Bab 439: Answers Between the Sand (1)
A week has passed since Isha's descent to silence. No one understood what is going on in her head and only gave her space while watching her from a distance.
Mirren kept a close eye on her all the time, brought her meals and helped her sleep. Jon, Miranda and Zahra changed shifts with him but he was the one taking care of her the most.
To both Zahra and Isha, the story of Zain was a painful memory that they didn't speak of. To the other people around the Citadel, it was a tragedy of a fallen Hero.
The Citadel of Ebonarm can be said as the Redguard version of the Vigilants of Stendarr. While the Vigilants being zealous priests, the Citadel warriors and passionate martial artists. One of the reasons why the two order never mixed well at all.
Zain was a candidate to be the next Spear Battlelord, a brave warrior whose skills grew unmatched among his peers to the point where some envied him. He made enemies with some Apprentices and caused them to lose face, he exposed many wrongdoers and punished a lot of sinners. All of those who survived wished for his disappearance and thus some made a pact with a Daedra.
They led Zain to a trap using his little sister, Isha, as bait and cornered him in the place of their ritual.
"Curse Zain, turn him into what he hates the most."
And a Daedric Prince that answered turned Zain into what he couldn't bear to be.
What a warrior like Zain would hate the most should be something weak, insignificant and incredibly puny. Maybe a bug that they can step on, a mouse that they can carry around in a cage and show him how they kill his sister. They thought he would be something feeble as all warriors hate what is feeble.
But that wasn't the case at all.
It was obvious by that time that the Daedra who heard the prayers of the rogue apprentices was none other than the Father of the Manbeast, the Daedric Prince Hircine.
Zain became a Werewolf.
Those who cornered him and drove him and his sister to a trap faced something they were not ready for and we're hunted down in the matter of a few minutes by the raging Werewolf. No one of them has ever thought that what Zain would hate the most would be were-creatures.
This miscalculation led to the survival of both Zain and Isha, the young girl who witnessed it all.
As they returned to the Citadel, Zain begged for a merciful execution, a swift death by the spear of his master.
"Kill me! I beg of you. Have mercy on us all." He shouted.
But no… the Battlelords couldn't bear to do it, the brightest star of a generation, the genius of the spear, the idol of all his peers.
"Leave the Citadel, seek the sages, find a cure." They replied.
A cure for the Lycanthropy was not an easy thing. The heads of those who laid the curse were required, even though the corpses were fresh, it didn't work.
Why?
This was not a Common Lycanthropy disease, it was a Curse by a Daedric Prince, a being revered as a God and feared as a Devil.
Things became complicated and Zain grew desperate. His wife supported him to her best, his sister did what she could to look for a cure to what she always believed to be her fault.
Barely any progress was made.
Zain rejected what he became, hated it and despised it. A werewolf was what killed his Father, a werewolf is what he became, a werewolf is what he was fated to die as.
There is no 'Far Shores' for him as an afterlife, there is no way to the paradise lands of no hunger or thirst that Redguards yearn for. Instead, his fate was the Hunting Grounds, the realm of Hircine where all the were-creatures he abhors gather to hunt in their lord's name for eternity. A Fate worse than anything he can imagine.
For that, he came to hate what he became cursing the Daedra day in and day out as the Daedra cursing him back.
His hate grew to include himself, he was no longer what he once was and he headed out for one final attempt for a cure. If it wasn't possible, he would make someone kill him and trap his Soul in Black Soul Gem he managed to get his hands on, an end on his terms rather than an end on the Daedra's terms.
But that one last trip turned out to be a failure and he was injured fatally. He was carried home on the spears of his companions and delivered to his family and friends at death's door.
And the life of the man known as Zain ended in suffer and pain surrounded by the grief of his widow and the cries of his sister.
The sister who never accepted all of it, who shunned sanity aside and chased ghosts and Daedra that played tricks upon tricks upon a thousand trick on her.
She left her home shortly after the incident with a note saying that only a Daedra can revert what a Daedra did and sought out darkness.
"... And she returned empty-handed with nothing but forgetfulness and tricks played on her by the Daedra. You seem to be more aware of the other half of the tale so… are you satisfied now, outlander?"
The Spear Battlelord Nagla said as Jon listened.
"I don't know how to feel about this. As someone under a pact with a Daedra too, I am not even sure how can things get this messy." Jon said.
The two were meeting near the House of Isha and Zahra where Jon and the others were staying. It was hard to find a time to ask about the story of Zain as the whole past week was a bit of a struggle.
