111 An Enigma (1/2)

Yawm was two heads taller than me. He was wider too. It was obvious that he was stronger than me. It was an immutable fact, and there was no way he didn’t know it either. Every part of this situation was under his control, and his overwhelming confidence made that clear.

Still, I had an act to keep up. I swallowed my awe and spoke with a firm voice,

“You already know me? Good. That makes this simpler.”

Yawm let out a slow, deep laugh, “Hah, hah, hah. There is nothing simple about this meeting.”

Yawm walked forward. His steps were balanced as he unlatched a part of the square desk. A square panel of the bone desk lowered on a hinge, and Yawm set it down with care. He walked up towards us, his movements relaxed. Each of his steps rang out like a hammer swinging against my head.

He didn’t speak. His silence was elongated, holding us tense. He reached towards me, pointing at my forearm,

“May I see it? Your work that is?”

The way he said it made it sound like a sincere request. To me, it was like an undeniable request. I raised my forearm, showing him the symbol.

With a surprising care, Yawm leaned over grasped my armor. He turned it, inspecting it from different angles. A moment later, he released my arm.

“Excuse my excitement. You are the only other being I’ve seen that has learned the cipher. Of course, that excludes Schema and the eldritch. As you no doubt understand, they are not the most accepting of entities. They take a heavy handed approach.”

Yawm waved his hand,

“Ah, and yet here I devolve into yet another rant. Tell me, what is the name you go by?”

Torix stepped forward, “He is known as-”

Yawm glanced at Torix and pressed his thumb and finger together.

“Silence. I did not ask you.”

Yawm turned back towards me, “I asked the Harbinger. He is the one that will answer, if he so chooses.”

Torix restrained his anger before I spoke, “Close friends and allies know me as Daniel. You can refer to me by that name.” I opened a hand towards Torix, “This is one of those close friends. If you’re going to treat me with respect, I ask you treat him the same.”

Torix looked at me. It was one of those looks that you could only know after knowing someone for a long time. Yawm wouldn’t understand the message behind it, but I did. Torix was telling me, ‘What the fuck was that?’ If I could answer, I would have said this.

Honestly...I don’t even know. I couldn’t understand why I talked to Yawm like that. It seemed right though, so I dug my feet into the sand. This was me, and I would stick with it to the bitter end.

As Yawm’s silence stretched on, a nervousness crawled up my spine. Yawm stared at me, his eyes searching for something. I didn’t give him a thing. I kept on a poker face like my life depended on it. Who am I kidding. It did depend on it.

Yawm nodded his head,

“Duly noted.” He turned towards Torix, “I took you for a mindless summon speaking in place of your master. Through my eyes, I saw this as a sign of disdain. I never imagined you were a close friend of Daniels. My mistake.”

Torix looked at me, then back at Yawm.

“It...It’s not a problem.”

Yawm pressed his hands together, “Superb. Then allow me to offer each of you a seat and something to quench your thirst. Every good friendship begins over a cup of tea.”

At this point, I was facing a cultural whiplash. I expected some bloodthirsty monster. Yawm seemed more like some well spoken and educated gentleman. It caught me off guard.

From behind us, Keeja bowed, “Please, follow me.”

Yawm gestured a hand towards us, “Keeja will show us towards a more suitable room.”

Keeja paced away before closing the door behind us. The enormous hallways let Yawm walk without having to duck or struggle. Keeja led the way, and we followed him. Yawm’s steps didn’t make a sound, despite his hulking figure. It was odd, just like everything else about him.

We passed through another hallway before spotting another set of doors. They were a pristine white, just like the doors of Yawm’s personal study. Keeja opened them, revealing a spiral staircase.

Yawm walked in front of us, “I’ll speak as we walk.”

We stepped upwards. Around us, the ice of the building was clear, letting us see the beauty of the lake. Yawm opened his arms,

“Sometimes I visit this room whenever I find myself in need of solitude and quiet. That is when the mind will wander. There are no books, no notes, nothing but the sound of water and my own breath. At those times, the imagination flourishes, blooming like a flower seeing the dawn.”

We reached the top of the staircase, and he opened another set of white doors. The room was a half sphere, the bottom flat and white, the top clear as glass. We were near the top of the lake. The light from above shimmered over us, the water bending the light. Fish swam. Plants drifted in currents. Within the room, there was nothing.

Yawm raised a hand. Three chairs formed from the floor, the white material bending to his will. Two of the chairs faced the other chair. Keeja walked beside us before reaching these chairs. He gestured at the seats,

“Please, sit and relax yourselves.”

We sat down before Yawm sat down as well. How the tiny, spindly chair supported him, I have no idea.

Yawm raised his hands, glancing upwards, “It’s another fact of my mind I’ve noticed. When I look down, my thoughts will turn concrete. Whenever I look up, they lose their structure and loosen. This helps whenever I’m imagining different ideas for the cipher.”

He glanced down at us. He locked his fingers together, leaning his elbows onto his own knees.

“No doubt both of you are wondering why I lack any hostility towards you both.”

Torix and I looked at each other, then back at Yawm as he continued.

“The reason is how I use my senses. You see, if you listen to your senses, they will tell you more than most realize.” Yawm pointed at us with a single finger,

“I can smell Ajax on both of you. Three of my other followers are dead, at least that’s what you told me. I listed to the wind, and it verified your claims.”

Yawm tilted his head, “Now you're more confused. I understand that emotion. You’ve killed three of my most powerful and loyal followers. Why am I not outraged? The answer is simple.”

He pointed his fingers at me, “I believe you are more useful than all of them combined.”