Chapter 49

Saw Yatha was stuck.  He knew what he wanted to say, but the specific words would not materialize.  What awaited him tomorrow was to be the greatest day in the history of the Merlain people and for himself personally.  By the time the great star finished its trek across the sky, Princess Lillian of Coellum would be dead, all of the seven realms would be under his control, and he would take his place as the next Chieftan of it all.

The biggest problem he faced, the reason that he couldn’t get his words to flow into a cohesive message, was that he needed to write it all from Chieftan Dol’s hand.  Saw shifted his eyes to the cooling box humming away in the next room.  Chieftan Dol’s hand would be a bit too stiff to write or sign official governmental documents and decrees.  Saw needed to write Dol’s delight over the realm’s triumph while also announcing his departure and naming Saw as his successor.

Making another attempt, Saw began to scribe words into his device.  “Just get the words out,” he told himself.  “You can always fix it later once the words are out.”  Saw got less than ten words out in a row before the thread of thought dissipated like smoke in a breeze.  He grunted and tossed the device onto his desk.

Just then, one of his assistants burst into Saw’s office.  Once Lillian was dead, this assistant was going to be next.  Saw appreciated the energy the assistant applied to his work, but the timing was usually terrible.  He suspected that the assistant was not as loyal to the office as he was to Dol, so he treated Saw like a peer with a privileged assignment instead of a superior who needed to be adored.

“There are alarms at the termination center,” the breathless assistant blurted.  Saw’s features sharpened instantly.

“She’s escaped?”

“It’s not that kind of alarm.  The people at the center that I spoke with said they’d never heard this alarm before.”

The phrase didn’t make sense to Saw.  Why would there be a different alarm than… then a smile spread on his face, and his eyes gained a sparkle.  “Get them on the communicators,” Saw barked.

Walking to Saw’s desk, the assistant called the termination center.  As soon as the line was open, Saw heard the delightful grating tones of the alarm in question.  It was his alarm, his glorious alarm.  The alarm that said he’d caught a pest in his trap.

“We don’t know what it is!” the anxious voice on the other side said.  “All prisoners are accounted for, and the building is not compromised.”

“I understand,” Saw cooed.  “Nothing to worry about.  Just a little surprise, I added to the center to keep people on their toes.  I’ll be over as soon as I can to sort things out.”

“What should we do about the alarm, sir?”

“Enjoy it, my good man, enjoy it.  May you always remember those sounds that marked the turn for our glorious realm.”  With that, Saw Yatha disconnected from the Termination Center.  Who was in the torture chamber?  Lillian?  No, that would be impossible.  She would have to be inserted there intentionally.  Nova?  Maybe, Saw thought.  However, he couldn’t imagine that an artist would have the talent to break into the most secure facility in the land.  But he’d eluded capture so far, so it was a possibility Saw was interested to entertain.  All would be figured out in due time.  To Saw’s estimation, this day was getting off to a grand start, and if everything else stayed on schedule, the day would only develop into an ever-deepening delight.

“Get my transport ready,” Saw sang to the assistant, “I need to head over there immediately.”  The assistant turned on his heels and left the office.  Saw noticed the device again.  Suddenly, he knew what to write and how to write it.  Apparently, he just needed the right kind of inspiration.  Saw scratched out a quick one-page decree, which essentially said that Dol realized that in light of the present success, he had achieved better and grander goals for Merlain than he had only imagined were possible.  And at this moment, he knew that to fulfill his vision for Merlain, the people needed a different kind of leader; one who could unify the other realms and march Merlain into their final destiny.  That leader was Saw Yatha.

In his decree, Saw had Dol graciously and humbly step down immediately.  He had already asked Saw to fill the Chieftainship, and though Saw had at first wondered if he was worthy, his fierce loyalty to Merlain required him to accept this high calling.  The decree finished with Dol urging the people to get behind this new leadership so they could see the bright new future for Merlain and all the seven realms.

Saw gloated over his work.  It was the most significant thing he’d ever written.  It was, in a word, poetry.  He quickly applied the official mark to the bottom of the document and called for the assistant to return.

