Levi clan part 4

The night sky was darkened by a blanket of thick, ominous clouds as the Levi clan prepared to evacuate their homes. The streets of Baalos echoed with hurried footsteps and whispered conversations. The Levi clan was on the move.

Families from all over the city hurried out, including those with children, the elderly, and even pets. The history of the Eichi was rife with stories of how instability turned the masses against them. The people who were easy scapegoats, on whom all blame was pushed.

They hurried to the main square, into the large well where most of the citizens drew their water. One Eichi climbed down, using the rope and lit a light.

As Joan and Yosef descended, they saw that the water system was actually a massive tunnel.

"How did you know about this?" Joan asked.

"Because we built this," Thyen explained with a hint of pride. "Our ancestors foresaw the rise and fall of empires and the potential need for escape routes. If we could fall, so could any other empire or nation.

"We've always been builders and artisans. These tunnels run for miles and have been our secret escape plan for generations."

As they descended into the dark tunnels, the elder touched the wall. Divine scripture and text started to illuminate the walls, written by a sorcerer long ago, now wielded by Thyen. The tunnels zigzagged like a maze, but the lights showed the way, so the tens and hundreds of Eichi could march.

Yosef walked into the dark and wet tunnel and said, "I just stepped onto something. First, it was furry and made a sound. Then it went silent and became squishy..."

Joan shot him a glance. "Was it a rat?"

"Possibly... or was," Yosef replied, grimacing as he scraped his shoe against the ground. "Now it's mush."

The group continued to march, the eerie silence of the tunnels occasionally broken by the soft murmur of conversations and the distant echo of footsteps. The divine scripture inscribed on the walls pulsated in soft hues of blue and green, casting ethereal reflections across the wet floor.

"Elder Thyen," asked one hapolot Eichi, "why are you willing to go to such lengths for them?"

"It is our duty to help our own, no matter what clan they associate with," Thyen explained.

"Yes, but isn't it clear? He is an outsider, most likely even to his clan. He travels with a human woman. They are more of a risk than anything else," he asked.

"We do this so that future generations will see and understand that we have never, and never shall have been, the cause for people to hate us. We will be kind, so when inevitably they will be in the same situation as we are now. They will know that the hatred comes from pure ignorance, as they nor their ancestors only gave kindness to the universe," Thyen explained.

After what felt like hours, they finally emerged from the tunnels. Above them, the moon shone brightly, illuminating the surrounding area. They had emerged near the sea, where the reeds grew, and close by was a ship anchored not far from the coast.

Rowboats were ready to take the Levi clan away, but as the people were preparing to board, lights formed around them. Soldiers, militiamen, and the large head priest of Xerxes had surrounded them all.

The large priest stepped forward, the golden embroideries on his robe shimmering under the moonlight. "I heard there was still a commune of you bug people in our city?" he boomed, a sinister grin on his face. He then took out a head, the head of the guardsman the Eichi had bribed earlier. "You have bought your way into our fair city long enough, but now, morals rule the city and not your gold."

A gasp rippled through the crowd of Eichi. Their secret escape route, known only to them, had been compromised. Despair filled their eyes, but Thyen, their elder, remained defiant.

"Our ancestors were the ones who built this city. They brought trade and prosperity and built the palaces where your great leaders live," Thyen shouted.

"Those leaders are dead, as they did not have real faith in Xerxes. Now true moral rulers shall rule Baalos," he claimed.

Yosef and Joan exchanged a glance, realizing the gravity of the situation. Yosef whispered, "Any ideas?"

Joan nodded, her fingers touching the hilt of her sword. "Distraction. We need to cause enough chaos for the Eichi to escape."

"But I will let you go, as the lord sent word of his wishes," the priest said, pointing at Yosef and Joan. "A guard here told me a human had been spotted, traveling with an Eichi. If you are the ones I think you are, you are part of the group our lord Xerxes wishes the most..."

Yosef and Joan exchanged another glance. They had assumed they were traveling discreetly, but now it seemed their movements had been closely watched.

The massive priest continued, "You two will come with us. The rest... well, I will decide."

Suddenly, a sharp whistle echoed through the air. Before anyone could react, a volley of arrows rained down from the tall reeds. The militiamen were caught off guard, with many falling to the ground, while others ducked and looked around in panic. The priest, though large and muscular, was taken by surprise, receiving a few arrows in his leg and shoulder.

The worshippers of Arslan had also ambushed them, but they were not alone. The earth rumbled as dust rose into the air. Scethian riders on top of kevahs rode out, shooting arrows with composite bows, while others with divine power slew guards, zealots, and militiamen alike.

Chaos ensued, with Eichi grabbing whatever weapons they could and engaging in a skirmish with the guards to push through and escape onto the ship.

The Scethians, known for their brutality, cut down many of the militiamen and guards. They wielded divine powers, shooting arrows imbued with bolts of lightning and wielding flaming curved swords.

Joan seized this opportunity to draw her weapon, her large greatsword. With a swing, she cleaved through two guards who tried to rush her. Yosef's puppets took down a few unlucky militiamen who came between him and the boats.

