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<blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 3822316" data-attributes="member: 812"><p><strong>Another Fine Mess: 14</strong></p><p></p><p>"Where did that big Naridic guy go?"</p><p></p><p>Etienne scanned the crowd of Kishaks but failed to find a single Naridic face.</p><p></p><p>The narrow cave opening gave onto a wide cavern dimly lit from evident cracks in the ceiling overhead. Twenty or so Kishak folks gathered around the entrance.</p><p></p><p>As his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness, he realised that these people were not soldiers. Dressed in travel-worn rags, with hollow faces and unkempt beards and hair, these folks looked like an especially ill-fortuned group of merchants.</p><p></p><p>Elena dropped Nevid and scowled around at their new friends. She nodded in support of Etienne's question.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah. What's going on here?"</p><p></p><p>Etienne recalled that they were, in theory at least, being pursued by savage Naridic warriors. He peered out the cave entrance and saw several mounted men ride by. None of them appeared to notice the cave.</p><p></p><p>The somewhat chubby Kishak who'd met them in the gully stepped forward, wringing his hands.</p><p></p><p>"Well, my friends. Uh. We, that is, my associates and I, are hoping for a little help."</p><p></p><p>"You don't say."</p><p></p><p>"My name is Guvan Thar, and we are... well, we're what's left of a caravan from Al-Tizim."</p><p></p><p>Arrafin stepped forward and snarled at the heavy-set man.</p><p></p><p>"Looting our cities and fattening yourselves on the suffering of the Naridic people!"</p><p></p><p>Thar stepped back, startled. He shook his head.</p><p></p><p>"No, no. We aren't..."</p><p></p><p>"Why didn't you stay in your own country, you red bastards?"</p><p></p><p>"I was born in Al-Tizim."</p><p></p><p>"What? Oh."</p><p></p><p>Arrafin's fire went out as quickly as it had come. Shamefacedly she bit her lower lip and bowed her head. Elena came forward to comfort her friend.</p><p></p><p>"Tell us what happened."</p><p></p><p>Thar sighed.</p><p></p><p>"As I say, we were part of a caravan heading south from Al-Tizim. This was... I don't know. Maybe a month ago? Everyone said the Kishak armies were coming across the desert and things were getting sort of... uncomfortable in the city."</p><p></p><p>He looked over at Arrafin.</p><p></p><p>"You're not the only Naridic person who feels that way, I can assure you. As we neared Tallal, we were set upon by those... that army out there. We managed to escape, but we had to leave all our supplies behind and hid in here."</p><p></p><p>Elena's dark eyes narrowed.</p><p></p><p>"And the thousands of Naridic soldiers just over there have somehow never looked inside this cave? There's something you're not telling us."</p><p></p><p>Thar drew himself up.</p><p></p><p>"This will seem very strange to you."</p><p></p><p>"Try us."</p><p></p><p>He reached for a small ceramic jug at his waist and pulled the stopper out. Elena was expecting him to pour something out of the jug but was distracted by the sudden return of the large Naridic man. He was extremely handsome, but something besides that compelled her attention. She wasn't sure just what it was, though. Besides his impressive handsomeness.</p><p></p><p>"This is Nusair. He, uh. works for us."</p><p></p><p>"What did you want to show us that was strange?"</p><p></p><p>Thar frowned. He held up the jug.</p><p></p><p>"Nusair lives in here."</p><p></p><p>Elena was still trying to process that when Arrafin gasped.</p><p></p><p>"He's a djinn?"</p><p></p><p>Thar sighed and nodded. Nusair simply stood with his arms crossed, imposing and beautiful. He paid no attention as Arrafin approached him, her eyes wide, and put a hand on his arm, her skin just slightly darker than his. She leapt back to stand beside Elena.</p><p></p><p>"He's warm."</p><p></p><p>The djinn turned to the two women and smiled. An answering smile lit up Elena's face before she knew what she was doing. Thar coughed.</p><p></p><p>"Nusair has, uh, looked after us."</p><p></p><p>"Has he now?"</p><p></p><p>Arrafin grinned at her friend.</p><p></p><p>"Elena, I've never seen you smile for so long before."