The Sultanah Ch. 01

I turned my neck and now looked out the window, realizing that the sounds I'd heard before were the sounds of war. My father's palace sat on a great bluff overlooking the city of Şehir. I looked down over the thatched roof tops of the city to the 30-foot walls that surrounded and protected the city. Behind those walls was a shorter, but still formidable palisade wall. Between them was a deep moat that was fed by the rivers. It was dark that night, no moon. But I could see numberless torches in the distance. An army moving forward towards our gates, the sound of their armored feet clunking on the ground. There were three entrances to the city, all on the eastern side of the city, the opposite side of the confluence of the rivers. I saw with horror that all three entrances were thrown open. Father had ordered them opened to allow the peasants into the city for the celebration.

King Sican and his allies had known we would do this. Everything had been a set up. The King had engaged in long, difficult deliberations for my sister's hand and planned an elaborate wedding. But it was all to get our guard down. To pave the way for the invasion. To allow for the final destruction of Bütün Dünya. I realized in that moment that when the fight ceased (and it would probably not be long) I would be raped and then murdered. I was living the last few hours of my life.

Or perhaps minutes, because even as I was thinking these horrifying thoughts, I saw several flames shoot through the air. Just passed the palisade walls, the archers of Dusman (or, more likely the famed archers of Surgun) had released a volley into the city. Most found arrows flew into the wooden homes in the city, instantly lighting them like kindling. Once archer, who must've possessed great strength, aimed his arrow further. I saw that arrow coming, and at first just watched it as it moved gracefully through the air. The flame against the blackness was eerily beautiful and my breath caught in my throat. Suddenly, I realized that the arrow was coming directly for my window. I dodged slightly to the left, just as the arrow shot through the glass, spraying me with shards.

The arrow entered the room and I heard a horrible "thunk." It turned quickly, shaking the glass from my hair. I saw the arrow. It had pierced the eye of a serving girl, her name escaped me. Her mouth was hung open, no sound emanated. The point of the air push out through the back of her head and her eye was flaming. After a moment, the girl dropped directly to her back. Dead on her feet. Part of me considered the fact that the arrow had very narrowly missed me, that I had very nearly died. But my mind felt as though it were in a fog. I could hear Kardes asking me, over and over again, if I was alright, but I could not understand her. It felt as though I was in a dream.

The death of the serving girl caused a panic to rile the room. People immediately began to stampede toward the door, to where it was not very clear. I had seen the army. We were surrounded on our landward side by a massive host, on all other sides were the deep rivers that protected, but also trapped us. Only one person seemed unfazed by panic. My father. Now, in the ruins of his foreign policy, he found a strength that no one, perhaps not even he, knew that he had.

"Ilkolu, Kafasiz," he said to my brothers, his voice sounding focused and stripped of pomposity, "Rush and find any men at your villas and meet me by the Duke's gate. There is no time for full armor, grab your swords and your helmets. They have breached the gates, but not overcome our walls. Our gates are narrow and they must come through a few men at a time. If we can bottle each gate, we can force them out." He said. The panic in the room slowed. The women still rushed from the room, but calmly, while the men composed themselves and began to think rationally about defense. I felt a sort of confidence I did not expect. Suddenly things did not seem hopeless. Dire, but not hopeless.

"Father, I know it is not the prince!" a voice said from the head table. Heads turned toward Nislani, still seated, her eyes wide and dazed, "Prince Lider loves me and will marry me. We must get a message to him so that Dusman may come to our aid!" It was clear that Nislani was not prepared to give up on her fairy tale.

"Quiet!" My father roared and Nislani slouched down in her chair. My father's voice softened, "Nislani, I love you dearly and I will have revenge for the wrong done for you. But now is the time for your silence."

"Father..."

"Silence," My father said. My brothers had already escaped out the door to find their men and their weapons. He turned away from my sister and suddenly, I found his eyes resting on me. "Varis, you have always been the most levelheaded of my children. Display that capacity again on this night. There may be men, or even guards, on the Western side of the city who do not know that we are under attack. Or, perhaps they do not know the degree of our peril. You must climb the Kule Tower and ring the Bell of Nara. Everyone must be summoned." I was almost too shocked by my father's initial words (and the chaos of the moment) to comprehend what he was asking. "Varis!"

