The Demon

Harry White, the protagonist of The Demon, is a man who seems to have everything going for him; he's a loving husband, father and son. He's a trusted employee and he's about to be promoted up another step on the corporate-ladder. Yes, Harry is sure leading a blessed life, at least on the surface. You see, the truth of the matter is that Harry White isn't feeling very good, emotionally and mentally. In the past, his solution to dealing with these feelings was simple: Find a married woman and have sex with her, the danger of being caught by her husband being part of the thrill. However, ever since he got married himself, Harry had decided that he was done with that sort of thing. Unfortunately, the little voice in the back of his head soon becomes impossible to ignore and Harry finds himself reverting back to his old habits, but what happens when mere adultery is not enough to keep Harry's inner demon in check...?

Hubert Selby Jr. was an American author most famous for his debut novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn. The Demon was his third novel and the first one of his that I've read. It took me a few pages before my brain had adjusted itself to Selby's writing style (he replaces apostrophes with the / when he doesn't and never uses quotation marks. Although to be fair, he's not the first author I've read who does away with the latter, Cormac McCarthy is another). Once I'd gotten used to Selby's quirks, though, I found The Demon hard to put down.

One thing that The Demon particularly excels at lies in its portrayal of its main character; Selby has a real knack for getting under the skin and into the mind of his protagonist, allowing the reader to understand and even empathize with Harry, even if they do not approve of his actions. Selby actually reminds me a bit of Dostoevsky in that regard.

The Demon is a compelling, harrowing look into a man's gradual fall into deeper and deeper depravity and the toll it takes on both himself and his loved ones. Its a great read, one that stayed with me long after I finished it and that I will surely re-visit in the future. I will also be sure to check out the rest of Selby's work in the future. If all his books are of similar quality, than he's an author worth getting further acquainted with.

Chapter 6

The chamber currently occupied by Jeraddin and his family was of the type usually reserved for guests whose stay at the palace was not intended to drag out. It was a medium-sized room, primarily dominated by a comfortable-looking bed. Aside from the bed, the room's furniture consisted of a small desk, upon which a few papers, a quill and a bottle of ink stood, a chair and a fireplace, currently unlit. A heavy silence filled the family's temporary quarters and had done so since they first stepped foot inside it. Nasari was the first one to speak up:

"What do you think will happen now, dear?" She asked her husband.

Jeraddin was leaning against the fireplace with his arms crossed. At the sound of his wife's voice, he turned his head in her direction.

"Honestly, I don't know", he said. "The Crown Princess seem to have things under control though."

"Yes, she did take charge of the situation quite quickly, didn't she?"

"Does that bother you, Nasari?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe a little. She didn't exactly come across as a grieving daughter, that's all."

"When you are in a position of leadership, whether you got there on your own, or inherited it, there are often times when you have to bury your own feelings and focus solely on the here and now. Our late king understood that and apparently, so does the princess."

Nasari was not entirely convinced by her life-mate's argument on Argath's behalf, but felt that it would be pointless to continue the discussion, at least at this point. Instead, she turned her attention towards her children, who were both seated on the bed.

"You two have been awfully quiet since even before all this happened", she said with a look of concern on her face. "You do know that if something troubles you you can always took to me or your father about it."

Risha nodded, she was just about to tell her parents the reason for their silence, when her brother piped up:

"We know who did it", Leorin blurted out, unable to contain himself any longer.

At once, both Nasari's and Jeraddin's eyes were focused on their youngest child. Then, Jeraddin looked at his daughter.

"Risha, is this true?" He asked.

"Yes, father."

Without answering, Jeraddin went over to the door. He was just about to open it when Nasari asked him where he was going.

"I'm going to request an audience with the Princess, of course" he answered, with the look of a man who felt that he was stating the obvious. "I'll tell her that my children know the identity of the person who killed her father and brother."

"Don't!" Risha and Leorin cried out in unison.

The two siblings jumped off the bed and rushed to the door, positioning themselves in front of their father.

"What's the matter with you?" Jeraddin asked, baffled and a bit annoyed by this behavior. "Why don't you want me to speak with the..."

He paused as realization dawned on him. The next word to come out of Jeraddin's mouth was a curse-word, which earned him a reproachful look from his better half, as she quickly covered her son's ears.

*****

Princess Argath sat behind the desk in the large, oval-shaped room which her late father had used as his office. Her claws drummed rhythmically on the polished surface of the desk, while frustration was written across her features.

One question repeated itself inside Argath's head: How? How had Keron and Merees manage to escape her trap? Could someone have warned them? Excluding herself, only two more people knew about the plot. One of them was Lorenzo and the Princess immediately erased his name from the list of suspects. The fox had proven himself many times in her service, his loyalty was beyond any doubt. Her second associate on the other hand...

Argath thought back, she remembered how she had given Lorenzo the task to stake out the kitchen in order to find a dissenter among the staff and Lorenzo had found the perfect choice; a person that was both ambitious and resentful towards Bureno. Recruiting this individual to her cause had been all too easy. Or had it? The princess could not help but wonder if she had been too candid with her other associate? Could it be that in the struggle between his greed and his conscience, the latter had prevailed?

