by John O.
“Tell me Maya, have you two reconciled?” Sue asked regarding the ongoing malice between the sisters.
“No we have not. I am fed up with trying, mother. Jessamine has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with me. Perhaps it’s time I let her go.”
“You cannot mean that, Maya. She’s your only sister!”
“According to Jessamine, we are no longer sisters,” Maya replied resignedly.
Sue shook her head and regarded Yosi. “How about you, Yosi? When last did you see your sister?”
Yosi took some moments to think about it before replying, “I think she must have been twelve. That’s about twelve years ago then. A long time it has been.”
He hadn’t seen her much as she grew up. With the reports of her somewhat troublesome behavior, he wasn’t sure they would get along and, as such, he had never bothered trying. Nevertheless, it was no excuse, he realized. Before his mother could scold him, he quickly added, “I’ll try to speak with her when the Blue Whale returns.”
“Please do. She has changed a lot. She is still as blunt as can be, but at least she is now more caring and helpful. What’s more, no matter what she says and does, she will always remain your sister.”
The two officers accepted the chiding with grace, for that was the best course of action if a lecture was to be prevented.
26
“Who is that man you were with yesterday?”
Jessamine regarded her colleague with a smile before replying, “His name is Set Yen, or so he told me. He’s an artist. Oh, let me show you the painting he gave me.” She reached for her bag and retrieved the canvas.
“Wow Jessie, this is amazing! You look so beautiful,” the Sentor was wide-eyed with mixed feelings of admiration and jealousy. “Did you ask him to make this painting?”
“That’s irrelevant, dear. The important thing is that I have this masterpiece to decorate my room with. He probably thinks he will have a taste of my world as a result of his ostensible kindness. Little does he know of the disappointment that awaits him,” she replied with a chuckle.
“He might be falling in love with you, who knows?”
“Love…Women love, men lust. It’s that simple. I learned this when even married men made a pass at me, in spite of their doting wives. They would make all these wonderful promises with the sole objective of burying themselves within my legs. That’s men for you, that’s all they want.”
The Sentor laughed for a moment. “The way you talk, sometimes I wonder whether you’ve been taken by one or more men.”
“Nonsense! One doesn’t need to have indulged in the full act before knowing these things. To be clear, I’ve never slept with a man.”
“I believe you, Jessie. Tell me though, how did you meet this Set Yen? Did he approach you?”
“On the contrary, it was I who approached him, for he reminded me of a man who I once admired from afar. Like many other girls, I could only watch from a distance as he won the Swordsman’s Glory. His victory at the Rider’s Glory further made him a god to us young girls at the time.”
The Sentor widened her eyes in surprise, “You mean Leade Hito Hent?”
“Yes, Hito Hent; the only man to have escaped the chains of Lionea’s prison. Do you not see the resemblance?”
“A little, though it seems the only thing they have in common is the dark complexion. Unlike this man, Hito Hent was much shorter and completely hairless.”
“Darling, ten years is enough for anyone to make a few changes. I never forget a face, talk less of one that I admired so fiercely. I believe that man is indeed Hito Hent.”
Sido walked into the room to find an angry Surita. She had woken shortly after he left to execute the first part of his secret plan. Unfortunately, he could not tell her without ruining everything, and, as such, he struggled to come up with a plausible explanation.
“Where did you sneak off to Sido?”
“I didn’t sneak anywhere, Suri. I only went to have a chat with the caretaker, Artela. She’s quite a lovely lady, you know. You should meet her.”
“Why don’t I believe you? I find it odd that you would leave a magnificent lady like me to chat with a stranger, regardless of whether I was asleep or not. Besides, it was you who put me to sleep.”
“Are you sure about that? I seem to recall you putting yourself to sleep with all that feistiness.”
A large pillow made its way toward Sido who aptly dodged with a laugh, “Suri, we−−”
“Stop calling me that! It has an odd ring to it.”
“Three syllables seem a bit too much for me, dear. Suri is more convenient.”
“Didn’t you just mention the caretaker’s name? It had three syllables as well, I recall.”
Sido laughed in his usual teasing manner and Surita found herself admiring his easy approach to all things. What would she do when the inevitable came? Surely they had no life together, for they lived entirely different lives. She knew it was time for them to obtain a horse and ride for the Helesp, but she dreaded the moment, for it would spell an end to a blissful partnership.
“What’s going on in that sweet head of yours,” Sido said and proceeded to kiss her forehead.
“Nothing that is of concern to you,” she remarked in mock off-handedness. With a deep sigh, she added sarcastically, “We must be on our way now, Sido. I hope your new friend Artela won’t miss you terribly.”
“She would have. A good thing her son, Martelo returns to her on the morrow,” he replied.
Surita shook her head in amazement of just how much he knew about this caretaker. She gathered what little belongings they had and made her way towards the door.
“Aren’t you coming?” she asked after she noticed Sido hadn’t moved an inch.
“I am, dear. I was only admiring the beautiful behind that I claimed last night.”
Surita gave him an ominous stare as he laughed with a lewd edge. “Alright I’m coming,” he commented after he was done making jest.