"Yes father, I will ring the bell," I said.

"I must go my daughters," Kral IV said, looking around the room to where only Kardes, Nislani, and I now stood, "I love you all. Without exception." And as he spoke the last two words he looked directly at me. Then he turned quickly and rushed from the room.

I quickly rose to my feet, trying to orient myself. I felt like I was in a place I'd never been before. Kule and Nara seemed like fantastical names with no meaning. Slowly, the world began to make sense. I could hear the sounds of war and the crackle of fires outside the window. I dared not look, for fear could slow my actions. I headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Nislani asked, panicked, after me.

"Father asked me to ring the Bell," I said.

"I am going too," Nislani said, "Father wouldn't trust you with something so important." Nislani's words came from her mouth sounding faraway and dreamy. She was still slouched at the table, but was slowly trying to rise.

"Go," a voice said next to me, I turned and saw Kardes, "Go and fulfill father's order. I will take our sister somewhere safe." She offered. I looked at my older sister, still calm in the face of this madness and I smiled briefly. I through my arms around her.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too, now go!" I pulled my arms from around Kardes and ran through the back of the hall, the servants' door. The hall emptied onto an elevated walkway, essentially an ornate bridge, that spanned two towers of the castle, high above the city. The kitchens located in a different tower, to protect the Sultan in case of a fire. Climbing out onto the walkway meant that I was now outside. The din of the warriors at the gates grew much louder and I took a half second to look at the battle.

I could see our guards outnumbered greatly, but using the pinch point of the gates to hold the enemy off. The North Gate and the South Gate were, by that time, generally bottled up. Men were fighting and dying there, but it looked like the tide had been stemmed. The Central or Duke's Gate looked less contained. That was the largest gate in the city and used to allow great vassals enter riding abreast with their retainers. Now I could see that the courtyard immediately within the gate was packed with soldiers. In the growing darkness it was hard to make out exactly what was occurring, it looked more like a writhing field of black and red. But I could see the enemy's troops pouring into the courtyard from the gate. The enemy already outnumbered our guards in that area and each second shifted the balance further in the enemy's favor. For every man that the guards killed, two more entered the area. Worse still, our guards fell as well. We needed reinforcements. That was my task.

I shook myself and resolved not to look at the battle. I had more important tasks at hand. To reach the Kule Tower I needed to descend from the palace, go down into the streets and run west towards the confluence of the rivers. About a quarter mile from the confluence, the old tower, one of the oldest in the city, stood sentinel. It had once been the absolute edge of the city, before the empire grew out from it. I needed to traverse a dozen winding streets to reach it and time was draining. I sprang into action, resolving to keep my legs moving until I reach the Bell of Nara.

I sprinted across the elevated walkways, trying to reach the door into the main section of the palace 100 yards away as quickly as possible. As I ran, I could hear arrows whistling past me in the night. I did not know if anyone was aiming for me, or if they were stray. I did not dare stop to think of how close they were coming, I increased my speed. I reached the far side of the walkway and threw open the doorway and shuffled inside.

I nearly tripped over something as soon as I entered the next room, just a small landing near the stairs. I looked down and saw a small child huddled there. I looked down and saw more than a dozen people crouching on the stairs. They were the palace servants. They had decided to climb to the highest area in the palace that they could access (crossing the walkway would lead to my father's chambers, only invited persons were allowed across the walkway). I didn't speak to these people, there was no time. I started to move down the stairs, trying to avoid people when possible but not worrying greatly when I stepped on someone. Worse would happen to them if I failed in my task.

After a few steps I had passed all of the servants and could now sprint down the stairs. The stairway in the palace was seven stories tall and, after descending three stories, was actually cut into the stone of the mountain. I wound around the spiral staircase trying to reach the bottom floor where a door opened onto the street below. At each floor I could see briefly into the palace and I saw many people, cowering underneath of tables or trying to stuff themselves into closets. If the enemy entered the palace, all of these people would die for serving my father. And for me.

