Private Tales In the dead of the night

[White Swallow]

Ava Gilleth

The nights were cold at the foothills of Seret, yet they were no less void of life. Crickets hid in the brushes, snakes slithered from hide to hide while birds in the treelines would twitter their last evening song.
Its cool same as a calming respite after a hot day, but either extreme was not good for the living. The castle As Nineban was not much farther ahead, its silhouette already well in view against the indigo sky dotted in stars.


Much closer, the land began to rise rather steeply. The path that led to the castle was kissed by the donning river Rud which would swallow anyone that misstepped on this treacherous trip. Not long after, Nineban rose uncomfortably over the horizon. Some of the windows in the towers and walls flickered in warm light before disappearing behind walls.

A small band of ten or fifteen mounted men came racing from the covers, some bearing torches, but all of them had their swords unsheathed. The horses beneath them tapped the ground violently in anticipation.
Before the intruder, they formed a semi-circle before the intruder, gauging her intent.

In this region, you were either an enemy or the foe to a myriad of factions.

 

[Ava Gilleth]

Ava had forgone her usual elegant and extravagant attire, loose black tshalvar a simple black top and a heavy shawl that kept the biting cold of the desert evening at bay. The dangers of the desert at night made her bring her long knife along, and as the horses came thundering towards her, she found it a reassuring weight to have at her hip.

This was a dangerous road, one wrong move and she'd be dead, by their hands or by Gerra's. She took in a breath as they drew closer, banished her nerves and drew herself to her full height. The low light and the hood of her shawl concealed her face well enough, but it glittered off the feather she drew from beneath it.

A sign that she was not an enemy. Ava knew the legendary might of the assassins who controlled these parts, she knew of their persecution, of their defeat and above all, of their great dislike for Gerra. She had to walk away tonight, with their allegiance, because without it, none of what she had planned would come to fruition.

"I seek an audience with Dai Esfandyar."

White Swallow

 

[White Swallow]

One of the soldiers at the helm rode the horse lightly closer, he bore a torch to illuminate the intruder.
The feather of the heron glistened in the shine.
They likewise were as cautious about their own identity as any other faction in this place, yet a single swipe of the Heron's feather was the mark that eased suspicion. There were many enemies hiding in these places, not everyone was to be trusted.

»Dai Esfyandar? On what credentials are you requesting to seek his presence.« The torch-bearing rider spoke. The other soldiers in the meantime sheathed their blades, almost in unison.

 

[Ava Gilleth]

Ava relaxed, as much as one cam relax when communcating with qhat could only be described as possible death on

"I don't know your names and I've no idea who your tongues belong to, so Dai Esfyandar can verify my credentials himself. Now are you going to make me stand in the cold all night, or will one of you share a saddle with me?"

 

[White Swallow]

»Perhaps she's here to join our ranks, Issa would've thought her this thing called humility.« Rasped one of the soldiers to the others.

The torch bearer looked between his men and motioned at one who promptly dismounted, offering Ava a hand to get on the horse.

»There are few reasons to come to As Nineban, let alone seek out a Dai of the higher orders. Not even we can see him on our own accord. Which one is yours.«

 

[Ava Gilleth]

Ava didn't need a hand, in fact her pride almost made her ignore it, but she was smart enough to know when to be graceful and when to be brash. She accepted the hand, pulling herself into the saddle adjusting her hood when she was seated and the rider rose behind her.

"I have a proposition for him. One that I believe he would not only be interested in, but a fool to refuse."

White Swallow

 

[White Swallow]

The men figured to let the rest of the discussion fall to Dai Esfandyar. In a brisk HYA, the horses turned on their feet and made way towards the castle gate.
What was louder, the river Seh or the thundering horses?

The way their hooves donned across the floor, with what confidence they ran, as if they've made this trip a thousand times.
Most would begin to stir their stomachs had they looked down upon the steep pit the raging river had carved. A single misstep and one's corpse would be washed off into the Cairou.

