Chapter 36

Saw Yatha’s eyes popped open the instant his brain woke up.  The first thought, the only thought, was, “This is the day.”  He swung his legs to the side of Zungher Dol’s office couch and sat up.  Ever since he’d taken on the mantle of Dol’s spokesman, he’d, like Zungher before him, taken up permanent residence in the office suite.  Partly, this was out of convenience as there were many details to stay on top of and crises to extinguish, and the running back and forth between the office and home was a hassle.  Partly, though, it was out of necessity.  Dol’s lifeless body rigidly occupied the cooling chamber in the suite’s kitchen.  Saw wanted to make sure no office assistant or cleaning agent came across the body.  That discovery would be a disaster, a disaster he couldn’t risk.  Not when Lillian was so close to her demise, not when he was so close to being the leader that brought Merlain to ultimate power among the seven realms.

After wiping his face with his hands and adjusting his eye patch, Saw stood to look out over his newly acquired domain.  He wanted to take in what the city looked like on the last morning of the old Merlain and the first morning of the new.  What he saw filled him with rage.

Across the plaza, in plain view of his windows, was a brand-new, grotesque work by Nova.  It was displayed down almost the entire length of the Jendi Tower of the prison.  In a sequence of images, a figure with wings, which looked like Lillian, was shown climbing from a window down a makeshift cloth rope, letting go, and finally flying away to freedom.  A glowing city was depicted in the distance.  The buildings of the painted city had a distinctly Coellum design.   Nova’s signature was the final image in this discordant song.

Saw, not taking his eyes off the graffiti, shouted the assistant’s name.  Instantly, the assistant appeared.  From the look of it, he had also spent the night at his desk.

“Have you seen this?” Saw grunted and pointed to Nova’s art.

“No, sir,” mumbled the assistant.

“There has to be an image record of this being done.  It’s the prison of all things.”

“I’ll look into it.”

“Yes,” Saw sneered, “you do that.”  The assistant turned to leave.  “Wait,” Saw said.  The assistant obeyed.  “There’s something else.  There’s something… off.  With the timing, I mean.”  Saw stepped away from the window and began to pace the office.  The assistant remained unflinching.  “Why would Nova think Lillian would fly to freedom today?  Today is the day she is to be transferred to the termination center once sentencing is pronounced.  Do you think she means a metaphorical freedom?  As if her death will free her to be a symbol for the rebels?  Or is it possible the meaning is more literal?”  Saw stopped, spread his arms, and looked at the assistant.  “You’re very right.  No sense in debating.  I can’t help the symbol she might become, but I can certainly do something about her actual freedom.  Yes?  Yes.”  Saw circled the office perimeter once before coming to his conclusion.  He stopped and pointed at the assistant.  “I want you to do two things.  Three things!  First, I want you to reroute the transfer plans from the courthouse to the termination center.  Whatever the plan was, rescramble it, so that if there is a plot afoot, we will catch them unaware.  

Second, take the plans of the center and renumber the cells.  There is a special cell I had built for just such an occasion, and should someone think they can sneak in and get her out, I want them to enjoy my pride and joy.  So, shift all cell numbers by one on the official floorplan.  Make sure to date it from six cycles ago so that it doesn’t raise suspicions.  You’re free to go.  Make Merlain proud.”

Sir,” the assistant said.  Saw glared at the disobedience.  “You said three things.”

“Right.  Send in the other assistant…” Saw tried to come up with a name and gave up.  “I have something for him, too.”

The assistant saluted Saw and exited the office.  Moments later, the second assistant stood in the same place.  Saw quickly gave him the assignment to work a message through back channels that Lillian’s transfer plans from the courthouse to the termination center had been delayed.  Instead, he told the assistant that it should be clear that Lillian would spend the rest of today back in her regular cell and be transferred to the center tomorrow morning.  The assistant clarified the message, then saluted and left.  

Once again alone, Saw strode to the window to gaze at Nova’s work.  He chuckled to himself.  Never be too suspicious, he reminded himself.  He’d learned this lesson the hard way as he had tracked Lillian from one end of reality to another.  She was slippery, and weaker minds easily fell prey to her mysterious ways.  But not him.  His mind effortlessly drifted into role-playing his plans and the delight it would bring.

Should there be no rebellious defiance to any of the proceedings before Lillian’s execution, all this effort will have been a good exercise in preparedness.  However, his most cherished imagination was that Nova himself was a ringleader of a secret cabal, and one way or another, Nova would get caught in his special chamber at the termination center.  Once caught, Nova’s true identity would be revealed, and the whole rebellious faction would be shut down.

Saw had hoped that Lillian would get to spend some time in his special chamber, but this was more delicious.  Why torture someone who is already sentenced to death when you can torture a rebel who has no idea they are sentencing themselves to death?  It was the best of both worlds.  Under his new regime, Saw Yatha would see that no one would be brave enough to breathe a word of dissension or even allow the hint of a rebellious thought to enter their mind.  Where Zungher Dol had lost his iron grip over his realm, Saw would tighten it so there would not be any cracks in Merlain’s dominance in a thousand cycles.

His mood had returned to its height again.  No, it had exceeded it.  This was going a great day.  By the time the star set behind the Merlain horizon, Lillian would be on her way to death, and whatever feeble group she’d convinced in her cause would be locked up or scattered back into hiding.  Saw turned his smirking face toward the kitchen, and he imagined the frozen body of his former Chieftan and said, “You should not have thought so little of me.  I could have made you greater than you imagined.  Ah, well,” he said, “only the truly strong will win out.”

Saw’s musings were interrupted by a buzzing from his desk.  “What?”

“You said you wanted a reminder when it was time to head to the courthouse,” came the assistant’s voice.

“Yes,” Saw said, slightly irritated that he couldn’t revel in his brilliance, “thank you.”  He gathered his things and locked the door to the office.  Saw turned to the assistant closest to the door and said, “Under no circumstances can anyone go in there.  Understood?”  The assistant nodded.  “If I find out otherwise, there will be consequences.”

Saw strode to the lift, which carried him to his awaiting transport.  Moments later, he glided through the crowd of citizens outside the courthouse.  The driver pulled into the underground holding bay and let Saw out.  He looked around the bay and gazed at the official transfer vehicles properly staged for the big day.  Several guards were doing their maintenance inspections and reviewing their routes.  Saw’s countenance hardened as if he were preparing for a pivitol battle.  He nodded at the empty transports and went to the lift, carrying him to the tribunal courtroom.  Saw was greeted by a wall of giddy communications officials, well-wishers, and proud citizens.

This was a day that would be remembered for ages to come.