Xerxes of the sky ziggurat

"Hamael here, is actually not a servant from Perizad, but is one of my own?" Xerxes said and stood up.

Rufus looked at the guard who had guarded and waited for his response for days. He thought that he was one of the god's saints.

"Where did you hear to ask for exile in Gedrosia?" Xerxes asked.

Rufus tried to say that some unknown sassan, clad in black cloth and armor had aided him, on behalf of the so-called old man of the mountain. But couldn't get his mouth and tongue to move to say it.

"So, you received aid from the old man of the mountain and his cult of assassins. That damn fool again trying to meddle in, thinking he is worth something," Xerxes said with a sly grin and laughed.

Rufus wished to know more of them but dared not to.

"Now, Perizad wanted to kill you. I thought no and the only reason I stopped another god was, that you had received a special audience from another god in the city of secrets. Quite a many gods interest you have piqued I say," Xerxes said and took a closer look at Rufus.

The god was enormous. Many times taller and grander than an average sassan.

"My friends," Rufus asked, desperation creeping into his voice. "Where are they?"

Xerxes looked at him with a mix of amusement and annoyance. "They were quick-witted and managed to flee before Perizad could get to them. I have no idea where they are," Xerxes said with a shrug, as if Rufus's friends were of no consequence to him.

Rufus sighed in relief.

Xerxes leaned in so close that Rufus could feel the god's breath on his skin. His eyes were like daggers, piercing into Rufus's soul with an intensity that made him shiver.

"You should be worried about yourself, Rufus," Xerxes said, his voice low and ominous. "You are in the midst of a war, a war that I have no intention of losing. And now, you have gained entrance to the city of secrets and had an audience with a neutral god whom I have been trying to sway to my side for years."

Rufus felt the weight of Xerxes's words pressing down on him, suffocating him with their gravity.

"But what should I do with you?" Xerxes trailed off, letting the silence hang in the air like an invisible noose.

The god's towering figure loomed over Rufus, casting a shadow that made him feel small and insignificant. The power radiating from Xerxes was palpable, like a wave of heat that threatened to consume him.

"I just want to save my sister. She is..."

"I know why you're here," Xerxes cut in. "But you don't realize that you have now a role in an upcoming war. A war that I will win. You may be puny and insignificant, but you still are a piece and I cannot afford to take any risks. I need all pieces to be on my side"

Xerxes pointed his talons at Rufus, his eyes blazing with an otherworldly fire.

"I will win this war, and I will destroy my brother Arslan," Xerxes continued. "So what should I do with you? I could let you go, but what if you run to Arslan? I should just kill you, as Perizad has advised me."

Rufus's mind raced, searching for a way out. He thought about jumping out the window and flying away, but he knew it was a foolish idea. Xerxes was too powerful, and he would be dead before he could even spread his wings.

"I am not a monster," Xerxes said, as if reading Rufus's thoughts. "You are allowed to live."

Rufus breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.

"But you will forever stay here," Xerxes said, a note of finality in his voice. "In the 12th tower of my home, guarded by my saints, the Ursangs. And I am sure by now you know, there is no hope of rescue or escape. My Ursangs will make sure of that."

Rufus remembered the Ursangs. They were fierce warriors, devoted to Xerxes, and utterly ruthless.

As the priest guard dragged him away, Rufus couldn't help but feel a sense of despair. He was trapped, a pawn.