Rise of the Red Harbinger

by Khalid Uddin

  “So direct. No subtlety.” He smiled again. “Careful, you might take away the fun of talking to you.”

  Adria rolled her eyes, but she wasn’t truly annoyed. “You didn’t answer my question. I am very confused about your intentions. And the books say you are from Galicea. Your accent should be much stronger, then.”

  “There are books about me? Oh, what an honor! I have been gone from Ashur too long and been to too many places for that accent to be helpful. Even people in Ashur have trouble understanding Galiceans. The accent only holds me back. But tell me, do these books treat me fairly? Or am I only judged for my treachery?”

  “Concerning you, I’ve only read historical and military books about the war between Galicea and Fangh-Haan, as well as the construction of the wall. They only provide the facts. And the facts certainly speak to your strengths. But answer me; I only want to know what to expect. What do you want with me?”

  Drahkunov shook his head. “Right now, I want only to speak with you. You are quite literally the most interesting person that I have met in the past twenty years. Right now, I simply enjoy our conversations. I am making the most of my time with you. Who knows whether Jahmash will have me kill you once we destroy the House of Darian?”

  “Is that a certainty for you? How can you be so sure of yourself?”

  “I do not make assumptions when it comes to war, my dear. Jahmash has eyes on the inside of your precious House. He knows very well that most of you haven’t the slightest clue how to use your manifestations. Why do you think we are sailing? He knows that the House of Darian cannot be attacked from land.”

  Adria was mad at herself for not having thought about that. She blamed it on the lack of food. Normally, that would have been a detail she would have noticed right away. “I understand why he wants to kill us all. But why you? What do you have against us?”

  “Oh it is nothing personal. I hate all of Ashur. I even hate the word ‘Ashur’. Ashur is a lie. Ashur is an illusion. It is an idea that men a long time ago contrived so they could fool everyone else into believing something that was never there.”

  “What?”

  “Ashur is a name given to a collective of nations. But those nations hate one another. There is no brotherhood. No peace. There has never been peace and there never will be. That is why I left in the first place. Our war with Fangh-Haan disgusted me. I got so caught up believing that the Haans were the enemy that I never questioned why we were fighting in the first place. Do you know the reason? Do your books explain that objectively?”

  “I read that it was because neither side could ever agree on a border. Your leaders were always at odds over whose land belonged to whom.”

  “What’s the word you all love to use? Oh–gobshite! That’s a lie. The Haan leaders are very meticulous people. The borders have been set for ages. The real reason is because the Haans wanted to set up a post on the Serpent so they could regulate boats going back and forth between the nations. They were concerned about Haan smugglers in Zebulon–their own city! Our own Lords took offense and destroyed the post. How stupid is that? Every nation should be able to regulate their borders, especially if it is doing so to maintain the integrity of its own people. And look at how many people died because of that. I have no problem with all of Ashur being wiped out so we can start over and live in peace.”

  “So you would kill everyone in the name of peace?”

  “Is that not what mankind has done since the time of the Harbingers? At least if I had it my way, we could destroy everyone until the lesson is learned.”

  “That is stupid. And if you did kill everyone, who would be left to fill your ‘peaceful’ nations?”

  “This is why I enjoy speaking with you. You ask meaningful questions. Every nation that I have visited outside of Ashur is more peaceful than Ashur. Even those that are founded on military ideals know how to maintain peace so that violence is not necessary.”

  Adria got stuck on one thought. “There are nations beyond Ashur?”

  “I thought you were smarter than that, dear. Most of Ashur is too stupid to think that life exists beyond its waters. When Darian drowned the world, he did not kill all of it except for Ashur. He simply put oceans between the nations. However, it seems that only Ashur has not learned to live in peace. Our world is so much larger than just Ashur.”

  “So then why not just leave for one of these better places? Why be concerned with Ashur if you have better options?”

  “I have seen too much violence to ignore the hearts of men. Sooner or later, Ashurians will find these other nations. And when they do, they will likely bring their violence and narrowmindedness with them, like a plague. Ashur is dangerous for the rest of the world. Better to destroy it now than allow it to fester and become a problem later on. Do not misinterpret the metaphor in my words. There are those in Ashur who would welcome peace. We would likely spare them. But once Ashur is clear of all the vermin, the rest of the world can come here in peace, as well.”

