Nazleen

Have you ever fallen? Most likely you have slipped up and landed on the floor with a minimal amount of injury, maybe a bruise. If you're lucky enough to be born with two working legs you have done runs where your body is completely off the ground. For that one fourth of a second you are flying, a bird for a moment. Daedalus’ dreams come true. Very few of us have experienced falling that lasted longer than a second. Nazleen will be one of the few unfortunate individuals that are released from the contrants of the ground for an extended amount of time exceeding all possible laws of gravity. 

The crescent moon and stars could only stand by watch as Nazleen was led to her death. She forced herself not to stumble as she walked on the uneven sand. Her captors had chained her around her extremities. They rode camels and would not allow their victim some comfort before her demise. Even with her nose broken, skin bruised and fingernails missing she wouldn’t let them know that she was miserable. Not now, not earlier when they beat her to nothing, and most certainly not in the face of death. They don’t get that satisfaction.  Nazleen's thoughts were consumed with taking one step after another, forcing herself to be strong. She refused to let her last moments on this earth be weak.

The torches of her captors flickered as the wind howled a terrifying noise causing fear in them. An echoing sound of a massive cavern. Nazleen saw what looked like a black void in the sand that threatened to engulf the world. Its darkness sunk into the desert and led to the underworld. This cave was known as "The Well Of Hell '' and a very fitting name for it. This was doomed to be her tomb.

Nazleen started into that oblivion sinkhole, some type of primal fear was launched into her body at this sight. She had faced fear before in battles and wars where bodies piled up with their rotting smell stinging her nose. No, this was different. Something eviler than the hells of war she didn’t even understand. But her body knew. War was mankind's making but this was much older than anything that humans could dream of. 

The camels refused to go any closer than 30 yards to the hole so her captors led her on foot. A younger one fell from the uneven sand and darkness. Seeing one of them trip on the sand gave her a laugh. One swift kick to her stomach silenced her. The taste of blood was the only wet thing in her otherwise dry mouth. 

They stood at the ledge of the sinkhole with the sound of the wind deafening their ears. Some man in robes with occult symbols that she’d (hadn’t)  ever seen before was doing some sort of chanting and waved his hands around. They stood away watching the man perform his weird rite. Nazleen's fear grew at the thought of being a sacrifice to whatever monsters lived there. The man went on and on and it was getting a little old at the ten minute mark. The youngest of her captures gave a yawn and she agreed with that statement. One of the captors must have been getting bored as he grabbed Nazleen by the shirt and forced her to look in. Now she could get a direct look down and still see no bottom. 

The man that was doing the chant seemed to be yelling trying to get the other more aggressive man to stop. They had to do it the proper way or it wouldn’t work. The aggressive man that was yelling something back. More arguments broke out between the men but it was impossible to know for sure what words they used as the roaring wind rolled them away. The wind silenced them and all Nazleen could hear was the wind. Wind that was in her very soul. With a snarl the man that was holding Nazleen kicked her in the stomach and sent her falling into that Well of Hell. 

The ground rushed by her as all safety left her. She reached out a hand to the moon but there was no saving her now. She couldn’t help it, an ear piercing scream escaped her lips and all became black. 

Darkness,and more darkness, was her eyes closed or was there nothing to see she didn’t know. The only thing next was the inevitable hitting of the ground. But it never came. Just falling forever. 

“What an ugly face.” A voice said right against her ear blocking out the wind for a moment. The voice was so deep it threatened to shake her to her bones. Masculine too. 

“That's very rude to say, what is beautiful to one is not always beautiful to another.” This was female and equally as deep in her voice to the other side of Nazleen.

“Is this a sacrifice?” A voice that couldn’t be human but sound more like the burning of wood. “Something's different, the spell wasn’t finished.”

“They didn’t complete the ritual so we don’t have to do anything for them in return.” A child’s voice that sounded so familiar right above her. Giggling more, “We don’t have to make something for them. We can toy with the cult as they toy with us for a change. It seems as though fate is giving us a chance to play.” 

“Regardless of the wants of our wardens, we need to slow down her fall; it will be pointless to have a corpse.” This voice was a woman but unlike the others this was full of authority. Through the power of her voice made Nazleen stop. She was still falling but slowly, seconds turned into hours and hours turned into days. Nazleen was grateful for not having to deal with the sensation of falling but she was far from safe. 

“Who are you?” The voice had that same crackling feeling of burning fire. 

