Chapter 2: Discord

Oasis-City Ahel’Hwalem

“Can you hand me the bread for a moment?”
The sun of the east shone in small patches through the gaps and holes of the finely woven fabric, that lay in front of the narrow high windows of the room, onto the low table. Nasim and Leylia sat on cushions around it, along with Leylia’s father, who had found a place between them. The strong Meridianer with the bushy chin beard and the angular flat hat took one of the bread loaves from Nasim and handed it to his daughter, who dipped it together with some olive oil into a bowl of boiled eggs and a mixture of spices and tomatoes.
“Well, those were the last eggs we had,” Mr. Mosta said almost plaintively.
“Then you can go get new ones at the market!” Leylia’s mother said as she came in with a bowl of fruit and sat down. “And you can also get a package of caraway seeds!”
Mr. Mosta’s eyes widened as he sipped his tea. “Can’t the girls do that? I have to spend all day at the East Gate counting the 10ths. I don’t have time for that!”
Mrs. Mosta wrinkled her nose at her husband. “And I, at your request, still have to take the blankets I’ve finished weaving to your sister at the port! Someone has to do it!”
Mr. Mosta grumbled as he tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into the spicy egg-tomato mixture. “That’s why the girls can do it!”
Mrs. Mosta looked somewhat unhappy at the two young women sitting at the breakfast table in the dress of the sisters. Unintentionally, her gaze wandered to her daughter’s high braid, which could not be more conspicuous in Ahel’Hwalem. As a mother of many, she always cared about Leylia’s well-being, as well as Nasim’s, whom she considered another child of hers without hesitation. For people like them and others who did not obey the Norites’ command, the city was not necessarily safe anymore.
But before she could object, Nasim jumped in. “That’s alright, Mrs. Mosta! We’ll get everything from the market for you.” Leylia’s mother sought her daughter’s gaze, who was usually more cautious than Nasim. But she too smiled reassuringly at the older woman.
“Under our robes, we are not recognisable. Besides, many people cover their heads in such a sun, so we won’t attract attention.” Her mother’s mood improved a little.
“Can you at least accompany them to the market?” Her husband nodded in agreement. Nasim looked at the worried face of the woman from whom Leylia had probably also inherited her caution. Basically, she was right. Norites marched through the streets, constantly looking for dissidents or religious opponents like they themselves were. It had become a habit to see people being dragged out of their homes, just to be taken away by the fanatics somewhere else. The cultists were thorough but also slow, gradually suffocating any resistance to their new gods in the bud.
But constantly staying in the house or in the old cellar didn’t suit Nasim either. It felt restricting and sometimes cowardly. It would do her good, and perhaps clear her head, if she got out properly again. The journey from Vlakis Oras to Ahel’Hwalem had been quiet, but just as refreshing for Nasim, who had to spend the weeks before exactly in this house. Of course, nothing against the Mosta and their home, who always took care of her and Leylia.
“Then eat up, children! I’ll give you something extra so you can get yourself something nice!”, Mr. Mosta said patronisingly in his always cheerful mood. They finished eating and helped to move most of the living room into the kitchen, where the mother could clean the dishes it before leaving the house.
The nearest marketplace was quite small, but way more manageable, than larger trading places in the city. It was a narrow alley, with merchants offering their goods in small shops and counters on either side. As a buyer, one went through the shady niche shoulder to shoulder, where – in Nasim’s experience – one found the best things. And especially for affordable prices, unlike other large markets in Ahel’Hwalem.
Leylia’s father led the way, giving the two girls a bag of Siglin before saying goodbye to them and continuing towards the east of the city. Continuing to hide their heads under the wide hoods, which especially concealed the striking braids of the sisterhood, they went into the crowd, searching for Mrs. Mosta’s shopping list.
Since Nasim lived in Ahel, she had been here too many times to be afraid of anything, not even of Norites. Despite the density, the two young women made their way easily through the alley, both keeping an eye out for the right stores. After getting some pigeon eggs and a bag of cumin, the two couldn’t resist looking for something for themselves. Among the various stores that sold fabrics, food, and handicrafts, they finally found a stand that offered sweets, including whitish blocks that were quite firm to the touch and decorated with nuts, rose petals, and other additions in ornate shapes. The sweet mass was chewy, mixed with the crunch of nuts and the aroma of various fruits. While Leylia chose some rosewater confectionery, Nasim’s choice was a piece with exotic green nuts in it. Merchants beyond the eastern sea often brought exotic things to Meridia, which also found their way to Ahel’Hwalem and beyond. Nasim always enjoyed trying new things and flavours. The nuts tasted like nutty butter and blended well with the chewy mass of the confection. Although they didn’t buy much of it because money was limited, it was enough for the two of them.
The moment of normality and tranquillity felt good to Nasim, who had either been travelling or had to hide with the others in some holes since the appearance of the No’farzand. And even before that, life in the Sisterhood consisted mostly of spiritual teachings and the preparation of aspirants for the next level within the order. A process that required time and trials to determine a sister’s readiness to join the actual ranks of the sisterhood. More than half of the members were aspirants who were vying for places in the inner circles. Many gave up because of the long training without ever seeing the scientific and, above all, arcane studies of the sisterhood. They wanted to see if an aspirant was worth the effort of a true study before becoming a full-fledged sister. Nasim and Leylia had already served three years in their rank as aspiring candidates and would have the opportunity to advance in the fifth year. Unfortunately, Nasim was not sure at the moment if they would still have this opportunity in the current situation.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a howling scream that echoed through the alley, followed by deep swearing and a child’s crying. Almost reflexively, Leylia and Nasim moved to the side and sought shelter in a street niche before they could be identified as members of the Sisterhood. But the commotion was not directed at them and was happening at the other end of the alley where larger businesses were located in proper buildings.
