The Sultanah Ch. 02

"This is stupid!" I said out loud, breaking whatever bit of concentration I'd managed to collect. I shook my head and looked around the garden. I felt silly, sitting in such a beautiful place, under the sun, essentially doing nothing while my enemies stood at my gates. If Tanri had ever existed he wanted nothing to do with me or my Empire. He wasn't going to help.

"I quit," I said and started to get from the ground. As I moved, the sun, which had been slightly behind thick white cloud, suddenly burst into view and I had to shield my eyes from the brightness.

"Gunes, that hurts," I said aloud, making a common oath that the people of Ülke had uttered for centuries. Gunes had once been the King of Gods and he was still the god of fire and light. People often spoke of Gunes when considering the sun. But as I spoke, I felt a strange sensation, like a rumbling deep within my stomach. The light that poured over me from the sun hung on me heavily, feeling like a warm winter blanket draped over my shoulders. My muscles tensed, but even as it happened, I felt my mind clear. My eyes stayed open, but they no longer hurt in the intense light. Only one thought remained in my brain, Cin had said I'd been marked by Gunes.

"Gunes," I said without thinking, that word and the ones which followed pouring unbidden from my lips, "I ask your forgiveness on behalf of myself and my people for our neglect. I pray that you give me guidance in this hour of uncertainty. Allow me to overthrow my enemies, and I shall overthrow yours." I felt confused as soon as I finished speaking. I did not even know where there request came from. But I still felt the intense, inner peace I'd noticed before.

My eyes were still turned up toward the light. I felt no discomfort staring into the sun. The golden rays felt soft on my eyes and I could almost taste the light, like honey. But as I looked, I noticed that a single stream of light was emitted from that sun that seemed...different. I could make out this single ray somehow against the backdrop of light. It was a different color, almost red rather than gold. I followed the light as it descended from heaven. It moved down through the air in a concentrated beam. I saw that it shot directly over my shoulder. I turned quickly to see where it was alighting.

I was surprised to find that the light was striking a birdhouse in the middle of the garden. I walked over towards the birdhouse. The sun was on my back now and it seemed to push me forward. When I reached the birdhouse I saw that it had been built with small windows with mirrors inset to give the appearance of glass. The red light had struck the mirror. It bounced off the reflective surface at an angle. Once again I followed the direction of the light. It was moving down toward the Central Market below. I ran to the side of the garden and leaned against the balcony. I saw the red light as it descended towards the cobblestone streets below.

Then I saw the light land directly on a man. I found that strange and watched to see if the light once again changed course. But it stayed on the man. What was stranger still was that as he walked diagonally across the market square, the light seemed to follow him, always striking the back of his head. I turned and looked at the birdhouse. It would have to somehow be turning to reflect the light in such a way. I could not tell if I was moving, but I was both excited and afraid that it was not. Gunes was telling me something.

Whatever the message was, the light had apparently given me all the information it could give. The light continued to follow the man as he worked slowly through the square. He was a short man, wearing a long black cloak. The hood was up and I could not see his face, especially from the distance. Nothing about him indicated anything of interest and I certainly did not recognize him.

Without stopping to think about what it meant, I started to act in the only way that seemed to make sense. I quickly rushed over to the bench I was sitting at earlier and found my head scarf. I tight it tightly around my face, obscuring my features. I then ran over to the stairs that lead down from the balcony to the street below. I moved quickly down the stairs, keeping my eyes towards the heavens and looking at the red light.

I don't know why I decided to follow the man. I just knew that the light was trying to tell me something and the man was moving farther and farther away from me with each passing second. Whatever I was supposed to learn from this man I would not learn it up in my palace. So I bounded down the stairs, past a half dozen guards, until I was in the Central Market. A few people turned briefly to look at me and then look away. Dozens of ladies left the palace each day, servants and slaves, with my face covered no one recognized me. Most would not have recognized me anyway.

