The Silent Quest, IziCain [red seas under red skies txt] 📗
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- Author: IziCain
Book online «The Silent Quest, IziCain [red seas under red skies txt] 📗». Author IziCain
A NOTE ON THE TEXT
The names and places used are completely fictional and in no matter apply to real life scenarios; any form of description, place and property is completely coincidental. The novel is an idea and shall not be pressed upon human substitutes; do not copy any actions or stunts as they may lead to harmful injuries.
Thank You!
These are the names, how to pronounce them and the meaning of each name:
Name: Izrael
Pronunciation: Azh-rah-eeal like Azrael.
Name meaning: Angel of death.
Name: Ren
Pronunciation: -
Name meaning: Water.
Name: Mu'aqquibat.
Pronunciation: Mueh-aki-bat.
Name meaning: The protector from death.
Name: Darda'il.
Pronunciation: Dhar-da-eal.
Name meaning: The Journey Guardian.
Name: Maalik.
Pronunciation: Maa-lick
Name meaning: Guardian of the gates of Hell.
Name: Mikail
Pronunciation: Micah-eel.
Name meaning: Guardian Angel of rain, thunder and lightning.
Name: Israafiyl
Pronunciation: Isra-feel
Name meaning: The trumpet blower at the end of times.
Name: Ulrika.
Pronunciation: Ool-ree-ka.
Name meaning: Power.
Name: Concetta.
Pronunciation: Con-sett-ah.
Name meaning: Imagine.
Name: Anahita.
Pronunciation: Anna-heat-ah.
Name meaning: Immaculate, Goddess of water.
Name: Okra Iskar
Pronunciation: (Okra rhymes with opera) Is-khar
Name meaning: Healthy
“Each new generation is a fresh invasion of savages!”
Harvey Allen
PROLOGUE
This book is dedicated to my friends at Jiggmin Village, and a note to Mr. Cuddles, may you forever remain silly!
A young girl sat on the edge of the well, staring into the deep waters that had once come rushing all around her during the fight of Arabia against Persia a year back. The water shimmered and she wished it had swallowed her then, she wished it swallowed her now.
Anahita Meerad always wished for an exciting phenomenon to occur during her lifetime, the death of her parents was not what she had expected.
Persia was warm and unhealthy in the early days of 1700, the moon high in the sky, shining nothing but pale lightings from the dead heaven above.
How many sinners were up there?
How many people screaming in their graves? Yet we are deaf to their pleads and roars for forgiveness, maybe God has made life that way, maybe that was why life was given to people. To ask for forgiveness, to be forgiven, to be unmistaken.
Anahita swallowed, eyes scanning the water in the well, clear and clean and untouched.
Sighing she turned, the rocky road under her feet was damp and wet from days old rain. The small houses around her were dark and silent in this eerie night, everyone asleep, just her awake. Anahita wondered sometimes why night was the quiet one and why day was the loud one, maybe the grave was the same, then- but that would ruin the process of the dead. The graves were loud and deafening. Stories around the Castle walls told tales about two angels with blue eyes swarming into the grave of the dead straight after they are buried; words said they ask questions about religion, family and deeds. Of course Anahita had not listened to the full story, it had petrified her.
Footsteps made the girl freeze, who would be out this time of night? When the moon was full and silence was illuminating?
“Anahita?” a small voice called.
Anahita cast her dark eyes upwards and smiled shakily at the chubby girl standing before her.
“Anahita, are you alright?”
Anahita nodded, “yes, I am fine. You need not worry about me. Why are you here, Rose?”
Rose, with her pale hair and blue eyes shrugged. Her white gown plain and torn, muddy and mucky. She was a guard slave; she fed the Castle guards and washed their rooms. Anahita on the other hand was Queen Concetta’s head slave, with lilac gowns and white pointy shoes. The Queen was not a likeable lady, she was mean and violent, no children. She even got her husband killed so that she could rein before he took charge.
“Ali sent me,” Rose sniffed the warm air. “He said you need to arrive at the Castle immediately, the Queen needs to talk to the head slaves.”
The word made Anahita cringe, the hairs at the back of her neck stand.
Whenever the Queen wanted the slave meeting, she would get them all beat, whipped to ribbons and cut to shreds. The last time Anahita had had a beating was two sunsets ago, it was not a pleasant one. Marks remained on her olive skin, a lash on her right cheek dark and visible from miles.
She stood, “thank you for informing me.”
Rose left without another word, her footsteps soft on the dirty earth. Anahita stood and turned to look over the hills at the Castle, she could see the torches flicking and flaring. Calls from the guards broke the night silence, a soft bell rang and Anahita knew that it was for her crew.
