Chapter XXVI – Killer

The Qam was clearly not overly fond of company security, but he was not suspicious when an officer approached him and began asking questions.

Zhen Yan had worked quickly. She had swapped forms again, finding the individual she needed. This one had been harder to persuade. The mere appearance of her knife had been insufficient this time round – instead she had needed to do a little ‘digging’. Eventually, the officer had told her everything she needed to know.

As it turned out, company security had the Amrita crew under continuous surveillance. After she had given him a once over with her knife, the security officer had told her everything she needed. Mukushen and Tavian had both set off beyond the protected zone. Apparently, they’d gone to meet with a local tribal leader.

Complicating matters was the fact that the tribes were nomadic, so finding them would be difficult.

And that had led her here: to meeting the Qam.

“My orders are to bring Mukushen and Tavian back here,” said Zhen Yan, though the voice that spoke the words was not hers.

The Qam smiled. “Getting you there: not so hard. I just came from the Falcon Totem camp. I do not think Cousin Sayan has plans to move. This is simple. I can take you there. But I think you will not have a good time when you arrive.”

“The Falcon Totem tribe… they are hostile to the company?” asked Zhen Yan.

The Qam gave her a strange look, like she was asking the obvious. Always a pitfall when taking over another’s life.

“Cousin Sayan is Toghrul Yarghunoghul’s chief lieutenant. Are you new here? I thought you’d been here a while.”

“A momentary mix-up,” said Zhen Yan. “But I will take my chances. My orders come from the directors.”

The Qam shrugged. “Well, I did warn you,” he said.

Something occurred to Zhen Yan. “You’re helping the company here at the development site… why does this Sayan trust you?”

“Trust me? Ha! I don’t know about that. But she tolerates me,” said Atilay. “Her brother is learning the ways of the Qamlar from me, so she has little choice in the matter.”

Interesting, thought Zhen Yan. A plan began to take shape in her mind.

“Her brother, is he nearby?” asked Zhen Yan.

“He accompanied me back from the camp,” replied the Qam. “Why?”

Zhen Yan detected the suspicion growing in the Qam’s voice.

“How proficient is he in the ways of the Qamlar?” she asked.

“He is getting better. You want him to take you? He’s one of your company people.”

“Really? Interesting.”

Zhen Yan would have continued questioning the man, but she saw the moment suspicion turned to understanding, or the beginnings of it.

“You’re not with the company,” he said. “You’re a Resonant.”

Zhen Yan sighed. “Old man, it would have been much better for you not to have realised that. But I guess if the secret’s out I can be a little more… direct with my questions.”

She gave a devilish smile. She had already established that this site wasn’t covered by surveillance. Another advantage of having thoroughly quizzed a member of the security team.

It meant nothing now held her back.

She shed the false form.

“What are you?” asked the Qam.

Zhen Yan said nothing as her tails spread out behind her and she drew her blade.

Mu felt her annoyance turn to shock.

Woman named Sayan.

She looked up. Both Tavian and Sayan had been speaking, but she wasn’t taking in a word they were saying.

There was the answer: Toghrul was innocent.

Sayan was guilty.

Sayan was a killer.

It was Sayan’s own words that filled Mu’s head now: “I would wade through lakes of blood and burn Yengishahr to the ground.”

It took Mu a moment to recall the context: to save Toghrul if she thought she could.

Yet it was her crime for which Toghrul was to pay.

She looked Sayan’s way. She continued to sit, just as she had, her expression, her posture – all of it redolent of supreme self-assurance. Yet, somehow Mu saw her differently.

On some level this new perception didn’t make sense. Yet all along Mu had been operating – whether she had realised it or not – under a paradigm that posited that Toghrul was innocent and therefore a good guy. Yet here was the woman to whose cause Mu had offered herself up just moments earlier, and it was precisely this same woman who was guilty of the crime.

You are a hypocrite Mukushen.

For Mu’s own hands were not clean. She had killed – and not just once. Who was she to judge this woman who fought for her people and her world? Mu had killed simply to escape her duties. To escape her people.

