Chapter 19
“Have you seen this?” Zungher Dol slid his device across his desk toward Saw Yatha.
“What is it?” Saw replied as he picked up the device. Dol remained silent, checking for any change in Saw’s expression.
The device glowed with an image of something familiar to Saw, but someone had altered it distastefully. Not far from where he sat was a political poster that had been more or less enshrined where it had originally been displayed when, Zungher Dol was on his way to power over the Merlain Realm. It was of the future Merlain flag – a deep navy blue field with a shining silhouette of an aurelis bird in the center surrounded by six points symbolizing Merlain with the other realms orbiting her. As part of the goodwill campaign Dol had helmed as he rose to power, he emblazoned the phrase “Freedom is Ours” on a shield over the aurelis’ armor-like breast. This poster remained, even after all of the reconstruction and updating of the city’s infrastructure as a testament to the honor of Chieftan Dol, his ideals, and his character.
But, this most sacred of national emblems now had a thin layer painted over it, as if a thin, pale second poster had been glued over it. Though one could still see the familiar poster, the new poster, in stark and unimaginative crimson lettering, read “CANCELLED BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNMENT.” In the bottom corner, Saw was able to read Nova’s signature.
Saw slid the device back to his leader. “I hadn’t,” he replied. “Let me guess, no one saw him do it.”
“It’s maddening,” Dol said. “Think of it. If someone can be so bold, not just to think of such a heresy but to accomplish it. Not just accomplish it, but as if done by no one. Under our noses. Under *our* noses. Who, where,” Zungher sputtered, “are there more people like this – bolder, more vocal – in the other realms? Has our power become weak? If our own people feel this free to mock me openly, what is to say the other realms aren’t conspiring for something greater?”
Saw let his breath out slowly through his nose. He had much still to do to get details ready for Lillian’s trial and execution and felt he could spare little time listening to the insecure worries of his leader. Saw had long before convinced himself that should there ever be a time when the seat of power was vacated, that he would be a perfect fit to lead Merlain and the other realms under her care to the next stage of their glorification. He, of course, could do nothing about that now, so he sat and observed his Chieftan.
Zungher Dol, tapped his fingers impatiently on the desktop before flashing his eyes back up to Saw and asked, “What do you know about subordinate regents?”
Saw’s brow bunched up reflexively, “I know that I don’t like them.”
Dol pursed his lips. “What don’t you like about them?”
“What do you like about them?” Saw asked.
Dol smiled and sat back in his chair. He waged a playful finger at his subordinate and said, “I asked you first.”
“In a word, Chieftain, they seem risky. Unnecessarily risky.”
“How so?”
“If you’re asking me, then you have done more reading on it than I have, but if memory serves, the few uses of subordinate regents I’m aware of have had mixed results. They rely too heavily on the willingness of the regent to remain subordinate and not desire greater things eventually.” Saw smiled slightly and asked again, “What do you like about them?”
“I don’t know,” he said, “you know me, always looking at options. I was playing with the idea, not committing to this, mind you, just playing with it. And when I tell you, I know you’ll hate it, but just so it’s out there, Is Executing Lillian the Best Course of Action?”
Saw said nothing.
“Here’s what I’m playing with: Let’s say we go through with our plan – It’s a just plan, and I believe in it fully, as executing Lillian will not only bring the worthless King of Coellum to his knees but will bring all of the realms under one unified flag. So, just to overemphasize, this is just an idea. But if we didn’t execute her but sent her back home with significant shackles, wouldn’t it shout to the other realms that if we can place Lillian under our powerful thumb, we can do the same to whoever would dare attempt open rebellion?”
Saw thought it best to play along for a moment, but all he felt in his head was the slipping away of the useful time he had to accomplish Lillian’s demise. “What would these shackles be, sir?”
“Just thinking out loud,” Dol said looking at the ceiling, “we’d need to remove all of the Coelum troops and send in ours. Possibly, the troops could be scattered throughout the other realms or imprisoned indefinitely. I mean just to occupy Coellum should dishearten the most stalwart of citizens that Lillian would quickly only be a figurehead. I mean there would also be limits on what they could produce and trade. There are plenty of levers I could pull to keep her power at a minimum.”
Saw pretended to take all of this seriously before replying, “Yes, but, and I’m sure you’ve thought of this already my mighty leader, but as long as she’s alive she has the opportunity to use her cunning to cut your knees out from under you. A dead Lillian would also greatly dishearten the most stalwart of citizens.”
“Yes, but don’t you think it would also make her a martyr for her cause?” Zungher picked up his device and began searching for a document.
“She’s a martyr already without having died. That’s likely why this Nova creature is getting bolder.”
Zungher Dol handed the device back to Saw. “What’s this?” Saw asked, taking it. “It’s something I found in support of subordinate regents.”
“So you’re doing more than playing with the idea.”
“I’m wanting to make sure we don’t err in handling her.
“But you’re actually talking about it.
“As an idea.”
“As a, as a *thought* exercise.”
“Yes.
“Because it sounds like you’re -”
Zungher held up his hand in resignation. “You know what, yes, as a thought – as a – I’m not – Drop it. Let’s just drop it. It’s not important.” Zungher sat back down in his seat. He wanted to jump across the desk and strangle Saw. Why did he have to be so difficult? Why couldn’t he just play along? “Listen,” he smiled, “listen, I want you to head up the -” Zungher rubbed his face in the hopes his murderous thoughts would push to the side so that he could voice a complete thought. “I want you to head up Lillian’s interrogation.”
A look of suprise flashed accorss Saw Yatha’s face, replaced quickly by concern. “But what about -?”
“Don’t worry about Amnon Saxe. He’ll do what I tell him. Besides, he has enough to juggle between keeping the prison staff up to speed and making sure our Communications Director has what he needs. No, you take on Lillian. Do whatever you need short of killing her. She needs to stand trial. I don’t want to find, she had an unfortunate accident before the execution. Am I understood?”
Saw nodded.
“Her execution needs to be beamed throughout the realms. It needs to happen with enough weight – both in evidence and political power – that even the likes of Nova would not even dare to dream of a way to rebel against me.”
Saw nodded again.
“Very well. Anything else?”
“No, sir,” Zungher stood knowing the meeting was almost over and he was leaving with more than he could have hoped for. “Thank you sir.”
“Dismissed,” Zungher mumbled and he watched Saw Yatha leave through his office’s great doors. He once again picked up his device and found Nova’s new protest art. Dol gave him points on poignancy, but he wanted to find him and crush him. The way things stood, he could likely figure out a way to work with Lillian. After all, she had a people she desired to care for. But Nova was a cancer that needed to be cut out and burned on a pile of refuse. Otherwise, if he didn’t deal with it soon, Nova’s ideas would spread and grab hold of the worst kind of people.
One thing at a time, he told himself releasing a long breath, one thing at a time. First reach a deal with Lillian and keep it from Saw. Then, he would be able to deal with Nova, and who knew, maybe he could also get rid of Saw in the process. Dol’s mind stated working on what kind of trap he could lay for Saw to step into that would force his exile. The thoughts made him chuckle softly to himself. Dol could feel deep in his heart that he was on the verge of a new phase of his reign, one of peace thorugh his dominance. All he had to do was control these last few untidy messes and he could relax in his power.