I reached the ground floor and my heart was pounding now from exertion rather than fear. Adrenaline had surged through my veins and I felt a steely resolve. I pushed open the Servant's Door which opened on an alley behind the palace. I knew of its existence from a childhood spent exploring the castle. I could still make out the sounds of battle at the gate and turned down the alley away from them.

Most princesses who had lived in the palace over the millennia, including my 7 sisters, had feared the city greatly and almost never ventured out of the palace without an armed guard and hidden within heavy wagons. I, on the other hand, had always loved the city and had spent many days with my face covered, ambling through the streets. I knew the fastest way to get to the Kule Tower and I also knew the most discreet way. Not knowing what was happening in the city and who had infiltrated the streets, I chose the latter.

No longer on the stairs, I felt I should move more quickly. But my long, formal dress for my sister's dead party were tangling in my legs and in debris on the ground. I reached behind my back while running and unbuttoned the top of my dress. My fingers worked quickly while I awkwardly lumbered forward. Finally, I'd unbuttoned enough that I could slip my arms out through the now-gapping neck of my dress. In a few more moments, I essentially ran clean out of the dress. I kicked off my uncomfortable shoes as well.

On any other night it would have been a major scandal for the daughter of the Sultan to be running through the streets wearing only her corset and pair of lacy, tight-fitting bloomers. However, as I moved farther and farther away from the gates, I became aware of how still the night was. I could no longer hear warriors and no one was in the streets. On the ragged sound of my breath and the slap of my now-bare feet on the cobblestones. There is no scandal if there is no one to scandalize.

It was well over a mile, maybe even two, from the Servant's Gate of the palace to the Kule Tower as the crow flies. My winding path, through alleys and over walls was considerably longer. But I knew each second mattered and, as my fatigue increased, I willed myself to run fasters. I moved as quickly as possible through the narrow alleyways of the city, through places that many were afraid to travel. The buildings over the narrow side routes were built out over the streets, creating a dank tunnel. Even if there had been moonlight, it would have been blocked. I ran, bare (but sure) footed through in that sheltering darkness.

I dashed through sickly streams of cleaning water and through unattended barns in a desperate bid to reach the tower. I climbed over fences and walls and climbed under barriers. I moved without planning, letting my memory guide me towards my locations. If anyone was present in those dark alleys, I did not notice them. I barely felt as the skin tore from my toes and nails that had fallen from horse shoes pierced my heels. My mind thought only of my mission.

At long last (I cannot say how long) I reached the tower. The Kule Tower had been built in the early days of the Empire to commemorate a great victory in the East. It was built on the site of what was then the Sultan's Palace. That building was now the seat of City Government and controlled by the Men of Şehir. I looked up at the crumbling tower and hoped that its bell, re-forged from the armor of the household troops that died defending the defeated King Kule at the Battle of Nara, still contained some magical elixir of victory for the Sultan's Army.

I pushed into the door open and again faced a spiral staircase. I took a deep breath, realizing that I was nearly out of energy, and pushed myself into the stairs. The tower was immensely tall, one of the tallest buildings in the city, perhaps the world. I lifted my knees high as I ran, happy that I'd discarded my dress. Eventually I moved past the point of fatigue, my limbs felt numb and my mind was blank. Stairs moved past me in a blur, my feet barely registering the sensation of foot falls. I was almost surprised when I found myself at the top of the tower, overlooking the city.

I looked to the center of the tower and, almost at eye level, I saw the great bell. Unused for nearly 600 years, it looked prepared to offer warning once more. I wasted no time, quickly grabbing hold of the thick metal chain that hung from the bell. I wrapped my hands around it and pulled hard. The chain was wrapped around a series of pulleys, promising to make the bell ring with a light touch. But everything was rusty and ill-used. The bell moved, but not nearly enough to send the clapper against the metal.