  “Jahmash will be satisfied then? Is that all he wants–for the Ashurians to be wiped out? And what, he’ll live among you in peace?”

  Drahkunov chuckled. “All Jahmash cared about is righting the wrongs that Darian committed. You all think that Darian was so righteous. So heroic. He had his flaws, just like the rest of them. And he allowed Abram and Lionel to die for him while he ran away.”

  “And he saved the lives of thousands by drowning the world and trapping Jahmash. Obviously his intent was not to kill, considering that he spared Jahmash’s life.”

  “He treated women like whores. How many children did he father, from how many different women?”

  “He loved every one of his wives. Why else would each of them willingly wed him, when they knew about the other women? If they were being used or only wanted to be attached to Darian’s status, they wouldn’t have bothered.”

  “And you would marry a man with twelve wives? Just because he told you that he loved you equally?”

  Adria stumbled to find a retort. She desperately said the first thing that came to mind. “How many lives have been brought into this world because of him? Valuable lives?”

  “Pointless lives. Weak, violent lives.”

  Adria’s shoulders tensed even more. She hadn’t thought that could be possible. “It is clear that no amount of logic will win with you. There is no point in arguing.”

  Drahkunov stared at her from the corner of his eye, then huffed and stood. “I had hoped for a better argument. You disappoint me. Perhaps your mind is too tired from resisting Jahmash. I shall bring you some food.” He walked back below deck.

  Adria looked forward to the meal. They did not feed her much, but the food was the same that Drahkunov ate. She felt somewhat disappointed that she’d let him down, but the man was right. She hadn’t eaten a proper portion in months. Once or twice, they needed her manifestation, so they fed her well. She hadn’t really thought clearly in a long time. Hunger always seemed to get in the way and she never knew when Jahmash would try to trespass her thoughts again.

  Drahkunov had mentioned that Jahmash had someone on the inside. If true, then there was at least one traitor in the House. Maybe even more. But Drahkunov could easily have been lying to her. Regardless, it was a disturbing notion. She regretted not bonding with Lao even more.

  Adria also regretted that no fight training was allowed at the House. When Gunnar had proposed the idea of sparring at night so that Marlowe wouldn’t know, Adria had strictly opposed it. She had figured that if Marlowe had a rule against it, then it was likely a bad thing. Since then, especially now, she had regretted opposing Gunnar and those whom he’d recruited.

  The only comfort was that physically fighting back would do no good right now. She was in the middle of hundreds of ships in the ocean, on a ship with dozens of men who likely did know how to fight. As angry as she was, Adria knew she had to maintain her composure and wait for a better time. She would have to save her energy and fight with her mind.
r />   Before she left her parents in Taiju, Adria had visited the Blind Woman in the city to see if anything pertained to her. All that Katre had told her was that she would return home to see her parents. At the time, Adria had been disappointed at the banality of the prophecy. It hadn’t spoken of anything exciting or adventurous. At this point, however, Adria could not have asked for a more uplifting thought. She wondered if Katre had known more and simply held back some information. Luckily, Adria would have the option of finding out one day.

  Despite the prophecy, she would not tempt fate. It would be stupid to fight these men. The prophecy said she would return home. She didn’t want to return home missing an arm or disfigured. She would fight back when it made the most sense.

  Drahkunov resurfaced with a member of his crew. They each carried a plate, though Drahkunov also had a corked bottle in his hand. He set his plate and the bottle down on a barrel and instructed the sinewy crewman to set the other plate on another barrel. Together they pushed the barrel in front of Adria. “You may go now, Faadi. Unless you prefer to stay and feed her for me.”

