Forty-one
Haven’s Mercy
The pain throbbing around her skull forced her eyes open. She had no knowledge of how long she was unconscious, but there was still some light reflecting from the marble steps. The light had stung her eyes, they instinctively wanted to roll to the back of her head, and her body wanted to remain resting where she had fallen. She tried recalling the last moments before the darkness, but such thoughts stung her head.
Arrazanal carefully lifted her head from the ground; she noticed a drop of dry blood directly under where her nose had been. She quickly checked to see if she was still bleeding. Fortunately, all the blood was dry. Again, she forced herself to recall what had happened, but she was instantly reminded when she saw Yasenanos's loose magenta braid laying in front of her. Arrazanal wanted to grab at her, but her arms wouldn’t respond to her mind’s command.
A tiny whimper left her mouth, too shocked to call out her name. Her ears prickled to a voice that came over the ledge followed by some shuffling. She tried accessing the person’s emotions, hoping to get an identity, but again her head beat in pain. Arrazanal slowly shifted herself up, trying to get a clearer view; she looked around to see a mound of Nalashi bodies piled up a step beside her. Her eyes drifted up to see a pair of lavender arms dropping another violet-skinned corpse down on the pile. Terror filled her heart when she heard a moan from a teenage male from above the staircase, she glanced up to see Roshahnal’s almost unrecognisable bloody and swollen face.
A Noszarel female walked into view, her back turned to Arrazanal, her navy robes had been shredded, and parts of her exposed skin was bloodied with various cuts.
“We got a live one here…barely,” she said aloud.
“Put him out of his misery then,” replied another unknown voice from over the ledge.
Arrazanal felt her heart race, the pain in her body had been postponed, she glanced at the pile of Nalashi bodies wondering if she could blend in with them. Her arms quietly lifted her up as she watched the Noszarel in front of her, praying to any spirits for mercy that she wouldn’t turn around. As she silently shifted to the pile, a Noszarel male strode over with a broken branch and handed it to the female.
She took the branch and raised it above her head, directly aiming it for Roshahnal’s skull. Arrazanal heard Rosh pleading for his life as she slid herself under a dead Nalashi female. She held her breath, too frightened to make a sound. Between the gaps of the bodies, she watched as the Noszarel swung the branch and crashed it into Roshahnal’s head. His begging had stopped. The male winced as she took another swing of the club, striking Rosh again.
The Noszarel female dropped the branch; she stormed to the ledge and out of view, leaving the male still in sight. Arrazanal’s body began to violently shake, she held down her legs to stop the trembling, but another quiet whimper escaped her throat. Her eyes darted to the male, now was looking to her direction. He picked up the branch, carefully stepping over the others lying across the steps and Yasenanos. Arrazanal prepared herself to join her family, Yas and whoever else was waiting for her in the afterlife. The male pushed the Nalashi female’s body off Arrazanal with the branch in hand. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, yet the male didn’t move a muscle.
“Another live one?” called out the female form over the ledge.
The boy’s eyes hadn’t moved from her, but the savagery had dimmed as he stared into Arrazanal’s. “Nai,” he said.
His hand released the branch and pressed a finger to his lips before darting up the stairs and disappearing. Arrazanal had closed her eyes, tears streamed down her temples and into her hairline. At that moment, mercy had been the greatest gift she had ever received. Her higher senses had slowly returned, but her body was still too weak to wield energy for combat. She waited while under the pressure of her kin for the moon to rise in the sky. Once its light was upon her and her senses told her she was alone, she shuffled out from the pile and sat up to see the pier. Many of the ships and canoes were missing, while some were charred and rendered useless.
Arrazanal looked to Yasenanos, her hair blew in the gentle wind, but it was never to be washed, brushed or braided again. She looked like she was sleeping. Arrazanal crawled over to her, pushing her over to her back. Her hand slid under Yas’ head, cradling it as her other hand tried wiping away the dry blood from her temple. She felt her eyes stinging again, tears covered her vision as they dripped onto Yasenanos’ cheek. She wanted to scream, but her mouth wouldn’t open. She prayed again to the Wild Spirits to bring Yasenanos back, but her pleas were unanswered, and her eyes remained shut.
