CHAPTER 5:

RESCUE

While recovering and planning to break Nahida out, Harry spoke more with his hosts. The Homayanis certainly had warmed to him more than Dehya and the Blazing Beasts had, but given that he had given Dunyarzad some extra time to live, it was hardly surprising. They even had a personal physician who checked Dunyarzad. They were thankfully tight-lipped about who or what helped, but he did give a better prognosis for Dunyarzad, maybe ten more years.

While Lord Shazhaman Homayani was the head of the Homayanis, there were a number of branches of the family, and with Dunyarzad afflicted with Eleazar, the current heir was a cousin of hers, who was currently trading out of Liyue Harbour. Indeed, he had managed to take a few photos from a Kamera of the recent battles against Osial and Beisht. He had also taken photos of some of the participants.

There was the haughty and elegant but respected Ningguang, the head of the Qixing or mercantile council that ruled Liyue as Rex Lapis' viceroys, until his demise. There were the animal-like Adepti, and their human disciple Shenhe. But it was one photo that Harry was shown that nearly had him drop them in shock.

There was a young man, seemingly in his mid to late teens, perhaps a touch older, with light blonde hair, and golden eyes. The clothing and hairstyle were different, as was the expression the young man wore, but the facial features were so similar, Harry was in shock. This had to be Lumine's brother, Aether. The twin of the one who had tried to invade Earth, and who had stranded him in Teyvat.

Floating next to him in the picture was a small, child-like shape, seemingly a girl, with pale white hair, and purple eyes that seemed to have a starry night sky within them. A strange coronet adored her head, floating above it slightly. And while the rest of her outfit was mostly unremarkable, she wore a strange tasselled cape that seemed to have stars on the underside, not unlike Dainsleif's. This fairy-like being was apparently called Paimon.

Aether had become something of a minor celebrity over the past few months. He'd resolved the Stormterror crisis in Mondstadt, managing to remove some sort of cursed artifact that stoked the fires of the Dragon's wrath, and saved the Dragon. In Liyue, despite being falsely accused of having links to Rex Lapis' murder, Aether had uncovered a Fatui plot to try and force Rex Lapis, whom the Fatui believed to be alive and well, by unleashing the sealed god Osial.

In Inazuma, Aether helped the Raiden Shogun and the leaders of Watatsumi Island (an island in the archipelago that held resentment towards the Raiden Shogun for slaying their deity) stop a civil war that had erupted between extremist elements of both sides, encouraged by the Fatui. One of the Harbingers, La Signora, was challenged to a 'duel before the throne' by Aether for her part in the conflict, and after losing, was executed.

Harry had to admit to having mixed feelings on seeing Aether. He knew intellectually that Aether shouldn't be like his sister, and even his sister claimed that he wasn't on her side. Same with Dainsleif. He shouldn't be blaming Aether for what his sister did. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a touch of anxiety anyway.

In any case, his relationship with Dunyarzad's parents had strengthened, even if only because it was helped by his prior relationship with her in their dreams. And of course, his friendship with Dunyarzad had been renewed, after a decade of separation. While often solemn and having a somewhat eloquent tone, she was also surprisingly impish and well-read. He regaled her with tales of the Marauders, as well as the Weasley Twins. She also asked him questions about Earth, beyond what she had in their dreams.

Dehya was a little more tricky, though that was due to the Eremite mercenary's wariness. However, she did readily answer most of his questions about Eremite society, as he didn't ask for much from Nahida or Dunyarzad in their dreamscape. Indeed, she seemed flattered that he was genuinely interested. While technically the Eremites meant those people who came from the desert, it was also an umbrella term for the various mercenary organisations that operated from within Sumeru, particularly the desert. Dehya, however, didn't think highly of a number of them. Some were outsiders to Sumeru who cashed in on the Eremites' fame…or infamy, too often for the worse. Others were genuine Eremites, at least ethnically, but were little more than brigands and terrorists.

The largest settlement of Eremites was Aaru Village, in the south-eastern reaches of the desert areas of Sumeru. Once an outpost established during the height of King Deshret's empire, it was now the largest settlement. Although called a village, it was closer to a town. Dehya was on good terms with its appointed guardian, Candace, and its leader, Uncle Anpu.

Dehya didn't talk much about herself, though what she eventually did say was revealing. She lamented the fact that too many Eremites didn't think to save their money, often wasting it on wine, women, and wagers. She tried to be different, not only saving up a nest egg for herself, but also donating to orphanages in Sumeru, particularly those who were willing to take in Eremite orphans, as well as what passed for a school in the desert regions. The Akademiya seemed to delight in keeping the Eremites from being able to gain a more formal education, with those who did succeed in joining the Akademiya being the exceptions that proved the rule.

Nahida had lamented this kind of intellectual classism. And Harry could see why. Dehya may not have had a scholarly demeanour, but she was far from stupid. She had a keen, incisive mind, she was self-educated on not just the usual subjects an Eremite should know, but also on a few other matters (particularly the politics and laws of Sumeru, thanks in part to her stint in the Corps of Thirty, which, alongside the Matra, were the Sumeru equivalent of law enforcement), and she was certainly very street smart, or rather, desert smart. She could even be quite philosophical. But her intellect was geared more towards pragmatism and practicality than scholarly pursuits.

She was also curious about the books Harry brought with him. On a whim, he lent her his copy of Dune, as the similarities and differences between the Fremen and the Eremites were intriguing. Dunyarzad, meanwhile, was more interested in Lord of the Rings, Harry having gotten into that book thanks to Hermione during their second year, and having told Dunyarzad about it.

