Book of Kayal: Strength of Unity

by Stryker Nileson

  But the Demigod Emperor Servak showed her another way. When she was bound and presented to him, expecting to be executed for supporting the Council and standing against him, he gave her freedom and a place beside him, with the people of Nosgard.

  For the longest time she thought her service to Asclepius was a punishment for her actions against the free people of Nosgard, the Empire, but her assignment to the Utyirth mission and her time with the Ona showed her the true intentions of the Emperor, to make up for all the injustice that was bestowed upon her and heal the scars her past had given her; to prove her that another path could be treaded even by the likes of her.

  “You speak true,” Ganis said. “Yet it isn’t our place to command the Southern Alliance.”

  Hephaestion nodded. “I agree. We have interfered more than we were expected to. That is why I have decided to not leave any of us behind to help with the preparations here.”

  “And we also weren’t expected to be in this position.” Ganis waved her hands around, gesturing to all their surroundings. “Hephaestion, we came here to find Naa’tas and end his threat. Look at what we did here. We shouldn’t be ashamed for overextending our orders. We should be proud of giving these people a fighting chance against the tyranny of the Scylds.”

  “They will want to join the Empire, I overhead some speak of it.”

  “Who?”

  “Hearthwardens and Highborn.” He looked at a small group of Watchers standing below, staring at the horizon and scattering in small packs to all directions. “The Watchers would not stay here once we are gone. They seem intent on going to Nosgard. I thought it might be because they expect Monolos to return there, but there might be another reason for it, though I do not know what yet.”

  Ganis took a deep breath. “They are prepared and ready now. Regardless of what your thoughts are about the Southern Alliance, there is little we can do about it.”

  Hephaestion nodded. He then reached into a grey sash loosely wrapped around his waist and resting on his hip and produced a leather pouch and a pipe. He prepared the pipe and gestured to Ganis if she wanted some. She shook her head and watched him light it.

  They continued to watch the villagers work in silence, digging and hammering. They made quick work whenever they decided on a spot, but there was much ground to cover. It would take some time, even if a Scyld force appeared and pressured them to work faster.

  Sometimes a group of villagers would pause to rest for a few moments. They would exchange some words and often burst into laughter. The villagers, Ganis saw, have gained something from their endeavor. They were starting to act like soldiers, taking their situation lightly as hardened men often did.

  “When do we move?” Ganis asked.

  Hephaestion inhaled deeply from his pipe, the smoke starting to thin, and blew a long steady stream of smoke which lasted a moment. “At first light.”

  2

  It got colder as the Parthans headed to Scyldur. The time of day gave little of the sun’s warmth to the travelers, with the rich clouds covering the blue skies making them grey. A bleak day for any Kolian or Alvian, but it did little to the Parthans accustomed to such climate.

  “Do not believe in you, believe in me who believes in you,” Thalia said to Ganis, after spending the entire day in silence. “Reject common sense to make the impossible possible.” She minded her step in the forest, with snow covering the ground, a good hiding spot for traps.

  Even though she did not remember any of her youth, Thalia had an embedded set of instincts often guiding her demeanor. She had little ticks and sayings that gave away some of her past - or at least allowed for speculation - and it indicated a life in the shadows, being light on her feet and sharp with her senses.

  “What are you saying?” Ganis treaded less cautiously.

  “Everything.” She started humming a song Ganis did not recognize.

  “You ought to be more careful when in hostile lands.” Ganis stepped on a twig which produced a loud cracking sound. For a moment she stood still, eyeing Thalia.

  She looked back at Ganis, as if saying ‘I told you so’, and shook her head, smiling.

  Ganis grimaced and continued walking in silence.

  Just before night fell and darkness engulfed the Parthans, Screo reported a nearby cave, a suitable shelter for the night, and Hephaestion decided it would be quicker and more convenient to head there. If anything dwelled within, they would attempt to remain peacefully if they could, but would not hesitate to take a life or two in the process.