So I quickly bounded off into the market, following the light in the sky. The market was packed with people. It was noisy and confusing. I heard men bellowing the prices of food (which had risen sharply with the start of the siege) and I heard women haggling over those prices. The people seemed tense, unnatural going about their daily routines and I knew that they were nervous about the army at our gates. But I did not have time to worry about them now. I took off across the market, following the red light.

I dodged between people (occasionally bumping into them) as I tried to catch up with the man. He had a few minutes head start on me and I could no longer see him. But the light was shining out of the West (where the sun was setting) and pointing East toward the city walls. I ignored people as they complained about my rapid movement and soon found my way to the edge of the market.

Dozens of streets moved out from the market like spokes on a wheel. At that end of the market, there were three different major routes to take, on top of several small alleyways. I looked up into the sky and again saw the red light, pointing down one of the alleyways leading towards the Duke's Gate. Without further thought I bounded into the alley.

It was a narrow route, little more than three feet wide in most places. It was extremely dark, as the buildings on either side had been built out over the alley, almost bridging the distance between them. The alley ran thick with waste and garbage, the smell was terrible. Evil looking men (my subjects) peered out from dark doorways, dogs rooted through the heaps of trash, and a chilly silence hung heavy over the air. Somehow, through gloom, I could still see the red light, faintly. In fact, it was the only light visible. I ignored the fear I felt walking through this place (my father would never let me walk in such a dangerous area) and pushed on. I ran as hard as I could, trying to catch the man and assuming he came this way.

After several minutes of rushing through the darkness I was surprised as the alley started to widen. The light started to become brighter, and the smell less pungent. In a few minutes more, I burst out from the alley and found myself standing just a few dozen yards from the Duke's Gate! I was standing to the far left of the gate such that I could not see the actual gate itself, but I recognized it instantly. It would normally take 20 minutes to reach that gate through the city streets. The alley had been a shortcut. I turned and looked at the main road that led from the central market out to the Duke's Gate. I was hardly surprised when I saw the cloaked figure, with the red light once again on the back of his head, shambling down the road.

The Duke's Gate had been cleaned of bodies after the battle, but there was still a strong smell of death in the area. I knew that my father and brother's had died very close by. Ever since the battle, the citizens had largely steered clear of the open directly behind the gate. Perhaps it was out of respect. Or perhaps fear. On that day, the area was abandoned almost entirely. I knew there must've been guards in the gatehouse, but out on the street there were only three people. There was the cloaked man and, standing near the gate itself, a man on horseback also draped in black. Then there was me.

For a moment, I was about to run out toward the man in the cloak, to confront him and determine his secrets. But something held me back, a slight foreboding. I did now know what would happen if I confronted the man, but I was afraid for some reason to find out. So, instead, of moving quickly and openly towards the men, I hunched low and walked slowly towards the men. The open area, the battlefield, behind the gate was still strewn with broken carts, shattered artillery, and other various used implements of war. I moved quickly, but silently among the items, shielding myself from view. As the cloaked man finally stopped, just a few feet from the rider on horseback, I settled in behind an old barrel, just a few yards away. I didn't not know what I expected to do or why I was doing it. But I hardly felt like I had a choice. I needed to know why the light had led me here. I was afraid to do more than listen. So that is what I did.

"You're late," the man on horseback said evenly. He made no attempt to keep down his voice, so I assumed whatever he said he was unconcerned if others heard.

"I cannot move with absolute freedom," the cloaked man said in response. He voice seemed strangely familiar, but I could not place it.

"I have almost completed my task," the horse rider said, "I got this horse as payment. Have you done yours?"

"Of course you nitwit," the cloaked man replied, "Here it is." I watched as the cloaked man reached into a satchel that hung around his waist and pulled out a collection of papers. He quickly handed them to the man on horseback. Were those papers what I was supposed to see? The red light was gone, giving me no indication of the importance of this meeting. I had no idea what these men were talking about.

"I need to look through these," the man on horseback said.

"There is no time!" the cloaked man said, his voice getting shrill, "The next guard shift is supposed to start in twenty minutes. They will notice. You must get these out now and order the other men up." He said. I felt my pulse quicken. Getting out? Ordering men? I began to wonder who these men were and what they wanted.

