You Can't Avoid A Little Blood

by Philip Norris

  When the end came it was sudden, there was a click like the snapping of a twig and the man went limp. His tongue was stuck out his mouth and he’d nearly bit through it. Joakim kept the pressure on for a while longer even though the joints in his fingers and muscles in his lower arm were screaming in agony. Finally he released the man’s throat and his head lolled back, Joakim could see two holes in the man’s neck, he’d squeezed so hard he’d broke through the skin and windpipe. With a grimace Joakim pushed himself off the two dead bodies and shakily got to his feet.

  He stood looking at the four bodies in the hallway finding it hard to believe his luck had held out this long. He didn’t believe in fate, you made your own luck and while his was holding he intended to make the most of it. His arms felt like he had weights hanging off them and his finger tingled. He flexed them as he turned and went into Miri’s office. He turned and saw the hooks with the keys, not knowing which was for which cell he took all of them and went back into the cell block.

  With Miri there were ten men, they were all seasoned looking men who no doubt listened to what was said and carried out orders without question. Miri had them retrieve their weapons and they’d all assemble out by the main door. As Miri followed Joakim out slowing as the passed the four dead bodies.

  “You don’t do things by halves do you?”

  Joakim glanced at the bodies, he’d been a killer most of his life but today was the first time in over a year he’d had to. He’d become accustomed to a gentler style of life but the call of the sort of money working with a blade gave you had brought him back to his old life. He had expected to feel something but looking down at the bodies they meant nothing, they were just cooling meat.

  “A man does what he must, an old friend of mine always said that in our line of work you can’t avoid a little blood.”

  “Siron Darr?”

  Joakim looked up at her. She smiled and it was like looking into an old familiar face.

  “My name is Miri Jenue.”

  “Pirce?” He whispered the name.

  “My sister.”

  It all fell into place, the relaxed way she was around him, the command of her men, the grace she had. Pirce Jenue had all those same qualities and more. She had been a Regulator like him and one of the deadliest fighters he’d ever come across. Thinking about Pirce brought back memories of those last weeks on Maramir, the running battles, the horror of total war, the crushing emptiness at the loss of those close to you.

  “I’m sorry but…”

  “Sorry? Sorry for what?”

  “Pirce died bravely, she died fighting for her friends, her family.” She died surrounded by dozens of Scallians, bleeding from countless wounds shouting insults and spitting in the face of death her blade weaving and cutting and killing…

  “She’s not dead?”

  “What?”

  “Pirce, she got out, she got off Maramir.”

  Twelve

  Boskags had drawn his battle lines, he’d deployed his men. Now it was a waiting game. This was not the way he liked things to go, he hadn’t planned for this to come down to a battle. Sure he’d expected there to be some resistance when they initially took over, but this was only supposed to have been a holding action. But things had gotten out of hand, he preferred to have a controlled situation where he was the controller. He appreciated that was not always possible and you had to plan for all eventualities, but for most of his life those eventualities had been allowed for. This was the first time he could remember where he had no idea how this was going to play out.

  He blamed the A’yai but he blamed himself more, he should have not let Tenemi take as much control as it had. They always had to meddle, always had to change how things were to how they wanted things to be. The A’yai treated humans like children, like they couldn’t be trusted to manage their own affairs. This might be true in some aspects but as a whole humanity had done a fair job of managing themselves since the fall of the Frail Men.

  If only the Regulator had been left alone he would have rode off with the Highlords army and not been a problem, if the A’yai had been a little more forthcoming into why they were all actually here then Boskags could have factored that in and allowed for any uncertainties. But apart from the A’yai saying they needed control of Koon to avert an open war that could engulf all four empires he knew nothing. And he was beginning to feel that was a fabrication and something else was going on here.

  But in reality blaming the A’yai was the easy option, he was to blame. He’d allowed himself to be put into a situation without finding out fully what he was getting into. Was he getting too old for this game, was that why he’d blindly taken the A’yai money, a lot of money, and just come along. He couldn’t deny his share for this enterprise would set him up for the rest of his life, was that why he’d taken it, was his eyes on the future, a future with none of this? Did he even care why he was doing this, why he’d stood back and let an A’yai call all the shots?

  Recriminations were all very well but they didn’t resolve the situation. He was trapped near the top of a tower with maybe forty men, of which only about half he knew and could rely on, and was about to face a Regulator. He knew the myth surrounding the famed regiment was mostly just that, myth. But even so he’d seen them in action, he’d seen what only a small number of them could do to larger forces. He didn’t know Joakim Karesh but he knew men like him, but when it came down to it he was only one man, albeit a man with maybe a dozen other well trained and determined men behind him. That’s if he’d been able to singlehandedly overcome the men guarding the prisoners on the lowest level. One man and a group of guards, not a full squad of Regulators, he felt if he kept telling himself that then maybe he’d convince himself.