  “It’s time,” Ninazu said. He dropped his luggage and weapons on the ground.

  “Time?” Ganis asked.

  “For the transformation.” Ninazu looked at Hephaestion and said. “We should stay here until the pills take effect.”

  “Then we will seek shelter in the cave for this night and the others we need.” He looked around him, examining the cave. It was well located, somewhat hidden and not in any direct path from anything they knew of nearby. The forest, he judged, would provide them with enough wood and food, the most vital of all resources.

  Ninazu looked at Dindrane, Thalia and Eirene. Each busy unpacking the contents of their packs and preparing for a prolonged stay. Eirene seemed to be most keen on readying a shrine, while Thalia and Dindrane just wanted to make certain that enough blankets and covers would be ready whenever they wanted to rest. “I have not tested them before on people,” Ninazu said, making the four women cease their fiddling and eye him intently, faces surprised and jaws dropped.

  “You have not tested them?” Thalia said, loudly and judgmentally, she lowered her head and stared daggers at the Turian.

  “I have tested them…on mice.”

  “Do I look like a mouse to you?” Thalia said.

  He paused for a moment.

  “You’re not supposed to think about it,” she snapped.

  “He does have a point,” Percival said. He was preparing a sleeping area next to Dindrane’s. The twins rarely separated and preferred to be close at all times, although each was perfectly comfortable with any other member of the Ona. “From certain angles you do look a little like a mouse.”

  Thalia shifted her rage from Ninazu to Percival, pointing an angry finger at him. “I’m not in the mood.”

  Percival laughed and looked at Dindrane. She did not share his amusement.

  “You knew about it back then,” Ninazu said. “Now is not the time for hesitation.”

  “Back then I did not understand the magnitude of what I agreed to.” Thalia looked around her at the three other women.

  Ganis did not share their concern, but she was also more resilient and determined after escaping Initium Keep. She produced the pouch Ninazu had given her and swallowed one of the pills, accentuating the gesture to demonstrate her willingness and to challenge the others.

  “You will need to take two of them a day until you’re passable for a man,” Ninazu said. He approached Ganis. “Then it will suffice to have one a day.” He took one of the pills and held it with two fingers, making certain that all four women would see it. “I don’t have the ingredients to make any more, so please be prudent.”

  “How long will these last us?” Ganis asked. The others remained reluctant.

  “A few seasons, perhaps.” He shook his head. “I’m not entirely certain.”

  “Anything else we should know of?” Ganis carefully closed her pouch and strung it tightly to her belt.

  Before Ninazu could respond, Thalia asked, “Would it not be easier to just wrap our breasts tightly and cut our hair short?”

  “This might work for you,” Percival said, “but it will take far more for the others to pass as men, in my eyes at least.” He waved his head at Eirene, Ganis and Dindrane.

  Thalia growled at him.

  Ninazu ignored the brief interruption and said, “You will need to avoid feeding naturally, Ganis. I believe that the mixture I gave you would not disturb your transformation, but I cannot guarantee the same of un
treated blood.”

  Ganis nodded. The reliance would be an inconvenience for her. One more thing to hide, she thought. Whenever there was something different about her, Ganis always felt it strange to conceal it. Her habits would take her away from many of the activities required for her intended subterfuge, and it would risk drawing unwanted questions.

  Eirene, after staying idle for long, listening to the debate raised by Thalia, decided that it would be best to trust in Pax. It was, after all, her way. She produced her own pouch of pills and took one, swallowing it immediately and washing it down with some water she had been carrying in a fur flask kept within her cloak. The water was cold, but not frozen.

  “By Pax,” Thalia said. “I won’t be the last to do it.” She quickly produced a pill from her pouch, provoking Dindrane to do so hastily, and ate it. She was not as keen as Eirene to be done with the act and chewed it intently, grimacing at the bitterness of it. Once she was done, she stuck out her tongue, which had become purple, as if demonstrating to the others that she had indeed eaten the pill.