My people who brought this ruin upon this world, who now threatened this woman’s way of life.

Her thinking was threatening to go in circles.

She had to know.

Why had Sayan done it?

It was at this moment that Tavian seemed to have noticed Mu’s distraction. “Still with us there, Princes?”

Mu ignored him and looked directly at Sayan.

Something in the other woman’s eyes in that moment suggested that she understood there had been a change.

Mu did not mince words. “Why did you kill Su Bolin?”

To her surprise, Sayan laughed. “That’s what’s got you riled up? Well, I guess you worked it out.”

“So, you admit it?” asked Mu.

“To you? Sure. But if you are about to ask me to go to Yengishahr and trade places with Toghrul, I am sorry.”

Tavian was looking from one of them to the other. “I think I missed something.”

Mu said nothing to him, but passed him her tablet, still open on Nova’s message.

“Well, shit.”

“How can you just let Toghrul—”

“I thought you came in here with that part all worked out,” said Sayan. “I wish it were otherwise. I truly do. More than anything, I wish Erkegul did not need to lose her father. But this is what fate has ordained: it is the curse of his blood. Only he can make this sacrifice.”

“But how do you know it will even work? How do you know it is necessary?”

Sayan laughed once again, “You think we are operating on guess work here?”

Mu didn’t reply.

“I’ll admit, it wasn’t easy to figure it all out. Our people have lost so much of our own past, even as we live with its consequences every single day. The dead do not easily give up their secrets, but Toghrul has always been a reader. Far more so than me: I prefer to spend my days hunting and fighting. But it is well that we have Toghrul. He had the idea long ago to resurrect the Clanship. I think at one point he even tried to convince his brother to join him in the quest. It was his obsession. But it was difficult: the Lore-Keepers who once protected such knowledge are long gone. The Qamlar of today only have fragmentary knowledge of things that once were common knowledge among the Jaril. But bit by bit Toghrul pieced it together from whatever sources he could find – books, certainly, but he also travelled from tribe to tribe, speaking with the Qamlar, hearing from those who recited old songs and poems.”

She paused.

“And in the end, he convinced me.”

Mu put a hand to her mouth, her mind swirling. But she realised she needed to focus. One question needed answering before all others.

“Why did you kill Su Bolin?”

“We’re back to that,” said Sayan, sounding almost disappointed. “He was working for Taghay. Which we knew all along. Perhaps if I’d acted more decisively early on, he may have been spared. But I didn’t. Toghrul is more merciful than me. More of an idealist. He thought we could turn Su Bolin. I doubted that, but I always had a weakness for Toghrul and so I held off dealing with the issue. But we slipped up. Su discovered the critical component of our plan: Toghrul’s martyrdom.”

“And if he knew Toghrul’s sacrifice was key to the plan…” said Tavian.

“Then Toghrul would be spared,” finished Sayan. “Chinor was there at Karbaliq. I demanded too much of him though. The boy is soft. So, I slipped in to the protected zone and did what I had too. We were fortunate that there was a storm that day that interfered with communications. Otherwise, Su may have revealed what he knew before he got back.”

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“Was there no other way?” asked Mu.

“Perhaps,” said Sayan shrugging. “But I don’t lose sleep. Su Bolin was a company man in the truest sense. He came to Yarkan because his skills are rare here and in high demand. Having seen this world, he was unmoved by our struggles – even as he immersed himself amongst us and pretended to have taken up our cause. He played a dangerous game and won his prize. The life of one such man is nothing compared to the restoration of our world.”

Sayan now paused, her elbow resting on her leg, her mouth on her fist. She eyed them intently.

She raised her head again.

“Which raises the question: what to do with the two of you. You now possess all the information that I killed Su Bolin for possessing.”

Tavian grinned. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but killing us won’t get you far.”

He had returned Mu’s tablet to her, but now snatched it back, holding it up.

“No storm today,” he said. “Communications are going through just fine. But that doesn’t even matter. Our pal Nova – who is sitting aboard the starship Amrita in high orbit above Yarkan, a little beyond your reach – is the one who told us you killed Su Bolin. And she has already obtained the security footage of you committing the crime – the precise footage which would force the court to dismiss the charges against Toghrul if made public.”

