She was a sweeping shadow, pulled long by the setting sun. His eyes widened when he first saw her, black as fresh ash save for the dip of white adorning her nose. She was not his Valve, but she was familiar—the way she moved, so deliberate and intentional the way she tracked with him. He watched her slide to a stop before him, sending the fine sand soaring in an announcement of her arrival as extravagant as her every curve and crest. Maslakhat’s lips curled into a tight smile, incredibly pleased that of all the possible creatures that could have answered his call, he had beckoned her.

“Bitmemiş iş”, he retorted. “Şimdi bitti. Yeni bir şey için zaman.”

He watched her, studying her face and features and committing them to memory, imagining how she may fit into the grand plan he aimed to execute. No doubt she would be instrumental, just as he would be for her. It was a beautiful thing, the beginning of a chessboard, collecting and lining up the pieces just so until it was full and stacked against the opponent.

“I am Maslakhat."


MASLAKHAT

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