by John O.
“With you, you mean. You’re a leader now remember?”
“Cut it out Rahel, this is a grave matter and not some silly joke. If the HN dies, the Sints shall retaliate against the Evens and the Fotés; that I can assure you. A civil war will break and the Norwans would invade.”
Rahel considered Mila’s words. Perhaps that is what her mother had meant all along. The Norwans were sure to emerge victorious and she had better start playing her part lest she be branded a traitor.
“So you have nothing to say to that?” Mila asked.
“Nothing other than the fact that you’re being overly dramatic. The HN will be fine, Mila. It’s your feelings for him that has clouded your judgment. Meanwhile, I wonder if Loila revealed anything to these three.”
“With Ron in attendance, she probably did. But whatever she has to say will be dealt with later. There are more grave matters at hand Rahel, I feel it.”
“Then maybe you should discuss with your peer, Surita.”
“Perhaps I will. You do realize that if the information is confidential, I would be prohibited from sharing it with you.”
“I do. And it’s all well and good, for I’m in no way as anxious as you are. These things will play out as they will, irrespective of whatever we do.”
“You’re right,” Mila said after a moment’s consideration. “Perhaps I’ll just wait. I don’t want Surita thinking I’m below her in some way. If she’s wise, she will approach and provide me with the information.”
With that, Mila stood and made her way towards the Conclave where she would distract herself by going over her predecessor’s notes.
It was a few minutes before the Twilight Hour when the Ispri arrived at the Helesp. The urgency in Prisca’s voice as she informed him of her suspicions had alarmed him greatly. According to Prisca’s dream, she had seen Yosi die in a cemetery, and not at the Helesp. She had seen him fight in a war before his death so perhaps this was not the day he would die. The Ispri was however aware of the shortcomings of such visions. One would be a fool to interpret them literally, and many a time, only parts came to pass.
The general mood the Ispri encountered in the hall did not bode well. It was evident that something was very wrong and the officers could only contemplate what it might be. He had been directed towards a room beside the HN’s and that itself was also a bad omen. As he made his way towards the room, he opened the door and walked in.
Before him was a bedridden Yosi surrounded by two healers and Zach Sen.
“Holy Father, you’ve arrived,” Yosi said with a voice that was a shadow of itself.
“What has befallen you, child?”
“The bite of a snake, it seems. A daring Lector has poisoned his HN. Never before have I felt so weak.”
“You have survived many things in the past Yosi, and you will survive this too.”
“If my father’s antidote works, yes. If it doesn’t…”
“Hush. We can’t talk like that just yet.”
“On the contrary. It is time I appoint my successor.”
“Nonsense!” The Ispri exclaimed as he looked around the room. “Don’t tell me you all will let him give up. Have you administered the antidote already?”
“Not yet,” Jorraine replied.
“Why not? Do you wish him to die?”
“Please exercise some patience. As soon as he makes his final declarations, I will administer the potion. I am positive that it would work, but still the forms must be observed.”
“Zach, please proceed to invite the following: Surita, Mila, Ron, Rosi, Sly, the Legator, and Aishe Thorne. The Aishe is in the Ishe’s palace, I believe. So it shouldn’t take long before he gets here. Please hurry.”
Zach Sen departed while the Ispri began to mutter a silent prayer as he came to terms with what he was witnessing.
Set opened his eyes to find Jessamine sitting beside him. Disoriented, he sat up from his recumbent position and asked, “How long was I gone?”
“To be honest, I don’t know, for I only woke up a few minutes ago.”
“We both slept on the deck?” he asked with an incredulous smile.
“It appears so. The last thing I remember was sitting beside you as we shared the drink. When I woke, I was lying beside you. I hope your hands did not wander…”
Set laughed and said, “I can’t tell. The last thing I remember was… swigging…”
“You’ve lost your memory!” Jessamine exclaimed in laughter.
“Well… I had no idea the drink was so strong.”
“Neither did I.”
Set smiled and looked to the skies. He then looked forward to see the visible shoreline of Lionea. With a voice filled with anticipation, he said, “I reckon we’ll be docking in an hour. Home sweet home.”
“Yes indeed. But you are yet to provide me with full details of what you’ve been doing with your life.”
Set looked at her and said, “Blame the drink, darling, I would have told you but now we are almost home. It’s already late and I need to see someone. Next time lady!”
Jessamine could only shake her head as she watched him leave.
Raiden Ni walked into his cottage and admired the nude painting of a woman in his living room. He sat at a corner of the large room which was separated from a smaller room by a door. He had left the entrance to his cottage open on purpose, for he knew his inexorable hunter approached.
With a sword in hand, he suddenly stood and said, “You’ve made a big mistake coming here.”
“You knew exactly when I entered. I’m impressed…” the voice replied as the image of a beautiful woman slowly materialized. “There’s no need to conceal my presence any longer since you’ll be dead by the time I leave. Consider yourself privileged to witness my beauty, one you will never get to touch.”
Before him was a woman who looked just like the Ispris he had encountered with Sentor Jan Riva. Raci Even, who held two short swords, was clad in a tight-fitting black dress which stopped midway between her hips and her knees. Raiden was instantly intrigued as he beheld her.