“I’m sorry. Bellemin I’aer, Yasenanos.” Arr mumbled as she cradled her.
She bent down and kissed her on the forehead as she cradled her. Her hand gently slid from under Yas’ head and she rose to her feet. Taking one last look at her love, Arrazanal turned away down the staircase, refusing to look back. Her feet shuffled along the grass as she scanned the shore for a canoe, but none were tied to the pier. She spotted a canoe tipped over on the shore, its wooden hull appeared undamaged, and a couple of its paddles lay around it.
She sprinted into the cold water; her hands slid under the edge of the canoe and she pushed it up with all her remaining strength. To her surprise, the boat had easily flipped. She picked up the paddles and tossed them into the canoe. With one last push, the boat was now floating on water. Arrazanal hopped inside, her feet splashed in the small pool of water inside and she rested the paddles at the side of the canoe. She looked out to the darkened sea, scanning the horizon for mountains north of Perishi Peninsula, but there was nothing in sight.
Where would she go? Her village has been taken, and her remaining people were hidden away from Noszarel scouts, perhaps they were discovered. She couldn’t bear thinking about being the last of the Nalashi. If it were true, she would walk into the water and never resurface. Arrazanal breathed in the air, her eyes closed and focused on the place where her people could be hiding. If it was one talent the Nalashi had, it was stealth. Her mind’s eye instantly flittered to Larizinal; she could see the druid’s smiling face with Sheek’zeer by her side.
She opened her eyes again, hoping that the old female was still alive and with her people. Hope was all she needed. Arrazanal grabbed the paddle’s handles and began pushing the water away. It took a single push for the canoe to drift across the saltwater; it cut through the surface with ease because of the thin blade-like design. However, they were not made for long voyages on a turbulent ocean, and Arrazanal didn’t have any food or fresh water with her.
She looked back to the beach, hoping to spot any crates or bags that she might need, but she was already too far from the shore to return. Her eyes drifted up to see the dark Nalashi inn on the cliff, she felt her heart tear when she saw the staircase, knowing Yasenanos was laying on it. Arrazanal’s ears picked up a faint giggle from around her, she spun around wildly looking for its source, but there was only the horizon. She continued paddling, still glancing around for some nearby ship that she couldn’t see.
The giggling started again, but this time a faint blue orb appeared a league away from the prow of her canoe. Arrazanal squinted at the orb; perhaps there was another ship close by.
Don’t look for me; look ahead. Said a familiar voice inside her mind. She almost dropped the paddles into the water when she recognised Yasenanos’ voice.
“Yas? Is that you?” Arr called out to the orb. The blue light shimmered and bolted further away above the water. She grasped the paddles again, frantically pushing the canoe to the light as she continued calling Yas’ name.
“I’m sorry that I left you behind. Please, don’t leave me!” Arr cried.
Never. She said. Arrazanal struggled to breathe through her nose as tears burst from her eyes.
“I lo-,” she couldn’t finish the words; she didn’t want to finish them. Her arms furiously paddled toward the blue light, but her heart sank as the light vanished from the water. She was now alone in the middle of a dark ocean.
A gust of cold wind blew around her, freezing her thin fingers. Arrazanal pulled the paddles into the canoe and rubbed her hands close to her chest, her navy robe was too thin to protect her skin from the icy air. Panic rose in her chest as her eyes darted around for Yasenanos’ soul, but there was nothing. Her psionics had also failed to find anyone or anything, the sky above was barren of birds, and the sea below was empty of fish.
Arrazanal pulled the robe over her collarbone, but her hands grazed against the warm silver necklace on her chest. Her hands shook, as she pulled out the ornate pendant, hard silver strings interlocked around the centre of a red gem with violet veins dotted throughout the stone. She placed her hand over the top, sucking as much warmth from it into her cold fingers. More tears appeared in her eyes as she squeezed the pendant, recalling Yasenanos wearing it on her living and breathing chest a few hours before. Anger washed away her sorrow when she watched Yas drop to the stairs, she wanted to burn the whole island and everyone on it. Would that bring justice to her dead love? Would her soul even accept it from Arrazanal? She wondered.
