The Sapphire Pass: All-Father

Forecast

James couldn't keep the images of the bruised and broken bodies from his mind. They looked just like Ophelia did when he found her in that abandoned apartment complex with the wild dogs. Especially the women. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her among the bodies of the dead. Her blonde hair white from the dust, and her golden eyes staring into the abyss of eternal nothing.

He remained in a drunken stupor for far too long and when he finally emerged from his study his once immaculate appearance was a wholly disturbing mass of grease and grime. His hair was matted and the over grown stubble of his beard and mustache made it look as if someone had thrown a dirt pie at him and met it's target: his face.

He studied his red-rimmed and watery eyes for any semblance of the life that used to reside in them. His soul was broken down and shredded. Under his rule how could he allow this to happen? Not to mention Indira and his child... he couldn't have that.

He made a mental check list. The first thing he would do was shower and shave. Then he would take care of any work he needed to finish up. When he finished that, he would move on to looking through the book he found, maybe it would give him some insights into how he could do things differently and make the future better.

In the mirror after his shower, James studied his once again smooth face. His head pounded like drums in his ears and his eyes hadn't lost their blood-shot quality yet.

He flew through his work once again, staying awake longer than he needed to, to catch up on work that went unchecked in his absence, and the time he would need to properly divert all his attention to the book he'd found. He couldn't put his finger on why he felt so drawn to it, except that it looked not only old, but well loved and taken care of.

When he finally got home he fell into bed in his old room. He couldn't take sleeping in the room he'd made up for him and Ophelia, without her in it.

When he finally woke, he padded to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water, not bothering to bathe or change his clothes because his first priority was going over this book in detail.

In elegantly written cursive on the first that said: This book belongs to:__________. There was no name given.

He turned the page and a folded piece of paper fell out that had somehow survived unsecured through all the chaos it went through to end up here. There were holes in the paper where it had been unfolded and refolded many times.

"To James," it read in perfect Jelu script. "I have no use for this as every moment with you is more important than words could ever express. Please use it well so that one day your sons and daughter may read it and experience the world through your eyes and come to enjoy the world as I have through you.

-Ophelia Toweh, W-3:SS1:8"

June 8? What was the significance of that date?

In large letters underneath Ophelia's signature were three others. In black clumsy cursive, written in Ophelia's language was the name: Nathan. Under that in shaky print was the name: Raisa. Finally, in the worst handwriting of all was a name he could barely make out: Tarin.

He wasn't sure who these other people were , but he hoped he would find out.

He put the note to the side and looked over the first page. There were about a half-dozen entries written in Ophelia's handwriting and dated around now. She could be writing them at this very second as he was reading them, that was a strange notion.

The next page that had the same date as the one on the note, and was in his handwriting.

W-3:SS1:8

My lovely wife has given me this journal so that I can record the world as I have shown it to her, and record the important events in my life starting on this day. Her thoughtfulness knows no bounds. To my children, Nathan, Raisa and Tarin, who may or may not be reading this, know that your mother and I, love you more than life itself.

W-3:SS1:10

We went to over-see the building site for the new city. Ophelia's designs are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Her artistic and architectural talent has really blossomed in the past 10 years. Nathan wants to follow in her footsteps, he idolizes his mother almost as much as I do. I was contacted by An'gole today, he's still angry with Indira's disappearance and demands that we betroth Raisa to one of his sons. Ophelia is against it and I'd have to agree, as I've seen his sons. I would never give them so pure an angel as she. She looks just like her mother and deserves so much more than anyone could ever hope to give her.

TArIN

TaRIN

ta ARIN oo

CAt TaRIN tarin nO

W-3:SS1:15

Tarin is getting better at writing, we had to have a chat today about appropriate places to practice. I think he may become a writer someday. Ophelia hopes so as her hunger for new literature grows by the hour. I told her she would never be able to go through every book ever written in three lifetimes but she still tries. I think I will leave the children with Venya tomorrow night and go with Ophelia to the fountain before they move it to the new city. It hasn't been the same since the city finally fell, but I think it's a meaningful place for her still. She deserves that chance to relax. Maybe I'll take her for a picnic there.

-

James read his own inner thoughts for hours, becoming invested in the people he was reading about. People and events he could one day come to know. As he read further he came across something that made the future he'd seen make complete sense, though, at first it was hard to piece together.

The children in his book, his children were gone, Ophelia was gone. He read through his grief in the book before he was able to comprehend what actually happened. Indira and the rebel leader, Iago, were captured for their murder.

He clamped a hand over his mouth as he read further. When he found the five of them, Iago was holding a knife and cradling Ophelia lifeless body as silent tears dripped down his face. No doubt guilt from taking the lives of three helpless children. Indira had immediately prostrated herself, screaming that he grant her asylum.

In the ensuing months, Iago became increasingly distraught as he was endlessly interrogated. The reports said that he denied all responsibility and that he found them on the ground already gone and Indira was responsible. She claimed that she came upon him, as he attacked Ophelia and the children. She tried to stop him, to stop the rebel attack but she was too weak.

As Iago remained imprisoned, the rebels became increasingly bold. They attacked anything they could, whenever they could to free their leader. Indira helped him track down the base, they took a team and several vehicles. Capturing as many as they could while dispatching their guards and security patrols. It took three days to empty the underground city.

Then he made Iago watch as he shackled the remaining guards of the illicit city to the floor in the middle of the bazaar. He grabbed Iago's hand forcing him to press the button that condemned the people he knew to death, filming them as they were buried alive underneath the city, and forcing him to listen to their dying screams for days on end.

James eventually went down to the damp, dark fortified bunker where he was held to question his personally and was greeted by a shell of a man. He tried to attack James when he saw him, but his chains were more than enough to keep him successfully restrained despite his enhanced condition.

He would stop by to see Indira along his way and every time she was apologetic for what the rebels had done and maintained her distance. Over time he gave into his loneliness and as he learned of her past relations, used her, to hammer more nails into Iago's exquisitely designed chamber of suffering for the rest of his unnaturally long life.