</p><p></p><p>"What? What? I'm not. Okay. Okay. So you have a, whatchamacallit. A genie. In a jug. What do you need us for?"</p><p></p><p>As quick as he had appeared, Nusair was gone. Elena blinked. She'd had a quick impression of swirling colour and noise, and he vanished. There was a pungent sweetness to the air suddenly, and Elena felt her senses heighten somehow, her heart rate accelerate. She realised she'd felt the same sensations when he'd disappeared outside.</p><p></p><p>Thar shifted nervously as Elena, Arrafin and Zuleika all gathered around him. Etienne remained by the exit, watchful as always.</p><p></p><p>"So. You need our help, you said."</p><p></p><p>"Yes. Exactly. We. You see, Nusair is adept at some things. He can hide the entrance to this cave, for example. He can supply us with food and water. He could even keep us hidden from that army long enough to reach the gates of Tallal."</p><p></p><p>"Yes?"</p><p></p><p>"But we fear that the city gates will not be opened to such as us. That we will be caught outside the city wall and eventually the horde will find us. Perhaps with such as yourselves among us, we can more easily convince the guards to open the gates."</p><p></p><p>Arrafin frowned.</p><p></p><p>"But why are the gates closed? The Kishaks can't have come this far yet."</p><p></p><p>Thar stared at the girl, obviously confused for a few seconds.</p><p></p><p>"But you... Didn't you see that huge army out there? They would loot the town and burn it if they could get in."</p><p></p><p>"But they're Naridic. Aren't they here to fight the Kishaks?"</p><p></p><p>Zuleika laughed.</p><p></p><p>"Arrafin, can't you get it through your head? Nobody really cares about that stuff. These people are just criminals looking to profit off other people's misfortune."</p><p></p><p>"You'd rather the Kishaks rule the desert?"</p><p></p><p>"If it meant my family was still alive, yes."</p><p></p><p>The two Naridic women glared at one another. Etienne came over and put a hand on Zuleika's shoulder.</p><p></p><p>"Let's all calm down. These people don't seem to mean any harm. And they have a genie. That might come in handy."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah."</p><p></p><p>Elena addressed Thar.</p><p></p><p>"Bring him back. Let's talk to him."</p><p></p><p>And suddenly Nusair was standing there again, and again Elena felt that strange sensation. Thar spoke to him in a language Elena didn't understand and the big Naridic man bowed to them all.</p><p></p><p>"My master has instructed me to answer your questions."</p><p></p><p>Arrafin spread out her arms.</p><p></p><p>"Okay. This time, I mean it. We need to plan our questions. We need to think this through."</p><p></p><p>Elena and Etienne rolled their eyes.</p><p></p><p>"Guys. We blew it with Madame Yuek, let's not blow it again."</p><p></p><p>"How did we blow it?"</p><p></p><p>"We didn't even ask her what a vampire is, or how you kill one."</p><p></p><p>"Like she's going to--"</p><p></p><p>"She said she'd answer anything. Anyway, my point is, let's be careful. Let's think about this."</p><p></p><p>Nusair had stood impassive during this exchange. He smiled as Elena turned to him.</p><p></p><p>"Hi. Nusair. I'm Elena. How do you kill a vampire?"</p><p></p><p>He bowed again.</p><p></p><p>"Mistress, I regret I am unable to tell you."</p><p></p><p>"Mistress? Okay. Unable, huh? That's too bad."</p><p></p><p>Arrafin was still glaring at Elena when Zuleika leaned forward to address the genie.</p><p></p><p>"Can you get us past the Crimson Host without them seeing?"</p><p></p><p>"Mistress, yes I can."</p><p></p><p>"Wait, wait," Etienne now joined in, "Why can't you just fly these folks over the wall or something?"</p><p></p><p>"Master, I cannot enter the cities of Suelekar Ben Azan."</p><p></p><p>Arrafin started.</p><p></p><p>"What? What do you have to do with Suelekar Ben Azan?"</p><p></p><p>"Mistress, it was he who bound me as he bound Farouk ibn Zaoud."</p><p></p><p>When Arrafin showed no sign of closing her mouth after a few seconds, Elena shook her by the shoulder.</p><p></p><p>"Arrafin. What is it? Who's that?"</p><p></p><p>The slender Naridic girl turned to her friend, her eyes glassy with thought.</p><p></p><p>"Farouk ibn Zaoud. The great hero. He's buried in Al-Tizim. Or..."