“If it’s a fine line between justice and revenge,” Arr whispered as she repeated Yas’ words, “then who am I meant to be?”
She opened her hands to reveal the warm pendant in her palms; the gem had a faint pink glow inside. Arrazanal watched the stone’s light shine as if it was trying to speak to her, as if it was answering a question. She lifted the stone to her forehead and pressed it against her skin between her eyes. Energy rushed through the stone, it became so hot on her skin that it felt like it was burning her, but she pressed harder. Her eyes closed; ready to accept whatever was coming her way. Inside her mind’s eye, she perceived the sea around her, but it wasn’t absent of light.
The brilliant blue colours of the water shone around her canoe. The starry sky was bright with a magenta ribbon floating up in the heavens and orbs of light sparked around the horizon. Arrazanal felt her consciousness getting pushed from the canoe and speeding across the ocean; she could see the mountains of the northern peninsula vibrating against the colourful background. Her vision circled around the edge of the mountains where the land met the sea again. She continued to travel until she reached the neck of the Perishi Peninsula, the forests were vibrant, and their aura pulsated as if they were pointing toward a shrouded meadow in the southern hills. That’s where her people were, that’s where they had to be.
Arrazanal dropped the pendant from her forehead, her mind instantly returned to the canoe. Before she pressed the stone against her head, she was truly blind. She slipped the paddles back into the ocean, her arms pushed against the current, sending the canoe across the water. The freezing wind no longer stung her skin as her body worked against the sea. She was going to paddle after her arms became sore and continue paddling after her throat itched for water and continue paddling even after her mind begged for rest. Arrazanal was going home, wherever home was.
~
The canoe rocked against the current, but it remained in place. A thud came from the hull loud enough to wake Arrazanal resting against the wood. Her eyes shot open; her body jerked up as her arm knocked a paddle into the water. She leant over the edge of the canoe, her hands patting for the fallen paddle, but to no avail – it disappeared into the water. Light glittered off the water; she looked up to see the sun had reached the centre of the sky as its warmth empowered her.
Arrazanal cursed herself for falling asleep, she took in her surroundings to see she was off the coast of the peninsula, but her canoe was wedged among the broken hull of a Nalashi carrier ship. She stood in the rocky boat to see she was surrounded by a ship graveyard; torn cloth sails swam in the water’s surface while planks of wood floated aimlessly in the gentle current. These were the remains of her people’s transport ships they used to escape Emasaran. A deep growl came from the pit of her stomach and her throat begged for cool water, her eyes stared longingly at sea, but she knew that it would be her end if she drank from it.
She rested both hands against the obstructing broken ship’s hull and pushed her canoe free from its hold. The small boat floated from the wreckage, she quickly snatched a broken plank from the water, replacing her lost paddle. She pushed the canoe around the wreckage, searching for a pass wide enough to slip through, but the ruined ships covered most of the visible water. As Arrazanal’s eyes scanned the wrecks, she realised that the ships were destroyed from within, giant holes in the hulls appeared to have been blasted from inside, and there were no Nalashi bodies in sight. She glanced at the nearby shore, again there were no bodies or footprints in the sand.
Her kin cleverly destroyed their ships so that Noszarel wouldn’t find them in port and had walked knee-deep near the shore to their haven. However, to Arrazanal’s dismay, she couldn’t find where the Nalashi refugees had gone. She paddled to the shore; her canoe wedged itself in the sand before she leapt out into the shallow water. Her eyes travelled further inland, the grey northern mountains lay far to her west and the dense forests where Nalashi territory began lay to her far east.