Argath's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"Its me, Your Highness", a voice replied from the other side.

"Come in."

The door opened and the Captain of the guard entered. He did not come empty-handed, tucked underneath his left arm was a strongbox.

"My men found this hidden away in Bureno's room", he said, putting the strongbox on the desk. Argath stood up and looked at it, she already knew what it contained.

"Have you opened it?" She asked.

"Yes, your highness. We found a key hidden in a jar, it fit perfectly."

"Let me have a look at the contents."

The Captain opened the box, inside was a leather pouch and a letter. Argath picked up the pouch and weighed it in one hand, it was quite heavy. She undid the string on the pouch and turned it upside down, a cascade of gold coins rained down on the desk.

"Now for the letter", she said.

The letter read as follows:

My friend

I knew that despite our so-called king naming you head of his kitchens, your loyalty would always  remain with me. Please, accept this small sum as a token of my gratitude. 

Signed: Count Veracci

"Veracci", the Captain  said, "that name reminds me of something."

"It should, Count Veracci was a nobleman who secretly moonlighted as the leader of the gang of brigands that terrorized the countryside, robbing travelers and holding them for ransom, that sort of thing. Anyway, he was eventually exposed but being a shrewd fellow, he escaped abroad, before he could be arrested and brought to justice."

"So, was Bureno part of this gang?"

"No, he was simply Veracci's cook. At one point, the count invited the royal family to a dinner at his manor and I remembered that my late father was full of praise for Bureno's cooking, that's why, as soon as Veracci had disappeared, he snatched the, at the time, young chef up and appointed him head of the palace kitchen."

"Forgive me for being so candid, your Highness, but I must say that his majesty's generosity was misplaced."

"Well, you knew my father, he always wanted to see the best in everyone. By the way, where's Bureno now?"

"We dragged him off to the dungeon, kicking and screaming and there he'll remain until the trial. Though it shouldn't take long, not with such crucial evidence against him."

The truth of the matter was that Count Veracci had passed away and that the letter he had written to Bureno was a forgery. News of the Count's death had been on its way to Vinoli, but the carrier-pigeon in charge of delivering the message had never reached its destination and Argath had ensured that there would be no inquiry as to his whereabouts.

For a moment, Argath felt a slight twinge of remorse. After all, Bureno was neither a target for her vengeance, nor was he threat to her claim to the throne. Should I have involved him in my plans? She wondered. No, she decided, swatting this thought away as if it had been the mental equivalent to a pesky fly. Bureno was always grateful to my father and would surely have revealed everything to him. He had to be the scapegoat, its as simple as that.

"Thank you, Captain" she said out-loud. "That will be all."

Having dismissed the Captain, Argath turned her focus to a few documents lying in front of her. However, a slight clearing of a throat caused her to look up again, only to notice that the captain was still present.

"Yes?" She asked, a twinge of annoyance in her tone.

"Forgive me, Your Highness", the Captain apologized. "However, there's something I need to get off my chest."

"Very well, proceed."

"I'd like to tender my resignation, Your Highness. That is all."

"What for?"

"I've failed in my duties, Your Highness", the Captain said stiffly, his voice filled with self-reproach..
"Princess Merees warned me that there would be an attempt on the King's life. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to prevent it."

Upon hearing her sister's name, Argath felt her heart skip a beat.

"Did my sister tell you anything else?" She asked, taking care to have her voice remain as neutral as possible.

The Captain thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Not that I can recall, Your Highness. I'm sorry that I couldn't be of anymore help."

"I see....Thank you, captain."

"About my resignation, Your Highness?"

"I assure you Captain, no-one is blaming you for what happened."

"I blame myself, Your highness. I'm sorry, but my mind is made up."

Argath stifled a sigh. She really didn't feel like dealing with this at the moment.

"Very well, if you've made up your mind, I guess there's nothing I can say to persuade you. Do you have a replacement in mind?"

"I do."

"Good. I'd like to meet with this person when things have settled down. In the meantime, remain on your post and don't tell anyone about your resignation."

The Captain clicked his heels together and saluted smartly, before leaving the room.

As soon as the Captain was gone, Argath turned to Lorenzo who had been standing in one of the corners of the room, silently watching everything which had transpired.

"Bring our droopy-eyed friend here", she commanded. "I wish him to clarify a few things."

"Oh, that won't be necessary", the fox said.

"What do you mean? He must have told Merees, who else could it be?"

A sly grin appeared on Lorenzo's face.

"Well, when I was in the dining hall, I noticed that your sister left the room along with general Jeraddin's daughter. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but now that I think about it, its quite a coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

"Well well", Argath said. "Bring the young lady here, Lorenzo. I think she and I should have a little chat."

The Princess leaned back in the chair, with her hands behind her back. In her eyes, two flames danced ominously.

  

Comics That Should Be Translated: Le Cri du Peuple

Been awhile since I did one of these, hasn't it?
Hello and welcome to a new installment of Comics That Should Be Translated; a recurring topic on this blog in which I write about a comic that I feel deserves to be available to an English-speaking audience. Today's comic is Le Cri du Peuple (The People's Cry), by Jacques Tardi, based on the novel by Jean Vautrin. Tardi and Vautrin are both friends and the two have collaborated closely on this adaptation. As was the case with Ibicus, I am not familiar with the original novel, but if Vautrin's enthusiastic foreword is any indication, the comic is to be regarded as the more or less, definitive version of this story.

