11- LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - EVIL PERSONIFIED - SECTION 17

After so many hours of tending the Dark Eunuch’s extensive wounds (lesions), Royal surgeon Mosek stepped back and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Egil Viggoaries was then offered two or three excellent pain-numbing concoctions but despite the throbbing pain in his arm, he refused to ingest any potion and perfunctorily dismissed the Surgeon.

 

01- ROYAL SURGEON MOSEK

The Dark Eunuch thence left alone in the room, he stayed seated there for a while longer evaluating (assessing) his two provocative future machinations; finally, his thoughts reverting to Stuart Chutek, his mind pithily deliberated on the astute (shrewd) course of assertion (command, charge, contention):

His men had already been positioned in the very Inn Chutek was staying, awaiting his orders to apprehend him; before the Stewart Chutek crossed to the Chukset Province, to seek out Tonzeye Yevgun.  In a short while, when the moment was apt, Chutek would be lawfully indicted and convicted for the impending (imminent) murder of Worren Youkup based on that sheer evidence alone. Furthermore, with the established motive, Chutek could easily be portrayed as an ambitious servant who had deliberately and unconscionably seduced and coerced his senile, old master into declaring him as the sole beneficiary; then, before Worren had a change of heart, Chutek cold-heartedly had arranged to have him (the Royal Tutor) killed during Chutek’s absence from Channing, on a supposed errand no less.  Portrayed (depicted) as an insidious, scheming, malicious servant, Chutek could then be subjected the extreme penalty of the law; albeit he survived the preliminary inquisition, he could still be made to suffer the brutal indignities, before his slowest, most tortuous end.

But where was the challenge in that? Egil Viggoaries scoffed and shifted in his seat. Even without all that, any amount of incriminating evidence could easily have been amassed, since the old Tutor had shown such extreme favoritism to the strikingly handsome Chutek, incurring jealous animosities from all the other servants, one in particular…The one named, Lorenzo.

Egil Viggoaries turned his thoughts instead, to Enqui Rimeng's flask which presented far more intriguing possibilities. This flagon (evidential instrument of death) could be utilized to net the bigger prize, in addition to the accursed Herleif! But then, why would he cook the golden goose, or would it be more prudent to call her a pheasant; besides which, she may soon be infinitely more valuable as the Dowager Mother of the future Sovereign.

Egil Viggoaries sporting a wry grin, rose from his chair and walked to the window; as he absently stared out, suddenly, unexpectedly, he was reminded of Samnuk.

Dark Eunuch Egil, grimaced thinking of the time he had tricked the mixed gender rock sprit entity Samnuk, who had just escaped being imprisoned in that protective water crystal amulet which Dwengzur had always worn around his neck. Samnuk had impersonated his master Dwengzur, but Egil quickly wizened to this deception, had instead duped Samnuk into revealing one of his secrets. This was an especially useful tool (device, information), indeed, gaining the ability to shapeshift and assume any form or person; unfortunately, his (Egil) being a mere mortal, if he utilized this spell, there would be a grave consequence to him. Egil had been seriously warned about this, by non other than Dwengzur, before his eventual disappearance with then captive, mischief-maker, Samnuk.

02 SAMNUK 1B

“Oh well,” Egil Viggoaries shrugged; knowing there would be an apt future time, when the advantages would far outweigh the vile disadvantage, for its use.

Dark Eunuch’s thoughts once more reverting to Sejon and then to Magnian, he now indulged his mind in that future fantasy, where which Zakhertan Yozdek and Sejon would be long dead and, he would be the Regent Guardian to Magnian. A necessary short step to being the omnipotent emperor. Emperor Egil… Egil the Merciless! He did like the sound of that! The Dark Eunuch threw his head back and gave a hearty guffaw. A brief time later, sinister grin gone, Egil abruptly turned about face and went out the room; dismissing the respectful bows of his guards at the door, he walked briskly down the hall. Of course, his personal security had at once sheathed their swords and fell into step behind him. The Dark Eunuch walked quickly with long strides to keep his appointment, albeit a little late, with the Senior Grand Secretary Qarzten Caimund. Egil knew that the meeting was of a serious official matter, though it had rapidly been dwarfed in importance by these more recent developments.  

“When I see him,” Egil Viggoaries mused with wry smile on his lips, “I must at least make a point of thanking Qarzten Caimund for his recommendation of me to this case. The man has unwittingly done me a great service!” He threw his head back and laughed once more as he continued to advance without so much as breaking stride.