She does? thought Mu, experiencing a moment of disorientation. Then she reprimanded herself. Idiot, he’s bluffing.

“Impossible. Chinor wiped the footage,” said Sayan.

“Nothing’s ever truly deleted,” said Tavian. “And Nova’s very clever – if it exists, she’ll find it.”

Sayan rose to her feet, folding her arms. “Well, I guess we are at your mercy. How much is Ulduz paying you? You’ve solved the mystery now. Why don’t you go claim your prize?”

“Ten million Imperial taels,” said Tavian, with a smirk.

Mu flashed him an annoyed look. “I meant what I said before. We want to help.”

Sayan was pacing. “Even at the cost of ten million taels?”

“Well…” said Tavian.

“Yes,” snapped Mu, emphatically.

Sayan had her back turned to them. She ceased pacing. “Then what I said earlier still stands. Leave us. This is our struggle.”

“Before we do that,” said Tavian, “I did actually have a question: can’t Toghrul just off himself?”

“Tavian!” snapped Mu.

Tavian shrugged, “Seems like a legit question to me.”

Sayan turned back to face them. “We have stood before the Učarmaz. There is no other way to placate them – the sacrifice must be made at the hand of the enemy of the Jaril. If the sentence is passed and carried out by the Imperial government of Yarkan, Toghrul believes this criterion will be met.”

“I see,” said Tavian.

“And there is one other thing which must happen. In the Sanctum of the Black City, the ancient Wolf Totem resides. With it we can convoke a Kurultai of the Učarmaz. The Kurultai must be convened when the sacrifice is made. There is no other way to gain power over the Clanship and awaken its power.”

Tavian turned to Mu. “Huh, well credit where credit is due, you pretty much got all that spot on.”

“I didn’t know about the Totem…” murmured Mu.

“You sure that foresight of yours isn’t working?”

Mu shook her head. “The residue of the Emperor’s Theophany makes it impossible.”

“If you say so,” said Tavian.

A thought occurred to Mu. “Why haven’t you taken the Totem yet? What if the court rushes Toghrul’s sentence.”

“Because that will summon the Učarmaz. The time is not right,” said Sayan. “That will be Chinor’s role.”

“Chinor’s?” said Tavian, in a surprised tone. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

“He has been training in the ways of the Qamlar,” said Sayan. “It is necessary in order for him to enter the Sanctum. I had hoped Atilay Qam would aid us, but he turned down my entreaties. He won’t try and stop us, nor shall he help us.”

“You weren’t worried he would spill the beans? Since he’s helping maintain the protected zone at Karbaliq?” said Tavian.

Sayan sighed. “I had no choice but to trust Mallam. I just needed the knowledge of our plan to stay hidden from Taghay and the authorities in Yengishahr long enough that things would become inevitable.”

“And what if they spare Toghrul death?” said Mu. The thought had been bugging her for some time. “One of our crew met with Taghay. He said he would try to spare Toghrul from the death penalty.”

“I do not trust Taghay’s word,” said Sayan. “He is petty. He loathes Toghrul. He wishes to appear other than he is – a monster. But when the time comes, he will be in the Governor’s office demanding Toghrul’s blood. I have deep faith in that.”

She sat once more.

Her tone changed, becoming businesslike. “The rest of your crew knows it was me who killed Su Bolin?”

“Yes,” said Mu. “I believe so.”

“Then there is something you can do for me,” said Sayan. “Speak with them. Plead for their silence. We are so near the moment of our people’s liberation.”

Mu nodded. “We will do that now.”

She didn’t mention the fact that Tavian had been bluffing about the footage. To her knowledge, regardless of what they might know, neither Nova nor Ostara, nor anyone else on the crew, had any solid evidence. Not the sort of evidence they would need to sway the court’s hand. But though she wanted to help Sayan, maintaining some leverage was wise.

So, she kept quiet.

This was getting progressively harder, reflected Zhen Yan, as she wiped the blood from her blade before sheathing it.