The gate would not open for anyone at this time if they were unannounced or not yet recalled.


»Parviz, take her,« the torchbearer spoke before taking the rest of the troop.

Parviz was the rider of the horse, he led the trusty beast around some rocky outcropping, far from the main gate.
»Apologies madam, but this is a necessary procedure for unannounced guests of As Nineban...«
He dismounted and took out a blindfold, laying it out to set over Ava's Eyes.

Ava Gilleth

 

[Ava Gilleth]

The path made Ava uncomfortable, more because she was placing her life in the hands of people she didn't know than the possibility of being swept away. Still, she was never one to pass up an oppurtunity, reaching a hand out over the river as they thundered past it, she drew on its power. It drove away the biting cold and the aches of her day, leaving her feeling refreshed and relaxed.

She started slightly as the blinfold appeared to cover her eyes but gave no complaint. "Very well." She understood the need for such measures when you were persecuted by everyone else in the land. Sanctuary was only sanctuary if it remained hidden and safe.

The noise from the river seemed louder now, the scent of the horse mingles with the smell of the damp rocks around them. Ava smiled and began to hum.

@white sparrow

 

[White Swallow]

Parviz took Ava's hand when all was set and began leading her forward.

After a while, they stopped and a knock upon metal walls ringed throughout the night and through the donning Seh.
A small hatch opened.
»What is it.«
»I have a guest for Dai Esfandyar.«
»We are expecting none.«

»A foreigner, says she has a proposition for him. «
After an eerie bout of silence, the entire door opened and the pair disappeared within, rather swiftly even.


Occasionally brushing against the walls, the rushing of the Seh river grew quieter and quieter.
The man led her forward, occasionally taking seemingly random turns. Every so often a bright torchlight illuminated it's way past the blindfold while on other times stray droplets echoed through the corridor or landed on either party.


»Make small steps here,« Parviz warned Ava. Even if completely dark, with a foot one could've felt the edge of the path they walked upon. Perhaps there was a cliff beneath them? Or perhaps they were simply raised tiles.
Soon enough the donning of the Seh grew louder, another door opened as he rushed her through and the blindfold unravelled not long after.

They were in the first courtyard, wide and spacious, filled with greenery simple in nature.
The inner walls were arcaded and upon their corridors walked patrols bearing torches and lamps. Their walk was monotonous.

 

[Ava Gilleth]

Ava recalled a game her late brother used to play with her, blindfolding his younger and naive sister and guiding her along dangerous paths just to see what damage he could do without touching her. When Parviz took her hand there was a moment of hesitation, a brief flicker of fear before she allowed herself to be guided along, the beating of her own hear seemed louder than that of the roaring Seh, the noise subsiding only when the blindfold was removed. She let out a breath of air she hadn't realised she'd been holding and mentally shook away the discomfort.

Ava's eyes took in the patrols and she pursed her lips. Death was almost certainly her only option if she was not able to broker a deal with Dai Esfandyar, but now was not a time to dwell on the possible consequences of such things. She was here to bring them into the fold of the Empire, not for Gerra, but for herself. She cast a glance over her shoulder at the last door they'd ruched through, the roar of the river rumbling beyond it. She was deep in the hornets nest now.

White Swallow

 

[White Swallow]

The roaring of the Seh was much louder now. Part of the river passed through the internal court, so it seemed.
»Lead her to Dai Esfandyar, it's unannounced business,« Parviz told a man shrouded in black.

The man merely nodded without question and placed his arm behind Ava, not even touching her, as if to push the air to nudge her forward through the court.
The architecture within this place was quite complex for a military building, but even then, it was hard to fully behold in the dark. A few bushes and trees even made their home within the outer walls. Some looked as if they were ancient or even predated the castle itself.
Now they only served as a perch for sleeping birds.