"Quickly, to the boats!" shouted Thyen.

Eichi families hurriedly climbed into the boats, rowing towards the anchored ship. Thyen was clumsily being helped onto the boat when two arrows from the Scethians struck him in the back, causing him to fall into the sea, dead.

"Let's get going already!" Joan yelled, rushing onto a boat.

Joan suddenly felt an impact and instinctively swung her sword backward. It was the lifeless body of an Eichi, thrown by the enormous priest. Despite his injuries, the priest advanced, a smile on his face, unfazed by pain.

"Has that guy ever heard of dying?" Yosef asked.

"Ah, a little scratch won't stop a true servant of Xerxes," the priest chuckled, pulling out the arrows with ease. "With true faith, one feels free, while the others... die."

Joan rushed at the priest, trying to cleave him as one of Yosef's puppets shot a musket round at him. The bullet pierced the priest's chest, but he didn't even blink.

Joan's blade cut into the priest's shoulder, sending him tumbling backward. This time, pain registered in his eyes, and a look of surprise colored his features, but then he just smiled and said, "Good swing," and punched Joan so hard that she was sent flying into the reeds, and saying, "But I have a better punch."

"Damn, this priest even does one-liners. What else can he do?" Yosef said.

"Stop making jokes," Joan said, who was hurt, but her rage satiated her pain as she got up, covered in reeds and all wet.

Yosef, half-amused, directed his puppets to continue the assault. "It's my way of coping! Besides, he's got a weird charm, doesn't he? Much more fun than the one on Isra."

The priest charged forward, his robe billowing behind him like the wings of a dark angel. But as he waded through the shallow beach water, he turned back and saw a few kevah riders break through his militiamen. His attention was forced to fight them.

Joan was still fuming, ready to continue the fight. 

"Ap, pap, pap," Yosef said, who stopped Joan from trying to fight the priest more. "How about we just now get on a boat and get out of here, huh?"

Joan, trying to catch her breath, shot Yosef an annoyed look. "Fine, but we're not done with him."

The two, with the remaining Eichi, hopped onto one of the last boats, rowing hastily towards the anchored ship. As they did, they watched the chaos on the shore.

"I hope to see you soon, as it is inevitable, just as Xerxes is," the priest yelled as he fought the riders.

Soon, they were aboard the ship, which immediately set sail, its crew efficiently raising the sails and catching the wind. They moved away from the shore, leaving behind the glowing embers of the battle.

"That was... intense," Yosef panted, but then looked around.

All the Eichi who had survived and were on board stared at them with such hatred.

"You are the ones they wanted. Because of you, the elder is dead!" one yelled.

"My son died because of you," a mother yelled.

"I am the only one left of my family," a third added.

Yosef felt bad. As he watched the Eichi, his kind, yell at him, he saw memories. Memories from his past.

.

.

.

"GO AWAY, BROTHER! WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE WITH US!"

.

.

.

.

"Oh shut up, will you!" Joan yelled, snapping Yosef back to reality.

Joan was still angry and slicked her hair back.

"The fuck did you think they were going to do to you? They would have killed you either way, with or without us. AND YOU ALL KNOW IT! So don't go guilt-tripping us!" she yelled.

The Eichi exchanged whispers and murmurs among themselves. There were no nods of reluctant agreement, mostly anger, but no one dared to speak back directly to Joan. No one had the courage or energy to do so anymore. And the Eichi knew they were forever outsiders, forever always in the crossfire.

~~

The journey on the sea was tense. The deck was crowded with the Eichi, trying to make sense of the situation and grieve their losses. Yosef and Joan were kept at a distance, being allocated a small space towards the bow.

That night, as the moon cast its shimmering light across the waters, Joan found Yosef staring blankly at the stars.

"It's not our fault, you know?" she whispered, sitting beside him.

"Wasn't it... kind of?" Yosef asked.

"Maybe. But we also had to survive. We can't always be walking on eggshells. Never have we, and never will. You think all the choices Rufus made were always the best? Fuck no. There are always those who get caught in the crossfire, but we just have to be sure it's not us," Joan explained her reasoning.

"But why does it always have to be the Eichi?"

Yosef looked at the Eichi families – mothers consoling their children, old ones lost in thought, and some just gazing into the vast nothingness.

~~

For days they sailed through the sea. The Eichi survivors dismissed and ignored Yosef and Joan.

On the eleventh day of the voyage, Joan and Yosef were woken up.

"There are the lands of the Lakhmids," an Eichi said, pointing to a distant shoreline. "Now leave and never come back."

All the Eichi watched with hatred and eagerness as the two left the ship. Yosef and Joan made their way to a smaller rowboat. Yosef hesitated for a moment before embarking, but then heard a child, whose mother had died during the escape, whisper, "I hope you never existed in the first place."

When they reached the shore of the Lakhmids, the golden sands seemed to stretch endlessly. The two of them disembarked and started walking inland.