Shahla had never seen a Nikan city. Even with Xinhou in rebellion, the grandeur of the Empire was still on full display.

The morning they arrived, a fog had mixed with the morning sun in such a way that the city’s

massive walls and towers looked like the gates to a Nikan-flavored heaven.

The architects had made the walls of solid white stone and reached thrice as high as the walls around the greatest Qahtanad cities. Two giant towers with multiple pagoda roofs guarded the gate.

How anyone planned to siege this place was beyond her. No ladder could handle the height of these walls. No battering ram could break open these solid iron gates.

Shahla’s allies, Kameko, and her scouts were allowed into the city. As the slow-moving gate closed behind them, Shahla was overwhelmed by sights, smells and sounds.

Kameko led them through the city’s cobblestone roads, more tightly fit together and flat than any road Shahla had seen.

The major attraction, however, were the massive spires of white stone that looked as though buildings had been stacked on top of each other before being encased in brick and connected by wide staircases.

At the top of the pillars were arcing bridges that connected them together. They almost seemed to defy the laws of physics.

Everything was clean, but certain areas still maintained the charm of a dirty Qahtanad bazaar.

Despite being a warmongering empire, Shahla couldn’t help but be impressed by what the Nikan had accomplished with architecture and engineering.

She would’ve expected the capital to look like this, sure. But not a city amid a rebellion.

The only way she actually remembered the state of the city was the gold and red Nikan banners that had been torn up or covered up by white banners with some character of their language on it.

But aside from that, people simply went about their business.

Kamakeo’s scouts had left them before she stepped up to a wooden platform bordered by rails and a gate, with ropes attached to the top of a spire. She tossed a coin to a man sitting nearby, told him something in her language and beckoned Shahla and her allies to get on the platform.

The man elbowed a lever once they were all aboard, causing the platform to rise into the air.

“What is this?” Najeem asked.

“A lift system. Costs a bit, but it makes it easier on old folks and frankly anyone who has to go up those godsforsaken stairs.” Kameko explained.

As they climbed higher, Shahla could see the city in all its glory.

“Damn. If only I could paint this view…” Shakti murmured, thinking the same thing Shahla was, “Ugh. The place with the best cities in the world just had to be ruled by a conquest-hungry tyrant, didn’t it?”

The lift stopped at a platform atop the spire.

“Alright, everyone off.” Kameko opened a gate on the other side of the lift. They disembarked from the lift.

A small collection of buildings surrounded the platform on top of the spire, with a beautiful garden and patio in the middle.

On the patio, five men drank tea and talked with each other around a circular wooden table.

Kameko approached them and clasped her left hand over her right fist and bowed, shouting something sharp in Nikan.

They exchanged a few lines before switching to...so-so Qahtanad. It was a miracle they knew her language at all.

“Welcome to Xinhou, travelers.” One of them, a middle-aged man of about fifty, gave them the same gesture Kameko had offered, “I am Commander Jia Long, leader of the White Tiger Rebellion.”

“Thank you for having us, commander.” Seang bowed her head.

“Captain Iseri tells me you all have extraordinary powers that can help us defend our city. This would be a welcome addition to our meager forces.” Commander Jia said, “We have no Bane Knights of our own, so we will need people to deal with them.”

“We are not exactly Bane Knights, but I think we would match up to them pretty well.” Najeem said.

“We expect the army to arrive by tomorrow or the day after. The Koini reinforcements we need to stave off the siege will come four or five days from now. Once that happens, the Nikan will back off. You will be free to use any tunnels and passageways we control after that.” Jia said. He gestured to his right, “This is Cephalus Ducas, Koinelia’s emissary for our annexation.”

A rather light-skinned man with brown hair stood from his seat and bowed in a very western fashion. “Pleased to meet you.” His Qahtanad was a thousand times better, bordering on fluent.

“Until the siege starts, please make yourselves at home atop Xuanwei Spire.” the commander said, “Captain Iseri, we’ve assigned you to look after them.”

“Sir!” Kameko saluted.

