was thick in Maliha’s voice could not be concealed no matter how hard she tried.

“Us females need to stick together. We need to build each other up and protect each other. We need to have a strong sisterhood independent of men that helps uplift us because the world can be cruel to us women.”

The world was harsh enough to women without the additional stress or grief of another woman. They needed to help each other, to be a true sisterhood like the one that had once ruled the Der Surjaz land. This tribe had been ruled by a strong body of women that had kept peace and harmony throughout the land. Now, they were overpowered by the vast number of men and so each female had to count. They had to stay close and love each other or else they would be lost.

“What you did was a betrayal of that sisterhood. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Darsan sobbed, her tears renewing at Maliha’s spiel.

Her face was pink and full of sorrow, which only made Maliha feel guiltier than she already did.

“I am not angry at you Darsan.”

Maliha pulled Darsan into a comforting embrace, her lips resting against Darsan’s hairline. “I see you as my sister and so everything I say is to help you grow, just like all the women I have met on my travels have done for me.”

Maliha was only a few years older than Darsan but Maliha had learnt a lot on her journeys. Sometimes she still felt like a child but in moments like this, she felt wiser than her years.

“Don’t be so hasty to have love, that you would harm or disregard those around you, okay?”

“I swear it.”

Maliha clucked her teeth in finality as she wiped away Darsan’s tears. She held her in her arms until Darsan’s shudders subsided and her tears no longer soaked Maliha’s skin. Once Darsan’s composure was gathered, they headed out of the forest.

There would be no more discussion about this. Darsan had learnt a valuable lesson this day and Maliha knew it would stick with her for life.