  Faadi didn’t seem to appreciate the sentiment. He scowled. “You feed her the same meal that you eat? While your crew eats barely seasoned fish soup every day?” Faadi threw the plate at the mast, smashing it into dozens of shards while chunks of food landed on Adria’s head and shoulders. “She is a Darian-loving whore! My people would spit on me if they knew I was even on the same ship and let her live!” He then grabbed the dinner knife and cocked his arm to stab her. From behind, Drahkunov seized Faadi’s hand and plunged the knife into Faadi’s chest. A few other crew members on the deck turned to see the commotion, but went right back to their responsibilities and conversations.

  Faadi convulsed for a moment, and Drahkunov took advantage of the opening by stabbing him a few more times in the chest and stomach. He then pulled Faadi to the the ship’s rail and pushed him over the side. A splash shortly ensued.

  Adria looked at him incredulously as Drahkunov walked back to her. She felt relieved and terrified all at once. “What was that?”

  Drahkunov smiled. “What do you mean?”

  “You are too intelligent for that to be an accident! The man obviously knew I was up here and more obviously hates me! Why would you bring him up here? Did…how could you not know he would try something like that?”

  “I knew. You are correct. I knew he hated you. Knew he would want to kill you.”

  “So what, do you think that is supposed to impress me? Do you think I respect you because you killed him?”

  “Perhaps you should not focus on honoring yourself so much.” Drahkunov almost sounded bored to speak to her any longer.

  “Excuse me?” Her cheeks warmed, filled with anger and embarrassment.

  Drahkunov crouched beside her and spoke softly. “Though you may think it does, Faadi’s death has nothing to do with you. I simply needed a reason to kill him. You see, Faadi is…was a very angry and selfish man. He came because he hates Ashurians, especially ones like you who descend from Darian. However, he barely gets along with the rest of the crew, complains about everything, and throws the others out of sync when he is required to row. Unfortunately, those are not justifiable excuses for killing him. Trying to kill one of Jahmash’s prized prisoners, on the other hand, is definitely a good excuse.”

  Adria continued to sulk. “You could have been more discreet. And then told Jahmash that he died during your attack on the House.”

  “Do you know how many eyes Jahmash has? Or where they are at any given time? Even the birds perched atop our sails could be watching from his eyes. That is why we whisper now.”

  Adria smirked. “So I could easily shout out the truth of what just happened, and he would be angry with you.”

  Drahkunov nodded and smiled back. “You could very well do that. And then you would watch your friend Gunnar lose his other arm, right in front of you.” He continued to smile. “Do not test me, Adria. While I do like you, my obligation is to Jahmash, not you. I would not hesitate to sacrifice you if it meant my well-being.”

  “Fine. You win. At least you have a code. A sense of rules. Your traveler friend is much crazier than you are.”

  He glanced at her sideways. “My traveler friend?”

  “You know, Maqdhuum. The one who disappears and reappears. I assumed he was a general, just like you. Jahmash treats him like one, anyway.”

  Drahkunov was definitely interested. He looked directly at her and maintained a soft voice. “I do know Maqdhuum and he is a general, but I do not know why you call him a traveler or about disappearing and reappearing. What exactly are you talking about?”

  “You’re telling me that you didn’t know Maqdhuum could vanish into thin air and reappear somewhere else?” Maqdhuum had threatened her and Gunnar not to tell anyone about it, but if he was keeping secrets from his own people, Adria could use it to create discord.

  “You lie. He bears no Descendant’s Mark. I have been all over the world. Only Descendants have such an ability to do these things. Even beyond Ashur.”

  “I have lived for nearly twenty years and have never seen any nation beyond Ashur, but you just told me that there is, in fact, such a thing. Perhaps you should also entertain other possibilities. I have seen him do this with my own eyes. How do you think he captured me and Gunnar? One moment we were standing around, talking to other Descendants. In seconds, he appeared, cut off Gunnar’s arm, and before I could process a thought, we were at the edge of a forest, boarding a galley just like this.”

  Drahkunov’s brow furrowed, and then he looked down at the wooden deck. He spoke even more softly than before. “Could it…no there is no way…”

  “What is it?”

  He seemed surprised that she’d heard. “There have been stories in certain parts of the world…never mind. I forget myself.”

  Adria pushed on. “But what about being worthy of conversation. I thought that was why you enjoyed my company. Perhaps I could help with whatever it is that you do not understand.”

