Chapter 34

The closer Sybelien and Nahseyra came to the battlefield, the tighter the little girl squeezed the blonde’s hand. When the six-year-old halted, Sybelien came to a quick decision. Rather than drag the little girl to meet a god she would try to talk Nahseyra through her apprehension.

“It looks spooky, doesn’t it?” She asked.

Nahseyra’s gaze was transfixed to the happenings on the battlefield but at least she nodded.

“What’s the scariest of the things you see?” Sybelien continued to question.

“The blood smeared woman looking over the shoulder of the kneeling man,” Nahseyra whispered.

“I think so, too,” Sybelien agreed. “That’s Eva and she’s probably berating Jabbit for doing a sloppy job mending the wounds of her patch-men.”

“What is a patch-man?” The little girl asked.

“That’s how Eva named the dead men Jabbit reanimates,” Sybelien answered. “They are somehow crudely put-together, with huge scars, mismatching arms or legs, and such. I guess that’s why she named them the patch-men. They serve as her soldiers and don’t say a lot, aside from, ‘yes, Commander’, when she’s bossing them around.”

“I think the patch-men are scared of her, too,” Nahseyra supposed.

“I guess you’re right,” Sybelien agreed once more. “You’re lucky you don’t have to ask Evanis to heal your mom and brother. Jabbit doesn’t look scary, does he?”

The girl shook her head and then they walked on.

As they arrived at the battlefield Evanis turned toward them. Closely regarding the pair, she raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word.

“Hello, Eva,” Sybelien greeted. “Do you remember Princess Nahseyra, Prince Agon’s daughter?”

“Of course,” she replied, looking at the girl. “Hello, Nahseyra; did the Prince Commander choose you as his new negotiator?”

Nahseyra stared at Evanis and shook her head.

“Hmm, if you’re not here to negotiate,” the warrioress mused, “then maybe you are his chosen champion and you came to challenge me to a duel?”

The speed of Nahseyra’s headshakes vastly increased in response to the question.

Sybelien rolled her eyes. “Don’t tease her, Eva,” she chided. “Your appearance is gruesome enough. At least scrub the blood off your face; you look like you jumped out of a nightmare.”

“Yes, mom,” Evanis dryly replied and apologized to Nahseyra. “Sorry, little one, but you looked so frightened I couldn’t resist.”

“Instead of making fun of a frightened child, shouldn’t you want to comfort her?” Shinta asked.

“That would be a common woman’s reaction,” Anseyla confirmed. “But you should have realized Eva is nothing like a usual woman - or even just a normal human being.” Turning to the little girl, she continued. “Hello, Nahseyra. Maybe you remember me? I’m Ansa, Evanis’ little sister. I also want to apologize for her teasing. She’s a big meanie. Can you imagine how much I had to suffer while growing up with her? Anyhow, I know you must have a reason to come here and that reason wasn’t to talk to Eva; you’re too smart for that. Please tell me, why did you visit us?”

“I’ll go and wash somewhere before I can’t suppress the urge any longer to drown my own sister in the bay,” Evanis grumbled and left.

Nahseyra watched her go before she answered Anseyla. “I come because I want to ask the ... Jabbit to make my mom and my brother Hammie healthy again.”

“Oh,” Anseyla exclaimed, looking aghast at the girl. Then she straightened her stance and bowed before the little princess. “I also have to apologize for my own stupid blathering. I’m sorry, Nahseyra; you came for very serious reasons. You must think us a bunch of silly little girls fooling around without a care in the world. Again, I apologize. I’m certain my Lord will talk to you. I’m also certain he will take you and everything you have to say very seriously.”

Jabbit finished closing the cut in the neck of an Ibanee soldier and they both stood up. The new patch-man joined the Imperial Alorian Guard and Jabbit stepped in front of the little princess.

“A good day to you, Princess Nahseyra,” he greeted. “Take my hand and let’s take a walk while we discuss what we both want from each other.”

Every woman present stopped what they were doing and stared at Jabbit. Even Evanis had stopped and looked at him which, in turn, prompted all the patch-men to do the same.

“Boss,” Sybelien said, not letting go of the little girl’s hand. “I gave my word to her father I would bring his daughter back to him.”

“Did you also promise to tell him everything Nahseyra and I will talk about?”

“No,” she answered. “But I’m damn sure he’s watching right now and I worry when he sees you taking his little girl’s hand and then leave with her, Agon will lose his mind from fear and might do something we all will regret.”

“My Lord, we all heard what Nahseyra wants to ask you,” Anseyla joined. “Please, can’t you just tell her that her mom and brother will become healthy again and then let her go back to her father?”

Jabbit looked first at Anseyla and then at Sybelien. Finally, he looked at the little girl.