   

                                                                        ~   

   

That evening, when Egil Viggoaries received the expected word that Royal Tutor Worren Youkup was at death’s door after having suffered a damaging heart-attack, he quickly set aside all other business to pay the customary courtesy call on Worren, hoping to catch him still among the living and to whisper to him his spiteful news. As it were, the Dark Eunuch’s ingrained rancour (grudge) for the sanctimonious Worren Youkup and the Prince Herleif had been everlasting because, Egil Viggoaries’s childhood years had been glumly marred as the study companion of Prince Herleif. Young Egil had undergone nefarious castigations and ignoble humiliations whenever the unruly, wily Herleif had broken the rules. At each instance, Worren Youkup (heartlessly) indifferently turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the truth had compulsorily mated out harshest penalties on the unpopular Egil Viggoaries. Eventually young Egil had learned to fight back and once fended for himself in such a way as to make Worren’s and Prince Herleif's life, for a time being at least, an absolute Hell. Zakhertan Yozdek at the time was still waging his border wars and was frequently absent from Channing for extended periods; Herleif’s vindictiveness going unchecked hence, it was not long before Viggoaries was maligned and permanently replaced as the study companion, with a more malleable stooge. The ostracized Egil’s life from then on, had taken on a new, nightmarish turn.  

                                                                      … 

At present entering the private compound of the palace staff, Egil Viggoaries continued to make his way, in the same bold strides, towards the tutor's sleeping quarters. Coming to within an earshot of the old man's deathbed, he heard the attending physicians pontificating over Worren’s ailment and them arriving at the unanimous decision that he was at present beyond saving.

"We've done all that is humanly possible to stem the course of damage but alas, his sight and speech faculties (ability) are slightly (to some extent) impaired.” Kundo Rotek said with a tired, mournful resignation. Everyone knew he was in fact quite fond of the Royal Tutor.

“At least you’d in time mercifully administered the dose to ease his terrible pain, but I dare say, bit more excessively." His colleague (assistant) pensively griped.  

 "There is nothing further to be done." Three of the senior Royal Physicians, farcically, exasperatedly shaking their heads unanimously at this point sounded their firm estimation.   

"May Gods be merciful!" A young Royal Physician just then acerbically added, eyeing Egil Viggoaries’s entrance into the room.   

"And may his passing into the spirit world, be without fret." Another one called Polnar, hastily rushed in to say, same time gave his co-worker an apprehensively admonishing look that seemed to say: “Xamis Urmond you fool, you will pay dearly for this later! You have enjoyed the favor of His Highness Zakhertan Yozdek and basked in the rarely bestowed honors and privileges your youthful brilliance has earned you up till now, but nothing lasts forever, and no one is indispensable!” Polnar had rushed forward meanwhile, along with the others, to respectfully greet Egil Viggoaries.   

Polnar’s subsequent profuse apologies and amiable words, on behalf of his headstrong friend Xamis, had unfortunately was ignored (fell on deft ears), for Egil Viggoaries had already made up his mind to take care of this impertinent and upstart Royal Physician, permanently (for good).

03- EGIL VIGGORIES 1- JP

Outwardly, however, Egil seemed to be appeased; showing a particular concern for the Royal Tutor's increasingly deteriorating condition, he suggested (ordered) he be allowed a few solitary moments with his old teacher to convey his farewells.  

The Chief Royal Physician, Kundo Rotek, readily assenting, cleared the room at once of all persons; then he too, quickly exited the room. Then again, all were extremely glad of the opportunity to spread as much distance as possible between them and the Black Eunuch, for none wished to inadvertently offend him and risk his baneful (cursed) wrath.   

Egil Viggoaries nodded in satisfaction as he approached the old Tutor as, without interference, he was now able to assess for himself the specific symptoms of the poison. Though all had read his occasional dissertations about the progress of human diseases and thus would never question his motives, no one was truly aware of the full extent of Egil’s vast knowledge of medicine and toxicology, gathered over the course of many years of experiment and study.  Not only had Egil Viggoaries poured over and devoured the Royal Library's vast storehouse of medical texts (one of the subjects along with alchemy, astronomy, botany and military strategy that had been spared from the incineration) but he had for the past several years also conducted experiments on his own into the causes, cures and progress of a countless number of diseases that plagued mankind with terminal suffering.  As Minister of Internal Security, he was able to procure an unending supply of subjects from among the ranks of the condemned prisoners with which he strove to resolve the dilemmas posed by those elusive maladies that had eluded even the wisest of contemporary medical minds. Not that Egil Viggoaries was striving to find cures for these illnesses; rather, his fascination lay in inducing sickness into previously healthy individuals and then painstakingly recording in meticulous detail the variations of the disease's progress until the final deterioration of their condition.   

