The Cumerian Unraveling Trilogy (Scars of Ambition, Vendetta Clause, Cycles of Power)

by Jason Letts

  Tommack found his place at Sierra’s side. He looked so tired he might collapse at any moment.

  “Amazing creatures,” he said, and she cast him a look.

  “Took you long enough to come around,” she said.

  CHAPTER 15

  In a nice suit and tie, Randall returned to the Spiral in the bright light of day, ascended to one of the conference rooms, and sat down with a new small council to work on the reconstruction of the nation. Instead of Qi Ptock sitting across from him, he looked over at a man with shaggy hair in a silver suit, Merritt Wozniak, who proved infinitely more amiable than his brother.

  There were representatives of the FarmFields as well who had assumed leadership positions in the absence of Portia Illiam, who would be the last of her line. Faction heads from the mountain regions were present. Even Dodson was there to cover the proceedings, though the collapse of the Lu Dynasty left him without an actual position in the media.

  “Are we all agreed then?” Randall asked, seeing hands go up all around the table. He had to smile. There had never been an easier negotiation conducted in this building before. Everyone was ready to see the bloodshed end, even if it meant their own commodities could be used throughout the country. “Then it’s settled.”

  “I’d like to ask a question, if I may,” Dodson said, standing by the wall. He’d been growing out his beard to the point where it almost reached down to the notepad resting on his stomach.

  “If we can make it quick,” Randall agreed. “I’ve got somewhere to be soon.”

  “Have you made a decision about if you’re going to assume the chancellorship?” he asked. “Most of your political rivals and the premier families have been diminished over the course of the unraveling, making you the natural choice to assume the position. Considering you once made a run for it, arguing that you were the best person for the job, you must feel like the country would be best served if you climbed into the chair.”

  The question had caught Randall off-guard, mostly because he’d been dreading making a final proclamation about the role he wanted to have in the reassembled government.

  “I don’t think we’ve quite made up our minds about the shape and scope of the executive role in Cumeria. What we need to do is resolve the paradox of giving one person power they could abuse or sharing it among many people and risk getting nothing done. Aggart showed us there was an imbalance there, so until we find a way to ensure both the security and the responsiveness of the country, we won’t be throwing people into any of these positions,” he said.

  “But haven’t some of the top positions already been filled, including that of Grand Court Justice?” Dodson asked.

  “We have filled some vacancies to handle the current emergency,” Randall said, getting up. His answer to the original question had a big hole in it, and that meant he was doubtlessly going to have to face it again, unless he made a quick getaway.

  “Are you going to take command of the government?” Dodson pressed.

  “I can’t answer that,” Randall said before sliding through the ajar door.

  Outside, he took a deep breath and exhaled, wondering why he was hesitant to put himself in the big chair. Something about it just didn’t feel right, and he glanced over his shoulder and up at the chancellor’s suite at the top of the Spiral. There was so much that needed to be done for the country, and more of it could be done up there. Yet a Bracken had never been chancellor before, and he still didn’t know if he could handle it.

  At the bottom of the walkway, he met up with Cori, who had wisely laid low during the fighting. Now she was back to playing the dual roles of wise advisor and irresistible love interest.

  “The questions are getting more insistent,” he said, not needing to add anything more for her to understand what he was getting at.

  “What’s holding you back?” she asked. Randall stopped and leaned against one of the concrete statues around the Spiral entryway.

  “We’ve spent so much time hiding and lying, tied down by these roles we couldn’t change. There have been so many sacrifices already, and I’m not sure I’m ready to sign away several more years when we could spend them happily together crab fishing by a bay or doing whatever else,” he said.

  “So this is about me? I’m the reason you don’t know if you want to do the thing you’ve been working your entire life to do?” she said.

  “Come on, we need to get there or we’ll be late,” he said. It was yet another uncomfortable conversation that needed to be swept under the rug.

  They proceeded to the nearby Hall of the Grand Court, which was already in session. Quietly, they cracked open the door and took seats near the back, right next to Taylor, who had traded in his uniform for a suit of his own.

  “How are you doing?” Randall asked him, knowing this was probably a tough moment for him. Taylor nodded resolutely.

  At the front of the courtroom, Grand Justice Ralph Fiori heard deliberations over the defendant, a tall shapeless woman they all knew too well, Melody Hockley. For once in her life, she wasn’t wearing bright clothes, opting instead for a beige pantsuit.

  “It’s too bad Sierra and Mom couldn’t be around for this,” Randall added when it got down to the final judgment, which had him on pins and needles.

  Ralph, decked out in the ornate robes afforded to him through his position, called an end to the debate with a swift banging of the gavel.

  “For the alleged crime of seizing the bank account contents belonging to Lowell Bracken, we find your actions to be unlawful! The penalty is the complete forfeiture of all of your holdings, which will be awarded to Mr. Bracken’s surviving heirs. For the alleged crime of broader banking fraud and violation of banking regulations, we find your actions to be unlawful! As punishment, you are hereby barred from operating any banking-related services for the remainder of your life.”