Le Cri du Peuple was originally published in French between 2001 and 2004. Recently, a translation was available over here in Sweden thanks to Placebo Press, who published the first two parts in one volume, with the conclusion to be released in the fall. Its this edition that I've read.

Le Cri du Peuple takes place in 1871, during the few tumultuous months in which the people of Paris, tired of the social injustices of the day and led by a small group of young anarchists and socialists, managed to seize power and drive the French government into a temporary exile. Using these bloody events a a backdrop, Vautrin adds the mystery surrounding the identity of a young woman whose corpse was found in the river Seine, holding a glass-eye, as well as the story of two men whose pasts are about to catch up with them. One of these men is Tarpagnan, a former officer in the French army, who has switched over to the people's side. Tarpagnan is head-over-heels in love with the beautiful Gabriela Pucci, who is also the unhappy mistress of a local gangster. The other man is the mysterious Horace Grondin, a police-spy, who is obsessed with tracking down Tarpagnan, since he believes that the latter was behind the murder of his beloved step-daughter many years earlier. A crime which Grondin himself was punished for, by being sent to the penal colony of Devil's Island.

Jean Vautrin has written a highly engaging drama, which reminded me in more ways than one of the sort of tales spun by 19th century authors like Hugo and Dickens. Real events, such as the toppling of the statue of Napoleon I and historical figures, like the journalist Jules Vallés, mix and mingle with fictional characters, from all parts of society. Overall, the cast is very good, containing many colorful and memorable characters, with the ruthless and obsessed Grondin being a particular favorite.
There were times when I found the dialogue to be a bit stiff, not sure if that's the fault of the Swedish translation or not. That's a minor nitpick though.

Tardi, of course, is one of the greatest living comic creators and his art here is of the high standard that one has come to expect from him over the years. After finishing the book, I found myself returning to particular panels, so that I could admire them further.

All in all, Le Cri du Peuple is a splendid read and I'm looking forward to get my hands to the conclusion. Hopefully, the second half will be as good as the first.

Beauty by Hubert and Kerascoët

I was introduced to the work of French illustrator Kerascoët (actually a pseudonym for married couple, Marie Pommepuy and Sébastien Cosset) via the comic Beautiful Darkness, written by Fabien Vehlmann. Beautiful Darkness was a comic that more than lived up to its title; a fairy-tale whose dark contents were depicted in lovely watercolors. Beauty, written by Hubert is very much in the same vein, although the greater length (three volumes in the original French, collected into a single one for the English edition) allows for considerably more room for fleshing out the cast of characters, as well as even more death and depravity.

Beauty is not the first title Kerascoët and Hubert have collaborated on. Previously, they created Miss Don't Touch Me, a comic which I've yet to read, but have heard nothing but good things about.

Beauty focuses on Coddie, a young girl whose life changes forever when she accidentally releases a fairy from a spell. Having previously been regarded as something of a pariah in her village, due to being unattractive and smelling of fish, she's now perceived as enchantingly beautiful, with every man in the village falling for her. Unfortunately, the men's lusts and the jealousy of the women, forces Coddie to flee the village. She's rescued by the local lord and becomes his mistress. For awhile, everything seems fine, but Coddie soon finds herself dissatisfied with her new lot in life and, influenced by the fairy Mab, begins to about an even brighter future. Meanwhile, the king's sister Claudine is worried about the influence her brother's new wife has on him and on the Kingdom. Having learned of Coddie's beauty, she sets a plan in motion to make her the new queen...

With Beauty, Hubert has crafted a very engaging saga, populated by a cast of memorable characters; from the brutish Northern king, to the cunning Claudine and others, they all manage to engage and propel the story forward. In the beginning of this post, I mentioned that the characters of Beauty are more fleshed out than those in Beautiful Darkness and this is true. While there are a few characters that remain the same true out, others grow and develop as the story progresses. Being the protagonist, Coddie is unsurprisingly, the one that gets the most character development and not all of that is of the positive kind. While initially presented as a sympathetic character due to her being ostracized, later events reveal more of Coddie's flaws, which may lessen the reader's sympathy for her somewhat, but serves to make her a more well-rounded character.
All the events of the story, good and bad, are lovingly depicted by Keracoët's highly appealing artwork.

One thing I found a bit odd is the fact that Coddie's beauty only seem to affect men. I'm guessing that there are no lesbians or bisexual women to be found in Beauty's world? There is a minor male character that turns out to be gay though.
Still, that's a minor quibble and doesn't really change the quality of this comic. If you're not familiar with either Hubert or Kerascoët, than Beauty is an excellent introduction.

Gormenghast

Among the many great worlds that have sprung forth from an author's imagination, one of the most memorable for me has to be Gormenghast, the vast, labyrinthine castle which for untold generations has served as the seat of the House of Groan. The architect of this castle was the British author Mervyn Peake, who used it as the primary setting for his Gormenghast series, consisting of three books and a novella (which I must admit, I haven't read), originally published between 1946 and 1959. Out of the novels, the first two; Titus Groan and Gormenghast are by far the best ones and so, they're the ones I've chosen to focus on in this post. The third book, Titus Alone, which takes place in the world outside the castle, is not bad, but is not quite on the same level as its magnificent predecessors.

