Strange Things

The days went by, and Hayreddin soon returned to his usual role. Revan was glad that everything seemed normal once more.

Only it wasn't.

He couldn't put a name to it, but he could sense it. Something was in the air, a strange, alien energy that had not been there before. There were whispers going on; from his teachers, to his friends, even in his family. There were rumours of strange things being seen across the cities of Baybar. Nobody had any concrete details, so there was no shortage of rumours.

"I heard that over at Sabaah, they saw a floating head with glowing eyes at night," Murai told Revan at school. "The warriors tried to catch it, but it disappeared."

"Sounds almost like ghosts," said Revan. Such concepts were no trouble to such a young mind.

Murai leaned in, whispering. "My father says it's because Hayreddin made deals with daemons a long time ago. Now the spirits are preparing to unleash their punishment."

"Your father is stupid!" snapped Revan, and the two boys got into a scuffle that had to be broken up by the teachers.

But among those in positions of authority, the reason strangeness was more than mere rumours. Hayreddin's agents had reported a steady stream of strange sightings: floating heads that vanished as soon as they were spotted, strange roaring sounds at night, dark shapes flying in the sky at night, someone had even reported seeing a giant at twilight, a giant with glowing red eyes. That the sightings were reported by both Ravenna's old network and Hayreddin's own private network was profoundly troubling.

"What do you think it means, Uncle?" asked Kazan.

The three of them were holding counsel in Hayreddin's quarters. The rumours flying around were still just rumours, but troubling enough for them to discuss.

"I don't know," admitted Hayreddin. "I was inclined to believe that we were jumping at shadows, but…"

"Our patrol ships also reported hearing roaring sounds in the night," said Jerod. "And one sailor threw himself overboard when he supposedly spotted a floating head."

Hayreddin pursed his lips, frowning thoughtfully.

"These sightings are too frequent and too alike to dismiss as rumours," said Kazan. "It...I don't know, but it feels like some sort of scare tactic. Something to spook the people, put them in a vulnerable mental position."

"What do you mean, father?" asked Jerod.

"It's what one of the desert tribes, the Kaling used to do," answered Kazan. "Before they went to war, they'd spend, weeks, months, even years performing psychological warfare. They'd terrorise their enemies so much that it makes it easier to break them when they actually go to war."

"Is that what you think, father?" asked Jerod. "This is a prelude to war? But who'd declare war on us now? The pirates are broken, the Kaling and Maru are extinct. What enemies do we have left?"

Kazan tugged at his beard. "Who knows? I just feel this deep down in my bones."

"I think," Hayreddin spoke up, silencing the other two. "We have too little information to take any definite action. That said, we should be watchful. Double the watch, double the patrols in every city. Ensure regular communication."

"Should we alert the Armed Guards?" asked Jerod. "Have them raise their war-readiness?"

Hayreddin considered for a moment before shaking his head. "Too noticeable. We don't want to alarm the civilians in case this turns out to be nothing."

Kazan and Jerod nodded their agreement. Before they could leave however, there was a noise from the bottom of the stairs. One of Hayreddin's Sabaahan guards emerged, pulling a wriggling Revan by the arm.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Jerod.

"Pardons, Admiral Jerod," said the guard, releasing Revan. "The boy's teacher insisted I take him up to you. Been fighting at school."

The guard bowed and left, leaving a sulky looking Revan with the three adults. Kazan looked as though he was about to laugh, but cleared his throat.

"I'll see to the orders. I'll leave this to you," he said, leaving.

Jerod sighed and lifted Revan's face. The boy had a black eye and a cut lip.

"Fighting in school, Revan?" said Jerod sternly. "Why?"

Revan looked away, sulking.

Jerod frowned. "Revan…"

"Murai said there was a ghost in Sabaah," muttered Revan. Jerod and Hayreddin exchanged looks. "Murai said…"

The boy trailed off, glancing at Hayreddin.

"Yes?" pressed Jerod.

"He said his father said that it was because Uncle made deals with daemons. And now the spirits are punishing everyone."

Silence.

"And then you hit him," stated Jerod. Revan nodded sullenly.

"Did you black both his eyes at least?"

Revan smirked and nodded.

"Jerod," said Hayreddin sharply.

The other man winced. "Sorry Uncle. That was wrong what you did, Revan. Very wrong."

Hayreddin sighed. "Come here, Revan."

The boy obeyed, looking down at the floor, refusing to meet his Uncle's eyes. Before Hayreddin could speak however, Revan spoke up first.

"I'm not sorry I hit Murai," Revan looked up at last, defiance glimmering in his eyes. "He was telling lies about you, and I wasn't going to let him. I was...I was defending your honour."

Hayreddin had to fight down the smile. He was touched by the boy's loyalty, but Revan had to learn that violence was never the answer.

"I understand why you did it, but that still doesn't make it right. You understand that?"

"No," answered Revan sullenly. "He lied about you. He was wrong."

