Chapter 4
The next morning we woke just before dawn. Aysun was facing the rising sun.
'What are you waiting for, woman? Let's go!'
"I hate to agree with him, but…" I pointed towards the way we should go.
"Just a moment…" she turned back to me and the corners of her eyes crinkled. She was grinning. "I want you to meet my cousin."
"Your cousin?"
'You're a child of the skies, woman, how can you have a cousin? Don't tell me you have a family too?'
"No, stupid, I hatched from an egg." She retorted. I hesitated. She noticed and threw her arms up. "Of course I have a family." She turned back to the first rays of sunlight. "GOOD MORNING, ALTAN!"
'Woman, are you crazy? Keep your voice down!'
'Always the loud one, Aysun. The more I am forced to watch you I—'
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She interrupted, waving her hand dismissively at the…sun? "Listen, I need you to tell me how far we are to the Vizier."
'Very far. You should hurry. I shall warn you a day ahead.'
"Okay, let's go!" she said cheerfully.
"The sun is your cousin?" I followed her.
"Of course not. He's what you humans call 'dawn'."
'That makes so much sense.'
I shook my head and we continued on our way.
We covered quite some ground. I was wondering when we would encounter a stronger enemy, when the burning feeling started. Aysun stepped back to let me transform.
"That was not pleasant." I say as I stand up. Aysun walks over to me and touches one of the gold red markings on my arm.
"I wonder…I can touch you now, but not when you're transforming…" she looks up for advice. So do I.
"There are stars! In broad daylight!" I marvel out loud.
'Yes, Prince. Now that you know of our existence, you are able to interact with us and see us.' The voice of Ender Elmas chuckled in my mind.
'Uncle, do you know something?' Aysun asked.
'I know many things, child. And you shall know them too…in time.' His presence faded.
Aysun huffed and we continued. By midday, she was so nervous, I was afraid she might lash at me. My counterpart's comments weren't helping either.
'I think I prefer her yelling at the sun…'
Aysun whirled around.
"One more word…and I throw you in a river." She hissed. That shut him up…for the next ten minutes.
'You know, I think we should sing.'
"I warned you…" she put her hand on my shoulder and pushed. I fell backwards on a puddle of water. It took me a while to transform back and when I did, I grinned at Aysun. She grinned back and pointed to a fountain. We drank and looked around.
"That chariot will get us home." I pointed.
"Maybe to your home, Prince." Aysun said. The comment was cold, but the corners of her eyes were crinkled in a grin. We climbed on it.
'Are you sure you can control this thing?'
'Let us hope. If I crash, it is the end for all of us.'
"The Prince! Stop him!"
"Oh, great. Guards." Aysun readied her swords as I steered the horses away.
And so, once more, the Prince began his journey home; his mind on fire with visions of the justice he would visit upon the Vizier.
'Be vigilant.'
"Be useful and shut up!" Aysun slashed another Guard off the chariot.
"There he is!"
"No shit, Sherlock!" Aysun yelled back.
"What's a Sherlock?" I yelled over my shoulder.
"A fictional character from another world!" she answered over the wind.
'Pay attention! Turn right!' I did. After a moment…
'Head left!'
'You have done well Prince. Though I'm sure it was not intentional.' He said as we reached the end of the street.
"Oh, stuff it, you bodyless poltergeist!" Aysun panted.
"We made it!" I ignored their bickering and looked back at Aysun.
'Hold your horses!'
"Prince!"
The chariot crashes and we are thrown into the air. I manage to land on one horse and stretch my hand blindly for Aysun. I feel her use it as a lever to hoist herself behind me, back to back, so that she can slash the remaining guards. I look ahead of us. The street gate is closing
"Ahh! Come on, come on!" I beg.
We manage to reach the other side of the gate just before it closes.
The once bright and vibrant streets of Babylon now stood all but deserted. Its inhabitants either dead or fled. Those left behind suffered terribly: captured, tortured and transformed. But the Prince did not notice this, so focused was he on the Vizier.
'I'm impressed.'
