Chapter 3a
~On Arrakis~ Five years after chapter 2a, and death of his comrade~
~MC around fifteen~
SHISHAKLI POV.
Many things had shifted in her life since that day, many for good and many for worse.
The words she had heard that day remained buried in her heart, for it was not her secret to tell as Inzal became more and more involved in the running of Sietch, advocating for more raids on the Harkonen, raids in which he would participate himself despite his age.
He was aggressive, using his abilities when he could, allowing them to capture and kill many of the Harkonens, stealing their equipment and water for themselves. When free, he would work with the engineers of the Sietch, helping them understand, dismantle, and rework the technology they had stolen at great peril. Though that was not all, he would help them establish and improve some of their own tech over the years, though some of it remained locked in those halls.
Many rejoiced at the success of their raids, of their revenge against the people that oppressed them, yet many traditionalists spoke against him, calling him a heretic, a corruptor of youth for most of his followers were young people.
Inzal openly denounced the prophecy of the Lisan Gaib, even coming to blows one time when few called him by that name. He spoke openly, demanding change. Many in the Fremen did not believe in the prophecy, yet few had the courage to do it openly as Inzal and then take action upon their words.
And inspiring his words were, preach to them through reason and help them with his vast knowledge. Using the Spice, they would steal. He had used it to smuggle books, scrolls, and ancient texts to educate their people. And now, as the years passed, she could see the change take place. Many a youth was now more skeptical of the words spoken by the Sayyadina, or the Revered Mother of the Bene Gesserit as she was supposed to be called.
Yet for all his success, all his work, she could see it all become undone as Stilgar, the Naib of their Sietch, summoned an emergency council and uttered the ominous words.
"The Harkonens have captured Jamis and his men," he spoke, and after a moment of silence, the mutterings began.
"They were on a raid when they were ambushed by more than two dozen men, and it has been confirmed that Jamis and six others are no Harkonen captive," she said, knowing how it was confirmed. The Fremen who lived in the city were docile, and all of them were limited in their actions as they lived under the accursed Harkonen rule.
Yet they were Fremen. They were of the desert, and that was where their loyalties lay. They would often get nuggets of intel from the inhabitants of the towns and cities.
They had lost men to Harkonen before, it was rare, yet it happened, but losing six young people like this had not happened before.
"It is all because of him," a voice came, as someone stood and pointed towards Inzal, who was still by her side.
"It is all because of him. He rouses our kids, incites them, blinds them with his tales of change and glory, now the Harkonens have struck hard. They have captured our children because of his folly," it was an elderly woman, probably the mother or grandmother of one of the captured children.
"Aye," many joined her in her protest.
"He warned th..." she tried to speak, yet Inzal stayed with her as he raised his hand.
"We must rescue them, six men. There has to be a way," and he was concerned as everyone looked towards Stilgar.
"We cannot. What time we have, we must use to relocate to another Sietch, one far away from here, and warn the others as well," he told them and the whole conference stilled as the reality of those words dawned on him.
This was their home, their sanctuary. If the Harkonens broke one of their own, as impossible as that task was, it was a possibility, one that would endanger all of the Fremen.
"But if we rescue them..."
"Do you not understand! We do not have time!" someone besides Stilgar roared in rage at Inzal as hateful gazes turned toward her, Inzal, and their group.
"You cursed child, you have brought us our doom!"
"You should suffer for this!" and many raged on as Inzal's fists balled up by her side.
"I will rescue them," Inzal's voice rang out once more, and Stilgar's second was about to speak up when Stilgar raised his hand.
"We need everyone to prepare for the departure. We have an estimate of how long one of ours may hold, and that shall give us quite some time to relocate. I forbid you from this as your Nabi," he announced, and that was the end of it.
Stilgar was the Nabi, the leader of the Sietch, the one who shall never be captured, for he was the leader and knew most about their Sietch and the whole network of them. As the Nabi, his orders were absolute for the members of a Sietch and must always be followed otherwise.
"I am afraid I cannot accept your word this time, Stilgar," Inzal said as many gasped at those words, including herself, as the realization of those words dawned on them.
Stilgar's eyes narrowed onto Inzal as her silver-haired friend walked towards the center of the gathering where Stilgar stood.
"Do you have any idea of what you are saying, Inzal," his full name was still only a secret between the two of them.
