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Click hereThis morning, they confronted me with their defiance. I took some pictures and sent them to a colleague..." I was saying.
"Who? Give me their name," Jormo got in my face.
"I can't recall. It is probably filed away with every other crime you've bought and paid for that Brennan has committed," I was only a few centimeters away.
"Give me the..."
"Shut up and listen," I moved in, suddenly cluing the old guy into me being several inches taller and broader in the chest. "You don't get a name. I didn't break the law - you and your son did. I am hoping that pain and blood is answered with pain and blood - a balancing of the scales of justice.
You don't want that and now you don't want to face the fact that his latest stunt has gotten way beyond what you want to pay," I insisted.
"You won't get away with it," Jormo glowered. "This is my family. This is personal to me."
"Personal...personal, Mr. Sulkanen? No; personal is not you and me," I clarified.
"Personal is your other two sons, a baby daughter, three step-children and a young wife," I laid it out. "You come after me, the parties concerned will go after them - and you. Not on my orders, though. They will act upon a different social agenda which you know nothing of. In the end, you will save no one and fill a few more graves."
"I won't back down," Jormo flared.
"Fine. I don't care," I turned to leave.
"Wait, Cáel, how bad will this personal vendetta get?" Hana pleaded.
"Not sure. I would imagine two generations around - grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, sons, daughters, sons and daughter-in-laws, children and grandchildren," I mused.
"Father," Hana pleaded. It was Deoxyribonucleic acid test time. "Cael, I saw something last night my father needs to see. Please take off your shirt."
"What will that prove, Hana?" Jormo rumbled.
"Look at the man's body. See his scars. Father, Cáel isn't kidding. You and I both know he's not bluffing. This is some Old World madness that...that Brennan has stepped into and...I want to know if you are going to bring down this family because of him," Hana made her stand as my shirt came off.
"All those scars and bruises," the Sulkanen patriarch muttered. "How?"
"I'm a rather disreputable and dishonest man, Mr. Sulkanen. I would rather treat life like a sexually-explicit romantic comedy instead of confront the darkness that is all too fucking common. Turning my back is easy...but that is not how my father raised me. He never told me to be a crusader of any stripe. He did tell me to live with my decisions. I have recently come to realize that includes me being unwilling to bear the burden of refusing to stop wickedness I could have prevented. No fear, Mr. Sulkanen and no regrets. Flesh heals - memories are eternal."
"Father," Hana stood silhouetted by the flames flickering in the fireplace. "What is this man's price? What threat can you make to deter him that he most likely has already faced and defied? I believe him. I believe he has sent events in motion and are now beyond his control. Mr. Keys and the others are dead because of what Brennan and Anima conspired to do and the blood-letting will go on longer than we can afford."
"Run, you fucking slut-coward!" Brennan screamed at her. He was now standing, and very scared. "You've never been a part of this family."
"Father, if you give your life for Brennan, I will understand. I would be heartbroken, but understand," Hana picked up her appeal. "If you sacrifice everyone else for him - that I do not understand.
I can't follow you in that course of action - not and be the woman you have raised me to be. You taught me to protect my family and this is not what you are doing. You are throwing the rest of us away for something that is ENTIRELY Brennan's fault," she said.
"Shut up, Bitch!" Brennan howled.
"Father, if you proceed down this road, then we must part ways. You will have my resignation on your desk Monday morning and I will begin the legal proceedings to return your surname - one of my most treasured gifts, Father," she concluded.
"Cow," Brennan hissed.
For some, blood is thicker than water. In this case it was a matter of the child you have versus the child you wished you had. Even the way Hana stood by the fireplace was a close mimicry of the Old Man. At some point early in her development, Jormo had given Hana guidance and direction. She had repaid that with daughterly devotion.
