Revived
Part X – Mind Games
G Johanson
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 by G Johanson

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“Do you know what? You don’t have to come, either of you. I’d rather go alone,” Kammani said to her servants as her ride arrived outside the inn for her rendezvous with Kasim. They just waited outside the room anyway and she felt like she needed a break from both of them.
“I don’t think that’s wise,” Lihua said.
“I do. At least he is honest with me,” she sniped, referring to Lihua’s deception regarding Shaozu. She had contained her anger at Lihua’s revelation, though inside she had been absolutely apoplectic. Lihua’s genuine contrition did very little to appease her. If her mother could see her now she would be absolutely ashamed of her.  
“Whenever I try to be honest with you you don’t like it,” Tso pointed out.
“You take being honest as a license for discourteous behaviour. Goodbye,” she said coolly, climbing into the carriage and ordering the driver to move quickly.
Once she had gone Tso muttered, “Good riddance.”
“You can’t say that,” Lihua said defensively.
“Looks like I just did. What’s your problem? This gives you more time to spend with Shaozu. Show me where he’s living then.” Tso was keen to see him again, the expedition not quite so much fun without him around to antagonise. Lihua was a cold fish while Kammani was something else altogether. 
“I won’t be doing that,” Lihua said curtly. He did not need to know that the only reason she did not take this opportunity was because she knew he would be at work.
“Here’s why you will. If you don’t I’ll tell her that you wandered off all afternoon and she’ll work out where you’ve been.”
“She won’t believe you.”
“She will. You’re in the doghouse too now.”
“I don’t respond to blackmail.”
“I don’t share a room with her. If at some point you need a message passing to him I can leave my room and get it to him if I know where he lives.”
“Yes, because you’re incredibly selfless like that. You’d do anything for anyone,” Lihua said caustically. 
“There would be a small charge.”
“Then forget it. Kammani has the money now.” Kammani felt that she could no longer entrust Lihua with the responsibility of looking after her money any longer. Lihua claimed that this had been a one-off but Kammani only had her word for that and that didn’t mean very much to her at present. Love was notorious for clouding one’s judgement and first love was the worst. One click of Shaozu’s fingers and Lihua would be lifting up her dress and throwing him money, or so Kammani firmly believed. The bank of Kammani was now closed until further notice. 
“Well, that’s the end of the expedition. She’ll give it all to that monstrosity to buy some new balls with.”
Lihua agreed with Tso that she was liable to be overly generous with her money and could give it to the wrong people, not that she would let him know that she felt this way. She had no intention of carrying on this conversation and she turned back towards the inn, telling Tso, “I’m going up to my room.” 
“I wouldn’t do it for you for free but for Shaozu I might. I’m just a sentimental guy underneath it all, Han,” he joked.
Lihua doubted this – he was a beast, pure and simple. Shaozu and Tso had seemed more amicable ever since the night that Sphinx showed up, the night that she controlled Tso and Shaozu chopped off his hand. She still would not classify them as friends exactly, but there was a faint chance that Tso was telling the truth. She continued to walk back to the inn, informing him, “I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t think too long or her highness will be back.”

“I just feel so let down,” Kammani said, unburdening her problems onto Kasim, who made the perfect confidante. She became a little weepy and he provided a handkerchief for her and listened to what she knew were petty grievances, and she was being the petty one. “I don’t care about the money or what she’s done so much. It’s the deception I can’t handle.”
“When that girl first came here I thought she was studying me as a freak until I realised what she was truly doing. That girl bleeds anxiety for your welfare. You have a loyal servant there,” Kasim said, Kammani finding his sage words to be truthful, as ever.
“I know. I’m selfish to stand in the path of true love, but what if they do get their happy ever after? Where does that leave me? Lihua’s family have been the constant in my life for the last – we’ll say 1200 years, though I believe the figure exceeds that. They must have served me before I went in the tomb. I’m scared of being alone.”
