ALL NOVEL Chapter 8a-Snake in an Eagle’s Shadow!
Chapter 8a
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal led his group to the mouth of the empty Sietch he had scouted earlier. From the second he had left to rescue Jamis and his men, he had realized that this future and ambitions no longer aligned with those of a Sietch and that if he were to bring true change, then he must adopt a life separate from it.
There were twenty total at the moment, but Inzal's unwavering belief in their growth was palpable. He held this conviction in his heart, knowing that he would have to prepare for the inevitable expansion.
"This is it," he began as he led his group into teh deeper parts of the sietch.
"This shall be our new home for some time," he said as he turned to face the young men and women who had abandoned their whole way of life for the promise of a dream.
There was doubt, apprehension, and fear in their eyes, but more than that, there was determination—an iron will.
They would need that iron will, for life would not be easy for them. The enemy they faced outnumbered and out-equipped them by great margins, yet they fought and won, for there was no other way.
"There is a water reserve down there that has been gathering because of the few functioning windtraps, we will need to repair those that are broken and establish a watermaster," he addressed everyone, as his eyes landed on Shishakli.
"You were an apprentice to a watermaster for a few years, weren't you he recalled, and she nodded.
"I was, and he stepped forward and passed onto her all his water rings, a token of just a person's possession, for on Arrakis, water was life, power, and currency.
"Then you shall be our watermaster," he said and turned towards Jamis.
"You shall be the sandmaster in my absence, though none of you shall be leaving on any excursions anytime soon," he said as one of them shouted.
"Why not? I thought that we left the Sietch to kill the Harkonen scum and liberate our planet," a zealous shout interrupted him, and he narrowed his eyes as he spoke up.
"Because I will not have us abandon our lives for nothing!" he roared as everyone perked up.
"Our enemy has millions at his command, has better equipment, and if he bears his full force on us, we would put all the Fremen on this planet in danger, and I shall not have it," he finished.
"We must be careful. We must be aggressive but not enough to cause too much trouble. We must ensure that the scrutiny stays away from our Fremen brethren, gather men, weapons, and resources slowly, carefully until the fateful day arrives when we have our chance," he said as everyone's gaze lingered onto him.
"And then on that day, like a snake hiding in the sand, we pounce and take away our freedom," he added as he raised his hand.
"Snatch it from them, our God Given right!" he finished powerfully as everyone roared before a voice cut in.
"And when will that day come?" spoke Jamis, and he could see everyone waiting for his answer.
"Exactly, I cannot tell you," he answered truthfully and saw the enthusiasm lessen a bit, yet he continued.
"But I can assure you that I believe that our children shall live in an Arrakis much different from the one we grew up in," he added and saw their eyes shine at his words.
"That your children shall be the first to walk over the sand dunes of Arrakis with no fear."
And they believed him and his promise as they looked towards each other smiling, their eyes glinting. Their ambition and belief were palpable in the air as they hung onto his words.
"Make yourselves at home, settle down, and make this Sietch liveable. We will convene later," he said as everyone left, except for Shishakli, who joined him as they both settled into what was deemed as a solar.
"I had always thought that you had the makings of a 'Naib,'" she said as he settled down in a chair, and he shook his head.
"I had not," he replied, and she smirked.
"You were always a leader, even when we were young. Leading us into mischief and other pranks, and then later on the raids, you led us out of our first ambush when Ibad was alive." She spoke recently as she looked him in the eye, as he shook his head, denying her claim.
"I had no desire for being a Naib," he added.
"I know, but I believe everyone picked you as a future 'Naib' even if you did not, for you were the most suited for it. Even Stilgar saw your potential." she remarked.
His apprenticeship under Stilgar made much more sense in that regard and how he was given certain levies that normal people were not.
"But it is all in the past," she added, shaking her head and leaning forward.
"What is the plan now, Inzal?" she questioned as he put down his bag and began to take out one of his most prized possessions.
"First, we need to gather more supplies and men," he began. To defeat the Harkonens, they would need more than twenty men, and he had a perfect plan for that.
"Right now, we have about twenty days' worth of food, thirty if we ration," he began as he hung the map on the wall behind him with her help.
"We, of course, will try to grow our own, but in the meantime, we must get more," he elaborated as he stepped forward, and began placing small pins on the map.
"The Harkonens are bringing in supplies to repair the city and rebuild the stores that I damaged. Before I left the city, I was able to steal a large amount of water and food and stash it in a little cave just beyond the wall," he indicated to the place where he had hidden the stolen loot.