The guy's first marriage had been a disaster - strong hints of an affair then a fatal car wreck. During the second marriage he had formed an emotional anchor with Hana. As the marriage unraveled, they had become mutually supportive. There was nothing sexual. It was something stronger - shared trust. When the second marriage failed, Hana had stayed behind. She got along well with wife number three because that was what made Jormo happy, and that mattered to Hana.
Brennan was the opposite. He took everything for granted and repaid every gift with mockery and hostility. He was 'owed' this lifestyle. He was anointed at birth to be a person of privilege and the lesser folk best beware. Except now, someone was handing his dad the bill for Brennan's misdeeds and Dad was balking.
"Brennan, be off the grounds by noon tomorrow," Jormo painfully dropped each syllable. "Your trust fund is intact. Stay away for a few months. I will let you know when I have made suitable arrangements."
"Dad...what the fuck?" Brennan was confused.
"Your mother, half-sister and I could have been on that flight as well, Brennan," Jormo's eyes drilled into his son. "Stay away from the rest of the family. You can use any family property, but be gone within 24 hours of any of our arrivals."
"Fuck you, Dad! This was a freak accident," Brennan tried to rally.
"Then this will be a lesson for you in building and keeping an itinerary," his father retorted.
"Bullshit. This is Hana's doing, Dad. She wants your money and wants to shut the rest of us out," Brennan kept attacking. Even I could tell that was the wrong move at this juncture.
"Brennan, Hana gets it all. I re-wrote my will after your youngest sister, Karvala, was born," Jormo glared at his boy.
"Hana gets all the assets. The rest get some level of addition to their Trust Funds, but Hana gets the company. This was decided a year ago. Hana and I didn't tell you because we both hoped you would turn your life around. That hasn't happened. Now, you've revealed yourself as a selfish spoiled child, willing to risk your own family in your wrong-doing.
Do you know what the only thing worse than being called a beast in your own home is? It is acting like a beast. A Man treats each guest like family. A beast ignores the cries of those guests for justice. Damn it, Brennan. I saw what you and your carrion-feeders did to that girl," he was starting to redden with rage.
"Dad, who the..."
"Shut up!" Jormo was now trembling and livid. "You violated her trust in the safety of my house, you violated your responsibilities as a host and lastly, you violated my word as host that she'd BE safe here. And you laughed about it, Brennan - you and your friends laughed about it.
If I was more the man I wish I was, I'd throw you off the damn cliff. If I was more of a father, I would have the police here by now to arrest you. I'm not. I'm giving you a chance to run away. You can make your own arrangements, or Hana can make them for you - your choice," he suggested.
"What if I don't run, Pops?" Brennan sneered at his father.
"Then everything comes out Monday morning. I'll be in trouble, you'll be in serious trouble and you will also be a colossal disappointment, guilty as sin, and broke - as I will freeze all your assets," Jormo stated matter-of-factly.
"You'll go down for this," Brennan threatened.
"This time, Brennan, it is a matter of family. I have sons, daughters and a wife to protect. Hana will take care of the corporation while I'm otherwise occupied," Dad said.
"She'll steal everything," Brennan pointed at Hana.
"There is nothing to steal, Son," the old man shook his head.
"It is hers. Unlike all my other offspring, she's earned it. She's learned the company starting at the ground floor, so she knows what she's doing. No one else has shown the slightest interest. Best of all, I know I can rely on Hana to look after the rest of you once I'm gone. She's never been jealous of any of you, though the reverse isn't true.
We are done here," Jormo sighed. "Brennan, you can go. Mr. Nyilas, you too." I left at a crisp pace. I wasn't running away. I was hurrying back to Casper, to comfort her, and to the rest to give them the news. An hour later, we were all on the road.
- COMMENTS
Wargamerabout 1 year agoThe old man finally woke up when he understood he could not bully Cael
5/5 again people had to die including an innocent pilot and GF.
Chopinesqueover 2 years agoOne more thought. James, thank you for the explanatory thought in your comment below as to the place in the story arc of the last chapters. It adds a lot, as do all your comments. People, this is a saga where you should read the comments, and look for James aka Finalstand's thoughts.