</p><p></p><p>Her big eyes swivelled to study Nusair again.</p><p></p><p>"Something is."</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>The city of Tallal crouched tense and terrified. The streets rattled with furtive steps and uneasily-set latches.</p><p></p><p>Arrafin, Elena, Zuleika, Nevid and Etienne had left Thar and his companions at their caravanserai, and found themselves a quiet inn further into the city. Elena and Arrafin sat in their room after dinner, exchanging worries about Isaac but reassuring each other that their burly friend would be fine. They'd left Etienne and Zuleika exchanging anecdotes in the parlour below.</p><p></p><p>"I want to go to Al-Tizim, Elena. Legend says Farouk ibn Zaoud is buried beneath one of the stones in the Fountain of Kings. But if he's a djinn, maybe it's his... thing. You know, like Nusair's jug. We could have our own djinn."</p><p></p><p>Elena nodded to Arrafin's excited planning for the future. Eventually the Naridic girl ran out of steam and crawled into bed. Elena sat quietly for a while but then went out onto the rooftop garden to watch the stars.</p><p></p><p>Off to the east, the sprawling camp of the Crimson Host littered fires all across the landscape. Sparks of gunfire shot up from the darkness here and there. Elena switched her gaze to the immense walls of the city, taking comfort in the thought that the desert madmen would soon have to move on to find water and food. They couldn't stay out there forever.</p><p></p><p>The air was hot but a hesitant breeze kept her cool. Elena stretched and leaned out over the edge to look down into the street below.</p><p></p><p>"I should just push you. You stupid bitch."</p><p></p><p>Kani stood just behind her, her foreign face twisted in an angry sneer. Elena swallowed and tried to keep her fear from her voice.</p><p></p><p>"Maybe your mistress wouldn't like that so much."</p><p></p><p>"Maybe I don't give a f**k."</p><p></p><p>The Lohanese girl stepped even closer. She shook with fury.</p><p></p><p>"Maybe your scrawny little friend won't like Mother's attention so much once she's screaming and having her skin peeled off and her tongue cut out and she's getting raped by a dozen saw blades. Do you think she'd like that? Do you?"</p><p></p><p>"What do you want?"</p><p></p><p>Without any apparent transition Kani was suddenly a smiling, rather pretty young woman. She bowed.</p><p></p><p>"I just wanted to warn you. The next time we meet, I might not be on the side you think I'm on. I might make a change."</p><p></p><p>"Okay. What side are you on now?"</p><p></p><p>Kani hissed and clawed her hands at Elena's face, then leapt back.</p><p></p><p>"To hell with you, then. I'll tell Shang to take extra time with you."</p><p></p><p>"Shang?"</p><p></p><p>It was too late. Shadows swirled up around Kani and she disappeared. Elena shook her head.</p><p></p><p>"What a bitch."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="barsoomcore, post: 3822316, member: 812"] [b]Another Fine Mess: 14[/b] "Where did that big Naridic guy go?" Etienne scanned the crowd of Kishaks but failed to find a single Naridic face. The narrow cave opening gave onto a wide cavern dimly lit from evident cracks in the ceiling overhead. Twenty or so Kishak folks gathered around the entrance. As his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness, he realised that these people were not soldiers. Dressed in travel-worn rags, with hollow faces and unkempt beards and hair, these folks looked like an especially ill-fortuned group of merchants. Elena dropped Nevid and scowled around at their new friends. She nodded in support of Etienne's question. "Yeah. What's going on here?" Etienne recalled that they were, in theory at least, being pursued by savage Naridic warriors. He peered out the cave entrance and saw several mounted men ride by. None of them appeared to notice the cave. The somewhat chubby Kishak who'd met them in the gully stepped forward, wringing his hands. "Well, my friends. Uh. We, that is, my associates and I, are hoping for a little help." "You don't say." "My name is Guvan Thar, and we are... well, we're what's left of a caravan from Al-Tizim." Arrafin stepped forward and snarled at the heavy-set