“Some voices of a bottomless well are asking for my name? What kind of bullshit is this?” She gritted her teeth not wanting to tell them but also knowing that she really didn’t have a choice in the matter. She couldn't just die because of her own rudeness.“My name is Nazleen, part of the Cuman. Eldest daughter of…”

“Enough! The names are meaningless to us!” The fire's voice now yelled. Nazleen could feel the flames on her body. “How many others share your name of now, past, and future? Names have no power other than what we give them. We asked who you are and not your family or your tribe; those are things I don’t care about. Who are you?”

There was a long pause in conversation. Nazleen wasn’t really sure what to say. Who is she? How did she view herself? From the time of her captivity she felt so weak and helpless but that wasn’t the real her. The real her was something much more. 

“I’m a warrior.”

“Good.” A voice that sounded like it was miles away but so near like a wind that rushed in her. “Keep going, you will survive.”

"I'm a warrior, a sister, daughter, lover, I'm a survivor."

“Finally, something we can work with.” The low male voice said. “But I find it hard to believe that a female is a warrior.”

“Don’t be rude.” The deep female said. Nazleen glared at where she thought the voice of the sexist man was coming from.

“Be thankful that I can not kill you while in this prison, Bahr.” The woman’s voice of authority. “I would gladly choke the air out of you but we are only smoke in this hell.”

“Tell us, are you friends of those who throw you down here?” the Authority female voice asked.

“Hell no.” A flash of her clan dying was in her mind again. Surprising how the mention of them brings back those memories. Memories of her worst moments of her life were also now shown in the thoughts of the Jinn. They were going to get their revenge and freedom with this one. Her hatred could burn the world to a desert.

“Good,” Somehow Nazleen could tell that the voices were smiling.

“Now we don’t need to worry about you not hunting them down.” The low male voice said. “You could be rather useful even as a woman.”

“Rude, so rude.” The deep woman’s voice said so quietly. “They throw sacrifices down here and bind us to a contract that we want no part of. Our free will is taken from us and with each soul we are bound. We have no choice but to help them.”

“But with you here,” the child’s voice rang out above her. “There is no expectation, no demands, no deals. We could make you stronger, faster and all you would need to do in return is to kill that cult. Wouldn't you like that? We give you everything you need to be free and in exchange we get the death of those who force us and you down here. Wouldn’t you like that? Getting revenge?”

Wouldn’t you like that? More bloodshed. 

The notion echoed in her mind. Something that she long gave up hope on after the endless beatings, attacks and death. Yes, she would like that very much.

“What are you going to do to me?”

“Give you something that will make you a predator of mortal kind. Freedom to change as your animal self. A child of the night you will be, never again to be under the sun again. You must stay hidden from Apollo's eyes as he will burn you when he sees you as human flesh so let the animal take over.”

“Shams’ eyes.” The deep woman’s voice said so close to Nazleen’s ears she thought she could feel the lips of the voice on her skin. “Men want everything to be about themselves and erase all women's achievements. Don’t even get me started on the Greeks.”

“Think of it this way, take us up on our offer or you will die when you hit the ground.” The child laughed at something cruel. She was their pawn but she would leave alive.

“Don’t be afraid of change.” The voice of the wind said. Nazleen felt something cold and coppery went into her mouth. “Don’t be afraid even for the betterment of yourself. You are a warrior and never forget that.” 

“Do it! Just do it.” The next thing that Nazleen felt was a cold liquid down her throat. A poison that people wanted but didn’t know how to obtain. It tasted like copper and salt.  

And with that the wind around her sped up. The air threatened to rip her to shreds and the fear was back. Even with the deafening whirling of the wind invading her ears she could still hear the laugh of the child and the fire saying they always make good on their deals. The world was speeding around her, and her memories of home were so far and long ago that they threatened to leave her forever. There were tears in her eyes as the memories she had lost and no there was no way of getting back. 

She didn’t realize that she had hit the ground until the pain of breaking bone screamed throughout her whole body. Once again she was screaming. Every part of her body felt twisted and in pain, it felt like her fingers were bent like sharp edges on a rock. Her eyes fluttered open here and there to see the moon wax and wane so many times like it was running, running in this madness. The world was going so fast that she couldn’t comprehend it. The colors were bright and unnatural going in and out with the beat of her heart. 

A voice whispered to her “I am sorry that I can not give you the wings of a bird to make this easier. You’ll have to struggle. Don't worry, you have all the tools you need to be free.”

Then there was darkness.