Ryan turned and saw a man in a black top hat with a gray ribbon .
Ryan was surprised by his look, he expected someone raggedy.
He was in a three piece suit, inside he wore a with shit with a gray
cravat.
Over that he wore a blue-black vest and finally a black tailcoat and a matching pair of trousers.
"It's nice to meet you ."
"Jon Doe?"
"Fascinating!"
Jon Doe walked around him as he said. Ryan watched him watch him, stopping and turning the opposite side, when he got to 180 degrees.
"Who created you and don't say the circus freak. I know he can't reanimate a cockroach, less you."
"Rowen, a necromancer called Rowen created me."
"Rowen, the Aspirator. Of course, he died on a high note. When I thought I have won, he goes ahead a do something extra ordinary."
Jon went on and on.
"Come with me, I'll teach you all that I know."
As Ryan follow him he felt a pain at his back. He ignored it and continued walking. The pain pierced him again and this time he fell to his knees.
"I'm not suppose to feel pain what the hell is this?"
Ryan thought as he screamed and fell to the ground. Jon ripped his shirt and saw a leach which was about 3 millimetres long and an inch thick. It was stuck on Ryan, bruising it's surrounding areas.
"Oh my, who did this to you."
"What, what is it?"
Ryan put his hand behind his back and touched it. That part of his skin felt slimy.
"It's a leach."
"Get it out, can't get it is slippery."
"It's a dread leach, stay calm I'll get it out."
Jon took out a pocket knife from his Jacket pocket. He cut Ryan in the palm and drew a crossed leg K on his forehead with his blood.
Jon dipped his hand in Ryans palm again.
"What's wrong hurry up."
"Can't move…."
Ryan turned and saw Cynthia and the same man that bond him.
Miles away Pencil laid faced down on grassland. She looked at her travel path and saw broken and burning trees.
"Zamil alti tu baat"
Pencil heard and turned her head in the opposite direction. A man and three woman walked towards her. The woman who wore yashmak watched as the man poked her with a stick.
As she lost consciousness, the man covered he face with a rag he had with him.
He carried her and the women helped him out of the crater caused but the lightning strike.
When pencil came to, she was wrapped in bandages. She took off the bandages and saw a reddish fern like pattern on her forearms. She followed it an noticed it travelled up her neck.
A woman in a yashmak walked in startling her.
"Kun vat nehi "
She said with hands up.
"What did you do to me."
Pencil asked and the woman rushed out.
"Hey wait…"
Pencil heard voices out and got out of bed to find out what was going on. As people argued that words that caught her attention were, Baal Shuti and Yam Buti.
After awhile she got back into bed. Moments later another woman in a yashmak walked in with the first woman.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm great, when can I leave?"
"Soon, I hope."
"What is Sugar Booty and Bal?"
The woman chuckled but the other got out immediately.
"Don't worry about that, they are trying to figure out if you are a curse or a blessing. I am Aila, Balian 'usra."
"I am May..Pencil, Usra can you tell me where I am?"
"Balian 'usra means Balian family. Aila is my name, and you are in our family home in Starase."
"Woow, I'm way off course. What happened to me?"
"You were struck by lightning."
"Oh, okay."
"What were you doing in the middle of nowhere without a yashmak?"
"Oh, the vail thing. I'm not from here. I literally don't even know where here is."
Another woman walked in and whispered into the Aila's ear. Aila and some other women came and helped Pencil change into a similar black gown with a yashmak.
"Come with us, our father will see you now."
Aila said after they finished dressing her. Jewelleries she wore clinked as she followed them. She kept tripping on the gown, so she lifted it up . Aila smacked her hand when she turned around.
"Ouch"
She said then let go of the gown.
They entered a room where an old man sat on a couch the size of a bed. The other women got on their knees immediately they entered the room. Pencil followed their lead and got on her knees and bowed.
"Yaelu"
The old man said and the woman got up and Pencil rose with them.
The old man spoke in their local language and Pencil looked at Aila for meaning. The other women went to sit on sitting cushions behind a folding screen.
"He said, who are you and how did you get here?"
"I'm Pencil and I don't know how I got here. I'm suppose to be in Mangoase."
"We introduce ourselves with our family name, so we know where you are from."
Aila said to Pencil.
"Well, my surname is Scholes, got it from a father figure, I don't know the name of my actual father."
Aila explain to the old man and Pencil watched them as they spoke.
Pencil wondered what he said because it made people uncomfortable.
"Our father offers you a place in our family."
"Oh no thank you, I'm good."
Aila interpreted and riled the crowd up again.
"You don't have to answer now, he gives you a day to think about it."
Aila and Pencil bow and walked out of the room and the other women followed them. They escorted Pencil back to her room and discussed what happened on their way back.
Aila didn't say a word to Pencil on the way back. She knew she had done something wrong. She followed Aila to find out what she had done.
"Aila"
She shouted her name and every one looked at her. She nodded at them and continued to follow Aila. She could not walk fast and kept tripping on her dress. This made it hard for her to catch up with Aila. She drew attention too if she lifted her dress.
The place was like a maze, she made a turn and noticed the person she was following was not Aila.
"Dang it, I must have lost her awhile back."
Pencil said and went back to where he actually saw her last. On her way there she saw four women but remember one of the women had a limp. She quickly hurried and noticed it was one of the women who helped dress her.
Fortunately, she saw Aila entering a room. She opened the door and saw Aila from behind.
She turned when she heard the door close.
"What are you doing here?"
"Wait, how old are you?"
"You shouldn't be here, what if you are sent for?"
"I just don't understand how the old man is your father. We are about the same age. He should be like your grandfather. "
"He is actually my great great great grandfather. There may be another great or two. He is Jaleel Bin Ghazi, the head of Ziona and he just asked you to join the family, and you refused like he was handing out kebabs at an event."
"Hey,hey I'm sorry. He maybe important but that's how I truly feel. In fact I am surprised you guys stay despite how you women are treated."
"You really are not from here. We are what the outside world call Ziona. Some say we are a cult, commune and all sort of names. I'll show you maybe you'll understand."
Aila walked to the door and looked it. She closed her eyes tightly.
"What are you doing?"
"You will know when you see it"
For a moment a second Aila appeared and disappeared.
"Woow, I just saw it."
"That is why I stay, I want to learn seals and create the first female only Hashashin."
The next day Pencil accepted Bin Ghazi's offer. But when she was about to be given her seal. He stopped, "you are bound by emotions…"
"It seems you are bound by you father figure."
"How do I undo the bond."
"Kill him"
"He is already dead."
"Then you are having a bond with another, kill that person and I will give you my seal."
Pencil got up and walked out of the room.