by Paul Kater
"Indeed, he is. I assume you want to see the senator?" the man asked.
"Yes. If that is possible."
The man nodded and opened the door. "If you would please wait here, sir, I will see if senator Dirrit ko Asac is available for you." The servant turned and left Daniel inside the small chamber as he slipped away behind a richly decorated curtain.
The curtain was very red, Daniel saw. It was embroidered with many small symbols, round and square, of which the meaning was entirely lost on him. Minutes checked in and out. Daniel thought the servant had either forgotten him, or fallen asleep after disappearing behind the curtain. Therefore it was a slight shock for him when the man came into the chamber again.
"The senator will see you, sir." The way the servant managed not to put any life or emotion in his voice was stunning.
Daniel followed him. Behind the curtain was only a very short transparent tunnel, they were through it in a few steps. That was good, as the looming pink spheres were not improving his peace of mind. They came into the house that had more or less straight walls. Everywhere he looked, Daniel saw things. Hanging on the wall, in small glass cabinets or standing on display tables. He moved carefully, with so many things everywhere. Many of them looked expensive.
The servant moved through the chaos with ease. He probably had seen the collection of things grow over the years. The man stopped in front of an oval door and knocked on it. Without waiting, he opened the door which gave entrance into a room that was oval, like the house.
Behind a large desk sat the senator, who looked up as Daniel came in. "Ah, my good Mr. Zacharias. Welcome to my home. What a surprise to see you." The man got up and shook Daniel's hand. The senator was dressed in what almost was a regular suit. No green robe this time. "Won't you please sit down, sir," the senator said as he gestured at a large and comfortable looking chair near the black desk.
Daniel noticed the gentle earth tones that the walls were painted in. On the walls he saw paintings and what could be another kind of pictures. Some were, what Daniel assumed, views of the planet. Some showed large eight-mast ships.
"So, Mr. Zacharias, with what can I help you? And may I offer you a refreshment, like tea, or some exquisite Dilurian wine?"
"Tea would be nice, senator. It is still a bit too early for wine for me," Daniel replied.
The servant man quietly left the office after a nod from Sygra.
"The reason for my visit is the disappearance of the daughter of Seigner Dandra ko Galem. Her mother asked me if I could look into this."
The senator leaned back in his chair, a pen between his thin fingers. "I see. Yes, this is a highly unpleasant thing that happened. Clelem and Ugidra told me in person, the day they found out that Rayko vanished." A slow smile came on the man's face. "You and she made the most handsome couple at the party, Mr. Zacharias."
Daniel wilfully ignored that remark. "Would you know of a reason why someone would want to take her?"
The senator folded his fingers in front of his lips for a moment. "I have been thinking about that as well, Mr. Zacharias, and so far I have come up with not much. There are people who do not like the success Clelem has with his ships, so that might be a reason."
"Do you know if she herself had any enemies? Or friends who would play a joke like that?"
The senator got up and walked up to a painting on the wall. As he stared at it, the servant came in and brought tea and wine, and some snacks Daniel had seen before somewhere.
"Do you know who this is, Mr. Zacharias?" the senator asked Daniel without taking his eyes from the painting?
"No, sir. I don't." Daniel got up and stood next to the senator, to look at the painting. It showed the pale face of a woman, surrounded by shoulder-length brown hair that stood in spikes to all sides. The face was quite plain, almost boring, but the way the artist had captured her eyes... Daniel could not drag his eyes away from them.
"This, Mr. Daniel, is Nahmyo. At least, it is how I picture Nahmyo."
Daniel searched his brain for the name and ended up empty handed. "Who is she, sir? I can't say I have ever heard about her."
The senator nodded. "That does not surprise me." He locked the fingers of his hands behind his back. "Nahmyo is the woman who founded our religion. I should say, a religion." The senator was silent for a moment.
Daniel was not certain what this had to do with his question.
"Rayko and I both follow this religion. This... philosophy I should call it, Mr. Zacharias. That creates a bond between people, as you may be aware of."
Daniel was not the religious kind, but he had heard of things like that, so he sort of nodded and waited. As he stood so close to the senator, he decided that this man could not be the mysterious person in black. Simply because he was too tall.
"Rayko, Mr. Zacharias, does not have enemies. She and I have talked about enemies and friends very often, and she is one of the most gentle and kind people on the planet."
"Hmm," Daniel commented. He had seen a rather different side of the gentle and kind person. His shins had taken part in the experience once.
As if the senator had guessed his thoughts, he turned to Daniel. "And yes, there is a lot of fire in her also."
Daniel was still looking at the eyes of the woman in the painting. They seemed to become larger, taking him in entirely. He reached out to push himself away from the wall and the image. The solid and cool wall allowed him to also divert his eyes.
"Nahmyo attracts your attention, Mr. Zacharias," the senator smiled.
Daniel returned to his chair and blinked his eyes a few times. "It seems so, indeed, senator," he replied as he reached for his tea and took a sip.