“Show them to Xuanwei.”

Kameko bowed before turning to Shahla and her allies, beckoning them to follow her.

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They left the platform and crossed several bridges to another platform similar in layout to the last.

“The commander is lending this place to you, so don’t mess it up too badly.” Kameko said.

“The open space is good.” Lokapele said, “Because we have to train. If we’re going into war, we don’t have time for amateur hour on the battlefield. Shahla, Najeem, you two need practice.”

“Wait, I just said not to mess it up.”

“Don’t worry. Lokapele’s really the only one who could damage it.” Shahla offered Kameko a smile.

Kameko sighed and took a seat on one of the stone benches. “Whatever. Just don’t make me pay for anything.”

As Lokapele started doing stretches, Najeem tugged at Shahla’s arm.

“What?” Shahla asked.

Najeem dragged her away and shushed her.

“I’m not so sure about this, Shahla.” Najeem muttered.

“What? Why?”

“The emissary.” Najeem said, “He looks like an emissary and acts like one, but his eyes, Shahla. There was something in his eyes I don’t trust.”

“Najeem, even if that man is a... well, I don’t know what exactly you’re accusing him of, but even if that’s the case and this is only a temporary arrangement.” Shahla said.

Najeem sighed, “All I want is for you to promise me that if things get hairy and the reinforcements don’t show, you don’t die with these people.”

Shahla paused, contemplating her answer. Then she finally nodded, “Alright. If you think we really need to leave, we can leave.”

______________________________________________________________________

Having a full set of new charcoal pens helped Shakti feel at ease. Not using them, but just having them.

That didn’t mean she didn’t use them, though.

She’d rarely gotten an opportunity to sketch or paint or even practice her instruments because they had all been left in Aotearoa.

Now they finally had some money to spare since food and drink were provided to them, so Shakti took the first chance she got to buy a new sketchbook and charcoal. At least she had something she could do.

As she’d so desperately wanted to before, she sat near the edge of the spire and started to draw the city beneath her. She had to capture it before the sun set.

What she got out was a rough sketch. She was out of practice, that much was clear.

Shakti sighed and tried again once she’d been allowed to get back into her flow. She took herself inside the house given to them to stay in for the time being. It was large enough to give all of them separate rooms and was neatly furnished with wicker wood. Shakti had lived nowhere larger than a hut, so having more space than she needed was a new feeling.

Najeem, Vai, Kameko and Lokapele sat on stools around a table playing a board game while Shahla watched. Seang was cooking something in the kitchen in a separate room.

Shakti entered the kitchen. “Need any help?”

Seang nodded, not looking away from an iron cauldron filled with soup. “Can you fire that dough?”

Shakti looked over at several balls of dough waiting on a wooden cutting board next to a heated oven. She moved the dough from the board to the oven’s stone surface with a spatula.

“At least now I won’t have to do everything myself.” Seang murmured, “I’m the newest member of the group and it’s like they expect me to do everything.”

“Well, they’d probably just do everything for themselves if you took a day off. That’s what we did before you joined.” Shakti said, bringing out her sketchpad. She drew a rough sketch of Seang. “How is it that one gets a Shedim, Seang?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. I just feel like I haven’t been that helpful.”

“You’re plenty helpful.” Seang said, “You always pull your weight when we set up camp.”

“I mean in combat.” Shakti said, “You guys are going to face down an army and I’ll just be another helpless citizen.”

Seang sighed, “Well, if you really think you need a Shedim, you likely won’t manifest one between now and the siege. They typically come around when you’re in dire need of them. I heard Lokapele got hers when she was caught in a storm at sea. Shahla got hers when she and Najeem escaped their country. Najeem got his because he thought I was going to kill his mistress.”

“Oh.” Shakti muttered.

“And don’t you even think about throwing yourself into danger?” Seang said.

“Of course! I’d never do that.”

Seang shrugged, “Eh. I half believe that”

Shakti frowned, “I’ll admit I’m impulsive, but I’m not suicidal.”

