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EPISODE 63

“He is coming, and we are not yet ready for him!”  William snapped loudly.  “We must prepare ourselves ourselves immediately.”
  “What do you mean he is coming, William?”  Joseph asked in annoyance at William’s sensationalism,  “You sound like a street corner preacher giving a fire and brimstone warning to anybody silly enough to come anywhere within ten feet of you.  Is he just down the road?  Is he in the car park, perhaps?  Oh, wait … is that him I see behind you?  Oh,no … it;’s just my fertile imagination.  Where is he, William, I am afraid that I can’t see him anywhere.”  By now Joseph was willing to believe almost anything that William told him, and it was frustrating him.  Anything regarding rational belief and thought had been all but completely and permanently vanquished from his mind, but still he tried to resist.  And he knew that he would continue to resist a one hundred percent submission to the impossible situation that he and the world in general seemed to be in.  Joseph knew he would go through this over and over again, until he finally found a way that they could fight back against this impossible creature.  Then, both in his mind, and in his heart, he would accept the truth and then, and then only would the fight begin in earnest.
  William ignored Joseph’s flippancy as he continued with his over dramatic frenzy, “He has located the statue and the knife.  He is feeding on the deaths that he has caused and that is giving him the strength to pull himself in.  Shortly he will not need the Punjani to guide him.  He has found others to do his bidding.”
  “Who, William?  Joseph asked without really caring what the answer would be, “Who will help him?”
  William did not answer.  Instead he just looked at Joseph.  For a moment Joseph just looked back.  Not understanding at first, Joseph was at a loss as to what to say next, but then the realisation of what William was indicating slowly dawned in his fast numbing mind.
  “What is he talking about, Joseph?  Mary asked in total confusion.
  “I am afraid that he has me confused as well.”  Martin added, “Is there something that you know that we don’t, Joseph?”
  Joseph looked dumbly at Martin for several seconds before slowly beginning to reply,
  “It would appear so.”  he finally responded,  “But it is beginning to arrive in my mind right this very second.”  Joseph placed a finger to his lips to indicate silence then, unexpectedly, he momentarily closed his eyes.
  The room now so quiet, the soft, consistent, sound of Rosetta’s comatose breathing dominated the thoughts of the gathered ensemble and rocked them all gently in a world of peace and tranquility; a room so void of disruption to their private thoughts the first syllables that were uttered from Joseph’s lips were almost missed by those awaiting his response.
  “The witches?”  Joseph, uncertain in his own mind of the truth and reality of the words he spoke, uttered them as a half question, half statement.
  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”  William replied.
  “But surely they are not the ones that have been guiding the creature to kill.  Weren’t most of them killed by this creature in the first place?  Why would they go anywhere near the thing after it tried to kill them?  It doesn’t make a lot of sense.
  “Perhaps they could not control the situation.  But, I am not sure if they were responsible.  All that I know is that Rangor is using them to obtain his freedom.  How, I don’t know.”
  “Did the witches attack Rosetta?”      
  “The answer will be revealed to you when the time is right.  Don’t ask why.  I wasn’t told.  I was just told to reply with that answer should the question be asked.  In the meantime it would be advisable to do what is necessary to prevent the first attempt.” 
  “The first attempt.” Joseph repeated dumbly, “Whatever are you talking about, William?
   “You can’t keep yourself from accepting the truth forever, you know, Joseph.  Time is running out.  Here are my keys.  The car is parked outside, ready for you with a full tank of petrol.  In the meantime I bid you all farewell for the moment.  I will see you again when I am required.”
   “We have a perfectly good car,” Martin pouted, “what’s wrong with mine?”
  For a millionth of a second Joseph let down his self imposed defences and allowed Arkerious to share his thoughts and immediately regretted it.  “Your tyres have all been slashed.” Joseph replied without thinking, immediately regretting his words.  He had been fighting unsolicited thoughts in his head for the past two hours; thoughts that told him everything, yet still made him believe nothing.  But his defence of his sanity grew with every entrance to his mind as he argued that time was running short: That there was no time left for denial. There was a need, there was a plan … and action must be initiated immediately. Joseph felt his own spoken words to be a sign that he was weakening.  This was not the first time he had felt the urge to spit out the words that Arkerious had told him was the truth, but it was the first time that he had expressed one aloud.   Everybody stared at him and Joseph was uncertain how to handle the situation.
  “What do you mean, my tyres have been slashed?” Martin demanded.