  Boskags had given Kark command of the twenty men on the level below the throne room, despite everything Kark was the most capable man in a situation like this. Boskags had the remaining men with him positioned along the corridor leading to the throne room. There was only two ways to access this level, and he didn’t think they’d be using the elevating cabinet, so there was only the stairwell. The Regulator wouldn’t have found that on his own, but with the Gate guards with him, they’d know about it.

  While he waited he went in to see the A’yai who was still standing facing the window with its hand hovering over the squares with numbers on them.

  “Tenemi.”

  “You really must carry out my instructions Jakamo Boskags I cann…”

  “The situation is being dealt with but you need to be aware things could get a little ugly up here very soon.” The A’yai part turned its head to look at him and dropped its hand. If the A’yai had been human Boskags would have thought it looked tired.

  “My men are happy to fight, they know some of them will die but that’s part of the game we play. But I’d like to know if what we are fighting for is worth it?”

  The A’yai looked at him in that weird way they have like it was dissecting him bit by bit.

  “There are forces at work you do not know about Jakamo Boskags. These forces have been working to avert a destructive series of wars for centuries but they are losing the battle. We the A’yai have been part of that battle and have come to the conclusion decisive action must be taken.” The A’yai turned fully to look at him.

  “Have you ever wondered why all Highlord towers are identical in design even if they vary in height?” Boskags hadn’t ever thought about it and was about to answer when Tenemi carried on. “The towers were originally built by the Frail Men and form a network they used to communicate across the world and beyond. Some of these towers were destroyed in the last days of the war – it was how we A’yai advised you to defeat the Frail Men - but there are enough of them left for us to be able to use.”

  Boskags looked around the room, he’d seen artefacts said to have come from the time of the Frail Men before and most had the same designs and unreadable symbols on as were around the walls. He’d never paid much heed to history, what was p
ast was past it was no point studying it, you couldn’t change it.

  “So you’re going to use this to stop a war?” He gestured around the walls at the blank windows.

  “The Koon tower is the only one remaining in the whole western half of the continent, all the others are either destroyed or lack the power to be of use. It is vital we get this one functioning so we can contact the other towers.”

  “So there are other A’yai doing what you’re doing tonight in other towers?”

  “No, those towers were long ago activated, this is the last one this is the key to securing the whole network.”

  Boskags nodded, he couldn’t honestly say he understood much of what Tenemi had said. How a tower could communicate with others half a world away was beyond him. But then the A’yai were beyond him and they were in a way artefacts from the time of the Frail Men themselves, so if anyone should know it would be them. He nodded and turned back to the throne room. He had an answer of sorts, all he had to do now was ensure Tenemi and the A’yai could finish what they started.

  #

  Did he believe you

  Does it matter he is now focused on his task so we can focus on ours

  The humans are easily led and to lie to them no hardship

  Not a true lie there were some truths and some embellishments

  No matter the matter at hand takes priority

  Is the answer given

  The answer is given we must proceed

  Then we proceed

  Once the signal is received we will have accomplished for full integration

  Tenemi yours is the honour

  I do this for all A’yai

  We do this so order can be restored

  Tenemi watched the screen as the code was entered, it began to flash red and then took on a silvery hue. Tenemi did not need to look behind to know that the shattered doorway had reformed, there was now no way for the humans to access the antechamber. There was a series of metallic clicks from within the walls and the screen began to fuzz and lines of text began to flash across it faster than a human could read. For an A’yai it was simple though, the text part of their very being. The clicks in the walls became a rumble followed by the sound of metal grinding on metal. The section of the wall the screen and keypad were on shuddered and then cracked down one edge as it slid to the side revealing an opening.

  Without hesitation Tenemi stepped inside.

  Everything was light, reaching out to touch it the light shimmered like water when a stone was skimmed across the surface and there was a faint hissing. The light changed its hue and Tenemi felt movement, a pulling forward and inward, surprisingly there was some discomfort. The light grew enveloping Tenemi and then suddenly vanished leaving Tenemi standing in a vast open space surrounded by hundreds of other A’yai, all of them motionless.

  “Greetings.” Tenemi turned full circle but none of the other A’yai seemed to notice. They were all standing none of them looking the same direction. It’s like this was some great meeting room, like a physical manifestation of Cathedral, and suddenly they had all just stopped. Frozen in place.

  Tenemi walked to the nearest A’yai and examined the face, it was like looking in a mirror because all A’yai look alike. The A’yai was inert, totally lifeless which strangely made Tenemi feel uncomfortable. Turning to look at the others they were all the same, hundreds of A’yai all appearing to be dead. That was if A’yai could die. The uncomfortable feeling grew in Tenemi, looking at the other A’yai generated unwanted human responses like the responses humans had when listening to ghost stories.

  Tenemi went inward.

  Something is miss

  Long seconds dragged by and there was nothing, all contact with Cathedral was seemingly lost and Tenemi was alone. Tenemi tried to reassess the situation, Cathedral must be there it was part of every A’yai, it could not be lost.