Titus Groan begins with the birth of its eponymous character, Titus, who is one day to succeed his father's place as the earl of Gormenghast. Despite the fact that the book carries his name, Titus himself is really more of a plot-device than a character, owing to the fact that he remains an infant throughout it all. Instead, Peake turns the reader's attention to the other inhabitants of the castle, introducing us to one of the greatest ensemble casts in all literature. There are the other members of the House of Groan: Sepulchrave, the seventy-sixth earl, a melancholy man who finds happiness only among his books. His wife, countess Gertrude, who seem to care only for the birds and cats she keeps as pets. Their first-born child, Fuchsia, the romantic and dreamer (incidentally, I can't help but wonder if George R.R. Martin had Fuchsia in mind when he came up with Sansa Stark?). Other characters include the twins Clarice and Cora, who resents their brother Sepulchrave and dreams of seizing power themselves, but lack the capability to do so. Flay, the loyal servant and Swelter, the monstrous chef, who both harbor an intense hatred for one another. Dr. Prunesquallor, who serves as a sort of father figure to Fuchsia (the relationship between these two characters is my favorite in the books) and whose eccentric mannerisms, hide a sharp mind. Oh, and then there's Steerpike, the young man who worms himself into the twins' confidence, promising to raise them to glory, while in reality, he sees them only as stepping stones on his own path to supreme power.

With its strange, sometimes dreamlike atmosphere and vividly drawn characters, Titus Groan makes for an utterly compelling journey into a fascinating setting.

The second book, titled simply Gormenghast, begins seven years after the end of Titus Groan, with Titus himself now a character in his own right. During the course of ten years, we follow Titus as he grows from a schoolboy to a young man, his education courtesy of some of the least competent teachers in all of fiction. Meanwhile, a creature haunts the castle, terrifying its inhabitants and Steerpike continues his climb to the top, no matter what the cost to himself or others.
In Gormenghast, Peake takes everything that was good about the first book and improves upon it, creating a true masterpiece that stands as one of the greatest novels I've ever read. All the characters from Titus Groan (excluding those who died during the course of that novel) are back and are as memorable as ever. Peake serves the reader both moments of comedy, worthy of Wodehouse (or maybe Pratchett would be a more apt comparison, given the genre), as well as scenes of the most intense drama, making Gormenghast one of those books in which one is never quite sure what to expect next.

Gormenghast ends with Titus breaking with his birthright and the despised castle traditions (seeing as how the title of the next novel is Titus Alone, this reveal can hardly be considered a spoiler) and venturing out into the World. Here, the story could very well have ended and personally, I would've been fine with that. However, Peake had more stories featuring his hero in mind. Unfortunately, he was only able to write one more of them, before passing away at the age of 57. That said, the Gormenghast books ensure that his name will always have a place among the great authors.

The Gormenghast books may not be for everyone (than again, what is?), a certain patience being required from the reader. However, I strongly urge anyone who hasn't done so yet, to enter the enormous castle of Peake's imagination and walk through its cobweb-infested hallways. And, if you've already done that? Well, some places are worth re-visiting.

Chapter 5

The Doctor's words had been scarcely more audible than a whisper and yet, they seemed to echo throughout the dining hall. Everyone stared in shock and disbelief at the bodies lying in front of them, knowing that an era, the only one they had ever known, had come to a quick and terrible end.

Risha turned her eyes away from the ghastly sight and looked instead at Merees. The Princess' face had turned a pale hue and she was shaking, her claws digging into her forearms. From the corner of her eyes, tears streamed down her cheeks.

The Lynx-girl began to cry as well. Not for the King, whom she had barely known, but out of empathy for her friend.

"How did this happen?" Risha heard her mother ask of their father.

"I don't know", came Jeraddin's answer as he sadly shook his head.

I do, she thought and glanced at the cake, which stood there, abandoned. What I don't understand is how.

She was not the only one looking at Bureno's masterpiece, Leorin was also staring at it, eyes wide-open as did Keron, who studied the cake with an inquisitive look in his eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening could be heard in the distance. It was followed by a voice, which caused Merees, who had thrown herself at the floor, weeping over her father's body, to look up.

"What's happening here?" The voice asked.

"Its the Crown Princess" someone said.

"Its terrible Your Highness", another voice said. "Look for yourself."

The Guests stepped out of the way, allowing Argath a view of the remains of her father and brother. 

"Who", she asked, after a moment of silence, the righteous anger in her voice, causing a few of the guests to involuntarily shudder. "Is responsible for this horrible, horrible crime?"

You are, Your Highness, Risha thought bitterly and bit her tongue, to prevent herself from uttering these damning words.

Behind a veil of tears, Merees stared at her sister with a look of unbridled hatred. Yet, she too, kept silent.

"It must have been the cake, dear sister" said Keron in a dry voice. "I see no other explanation."