“She won’t desert you.”
“You haven’t met Shaozu. He’s not that remarkable actually. He’s nothing special at all, which makes my own feelings even more ridiculous. I don’t want him yet when I think of them together I’m jealous of both of them, him for taking her away from my side and her for...I’m a neurotic bitch really, aren’t I? You’ll never want to introduce me to the Valide Sultan.”
“She has frailties and concerns too. We all do. At least you’re addressing yours.”
“To you. To my servants I’ve become an imperious autocrat, a condescending monster –almost a slaver. You said that you were a bad person but I’m much worse. At least you have the best interests of your Sultan guiding your actions. I think the trouble I have with Shaozu is that I’ve got his image muddled up with Ao’s. If I could remember what my husband looked like that might help.”
“There might be a way I can help you with that...”

Even though Shaozu was just the lodger at Madam Yue’s house and any guests were not liable to be for him, he answered the door due to the late hour. The force used to hammer at the door suggested that this person was not going anywhere until they received an answer, and as Shaozu quickly dressed he made sure his sword was on his person, in its scabbard for now. It had to be close to two in the morning and Shaozu intended to make it clear to this person that such a late visit to the home of a widow with young children was unacceptable. The mood he was in the language barrier would not be a problem. Upon opening the door he spotted that there was no language barrier, though often he and this man were not speaking on the same wavelength. The strange thing was he was happy to see Tso, who looked equally pleased to see him.
“You took your time. A man can get into trouble on these streets at this hour,” Tso said. He gestured as though to embrace Shaozu, who wouldn’t have chosen to greet him this way but went along with it only to find himself in a squeezing contest with the idiot. With all of the combined injuries Shaozu had acquired during the preceding months he didn’t need such things but he knew that Tso was only larking about and he didn’t lose his cool. As Tso had instigated this he had the advantage and Shaozu punched his back sharply twice in the same spot and he said to him,
“I wouldn’t mind breathing again.”
“Yeah?” Tso said, in no rush to release his hold. Tso let go of him ten seconds later and Shaozu apologised to Madam Yue and he led Tso to his bedroom. Shaozu asked him how he had found him and Tso related all that had happened, from Kammani’s new best friend, with whom she could discuss all the joys of not having a penis with, to Lihua’s disgrace. Shaozu was concerned for her and felt responsible and he questioned whether he could help things by approaching Kammani or if he would make matters worse for Lihua. “So we now have no arms, the money is in the hands of Kammani, and she hates both me and Han.”
“Lihua,” Shaozu said, correcting him.
“No, I’m Tso. Is that why you invited me into your bedroom, you think I’m Han? It’s all a mess, Shaozu. You’re better off here.”
Shaozu didn’t agree with that. He appreciated that this family had taken him in when he needed it, and as such he did not mind the high rent that Madam Yue charged him now that he was working, but he would sooner have remained with Lihua. At least that way Kammani had a different target for her ill temper, as he was better equipped to endure her wrath than Lihua, who would take her criticism to heart.
“Anyhow, I need to borrow some money from you. You’re a working man now so you can lend me some money for a new arquebus. I need it for my plan,” Tso said, revealing the main reason why he had come to see him. 
Shaozu could scarcely believe what he was hearing. He knew that Tso was reckless but his latest proposal was unbelievable even for him, a scatterbrained suicidal plan that was also utterly immoral. It was the sort of idea that did not deserve to be spoken aloud, a flight of fancy that was pure fantasy. The untold riches in the Grand Bazaar that Tso coveted were stored on site at night behind drapes and this proved far too tempting for him. He did not share Shaozu’s moral compass, caring naught that these goods belonged to the merchants. If they were foolish enough to keep them so easily accessible they deserved to lose them. To acquire them Tso would have to get through gates and contend with the guards that patrolled the large complex, but Tso felt sure that between them they could return laden with jewellery, which was light to carry, expensive, and easy to sell on.