Arrazanal looked down to the water, she bent down with her hand reaching in for a fistful of wet sand. She closed her eyes and focused on the energy the granules emanated. Unlike when she sensed the Noszarel by her meadow, the wet sand didn’t capture the same energy as the trees or ground had. She pushed her senses further, shutting away the world around her and she concentrated on seeing who tread on the shore. At first, she saw small fish pecking their tiny mouths on the sand, then crabs skittering along and then she saw Ezoni feet stepping onto the beach.
Maintaining that image, Arrazanal opened her eyes and envisioned dozens of Nalashi wandering east of the shore. Their energy had blended like brightly lit clouds walking on the ground. She followed the crowd, watching them step over a lump of broken rocks on the beach before disappearing into the forests. She dragged herself through the water and the soft sand, not once looking away from the line of energy the crowd had emanated. Finally, Arrazanal reached the thick foliage on the edge of the forest.
Their energy vanished beyond that point. She recalled where the dark meadow was, but her fears overcame her mind thinking that they were killed by roaming Noszarel patrols or taken by the wild animals or succumbed to the elements. The forest’s aura was more shadowed than she remembered, even with the sun beaming down on the land, the wilds seemed disturbed in some way. She scanned the trees, searching for anything her kin had dropped and left behind to show where they had gone.
Her stomach growled again, this time with a vengeance. She patted her belly, hoping that maybe it would ease the discomfort, but it seemed to make her hunger worsen. Arrazanal’s hand brushed past her satchel, she looked in to see her tiny pouch of bursting powder had remained dry along with a handful of tiny vials and the green notebook. She lifted the potions out one by one, searching for something that could give her a boost to manage her trek.
A shuffling of leaves from nearby trees instantly stopped her rummaging, her heart started pounding as her head snapped to a branch with the sound of a family of scarlet hawks flapping their wings. Her stress eased when she saw that it was just hawks, but her adrenaline still flowed through her veins. She continued to walk slowly with her ears still listening to the sounds of the wilds. Her ears perked up when she heard another growl, but this one hadn’t come from her stomach.
Arrazanal glanced around, fearing that a panther had sought her for a meal. She had no weapons on her, and her energy was far too low to muster any form of defence. Another guttural growl came from the shadowed bushes, her eyes locked to the darkness for the aura the creature had. Two wide orange eyes appeared from the foliage, and a great lavender-stripped paw stepped out, Sheek’zeer was just a leap away. Arrazanal felt a slight sense of relief to see her tiger friend, but she didn’t appear to recognise her.
“Sheek’zeer,” Arr said, trying to appeal to the tiger’s memory, but the tiger continued her slow pursuit and a deep growl.
“It’s me, benor’e!” Arr said she stamped her foot into the grass, trying to mask her sense of dread from the encroaching feline.
Sheek’zeer stopped, her head slightly cocked to the side as if she had realised it was Arrazanal. Her large orange eyes shrunk into slits before she leapt onto Arrazanal. The tiger’s force threw her to the ground as Sheek’zeer bombarded Arr’s face with rough licks.
“Glad you remember me, but can you get off my legs?” Arr said, the tiger instantly obeyed and sat before her.
“I missed you, my friend,” Arr said stretching her arms around Sheek’zeer’s thick neck for a tight squeeze before letting go, “I can’t be far. Where’s Larizinal? Where are the Nalashi?”
The tiger’s eyes twitched to a sight past Arrazanal’s shoulder, she followed her gaze and was met nose-to-nose with an obsidian arrowhead.
“Identify yourself,” said the Nalashi with the drawn bow. More warriors appeared from the surrounding thicket with their bows drawn, aiming their arrows at Arrazanal’s heart.
Careful not to make any sudden moves, Arrazanal lifted her hands up. “My name is Arrazanal of the Nalashi tribe,”
“Where did you come from?” the warrior asked.
“Emasaran, I came by canoe. Where are the rest of the refugees? Have you heard from my sister, Zjelazanal?” she said closing her fists to stop her hands from shaking.
“The refugees are safe, and there’s no news on the missing. We heard about what happened at Emasaran,” the warrior said easing his bow and motioning to the others to do the same, “rise, Arrazanal of the Nalashi.”
