Chapter 18

Tumjai cast his thoughts back to
Those days… the dormant memories lied scattered so far away like shadows.
He recalled the small rooms in the embassy that were dimly lit, they were cramped like small interrogation rooms and only scarcely decorated.

Amongst the fixtures and fittings were pictures of majestic misty volcanoes that were stoic reminders of the place of his origin.

Today was no ordinary day, it was a calamity of unraveling’s that were sure to have repercussions impossible to foresee.

It had cast a genuine chill upon him and made him worry about his own mortality, as he felt a low dull pain right behind his eyes, he knew as a confidant and advocate he’d done all that he could to help Li Kay, but couldn’t subdue the feeling of yearning to fulfil an act of redemption.

From his inside jacket pocket, he fumbled around until he felt the small bottle of medicine.
He took out the bottle, it read headache remedy. He uncorked it and held it to his eyes as he dropped a couple of drops in each of his vibrant golden eyes.
Instantly it alleviated the pain.

Usually, the rooms were awash with patrons coming and going, waiting in the foyer to get advice or representation, sorting out their trivial affairs. But today there was only one figure …. a troubled man who hurriedly sat to put in motion the last loophole that would conclude his affairs, it was the infamous Grand marshal himself.

Oddly he had brought with him a square briefcase.

Thus beginning the speculation.

The elusive question as to what he did?
was there yet another unknown witness?

The question on a thousand tongues that would remain a mystery? For 7 years *

what did Li Kay actually do to the Emrys A.I – it would be the thing that would prevent mutual destruction, and in his own words later he would confess… he did it so no one could rise to power without the support or the backing of the people.

But this is all just idle speculation, turned into urban legend.

Tumjai recalled that day being warm and bright a typical summers day in the capital humid with the scent of guava suckle carried about on zephyrs fragranting the ether.

He spoke, “are you sure you don’t want political asylum?!” The Grand marshal peered down his nose and shook his head vigorously, pride would be his undoing.

He answered “Tumjai you are my legal representative and a damn fine executioner, there are none better, but…I’m afraid I have a higher duty! My daughter !”
He paused “my little girl …. she needs her father now more than ever!” He said as he downed a short glass of Casper and moonflower whiskey in a single gulp.
Beneath the 2 glasses that were set on a silver platter was a note that read, this office has been debugged, but there may be other spies about.
He read the note and glanced over to jai.

Having limited time kay put the strange box on the desk and flipped the tin fastening. He opened it cautiously Inside there was a peculiar jar to which Li kay spoke quietly just above a whisper as Tumjai held his breath “Emrys, I want you to meet a friend of mine!”
He said as the jar luminesced on to
Kays Ivory face by what looked like a blue orb inside.
“ his name is Tumjai, and he will look out for you now!” It seemed silly him talking to a crystal vase with a lid, until a voice harkened back,
“ why sir, where are you going?” As the blue light got brighter as a voice seemed to come out from the jar.
“I am afraid, I will have to take a vacation, go on gardening leave as it were.”
“I’m not going to lie to you Emrys, you deserve more than that… I don’t want the god weapons falling into the wrong hands, and for that reason, I’m going to turn self-autonomy over to you!”
“ aye Sir, ……..do you think, we’ll meet again!” Said the creature in the jar the grand marshal sighed and answered with a heavy heart “I… I really don’t know!”
“Perhaps you should use your prescience, to find the answer!”
“ it doesn’t quite work like that sir!”
“Well, only time will tell!” Uttered kay

“Goodbye. Grand marshal!” Said the blue ball of light in the jar as it went dead.
“Goodbye Emrys!!” the Grand marshal closed the box and readied himself to leave.

It was more emotional than he had bargained for observed Tumjai as he could see a husk of a man dragged over the coals and twitching over what could happen next.

“ what actually happened with the Tai T’sar!” There was an awkward silence, Li kay looked distracted and tetchy, a man under severe stress. It surprised him how he could still function “you were there Jai!” He said uncomfortably “I was, but…!!?” Before he could finish his sentence, kay Concluded the short meeting he barked “I really do have to go and get Li Elkie to safety!”
“ we’ll talk about it soon then!” Said Tumjai ministering his legal counsel as Kay looked up and nodded.
Before he remarked pessimistically “is there any real point!” As he looked back over his shoulder.
He promptly got up to leave, he took one last glance at the box it was as if, he was sad to be abandoning it.

the box sat on the table innocently and insidiously a contradiction wrapped in an enigma.
The two of them shook hands exchanged pleasantries, a moments eye contact, that had a finality to it.
Then Li kay strode off and was gone.

Quiet, stillness, emptiness.
Tumjai ran his hands over the box it was closed tightly, a strange notion visited him, it wrought its ghost into the air, like a single magpie, an omen something was going to happen. Then almost beyond hearing, he thought he heard a raised voice far away and felt something tap him on the shoulder as he turned around only to see that no one was there.

It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end.

The events he had pictured in his senses. It was like Deja Vu but in reverse …

Like something else noncorporeal felt you had been there, and yet had a connection to you, only it had to transpire, and so it was showing you where you were meant to be.

Prescience Jai thought to himself as he heard shouting coming from the foyer, precisely how he had imagined it! Moments earlier.

There stood the inky black silhouette of the knightmare and two other men.

The Buress a stern woman with a standoffish appearance stood there challenging his authority “primavera you do not have any jurisdiction, this is classed as moorenian soil!” Feisty she squared off to the amorphous shapeshifter! “Make an appointment or leave!” She said asserting her authority, to the diseased old mystic.
The stern-faced women was unflinching in her ministry.