  Somewhere in the middle of Ralph’s sentence, when the verdict of guilt had become clear, Melody flew into a foaming rage. She shot up from her seat and began shouting back. It took two bailiffs to restrain her, and they then dragged her through the aisle toward the exit.

  “This is bullshit!” she screamed. “This is corrupt! I’ve never seen such a misguided travesty in all my life. You’re a disgrace!”

  “Yeah, tell it to my ex-wife,” Ralph muttered, banging on the gavel again.

  The bailiffs dragged Melody past Randall, Cori, and Taylor. She squinted at them with pure malice in her eyes. Even though she’d been stripped of everything she owned, it was likely she’d still find a way to be a thorn in their sides. Everyone got up and began to file out, but Cori put her hand on Randall’s knee to keep him from moving.

  “I don’t want you to think that I’m keeping you from achieving your goals because I want to live in a hut somewhere. If I’m the reason you’re hesitating, let me make it eminently clear that I want you to be the chancellor. Then once you’re there, you’ll be able to remake the position into whatever you think is best. Besides, from everything I hear nothing has ever stopped a chancellor from having a personal life before,” she said, a strand of curly hair falling over her eye. She was adorable, and the way she believed in him was always what kept him going.

  “Alright then, I’ll do it,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

  CHAPTER 16

  When Taylor saw his mother being dragged out of the courtroom, kicking and screaming, the first thing that popped into his head was that she’d probably never before faced any consequences to her actions. It was likely to be quite an adjustment, but in her place would spring other people who’d be just as unscrupulous with other people’s money.

  Hearing that Randall would put himself in the chancellorship was a surprise as well. Taylor almost expected him to take his old seat on the council, but after the way he’d fought for Cumeria there wasn’t any doubt he deserved whatever position he set his sights on.

  “Hey, do you want to come back with us?” Cori asked as the pair got up to leave.

&
nbsp; “Actually Ralph asked me to stick around and talk afterward,” Taylor said.

  “Big meeting, huh? Sounds like someone has something up his sleeve,” Randall said.

  Taylor waved them off and watched them exit the courtroom, arms over each other’s shoulder. It reminded him how fervently he searched for companionship back at Lynxstra Academy and the long road that put him on. Turns out there was more to life than desperately searching for a girlfriend.

  Once most of the crowd had exited and Ralph had retired through a back door, Taylor got up, nodded to the bailiff, and went for the rear chambers. In a way the verdict was justice for his dad, and Taylor figured Ralph wanted to add a few personal sentiments to his immaculately impartial verdict. Entering the judge’s chamber, which surprisingly had a polished wooden bar and overhead lamps that gave it the ambiance of a lounge, Taylor found Ralph hanging his robe on a large hook.

  “She got what she deserved,” Taylor said, hoping to cut off any probing of his own personal feelings about it. Ralph nodded and motioned for Taylor to move in from the doorway.

  “How do you think your brother will do as chancellor?” Ralph asked. He crossed his arms and struck a ponderous pose. Taylor shrugged, surprised at the question.

  “How did you know? He only just made up his mind a few minutes ago,” Taylor said. Ralph laughed.

  “Did he? It was only a matter of time. When you have something like that only one step away from you, no one ever passes it up,” Ralph said as he leaned back into a chair.

  “I think he’ll stick to his guns and make the changes he wants. It won’t go to his head, not right away at least. That’s not why you wanted me to come back here and talk to you, is it?”

  “Have a seat,” Ralph said, gesturing to a wooden bench near a window across from his plush recliner. “I didn’t ask you here to talk about Randall, your mother, or your father. There’s an opportunity right before you that I hope will be just as irresistible.”

  “What is it?” Taylor asked, leaning forward. Since the fighting ended, Taylor had little to occupy his time other than to watch the country take shape around him.

  “You see, Taylor, I can’t do this by myself. There are a lot of people out there who will want to go back to the old ways and play by the old rules. They’ll ignore the laws unless someone is around to keep them in line or drag them before me, where I can throw the book at them. The Guard is in shambles and is due for reform as well. You can’t have order unless you have a system for dealing with disorder. I want you to lead the Guard into a new role as an enforcer of laws throughout Cumeria,” Ralph said.

  Taylor immediately leaned back and put his fingers to his lips. It seemed like madness for him to lead the Guard after he’d been its blackest sheep for so long. From what he saw, there were only a few officers in the old leadership remaining, and with the backing of his brother and Ralph there was a good chance they’d let him in. Yet another problem with being the face of order in the nation struck him down to the core, coursing through his veins.

  “I’m not sure I can do that,” Taylor admitted, feeling conflicted that he was throwing away a task that would make his father proud and give new purpose to his life.

  “I bet Triton could,” Ralph said, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’m not Triton.”

  “Well you may have fooled a few people swinging around that cudgel, which I’m willing to bet not another living soul in this country could do. I’m going to be honest here. I need you to do this, otherwise what your brother and I do here may not have much of an effect outside of Toine,” Ralph said, leaning forward. The man had deep wrinkles in his forehead that showed his concern.

  “If you insist, I’ll do my best with it, but I’ll need a few cycles before I can get started,” Taylor said, sighing. Agreeing to go along with the plan would have its own consequences.