As she lifted herself to her feet, her stomach made another loud demand.
“Come, we mustn’t linger,” he said taking Arrazanal by the arm and whisking her away into the forest. She watched Sheek’zeer slink away into the darkened bushes. They walked in silence until they came upon a wall of hanging leafy vines, the warriors slipped their way through the vines, revealing a cave just beyond them. The cave had small burning candles melted to the natural alcoves lining the walls, her eyes noticed a cream twinkle in the rocks, there were mineral veins Ezoni used to make candles burn brighter and longer which included blasting powder.
Arrazanal could hear distant voices coming from the pit of the mountain and her nose prickled at the sweet smell of steamed vegetables. She followed the warrior down into the base of the cave, there were several tunnels leading into deeper sections of the mountain, all filled with light and burning essences filling the halls. Nalashi tapestry covered the cold mountain walls along with carpets covering the dirt floors, planks of wood were laid over the cave stones as makeshift tables and in the centre burned a fire on black wood. The Nalashi looked to their newest arrival, some of them still wearing druid trainee garbs, seeing that made her heart weigh heavier.
They stopped at a bald male with his muscled back turned to them. The warrior walked up to the male and placed his fist across his chest. “We found another refugee.”
“Another mouth to feed, then,” said the male as he turned around, his eyes widened when he saw her. Arrazanal recognised Doshsinal’s bushy beard, but his face was covered in newly healed cuts.
“It’s good to see you standing, Arrazanal. The Wild Ones do well to protect you,” Dosh said patting her shoulder.
“Greetings and thank you, Dosh. Are there any updates on our missing kin?” Arr said.
“Afraid not,” he said shaking his head, as he snuck a quick glance at her necklace.
“It’s been a long journey from Emasaran, and I’m quite fatigued,” Arr said as she folded her robe over her chest and shivered, hoping to hide Yas’ pendant from his eyes.
“Of course. There’ll be a few who will be happy to see you.” He said before calling for Kaitajinal.
Kaitajinal’s head appeared from one of the caves, his red eyes shot up to Arrazanal as his face curved into a warm smile. His topknot had fallen into a bun, his black hair hung loosely around his tired square face. Sheathed daggers clung around his belt along with a tied whip at his thigh; his baggy cloth trousers were covered in mud and were torn. She spotted tiny maroon stains on them.
“Arrazanal!” he yelled as he sprinted over with his arms out.
“Kai,” she said as she embraced him, but her eyes locked with Doshsinal’s who looked away instantly.
“When the refugees returned from the isle, and you weren’t among them, I had thought the worst,” he said pulling away from her with his grip still on her shoulders.
“I thought it was to be my fate too,” she said sharing his enthusiasm.
“Kai, take her to Dath. I’ll need you back here shortly.” Dosh said.
Kaitajinal nodded before beckoning Arrazanal to follow. They wandered to the cave entrance from where Kai had appeared, there were groups of Nalashi all sitting on thick woven mats in circles, talking quietly amongst themselves and eating from wooden bowls.
“Of all places, who would’ve thought the Noszarel would try to take Emasaran. Is nothing sacred to them?” Kai said.
Arrazanal looked at him in disbelief. “Is that what you truly believe?” she said under her breath.
“I believe what our people have said, and I believe the ones who haven’t returned,” he said turning to her.
“The Nalashi started that riot,” Arr said in a hushed voice, “that’s why so few of us returned. Because of the war, we lost again.”
“Can you blame them with what happened at the Temple?” Kai snapped, he sighed and rubbed his reddish eyes, “I don’t want to argue now, I need to get back to Dosh,”
Arrazanal bit her lip. “Is this to find our missing people?”
“It’s to get our village back,” Kai said, he leaned in close to her ear, “I can’t say too much, but we believe some of them are held as prisoners.”
“Do you think Zjel is among them?” Arr whispered.
“We don’t know yet, but if I find out you’ll be the first to hear it,” he said.
“Arrazanal?” a familiar voice came from the cave entrance.
