The silence he had dreaded immediately after asking the question screamed through his ears — the long line of I’sta remained steadfast and still; ranks of SYS-troops readied themselves behind their commander. The SYS-soldier took a step backwards and heaved the flare-repeater to his shoulder.
“Well...uh...,” he continued, his lower jaw starting to quiver as though the temperature had suddenly plummeted, “if you do not comply, my orders are...are....” He gulped hard as his finger shivered its way towards the trigger. “Well...my orders are clear. Men!” he croaked past his roughening throat, and continued, “On my signal!” as yet more SYS-troops filed into the forum and trained their weapons on the outnumbered I’sta.
Kai looked around the chamber, the fire of conviction now blazing in his dark eyes, then stepped vigorously out from the centre of the circle and made for the door. Onnd raised her staff as he passed, readying to swat him down.
“And where do you think you...?” began Nira, but Shen blurted out, “He’s the One!”
“Just one of many. And easily replaceable,” said Onnd, her grey eyes trained on the boy.
“He’s leading us!” said Shen, ignoring Onnd.
“Us?!” said Nira, her thin eyebrows arched in disgust at the word.
“He shows the way!” continued Shen, unperturbed.
Kai neared the door; the circle of warriors parted as he approached.
“See?!” cried Shen, and scuttered over to Onnd pointing a ruby finger up at her face, “Even your sisters know it! This is it! The time is now! Right now! The defining moment in your history. You know it is. You know this boy has the way.”
“You really need a whole team of head-doctors, don’t you!” spat Nira at Shen, “He’s just...some kid!”
“But what if?!” said Shen, turning his flickering, flustered face to Nira, “He might show us the way to the Shield.”
“Again with the ‘us’!” she snorted.
“Yes! Us! I’m pretty sure you want to be there when he finds it. Because I’m pretty sure you can’t afford not to be! Right?!”
Nira’s eyes smouldered into anger...and barely concealed avarice.
“Yes,” laughed Shen, “You can hardly even imagine that kind of wealth!”
“I wouldn’t say that,” said Nira softly.
Kai reached the door, where the twins stood dutifully — one barred the way with her staff and looked to Onnd; the other looked to Sann, then slowly lifted her staff away and bowed her head to Kai.
“No wonder you need me!” said Nira furiously to the warriors, “You’re all soul and principle — just no backbone! If you hire me to lead you in this — especially today — then let me!”
“Perhaps they’ve found a new leader?” said Shen.
The tightening tension strangled air from the room.
Nira looked to Onnd: “Well?”
Onnd calmly shook her head, then opened her mouth to speak.
Instead, however, it was Sann’s voice that came: “Master. Forgive me, but...even if this boy is not the One — the only One — perhaps we can no longer wait for...perfection. He has something, a gift. He sees a way. And we need someone.”
In the long silence that followed, all eyes fixed on Onnd — including Kai’s.
Finally, Onnd nodded reluctantly to the twins by the door — the second sibling shadowed her sister and removed her staff from Kai’s way.
“Oh, that’s just great!” shouted Nira, “Years of planning. Gone! For a boy! A child!”
Kai remained, staring at Nira. She glared back with lustrous fury: “Go! Go now!”
Kai opened the door and the music from the bar hammered into the chamber around them. He thrust himself out into the dark throng of revellers.
Nira was the first to follow him, shouting over to Jhor as she went, “Disarm the charges! Now!” then roared at herself over the din, “This is going to be a mess. I know it! And I’m going to have to clean it up!”
Onnd walked after her, followed eagerly by Shen. As she reached the door, however, Onnd stopped, turned, and thrust her staff at Shen’s throat. He turned pale purple as she bent down and hissed in his ear, “If I find this to be a ruse, old man, then your easing — your death — will be very slow and very painful.”
She whirled round again and left Shen in quivering blush by the doorway. Sann followed her master, then Jhor, and then the rest of the warriors exited in an efficient file. As the last warrior left, the twins left their post and joined the tail. Shen flickered back from fear and scampered after them, trying to elbow his way through the impenetrable line of alabaster white, his erratic moods radiating green and red over their robes in the darkness of the bar: “Excuse me. I say, could you please let me...me...me....aaarrRGAGAHHHHH! MOVE!!! Let me through! He’s MY friend! MINE...my...oh my! If you don’t mind, that is?”
As Kai reach the far door of the bar, Nira nodded gravely to the bartender. Most of his eyes widened as he saw the long, solemn tail of warriors behind her. He fished under the counter, brought out a roll of red fabric with one tentacle and the pistol he had offered her earlier with another; he pushed the gun deep into the bundle and tossed it to her. Nira caught it without looking, unfurled a thin strap with a flick of her wrist, and slung it diagonally over her shoulder.
Kai ploughed through the door and into the dank, lightless stairwell, followed by Nira’s gleaming diamond eyes and the silent train of I’sta leaping up the stairs after him. He thrust open the door and light blazed in; his left hand shot up to shield his eyes, and as he stumbled blindly forwards into the forum, and as the ring of tall, white statues before him gradually came into focus through his slitted eyes, Onnd boomed a word of frightful beauty behind him and the marble sea parted, leaving Kai’s eyelids to crack slowly open and alight on the object directly in front of his face — the searing muzzle of the SYS-soldier’s flare-repeater.
Next chapter — Choices
Sunday 28 August 2011
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