“Do you want me to lie to you so you can return to your father?” He asked.

Anseyla hung her head and Sybelien let go of Nahseyra’s hand as the little girl vehemently shook her head in answer to the question.

“Now, you two can either help taking care of Agon’s fears or wait until the Princess and I return,” Jabbit said as Nahseyra took his offered hand and they walked off together. “And you’ll take care that no one follows us,” he added as they passed Evanis.

“Holy shit,” Shinta whispered when Jabbit was gone. “You could’ve warned me. I thought it was impossible to piss him off.”

“It’s not impossible,” Anseyla sighed. “But it’s unpredictable.”

“He’s walking away with Nahsie!” Agon var Dosha burst out.

Anjatta var Dosha responded by immediately stepping in front of her brother.

“No; don’t run after them!” She warned. “Agon, our family has done more than enough already to create this horrible situation. Our uncle imprisoned one of Jabbit’s friends and banished him, our cousin declared war on him, mom poisoned him, I tried to cheat him, and you commanded the Ibanee army to hunt him. Our family did everything to enrage a god but I pray your little daughter can pacify him enough to save at least two innocents. Pray with me Agon; pray Nahseyra can save your wife and son!”

For a moment Agon var Dosha just stared at his sister, then he let his head droop – or maybe it was a gesture meant to be a nod. Whatever it was, he did not run after Jabbit and Nahseyra.

The sky had cleared and the sun was shining as Jabbit and Nahseyra walked alongside the waterfront. They didn’t talk until they left the harbor and reached the beach. They sat down in the fine white sand and looked across the blue waters of the Bay of Sanjaba.

“Do you believe in the Ibanee gods?” Jabbit asked after a little while.

The small girl nodded.

“And are you afraid of the gods?”

She shook her head. “I’m scared of thunder and lightning and when I pray to Tanesha, she always makes the storm go away. I’m not afraid of our gods.”

“Is Tanesha the Goddess of Storms?”

“Tanesha is the Goddess of the Wind and she rules the storms,” the girl answered.

“But if Tanesha rules the storms, it also means she calls for the storms which scare you, doesn’t it?”

“I guess it does,” the little princess conceded with pursed lips and a frown.

“Do you think I am a god like the Ibanee gods you believe in?”

“I think you are a god,” the princess carefully answered. “Everyone says it was you who made all the people sick and that only a god can do such things. Is it true?”

Jabbit shrugged. “I don’t know what someone must be able to do in order for people to call him a god.”

Nahseyra shook her head. “I want to know if it’s true. Did you make mom and Hammie and all the others sick?”

Jabbit shrugged again. “I guess I did,” he answered and then he looked her in the eyes. “I was angry at your uncle and such things happen when I’m angry.”

“Are you still angry?”

He nodded. “I’m angry because your cousin Khalib broke a seashell I got as a present from a girl I liked very much.”

“Oh - I’m sorry he broke your shell. Khalib is often mean to me, too. My mom gave me a pony on my birthday but Khalib has forbidden me to ride on Natifa. He says it’s unseemly for a girl to ride,” Nahseyra reported but then she looked at Jabbit, suspiciously. “But Khalib didn’t become sick like the others. Granny Luwani said he went insane and is frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog. Last night I heard him howling like a dog, too.”

Jabbit grinned. “Can you keep a secret?”

The princess avidly nodded.

“When Khalib stomped on the clamshell, a tiny splinter of the shell pierced the sole of his foot. The splinter stuck in his foot and that’s what makes him howl like a dog.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I won’t tell anyone, I promise,” she said. Then she looked in Jabbit’s face and two tears spilled from her eyes. “But mom and Hammie didn’t do anything mean to you. Please, God Jabbit, please make them healthy again,” Nahseyra pleaded, the two tears running down her cheeks.

“Do you like haggling?” Jabbit asked excitedly.

“Haggling?” The little girl sniffed and wiped off her tears. “I don’t know how to haggle.”

“Haggling is easy,” he answered. “But it’s fun. You have to ask me for much more than you really want from me and then I do the same; I’ll ask for much more in return than what I really want from you.”

“But I don’t have much. You can have everything I...”

“No,” Jabbit interrupted. “First tell me what you want from me. Remember, you have to ask for much more than you really want.”

“I want you to make my mom and...” she stopped when Jabbit shook his head.

“Ask for more,” he whispered.

“Ouh, I want ... my whole family... , “ she paused when she saw him raising his hand and tried anew, “Ouh, I want you to make everyone healthy?”

“Very good,” Jabbit praised. “Now it’s my turn. I’ll heal everyone if you become the Queen of Ibanee and burn the temples of all the Ibanee gods.”