  “What, why?” Ralph asked. He wasn’t at all happy about the delay, but that couldn’t be helped.

  “Because I can’t do the job the way I am now.”

  Taylor abruptly got up and went to the door.

  “I have your word, right?” Ralph called back, but Taylor could only afford time enough for a quick nod. Soon he was out on the street and heading north. He was breathing deeply, trying to stave off the urge to destroy that had overcome him so many times. It wasn’t just that following rules and maintaining order would be brutal, at the first breath of saying he’d take the job he felt that rush in his veins telling him to go for more, to find a way to have it all for himself, even at the cost of Ralph and his brother.

  The trek out to the north woods took considerable time, and he hadn’t brought anything with him in the way of supplies. If he didn’t do this now he might change his mind, never go back, and become the very thing he needed to fight against.

  The stillness of the lush green forest made pushing on easier. Away from everyone’s eyes, he’d be able to escape judgment in his search for a hint of inner peace. As he ventured deeper, he took a closer look at the verdure around him. There was so much moss and so many ferns he thought he’d never find what he was looking for.

  Tucked with a group of tall coniferous trees near a narrow brook was a leifter tree, which seemed to bleed red with its sap. The tree had attempted to cover its wounds with large leaves, which Taylor snapped off to collect the sap. Reddish liquid dribbled into a pool in the center, and already he could feel himself repelled by it. Even simply holding the leaf became excruciating as all of the bacteria, countless tiny living cells, in his blood fought to drive it away.

  All at once he forced the leaf and its gooey contents into his mouth. He coughed and jerked, falling on the ground as a burning sensation flowed through him. Teeth clenched shut, he struggled to swallow more of the sap while holding his head in his hands.

  It’d all be gone soon, the incredible strength, the destructive tendencies, the guilt, and in its place Taylor could only hope he’d find some of his old idealism and drive. Only time would tell if an honest wish to make a difference could prove more powerful than his strength had been.

  CHAPTER 17

  “Why are we here?”

  The soft voice of the little girl rung in Sierra’s ears as she and Toria looked at the mouth of a large building adorned with a light brown coat of sand. The letters above read “Bolt & Keize” in what now seemed a vain attempt to call out to After for two dead men. Sierra crouched down and took Toria’s hand.

  “We’re building an energy company together,” she said.

  Leading Toria, who hobbled along absently, Sierra glanced around the city of Rock Shield near the Seasand desert, places she’d never been before. The arid northwest was a heavily populated, trendy area. All over people were in the streets going from here to there. It was almost as if the fighting had overlooked this city entirely.

  When Sierra opened the heavy glass door to enter, some of the sand from the street followed them right to the rounded desk of a receptionist, whose eyes widened when he saw the little girl toddling in.

  “Have everyone stop what they’re doing and come together for an announcement immediately. Is there a room that can hold everyone?”

  At Sierra’s order, the receptionist picked up the phone and began calling various department heads. After she spent a few moments looking at pictures on the wall of the previous co-executives as well as solar installations scattered all over Iyne, the receptionist got up and came around from his desk.

  “If you could follow me up to the conference room,” he said.

  The stairs were still something of a challenge for Toria, so Sierra lifted her up and carried her. It was hard to tell what was going through the girl’s mind at returning to this place, but she kept her face as calm as the Still Sea despite everything that had happened to her here. At least Sierra had gotten her to trade in her disturbing warrior costume for the thin white fabric that was commonly worn by children here. With any luck, no one would know what Keize had done to her, and she’d forget too.r />
  By the time they reached the conference room door, there was already enough chatter leaking through the walls to suggest that pretty much everyone had arrived. When the receptionist pulled open the door and Sierra entered carrying Toria, the talking came to an abrupt end. Wading through the room toward the conference table, Sierra noticed the broad spectrum of faces and outfits that were present. The marketing reps in their suits, the engineers in their lab coats, the technicians in their work overalls, all of them were working in a company without a leader.

  “Thanks for coming on such short notice. Let me introduce myself. I’m Sierra Bracken, and I think you all know who this is. Toria, say hello to everyone,” Sierra urged her once she was standing on the table of hard sand.

  “No!” Toria said defiantly, crossing her arms. Everyone in the room laughed.

  “Anyway,” Sierra went on. “There’s no doubt you’ve now heard of the death of Arnold Keize, but what you might not know is that Toria’s father, Jim Bolt, was just a razor’s edge away from striking a deal with my father, Lowell Bracken, that would’ve transformed your company as well as Bracken Energy. Once I’d recovered the messages between them, it struck me how similar their visions were for a company that was constantly adapting and innovating. They wanted us to work together to build something that could lead Cumerian business forward.

  “Here’s what I propose. Until the time that Toria’s old enough to competently contribute to this company her father built, I will assume executive duties of the operation. What we will do is institute two structural principles that will guide us in the future. The first is that we’ll strive to perform optimally for the betterment of the company and its staff. The second is that our mission will be to aid in the enrichment of our customers and our planet. With so many exciting developments happening right here, if we can’t be honest about them with the public then we’re doing a huge disservice to those who came before us. What we have is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the lives of millions, and that’s something that’s worth keeping mind.