“Do you know who I am?”
“I’m tempted to say you’re the Ispris, but I doubt she would hunt me as you’ve chosen to do. Whoever you are, I wish I had met you earlier, perhaps I would never have stooped so low to woo Siri Hart.”
“You pig! I’m Raci Even and you will come to regret ever meeting me. My mission is to punish men for their crimes against women. Yours deserves the death penalty.”
“And what’s my crime exactly?”
“You used my friend as you would a wipe after spewing out feces from your crow-begotten hindhole.”
“Are you insane? We had a lovely night together and that was that. There is no law under which this is considered a crime. I reckon you are a rich, bored girl who obviously doesn’t know who I am.”
“You’re a man who shall die by my hand. That’s all there is to know about you,” Raci Even replied in anger.
Raiden Ni assumed a defensive stance and said, “No, Raci. I am Raiden Ni, a first-rate swordsman.”
Provoked to action, Raci Even suddenly disappeared and attacked. Raiden parried one of her swords and dodged the other. He closed his eyes and listened as he avoided the swings of his opponent’s swords. The pair continued to dance as they blocked, parried, dodged, and sidestepped. The woman was skilled, Raiden realized. Her swings were fast and precise and would have killed him had he not been as good as he was at quickly adapting to an opponent’s style. Five minutes elapsed before he noticed a slight drop in Raci’s speed of attack. When he was sure of her position, he parried two swings before proceeding to kick her in the stomach.
She screamed as she hit her back against the wall. Her visibility returned as she realized how quick he was. So far, she had discovered no weakness. Raiden Ni watched as she slowly ascended into the air. With a sudden burst of energy, she launched herself towards him, causing him to lose his balance and fall towards the ground. She followed his fall and aimed
for his head, only to find her sword strike the wooden floor. Raiden, who had barely dodged, quickly jerked his knee upwards. The movement struck her lungs, causing her to gasp for air as the pain spread through her. She immediately disappeared and flew away to regain herself.
Raiden Ni used the opportunity to stand to his feet and assume a defensive position once more. She revealed herself again and flew towards him while swinging her swords in a rapid unpredictable manner. Somehow, Raiden was able to parry her attacks and flip her over into a corner. She disappeared and appeared moments later at some distance away.
“It seems I underestimated you,” she began. “You’ve had two opportunities to kill me yet you’ve refrained. Why do you spare me, despite the fact that I desperately want you dead?”
“Because I’m yet to have my fill of you. I’m averse to rape so I would need to woo you, it seems.”
“You’re just like him!” she screamed and lunged towards him once more, this time with an aim for his heart.
Raiden dodged and turned around to see her struggling to remove her swords from the wall.
“I’m just like whom?”
“My betrothed,” she replied as she successfully released her swords.
“What did he do to you?”
“That’s none of your business! Why are we even speaking?” she replied as she prepared to attack.
Raiden Ni was done playing defense this time around. He suddenly ran towards her with his sword drawn backwards. Raci concluded that his plan was to pierce her. As a result, so focused was she on his sword that she failed to notice when his feet left the ground. He kicked her hands as he flipped backwards, forcing her to release her swords which he caught with his free hand as he landed on his feet.
“I guess this meaningless encounter is over,” he announced
“You’ve guessed wrong,” she replied and disappeared.
Raiden immediately backed up into a corner and began brandishing his weapons.
A few counts later, she appeared in front of him and said. “Fine! It’s over for today. Give me my swords and I’ll be on my way.”
“You ask to be let go so easily? You killed my horse! The least you could do is to pay me back in coin or kind.”
“Hand them over!” she insisted.
“Whatever your betrothed did to you must have been terrible. A beautiful woman like you has no business attacking me for no reason at all.”
She regarded him for a few counts and said, “I wanted you dead because you treated my friend in a like manner to the way he treated me. Although I now see that you’re different, I still want you dead because you now know my secret. If I let you live, you will inform the HN of my abilities and he will consider me a suspect in the deaths of the Ishes. You see why I have no other choice?”
“Are you responsible for those deaths?” Raiden asked.
“This fight isn’t over,” she replied and flew away. Raiden Ni watched with delight as she eventually disappeared out of sight.
Yosi Sint regarded his audience with a wan smile. Aishe Thorne had been the last to arrive and now, he could proceed with his address. He coughed for a few counts before beginning.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. As you can see, I am bedridden with poison just as my predecessors were. Unlike them, however, we have identified and apprehended the party responsible for this. His name is Lector Johatsu Foté and he currently lies incarcerated in the cells below."
“Nevertheless, I lie near death for the antidote could not be retrieved. There is still a chance that I will survive this ordeal, but only the Almighty Spirit can tell. My father has put together an antidote that could kill me if it happens to be wrong. As a result, I have summoned you all to witness my last words should the undesirable occur.”