   Joseph didn’t answer.  Instead he stared down at the floor like a school boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
  “Joseph.  What are you talking about?”  Martin demanded. 
  “Why don’t you see if he is right?”  William suggested softly.
  “I think that I might just do that,” Martin replied, slightly confused in regard to the current conversation, and headed for the doorway.
  William bowed and walked out after Martin, while Mary placed her hand into Joseph’s and squeezed it.
  “Joseph, what is going on?”  She asked.
  Joseph squeezed her hand back, but remained silent.
  They stayed that way, in silence, until Martin stormed back into the room with William right behind him.  “I can’t believe it,”Martin exclaimed, “All four tyres were slashed.  How did you know, Joseph?  We have been together all day.  Except for when we were having breakfast.  How did you know?  Did you go outside to the car park?”
  “I saw it through the window.”  Joseph replied as he got up and walked over to Raji,  “Raji … I am sorry about your friends.  I would never have sent you there intentionally to be killed.  I truly believed that you were Punjani and knew the score – and how to handle the situation with the knife.  I have absolutely no idea who murdered the others.  I will help you recover the statue and the knife in due course, and you can return them to the Punjani and claim your reward.  In the meantime I need to speak to my friends alone for a few moments.  If you will excuse us we will meet you in the bar shortly.  Can you order coffees all round, please. You can place it on my tab.  I will have a latte, Mary … hot chocolate?”
  “Yes, please,” Mary replied without thinking.
  “William?” 
  “I would prefer a cup of tea, if that is alright?”
  “English Breakfast?  Earl Grey?”
  “I have my own brew behind the bar.  The staff will know where it is.”
  “Cool.  Martin?  Tea?  Coffee?”
  “I would prefer something a bit stronger at the moment, thank you.”  Martin’s face was still livid; the colour in his cheeks reflecting as much, and the tone of his voice was far from pleasant, but Joseph’s reply cut him short for words.
  “I am sure that you would, Martin.  But you won’t be getting alcohol today, not if you wish to continue to work with me on Rosetta’s recovery.”
   Joseph’s simple, quietly spoken words threw Martin off balance and left his gaping mouth wide open.  “In fact, this is the right time for everybody to be told that alcohol is off limits for the rest of the day, plus … .” Joseph continued,  “That is not a choice, it is not an option.  There is to be no drinking at all for the next twenty four hours.  And that includes you, Raji, if you are to continue working alongside us.”
  Raji was uncertain what he should do, but never-the-less shook his head in agreement and suggested that perhaps he should now go down to await them at the bar.  “Are you certain that you don’t want a tea or coffee, Martin?” He asked one more time as he began to walk towards the door, but stopped after two short steps; surprised by the sudden, quiet response to his question.
  “An English Breakfast would be lovely thank you, Raji, white, two sugars.
  “Your wish is my command, Martin.”  Raji responded with a happy smile as he quickly and quietly departed the room.
  “Sorry, Joseph,” Martin offered sheepishly, “Just got a bit of a shock, that’s all. 
  “There’s nothing to apologise for then, Martin.  William would you mind closing the door, and locking it.” 
  William did as he was requested and everybody followed Joseph’s lead as he re-seated himself on a chair.

********

“I don’t want to discuss it in detail at the moment,” Joseph began in a soft voice, “but I think that I know how to retrieve the knife, and who can tell us where we can find the statue.  But before we do anything I will need most of the day to myself.”
  “Why, Joseph?”  Martin and Mary asked simultaneously, both voices confused by Joseph’s statement, but for different reasons.  Mary simply because of her inquisitive nature; Mary always needed to know what was going on around her.  Martin, however, still feared Joseph was pushing him away, and he knew he would not cope too well if that were to occur.
  “I’m sorry, but I really need to meditate.” Joseph replied. “To mull things over and not be interrupted by a thousand questions from the four of you.  I think I am going to have enough of a problem deflecting my own questions, never mind yours.  I really have to do it this way.  I am casting no dispersion in relation to your individual experience and thought processes, but I cannot elaborate on this any further than to ask you for your trust in this matter.  I am not going to reveal the details of what I am doing, but what I am going to propose later this evening is likely to blow everybody’s mind.  My plan is going to rely heavily on trust because, even when I do reveal it, I shan’t reveal all.  We will all be in great danger, but we are always going to be in that situation until this entire matter is put to rest.  However, I believe that my plan will do that and that is mainly because my plan relies on nobody but me knowing the full details, and to achieve that all I have to offer those that join me is trust.  And I need to assure myself that every single bit of the plan has been put into action without discovery.  Remember that old navel saying, ‘Loose lip’s sink ships.’  Well it has never had a truer meaning as what we are going to face.  Should just one element of our plan become known before its time, well … it’s been nice knowing you.  I hope to see you all again in the next world.