Chopinesqueover 2 years agoDark. A strange weekend getaway. From large-scale conflict to a family-level fight. Come on Monday. Still five stars.
Anonymousover 2 years agoIf it's such a problem, why continue? Why bitch and moan for multiple chapters now? Just stop reading. The story's done, why bother complaining about things that cannot be further altered?
2Readerover 2 years agoReally starting to hate you and your damn useless jokes. Tell the story or tell a joke. The whole damn story is a joke
2Readerover 2 years agoThanks Anon, it has become a tedious read. He constantly comes up with some stupid joke only to have to go back and give the truth a moment later. It’s not funny anymore. Every now and then he could just tell the truth or say I can’t tell you.
Anonymousalmost 3 years agoIf you go for the withe knight character, at least make it believable and follow through. These half assed measures the Main Character takes and the considerably boring and repetitive verbal altrecations make this a very straining and tedious read.
wdhill2almost 3 years agoI just have to say that after reading this story line 7 times, this is still the hardest chapter for me to read. I love that this sets up further story lines, but the part that makes me cringe more than anything is Anima and her hard headed attitude toward other people.
For those that haven't been raped, anybody who says it wasn't your fault and is trying to protect you and prepare you for recovery after the fact, is gold.
Male rape exists and I have no problem with her reaction. :P
Anonymousover 3 years agoI have to admit, i enjoy your stories.
However, this chapter has proven to be not only badly written, but also annoying.
To elaborate tediously on a rape victims sudden desire to hug a male is, in my humble opinion, factually wrong and bad story-telling. It simply draws the readers attention to the absolute absurdity of this fiction.
Additionally, after the main actor has made a threat, there is no need for him to elaborate on how cruel and how severely this will impact the enemy. Best just be done with it.
JC_The_Continuerabout 5 years agothe fire place was unlit, then lit
and keyes became keys
just a few small things I spotted. outside of that, so well written
JC
Anonymousabout 6 years agor u planning on writing another awesome one any time soon? hopefully a one male to many fenales type of story?
FinalStandover 6 years agoAuthorI couldn't find the Master to Volume V so I couldn't change it there, but I changed it in the original copy of Chapter 23 and made the notations. Its been fixed to "y-axis" (and to think I was once good at math) and I changed the 2nd problem ... for perhaps a later complication:
**
“We have a masseuse on retainer,” Hana offered. “She’s very good. I can give her a call and have her come over from the spa.”
**
Thanks for pointing that out.
Take care,
James aka FinalStand
toesocks451over 6 years agoI spotted these and thought they might need to be corrected
" "You know, fill up the aerial unit with Helium, create a powerful x-direction buoyancy then let the package accelerate into high orbit." "
I know this is Cael babble but "x-direction buoyancy" makes me wince every time i read it. The x-axis is the horizontal axis on all graphs. The y-axis is the vertical one in 2d and the z-axis is usually vertical in 3 dimensions (some cnc-machines have different naming conventions depending on manufacturer, cnc-language and sub-versions of the language, as well as from which side the cutting tool approaches the material)
" "We have a masseuse," Hana offered. "He's very good. I can give him a call and have him come over from the spa." "
Masseuse is the feminine of masseur and since it is a male masseur it should probably be corrected
FinalStandabout 7 years agoAuthorThank you for all your comments to date.
By Chapter 18 I was referring to the information provided to Cáel about the other Secret Societies and their (basically nefarious) origins. The Protocols are a 'truce', not a 'peace treaty'. That implies another war will eventually come.
Cáel knows the Amazon Host is in trouble genetically and, if he doesn't do something, will begin an inevitable and unstoppable decline. That decline will, in turn, spark another Secret War. The Secret Societies are horrible, fucking folk so atrocities are to be expected.