The senator sat down at the desk also and had a very satisfied expression on his face. "That is how it starts," he added, without elaborating on what 'it' might be.
Daniel did not ask, as he was not here for religious education. Then it dawned on him that maybe by knowing more of this, he could get an advantage on Rayko's vanishing act. "Can you tell me something about this... philosophy, senator? Maybe it helps me in finding the missing person."
"Mr. Zacharias... Is it so hard for you to pronounce her name? It will not hurt you. Trust me." The senator smiled.
Daniel felt caught.
"The litany of Nahmyo, as it is called, is very simple. Her entire approach to things was simple, you know. Nahmyo was against violence. She was in favour of honouring life and all that belongs to it. It sounds like an easy thing to do, but it is harder than it sounds, Mr. Zacharias."
Daniel waited for more, but there was nothing more. "That's it?"
"Yes. That is the basic idea. To remind yourself of her values, all you do is repeat her litany once a day, in solitude. That is important, as then you can hear your words. Spoken words are powerful, Mr. Zacharias. And you speak the words when they are needed."
"Oh. And... when are they needed?"
The senator smiled again. "The person who knows the litany also knows when it is needed."
Great, Daniel thought to himself. This was not getting him anywhere but to the land of confusion.
Sygra got up. "Would you care to join me for a stroll in the garden, Mr. Zacharias?"
As they left the office, Daniel remarked that there were many objects of art everywhere.
The senator shrugged. "Yes, I have to admit to that. One tries to be strong, but there is always a weakness that takes advantage of a person. Art is my weakness. Especially the objects that are... very hard to come by." He walked towards a door and asked: "And what is your weakness, Mr. Zacharias?"
"I don't want people to-" Daniel was shocked to discover what he was about to say and closed his mouth, his cheeks colouring.
The senator, his hand on the doorknob, smiled. "Yes... it is hard to admit to a weakness. Once you do, though, it is easier to deal with it. Believe me. Oh, I hope you are not afraid of animals, Mr. Zacharias. My pet is outside. Are you safe with that?"
"I am sure I can manage, sir."
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"Very good," said the senator, and opened the door.
42. Kitty cat
"My pet is a Kotrvayk, Mr. Zacharias. Do you know the kind? They are most impressive." Sygra stepped outside. "I named her Kernak."
Daniel was not prepared for the animal that was waiting for him. Impressive was a word he agreed on. Scary would do also.
On a small patio, just a few steps from the door, lay an animal the size of a lioness. It was covered in red hair, like a fox's. Its head was large and round. As Sygra came in its view, the Kotrvayk got up and slowly walked over to him, giving Daniel a good look of its immense, Komodo-dragon like tail.
Sygra scratched the giant animal behind the ears. "Hello beautiful, have you been good so far?"
The low rumble that came from the animal sounded frightening, but Sygra did not seem to have a problem with it.
"Look here, this is a new friend," Sygra said as if he was talking to a kitten, "this is Mr. Zacharias. If he comes here, that's good, Kernak. Mr. Zacharias is a friend."
Large yellow eyes took Daniel in. Then slowly Kernak walked over to him and gently nudged him with her big head. The gentle push conveyed an enormous strength.
"She seems to like you already, Mr. Zacharias. Feel free to play with her," Sygra said, looking sincerely pleased.
Playing was a bit steep for Daniel, so far, but he did reach out and gently patted the large beast on the head. Kernak's head reached up to his hip. As he stroked the massive head, he was surprised to see how calm the Kotrvayk was. Kernak closed her eyes and gave Daniel all the time to pet her. Her low rumbles were encouraging.
"Kernak likes you, Mr. Zacharias." Sygra's gentle voice pulled Daniel from the reverie of being friendly with such an immense animal.
"Can you tell?" Daniel asked, his hand still in the hairs of Kernak.
"Yes. That is easy. If a Kotrvayk likes someone it will release a special scent. It makes you feel good. It is easy to see that you feel good. She did that."
Daniel stared at the red-haired animal and shook his head. "Miraculous." To himself he grinned as he thought of the poodle that Malcolm had bought for his daughters. Little brother, you should see what kind of animal I am standing next to. She likes me, and not for breakfast.
"Shall we walk, Mr. Zacharias, or do you want to spend some more time with Kernak?" Sygra asked, not hurried at all.
Daniel tore himself loose from the Kotrvayk and joined the senator. Kernak calmly trotted along behind them.
"I believe, Mr. Zacharias, that you were about to mention something about your weaknesses," the senator said with a smile.
Daniel became careful and attentive again. Why did this man bring this up now? "We all have them, as you said, sir, and some people tend to talk about them whereas others just want to keep their weaknesses to themselves."
"Do you know, Mr. Zacharias, that this is a weakness in itself?"
Daniel tried to work that out but decided to attempt that later. First thing he was here for was the daughter of Clelem and Ugidra. "I am sure it is, sir, but I am not sure that finding out my weaknesses will help me to find... Rayko back."