  “The path of Pax encourages us to change ourselves first,” Eirene said.

  “Before we bring such change to others,” Thalia continued. “I’ve heard enough of your preaching to know the path of Pax as if it was my own.” Thalia was displeased at being forced to take the pill by the challenge Eirene had presented to her - it made her angry, but accepting. “If this kills me, Ninazu, I’ll come back from the land of the dead to haunt you.” She pointed at the Turian.

  “You already are haunting me,” he said. “I cannot imagine it to be any worse.”

  3

  In a dark cabin within the lower decks of the Siren’s Tear - before it ever reached Utyirth - a heavily bearded man brewed his concoctions in preparation for the journey ahead. Ninazu thought of himself as an artist, not a mere alchemist. He would intentionally keep his face buried under a pile of hair to discourage people from approaching him, leaving him the isolation he sought to fiddle with his herbs and potions. Yet Ganis would not be so easily discouraged. After all, she was trained by Asclepius himself, a man far more dreadful in both sight and demeanor.

  Ganis knocked and opened the door without waiting for a response. Ninazu’s pitch black eyes met Ganis’ immediately. He did not appreciate the interruption. To Ganis, it seemed that his stare extended beyond her physical form and into her soul. Even the Dark Gift did not protect Ganis from the coldness of Ninazu’s gaze. She was truly revealed, or so she thought.

  The moroi quickly looked away and pretended to gain a sudden interest in her host’s work. “What are you working on?” She hoped to distract Ninazu from his inspection.

  “Your eyes. They are different.”

  “Different?” Ganis noticed that she was unintentionally avoiding making eye contact, but fought through the urge.

  “They are empty.” He removed a glass vial from a flame, slowly causing the liquid to cool down and produce fewer bubbles which settled on a thin stream of stinking smoke. “The eyes tell a story. Yours are simply void.”

  Ganis did not appreciate the investigation. She remembered Hephaestion’s suggestion and asked, “Do you have anything for seasickness?”

  The man picked up a cylindrical vial resting on the table among several other cork-sealed vials and handed it to Ganis. “Drink this. All of it.”

  Ganis took the vial and smelled its contents suspiciously. It had no bitter smell. It was no poison, not that Ganis suspected it. She gulped the clear green liquid immediately and thanked the man, while heading out.

  “Wait!” Ninazu spoke just as Ganis was about to close the wooden door.

  She returned inside and stood compliantly.

  “Pertinax told me a great deal about your past, but there seem to be a missing part in your story, one where the details are obscure. Where were you during the events of the Ancient’s War?”

  “I was by Asclepius’ side, aiding in what little way I could.”

  “Surely there is some interesting story behind the deeds of the Hero of Nosgard during his confrontation with the Pale Ancient.” Ninazu was suspicious of Ganis, and he had no intention of hiding it.

  “All I know of the fight is that he used sorcery to defeat the beast. He turned the Draugr, his servants, into a colossal golem that matched the strength of the Pale Ancient, and used the unnatural construct to defend the realm. Asclepius barely escaped death that day.”

  Ninazu looked down, disappointed, and said, “I suppose it would be only fair for me to share my story.”

  Ganis nodded, still standing by the door.

  He took a deep breath then said, “I came to Nosgard when I was a child no older than ten. Unfortunately, the ship bearing my people crashed, and the few remaining survivors banded together to live as one nomadic tribe. We built our homes on wheels so we could take them with us along our journey.

  “It was customary for each of us to learn a skill necessary for the survival of the people, so I decided to learn alchemy. When the civil war started and the Council came to power, we were hunted down as outlaws. The final Peacekeeper raid on my tribe killed most of us. Young and alone, I had no code to guide my actions and I resorted to crime. I used my skills to create poisons for assassins and bandits in Gallecia.