   “Joseph, you are beginning to scare me.”  Mary advised with a weak grin on her face.
  “Well, that is good, Mary.  Because this is serious; this is the time to pull out if you don’t think you can safely guarantee to see it through to the bitter end.  That goes for all of you.”
  Mary looked at Joseph for a few seconds before a smile began to cover her face and she spoke.  “You are not telling me to pull out, are you?  You want me with you, despite the danger, don’t you?”
  “Yes.  I trust you … I think that I need you at my side, and I don’t think anything tangible really frightens you, but sometimes you have problems understanding just what you are facing … and that is what frightens you.”
  “Thank you, Joseph.  I will be proud to be at your side, and I trust you explicitly.  My life is in your hands, and I am more than happy that it is.”
  “You know my loyalty lies with you and your decision, Joseph.  I will be with you to the end.”  Martin added, trying his best to prevent the appearance of a delinquent teardrop, and William completed the trio of agreement to serve blindly.
  “This, I believe, is the pinnacle of my life’s work with the guardians.  You can depend on me, I assure you.”
  “Well, I thank you all.  Martin, you can try and get your tyres repaired while we are waiting for nightfall, but I doubt that Frank carries enough of the type you need, if any at all.  He may carry one for tourists, but I don’t think that there would be much chance of holding any more than that … and don’t forget that Monday is a public holiday.  It will be very hard to get any new ones delivered until probably Tuesday at the best.
  “You don’t know that for certain, Joseph, Martin began to object, but then remembered that it had been Joseph who had advised him of the dilemma with the tyres in the first place, “Or perhaps you do.  When will we see you again?”
  “We will meet for dinner and then leave a little before the sun sets.  I want to be where we are going while there is some light.  It is imperative that we get there first.”
  “Who else is coming?”  Mary asked, her words and voice clearly defining her interest and curiosity, regardless of her attempt at subtly in the tone of her voice.  But Joseph wasn’t giving in.  He simply gave her a smile and a wink, “Spoilers, my sweet, spoilers.  I shall see you around six at the restaurant.   Oh, and by the way, William, I know the restaurant doesn’t open until six, which it a preferable time for us to have our meal tonight in order to catch the sun.  So, just in case you haven’t already made plans, please have a talk with the chef and ask him if our meals can be ready by opening time, rather than us having to place an order as the restaurant opens.  I’m sure he will oblige willingly without asking why.   And I’ll have the roast lamb with chips and salad, lemon meringue with ice cream for dessert, and a latte.  Remember … no alcohol for anyone.  And that reminds me, Martin.  Can you can ask Raji if he would like to join us tonight for our meal when you get downstairs.  There is, of course, nothing that you can tell him about what we will be doing, but I am certain that his curiosity will encourage him to accept.  And perhaps you might remind him about today’s no drinking rule.  Part of my plan will involve quick reflexes to orders … and they will be given at a time when we may already be under great stress.  Well if you two don’t mind, I need to begin my meditation.  This might be the most dangerous and frightening engagement that we have ever been involved in, but I think that the adrenaline will be flowing like there’s no tomorrow once it starts … and that, I hope, will be to our advantage.  Alright, off you all go.”
  Joseph stood up, walked over and opened the door, and his face began to express the need for all to leave the room.
  “See you at six, then old chap.”  Martin said as he exited the door and Mary followed, turning her head for a second to give Joseph a huge smile, and a wave goodbye. And William was right behind her, but Joseph managed to stop him and whisper something in his ear before letting him pass without the other two noticing,
  Joseph watched them disappear down the stairs at the end of the corridor before shutting the door and locking it.  He then walked over to the windows, ensured they were all locked, and then waited patiently for the coffee he had asked William to arrange to have been brought up to the room.  Exactly two minutes later the coffee arrived and his phone rang, the result of Joseph’s second request to William upon his departure from the room.  Joseph asked one question on the phone in relation to the caller’s knowledge of a ‘Plagueriser’.  When the reply came back in the affirmative, Joseph sat back in a chair and explained his immediate needs, sipping slowly on his coffee as he spoke.
  Five minutes after the rewarding conversation ceased, Joseph pulled the window curtains, turned off the lights … and began his meditation inside the golden orb that was enveloping around him.