"Yes, but perhaps he believed what he was saying," said Hayreddin. "He might have been wrong, but he was merely repeating what he thought to be true. There was nothing malicious in it."

"What's malicious?"

A smile tugged the corners of Hayreddin's mouth. "It means to do something with bad intentions."

He knelt and placed a hand on Revan's head. "Just because you disagree with him, doesn't mean you should beat up Murai. You should try to find common ground with him. Find a way to show him what's right and wrong, no?"

"I guess," muttered Revan.

"Good," said Hayreddin. "Go to your room. Your father will decide your punishment later."

Once Revan left however, Jerod turned to Hayreddin, his face full of concern.

"It may not have been malicious, but such rumours could be dangerous in the long run," he said.

Hayreddin waved a hand dismissively. "Enough. The boy repeated a rumour he heard. That's hardly a cause for concern."

"I'm not talking about Murai, Uncle," said Jerod. "The boy probably heard the rumours from his father. We should send someone to have a chat with him. Tell him to be more discreet in voicing his opinions."

"Should we silence every drunkard in the taverns too?" said Hayreddin, his eyebrow raised. "It was just idle talk, Jerod. People have always believed in whatever they wanted. Should I prosecute everyone who believes I'm a daemon? Or a witch?"

"It can be dangerous if enough people believe it," retorted Jerod. "Or have you forgotten what happened to your parents?"

Hayreddin fell silent. There was a sudden tension in the air, and for the first time he could remember, Jerod sensed a dangerous air radiating from his beloved Uncle. Nevertheless, he ploughed on.

"Grandmother told me what happened to them before she died. So that...I could remind you of the dangers. Beduin was just one man, but because he believed that…"

"Enough."

Hayreddin's voice was quiet, but Jerod recoiled as though struck. His Uncle turned away from him.

"We are done here."

Jerod stood still for a moment, still wanting to speak but not daring to. At last, he bowed stiffly and left.

Hayreddin barely heard him leave. In his mind, he was reliving that night in the square.

The night fires.

The madmen with their weapons drawn.

The knife flashing down.

The blood on the cobblestones.

Babar and Ani dead.

Beduin, his eyes burning with hatred…

Hayreddin blinked.

He found himself staring into a pair of burning eyes…

No, not burning, glowing.

The thing he was staring at was a bizarre and grotesque. It was a skull, a floating skull. It had metallic attachments all over it, and Hayreddin could see a spine protruding from the back of the skull like a tail.

It was nothing like he had ever seen before, and for a moment all Hayreddin could do was gape in astonishment. The thing, realising it had been spotted, turned and began to float away.

Understanding it was one of the strange things that has been sighted all over Baybar, Hayreddin crouched to leap after it. But before his very eyes, the thing sparked and vanished from sight.

No...not quite.

Hayreddin could see some sort of displacement in the air that marked its location, even in the darkening sky. Without further ado, he leaped off his balcony in pursuit.

As though realising its strange invisibility defence was not working, the thing sped up, going over the rooftops. But Hayreddin pursued, effortlessly scaling the walls and up the roofs, leaping over gaps and closing the distance with a speed that would be impossible for any other man. The thing sped up further, but still Hayreddin drew closer.

He saw it was making for the sea, and he realised that he would be unable to catch it if it got far enough over open water. He increased his speed even as the strange thing flew up Hayreddin's Wall. Running past the shocked guards in a blur, Hayreddin made on last leap to grab it even as it went over the wall and out to open sea.

He caught it.

His grip disabled whatever invisibility ability it had, and it materialised back into being, wriggling and beeping frantically as they both plummeted into the sea. The moment it hit the water, strange lighting surged throughout the thing's body, hurting Hayreddin who held on grimly. It stopped quickly enough, and the strange skull went limp in his hands. Surfacing, Hayreddin swam back to port with the thing in tow, where the astonished guards were waiting.

"What is it, sir?" asked one of the guards once Hayreddin had tossed it onto the wharf and had been helped out of the water.

Hayreddin stared down at the skull. Its eyes were no longer glowing, and it lay still. As all skulls should.

"I don't know," said Hayreddin. "I don't know."

XI XI XI

"Unit Eleven has been disabled, lord," said a monotonous voice. Its source was human, but whatever humanity it once possessed was gone, leaving only a humanoid husk of biological and machine components.

In the dim lighting, a great figure moved towards the glowing hololithic display.

"Playback last visual," said a voice that has commanded whole armies and ordered the destruction of whole populations.

"Compliance."

Eyes the colour of storm clouds gazed at the figure last seen by Unit Eleven. A youthful man, whose beauty rivalled even some of the most beautiful people those grey eyes have seen. Those same grey eyes watched Unit Eleven's frantic attempts to escape thwarted by the man. Lips that were always curved into a smile curved a little more ever so slightly.

"Send a message to Vukona," commanded the voice again. "We've found him."