"If you want my advice, never involve yourself with Daedra." She said.
"My mother said the same. Funny… I am very involved with the Daedra at the moment, that's why I know about the Daedric Princes and their behaviors which makes me find it very strange. Why would Hircine and Boethiah trick Isha?" Jon said.
"They are Daedra."
"I know, Spearmaster, but is it that simple? Something is amiss."
Nagla sighed.
"I know what you are thinking. We also investigated and invited many Daedralogists to investigate the matter. They told us that Hircine is known to be vengeful Daedric Prince who would torture the enemies of his horde. And Boethiah, that is the Prince of Deceit for you. What was Boethiah promise to Isha?"
"To find her brother back home free of his suffering."
"And that's that… in a way." Nagla said, "But you look like a man who wants more answers."
"I do." Jon nodded, "But that's all I can ask you, Spearmaster. I am sorry for disturbing you."
"It is okay. This girl is very broken… she is my apprentice and a family in a way. I can't stand her being like this."
"Mirren is looking after her. She will go through this."
Jon and Nagla separated as he returned inside the house. Zahra was there as she seemed to have returned from her patrol.
"Sister Zahra."
"Brother Krilon."
"Please, call me Jon. You will find your food still warm and nice over there, I also drew some water earlier." Jon said while offering help for Isha who put her weapons away.
"Thank you. You really are doing too much, you buy and prepare the food, clean the place and take care of Isha."
"Well, I'm trying not to be a heavy guest."
"And now I feel like a terrible host."
"Please never mind it, Isha is a comrade… I was wondering if I can get a guide around the Alik'r Deserts, someone who can keep up with me in speed in power while knowing every nook and cranny in the desert." Jon asked.
"That's an easy demand. Many warriors fall under that description… just don't mind me if I am rude to ask, you look like a large warrior and all but how fast can a magic caster be?" Zahra said.
"Sister, I am the Grand Champion of the Imperial Arena."
"Oh! … Oh! That's… why never introduced yourself that way first?"
"Because my identity is troublesome. You will find out once news travels from the Imperial City to here. Now, I was asking for a guide."
"Hmmm… there is this man from the School of the Saber, his name is Illindar de'Sha. Bronze haired, silver-eyed, very popular among his peers. He is an excellent guide and an amazing tracker and hunter, he is also a friend of Isha so he will help you."
[A/n: Illindar de'Sha is a character sponsored by Orpheus.]
"That's excellent."
"What are you planning to do in the desert?"
"Nothing much, just looking for something that may help her."
"... You are going to follow some trail about Zain, won't you?" Zahra asked.
"I hope it doesn't come to that." Jon said, assuring her.
"Meaning?"
"I want to follow Isha's trail and see what happened to her when she left the Citadel for the first time. I know she won't speak and it is not my business but I am having a similar situation to hers as a Labourer. If knowing the missing part of the story would help me avoid such fate or if it helps us help her, I think it is worth the try."
"I see… I would say that what happened to Isha is only due to grief but I think something involving the Daedra can't be that simple. Maybe everything will be okay with time but… who knows? Be careful out there." Zahra said.
Jon could feel the sadness in her tone as he tried to assure her he is not investigating what happened to Zain but rather what happened to Isha. Yet that was a lie.
Being the key to his 7th Labour, Isha's predicament must mean something.
What was Jon too afraid to think of was that Isha's situation is his doing of someway or his Labour involving may be the reason behind all that.
If that's true, he may not be able to forgive himself or the Daedra who fucked up this whole thing. Something needs to be done.
By the next morning, Jon arrived at a coffee place in where young men gather and asked about Illindar de'Sha.
"And I heard a Nord Giant is looking for me. Turns out to be true."
The man in question appeared before him just as Zahra described. Bronze hair, silver eyes, fairly popular, if Jon had to guess the horoscope, then he looks like a Warrior (Leo equivalent). Illindar was carrying a scimitar and looking casual.
"Krilon."
"Saw you in the meeting of Masters. Thank you for standing up for Isha. Illindar de'Sha at your service."
"Heard from sister Zahra you are an excellent guide."
"Heard right, what is your destination?"
"Around the desert to some… 'unadvisable to approach' places." Jon said.
"Oh! That would double the expenses for you."
"Deal."
"You didn't even hear my price."
"Is it in gold."
"Yes."
"Then deal."
~~~~~~~~~~
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