“Zach Sen. As much as you detest the responsibility of this office, I have no choice but to appoint you as my successor; for you have the mind, wit, and skill required to ensure the survival of this nation. Should I die, please take the sword your father bequeathed me with. You’ve been involved in the little progress we’ve made with the investigations and I ask you to remain relentless in the search for the truth. You will also need to come up with a way to infiltrate Norwaland once more. My plan originally involved you, but now that you will be HN, it is no longer possible.”
Changing his glance around the room, he continued, “Aishe Thorne, you’re aware of what we are dealing with and I honestly hope you would change your mind about leaving that window as it is. Please be cautious when you move into the palace, for the assassin is still at large. Regarding the trade deal that has led to my predicament; I ask that you honor my position. The deal is fair and has potential to provide a boon to our Nation, especially in these times when the Norwans may choose to strike again. Johatsu acted alone in this and it would be unreasonable for an entire province to suffer on the account of one man.”
“To the rest of you, do not forget that the safety of our great nation remains entrusted to you. You must do whatever is necessary to ensure that Lionea remains the independent and just nation that it is. Please extend my thanks to the other officers of the Helesp for their cooperation and support during my short tenure as HN. I truly appreciate you all. That is all I have to say at this time, except if any of you have questions for me.”
The room fell silent, the only sound being the mild sobs from Mila. Surita’s eyes also watered as she observed the HN she had barely known shrink into himself.
After about thirty counts, the HN proclaimed, “In the absence of any question, I now grant my father leave to administer the antidote.”
Jorraine Sint solemnly wiped a tear from his cheek and opened the vial. As he administered the potion to Yosi, he whispered, “I love you, dear son. Please return to us now.”
The Lord of the Lionean Kawachi, the agent who Johatsu had sat before, and the one who the Nukamchi feared, sat on his cushion as he sipped on a wonderfully made cup of Kucha. It seemed things had worked according to plan. He had known all along that the first installment was going to be the last, for Johatsu would be captured or killed as he had planned. He had also used the opportunity to get rid of a fine but intractable agent that had set his sights on deposing his rightful Lord. His men had hidden in the tunnels as they watched the Leade convey the bodies of the men. His only regret was that a vast network of tunnels was now exposed and, as such, they would no longer use them. It was a good thing that there were other networks that could still be used by the men of shadows.
As he considered the events, he once again marveled at his genius. Right from the first HN, the clever poison he had supplied the Aishe with had proved to be a miracle worker. He had managed to best the renowned healers of the Island by coming up with the recipe. What they all didn’t realize was that the poison he had developed was not lethal. It simply mimicked all the signs of lethal venom without actually killing the infected. Without the intervention of healers, the symptoms would eventually pass, and the victim shall return to his former self. With the administration of toxins as antidotes however, the healers were the actual killers; for the substances they introduced would find nothing to neutralize and as a result, attack the victims and kill them instead. Imagine their shock when they eventually discover that they’re nothing but murderers.
He took another sip from his exotic drink and toasted to the death of yet another HN. Perhaps he would soon commercialize his recipe on a much wider scale. If he did, he might be able to make enough money to desert the Kawachi and live in peace, who knew.
The only thing that kept him awake now was the arrival of The Blue Whale. If things on deck had gone according to his plan, the diversion of the giants would have allowed his more clandestine agents to retrieve what he had sought for a long time.
With a satisfied smile, he resolved to enjoy his drink and wait patiently. The world was indeed for the wise, he reckoned.
Set Yen and his men stood alongside Jessamine as the Blue Whale approached the harbor. It
had been a long journey and all were eager to finally feel land under their feet once again.
“Listen up,” came the voice of the captain, “In five minutes, we will dock on the shores of Lionea. As is expected, all Lioneans on the ship shall disembark before all others. Understood?”
A resounding ‘yes’ echoed throughout the ship. The queue lines formed and a few minutes later, the ship docked as the passengers began to file out one after the other.
“Jessamine, you’re a recognized Lionean. Why do you wait with us?”
Jessamine regarded him for what seemed to be a long time before pointing his attention to the shoreline. Set narrowed his eyes and to his surprise he realized that the ship was surrounded.
“There’s nowhere to run, Hito Hent. Over five hundred Sentors have encircled this ship. They are here because of you.”
Set and his men stood flummoxed. How had they known he was on the ship?
“You sent a bird?” he asked with the look of a betrayed man.
“I didn’t have to. We lured you here, Hito. Not all the Sentors knew of course but some us were tasked with the job of ensuring you got on this ship.”
“How?”
“We leaked false information about your acquittal. We knew your heart was always here and as Ishe Fiten predicted, you boarded this ship as planned.”
Hito closed his eyes in comprehension. It all seemed to fit together: the information of his acquittal, to the fortuitous journey of the Blue Whale, to his encounter with Jessamine. The only thing that didn’t add up was the pirate attack.
With a calm voice, he asked. “Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You’re the only man to have escaped from a Lionean prison. The Ishe foresaw a situation where others would be encouraged to escape as a result of your success. Moreover, it was an insult to the Nation’s pride. HN Ruki Sen was not even aware of this mission, for the Ishe suspected he was complicit in your escape. In any case, your legend is now broken.”