"Oh good. Your opinion means a great deal to me." I say as I pick myself up from the floor.
'Is that how you thank the man who just saved your life?'
"First, you did not save my life. I did. Second, you are not a man, just a disembodied voice, a ghost. And third, I did not ask for your help, and I certainly do not need it."
'While I admire your bravado, you would be wise to show some respect.'
"And you would be wise to keep quiet! You're distracting me and we are no longer alone."
"Shut up, both of you." Aysun hissed. We looked over a group of guards.
"Go. Put him with the others." One was saying
"Why are you doing this? We have done nothing wrong!" the citizen was on the ground.
"Save your crying for someone who cares." The guard dragged him away.
"I should do something!" I looked at Aysun for support.
'Go ahead! Fall to your death! That will be of great use to them!'
"Though I hate to say it…he is right." She muttered.
"Why do I always get stuck with guard duty...Waste of my time..." the guard was mumbling to himself.
"Father! Father!" a child was calling after the man.
"Quiet, whelp! Do you wish to join him in the arena?" the guard kicked the child aside.
"Don-Don't take me there! Anywhere but that place!"
"Something is happening down there…" I wondered what it could be.
'Whatever it is, it will continue until you have defeated the Vizier. You cannot help these people!'
"I disagree. Maybe we should see what is in the arena." Aysun frowned at my dark counterpart's words.
"Then let us make haste." I stand up.
We all but run along the way, until I see the telltale beam of another Sand Portal. We control our breathing for a moment, then quickly stealth kill the guards. I plunge my dagger into the Portal, then yank it out.
"Two down, seven to go…" Aysun sighs.
"What's wrong?"
"This is taking far too long…" she looks up. "We should hurry. I'm worried about what the Vizier will do if he has more time."
I nod and we continue.
"Not again…" I groan and fall to my knees as I painfully transform.
"Prince?" Aysun's voice seems far away. I see her standing at the other side of the room.
"What is it?" Her face is paler than usual. She points at something behind me. I turn and see strange creatures approaching us. They look like dogs, but sand infected.
'Careful! These creatures seem to feed of the Sands! Kill them before they steal any more from you!'
I attack immediately, calling for Aysun to help.
'What's wrong with you, woman? Fight! Move your legs!' the voice says. Aysun shakes herself and pulls her swords from midair, but doesn't come closer.
I finish the last one off and look questioningly at her.
'What's gotten into you, woman? Why didn't you attack when I told you to?' the voice asked angered.
"I have a name." Aysun mumbled, looking down.
"Are you alright?" I put a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, still not looking at me. I frown and look up.
'Our child is afraid of dogs.' The many voices of the Yldiz told me. I looked back at her.
"I'll handle them." I smiled at her. She nodded and mumbles a 'thank you'. "Look, there's a fountain." I pointed to another ledge a bit farther away. We quickly made our way there, me having transformed a few steps before reaching it.
"I hate transforming." I mumbled as I hoisted myself up and drank from the fountain.
'Onward and upward Prince! Quickly, you must regain your throne!'
"I'm moving as fast as I can. What do you suggest? That I grow wings and fly?"
'One can always dream.'
"Shut up, voice." Aysun helped me stand straight.
'I don't appreciate you calling me 'voice' all the time, woman.'
"Okay." She said as she turned her back to me to lower her mask and drink. "You call me by my name and I'll call you Howard, how's that sound?" she straightened up and fixed her mask before turning to me.
'Howard? What kind of a stupid name is that?'
"Howie for short." She winked at me.
We chose to continue on the rooftops, perhaps avoiding some guards would get us to move faster.
"Babylon's defenders still live. The city is not yet taken. Perhaps father is among them!" I notice.
As we continue along the rooftops, an arrow appears out of nowhere and kills a Sand Monster that was just about to attack us.
"What is this? Someone helping us? Who's there? You have done me a great service! Show yourself, that I might thank you!" I call out. Aysun looks around.
No one answers.
"So very strange. I wonder…no, it is silly to think such things."