  “My success alerted the authorities about the operation I ran, and they eventually caught and exiled me to Partha, where I met Commander Thane. Thane made me use my skills to preserve life rather than end it. I spent a decade in Partha tending the wounds and injuries of others until I met Lyra, our leader…former leader.

  “The coming of the Demigod Servak fueled the Parthan desire for vengeance and finally gave me the opportunity I sought to avenge my Turian brethren. Ever since, I have loyally served Lyra and the Emperor.”

  “You are a Turian? Like Sigurd?”

  “Indeed, but his story is quite different from mine. Circumstances led my life to be one of solitude, for a time, but Sigurd led a life of seclusion till he met Thane. In spite of all the pain I have been through, I cannot begin to imagine what he has undergone.” Ninazu’s words revealed much, but his face remained as steady as a stone.

  “Thank you, Ninazu.”

  “Next time tell me the truth, Ganis, and spare no detail.” Ninazu returned to fiddle with his herbs and potions, ignoring Ganis entirely.

  Ganis excused herself and left. She made certain to properly close the door once outside and made way to the main deck, where the sunset shined its farewells from the distant horizon.

  4

  The pills started to take effect on all the Parthan women, but Ganis seemed to be resilient. They had no influence over her yet – somewhat a relief to Ganis, even while still it was a hindrance for the mission.

  Ganis approached Ninazu, sitting at the alchemical station he had prepared in a corner of the cave, now well spread with Parthan tools and equipment. It surprised Ganis that he never seemed concerned by having his back facing an entrance, in fact he seemed to prefer such setting. “Did you manage to find a solution?”

  He continued to fiddle with some mixtures, pouring different concoctions in separate tubes, each with a single transformation pill within. He managed to catch a few rodents from around the forest and had them kept in cages next to his workbench. Whenever Ganis approached, they would get agitated.

  She remained patient until Ninazu was finished with his task, observing the strange rodents he had captured. Some of them looked like rats, but they were smaller and seemed less aggressive. None of them attempted to gnaw at the wooden cages, as rats would certainly do. Perhaps, she thought, he particularly chose these creatures because they would be easier to contain.

  Ninazu stopped, turned around on the wooden backless stool Thalia had crafted for him, and said, “How can I help?”

  “Have you found a mixture that will work?” she repeated, still examining his pets.

  “There are several promising potions, but I am yet to attempt them.” He turned around and took one of the v
ials he had just brewed. From all the vials he tested during Ganis’ intrusion, it was the only one which bubbled when the liquid made contact with the pill, but it had calmed. Reaching for one of the cages with a smaller sleeping critter, he said, “I need to test a few more.”

  Ninazu took out a cage resting atop another, waking the rat-like critter within, unlocked the hatch above it and with one swift swoop pinned the rodent. Holding it carefully from the neck so it would not bite, he pulled it out. The beast tried to escape with no success. “Hold it down.”

  Ganis approached and held the beast down, holding it from where Ninazu’s hand had pinned it earlier, and followed his gestures to safely open its mouth. He then dripped two drops of his once-bubbling potion into its mouth. The rodent grimaced and rubbed its tongue on its small front teeth, drooling in an attempt to rid itself from the potion’s vile taste.

  Ninazu took the beast from Ganis, it still drooled and fidgeted even more violently, nearly escaping the Turian’s clutches, but found itself once more securely trapped in its wooden cage. The creature turned around, looking for an exit, and stopped once the cage rested back in its original location in but a few moments after it received its intended share of potion.

  “I will let you know when it’s ready,” he said. Ninazu returned to his work and started administering similar doses to the other animals. Hoping to avoid the troubling task of helping him again, Ganis excused herself and left the cave.

  Outside, Eirene, Thalia and Dindrane sat on a fallen tree trunk. It was a calmer day, with clear skies and singing birds.

  “Eirene, I think you look even more handsome as a man than you were pretty as a woman,” Thalia said. She gently caressed the priestess’ face, rubbing her cheek once before Eirene slapped her hand away.