But this one had been worth it.

She gazed down at the wreckage of the old man’s face, feeling the faintest stirrings of pity. His long white beard was now drenched with blood, his mouth missing most of his teeth. He had forced her to get creative. Threats alone had not broken him like some of the other, more pitiful individuals she had come across. Only once she had broken his mind and applied a few illusions, did he finally give her what she wanted. But when he had, what a treasure trove.

She even had to do a little research on the side to make sense of everything he was saying.

But she’d pieced it together now.

Shockingly, given what a remote pit of misery it seemed, big things were afoot on Yarkan. The stirrings of rebellion. She almost wished them luck.

Bitterly she reflected that perhaps these Yarkanese were braver than her.

After the authorities had taken her love from her, she’d simply caved, given up on any hope of revenge. Yet, here were these tribes – so few in number – on this desolate world still dreaming of resistance. And what a plan!

It was a shame she was going to have to ruin it for them, but it was too big an opportunity to miss out on. This could be quite the pay day. She’d sent out feelers already, so when her tablet buzzed, she felt a little thrill.

“This is Taghay Yarghunoghul. You have something for me?”

Zhen Yan walked away from the bloodied mess so that the groans of pain wouldn’t be audible on the call. “I certainly do.”

“Zhen Yan is it? Tell me what you have.”

“Let’s not be too hasty,” said Zhen Yan. “I have a few choice offerings for you, but each will fetch a different price. I understand your poor brother may be facing some criminal charges. Before you take any action on that front, I feel you’ll be very interested to know what I have to tell you – it may make you reconsider your plans.”

“Ah, yes. We will need to find a way to trust each other. Tell me, do you know a Sayan Yinalqizi?”

“I do,” came Taghay’s voice at the other end of the call, laden with suspicion.

“Well, it so happens that I am highly specialised in eliminating that kind of nuisance for people like you,” said Zhen Yan. “So that’s part of the deal I’m offering you today. But I also happen to have come into some information regarding what she and Toghrul are planning. You will want to know.”

There was silence at the other end of the call.

“I’m not sure why I’m wasting my time with this. I didn’t get to where I am by falling for such scams.”

Zhen Yan sighed. “Have you ever paused to wonder why your little brother is so willing to accept his fate? Given that both you and I know he did not murder that man.”

Another silence.

Then Taghay spoke.

“Tell me what you have.”

Zhen Yan grinned. She turned to her prisoner and mouthed thank you, but he didn’t see anything, having passed out, slumping forward in the chair, at least as far as the ropes would allow.

“I’m going to send through some account details. It is a bank in the Eladian Republic, even if the Imperial authorities cared to trace it, they couldn’t. Give me a spoonful of sugar. I might speak some more,” she said.

A discontented sound came from the other end, followed by a lengthier silence.

Finally, Taghay spoke again.

“It is done. What have you got for me?”

“One moment,” she chided him.

She looked at her screen, tapping a few times.

Hrm, not bad. I won’t push too hard. This is all a bonus on top of what Big Bai is sending my way.

“By the time this is over, I’ll need at least ten times that,” she said.

“Provided this information of yours checks out and is as useful as you claim, you have a deal.”

Zhen Yan laughed. “Wonderful. You’ve made the right decision.”

The guards had come in the midst of the night.

This was unusual.

Usually, they left him be in these hours. For that reason, Toghrul preferred this time. He could sit in his cell and read undisturbed. There was solace in those quiet, subdued hours.

Yet tonight the guards came.

“Mr Yarghunoghul, you have a visitor,” they announced.

A visitor? Visiting hours were long over.

He wondered whether this was the moment. Perhaps they were going to transfer him to some holding cell at the courtroom ahead of passing a sentence. Surely that moment couldn’t be far off.

If this was some psychological tactic to deprive him of sleep and make him more compliant, they would be disappointed. He did not sleep much even when left entirely to his own devices. Tonight was unlikely to be much out of the ordinary in that respect.