As they departed the townhouse, Surita couldn’t help but wonder why the caretaker looked excited as she said her goodbyes. This Sido must have made quite an impression, she thought to herself. As they went along, they navigated through the shoreline settlement with relative ease and located the stable Artela had described. A man emerged shortly after they arrived at the entrance.
“You two need horses?” he asked.
“Yes indeed, my friend,” Sido replied, “How much does that dark stallion go for?”
“Ten gold coins. A fair price don’t you think?”
Sido blinked away his surprise as he realized he was in no position to bargain over the finer things of life. “Let me put it this way, lest we waste each other’s time. Which is the cheapest among this lot?”
The trader considered his goods for about twenty counts before pointing towards the rear. “See that mule over there? I can sell that for two gold coins.”
Surita regarded Sido with a confused stare upon seeing that he was indeed considering the mule. She had thought they had enough money to afford at least two medium-sized horses. Upon seeing her confused look, Sido improvised, “You might find it hard to believe but I got mugged when I took a walk earlier.”
“You didn’t think to mention it sooner?”
“I didn’t want to unnecessarily cause you to be alarmed. I believe we can ride the mule together.”
“That means we would be at the Helesp at near dusk. Wow, this isn’t happening.”
“Relax, Suri. We will make it home I promise.”
The trader smiled at the couple as he received his pay and handed over the mule. “You two remind me of my wife and I when we were newly wed. It is always refreshing to be reminded of a love so young.”
Sido and Surita looked at each other with expressions that suggested that the man was mistaken about what he thought he saw.
The family exchanged their goodbyes with Yosi, who had taken excuse to depart early on account of matters of State. As they returned
to the living room, Jorraine also decided to excuse himself in order to attend to other matters in his underground laboratory.
“We’re finally alone,” Sue said to Maya who had taken a seat opposite her. “Tell me; are you still adamant on seeing no man?”
“Motherrr,” Maya grumbled. “Can we not do this right now? You already know my answer, so let’s not waste this precious moment!”
“You are a beautiful woman. You cannot afford to allow a horrible experience to dictate how the rest of your life would be. Take in a husband and you will come to see how much a man will make your life complete.”
“I hear you,” Maya replied and decided to change the topic. “The bodies that were delivered here yesterday; have you and father analyzed them for more information?”
“Not fully. The marks on the…”
Sue’s words were lost on Maya; for something odd seemed to have suddenly caught her attention.
“What is it dear? You seem to be lost in…”
“Behind you!” Maya suddenly lurched forward and pushed her mother to the floor.
At that moment, Oracion cursed herself for not using her mind travel form. Maya must have somehow seen the reflection of the knife that would have impaled her target, Sue, from behind. As she stepped back to regroup, Maya launched some knives towards her direction, causing her to take flight in order to avoid being wounded.
“Show yourself, you coward!” Maya screamed as she unfastened a flail worn on her side.
Upon seeing the strange light pattern again, Maya launched her flail with such force that Oracion lost her balance and fell to the floor. Maya knew she had struck true for she heard the sound that was indicative of a fallen being. She immediately launched another knife towards the area while she made her way towards her mother. To her horror, she saw her mother begin to struggle against an invisible hand which choked the life out of her.
With determination, she moved to kick the air behind Sue. This time around, she wasn’t as lucky; for the invisible being caught her feet in the air and twisted it with inhuman force, causing Maya to scream in pain. Disabled, she hopelessly watched in dismay as her mother’s neck was eventually snapped by the being. With rage-induced vigor, she swung her flail in an attempt to hamper the being’s escape. The result was the gasp of a woman in pain.
Maya poised herself to launch a second attack but was momentarily distracted by a sound the invisible woman had made. To Maya’s surprise, it sounded like someone she was all too familiar with. Her momentary hesitation proved to be her demise; for three knives suddenly hurtled towards her, with the third striking right between her eyes. If only she had known how close she had been to apprehending the assassin.
As Maya drifted to the afterlife, her last thought was on the Rosa Centifolia scent that had filled the room.
Jorraine Sint could not find a vital ingredient for his experimental potion. He wondered where his wife had kept it. It seemed to him that his Sue had a way of arranging things in a manner that left him disorganized at critical times. Frustrated, he bolted up the stairs to ask her where she had put the Astragalus. The eerie silence in the living room was the first thing that Jorraine noticed as he came to the study. Could it be that the women had slept off? He quickly went through the door of the living room to find out for himself.
The vial in his hand fell to the floor, shattering as he beheld the pool of blood around his wife and daughter.
Yosi Sint was approaching the front gate of the Sint province when he noticed two riders coming towards him at blinding speeds. Instinctively, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword in anticipation of an attack. As the riders came closer, they began to slow down up until when they were less than a deer-run from the HN. Yosi immediately noticed that the men had no hostile intent, for they were panting to catch their breath.
“Lord HN,” one of the riders began in-between breaths, “Something terrible has just happened.”
Yosi steeled himself as he waited to hear what the man had to say.
“Your father…”
“What about him?”