"How is that possible, your Highness?" Jeraddin asked. "Many of the guests ate of the cake and none of them have died."

"Yes, that is strange", Keron agreed, nodding his head.

Argath turned towards her half-brother.

"You don't seem very upset over the death of our sire, nor that of our sibling, oldest brother" she  remarked.

Keron shrugged.

"Everyone shows their grief in different ways", he said. "You should know by now that open displays of emotion has never been my thing. Besides, I doubt that many here are weeping over the fate of poor Thekros."

"You are probably right on that account", the Princess muttered and then turned her attention to the kitchen staff, which stood huddled in a corner.

"Arrest them", she ordered the guards.

"Wait!" One member of the kitchen-staff, a meerkat with a droopy eye, called out.
"What is it?" Argath demanded to know.

The meerkat threw himself at her feet.

"Your Highness", he began. "Me and my colleagues are innocent of any wrongdoings. Master Bureno gave strict orders that we were only supposed to fetch some of the ingredients, not assist him in the actual creation of the cake."

"Is this true?" Argath asked Bureno.

The head of the kitchen sweating profusely, with an unsteady hand, he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"Its true, your highness", he admitted, "but I swear that I would never harm His Majesty, or any member of the Royal Family. I have no idea how this happened."

"Well, since you're so sure of your innocence, you won't mind if the guards search your quarters. Just to be on the safe side."

"Of course not", Bureno answered, he was feeling a bit calmer now. After all, these accusations against him were ridiculous. A search of his quarters, would prove that beyond the shadow of doubt.

"Good", Argath said and nodded to the captain of the guard. The Captain saluted her and ordered two of his men to come with him. The the three of them marched out of the dining hall, with Bureno in tow.

Argath then ordered the bodies to be put on ice somewhere. Once that was done, she turned to the assembled guests:

"This", she began in a hoarse voice, raising her arms dramatically. "Is truly a day which will live in infamy. Not only have my siblings and I lost both our father and our brother, but worse, our nation has lost its ruler." 

She paused, to wipe away something in the corner of her eye. 

"However", she continued, "I promise you that the ones responsible for this heinous crime will not get away with their foul deed. They may think themselves safe, but mark my words, the eyes of justice are upon them. There is no place where they will be able to hide!"

Argath's speech was met with a resounding cheer from the crowd, as well as cries of "we're with you, Your Highness!" "Death to all traitors!" and other utterances in the same vein.

 Standing next to her husband, Nasari watched all this with a sinking feeling in her stomach. The crowd's anger and sorrow were understandable. After all, the loss that their nation had suffered was a severe one. Still, the sheer hatred which seemed to fill the room, a hatred whose flames were being fanned by the late Monarch's daughter, made the female cat feel ill at ease and she couldn't wonder what manner of future Vinoli and its citizens would face. Somehow, she doubted that it would be a bright one.

*****

Later, having retired to his quarters, Keron sat in his study, pondering the events of the evening. After her speech, Argath had thanked the guests, telling them that their support  was appreciated. However, she had also given orders that no-one was to leave the palace grounds, until more light was shed on this affair. Some of the guests, insulted that their fealty would be questioned, had raised their voices in protest, but the protests had been half-hearted. Others were still in chock, or co-operated, being secure in their innocence. The guests were currently housed in one of the palace's wings and to ensure that no-one would try to leave, guards had been posted in the corridors as well as the garden. As he went over all of this in his head, Keron became more and more certain that the whole thing was awfully suspicious.

There was no doubt in the prince's mind that Bureno's cake was what had killed his father and half-brother. So far, so good.  What puzzled him was the fact that others had eaten of the cake as well, including general Jeraddin, his wife and the Barsovian ambassador and none of them had perished. The only explanation would be a poison that only affected dragons, though Keron could not recall having heard of such a thing.
His thoughts were interrupted by the approach of his servant, Kashmir.

"What is it?" Keron asked.

"Beg pardon, Your Highness", the ram answered, "but Princess Merees wishes to speak to you."

"Oh?" Keron said. "Show her in, then you may retire for the night. You look as if you could use some rest."

Kashmir went out and a moment returned, with Merees following behind him. Keron looked at his sister, her face was pale and her eyes red.

She's been crying, Keron thought. Not that I blame her. She's the youngest and must have taken this harder than any of us.

"What can I do for you, sister?" He asked and motioned to an armchair, reserved for any guests.
Merees did not answer immediately. Instead she took out a handkerchief, turned around and blew her nose audibly. She then turned around and looked at her brother.

"I really need to speak to you, Keron" she said. "It has to do with.." she paused and swallowed.
"...Our father's death."

"Oh?" Keron leaned forward, gripping the armrests of his chair. "Do you know something?"

Merees nodded, her face was grave.

"Yes", she said. "I know who killed him."

Among King Sharan's children, Keron was the one who tended to be the most stoic and levelheaded. As such he listened intently to his sister's narrative of the events and the only sign that could be used to gauge his reaction to these news, was that his right eye twitched slightly.

"That's all of it, brother", Merees said when she was finished. "I know it sounds fantastic, but its the truth."

Keron made a roof with his fingers and looked at his sister.