"I am not bringing these to Sican's..."

"Quiet you fool!" the cloaked man said. I leaned forward. This was sinister, but what exactly was happening?

"I can't bring these to...his troops until I am certain they are what we need. Most of the men can't read. I need to understand what all of this says before I lead them to all the right places."

"It isn't even strictly necessary, just go. We already have the way open. The rest of this is just semantics,"

"King Sican is a thorough man..." the man on horseback continued. But I was no longer listening. I knew what was going on here. Some sort of move was being made by my enemies. For the first time since I crouched behind the barrel, I turned and looked towards the gate. It was yawning open! Instantly I knew what was happening. The man in the cloak was betraying us. The man on horseback was going to go out, collect some men, and rush in to take the gate. Once they had the gatehouse, they would be able to get their entire army back into the city. We were stretched too thin. If they got in, the Empire would fall!

For a horrifying minute, I was paralyzed with fear. What was I to do? I thought about running back to the palace and alerting my generals. But that would take several minutes. It would be too late. I thought of jumping out and confronting the men. But I was unarmed. I would be killed. I looked around, searching for anything. Then I noticed that the door to the gatehouse was slightly ajar. It was directly to the left of the main gate entrance and part of the overall gate structure. The guards!

Without further deliberation, I turned towards the gatehouse. My two enemies were still talking in low voices as I carefully walked towards the gate. I kept myself shielded by debris and kept my footsteps light. It was clear my enemies had no idea I was present and, in a matter of moments, I had quietly reached the door. I opened it slowly and quietly, looking over shoulder and finding that the two men had still not seen me. Without a sound, I slipped inside the door.

The smell of blood. Bodies. I suddenly realized what the rider's "task" had been. The gate was raised from within this room. He'd killed the guards. There were three men dead in the guard house. One was sitting in his chair, a hole in his chest. The other two were face down on the ground in pools of blood. The rider must've snuck through the door I'd just entered and stabbed the sitting man. The other two guards, surprised, pulled their swords but were cut down quickly in the confusion. The man had quickly opened the gate, grabbed one of the horses outside, and prepared to leave.

"Shit! What the fuck is all of this!" A voice said loudly. I instantly dropped to my knees and grabbed a sword from a dead man's hand. It dangled limply in my hand, I had no training. I looked up quickly, holding the sort awkwardly in my hands. I was holding my breath and my heart did not feel like it was moving. I had acted entirely on instinct.

"Who the fuck are you are... What did you do?" I looked now at the source of the voice. A man had opened a door deeper inside the gatehouse and had stepped out. He was wearing a guard's uniform and was buckling up his pants.

"Quiet you fool," I hissed.

"You killed them!" he said. I looked at my sword, red from lying in blood. "You cunting bitch!" he yelled and started to move toward me. I felt panic. I did not know even the first aspect of using a knife. I quickly dropped my blade, letting it skitter onto the floor. I did the only thing I could think to do. I reached up to my head and quickly tore off my face covering.

"I am your Sultanah. These dead are my guards!" I hissed, still trying to remain quiet. The man's sword was along a few feet from my body now, if he wanted to swing. I'd be dead. I struggled not to close my eyes. If I was going to die, I wanted to see it happen. But the man froze. He looked at me intently.

"Princess...Varis?" he said, now whispering. I finally let my air out of me. I had participated in parades and processionals throughout the city my entire life. Beyond that, most guards spent at least some time in the palace during their careers. The man must've actually recognized me.

"Sultanah-elect actually," I said, I couldn't help but smile with relief.

"What happened? Why are you here? What happened to my friends?" the man sputtered, "I mean my grace." He quickly added and then dropped to his knees in front of me.

"There is no time for explanations," I said, "We are betrayed. I need your help to prevent the fall of the city. If you love your Empire, this is your chance to save it." The man's eyes got wide as saucers but he nodded intently and hopped to his feet.

"What are your orders My...Lady?" he asked. I suddenly realized that I had no plan. I didn't even know if the rider was still in the city or who the cloaked man was. I quickly turned and looked out the door. The man on horseback was still present, but he was stuffing the papers in his cloak and starting to turn towards the gate.