“Come on, Shaozu, we could both use the money. If they catch us what’s the worst that they’ll do? Chop off my other hand?”
“For theft on that scale I imagine we’d be executed, whatever method they use here. Count me out of this scheme.”
“I can’t do it alone. Not with one hand. You could use the money to start a new life with Lihua,” Tso said, using her first name for once. As he was trying to persuade her beau to undertake a risky but worthwhile endeavour with him he had to do everything possible to keep Shaozu onside.
“All of the money in the world wouldn’t buy me her hand.”
“Together we could do this and you know it.”
“There is a faint chance that we could steal some items and defeat the guards, which would mean killing innocent men, guilty only of doing their jobs. After that, assuming we got out of the Bazaar, we’d never make it out of the city. Two days later our heads would be on pikes. We stand out here, Tso.”
“We can go in disguise.”
“You made an oath to serve Kammani.” It didn’t matter that she was difficult; Tso had given his word, and until he was dismissed as Shaozu had been, Shaozu believed that he was honour bound to remain with her.
“I intend to follow it. I still want to secure my future.”
“If you do decide to go ahead with this, do me a favour. Don’t go back to the inn, because if you do they’ll torture and kill the whole lot of us for your stupidity.”
Tso left aside the matter of Shaozu including himself with them as he said, “How will we know unless we try it? Our fortune is secured behind mere drapes!”
“The security measures that they have in place must be working otherwise they wouldn’t leave their stock there. In the limited time that we’ve spent together, what have I said or done that’s given you any indication that I would be party to such a venture?” Shaozu asked, unable to fathom how Tso could think he’d go along with this illegal madness.
“We have a limited shelf life in our occupation. Once we become too old or too mangled,” Tso said, holding up his empty sleeve, “men such as us sink into poverty. I’ve seen it for myself, once fine warriors now begging for money on the streets. I’m planning ahead, Shaozu. I thought you might admire how responsible I’m being!”
“Do this and you’ll prove my first impression of you was correct.”
Tso eventually gave up trying to talk him round. The problem with Shaozu was that he seemed to believe that he was some sort of hero when all he was was a sword for hire, the same as Tso. The only difference between them was that Tso was more employable, prepared to do whatever his paymaster asked without scruples. Shaozu called him a fool for coveting tangible riches but Tso fancied he was the true fool, putting himself through the mill for fool’s gold in the form of Lihua’s hand. Even Tso knew that Kammani would never allow them to be together. Tso considered it a shame that Shaozu took such a stand, as he had made this offer in friendship, and he now pondered whether he could do it alone. He would definitely need a gun though, and he lacked the funds to purchase one.    

Whether Shaozu was making a mistake or not he knew he had to do this. He would probably be fired for not turning up at work, but that was the least of his worries. Facing Kammani again was daunting, not because of her supernatural power but because of her power over Lihua. If he said the wrong thing again it could have consequences for her, and with his verbal ineptitude he couldn’t be sure he could talk Kammani round to forgiving Lihua. As long as she turned her hate to him instead that would have to suffice. Tso led him back to the inn after chatting with him for several hours and it was midmorning when Tso knocked on Kammani’s door and informed her that Shaozu was waiting outside to talk to her.
Kammani appeared cheerful at this and she said, “That is uncanny. I was literally just about to go and see him. Send him in.”
Shaozu entered and bowed to both women respectfully. Lihua had no idea what he was playing at but she wished that he had stayed away. Things were strained enough as it was and this would not help. Kammani confused her by her reaction though, a reaction that did not tally with her previous behaviour. She was prone to mood swings but this was still strange even for her.
“Hello, Shaozu. I was just saying this is serendipity. You come to me and save my legs. How are your legs? That was some trek on foot,” Kammani said, her friendly manner wrong-footing Shaozu.
“I’m okay. I have some money to return to the both of you.”