"You know, Merees", he began. "If I were more cynical person, I'd perhaps think that you were the behind this regicide and that by telling me, you'd hope to avoid being suspected.

Fortunately", he continued, before Merees could begin to protest. "I said 'if I were a more cynical person'. I've known you since you were born, I saw the tears you shed at the dining hall and if those tears weren't real, than you're a much greater actor than I've ever given you credit for."

"So, you believe me?"

"I do. Still, it doesn't change the fact that your story, as you yourself said, sounds fantastic. Why would Argath want to kill any of us? Well, Thekros, I can understand, from a certain point of view: The two of them never saw eye to eye and Thekros always envied our sister's place as our father's favorite and would have done anything to see her fall. But father? He had already made Argath his successor. All she had to do was wait and eventually the throne would be hers. Why would she kill him?"

"Perhaps she grew impatient? Or perhaps, she didn't do it for the throne?"

Keron stared at his sister.

"Of course" he said. "How come I didn't think of him immediately?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"A person from the distant past. A member of our family who died, long before you were born. His name was Argeron. He was Argath's brother. Observe that I said brother, not half-brother, as I am to you."

If she had suddenly been struck by lightning, Merees could not have looked more stunned. For a moment, all she could do was stare at Keron, while being shamelessly aware that her jaw had somehow ended up in her lap.

"You...you mean they had the same mother?" She asked, once she had regained her composure.

"Exactly."

Merees' mind was spinning. She was aware of her kind's ancient story, that back in the early days of the World's history, the ancient dragons, noticing that their numbers were dwindling, had used magic to alter themselves, so that they could mate with the other races. The dragons currently inhabiting the World, including Vinoli's royal family, were all descended from these hybrids.

The magic the ancient dragons had used, magic which was imprinted in the very genes of their descendants, made sure that the fetus would invariably turn out to be a dragon, regardless of what species the other parent belonged to. Said spell had also been powerful enough to make sure that members of all sentient species could reproduce with one another.

However, it was exceedingly rare for a dragon, male or female, to have more than one child with the same spouse. Though no-one had been able to discern the reason for this, multiple theories abound, one being that an unfortunate side-effect of the magic rendered the mother incapable of carrying more children. The only other example of a pair of dragon siblings having both the same mother and father, happened long before any of the ones we've met in this tale, had even been born.

"Shall I go on?" Keron asked.

Merees nodded, still trying to take this in.

"Please do", she said.

"Very well, in order for you to fully understand this story we must start with the beginning, with the arrival of Sawari."

"Sawari? Who is that?"

"A young woman, a gazelle who came to Vinoli from a distant land. She gained an audience with the King and immediately charmed him, as well as the rest of us, with her beauty and her warm personality. Eventually, the two of them were married with great celebration and a year afterwards, the new Queen gave birth to a son, who was given the name Argeron.

Years went by and as the new Prince grew up, it soon became obvious to everyone that he had inherited the best qualities of both his parents, it therefore did not come as a surprise, when an announcement was made that he would inherit the throne one day."

"I see, so what happened?"

"I'll get to that in a moment. First, I should mention that Sawari did not age like other members of her race, leading some to suspect that she was either a sorceress who had found a way to slow down her aging process by magic, or was not a gazelle at all, but had merely assumed the guise of one. Anyway, when her son had reached his eightieth birthday, she got pregnant with her second child. Unfortunately, she must not have been a strong as she seemed, there were complications during the birth and though the child was saved, the mother was not. I was not present at the time, but I was told that Sawari whispered the name of her daughter, before she passed away."

"Argath" Merees said, in a small voice.

"Precisely. Anyway, following the death of his favorite wife, our father fell into a heavy depression and for some time, he could barely look at his new daughter. As such, Argeron took it upon himself to serve as his sister's protector and guardian. This lead to a deep bond developing between the two siblings over the years. However, soon an ugly rumor began to surface: A rumor that the relationship between them was too close."

"Sibling revelry?" Merees said, staring incredulously at Keron. "But Argath..."

"Does not like men" her brother finished. "None of us knew that at the time though. I don't think Argath herself knew and besides, if there ever was a man who would be the exception to her rule, Argeron would probably be it; she practically worshiped the ground he walked on. In any case, it didn't take long for the rumors to reach the King."

"What did our father do?" Merees asked. "He didn't..." She gasped, putting one hand over her mouth.

"No. Normally, such a relationship would be punished, especially if one half of it happened to be a minor, as Argath, by our measurements, was at the time. However, since there were no concrete proof, father decided that the siblings should spend some time apart, until the rumors either died down or the truth of the matter revealed itself. Thus, Argeron was sent on a diplomatic voyage to the lands on the other side of the Great Ocean. Sadly, he never arrived at his destination, his ship was attacked..."

"By pirates?"

"Worse, by a kraken; a member of an ancient race of monsters who sleeps at the deepest parts of the ocean floor and rarely awakens. By a miracle, one member of the crew was able to survive the massacre, he was picked up by a merchant-ship and taken back to Vinoli, where he told us about what happened. I remember that when she heard of her brother's death, Argath was inconsolable. She locked herself in her quarters and didn't come out until the funeral."

"The rumor, who spread it?"