"How long does it take to close the gates, answer fast," I asked.

"Thirty seconds?" he said uncertainty. Far too long. If we started closing it, the rider would notice and escape quickly. "But I can cut the line and the portcullis will fall immediately."

"Do it now!" I cried, "And then meet me outside!" I did not wait, I picked my bloody sword up from the floor and then rushed outside. I did not at think about what I was going to do, I just rushed out, ready to do something to prevent disaster.

Even as I stepped outside I heard a loud cracking sound and then the noise of the portcullis falling. I heard a terrible squealing sound and turned towards the gate. The heavy, steel lattice of the portcullis had fallen in just the nick of time. It had fallen as the rider was just making his escape. It looked like the steel pikes at the bottom had pierced his horse through the top of its head, killing it and spilling the man forward. He was now sitting on the ground, looking slightly dazed. The man in the black cloak was just a few yards in front of me, he looked over toward me, then back at the gatehouse, and then turned to run.

I turned quickly and saw the guard coming out of the gatehouse as I had instructed, "There is a man right next to the gate, he is the one who killed your friends," I said. The guards eyes got wide, "I want him alive with all of his papers. He doesn't need to be healthy." I said. The guard instantly lifted his sword and started to move toward the gate.

I did not stop to see what he was doing. Instead, I took off as swiftly as I could after the man in the black cloak. He had a good lead on me and I could tell that he was heading back toward the Central Market. If he reached the crush of people located there, I had absolutely no chance of catching him.

I dropped my sword, it was too heavy to carry, and started to pump my legs harder. The man in the cloak looked over his shoulder and could see me and picked up his pace as well. Despite that, I could tell I was gaining on him. Each step I took I seemed to get a few inches closer to him. My chest ached from running and my legs hurt (It had been far more running in the last few weeks than a princess was designed for). I noticed the man in the cloak running more with a more loping gate the farther we ran. I began to believe I could catch him.

Then I began to notice something else. The closer we got to the Central Market, the more people were in the streets. Given the speed with which we ran and the noise we made in doing so, we quickly made ourselves the object of interest. People on the street turned to look at us, confused. Some people laughed at the spectacle of a woman chasing a man. We were only a few blocks from the Central Market when I realized that there were dozens of eyes on me and, further, that I might not catch the cloaked man in time.

"I believe it is Princess Varis!" I heard a voice in the crowd say. I realized that I was not wearing my facial covering. Everyone could see me. Suddenly, I realized that I was not just chasing this man for my own sake. He had betrayed these people as well. My people. They would be put to the sword if the city fell.

"I am the Sultanah Elect. The man in the black cloak has attempted to betray us!" I called out. For a second, not one acted. I kept running after the cloaked man. Then, people in the crowd seemed to understand what I was saying. In just a few seconds, a dozen men jumped out from the sides of the street and tackled the man in the black cloak. I heard him let out a pathetic groan as he was crushed. I let out a sigh of relief and slowed myself to a walk. I felt intense elation. Whatever Gunes had been trying to show me, I was about to find out.

I walked up to the crowd of men surrounding the cloaked man. The crowd that had been standing dumbfounded and confused in the street began to crowd around closely. I realized in that moment I had never been around so many common people without guard. I saw that some of them were looking at me, wondering what I was doing there and why I was chasing this man. I realized that despite my fatigue and nervousness, I needed to project the power of the Empire, to give these people reassurance. Kardes' words were echoing now, sounding more prescient than ever.

"I, Sultanah Elect Varis, witnessed this man," I said, pointing to a pair of feet underneath a pile of my subjects, "Aiding and abetting a man on horseback who had forced open the Duke's Gate and killed three guards. This man was attempting to provide documents to our enemies and betray this city to rape and plunder. A noble guard of this city was able to stop the man on horseback. Now you, brave citizens, have caught his accomplice." I could feel a nervous energy rush through the crowd. I could hear murmurs of fear and confusion amongst the people. They had no idea how close they'd come to calamity.