  Drahkunov seemed to have recovered from whatever troubled him. “A nice attempt. I’ll give you that. But still a fairly novice tactic. I am not so easily influenced.” He smiled once more.

  In the distance, a red flame appeared from the crow’s nest of another ship. A shout came from the crow’s nest of their own ship and Drahkunov looked up. He then raised his arm straight up and made a fist. Adria tried to contort her neck to see what was happening up there, but could not. Drahkunov trotted back below deck. After several moments, the red flame on the other ship disappeared.

  It was only after Drahkunov left that Adria realized neither of them had actually eaten. Food still littered her hair and Drahkunov’s plate still sat atop the barrel. She tried for several minutes to reach it, but the exertion wore her out quickly. As her eyes got heavy, she thought she could feel the galley moving faster than before. However, she was too tired to question what was happening, and nodded off to sleep.

  ***

  The shouts of many men startled Adria from her sleep. She didn’t think she’d slept for very long, but vaguely remembered dreaming about Drahkunov. Her face flushed, hoping that no one around her could read her thoughts. What if Jahmash can force his way into my head while I’m sleeping? She panicked at the thought.

  Adria lifted her head to see the galley alongside another one, which was slightly larger. Planks had been extended and Maqdhuum walked across to their ship, followed by a girl with a Descendant’s Mark and Gunnar, who looked incredibly skinny, prodded by two crewmen. Drahkunov greeted them as they stepped onto the deck and gestured toward Adria. His face looked serious, but she could not read it beyond that.

  Maqdhuum walked to her, but did not crouch or kneel, as Drahkunov had done every time he’d spoken to her. “Look at me girl.” She knew he would not have the same patience as Drahkunov. “Your friend here with the good eyes refuses to give us directions. All we know is that we are a day or two away from Ashur, but he
will not tell us whether to navigate toward the east or west of Ashur to get to the House.”

  Gunnar spoke from behind Maqdhuum. “I do not refuse! I need energy to see! Zey are going to kill me, Mouse! I am starving. All I am asking for is some food! Ze manifestation requires energy, anz I have none. Look at me!”

  Adria felt ashamed that he was going through this only so they would not kill her. The Gunnar she remembered was a stocky, muscular man. This skinny decrepit thing standing behind Maqdhuum was a pitiable thing–something she never would have imagined of Gunnar. “He is right. He needs food. We cannot use our manifestations without energy. Without nourishment. You are going to kill him by trying to force him. Are you looking at him? Do you see his condition?” She was shouting now. “There is nothing you can do, aside from feeding him, that would enable him to use his manifestation for you. Even if Jahmash himself were in Gunnar’s head, it would not work!”

  Maqdhuum kicked her hard in the stomach. “Do not make assumptions about Jahmash. You know nothing of him. So you are saying he is useless to us if we do not feed him?” Adria was still gasping from the kick to be able to respond. “We have enough food for our crew, and that is it. If we have to keep worrying about him to eat enough, our whole ship will be starving!”

  Adria wanted to tell Maqdhuum to disappear to somewhere else and bring back food for his ship, but she was still catching her wind. Maqdhuum continued over her heaves. “The arrangement was that you would die if he refused to help. Maybe watching you suffer and slowly die will inspire him to find the energy without food.”

  She was finally able to speak up. “If you kill me, then you have nothing. He will still refuse and you would have to kill him as well. Then you will not have either of us.” Adria realized she might have sounded too smug in saying that.

  Maqdhuum did not looked pleased at what Adria thought was a victory. She missed the days when she was sure that she’d won arguments. Maqdhuum turned and pulled Gunnar next to him. They stood only a few feet from Adria. She could see the pain and exhaustion in her friend’s face. She could only imagine how sick of his own manifestation he’d become, to be so drained. Maqdhuum then nodded his head for the female Descendant to come to them. The girl was beautiful and obviously taken care of on the ship. She wore a white dress and her blonde hair was braided neatly. Adria didn’t understand. Is she a captive? Why does she look so healthy? Why are there no crewmen guarding her?