Sygra looked at him. "Very good. I am sure she would be delighted to hear you talk like this."
Daniel seriously doubted that. He also was certain he'd never mention anything like weaknesses in her presence.
"It is one of the core values of the Litany of Nahmyo," Sygra explained. "When you are in touch with your weaknesses, you can anticipate them, and protect them a lot better, or even dissolve them. Use them to your advantage too, at times. And you can be more in synchronisation with the planet itself then."
Daniel nodded politely and looked around. He found that he was completely lost in what had appeared to be just a modest garden. Kernak had disappeared, as had his understanding of where the walk and the talk were going.
"You see, Mr. Zacharias," the senator continued, "I have turned a weakness into a strength."
"With your art collection?" Daniel tried.
"No, my dear friend. It is with drugs."
Daniel almost stumbled over his feet upon hearing that. So it was true... "In what respect do you mean that, sir? I mean, this is quite a revelation. Do you... uhm... use drugs?"
Sygra laughed. "Oh no, Mr. Zacharias. Far from, far from, I vow to you. I have, unfortunately, a brother who's weakness is drugs in that way. I am strongly opposed to them, and I have made it known that I will fight anything related to drugs because someone in my family is suffering from them. And suffering it is, Mr. Zacharias." Sygra's laughter disappeared as he said the words.
Daniel knew. "I have seen soldiers, good men, go down because of TSD, Rood, name them. I hate the stuff with a vengeance, sir."
The senator nodded. "Make everyone know this. They will know you for it. And fear you for it." Then, fully unexpected, Sygra reached out and heavily leaned on Daniel's arm.
Daniel felt the man falter and grabbed him under the arm. "Sir, are you okay?"
It took Sygra a while before he could respond. "I must go back inside, if you would be so kind, Mr. Zacharias." Leaning on Daniel, he made it back to the door. Kernak was lying near to it and watched interestedly as Daniel supported her boss into the house. Sygra lay down on a couch and seemed to pass out immediately. He looked the same way as when Daniel had seen him lying on the couch at Clelem's, during the soirée.
Sygra's servant seemed to sense what was going on, he came almost running and checked on his employer. "He will be fine, sir, thank you for assisting him inside. The senator suffers from a serious blood illness that at times makes him faint. Lying down will make him well again soon."
Daniel looked at the thin man who lay there with eyes closed and lips slightly apart. Weaknesses, he thought. "I think I should leave now," he said to the servant. "Please, would you thank the senator for his time and for introducing me to Kernak."
The servant nodded. "I will, sir. And it is a good sign that the beastie likes you."
"How do you know Kernak likes me?" Daniel asked. He was surprised by the certainty in the servant's words.
The servant smiled. "If Kernak did not like you, sir, you would not have been strolling through the garden with the senator. Please allow me to show you out."
-=-=-
Daniel sat in the carriage that was rolling towards Skarak. He was thinking about the remarkable visit that had ended so abruptly. A blood disease would make for a good cover if the man was using drugs. Perhaps Daniel had intruded on the man after he had taken something and had he witnessed- but no, that would be strange. And his talk about that religion. The Litany of Nahmyo. That sounded a bit simple also. Maybe it was a diversion of sorts. There were frauds in many religions.
The sign announcing that the carriage was now entering Skarak moved past the window of the carriage. Not long now, Daniel knew, before he'd be home. Lunch at the "Solid Rooster", which was a good place, was already on his mind when suddenly the carriage stopped.
"What's this?" he muttered. He had never been in a carriage that broke down. These things just didn't do that. They'd at best stop for something that was blocking their path. Daniel opened the door, stepped out of the carriage and was hit in the back by something. Or someone.
Daniel staggered away from the carriage. A blow had not been what he had expected. Before he really heard it, he already reacted to a sound that happened behind him. The combat training he'd had worked. He dropped himself to the ground, rolled to the side and as he was on his back he kicked at whatever would be coming up on him. His shoes connected with the legs of a heavy-set man. The kick did not throw the man over, but got him out of balance long enough for Daniel to get up and prepare for the next attack.
The man charged at Daniel. In his hand was something that looked like a knife, and he was waving it in a very skilled way. He was fast. He slashed the sleeve of Daniel's jacket and almost managed to slit part of his body too. Daniel got hold of the man's arm and yanked it hard. His arms were longer than those of the at
tacker, so he had the advantage of reach.
The man with the knife stumbled. Daniel kicked at one of the passing ankles, something cracked and the man went down. The pointy rocks that were placed along the side of the road became fatal for the man... he fell face down on one of them and lay still.
"Oh crap," Daniel said, watching the silent figure on the ground.
"Sir, are you unharmed?" Two gentlemen had jumped from their own carriage that had halted and had tried to come to Daniel's assistance. That had proven not to be necessary.
"Yes, I am fine," Daniel replied, looking at the sleeve. The knife had not even scraped his skin.
One of the other men took his hydger and was busy with it.
