Magnifico

I can't find it

Tom stopped, and the prime minister approached him. They shook hands and exchanged greetings.

“Do you have any idea why we were summoned this evening?” Prime Minister Alen asked inquiringly.

“I have no idea. But I don’t like the atmosphere” Tom replied to him as he puts both hands inside his pocket.

“Me too, it doesn’t look good at all. The soldiers said that anybody that won’t make it will have themselves to be blamed.” Prime Minister Alen said.

“So I heard. They told me the same, but I wondered why he would want to see everyone after we have all seen him and greeted him today.” Tom said.

“Well, I am not sure. We better get going, it’s getting dark” the prime minister said as he wipes the end of his nose with a little hankie he brought out from his pocket.

After he wiped away the sweat on his face, it suddenly made Tom see the obvious fear in Alen's body language. Tom himself brought out his hands from his pocket so he could feel free while walking to the palace and he thought that this helps him rub away the fear in the atmosphere.

Getting to the palace door, the prime minister and the finance Minister, Tom was surprised not to have seen any officials entering the door, except the soldiers guarding there. They wondered what may have caused it, they thought maybe they had come too early or probably other officials aren’t prepared yet and may still be on their way. The soldiers opened the door for them as they got close and they entered. When they entered, they saw all the officials, they were all there. The first person they saw close to the entrance was the tax minister. They regarded each other by using eye contact to greet themselves. The finance minister had to stop and enter in line with the tax minister while Alen had to go to the front line because he is the prime minister and a senior official, so the exact position was reserved for him.

Magnifico was in a sorry state but yet, looks confidently energetic. His eyes are best seen if you don’t look at it directly for fear of being called out. His eyes were dark red, his chin was strong and his breath could be heard by someone two to three meters far from him. The prime minister saw that the whole lions inside the cage have been killed and since he saw blood blots on Magnifico's wear, he could sense danger without anybody telling him.

“I know most of you may be wondering why I called everyone out, well while I was away, someone took what belongs to me. So I want it back.” Magnifico said as he stands up from his chair.

“Something that belongs to him?” The prime minister asked himself. He wondered who could be crazy enough to steal from Magnifico. “I’m looking for a box, I kept it in the pagoda before I left. But someone took it, someone took my belonging” Magnifico paused and gave a high pitched laugh, he went back to his seat and sat down. “well, I would want the person to bring it back. Any idea who has it?” he asked. The room was silent like a cemetery. The only noise that was heard was that of the burning torchlights hanged on every wall around the room.

Magnifico turned his gaze to the prime minister and the prime minister threw away his face.

“You are the prime minister if I can recall?” he asked. Prime Minister looked at him and placed his right hand on his chest to confirm if it was really him.

“Are you referring to me?” minister Alen asked as though he didn’t know he was referring to him. Magnifico got mad and rushed down from his seat and scampered towards the prime minister. With a firm grip, he held the prime minister with his left hand and lived him up in a way that his two legs weren’t touching the ground.

“Mr prime minister, you were the last to come here and it makes me wonder, how much respect you have for me and I also doubt if your loyalty and allegiance to me are true or just a smokescreen,” Magnifico said. The prime minister wanted to defend himself but couldn’t even say a word and couldn’t even breathe properly. The other officials saw what was happening but they couldn’t do anything to save him or stop Magnifico. They watched helplessly and fearfully, everyone hoped it doesn’t get to their turn.

“Now Mr. Prime Minister listen, I want you to tell me in all honesty if you have my box or where it is and also how it was stolen,” Magnifico said. Now he let off the prime minister, and he fell to the thick ground of the palace. Gasping for air, the prime minister started coughing uncontrollably. He wondered who might know where Magnifico kept an important box, so important that he is ready to kill anyone for it at the moment.

“I don’t really know where your box is or who stole your box” he paused to clear his throat and to ease the pain he was feeling. The prime minister continued “If I had known, I would have told you. It won’t do me any good if I don’t tell you, please pardon me.”

Magnifico knew he may be saying the truth because he was sure it was almost entirely impossible for him, to know what the box is unless someone told him. But he doesn’t know what to believe any longer or who to believe and he was cocksure, that the prime minister was the last person he would believe in Alaphas. Magnifico wasn’t sure why but he just hates him. To him, the prime minister doesn’t look worthy enough to be trusted and has the face of a betrayer. The prime minister is someone that has confidence enough, more than his peers in the court, and he is ready to be in liaison with anyone who could destroy him or who could think of a possible way to do so. Magnifico wouldn’t want to make the mistake he made with Jonas by allowing him to slip through him, he kept Jonas close but wasn’t close enough and that’s why he escaped. For the prime minister, he doesn’t know what he is up to because he wasn’t as familiar to him as Jonas.

“Prime Minister, I don’t believe you. You will have to pay the ultimate price for others to survive.” Magnifico lamented angrily and his red eyes sparked. Prime Minister seeing the seriousness in his eyes, knew that he was not safe so, he had to beg seriously for him to leave.

“Please, have mercy, my lord. I don’t know where your box is, ” Mr. Alen, the prime minister sobbed. Other officials of the court saw him reduced like a child by Magnifico, they imAgined how their once-mighty prime minister, was reduced to a crying baby, begging to be left to leave. Magnifico without wasting time brought out a sword; not his, and pierced the prime minister’s stomach. He left the sword right inside his belly and he raised his right foot and matched the prime minister on the chest, he fell to the ground. The room was tensed and the officials only shouted once after the sword penetrated the prime minister’s belly, and never said a word thereafter because they were all terrified and couldn’t speak any further.

Tom Azamia, the finance minister was watching right from the back, just beside the tax minister. He saw the man he came with to the meeting just moments ago, his friend, his co-worker was gushing out blood, dying slowly. He really wished he could help him out, he was thinking about what he can possibly do at the moment to save him. Not until he heard everyone should “get out and also to take this b****y i***t away from here” by Magnifico. That was when the finance minister rushed towards the dying prime minister even though everyone was trying to save their own life, he defiantly went up to him. He knelt and tried to lift the dying man but, the prime minister held him on his cloth, crossed his left arm around his neck, and tried to whisper something to him. The prime minister was trying to say something but Tom wasn’t hearing what he was saying properly so he had to bring his ear closer to his mouth.

He said “listen my friend Tom, it was Jonas. It was…” the prime minister’s voice was gradually fading away, his tune becoming incredibly low. Mr. Tom heard the ‘Jonas’ he mentioned but didn’t understand why his name was brought up in that context.

“Please, stop talking. Save your energy, let me get you a physician that will treat your wound. You have lost so much blood” Tom begged with a low voice because he didn’t want Magnifico to think that they were saying anything serious.