  I am unable to communicate I do not know where I am

  The humans said silence could be deafening and Tenemi was beginning to believe that was possible, it was unnerving. There had to be a logical explanation for this, Cathedral was everywhere where an A’yai was it had to be there it was just unreachable at this time. Never in all the time of the A’yai had there been such an occurrence but that did not mean it was impossible. It must have been something to do with the doorway Tenemi stepped through to come to this place, all Tenemi had to do was reverse the process.

  That though presented itself as another problem. Tenemi stood and turned around but all there was were the inert A’yai. There was no sign of a door neither was there any sign of an end to the open space they all stood in. The floor was the only firm solid fact about where Tenemi was, there was no ceiling and no walls visible. Tenemi wasn’t about to panic, it was not something A’yai could do but there was a growing feeling that if some solution was not forthcoming that Tenemi could lose focus.

  Deciding there must be limits to this space Tenemi decided to find it, and every journey must have a start point that you could return to, so Tenemi chose the A’yai closest as the start point and pushed it over. Choosing a direction Tenemi set out, every twenty paces turning to reaffirm the fallen A’yai was still there and acted as a focal point to this exploration. Everything had limits Tenemi thought as the distance from the fallen A’yai grew, everything.

  Tenemi was on the point of giving up and returning back when finally a wall appeared. Reaching out and touching it there was some element of joy on Tenemi’s face, the doubts about this course of actions had grown the longer time went on with nothing but dead A’yai to look at. The wall was grey and appeared to be made from the same materials as the rest of the keep. It stretched left and right into gloom and upwards maybe twenty paces before it curved inward and upward to make a ceiling of sorts, then it disappeared into gloom above.

  Now Tenemi felt on firmer ground, the space had a beginning and end so this was not some endless limbo where A’yai went to wander aimlessly until they finally succumbed. Tenemi stood looking at the wall shocked that such thoughts were even possible for an A’yai. There was no afterlife for them because there was no death as humans knew it. When an A’yai reached that time where they were now longer of use they passed into Cathedral where they existed to further assist other A’yai still in the physical world. Tenemi supposed humans would consider that a form of afterlife, the humans shared a concept that when they died their spirits moved onto a place where they spent eternity with others who had passed. But the A’yai knew that was a fallacy, something given to the humans by the Frail Men in order to give them a belief system separate from believing the Frail Men were all things. Tenemi wondered if the A’yai had given the concept to the Frail Men first based on Cathedral.

  Looking left and right Tenemi needed to decide which direction to go, neither offered anything in the way of clues that one would be better than the other. Whichever Tenemi had to decide soon as time was passing and dawn was only hours away now and Tenemi had to be ready to receive the signal. Being here with these dead A’yai was an unexpected occurrence, stepping through from the door in the throne room should have brought Tenemi to the place where the signal would arrive.

  Tenemi chose left for no logical reason other than the Highlords Keep was circular and Tenemi believed this was just another level of the tower. So going left or right didn’t matter because even if wrong Tenemi would eventually end up back here. In order to mark this spot Tenemi pushed over another A’yai and set off.

  Thirteen

  Joakim wasn’t shocked that Miri was Pirce’s sister, he never knew much about her family, in all the years he’d known her it was something they’d never really talked about, any of them. People usually became Regulators to escape some trauma, crime or family rift that was so great, staying where they’d come from was impossible. All he really knew about Pirce was that she’d trained to be a dancer, not the sort you saw at placed like The Two Headed Man, a proper dancer on the stage. Family was something you left behind when you donned the scar
let and black of a Regulator, those in your crew became your family from that moment.

  What did shock Joakim about Miri’s revelation was that Pirce was alive.

  Things had gotten confusing during the last days on Maramir. The Scallians had landed in force and whatever it was that lived in the bowels of the island was picking off friend and foe with no distinction. They had all got separated, he’d last seen Pirce and Siron Darr surrounded by enemies both Scallian and other. Joakim along with Baba Doa and Jon the Ladyboy had been pushed back by too many and couldn’t reach their friends. Pirce and Darr had fought like things possessed, Darr towered over everyone as he always had, his black skin awash with blood, a sword in each hand that just rose and fell like the blade of a threshing machine cutting down bodies with each strike. Pirce, well Pirce was just Pirce. Her dancers grace told as she sidestepped and jumped from attack to attack, the two of them working together to deal as much death as ten or twenty men could. But the numbers had been too great and soon Joakim had lost sight of them as the final battle led to an all-out massacre and the last thing he remembered was being carried by Baba as the giant Hoshun cut his way through to the boats.

  Maramir had been hell, it had been hell before the fighting with its impenetrable jungles, cloying humidity and the stench that damned volcano gave off. Joakim had always assumed Pirce and Darr dead like all the others in their company that they’d lost along the way. Jon’s twin brother Solli Vann who they’d lost when they were within sight of safety, Folca and Shreen the two Maramirian scouts who had been with them from the start, from the moment they’d stepped off the boat. And then there was Malash, Joakim like all of them had always thought Malash indestructible, he had saved them so many times with his tricks. But even for him at the end Maramir had been too much.