My hands were wet with sweat and my long hair clung to my skin, I was panting like a dog. I knew that if I did not work quickly, my body (used to easy palace life) would fail me. I jumped up, grasping at the highest point of the chain I could grab. I held on tightly, and I felt the chain pulling down. I lifted my feet off the ground, letting my weight pull the chain hard. Finally, my bottom landed flat on the wooden floor of the room and I released the chain. I slipped quickly back into the air.

I looked up, I the bell turn to the side and then swing back. I thought for a moment that I had not pulled hard enough and I felt too weak to get up off of the floor. My heart sank and I dropped my head to the ground. But then I heard it. A loud, clanging that shook my body to the core and burned my ears. The bell was ringing! I looked up to see the clapper once again slap the bell, rattling my teeth but raising my spirits. I had achieved my goal, I had rung the warning Bell of Nara!

My ears still aching from the clamor, I crawled over to the side of the room. The bell tower was essentially open at the top, save for the four pillars in the corners that held up the canopy. As I reached the edge of the platform, I could look down into the city below. I lay on my stomach, with my head hanging nearly 200 feet above the ground.

At first I noticed nothing. I wondered if perhaps the bell was quieter below of if only two clangs of the great bell was not enough. I felt my heart in my throat and turned my head toward the gate. I could not see anything through the darkness but I could smell fire. We were running out of time. I turned back toward the western side of the city. Nothing, just the town at sleep. Men and women, hours from total destruction, sleeping soundly in their beds. I had failed.

Then, even before I knew what was happened, I felt a long sigh escape me as I saw lights in the windows of many houses. As I watched, still more candles and lanterns were lit. Somewhere around a minute after I had rung the bell, I saw doors begin to open. The men of Şehir were leaving their homes. They carried with them clubs, knives, and pikes. They were answering the call.

I looked at them as they started to move from their homes, looking confused and uncertain. They knew from the ancient tales what they were supposed to do, but they did not truly believe it. And I suddenly realized that they did not know what they were being called to do.

"To the gates! Enemies are breaching the gates!" I screamed, my hands cupped around my mouth. I repeated my report over and over again. I screamed so loud that my voice crackled and my eyes watered with pain. My throat ached like I'd never felt before and I tasted blood on my tongue, but still I screamed. Eventually, the men either heard me or deduced for themselves what they needed. The last thing I remembered before I collapsed, exhausted on the tower platform, was the sight of hundreds of men, marching east to the gates.

* * * * *

The arrow glided gracefully through the sky. The flame that spread out from its razor tip stood out brilliantly against the blackness of the night's sky. It was so incredibly, eerily beautiful and my breath caught in my throat. I realized, without surprise, that the arrow came directly for my window and I braced my shoulders against the window frame. I kept my eye on the flame, and it seemed like a great red eye with a soul of blue, staring into me. I looked back at it without fear.

The arrow crashed through the glass but could not hear it. In that same instant the great arrow pierced my socket, replacing my cold, dispassionate eye with a new, flaming orb. I felt no pain as my body rapidly started to melt. I was like a block of ice, unable to withstand the heat. I stood without moving in the window and felt myself drip onto the floor until I was nothing but an oily puddle. I was no more now, just a pool of warm gore. But the arrow still burned on the floor, sitting atop my wreckage. Slowly and without warning, flesh began to rise from the puddle; bones and sinew drew together. The arrow became a backbone and the flame became a beating heart as slowly I rose like a Phoenix. In a time that was both eternity and an instant, I was rebuilt, piece by piece, until I once again stood at the window, unbowed. My fire eyes red and crackling...

* * * * *

"You must now awaken!" I heard a voice call and suddenly I was wrenched from my dream. It was perilously dark and I had no idea where I was or what I was hearing. I felt instantly chilled to the bone and a breeze tore through my clothes, causing me to shake. I suddenly remembered where I was, atop the Kule Tower, wearing nothing but my corset and bloomers. I remembered the siege. I instantly realized what had happened. We were overrun. An enemy soldier had scaled the tower looking for treasure and found me. A terrible fate awaited. I was about to be raped and murdered.