Sienna - Kurulus Osman

21

Over a patch of dry dirt and grass, a fire sparked to life, the flames dancing in the quiet night. Guven grazed on leaves nearby, seemingly bored amidst the crackling and smoking fire. Sienna leaned against a tall birch tree, unpacking her bags of blades. Her gaze lingered on the silver gimlet knives, securely strapped and hidden behind leather buckles and sheathes. The abundance of daggers, part of Nikola's insistence, with the set concealed within her armour, had her wondering how long she would have to stay in this forest.

Two days had passed since her mission, during which she had dispatched thirteen barbarians, eleven men and two women. A wolf, whose howls had disturbed her peace, also met its end at her hands. The corpses lay piled in a ditch she had dug, now in various stages of decomposition.

Sienna selected a smaller knife, running her fingers over the cold steel, admiring the glint on her armour. A sudden giggle escaped her lips as she reenacted the way she had dispatched one of the Kayi women, thrusting the dagger through the air as if severing a neck.

"You will be the death of everyone on this road. Everyone," echoed Nikola's warning in her mind, but Sienna merely smiled at the memory. Her attention turned to the wooden crossbow Nikola had given her before her departure: "His name is Azrael. You laugh, but it has proven loyal to me, and now I pass it on to you. It has been the death of many powerful people, Sienna. Look at its use, not its age."

She traced its aged edges with her cut fingers and scratched hands, marvelling at the history it carried. As she delicately tugged the string behind the latch, the faint sound of its tension resonated through her. The mere contemplation of hearing the trigger click, followed by the arrow's graceful whoosh just before finding its mark, stirred an exhilarating anticipation within her—a sensation that not only thrilled but also strangely soothed her.

Seating the arrow into the flight groove, she raised the bow, taking a deep breath as she aimed at the fire. Her thoughts drifted to the recent events—how smoothly Osman Bey invaded and escaped from their fortress, how helpless she felt when captured, Savci Bey's dominance when he knocked her bowl of Helva out of her hand, and Lena's silence toward her.

"Until I make Ertugrul Ghazi's lineage bleed with my bare hands, no Turk will find peace," she swore, the fiery orange glow reflecting in the darkness of her pupils, an inferno echoing her anger. "Only then can I die in peace. Only then, Baba, your soul will rest."

Remembering the Helva stirred her hunger, and she sighed, having consumed all the provisions she brought. She thought of the apples, soup, and meat that were now gone. "If only Nikola let me pack as much food as weapons," she muttered bitterly, unloading the crossbow and placing it aside.

A sudden recollection of Goktug handing her a sweet made her frantically search her black leather uniform. Realization struck—she had left it in her tribal dress. "How could I be so stupid?" she scolded herself. Most of the daggers and knives she concealed were dumped in one of the barrels when Osman Bey's companions searched her, so she had forgotten to empty her belt. Sienna cringed as she remembered the ruby dress crumpled in a corner of her room.

She shrugged her pack of arrows over her shoulder, grabbed the crossbow, and prepared to hunt. "At least I can practice using this," she murmured, eyeing the new weapon. As she rose to wear her black cloak, the distant sound of horse hooves reached her ears.

Someone was approaching. Quickly latching an arrow into the crossbow, Sienna changed her plan from hunting animals to aiming at the approaching rider.

"Komutan Sienna, I have news from Tekfur Nikola," the soldier informed, dismounting hesitantly.

Lowering her weapon slowly, Sienna listened intently.

"He is at the Kayi Tribe, and they are waiting for Osman Bey to arrive. Prepare yourself; he could come at any moment."