man. "Looting our cities and fattening yourselves on the suffering of the Naridic people!" Thar stepped back, startled. He shook his head. "No, no. We aren't..." "Why didn't you stay in your own country, you red bastards?" "I was born in Al-Tizim." "What? Oh." Arrafin's fire went out as quickly as it had come. Shamefacedly she bit her lower lip and bowed her head. Elena came forward to comfort her friend. "Tell us what happened." Thar sighed. "As I say, we were part of a caravan heading south from Al-Tizim. This was... I don't know. Maybe a month ago? Everyone said the Kishak armies were coming across the desert and things were getting sort of... uncomfortable in the city." He looked over at Arrafin. "You're not the only Naridic person who feels that way, I can assure you. As we neared Tallal, we were set upon by those... that army out there. We managed to escape, but we had to leave all our supplies behind and hid in here." Elena's dark eyes narrowed. "And the thousands of Naridic soldiers just over there have somehow never looked inside this cave? There's something you're not telling us." Thar drew himself up. "This will seem very strange to you." "Try us." He reached for a small ceramic jug at his waist and pulled the stopper out. Elena was expecting him to pour something out of the jug but was distracted by the sudden return of the large Naridic man. He was extremely handsome, but something besides that compelled her attention. She wasn't sure just what it was, though. Besides his impressive handsomeness. "This is Nusair. He, uh. works for us." "What did you want to show us that was strange?" Thar frowned. He held up the jug. "Nusair lives in here." Elena was still trying to process that when Arrafin gasped. "He's a djinn?" Thar sighed and nodded. Nusair simply stood with his arms crossed, imposing and beautiful. He paid no attention as Arrafin approached him, her eyes wide, and put a hand on his arm, her skin just slightly darker than his. She leapt back to stand beside Elena. "He's warm." The djinn turned to the two women and smiled. An answering smile lit up Elena's face before she knew what she was doing. Thar coughed. "Nusair has, uh, looked after us." "Has he now?" Arrafin grinned at her friend. "Elena, I've never seen you smile for so long before." "What? What? I'm not. Okay. Okay. So you have a, whatchamacallit. A genie. In a jug. What do you need us for?" As quick as he had appeared, Nusair was gone. Elena blinked. She'd had a quick impression of swirling colour and noise, and he vanished. There was a pungent sweetness to the air suddenly, and Elena felt her senses heighten somehow, her heart rate accelerate. She realised she'd felt the same sensations when he'd disappeared outside. Thar shifted nervously as Elena, Arrafin and Zuleika all gathered around him. Etienne remained by the exit, watchful as always. "So. You need our help, you said." "Yes. Exactly. We. You see, Nusair is adept at some things. He can hide the entrance to this cave, for example. He can supply us with food and water. He could even keep us hidden from that army long enough to reach the gates of Tallal." "Yes?" "But we fear that the city gates will not be opened to such as us. That we will be caught outside the city wall and eventually the horde will find us. Perhaps with such as yourselves among us, we can more easily convince the guards to open the gates." Arrafin frowned. "But why are the gates closed? The Kishaks can't have come this far yet." Thar stared at the girl, obviously confused for a few seconds. "But you... Didn't you see that huge army out there? They would loot the town and burn it if they could get in." "But they're Naridic. Aren't they here to fight the Kishaks?" Zuleika laughed. "Arrafin, can't you get it through your head? Nobody really cares about that stuff. These people are just criminals looking to profit off other people's misfortune." "You'd rather the Kishaks rule the desert?" "If it meant my family was still alive, yes." The two Naridic women glared at one another. Etienne came over and put a hand on Zuleika's shoulder. "Let's all calm down. These people don't seem to mean any harm. And they have a genie. That might come in handy." "Yeah." Elena addressed Thar. "Bring him back. Let's talk to him." And