Cáel knows the Seven Pllars is part and parcel tied to the People's Republic of China. The 7P's are out for world domination and that means the extinction of the Earth & Sky. The E&S knows this and has to have planned some counter to the 7P's awesome power. Cáel knows they have to do 'something' though he can't yet wrap his mind about using WMD's.
The Condos are mercenaries for hire on a global scale. They feed on brush wars and regional instabilities. By default, they make money on massive human misery.
The 9 Clans are in the direct people killing business. It is what they do on six of the seven continents. They are legendary for the people they have exited existence.
The Illuminati have far exceeded the Amazons for their callous disregard for the bulk of Humanity.
While it isn't precisely revealed what the Egyptian Rite do, they have matched ruthlessness with ruthlessness with other Secret Societies both extinct and still in existence. It is somewhat remarkable the ER and Amazons have never fought ~ rather unique in fact. The ER's primary tactics are to outlast a foe through evasion and attrition. That implies violence on their part, they more economically applied.
The reference was to the implication of what Cáel learned, not any direct threat.
Thanks again, toesocks451.
James aka FinalStand
toesocks451about 7 years ago"and he is absolutely, terribly wrong about how bad it will be even though all the clues to how horrific things will become are there (in Chapter 18)."
Where in chapter 18 exactly?
FinalStandover 7 years agoAuthorThough chapters 22 & 23 are a diversion from the main Havenstone story line, I still feel they were important for the elements they introduce and embellish. Not only do we meet Hana, which becomes huge (and I'm doing more with Estere in Chapter 48, I swear) it also harkens back to the theme of Cáel being unprepared for what fate seems to being tossing at him.
For the guy introduced in Chapter 1 to be 'okay' with being the mystically-chosen leader of a bunch of dedicated man-killers and burying his murdered Father didn't work for me. I am in awe with the psychological process which people go through in the various military training programs across the globe. Whatever derivation of the term for Drill Instructor your Service uses, those people have to hammer normal folks into people capable of making life and death decisions in a split seconds because hesitation could equate to lives lost, or needlessly taken.
Also, if you were in a 'class' with Cáel, could you imagine your DI choosing Cáel for anything approaching a leadership position? Sure, he's affable, but he's not the kind of man he screams out as being 'responsible'. At the start, he wasn't. No, Trent and Felix were your 'hard charger' leadership types.
Instead, in a manner of a few weeks, Cáel finds himself plunging the Amazon Host into a Global War in which he knows innocent lives will be lost ~ because it is a WAR. He knows it is going to be bad ... and he is absolutely, terribly wrong about how bad it will be even though all the clues to how horrific things will become are there (in Chapter 18).
Now, tack on the fact of who is working with and holds a leadership position in - the Amazon Host. It is more than a razor-sharp military organization. It is a militant body filled with people casually capable of killing others - which is NOT the norm for the World's militaries. They kill helpless infants and the elderly. They expect their own elderly to commit ritual suicide. Torture and studied cruelty is the norm for the Amazons yet he cares for them. Worse, he feels this occult obligation to them as a People ~ this inescapable lodestone of his fate.
So, lacking any preparation for his leadership role, knowledge of the larger mystic and secret underworld, and the realization his actions have led to his only parent killed, Cáel cracked. I found that choice totally realistic. He ran away. He would have ran away to Brooke's apartment if that was where the ladies were heading. It wasn't where they were planning to go. Instead he ends up going to a place where he is needed instead of a place where he can unwind.
The lesson is Cáel can't run away from being Ishara ... and it isn't a lesson he absorbs this time around. It comes up again ~ because this was not the life he wanted, or was prepared for and while he does rather well, the mental stress he goes through was pretty intense (from my perspective) ... and all in 84 days.
James aka FinalStand
Anonymousover 7 years agoGreat translation.
To Finalstand : I don't see why some folks are taking issue with this chapter. I liked it the first time and I was looking for it this time around. Because, now that I know the results, I was able to really enjoy the phone call to Buffy and Càel's enlightenment of Libra concerning Trent.