The suffering, the torment inflicted on these ill-fated victims gave him that perverse pleasure and bizarre sense of temporary satiation from his bottomless, sadistic curiosity. Egil Viggoaries’s compiled works meanwhile had proven to be a controversial yet invaluable contribution to the medical field, though the methods by which the information had been gathered drew to date, twenty or thirty muted criticisms from certain Court Officials as well as, secret censure by two of his medical peers. Regardless of these personal qualms, they nevertheless jostled each other in their rush to obtain, at great expense, his latest findings when they were, infrequently printed up for publication. For every now and then Egil Viggoaries would succumb to the human failing (an urge) to boast, to gain recognition for his unconscionable yet brilliant methods and theories. These published findings however had only ceded the surface layers of his knowledge of the tools of death. He had also, for self-preservation, secretly experimented, and duly become an expert in identifying the culprit poisons, in specifically, five unresolved murder cases.     

Looking at the old Royal Tutor, Egil Viggoaries presently noted with a bemused smile the obvious signs and the side-effects of the drug Worren Youkup had unwittingly ingested, which had escaped the learned eyes of those brilliant Royal Physicians. Haughty, Idiotic incompetents, the lot of them! Even that arrogant upstart had not caught on. Later, Egil Viggoaries was to learn that Xamis Urmond had indeed raised the possibility during his examination but had been roundly overridden by his more discreet peers. His apologist had even ventured as far as to advise Xamis, "Let the sleeping dogs lie."    

Dispassionately Egil Viggoaries studied the side effects of the potion that had, in its wake, left the Royal Tutor gradually (increasingly) more bereft of sight and speech.  That old boorish tyrant that had plagued his childhood, now nearing his end, was as vulnerable as a newborn babe, squirming in his silent pain. Yet there remained something in those sightless eyes, an urgent need in that contorted face to communicate something vital. Taking advantage of this chance, Egil Viggoaries ordered one of the waiting attendants at outside, to bring him a parchment and ink-laden brush. The attendant as he was leaving the room witnessed only of Egil Viggoaries placing the brush in the dying Royal Tutor's right hand and urging him to write.

No one bore witness to the Eunuch’s subsequent act of, leaning close to Worren’s ear and imparting to him in a whisper, while grinning with sheer malice, his exquisite plans for the darling Stewart Chutek. 

04- STEWART CHUTEK'S IMPENDING FATE

A brief time later Egil Viggoaries had emerged at outside declaring the result to be indecipherable scribbling that warranted thorough analysis later. The Eunuch’s back to them, Chief Royal Physician Kundo Rotek and the other Royal Physicians had all at once, frenziedly rushed (scrambled) back into the room, in time only to observe, Worren Youkup arch his back in pain and breath his last.

 

                                                                        ….   

 

 

(END OF SECTION 17)

 

 11- LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - EVIL PERSONIFIED - SECTION 16

 Fortunately for Surgeon Mosek, Egil Viggoaries had once more turned his thoughts back to the barbarian giant and the marvelous combat: In an uncontested, swift maneuver Viggoaries had not only freed himself from this Barbarian giant's clutches but had also struck down his opponent instantaneously as soon as the other’s subsequent, murderous assault had been launched. Admittedly the giant had been quite skilled and dexterous for one his size. Amazingly, he had been quite adroit in his defenses and counter strikes, fending against the lightening speed deadly blows aimed at his head, legs, and chest even as he fumbled for his weapon, which had, at one point, taken flight and wedged between ice covered rocks, at the distance of a hundred feet away. Egil grimaced, thinking of his ensued, signature kick to the man's spine, launched after a mid-air somersault, which had dropped the giant at Viggoaries’s feet, his legs still kicking impotently.

Egil could have decapitated him that instant, but instead, he had taken his time, delighting in the giant's paralysis, and his impotent (powerless), anguished pain (though still defiant with his daggers ‘glare); choosing instead to finish him off,  in that grindingly slow, tormented way before he applied just a bit of pressure, just so. 