suddenly Nusair was standing there again, and again Elena felt that strange sensation. Thar spoke to him in a language Elena didn't understand and the big Naridic man bowed to them all. "My master has instructed me to answer your questions." Arrafin spread out her arms. "Okay. This time, I mean it. We need to plan our questions. We need to think this through." Elena and Etienne rolled their eyes. "Guys. We blew it with Madame Yuek, let's not blow it again." "How did we blow it?" "We didn't even ask her what a vampire is, or how you kill one." "Like she's going to--" "She said she'd answer anything. Anyway, my point is, let's be careful. Let's think about this." Nusair had stood impassive during this exchange. He smiled as Elena turned to him. "Hi. Nusair. I'm Elena. How do you kill a vampire?" He bowed again. "Mistress, I regret I am unable to tell you." "Mistress? Okay. Unable, huh? That's too bad." Arrafin was still glaring at Elena when Zuleika leaned forward to address the genie. "Can you get us past the Crimson Host without them seeing?" "Mistress, yes I can." "Wait, wait," Etienne now joined in, "Why can't you just fly these folks over the wall or something?" "Master, I cannot enter the cities of Suelekar Ben Azan." Arrafin started. "What? What do you have to do with Suelekar Ben Azan?" "Mistress, it was he who bound me as he bound Farouk ibn Zaoud." When Arrafin showed no sign of closing her mouth after a few seconds, Elena shook her by the shoulder. "Arrafin. What is it? Who's that?" The slender Naridic girl turned to her friend, her eyes glassy with thought. "Farouk ibn Zaoud. The great hero. He's buried in Al-Tizim. Or..." Her big eyes swivelled to study Nusair again. "Something is." ***** The city of Tallal crouched tense and terrified. The streets rattled with furtive steps and uneasily-set latches. Arrafin, Elena, Zuleika, Nevid and Etienne had left Thar and his companions at their caravanserai, and found themselves a quiet inn further into the city. Elena and Arrafin sat in their room after dinner, exchanging worries about Isaac but reassuring each other that their burly friend would be fine. They'd left Etienne and Zuleika exchanging anecdotes in the parlour below. "I want to go to Al-Tizim, Elena. Legend says Farouk ibn Zaoud is buried beneath one of the stones in the Fountain of Kings. But if he's a djinn, maybe it's his... thing. You know, like Nusair's jug. We could have our own djinn." Elena nodded to Arrafin's excited planning for the future. Eventually the Naridic girl ran out of steam and crawled into bed. Elena sat quietly for a while but then went out onto the rooftop garden to watch the stars. Off to the east, the sprawling camp of the Crimson Host littered fires all across the landscape. Sparks of gunfire shot up from the darkness here and there. Elena switched her gaze to the immense walls of the city, taking comfort in the thought that the desert madmen would soon have to move on to find water and food. They couldn't stay out there forever. The air was hot but a hesitant breeze kept her cool. Elena stretched and leaned out over the edge to look down into the street below. "I should just push you. You stupid bitch." Kani stood just behind her, her foreign face twisted in an angry sneer. Elena swallowed and tried to keep her fear from her voice. "Maybe your mistress wouldn't like that so much." "Maybe I don't give a f**k." The Lohanese girl stepped even closer. She shook with fury. "Maybe your scrawny little friend won't like Mother's attention so much once she's screaming and having her skin peeled off and her tongue cut out and she's getting raped by a dozen saw blades. Do you think she'd like that? Do you?" "What do you want?" Without any apparent transition Kani was suddenly a smiling, rather pretty young woman. She bowed. "I just wanted to warn you. The next time we meet, I might not be on the side you think I'm on. I might make a change." "Okay. What side are you on now?" Kani hissed and clawed her hands at Elena's face, then leapt back. "To hell with you, then. I'll tell Shang to take extra time with you." "Shang?" It was too late. Shadows swirled up around Kani and she disappeared. Elena shook her head. "What a bitch." [/QUOTE]
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