Kammani took the small sum from him and she said, “Thank you. Back in silk robes I see.”
“This is how men dressed in my era before the interlopers took over. These were cheap and my old clothes were beyond repair,” Shaozu said. He was no intellectual and he would never claim to be an expert on politics but he knew what he believed in and the old ways suited him best. He was Han Chinese and now that he was away from the mother country the invaders who ran things had no control over him. 
“You may be able to afford better robes shortly as money will be no concern soon the way things are going for me. Did they tell you that I’m one step away from meeting the Valide Sultan?”
“Is that different to the Sultan?” Shaozu asked.
“As different as your mother is to you. Speaking of which, I have a favour to ask of you. You said some very hurtful things to me, Shaozu, but if defiance prohibited service I’d have nobody left so I am willing to forgive and forget...if you do a favour for me. It’s a big one.”
“Name it,” Shaozu said, thrilled to return to Lihua’s side without the need for clandestine meetings.
“I’m meeting my new friend in two days’ time. He has other things to attend with until then. I want you to accompany me where all will be revealed,” Kammani said mysteriously. “I’m in a generous mood today so why don’t you kids run along and play. I’ll be fine by myself, Lihua, truly.”
“Are you sure?” Lihua asked solicitously.
“I have a lot to think about,” Kammani said.
Shaozu would have preferred to spend some private time with Lihua but Tso knew nobody else in the city and he had no money to go to brothels – Shaozu wished he had retained some money then he could have sent him off in good conscience. The experience with Sphinx did not appear to have scarred him too much regarding visiting such establishments judging by the things he had been saying in the early hours, Shaozu having had to repeatedly tell him to quieten down in case Madam Yue or her children heard him. As well as the impossible mission of stealing from the Grand Bazaar he also talked of infiltrating the Imperial Harem, sharing his erotic fantasies with Shaozu whether he wanted to hear them or not. Tso walked around the city with them, Tso persuading Shaozu to scope out the Grand Bazaar with him. Shaozu kept reminding him as they looked around that this did not mean he would be a party to his ludicrous scheme, though Shaozu suspected that his words were not getting through to him.
“What scheme is this?” Lihua asked.
“It’s something that won’t be happening so don’t worry,” Shaozu said reassuringly. She needed more information to put her mind at ease. She was worried enough about other matters without having to think what stupid schemes Tso might come up with. That Kammani wanted Shaozu to meet Kasim – that she wanted to take Shaozu to him – that augured ill, the notion of it giving her shivers. Tso joked about it, saying that at least Shaozu could be sure he wouldn’t bugger him, and Shaozu seemed calm enough, but she was beside herself with worry about this.  
Tso spotted a group of black eunuchs in the Bazaar and he told Shaozu to look across to see some dickless wonders, a preview for his imminent encounter. Shaozu looked around in the wrong direction, questioning as he did so why such a comment made him turn round so quickly. The eunuchs were walking off and Tso grabbed Shaozu’s left ear and pulled sharply, the violent tug making him stumble and almost fall over. Tso let go of him just as Shaozu was about to shrug him off and Shaozu saw the group, who now all stared at him. He turned to Tso and he warned him, “Watch your step.”
“What’s the problem? Don’t make out that hurt. You could pull ships with those things.” Tso had been getting on well with Shaozu since their re-acquaintance and even just before their separation and he had even admitted that he thought highly of him. Such admissions invariably made him feel soppy and weak and he was quick to restore things to an antagonistic level, primarily for his own amusement. Arguing with Shaozu was more entertaining than agreeing with him.
“With a face like yours you shouldn’t be making any comments,” Lihua said quickly. Shaozu’s ear had turned bright red and she seethed at Tso for daring to lay hands on the man that she loved.
“I pulled his ear – I’m not in your league, Han, I haven’t shredded him yet. And as for my looks? You want to look in the mirror at yourself – you’re not what I would call...”