They entered the internal garden that was only a large stairway away from the initial entryway. Fruit trees and some decorative bushes grew here, and the keep was not far from here.
The robed man bowed briefly before the entryway, briefly glancing at the woman with his sharp yet sweet honey-hued eyes.
»I'm not permitted to go further, you only have to ignore the corridors go up the stairs to meet honoured Dai Esfandyar.«

And with this, he opened the gate to the internal keep and as told there was a spiral staircase mere feet from the entry room. The floors were made out of red and white or yellow and blue tiles, and one could hear one approach from one end of the room to another.

 

[Ava Gilleth]

Alone for the first time since the night had begun, Ava allowed herself a moment of weakness as she stepped into the short corridor, drawing in a deep shuddering breath, all the fears she'd been keeping at bay rolled over her with it. She exhaled slowly, letting go of the anxiety that had built up withing her chest, clearing her mind of unnecessary worry. Fear made a person irrational, it addled their thoughts. She needed a clear head.

With that, her shoulders relaxed and she moved along the tiled corridor, noting the insufferable echo of her every step. If she hadn't have found such a thing irritating beyond belief she might have used such a simple security system herself. There was no hesitation as she reach the spiral staircase and began to climb.

White Swallow

 

[White Swallow]

Tip tap tip.
The climb might have been just unbearable, but the few windows that passed Ava gave barely any vision of the outside world... Only a few torchbearers here and there made themselves known.


The top of the tower was ended with a solid door. There was no need to announce oneself, those beyond already knew.

A massive arm opened the gate, and as quickly as it appeared, so did it disappear.
The room presented before Ava was long and plainly decorated. A few pillows lay on the floor and a short table was right at the end. Before it was a man clad in pristine white, turned away from ava and facing the infinite expanse of the universe framed by a large arched window.

He was not alone. Two massive guards stood on each side of the door and two fedayin clad in black lay prostrate on each of his sides.
It seemed as if Ava intruded on something, but there was no response of any such matter.

»You may enter, « Grunted one of the gatemen.

 

[Ava Gilleth]

Nothing like a pair of dead bodies to make a statement. Certainly wasn't intentional, how could it be when they hadn't known she was coming? Ava paid them no mind, whatever their sins, the Dai believed they were deserving of this fate and who was she to question a zealot in his own home.

She stepped over the threshold and moved down the long room to the table, standing before the cushions, she waited patiently to be invited to sit, or speak, or whatever happened next. She hoped Mirielle Merlon was watching her back as she'd promised.

White Swallow

 

[Mirielle Merlon]

A hundred miles to the south in Lazular, Mirielle gripped the edges of a huge silver basin and stared down into the image that moved in the bloody water. More blood smeared her arms to the elbow, ruined her clothes, gave the room an incredible stink. The Serpent Gods were listening, and that meant she could listen too.

Ava Gilleth White Swallow

 

[White Swallow]

They may have seemed dead, but quick was the notion dismissed when one of the prostrate Fedayin tilted his head oh so slightly to gaze at Ava Gilleth.
Both very quietly whispered in unison. Their sweet voices soft and hushed.
(Sahiyi prayer sayings, Sayyiduna's Fragment 3/3)
»Thus I cleanse my heart of greed.«
»Thus I cleanse my heart of pride.«
»Thus I cleanse my heart of ego.«
»Thus I cleanse my heart of anger.«

»And I open my heart to love.«
»Each day, closer I am to Hushur-Kalik.«
»And when a thousand lives have turned to one, I shall return to him.«

Dai Esfandyar stood, tapped his staff hard on the floor. The twig snapped in sound only, what a loud and donning noise. »Again!«
The peeking Fedayin turned his face back to the floor while the Dai turned towards his guest.
His clothes were white and pristine, quite unlike a person of such position. There was no glimmer of gold or jewellery. His face worn from years of hardship, adorned with eyes black as the night. His beard seemed to consist of five bands in silver and black.

His hand motioned towards her to sit before him. »Lady of the night, what is your purpose to come to As Nineban.«

Ava Gilleth Mirielle Merlon