Still, it threw his current circumstances into sharp relief. He still hadn't forgotten that he was stranded, and that he needed to find a way back to Earth. Unfortunately, aside from Dainsleif, who had buggered off elsewhere, he had precisely one lead: Alice.

Dumbledore had revealed that Nahida, or at least the Dendro Archon, was real because he had dealings with a woman called Alice, who came from Teyvat. A somewhat eccentric mage who loved explosion magic just a touch too much, Dumbledore had stated that Alice had the ability to travel between worlds. And Shazhaman did remember that Alice was rumoured to be one of Dori's suppliers, so while contacting Dori might not be a good idea, the Homayani patriarch was well-placed to have men watching for her.

In addition, he also had a letter sent to Mondstadt. The reason why was that Alice had a daughter left with the Knights of Favonius while she travelled. He didn't know the full details, though, but he had had dealings with the Knights of Favonius before, and was on good terms with its officers.

Harry's friends might be able to track him down, somehow, but he wasn't holding his breath. Hermione and Luna were the smartest witches of their generation, to say nothing of his best friends, but he didn't even know if they knew he had ended up travelling between dimensions. And he had no way of notifying them where he was. Then again, the Unspeakables had ways and means of telling whether a person was alive or dead, so they knew he was alive. Hell, they might even know if he was on Teyvat. But still, he couldn't exactly sit around waiting for a rescue like a stranded driver on a motorway.

Thankfully, Dehya and the Homayanis' knowledge of Sumeru City helped him come up with a plan, and a few days after his arrival in Teyvat, he was ready. Even if he couldn't go home yet, he could correct a five centuries-old wrong. In other words, he was going to free his sister from her cage.

Sumeru City was awe-inspiring from the air. The town built in and around a mountain-sized tree. It was beautiful, really. But he knew better than anyone else that there was something rotten in the state of Sumeru, to paraphrase Shakespeare.

Still, he needed to get in and out PDQ. He was flying by broomstick to Sumeru City. He had his Invisibility Cloak on, along with a lot of spells. He found himself drawing close to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, and carefully dismounted. It was early evening, and he managed to enter just as a monocled, bearded man exited. It took him a moment to realise that was Grand Sage Azar. He was tempted to go back and beat the shit out of the man for what he did to Harry's sister, but said sister might not want that to happen, and besides, it would draw the wrong sort of attention at this critical point. Which was to say any attention at all.

Though he marked the man down for retribution later. What was it they said back home? Revenge was a dish best served cold.

Harry paused to take in the Sanctuary of Surasthana. He had to admit, it was beautiful, the inside, more of a work of art than a prison. Then again, its creator had created it as a sanctuary for herself, not as a gaol. And in the middle, suspended in a verdant bubble of energy, surrounded by chains of green light…

…It was her. It was really Nahida.

He approached the bubble, gazing upon his sister for the first time in reality. She looked to be a young girl, her apparent age not even in the double digits. Clad in a short white dress with green elements, she had silvery hair with green streaks and, oddly enough, pointed ears, like those of an elf. Leaf-like accessories adorned her hair.

Even if she wasn't a goddess, to lock away a girl like her was an act of cruelty. Harry felt his fist clenching at the thought of the Sages and their contempt towards their deity. A reckoning would come for them, but not yet. He needed to ensure his sister was safe and sound.

He tried an Alohamora first, and grimaced when nothing happened. He didn't know where the controls were, at least at first. But then, he felt an instinct drawing him to a strut, one of many that supported the bubble. No, not an instinct. It was a voice. A quiet, gentle, female voice.

Here…the lock is here…

He reached out a hand, realising that there was a concealed panel with the Sumeru lettering on it…a keypad. He heard the voice again, telling him which keys to press, and he pressed them. The bubble soon faded, his sister, who seemed to be either asleep or in a trance, seemed startled by its absence, floating gently to the ground. Her eyes were looking around, those verdant eyes with pupils that looked like crosses, like a weird cursor on a computer screen. Like his own eyes had become after that fiasco in the graveyard at Little Hangleton, when his Dendro powers awoke.

"Nahida," he hissed quietly. She whipped around, and looked in his general direction. Harry carefully lifted up part of the Invisibility Cloak, enough for her to see his face (but, if there were surveillance cameras in this place, he hoped they wouldn't see much, if anything at all), and placed a finger to his lips. Her eyes widened in surprise, and delight, and she hurried over to him. He took her hand…and then Apparated…

…And appeared in the garden of the Homayani manor. Nahida swayed on her feet. "Ooh, that's Apparition, is it? Rather uncomfortable," she commented.

"Yep." Harry removed the Invisibility Cloak, and then knelt in front of her. Not as a sign of submission to the Dendro Archon, but simply so that he could meet her gaze without looking down at her. He found his sight being blurred by tears.

She was real. The girl who had been in his dreams for as long as he could remember, his sister in everything but blood, she was real. There were so many things he wanted to say, that he needed to say, but he couldn't think of what to say first.

But Nahida, Kusanali, Buer, the Dendro Archon and Goddess of Wisdom, immature though she was (relatively speaking), knew exactly what to do. She approached him with a teary smile of her own, and gently hugged him. And then, she whispered into his ear, "Thank you, Harry."

After a moment, he returned the embrace, weeping quietly. And there, they both remained for some time, caring little for the onlookers who'd come in to see what the noise was about. Nothing needed to be said, not for now. Just the gratitude of a lonely goddess, and the relief of a damaged wizard…

CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:

And now, Nahida has been freed! Of course, this doesn't mean the Sages' plans, or those of Il Dottore, have been scuppered.

Now, how did Harry know how to free her? This is significant, as is the voice he heard.

No numbered annotations this time.