“We heard him screaming in anguish as we passed by his home. As a result, we took the liberty of entering the living room uninvited. What we saw was…” The rider was unsure of how to break the news.
“Out with it!” Yosi remarked forcefully, for he was running out of patience.
“Your mother and sister lying in a pool of blood, Sire. Your sister still has a knife buried in her head,” the man lowered his eyes in preparation for the HN’s reaction.
Yosi Sint froze as he listened to the man’s last statement. Was this what Ruki Sen meant when he asked him to prepare for the worst? Only moments ago he had been with this family and now two of them were no more.
“Did my father tell you how it happened?”
“No, Sire. Upon entry, he only gave us a distant look and returned to holding his wife closely. He seemed to be in shock. We only knew to come after you when we heard him mutter something about you having just left.”
Yosi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As HN, it would be unseemly for him to publicly mourn his loss. It was all he could do to stop himself from displaying any emotion that may be considered weak. By then, the Sentors by the gate were already gathered close by, for they had overheard the news of his family’s demise. Turning around, Yosi motioned towards one of them.
“Ro Haus, ride for the Helesp and inform Leade Zach to come by my parents’ house immediately.”
The Sentor replied dutifully and went to do as he was bid.
Yosi inwardly said a short prayer before proceeding towards his father’s home.
Oracion collapsed to the floor of her room. She had been badly wounded by the Spyinme leader, so much so that she could barely speak. The flail had struck close to her wind sack and she feared a rib or two may be broken. Whether or not she needed a healer’s attention was out of the question, for it would reveal her presence and complicity in the deaths of the HN’s mother and sister.
She coughed, only to be struck by a jolting pain that threatened to render her unconscious. How had she gotten so complacent that she almost allowed herself to be caught? The Spyinme leader was never part of the plan, for the target had been the healer Sue Sint alone. Her pain centered on the disappointment she would cause her father for nearly botching the mission. She could not let him see her like this, for if he did, her part in his grand scheme would immediately be over. With hope, she scanned through the information in her mind to discover if there were any healing arts she could perform. To her disappointment, there was nothing elaborate that could help. The only thing she saw that could alleviate her suffering was an art for dulling out pain. She quickly performed the art repeatedly until she could no longer feel the pain that had tormented her since the encounter. It was no healing, she knew; for while the pain was now nonexistent, the wounds remained real. At least I may shield father from the truth, she thought with relief. Not that she would lie to him. Instead she would simply not mention the extent of damage that was inflicted upon her by the Spyinme wench.
As she made her way towards her bed, the door opened to usher in the Aishe.
“Ora dear! It’s good to see you’ve returned. How did it go?” The Aishe asked immediately, anticipating.
“How did it go? I thought your first question would be about my wellbeing!”
The Aishe put on a surprised look, for he did not know where this was coming from. Not having the patience to handle a sulking child, he put it plainly, “Oracion. There are other pressing matters that demand my attention. Now tell me how it went and stop being a spoiled little girl.”
Oracion was deeply hurt, although she concealed her emotions in order not to anger her father. “Apologies. Sue Sint lies dead as you ordered.”
“That’s my girl. I never doubted you for one moment.”
Oracion ignored the compliment and continued, “You should also know that Maya Sint also lies dead. For some odd reason, she recognized my
presence and tried to hamper my escape.”
“Really? Perhaps her sessions with Prisca have given her a few tips on dealing with an invisible. However, I am surprised that she gave you some trouble. How can one apprehend a mind?”
Oracion colored slightly as a result of both embarrassment and anger. She had not informed him of her new ability and perhaps it was best if he never got to know about it. It irked her to realize that her father was oblivious to the detrimental side effects of mind travel. From what she had gathered, the more she used it, the shorter her lifespan became. The tactile mind form could not pass through walls and, as such, she could indeed be trapped within a room. To exist outside her body for more than twelve hours would exhaust her fleshy organs beyond repair. She would easily slip into the afterlife if that happened. The risks were enormous, and she was determined not to take them any longer. She would perfect this new form and use it in all future missions, she decided.
“Ora!” the Aishe called her out of her reverie. He didn’t appreciate it when people were distracted while he spoke to them. It made him feel as though he was inconsequential.
“Father,” she replied with an even stare.
“What has gotten into you? Tell me what happened.”
“There’s not much to tell. She kept swinging a wild flail that struck me a few times but I managed myself well. As we speak, Sue Sint’s head dangles on her broken neck. Maya Sint has a knife buried between her eyes for her insolence. Jorraine Sint remains untouched and Yosi Sint is probably devastated. Traumatic enough for you?”
The Aishe did not appreciate the sarcastic manner with which she replied. With a cold, harsh voice, he warned. “You will speak to me with respect! How dare you?”
Oracion could hold herself no longer as the tears began to flow. “Go away father and leave me be. It was an exhausting mission and all I want is to be alone.”
She was disappointed at the man she called father. She constantly risked her life for this man who couldn’t face his enemies as any brave man would. Yet this is how he treated her, too concerned about his schemes that he failed to notice she was injured. Perhaps she should ignore her wounds and just die off as she should have many years back. It would be a fitting end to one who lived in the shadows.