"But going so close to the city will be near impossible. The Harkonens would have doubled, maybe even tripled the patrol after the attack," she pointed out worriedly, and he nodded.
"Quadrupled," he corrected and saw her eyes widen as her gaze lingered onto his bright blue eyes.
"And not just that, they are scouring teh desert and have rounded up many Fremen," and her lips thinned at his words.
"How do you know all that?" she questioned.
'Through pain, lots and lots of pain.' he wished he could tell her the truth. For even now, as he stood in this Sietch, his mind screamed in pain, searing pain that he could ignore only because of his unique circumstances.
Yet he knew that he must come to live with it, for the pain would be his penance for his birth. His little atonement for the gift he possessed.
"I told you, didn't I? I was born different, aware of my surroundings, and half awakened. The water of life just completed that awakening," he said as he picked up a number of colored pins from the table and began to stab them into the map quickly. Shishakli's eyes widened behind him.
He finished minutes later, standing infront of a filled-out mao marking every known Sietch location, Harkonen outpost, smuggling den, and other such area.
"You truly can see it all," she gasped out as her eyes landed on him, full of pity as she neared him.
"You do not have to hide it," she said softly, and he frowned.
"What do you mean?" he questioned, surprised as she cupped his face.
"You are in pain," she remarked, making him still, but he denied it.
"I am n..."
"You are bad at lying." She chided him.
"I have lived with you for all these years. I know you better than you know yourself," she remarked, pushing away his hair and looking him in the eye.
"I can bear it," he acquiesced after some time, and she smiled sadly as she opened her mouth.
"I know, but I wish I could take it all instead of you, share this burden that you carry on your shoulders. You shouldn't have to do all this on your own," and he grasped her hands, their softness all too familiar as he gave her a smile.
"I am not," he said as they both just stood there for a second before he turned away.
"There is a ship heading towards the city, carrying a big batch of captured Fremen," he said as he marked down the path with a marker.
"I plan to attack that convoy," he replied.
"Take us with you," she argued, and he shook his head.
"No, during that time, you all shall go the cave where I hid away the loot and bring it back here, along with the Fremen I rescue," he said.
"The Harkonen will be cautious and well prepared. You will walk into an ambush," she argued vehemently, but he shook his head.
"Maybe I will be, but this is something I have to do. And right now none of you know how to handle the special gear I will need to use. So, I shall attack on my own," and as she tried to argue.
"I will have some men stationed at a distance. They shall provide me cover from a distance, but it is too risky for them to join me in the assault," he added, and she acquiesced.
"We whittle away at their forces and rescue our own. That has to be our strategy until we are ready for a grand operation," he concluded as she nodded despite her misgivings.
"I will have Jamis make preparations," she consented, and he nodded.
"Good..."
"Have you picked a name yet?" and he was surprised by the question.
"What?"
"For us, for our group," she questioned, and he shook his head.
"You should," and her eyes then landed on the special propulsion gear he had worn during teh attack, the special gear allowing him to move through the air.
"Ajniha, for how you flew through the Harkonen city," she spoke as she turned towards him after a second.
"Wings," he translated as he thought of the full name.
"Ajniha Alhuriya," he spoke as he looked into her eyes.
"Wings of Freedom!"
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Back in Cartagar, Glosseu Rabban knelt infront of a hulking figure nearly twice as large as himself. His skin is similar to Rabban's white sheen, covered by fine silk that did nothing to hide away his massive protruding belly as the man sat in a specialized chair that hung in the air through suspensers.
His fingers were clad in rings and opulence as he hungrily ate away at his meal, the two maidservants quaking beside him as his anger permeated through the room, as he stared into a screen that hung in the air, his black eyes narrowed dangerously onto the figure that stood tall in the picture, more so on his eyes, and how familiar they seemed.
"So, this is the man who tore up my city." He spoke, his voice thick and heavy as he continued to stare at the man in the picture.
"Yes, Lord Baron. It was all his doing," Rabban answered as Baron Vladimir's eyes narrowed on his nephew.
"One man, Rabban. One man, how could a single man do all this," he questioned, though his tone suggested that he was not seeking an answer.
"No, my nephew, this was not the work of a single man. This is the work of our enemies," the Baron spoke.
"Tell me their name, and I shall crush them for you, Baron," Rabban spoke enthusiastically, yet the Baron knew that that would be futile.
"Would you?" the Baron questioned condescendingly, his rage at his nephew showing as the young Beast Rabban lowered his gaze, knowing that the Baron was angry.
"I only wish to serve, Baron," and the Baron shook his head.
"If only you did."
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