“Is the transport ready?” Saw asked, gathering his things to leave.

“By the time you get to the loading area it will be, sir.”

“Excellent.  Good work.  One more thing.”

“Yes, sir?”

Saw held out the decree to the assistant.  “Make sure this gets to the Communications Director immediately.  But tell him (this is important; we mess up the timing on this it will be very bad) tell him not to run this until after the princess is executed.  Do you understand me?  Look me in the eyes.”  The assistant looked up from the decree, “After the execution.”

“Yes, sir.  I suppose congratulations are in order, sir.”

Saw chuckled, “I suppose so.  I’m having a great day, and it hasn’t even really started yet.”

“One question, sir, if I’m allowed to ask.”

“Ask anything you like.”

“When did Chieftan Dol write this?  When did he sign this?”

“What do you mean?” Saw asked, his glee evaporating.

“I’m sure there’s an explanation, but I haven’t seen Chieftan Dol in several days.  That is a bit unusual in itself, but then he’s signed a decree naming you his successor, and still, I haven’t put eyes on him.”

Saw’s eyes hardened as locked onto the assistant’s face.  “What are you suggesting?”

“I’m not suggesting,” the assistant said.  “I want to see Chieftan Dol now.  I think I’m owed that.  I think everyone is owed that.”

“Who are you to think you are owed anything?” Saw spat.  “You’re an assistant who is to serve at the pleasure of whoever sits behind that desk.  As you’ve read, that person is now me.  It will be me for a very long time.  So you can turn around and -”  Saw’s voice cut off suddenly as the assistant suddenly produced a weapon and aimed it at Saw’s chest.

“I haven’t said anything because I wasn’t sure, and I wanted to think the best.  But I think, no, I’m certain that you’ve killed him.  I don’t know how or when, but unless you show me the Chieftan right now, I’ll have to call the guards and have you imprisoned.”

Saw seethed.  Who did this underling think he was?  His eyes squinted as his lips pulled into a slight agreement. “Very well,” he said and walked toward the kitchen.  “He’s right in here.”

The assistant, keeping his weapon trained on Saw, apprehensively began to walk in that direction.  Saw enjoyed the look of doubt on the assistant’s face.  It was swirling between thoughts of hope that Dol would be innocently having a late-night snack and that this was a horrible trap.  Still, the assistant came.

“Come on, come on, we haven’t got all day,” Saw urged.

The assistant stood next to Saw and peered into the kitchen.  It was dark and barren.  It was clear to both men that Chieftan Dol was nowhere to be seen.  Before the assistant could get off a shot, Saw had dispatched with him, and he crumpled to the ground.

Saw’s thoughts swirled.  He needed to get to the termination center before someone got creative and dealt with the alarm, but he also knew that if this lowly assistant was brave enough to ask obvious questions, soon people with more pluck would ask them, too.  Saw knew it was unrealistic that he could single-handedly execute anyone who asked uncomfortable questions.  There would not be enough room in the whole building.

In a second moment of inspiration, Saw pulled Dol’s icy body from the cooling box and laid it near the assistant.  Then, he gathered everything flammable he could into a pile near the dead men and ignited it.  Saw wasn’t certain if the whole building would burn, but he was fairly sure this office suite would be ashes before anyone could put out the flames.

Saw stuck around just long enough to make sure the fire was hungry before stepping over Dol and the assistant on his way out.  Then, something caught his notice.  The decree was still in the assistant’s grip.  Daring to get his hands a little too close to the flames, Saw reached down and pried the document free, and escaped the office.  He would have to get the decree to the Communications Department some other way, though, he thought as he entered the loading area, he might need to rewrite it since Dol now didn’t walk away but possibly looked like he was murdered by the assistant.

True to the assistant’s word, Saw’s transport was waiting on him.  As the transport exited the loading area and pointed to the termination center, Saw began to plot out a new story that would still force Dol, just before he died, to name Saw Yatha the next Chieftan of Merlain, should anything tragic befall him.  Saw leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and grinned at the thought of it.