01- EGIL VIGGORIES

  

Subsequently, Egil Viggoaries leaned back, his mind oblivious to the pain in his arm which was now spreading to his chest and neck; looking away to a distant void with his mind already devising (conceiving) apt steps to destroy his intended target, the corners of his mouth just then lifted slightly as his lips sported a (pitiless) malicious, cynical smile.

At that moment a sharp knock at the door abruptly interrupted his pleasure (hideous reverie) and thus he scowled. His deputy, Caunze, was eventually granted admission and, after a deep bow, came to stand before Viggoaries and to inform him of agent Rukon's urgent request for an audience.

 "Let him in.", Viggoaries gestured, condescendingly.

 

                                                                                     ~

Once admitted, the newly recruited agent stopped in the center of the room, reverently bowed low then stood at attention for permission to speak. Just inside the door, the Deputy Caunze waited at ease, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, what is it?"  Viggoaries's obvious impatience made Rukon flinch reflexively.

In fact, it was the sudden searing, bolt of pain radiating from his arm that had put the Dark Eunuch in a foul mood; this however he would never admit to himself, for he despised weakness and all forms of human frailty.

Egil Viggoaries had constantly (in his adult life) striven to be indifferent to physical and mental pain, and likewise demeaning human deficiencies (limitations), ever since that humiliating lesson he had learned at the hand of Zakhertan Yozdek when he was but eight years old. That mortifying experience had permanently marred and altered his character. Additionally, there were those four incidences, before puberty, that Egil had buried in the deep recesses of his conscious mind where they could never be surfaced (recalled) for to do so would instantly rob the Dark Eunuch of the last shred of his dignity and any remaining self-respect.

Egil Viggoaries grimaced, being abruptly reminded of the other, the supposed him, languishing since infancy in fact, like a subhuman criminal, in the darkest recesses of the dungeons. Zakhertan Yozdek had gifted him to Egil as an outlet, when he had turned into his teens, to torment as much as he had liked, with only one condition, that the prisoner lived. If you could call it that; the wretch lived, lived to endure yet another day’s torment.

The agent Rukon, meanwhile, had opened his mouth, steeling himself before he spoke. Still, he hesitated, his eyes darting to Surgeon Mosek who, with rapt attention was bent on sewing up the remainder of the wound after the tendon was re-attached and the veins cauterized. Would it be prudent to expose these findings in front of this physician? Granted Mosek's reliability was beyond question. Still, this could be a test.

There was a peal of eerie, mocking laughter as Egil Viggoaries subsequently shot Mosek a cold, stern look that effectively dismissed the physician. The closing of the wound would have to wait, irrespective of future complications. Egil Viggoaries’s eyes tracked Mosek as latter promptly and without least protest exited the room; afterwards, Egil’s stone (unreadable) gaze fell on Caunze for a moment or two, before reverting onto Rukon.

02-AGENT RUKON

The agent’s face paled, so cold was the Dark Eunuch’s scrutiny that it sent shivers down his spine; thus, Rukon bit out the words without so much as a pause, injudiciously reporting all, even the inconsequential stuff (matter) of his findings:  This well included the redundant details of Nigel's visit to the kitchens (under the pretext of ordering a specially prepared repast for Lady Sejon) and, after identifying that night’s allotted dishes for Royal Tutor Worren Youkup, she had then discretely emptied the entire contents of the pilfered (pinched, stolen) flask into one particularly sweet saucer.

"Have you retrieved the flask she discarded?" Egil Viggoaries now brusquely cut short (terminated) Rukon’s ramblings.

"Yes sir; it took some doing but I’ve…” Noting the fierce disapproval in Egil Viggoaries’s eyes, Ruken abruptly fell silent, and his flesh started to crawl.

“What breech of conduct can I be guilty of now?”  He knew better than to ponder that question too long and, he at once removed the flask, which by then had lost the label, from his tunic and rushed forward to hand it to Egil Viggoaries, mumbling also copious apologies as he backed away.

Egil Viggoaries removed the tightened lid and wafted the air above the opening toward his face. He made no effort to conceal his venomous grimace or the certain sober calculation in his eyes. Her previous indiscretions, the conspiracy to murder and its associated misconducts were not sufficiently grave to suit his purpose; but now, he would add premeditated murder to the list of her crimes, and then, when the time was ripe, he would reap the bountiful harvest.

 "That will be all." the words spoken to Rukon were sharp and abrasive, but Viggoaries’s icy eyes went past the agent to rest on Caunze.

The Deputy nodded, his face placid, almost inscrutable in its masklike quality; no one could have anticipated the smoldering rage deep inside the man as he bowed stoically and exited the chamber promptly, with Rukon at his heels.