“You tell your boss, I’m looking for him, and if I find him, I’m going to try him as an accomplice!!”
Said the macabre figure.
As the three of them left the embassy out into the Martian sunshine.

And just like that the voices waned from Tumjai’s memory, he was transported back to the present.

Churchill.
An autumn evening where twilight was prevailing, and the breeze danced upon the ears of the fields of lavender wheat.
A stranger stood at the flap of the tent that had been customized into the marquee’s white linen doorway. He wore everyday attire, that of a yeoman with a red hood that obscured his face, as he stood there like a bleak omen personified.

Tumjai looked at the stranger with an eye that was used for probing the fine detail hidden in the small print of litigation, as he said: “well, are you going to speak first, or shall I?” Was there any early indication he was a friend or foe?
“ and so you have!” Spoke the jaded voice of Li kay, as finally, the terse figure, began to soften and he could put a name to a face.

“Life surely is like a reunion?”
“Yes, it is!” Repeated kay softly as Tumjai looked on at him in silence and fear, as it gripped him in anticipation, was it guilt about his betrayal he asked himself? he seemed confused as he looked back at him with a blank stare, “and that’s how I first met you!” He concluded much to Tumjai’s relief.
“It is you then!” Commented the black executioner.
“It is … old friend” as the pair embraced in a brotherly hug.

It was a long time since they last met, was it 7 seasons ago he wondered or longer? The passing of time like the leaves of the blue fireflower drifting downstream on the face of the river Ylla, was it all water under the bridge now, they’d both changed no doubt?

Li Kay, He was…. different now thought the executioner .. older, no he told himself as he weighed it up in his mind, he was meeker, as if for the first time he let his vulnerability shine out of him, instead of throwing it off as a weakness , it was as if he wielded it as his strength.

He pondered about the tribulations he must have endured under the whip-hand of the parliamentarian government, terrible he wagered to himself, but at least he was alive which is more than he would’ve been under Queen Gaudete.

Tumjai clung on to his arm for a moments pause “ I want to say, I’m sorry, I need you to hear it, my brother!” he said as he visibly shook. Kay turned away as he must have recounted those times in the dark corners of his mind when he felt utterly alone, and even that leer herself had forsaken him.

“Don’t you think … I don’t already know that!” He drew a breath and looked at him with eyes that were like polished marbles, the eyes of a father yet they endured to be greater and more.
“sometimes the only choices you have are between, a bad situation and an even more dire one. I believe you did the Best you could!” He said eloquently, and without lingering, he pressed the current matters forward.

“Now down to business!” He said as the red-cloaked figure stood before a map that lay horizontally across a heavy wooden table, he studied it as he began to ask questions. A word that would lead to another word that would no doubt lead to foul deeds, he could see gears whirring in his mind.

Jai, never envied Min or Kay, the decisions that impinged on someone’s whole life. How many hearts broken? How many lives shattered?
A test of nerve. He did not take it lightly.

He began to brief him on the current events.
“I’ve received word from Witchaven, and it is as we feared!” He said looking down at his feet.
Li Kay looked at him “Min!”
He nodded “everything’s in place, Okota and Sako are going to be joining us shortly!”
“ it’s not going to be easy, facing her again. “Said Jai
“I think I’d rather face all the monsters from the underworld and Tiamat herself!” He said in jest.
“Be careful with her Kay, she’s not the women she used to be!”
“I know!” He mused as a mixture of apprehension and excitement was emblazed on his face.

He really didn’t know, he told himself.

Later that evening the rest of the men poured in Vir Okota and Wi Sako arrived, there were happy faces and camaraderie hung in the air as they recounted old stories from bygone days. Then the much anticipated Pa’mina arrived, the mysterious red witch that was pivotal to their plans, from Witchaven and her name was ūna!”

Ūna and Vee Vee strode into the marquee as ūna caught Tumjai’s eye, it was apparent they were strangers, the Grand marshal introduced the pair “this is Vee Vee and ūna!” Tumjai looked at Li kay “I do believe we’ve met before!” he said as he took her hand.
He stripped away the years and besides him was standing the little girl that held on to him all those years ago, not so little anymore, she had a woman’s shape and was disturbingly pretty, and had eyes that reached out like a vixen that hid amongst reeds awaiting her time to strike.

“I remember you!” He said to ūna as she blushed. He queried the Grand marshal “don’t you recognise her, the orphan child we freed from the clutches of the Red Death!”
“Yes, now you mention it! “Said kay, He seemed sad that it was her, perhaps he wished that she’d put her life to better use!

It must have seemed like an anti-climax to the poor girl meeting us now, Tumjai thought
“ Hello !” She said, “So you did find your voice after all!” Remarked jai.
“I did, though it took its time to find me!!!”

Pacing around the Grand marshal cleared his throat as he began his speech

“ we are reunited, friends once again, we are gathered here to put right injustices that have been committed, like Emsie wrote in the Sentinel,” destiny is not measured by material calculation. When great forces are on the move in this world, we learn we are spirits, not animals.”

“There is something that transcends time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.
You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of every man, women, or child, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done, but this I know… as liberty endures, so does hope !”
Li kay paused he was indeed a charismatic leader.

“ and let the record show that we did not falter, bend or break, that we stood against tyranny with unswerving conviction, that we decided that a line be drawn in the earth our fathers plowed, with their bare hands, and we said No!!, no more!”

“ the line is there, and there it’s staying!!”

“We have much to do and it must start tonight with our estranged sister!!”

“WE HAVE REACHED THE POINT OF NO RETURN! we have reached the tipping point.”
And with that, the board was set, and the pieces of the game were ready.

* a year on Mars is equivalent to 2 on earth*