“Be quiet, Tso, or you’ll have bigger things to worry about than my ears!” Shaozu snapped, shouting at him.
“Something bigger than your ears? Is that possible? Is a comet going to fall from the sky and hit me?” Tso chuckled. He had got a reaction, which was what he was after, and he carried on goading Shaozu. Shaozu didn’t react further, purely because Tso went back to targeting him, which didn’t bother him at all. Lihua was his weak spot – his slightly larger than average ears (Shaozu didn’t even believe that they were that big, and only seemed so to others because they protruded outwards fractionally more than normal) did not concern him in the slightest. His granddad had had large ears; it was a family trait and not something that he was ashamed of. Tso spoke out of turn about Lihua again shortly afterwards and Shaozu began brawling with him which saw them chased out of the Grand Bazaar and almost got them into serious trouble.

Kammani gave Lihua no clues as to what to expect and she allowed her to accompany them on the dreaded visit. Even Tso was allowed to come too, with Kammani giving him intriguing instructions beforehand. Another ‘man’ (he almost sniggered as she said this) would be present and it was Tso’s job to appear fearsome to him. She did not want him to do anything, just to be physically intimidating by his presence, to suggest malevolence if this man stepped out of line. Ilkay was already seated with Kasim when they arrived, Ilkay an elderly Turkish man who didn’t seem to be bothered by Tso, who loomed over him, until Kammani began talking about him. She built him up as a savage brute who obeyed her unflinchingly but when she allowed him off his leash she pitied her enemies. She only stopped her fear-inducing monologue when Ilkay began to sweat, at which point she told Tso to leave and to send Shaozu and Lihua in. 
“So this is Shaozu,” Kasim said, assessing him thoughtfully. “I trust you have apologised to your mistress.”
“We have worked out our differences, yes,” Shaozu said. He’d bow and scrape if he had to but Kammani, surprisingly, hadn’t insisted upon that. He knew he had to be respectful here and he said to Kasim, “I am grateful to be back in Kammani’s service, and offer my assistance to you also.”
“How generous!” Kasim said, turning to Kammani to add, “He does have a certain rough-hewn charm. Shaozu, this is Ilkay. Ilkay is a master of hypnosis.”
“Basically, Shaozu, I want to access my forgotten past but if even going home doesn’t trigger anything then I have to try other methods. Ilkay – he doesn’t speak Chinese so speak freely – Ilkay can help me rediscover myself. There are many things that could be said about you, Shaozu, but at least you know who you are. ‘Proud Han Chinese in your silk robes without your queue hairstyle’,” Kammani said, taking on a manly voice as she impersonated him in an exaggeratedly noble and stoic manner. “I don’t have that same sense of identity. Lihua’s family have given me excellent second-hand information about my past but it’s just words, it’s not memories. This is where you come in.”
Kasim helped her out, saying to Shaozu, “Ilkay is known to me but I’ve never had a use for him before and can’t vouch for his ability, therefore we need a test subject.”
“That’s fine,” Shaozu said, having no problem with allowing himself to be hypnotised. He had expected a worse favour than this, which was fairly effortless on his part.    
“If you don’t want to do this you can walk away from the expedition again,” Kammani said, giving him a choice in the matter.
“I don’t have a problem with this at all,” Shaozu said.
“Excellent. We’ll get you out of the way first and I might get my session in today too,” Kammani said excitedly. “Obviously you’re in a different position to me where you remember most of your past so Ilkay will be – we’ll be helping him translate – he’ll be helping you remember your mother.”
“That was a long time ago,” Shaozu said, feeling a knot form in his stomach at this. 
“You were three. The memories will be there,” Kammani said. “You can leave us again if you prefer.”
“I’ll do it but can I have a moment?” Shaozu said, needing to prepare himself for this.
“Certainly. Go to whichever room you wish,” Kasim suggested.