Surgeon Mosek had all this time stood patiently at the outside corridor (hallway), awaiting word (a command from the Dark Eunuch) to rush back in and to finish his laborious task. He gazed after the retreating pair with blank stare. Halfway down the hall, at a safe distance, Caunze abruptly halted and pivoted.

Thrusting his hostile face right up against Rukon's, his fiery eyes burrowing into Rukon’s, he then sneered incredulously, "Just what did you think you were doing back in there? And wipe away that stupefied look from your face!"  Caunze grabbed Rukon’s shoulder roughly and yanked him aside then shoved him further in the quiet niche to escape the curious eyes and ears of the guards.

Leering menacingly, Caunze again pitted his face right up against the other and curtly enumerated every instance of inappropriate and plainly erroneous conduct, all the violations that Rukon had been guilty of, back in the room. As Rukon listened, his heart (palpitated) hammered violently against his breastbone (in his chest) for he had just then realized how close he had come to forfeiting his very life through his carelessness and deficient compliance of the stringent protocol.

03- DEPUTY CAUNZE (2)

Constraining the sheer disgust he felt from his voice, Caunze next pointed out sternly how just this once Rukon had been given this rare leeway, that for which he should be thankful. “And be sure to have your future reports more defined and concise.” Caunze tersely added before with a snort of derision he turned and walked away, not caring if Rukon followed.

He subsequently tossed a swift parting shot over his shoulder as his voice trailed into the distance, "His Excellency is not always this charitable.”   

Ceding this one point, Rukon stared after the Deputy with resentment smoldering in his heart. “To think after all I've gone through, having striven so hard to retrieve that cursed flask from a whirling cesspool, for him!”  Rukon bit his lip to hold back his anger and obvious disappointment then quickened his pace to return to his posting.

Subsequent days, Rukon’s routine tasks, his administrative duties, had increasingly became more arduous, his life much more a living hell. Rukon did eventually learn, quite by accident, that the greatest part of the blame for his failings on that day, had rested squarely on the shoulders of his immediate supervisor Caunze; hence, the consequent hostility and the ensued hardships.

                                                                            ~

    

No sooner Caunze and Rukon had disappeared down the hall, surgeon Mosek had been summoned back in to finish the job. Mosek with assiduous speed set to at once tending, cauterizing stitching, and then bandaging the rest of the terrible (extensive) wound on the arm.

All this while, the Dark Eunuch's mind was focused on an intriguing matter, more specifically, the detailed report on an insignificant Steward Chutek in Worren Youkup’s employ. Knowing Worren’s unnatural infatuation (obsession) with Chutek, Egil Viggoaries had the steward shadowed, for a long while, by his agents. Of course, when Egil had first learned of Imperial Tutor's clever manoeuvrings, long before his formal charge, (condemnation)- including the naming of the steward Chutek as the lawful, sole beneficiary of his estate and, anticipating unforeseen adversity his timely implemented certain measures to circumvent it- Egil Viggoaries had been both irate and amused. 

Subsequently, once the Imperial Tutor fell under suspicion, the actuated (triggered) land title search revealed the true measure of Worren’s vast holdings and secreted investments that had been amassed in his long lifetime. Since Worren Youkup had lived so frugally, it had taken everyone by surprise that the old Tutor had been underhandedly so brilliant with his investments, that it had led to the accretion of such magnitude of wealth.

 

04- STEWART CHUTEK TRAVELLING- JP

Recent developments, which entailed the hasty departure of the Steward Chutek from the Capital (Channing) on a facade urgent errand, meanwhile, had mildly elated Egil; nevertheless, he had not yet issued any order to have Chutek apprehended.

In the wake of other troubling reports, the Dark Eunuch's cold heart now contemplated on the added (relevance and) benefits of this, foible of Worren’s, to the case.

Dark Eunuch grimaced, cogitating, as this had then enabled Egil to in the future, formally charge Chutek and those he suspected of being in league with, for the Tutor’s well anticipated, untimely demise or, more specifically, murder.

Currently as things stood, even if Worren Youkup were to be posthumously exonerated, with no living relative to lay claim to his now exposed vast estate (numerous prime properties and funds), it would all still be automatically absorbed by the central Government (the state); then, with only a bit of subtle engineering, the major portion of it could easily, permanently be made to disappear into Egil Viggoaries’s own coffers.

 

                                                                               ~ 

 

(END OF SECTION 16)