"I do," and with that he walked away, moving into one of the paths as Shishakli made to run behind him.
.
.
.
.
"You will be exiled," she said to him as he messed with one of his own creations. This suspenser-supported harness went around his torso, with a complex exhaust system behind it, along with grappling hooks infront, powered by the compressed gas cylinders that hung by his side.
"We have time. The captured were not the Nabi and knew little beyond this Sietch. We can relocate to another place, rebuild, and improve."
"It is my mistake, Shishakli," he spoke in rage as he tied blade holsters on his thighs, each with three blades in it.
"It is not, you warned them to not go on a rai..." and he had indeed warned the others to not go on any raid without him, for most of them were young and prone to mistakes and the Harkonens were ruthless. Many times, he had covered up for their mistakes through his own gifts, yet this time, he had not been there.
"But they are my men, men who believed in me, in my dream," he said through gritted teeth.
"I will not abandon them, no matter the cost," he said as he finished wearing up the gear.
"Then take me with you," she added. None in the Sietch would aid him in this, for they considered the lives of their six comrades lost.
"No!" his answer was quick.
"Bu..."
"You have not mastered this equipment, and if I am to rescue them, I must be able to maneuver through their cities freely and at an extreme pace, though even that will not be enough," he said tiredly as she saw him take something out from his pocket: a very small vial filled with a blue liquid.
Her eyes widened as she recognized it with a glance.
"The water of life," she gasped, though its name was very deceptive, for this blue water was anything but life. It was a poison so deadly that none except a select few could even hope to survive this.
"You will die," she gasped out in worry and pain, and his lips thinned.
"I may," he did not lie to her. He was not fond of lying.
"I beg you, Inzal," she pleaded as she held his hand with the vial, trying to stop him. He could overpower her, he had more strength than her, let alone the one command with his voice and she would let go, yet he did not using those powers of his on allies.
"I told you what this water does to a witch of the Bene Gesserit," he began as he looked her in the eye, and she nodded. He had. The water supposedly opened the inner eye of a Bene Gesserit, allowing her to see through the memories of their prior generations.
"But I never did tell you of what it could do to a male Bene Gesserit," he added.
"It is supposedly the final step one must take to become the one the witches have been trying to make for centuries, through blending and crossing hundreds and thousands of lineages, pruning and killing the failures along the way. They hope to control the world through him, that is their goal, their purpose" he added.
"The Kwisatz Haderach," she finished, for she had heard that name from him before.
"Indeed, the Kwisatz Haderach, the one who shall see through the boundaries of time and space," he finished as he raised the vial.
"And I believe I am but half of that," he said as he uncorked the vial. Her grip on his lands loosened at his words, and Inzal stared into her eyes.
"When I was in my mother's womb, she was poisoned, the dose too small and probably from a small prick, not even enough to register to her, yet it could have harmed my sister, had I let it," he finished weakly.
"I channeled it to myself, and great peril let took it myself, and it caused me great pain for many weeks until the pain ended and it left me with a small gift," he said as he closed his eyes.
"I could not see through time or both lines as the Kwisatz Haderach may, yet space. With limited space, I could see through and know who, what, and how many walked. The area is not much, but the gift saved me from many a peril, allowing me to save the lives of our comrades; it was how I lead our raids," he told her, and she understood the implication behind those words.
"But if I am to rescue Jamis and the rest, I must see more, much more. And for that, I must go through the test again..." and he looked her in the eye as a tear slid down his cheek.
"...even at the chance of death," he finished, and she could tell that his mind was made. They were close to one another, their breaths tingling each other's skin as she neared him, holding his face in her hands.
She let her lips near him, breaking through the years of hesitation as she kissed him deeply as their bodies entangled with one another, for she would not have this regret on her mind.
"I love you," she whispered in a small huff as they separated.
"I know," he said as he pushed back her hair.
"But I must do this alone," she said, and with that, she felt a faint whisper as her eyes darkened.
"Sleep, my love," and despite her body's protest, slumber came over her, and she felt his silhouette blur even as she struggled to keep her eyes peeled.
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.
.
Hours later, she would wake alone in bed with a single note placed on her belly.
~Hate me for this, if you may, but I could not stand by and watch this happen. I am sorry for everything.
If I do not return and fail, then pass the other letter on to Kynes. It contains the truth of my heritage. He will know how to use it best.
With love from everywhere~
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