"What?" Aysun asks.
"Nothing. Let us move on." I keep walking.
"No more rooftops…" We look over the last ledge together.
'Indeed. Irritating little detour. Let us be on with it. Head down to street level and we will find a way to regain the rooftops!'
"You are an insistent inner voice, aren't you?" I frown as I follow Aysun down.
"'Irritating' is the correct word…" she plops down on the floor and looks around.
'Well, someone has to make the decisions!...'
"I don't like the looks of this." I say as we approach the arena.
"Wait." Aysun holds my wrist. She leads it to another door next to the one leading to the arena. "Try this one."
It turned out to be another magic fountain. I once again found myself alone, and avoiding traps. After reaching the end of the obstacle, I open my eyes to see Aysun kneeling over me again.
"You have to stop hitting your head!" she says. "Why do you always pass out?"
I explained the trap-infested hallway, and the light at the end.
"So it's like a test to see if you really deserve the healing powers of the water?" she asks.
"I suppose…"
We finally enter the arena and see a giant without it's lower jaw, sharpening its sword.
"This…thing was once a man. He was there, when Kaileena died."
Aysun nodded. We jumped to opposite sides as the thing slashed at us with its sword.
'Go for the eyes Prince! He cannot kill you if he cannot see you.'
Aysun distracted it as I climbed on a ledge. Jumping on its back, I started climbing upwards, trying to ignore the putrid smell. The giant, however, noticed me and grabbed me off its back.
'Ooh! I think he wants a kiss!'
I had no time to retort as it threw me towards Aysun.
'Guess not.'
We hit the wall, but she got the worst of it, since she was being squished between me and the wall.
'And quite squishy it is…'
"Prince!" she pushed me away, red as a tomato.
"I didn't think it! It was him!" I tried to explain and dodge the sword at the same time. She huffed.
"We need to attack simultaneously!" she yelled and ran to the other side of the arena.
We climbed on two opposite ledges, and I whistled to it. Aysun called out at the same time. Confused, it hesitated for a moment. We jumped on its arms and ran up to its head, simultaneously stabbing its eyes and blinding it.
'Good! You have robbed him of his sight! Now bring him to his knees!'
"Come here and try doing this yourself, you perv!" Aysun backflipped away from a swipe.
'He can no longer see you! Move in and attack him directly!'
"Shut up, Howard!"
'His legs, Prince! Cut them!'
"Oh, so now you yell at me?" I retort and continue slashing.
We are finally able to bring it down. Climbing on its back, I stab it once, jumping up before it can grab me. I stab its neck one more time, and start losing balance. I stretch my arm out and feel Aysun lever herself up. With the last of my balance I help her throw her body upwards. She craves her sword on the same spot I stabbed its neck and comes sliding down, dragging her sword along its spine. Yellow pus oozes out of the wound as the giant moans one last time and dies.
We hear a lock click and citizens come out of the animal cages.
"We're free! We're free!" they say. I start to feel the familiar burning under my skin as I begin to transform. I see the citizens come running at us to thank us.
"Keep away from me!" I try to keep them away. As I step back, I fall into a pit.
"Prince!" Aysun grabs my wrist, but I am too heavy and bring her down with me.
"OOF!" we fall on the floor, gasping for breath. Aysun shakes her head and looks at me. I realize we accidentally fell in a compromising position, with her straddling my waist. I don't pay much attention to it, the burning feeling increasing, and black swirls engulfing my body. Aysun scrambles to get off, but she is too late. Just as I finish transforming, she is blown away from me. Crashing to the wall, she groans and slides down.
"I hate you, Howard…" she mutters.
The Prince fled from the arena, embarrassed by the unwanted attention, fearful that they might realize he was becoming a sand monster. But something taunted him; the freed citizens believed he had come to rescue them. The people, his people, now lived when they should have died. This was just an accident. His thoughts had been only of reaching the Vizier and exacting revenge. Perhaps now the Prince would remember he once fought for something other than his lost honor. It was simply too soon to tell…