A curious crowd of people gathered around the entrance of a merchant whose door was wide open. Noises could be heard from inside, and as some went to investigate, a figure dressed in dark grey robes emerged. The Meridians starred at the onlookers, holding a hand on the hilt of a sabre dangling from his side. Apart from the spiritually looking robe, the man looked more like a thug than a cleric of the Old Gods. An eye symbol was visible on his forehead and partially woven into his robe and painted in red on his skin. The two Sisters and the other onlookers immediately recognised him as one of the Norites, the fanatical followers of the new rulers and gods. They immediately took several steps back before more Norites came out of the house.
They were dragging a man behind them who kept trying to appease a woman who was looking into the house. The man’s apparent wife had a cut on her head and was raging against the Norites who had simply grabbed her husband. She had probably resisted, but without success. Instead, she held a small child close to her, who was crying out of fear of all the commotion in their home.
“Get out of the way, man!” the thug scolded one of the passersby who didn’t move out of the way fast enough. “We’re on a mission from the Divine!”
“What did he do?” one of the crowd asked.
“It’s all right, please!” It was the prisoner who answered first. “Please go about your business!”
The Norite nodded in agreement. “Betrayal and blasphemy against the Divine must be atoned for. It is a first step towards forgiveness to face one’s fate,” the thug preached to the people around them. Some of them started to murmur in agreement and even threw blessings to the gods, while others stood silent, looking at the Norites with contempt or whispering to each other. While the woman cursed the Norites, the man resigned himself to his fate, presumably to protect his family.
The longer Nasim watched the scene, the angrier she became. As a follower of the goddess Levain in a land ruled by the Old Gods, she was used to rejection. But even among the Divine Pantheon, which was always cultivated by the Hesha, there had been no direct persecution of those of other beliefs for hundreds of years. It was only under the No’farzand, and especially the Norites, that they began to crack down harder on blasphemy or heresy. Mostly when the status of the No’farzand as gods or even their origins were questioned. Among the people, there were enough who would betray their neighbours to the Norites at just one wrong word.
Nasim took a step forward, almost ready to intervene, even though she didn’t know what she could do alone against the Noriten’s thugs. But then, a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, deeper into the side street. Initially expecting Leylia, who had pulled her back, Nasim saw three figures whose faces were hidden under hoods. Leylia apparently had been brought into the alley by them as well. For a moment Nasim feared the worst, imagining a red eye that would appear from under the hood.
Instead, she heard the cutting voice of Melile: “Be careful, sisters.” The stern face with the high cheekbones emerged from the darkness. The two companions were also sisters of Nasim and Leylia.
“Head Sister!?” Nasim was surprised to meet Melile and the others exactly here. Ahel’Hwalem was large and no meeting had been arranged.
Melile signaled to one of the sisters to check on the Noriten around the corner. After a quick glance, she shook her head. “They’re leaving. And they’re taking Esmaa with them.”
Melile sighed and shook her head sadly. “Then we were too late.”
Leylia went to the head sister and asked: “What do you mean? Why are you and the others here?”
Melile pursed her lips. “I could ask you both the same thing.” She scrutinized the two aspirants, especially Nasim, who was always the rebellious one.
“We were shopping,” she said, pointing to the basket of eggs and the bag of cumin. “For the Mostas.”
Leylia nodded in confirmation, and Melile eased off on her suspicion. Instead, she gestured for everyone present to move further away from the scene.
Curious, Nasim asked further, “You knew the man? Is he a sympathizer of the sisterhood?”
Melile nodded slightly. “More or less. The good merchant spoke disparagingly about the No’farzand in a tobacco house a few days ago. He attracted more attention than he probably wanted in the end. He’s not one of us, but when we found out about him, I wanted to talk to him. Perhaps we could have found another supporter by nurturing the seeds of rejection against the Norites. “Melile sighed again. “But if we hear about something like that, so do the Norites. It’s a shame we weren’t faster with him. Otherwise, we could have offered him and his family shelter.”
As they walked away, Nasim looked around, roughly in the direction of the merchant’s alley. “I’m sorry. If we had known, Leylia and I could have talked to him! We’ve been on the road for an hour already.”
“And then you would have also fallen into the arms of the Norites! No, Sister Nasim, it is in the interest of the goddess that you did not intervene.” The head sister stopped and looked directly at Nasim. “As I said before: We must be even more careful in our actions. Look at the example of the merchant who traded in public as a Lexicon. The enemy is powerful and we must act even more cautiously!”
The aspirants nodded in agreement, although Nasim did so rather unwillingly. Somehow she didn’t want to believe that they couldn’t do anything. That they couldn’t have spared the man from captivity.
“Go to your parents, Leylia. Stay away from the streets for the rest of the day. Just to be safe!”, Melile added before she turned with the other Sisters and went back to their business.
“Yes, Head Sister,” confirmed Leylia and gave the prayer greeting to the goddess. Everyone quickly and secretly followed her before they separated. “Come on, let’s go back!”
Nasim followed Leylia silently, but she was trapped in her own thoughts. Once again, her gaze passed the midday sun, up to the palace that seemed to be perched on a hill above the city. How many fathers, mothers, people were being held there by the Norites? Deep in the former dungeons of the Hesha? There must be something that can be done about it. Leaving Leylia ahead for now, Nasim secretly decided to follow the dock worker’s offer.