“Thank you,” Shaozu said. He left the room and Lihua looked to Kammani who nodded at her and Lihua followed him. She found him in an upstairs room perched on the end of a sumptuous bed with his head in his hands. She sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder and he took it in his hands and kissed it. She was relieved to see he was not crying and she said,
“It’s your choice. I think I’d be more upset if I couldn’t remember my mother. If she had been the one undertaking this journey with Kammani things would have been so different. Wuma and Sphinx would have been impaled before they even caused a scene,” she said with a smile. Perhaps if he remembered his mother he could smile about her too. Some called her mother the Wrinkled Whore of Suzhou and she wasn’t the most conventionally maternal of women, a warrior to the core, but she was her mother and she wouldn’t have changed her. Lihua looked to the bright side for once, believing that Shaozu and Kammani would both be happier for remembering their mothers. Influencing him to do this also meant that he would stay in her life, though she convinced herself that she was offering him this advice in his best interests.
Shaozu explained his reluctance. “I consider myself Suzhou through and through but I didn’t always live there. I spent the first 3 years of my life in a village 30 miles away. My father worked while my mother looked after me. There would rarely have been a time when I wasn’t with my mother. My grandparents never talked much about what happened, because they’d lost their daughter and it distressed them too much to think about, but I know that there is a strong chance that I was with her when she was killed. That’s not something I wish to remember.”
“In that case you don’t have to do this,” Lihua said. She hadn’t thought about that while, understandably, he had.  
“She says she’s testing the hypnotist, which is true. I also believe that this is my penance. If this is the only way I get to continue to see you then I have no choice,” Shaozu said grimly. Kammani had seen that physical suffering did not break him which meant that she had to be creative in her choice of punishment. Shaozu believed that she genuinely did want to test the hypnotist but there was more to it than that – causing him mental suffering at the same time killed two birds with one stone. He would not put his worst enemy through this. 
“Again, am I worth it?”
“I wouldn’t relive this for anyone else. It may hurt but I’ve already lost her. I haven’t lost you yet and I hope I never do.”
“If you do this you have to do this for yourself,” Lihua said. Why she wanted this promise from him was beyond her – of course he was only doing it for her.
“I’m doing this for myself, to keep you in my life. This isn’t on your head – it’s all in mine. Maybe I wasn’t there; it’s possible...”
Shaozu meditated briefly before he steeled himself for the task at hand. It was unwise to keep them waiting lest this offer be taken from the table. Kammani was all smiles when he returned, seemingly genuinely appreciative of what he was doing for her. She seemed jittery too, exhibiting nervous energy while Shaozu was outwardly composed. She stood with Kasim and seemed unable to stay still, working out how they were going to do this. Kasim conferred quietly with her and Kammani placed some cushions at one end of a sofa (one of several in the large room) as Kasim placed his arm around Shaozu and led him across the room. If anyone knew of the importance of a gentle touch at a difficult moment it was Kasim and he said soothingly, “Lie down here, Shaozu, and Ilkay will send you to sleep. When you wake up it will all be over.”
Shaozu walked to the sofa, where Kammani stood with her hands clasped together smiling strangely at him. Perhaps he was wrong to be so harsh in his assessment of her. She wasn’t necessarily doing this to be vindictive, her mannerisms not representative of somebody who was acting in anger. She just seemed very strange, which could be put down to the life she had lived.
Shaozu spotted a hardback chair set against the wall and he pointed to it and he said to them both, “I can sleep anywhere – I’d sooner sit there, if it’s all the same to you.”
Kammani sat down on the sofa and she bounced up and down and she said, “It’s very comfortable.”
“I’ll be okay there, if that’s okay with you?” Shaozu asked respectfully. 
Kammani looked to Kasim, seeking his opinion. Kasim reminded her of her status, which her followers seemed to keep forgetting as he said to her, “It’s your decision.”