"We never found out. Though personally, I suspect Thekros had something to do with it. He was always jealous of his younger half-brother's popularity and the fact that Argeron had been chosen to inherit the crown, instead of him."

"During the funeral, did Argath act in a way that seemed, well, strange to you?"

"Come to think of it, she acted very composed and dignified during the ceremony. All of us excepted her to be overcome with grief; tearing her clothes and throwing herself on the ground,but no such thing happened. I suppose she did all that during her isolation. I do remember her telling our father that she did not blame him for what had happened."

"Except she clearly did."

"Yes, to her, we were all responsible for her brother's death; Thekros for likely having spread the rumor, the king for sending Argenon away and myself, for not speaking up in his defense. As for you..."

"I had to die too, just in case."

As she sat there, a terrible thought began to grow in Merees' mind. She remembered the times when Argath had shown her kindness. Had those moments, which she up until now had cherished, merely been a way for her half-sister to ease her guilt over what was to come?

At that point, Merees felt that if Argath had been present in the room, she would have killed her, even if it would have meant the loss of her own life. Never before had the princess felt such hatred against another living being and it was not just Argath's murder of her father, which had given birth to this feeling. No, it was Argath's betrayal of her, the fact that all the smiles and kind words had been nothing but lies. Merees dug her claws into her palms, until blood trickled out, as she breathed, smoke emitted from her nostrils. Keron watched his sister and after a moment of hesitation, reached out and grabbed her hand.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

Merees did not answer immediately. Instead, she shut her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"To be honest; not well, not well at all."

"I understand. Let me ask you a question, what do you plan to do now?"

The princess opened her eyes and stared at the palm of her hands.

"What can I do? I had hoped to thwart Argath before her plan could be carried out, but you saw how well that went."

"What about killing her? Surely, the thought must have crossed your mind.

"I did tell Risha that I would do that, if necessary, but now, I'm not sure if I could go through with it. Until today, I had never seen someone die before, I don't think I want to be responsible for that happening again, even if the person deserves it. Does that make me weak, Keron?"

Keron shook his head.

"On the contrary, I'd say it does you a credit. However, there's another reason for why killing Argath is not an action I'd recommend at this point."

Merees thought for a moment and than, it hit her.

"People would think I was behind the other deaths as well, wouldn't they?"

"Precisely and could you blame them? First, the King and the younger of his remaining sons die, with a trusted servant being implicated in the murder. Soon after, the king's favored child and presumed heir meets the same fate. Who's left? A sickly cripple with no designs on the throne and a younger daughter, one who perhaps felt overshadowed by her sister, to the point that her jealousy would lead her to commit murder? I'm afraid that no matter what, you'd be branded a regicide and kin slayer, with the people rising up against you."

"So, then, what are my options? Should I just run away?"

"Exactly. Flee to some place far from Vinoli, forge alliances with the people who live there and bide your time."

Merees nodded to herself. What her brother said made sense and then, something occurred to her.

"Aren't you coming with me, Keron?"

"I'm sorry, but no, I'm not."

"I don't understand. Why not? After all, your life is in danger too."

"That's true, but you see, it doesn't matter..."

"How can it not matter?" Merees asked, shaking her head in bafflement. "Its your life, how can you talk about it carelessly?"

Keron sighed.

"I'm afraid it doesn't matter, because..." He paused, searching for the right words, words which would make the news easier to swallow, but for once, all of Keron's learning failed him. He let out an exasperated sigh and lowered his head.

"...Because I'm dying", he finished the sentence.

For the third time that day, Merees felt as if someone had punched her in the gut, repeatedly, while wearing brass knuckles. Once again, the tears were welling up and she found herself powerless to prevent their flow. She bent down her head so that her brother wouldn't see her cry.

"When", she asked, her voice thick. "Were you going to tell us?"
Keron did not answer, choosing instead to focus his eyes on the spines of the books in a nearby bookcase. However, his silence said more to Merees than words ever could.

"You bastard", she said, spitting out the words through gritted teeth. "You..."
 Overcome by her emotions, the younger dragon stood up, looking for something to break, but couldn't find anything. Instead, she let out a loud roar and then collapsed on her knees in front of Keron, grabbing his collar and staining his shirt with her tears.

"Forgive me, sister", Keron said, "but I have never been very good at saying goodbye."
Merees' mumbled something, which made Keron's ear perk up.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Merees raised her head and looked at her brother.

"What", she asked quietly, "is killing you?"

"I won't bore you with the details. Rest assured though, its nothing contagious. My body has simply decided to give up, that is all."

"How can you talk about your own death so calmly?" Merees asked. "Aren't you afraid?"

"Well, when I first learned that my time was almost up, I sank into the blackest despair. Soon, the despair was replaced with rage; I cursed my frail body, which had put me in this situation. After that came the denial part of the process. 'No', I said to myself, 'I won't die, not like this', but even as I repeated these words to myself, I realized deep down, that they were nothing but lies. Then, I had an epiphany: I realized that I came from a race that's incredibly long lived. My own father had celebrated his three-hundredth birthday and unless something unforeseen occurred, would most likely live another two centuries, maybe more. I myself, have lived well past my two-hundredth birthday, which is far more than any of our subjects get. Furthermore, my life, up until now, has not been wasted; have I not written several books, all of which will survive long after I'm gone? Finally, I would die in my own home in relative comfort, not on a blood-stained battlefield, or in the darkness of the ocean, like my poor brother. When I took all of those things in account, I realized that I didn't have much to complain about."