She began to walk quickly; other servants of the Queen exited their homes and nodded to her silently, their faces ashen and hair scruffy from sleep. Some yawned but shook some life into themselves, not wanting to look too dirty in front of the Queen. Together they made their way up the hill; the steps were invisible in the night, a couple of slaves slipped and cried out in pain. Grunts from above forced them up quicker, being late to see the Queen would lead to a brutal punishment.
They reached the top of the steps and ugly looking guards with red uniform scowled like they were the ultimate cleanliness of Persia, beards tangled with their armour over their chests, shields gripped tightly to their side, sword out and ready like the enemy was just spitting distance.
“In,” they snorted.
Anahita and the others stepped in; the heat of the candlelight’s in the brackets illuminated the grand hallways. Silver doors on either side of the hallway led to bedrooms of high visitors or the Queens relatives who obviously would never rein. The floors shimmered like glitter; Anahita looked back a few times to check if anyone had brought their dirty shoes with them, no one wore mucky shoes. If the floor had been damaged, the Queen would have given another beating upon another.
The signs led them easily into the charming and cool Theatre Room where the Queen Concetta herself half lay in her lounge chair. The whiteness of her silk gown dropped down over the chair and onto the marble floor, guards stood stiff like boulders around the room, the silence engulfed the Castle, a hawk caught in a kill. The frozen Queen waved a hand and the double doors slammed shut, making the servants jump in shock.
The Queen laughed hysterically, “what little rats. Are you not? Ragged insects, homeless dogs, poor cats, dirty horses. Is there anything you can wear that at least shows you have some honour for me?”
She stood like a stick and made down the five steps, she was tall; maybe her legs gave her the tree like impression. Anahita stood up straighter as the Queen Concetta glided forwards, with her train sweeping the floors behind her, she was almost flying. The Queen did not like Anahita; every other Persian had light brown hair and blue eyes, Anahita had silk black hair and coffee brown eyes. She had always been cast an outsider, but the servants did not speak to each other in such insolence. Her name was Persian, but that was the only defence she had. Anahita was small in height and skinny; the Persians were tall and chubby, that was also an extra two reasons given to the Queen not to like her.
“Why isn’t the kitchen clean?”
Anahita blinked; the kitchen? They had left the kitchen clean and tidy this evening after serving dinner. This was impossible, she was the last one to exit and everything had been spotless. It was impossible, no one could ever enter the kitchen, and Anahita had the keys on her. She reached into her pocket and felt the small coldness of the key, sighing with relief she almost stumbled but Ali reached over and steadied her. He was shaking; a massive man like him was shaking.
“Come on,” the Queen’s face was kind as she passed the row of half-asleep servants. “Own up, children. Who did it?”
Someone mumbled and the Queen spun on them, her fingers twitching, the diamond rings sparkling as the candlelight’s reflected on them. Anahita closed her eyes and inhaled.
“What did you say?” Queen Concetta grinned, her white teeth flashing.
“We left your majesty, straight after serving dinner,” it was Havana trying to save herself once again. “We all left.”
“Then who did it?”
Havana slid her bright blue eyes towards Anahita and Anahita clenched her little fists, even though her eyes were drawn shut she knew what was happening.
“It was Anahita, your majesty, she locks up.”
The Queen turned to Anahita, and Anahita opened her eyes. The Queen stood before the small girl and grinned. Her cheeks were high and bubbly, her thin lips slapped with blood colouring, eyes made up with liquids and other royal dressings. The Queen licked her lips, raised an arm like she was about to slap someone and bent two fingers in a come-here motion. Two guards came forward with sticks and whips in both hands.
“Beat her bloody,” Queen Concetta snarled and turned back to her chair to watch the show. “Then make her sweep the blood, and then clean the kitchen, tonight.”
The guards grinned, and Anahita screamed as one lash came snapping down.
THE wounds were torn, blood leaked from them like an open tap. Anahita had just finished cleaning up the Theatre Room and dragged herself into the kitchen, taking her time on the stairs; her feet were saved but were shaking in their shoes. The aftershocks of the whips and sticks still buzzed her bones, the hooks still stung, the punches and kicks ached. She walked past guards who giggled their appreciation, some tripped her over, but she got to her feet and managed to dodge the others with much effort.
The kitchen was a mess, dishes everywhere, food scattered on the floor, bananas smudged over the worktops and everything was just dirty. The clay pots were broken, a billions pieces over the far corner, Anahita whimpered like a lost pup.
Havana came in, looking a little lost, looking like she was nothing but a casual Castle maid. She saw the state of Anahita and cringed, her pale lips in a thin straight line.
“Dear me,” she said smugly. “I told you so many times, little one, that cleaning up and locking up are the best and easiest effortless jobs around here.”
Anahita clenched her half broken jaw, “you have no right to be here. Get
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