And the priest of the high villages had come to congratulate the village chief on the return of his son, Shuran. He stopped behind the door, listening to what Nasash was saying, and his blood boiled.
He pushed the door violently and entered, shouting:
"Silence, O heretic! How dare you attack the beliefs of our ancestors?!"
He raised his staff towards Nasash. When he looked at him, he recognized him and said: "So it's you! Nasash, the son of Amazaraq who fled with his grandmother on that fateful night! My reckoning with you is long. You have mocked our most sacred traditions, leaving us a laughingstock among all the mountain people! Do you know the punishment for one who helps the outcast? It is to take his place, to be burned in fire, or to be buried alive!
So choose your fate, O heretic!"
The priest stepped forward to grab him by his hair with a strong, dark, veined hand, resembling a rusty copper clamp. Sheikh Arqan intervened, saying:
"Not now, O priest! Remember, you are in my house, and this is my guest! - The angry priest's hand hesitated to grab Nasash's hair. His eyes fell on Dan, surprised to see him alive after his near-fatal fall.
His anger overcame his surprise as he pointed at him with a claw-like finger, saying: "And you!? You should be dead! You sacrificed yourself for your grandmother, and you have no right to life after that!
Neither his father nor his mother dared to respond to the priest's words, which seemed like heavenly law; then Sheikh Arqan intervened, saying: "But his grandmother has passed away, so there is no reason for his death!"
Dan, in turn, was shocked by the death of his beloved grandmother, whom he had longed to return to and enjoy her happiness as she received the gifts he brought from the city.
He was overwhelmed with sorrow and burst into tears. His mother embraced him, holding his head against her chest with great tenderness, while looking at the stern-faced priest with eyes filled with both sorrow and compassion.
The priest, always with a stern expression on his face, looked towards Sheikh Arqan and pointed an accusatory finger at him, saying: "You are ruining our traditions! I will have something to deal with you!"
He turned away, muttering hateful incantations.
Silence fell over the gathering! Everyone knew the priest's dominance and influence over the minds of all the villagers.
The crowd dispersed, and Dan went to his parents' house with Nasash. After a light dinner and distributing gifts, they slept the sleep of the dead.