“The chair will be fine,” Kammani said. Shaozu walked to the chair and sat down and he looked downwards, dodging Lihua’s stare. He was getting further away from her and he had not looked at her since they re-entered the room. This was something he had to endure and he would have preferred it if she were not present at all. Ilkay came across to him and a seat was placed down for him facing Shaozu. Ilkay placed his hands on Shaozu’s head and face, pushing pressure points and guiding his stare where he wanted it, looking squarely into his eyes. Kammani squealed and grabbed Kasim’s arm when she realised how quickly he had gone under, the pair of them standing at the side, avid spectators to this scene. She was very impressed with Ilkay, who transcended the language barrier to mentally disable her warrior. Lihua remained at the other end of the room, watching with the same avid interest though she did not share their enthusiasm. She watched this spectacle with horror and she could only hope that Shaozu had not been there when his mother met her grim end.    
Unfortunately Shaozu had been there, as Lihua discovered as he spoke under hypnosis. For good measure his mother had been multiply raped by the large cadre of bandits that had entered the family home. Kasim and Kammani made sympathetic noises to each other of how dreadful it was but Lihua got the distinct impression that this was entertainment to them. They had their information but they kept going, asking more and more questions, turning the screw. It didn’t matter whether his mother was laying face up or face down when he came out of his hiding space, from where he had viewed everything. It didn’t need to be asked whether she was fully naked or partially dressed. Kammani wanted Shaozu’s father’s reaction when he arrived home, which Shaozu relayed to her. He had removed his son from the body and had shut him outside the house in the rain for a long time. 
“Why do you think he did that then?” Kammani asked Kasim.
“Grief? He didn’t want his son exposed to the body.”
“A bit late for that. It’s as though he’s punishing him, and his father was absent from his life following this point,” Kammani said, analysing the situation.
“Perhaps he could never look at him without remembering her. I think we’d need him sat in front of us for those answers,” Kasim observed.
“Father Wong is as elusive as my memories so there’s no chance of that!” Kammani said comically. She was tense at the thought of being opened up in the same way and that was mainly why she was prolonging Shaozu’s period under hypnosis. What if she had even worse horrors stored away awaiting activation?
Kammani ultimately opted to postpone her hypnosis session for a few days. The test had at least proved that the hypnotist was not a phony. Of course there was still a world of difference between entrusting Shaozu’s mind into his hands and giving him the same power over her fragile mind. Upon awakening Shaozu did not appear visibly emotional – his memories did not involve his precious Lihua so that was to be expected – but he was subdued. Even if he tried to hide it she knew it had taken its toll on him and Kammani kept her side of the bargain. He was back with them and shared Tso’s room with him again, where Tso shared his feelings on the matter that night.       
“Kammani is a total c**t.”
“I wouldn’t let her or Lihua hear you call her that,” Shaozu said, appreciative that he was angry for him but advising him not to take sides, or if he did, advising him to take the side of the woman who held the purse strings.
“You didn’t disagree.”
“I wouldn’t define her in those terms but you know that me and Kammani have had our ups – at some point I think we did – and our downs.”
“I may call you all the names under the sun but making you relive your mother’s murder? That’s sick.”
“It wasn’t the best, that’s for sure. It was 24 years ago and those bad, bad men were just passing through and if any of them live now they would look very different so they’re completely untraceable. As I can’t get revenge I just have to forget about it like I did before. You can talk about robbing the Grand Bazaar again if you like,” Shaozu said, keen to change the subject, and this daft idea made for a fanciful diversion.
“Are you up for it now?” Tso said keenly, hoping that Kammani’s actions today had swayed him to make a run for it with their swag and Kammani’s slave girl.
“Not remotely but don’t let that stop you.” Tso did not let him down, waffling on at length while Shaozu attempted to focus on his daft words and blot out the terrible images from his mind. If Kammani had wanted his opinion he would have advised her not to go ahead with seeing the hypnotist. Ignorance was bliss.


To be continued in Part XI – Kammani Unravelled