Merees was about to answer her brother, when Kashmir appeared in the door.

"What is it?" Keron asked. "I thought you had gone to bed?"

"I heard a scream, Your Highness", the servant replied. "Is everything well?"

"Yes, thank you. However, since you are up, would you be so kind as to fetch the package that sits in the nightstand?"
"At once, your highness."

"What's in the package?" Merees asked when Kashmir had left.

"Its your birthday present, I would've given it to you at the day in question, but under these circumstances..."

"Oh."

Merees suddenly remembered that her birthday was a mere three weeks away. She remembered how she had planned out the whole thing, who she should invite and what theme the party should have, etc. How pointless all of that seemed right now.

At that moment, Kashmir returned, carrying a small package tied with a green ribbon. After having handed it to Keron, he excused himself and went back to bed.

"Happy birthday", Keron said, giving the package to his sister.

"Thank you."

Merees looked at the package and a lump formed in her throat. This is the last birthday present I'm going to get from my brother, she thought, or any member of my own family for that matter. And, I'm never again going to give anything to them either. Those happy days are gone, forever.

"Well?" Keron asked. "Are you not going to open it?"

"Of course, just give me a moment."

With unsteady hands, Merees' untied the ribbon and unwrapped the package to get to its content. Despite all her sorrows, she could not help but let out a gasp of delight as she laid eyes upon her gift: A necklace with a blue gemstone, shaped like a raindrop.


"Keron, its beautiful, thank you." Then, Merees realized something. "I'm sorry", she said. "I don't have anything to give you."

"Don't be ridiculous, my birthday's already come and gone, or did you forget that? Now, why don't you put the necklace on? I'd like to see you wear it at least once."

Merees stood up and put the necklace around her neck.

"It looks fantastic on you", Keron said, leaning forward in his wheelchair and craning his head, to get a better look. "Now, much as it pains me to say this, I don't think its wise for you to stay here any longer. In other words, the time has come for us to bid each other farewell."

The Princess had no wish to say goodbye, yet she knew that Keron was right. She knelt down in front of her half-brother and the two of them embraced each other.

"Farewell, little sister", Keron said. "When I meet our father and brother, is there anything you wish me to tell them?"


"Tell our father that I loved him", Merees answered as she clutched the gemstone. "Tell him and Thekros who their murderer was and that I shall find a way to bring her to justice, no matter how long it takes."

Keron nodded.

"I shall when I see them again, you have my word."

Merees took one last look at the only family member she had left (well, the only one she cared to acknowledge) and left Keron's quarters. She was not going to leave the palace alone, though; there were two persons who had to come with her.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

If there's one thing I've gotten quite bad at as I've grown older, its finishing the games I've bought. I'm not sure why that is, though no doubt laziness has something to do with it. However, proving that miracles occur from time to time, I did recently finish a game and that game (as you can tell by the title of this post) was Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (which I will refer to as simply Ghost Trick from now on) is an adventure game created by Shu Takumi of Capcom, which was initially released on the Nintendo DS in 2010 and then ported to the IOS. Its the later version of the game which I've played.

Ghost Trick opens up in a junkyard, where a man has just been killed. You, the player, is the ghost of said man. As a ghost, you suffer from that most common affliction among video-game protagonists: Amnesia. Fortunately,you soon meet up with another ghost, Ray, who informs you that  in your current state, you possess a variety of new abilities, such as; being able to possess objects, travel through phone-lines and finally, turn back time to four minutes before a person's death. Using these abilities, you save the life of Lynn, a young detective who was present at the junkyard and so, the two of you team up to solve the mystery regarding your identity. The first thing you learn is your name: Sissel. Better hurry up though, because you only have until dawn to find out the truth about yourself.

As one would except from a game by the creator of the Phoenix Wright series, Ghost Trick is filled with colorful, memorable characters, ranging from the instantly likable Missile (who is the best dog in all of gaming) to the flamboyant and suspicious inspector Cabanela and many others. Of course, like any mystery-story worthy of the genre, few of these characters are who they truly appear to be, including Sissel himself. Story-wise, Ghost Trick is also very good, with a plot that takes many twists and turns and never failed to keep me engaged, wondering which new development would wait around the corner.

When it comes to the actual game-play, Ghost Trick uses the iPad's touch controls excellently. When I played the Ubisoft WWI game, Valiant Hearts on my iPad, I sometimes got annoyed with how the game controlled, but this was not an issue here. Puzzles vary in difficulty, though I wouldn't call any of them really hard. The only time I found myself getting frustrated with the game was during the ninth chapter, in which you have to help a prisoner escape from death-row. This part of the game was quite tedious and I soon resorted to a walkthrough, in order to get past it as quickly as possible.

All in all, I highly recommend Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective to anyone who wants a great adventure game. In my opinion, it stands as one of the best representatives of its genre.