She and Kaitajinal turned to see Dathazanal appear before them. His wide purple eyes had darkened to almost black, his shoulders and chest were covered in scars, and his serrated whip hung from his belt. He walked over to them, his long hair hung loosely around his shoulders and appeared to have not been washed in some time. She sensed Kaitajinal tense up when her brother approached them.
“We’ll talk later,” Kai said. To Arrazanal’s surprise, he pecked her on the cheek before brushing past Dathazanal with slight malice.
“Greetings, Dath. You look...well,” she nervously said.
Her brother said nothing. He opened his arms, grabbing her around the shoulders and pulled her in for a rib-breaking squeeze.
“I’m so happy you’re alive,” he mumbled before pulling away and looking deep into her face.
“Me too,” she said forcing her lips to smile.
“Have you eaten? I’ll get you some food,” he said hurrying away to a large black cauldron and pouring out some stew into a bowl. He turned around and waved his hand down, beckoning her to sit on the closest stone stool.
Arrazanal followed his direction, eyeing her brother wearily as he passed the warm bowl in her hands. She had almost forgotten how hungry she was when the stew’s smell hit her nose. Dathazanal sat beside her, he motioned his hand again for her to eat as his face twisted in a smile. She placed the bowl to her lips and poured the stew down her tongue and throat while staring at her brother. It didn’t take a psychic to know there was something different about him.
“How is it?” he said.
With a final gulp, Arrazanal wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “A bit bland.”
Dathazanal laughed. “I missed you,” he said.
Arrazanal said nothing. She looked around his aura, it had transformed to the same tinge of black as his eyes. She couldn’t decide if he was more terrifyingly angry or compassionate.
“Did you hear about what they did at the Temple?” he said tapping his thumb against his bottom lip.
“I did,” she said placing the bowl to her side, not once taking her eyes off him.
“Horrible, isn’t it? Taking all the sick and injured…butchering them like elk. We need to stick together, it’s just you and me now,” he said.
“You, me and Zjelazanal,” she sternly said.
“You, me and Zjel,” he repeated, “If they harm a single hair on her head, I will help them meet the spirits in the afterlife,”
“Like you needed encouragement before,” Arr scoffed as she rose to her feet, she wasn’t in the mood to listen to his antics.
“Wait, Arr,” Dath said placing his hand on her forearm, even his skin was unusually cold in the warm cave chamber, “I’m sorry,”
Arrazanal stopped, she looked deep into her brother’s eyes and saw pain. Something genuine stirred deep within his consciousness. She wanted to reach out to him; she wanted to save him from whatever troubled him, but their years together told her not to.
“What are you sorry for, Dath?” she said flatly.
“For everything,” he said as his eyes welled in tears.
“You must think I’m a fool,” she whispered.
“Nai, I don’t,” he said pulling his hand away from her arm, “I’m sorry for the way I treated you our whole lives. For making you do things you didn’t want to do, for doubting your honour.”
“How could you blame me for leaving father, when in fact, you had done the same thing!” Arr said taking her place on the stool again, “If warriors have one thing, it’s honour, and that’s something you lack, Dathazanal,”
“I was embarrassed, that vision we shared showed my shame. I thought if I could make it up to father and mother…” he said looking away.
“You’re not the only one that suffered loss. You were supposed to be my older brother,” she said, her heart hammered in her chest as she fought back the tears.
“You’re right, I’ve failed you.” He said placing his hand over his eyes.
Dathazanal’s words made Arrazanal’s eyes leak with tears, but she kept her arms firmly over her chest, not giving in an inch. “What do you want me to say?”
“Don’t say anything, but you can teach me,” he said moving his hand away. “They must’ve taught you somethings on Emasaran. Please help me, sister.”
Arrazanal reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s not going to be easy. A wise person told me once, nothing important ever is.”
Dathazanal began shaking; he curled his arm into hers and gripped onto her robes. She sensed eyes were upon her, she looked up to see Kaitajinal staring from across the chamber, but when their eyes met, he looked away. Her heart desperately wanted to embrace his newfound truth, but she wondered why others were not so certain.
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