Shakti pulled the dough out of the oven and set it back on the cutting board before leaving the kitchen and sitting on one of the benches around the edges of the sitting room where the others played their game. Vai and Lokapele had lost, and now it was just Najeem and Kameko battling it out.

She turned to a blank page on her sketchpad and started drawing the Nikan woman as she thoughtfully stared at the board.

Shakti noticed how Kameko slyly hovered her hand as if hesitating to move, both giving Najeem a false sense of security and drawing his attention away from the part of the board she was actually looking at.

But that wasn’t to discount Najeem either. As she added him to the image, she noticed he saw through Kameko’s ruse and appeared to be thinking up a plan to counter whatever move she made.

“Finally got your hands on something to draw with, huh?” Vai asked as he took a seat next to her.

They hadn’t talked in a while. Shakti hadn’t really noticed it before.

“I need something to keep myself sane.” Shakti chuckled, “I mean, those four are about to help fight off an army.”

“Yeah,” Vai sighed, “I kinda wish we could help.”

“Never thought I’d say I actually want the plague.” Shakti grinned.

Vai pursed his lips. “I can’t help but think maybe I should go back and find my people. Help them settle. I mean, you guys have maps now.”

“Hold the hell up, Vai.” Shakti put a hand on his shoulder, covered by a white cotton worker’s shirt that was open in the front. This was the first time she’d seen him wear a shirt. “You wanna leave?”

Vai nodded. “This whole thing is bigger than us. We won’t do anything that matters in the grand scheme and eventually end up getting caught in the crossfire. I’d thought you’d have the same opinion.”

Shakti paused for a moment. She herself had used that excuse several times to get them out on the sea again.

“I’ve changed my mind, Vai,” Shakti muttered, “The Nikan threaten everything. You’ve seen them at work. Ever since we escaped my hometown, I couldn’t help but think that I should’ve been there for them. I wouldn’t have been able to stop the soldiers. But at the very least, I shouldn’t have abandoned them.”

“Shakti…” Vai said, trying to think of something to console her.

“I ran away from them, Vai. I ran because I was too much of a coward to face the pain. When Seang shunned me for not joining her, I fled like a coward. She changed, and I spent my days on the run from the actions of her past self.” Shakti said, “But I won’t beat myself up over it. I’m going to do better this time instead.”

“That’s why you want to stay?”

“The people I care about care about the Nikan. And they’ll hurt those people if given the chance.” Shakti said, “I’m not running away when the going gets tough. I may not be useful practically, but I’m going to be there for my friends.”

Vai leaned back, sighing, “I don’t know, Shakti. I’m not as...fiery as you are. I just don’t want my people to suffer. But history’s just going to keep repeating itself. Think about it. Nikan dynasties never last. They’re replaced by another dynasty, who becomes just as bad or worse, and then history repeats itself. And the surrounding people suffer once again.”

“Then stay and make sure people learn from the past.” Shakti said, “You’re right. History’s just going to repeat itself if left to its own devices. So stop it. If everyone else is doing the fighting, no one’s going to take the thought to stop the same thing from happening again.”

“You think I can change that?” Vai raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Yes! Vai, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about this life, it’s that things are a lot simpler than they appear. They won’t be easy, but as long as you don’t give up, the road to your goals is worth it.” Shakti assured him.

Vai hesitated a moment, contemplating.

“I...alright. Fine. I’ll stay for now.” Vai said.

“Good.” Shakti offered a small smile, “I’d be a little lost without you.” She hugged her old friend.

Shakti would be alright if she didn’t have a Shedim. She didn’t need one to fight the Nikan. Simply being herself and supporting her friends was enough to contribute to the battle. Maybe not on the front lines, but it was better than allowing herself to be enslaved by the empire. So long as she refused to give in to despair, she was satisfied.

“Shakti.” Vai said.

“Yes?”

“You gotta see this.”

Shakti glanced up and gasped, “Vai, you’re glowing!”

Vai looked down. Blue Plague Scars ran across his chest. He looked back at her and pointed at her drawing hand. “I am! And so are you!”