The guards opened the door to the cell and led him away down the long hallways. As they walked, a part of him fantasised that somehow he was getting a visit from Sayan and Erkegul, but he knew this was impossible. Sayan knew as well as he did to stay far from Yengishahr and his brother. And though he dearly craved one last meeting with his daughter, the thought of her falling into his brother’s clutches horrified him.

He had told Sayan as much: let her grow up in the deep desert. Let her live the ancestral ways, not merely read of them, as he had done growing up. She would be a true Jaril.

Yet even then, the thought of her sweet face, her shy and nervous demeanour – it made him feel weak, like he must fight this, free himself. In every other respect he was ready to face death, but the longing to hold his daughter – even just one last time – it made it hard, hard in a way that no mere fear ever could.

There were no windows in the prison – the corridors were lit up with the same ugly, harsh light at all hours, creating a disorientating sense of a place out of time.

He was led into the room.

As always, he took his seat.

One visitor. Tonight, there was only one chair set up, facing his own.

The room’s far door opened. Taghay entered.

He smiled thinly at Toghrul, but did not speak until he had seated himself.

“My apologies for waking you,” he said.

Toghrul shook his head. “I was not sleeping.”

Taghay gave a little laugh. “Reading, was it? It was the same when we were young. You were always reading.”

“Perhaps you could have stood to read a little more,” said Toghrul.

“And perhaps you’d be more anchored in reality if you had spent less time with books, and more time learning the family business with father,” replied Taghay.

Toghrul gave him a scathing look, but said nothing. There was little point in dignifying his brother’s self-justifications.

“You always looked down on me for that, didn’t you? You thought me shallow and materialistic. And selfish,” said Taghay.

Toghrul sighed. “Is there a reason you’re here?”

Taghay collected himself. “I just had an interesting conversation.”

“I wonder what that’s like,” muttered Toghrul.

“Very funny, brother,” said Taghay, but though his tone was sarcastic, he was indeed smiling. “I found out some quite interesting information just now.”

Toghrul looked off to one side, running hand through his messy hair.

“It’s quite the plan you and that tribeswoman have hatched,” said Taghay. “Ambitious, certainly. Yet, I fear it suffers from your customary lack of realism.”

Toghrul now looked directly at Taghay.

What is he getting at?

“Resurrecting the Clanship? Ha! I recall you rambling about such things once, long ago, but to think you’d actually try to put it into practice. To think you’d be willing to die for such a wild fantasy.”

Toghrul felt his blood run cold.

Taghay knew.

He took a deep breath.

Show no weakness. Let him talk.

“Well, I treasure you, brother, so I’m not going to let you die. Of course, you still need to face punishment, but I meant it when I said I would strive to ensure you are spared the ultimate penalty. So, you can forget about your noble sacrifice and perhaps you can gain a more grounded perspective through labour.”

I am not to be executed?

“I spoke with the Governor’s chief of staff just now on the way here. He has assured me the Governor will instruct the prosecution not to pursue the death penalty when you are found guilty. You will be placed in the tender custody of the Luanyuan Planetary Development Corporation. It will be quite the change of scenery – they say every part of Luanyuan is covered in lush jungles.”

Toghrul closed his eyes, willing his rapidly beating heart to be calm. He still doesn’t know everything. Keep quiet.

“Unfortunately, there have been some complications, based on the information I have received. Based on the information I have received and relayed to the Governor’s office, they agreed with my assessment that was there was credible evidence of a major terrorist threat at Karbaliq centred on the rebel group led by Sayan Yinalqizi.”

This time Toghrul couldn’t contain himself. “You bastard…”

“Necessary preparations are being made. Tomorrow morning, Yengishahr time, the Governor will proclaim a planet-wide State of Emergency and dispatch forces to neutralise the terrorist threat at Karbaliq. Of course, under the state of emergency, as a co-conspirator with the terrorist leader, we will necessarily have to expedite your trial to summary judgement. You will then be immediately placed on a transport to Luanyuan to fulfill your sentence.”

Sayan won’t know… she won’t have time to claim the Wolf Totem.

“No smug remarks?” asked Taghay. “I guess the books didn’t prepare you for this. I live in the real world, brother. That’s why I win.”