Chapter 92: I Found Him

Ben forced himself to stay in the present and decided to find a place for the car and, if possible, a shelter for the night. Either he was lucky and found Jiyo before the storm broke, or he would have to extend his search further.

Since there was a hidden place of worship just a short walk away, which was occasionally visited by a few archaeologists and interested parties, Ben managed to find a room for the night and shelter for the car fairly quickly.

Relieved to at least be free of the mobile jail he'd spent the day in, he began examining the humble cluster of houses more closely.

To his relief, there was not the slightest sign of the presence of any sort of organized crime. At the very least, it reduced the likelihood that the drug lords' influence might have extended this far. Because even if the Warlord was dead and the organization was smashed, something always remained. There were certainly countless inconspicuous ex-employees who could always attempt to create something new from the remains of a legend and not necessarily without success. These criminals had ruled much of the illegal activity in this country for long enough. It would be unwise to assume that their name or branding would be forgotten in such a short time.

After all, this seemed a peaceful one, almost an idyllic place; Ben was almost tempted to think that Jiyo's choice might have been a smart move. Because if, despite everything, the thought should arise that he might still be alive, this would certainly be the last country in which one would suspect him.

It was still incredibly hot, even if the approaching darkness could already be guessed. The air seemed to be even more charged. Ben's hair was plastered to his forehead and his thirst was becoming unbearable.

He had largely walked around the houses and had now arrived where the town bordered on a small, densely overgrown, unhealthily green shimmering lake. A colorful chain of lights with several broken bulbs pointed to a few rickety tables and chairs where some locals apparently regularly gathered to mark the end of the day. It was still too early and too hot for more than two people to be there, and as the weather threatened to develop, there wouldn't be much going on that night either.

Ben ordered water and enjoyed letting the ice-cold liquid run down his throat.

'What's the point?' he thought to himself. It wasn't like anything was going to happen today and Lara was far away in another country. She wouldn't agree, but then again, she wouldn't know either.

He procured vodka, recognized the detours required at first glance, and downed it in one gulp before biting into a lemon. Nothing had been so good for him for a long time. He took a deep breath and felt the warmth rise in his stomach.

He was about to get up to get another drink when he saw him.

There was no doubt, the graying hair, the walk; Ben had found Jiyo Kael faster than he had been prepared to hope. He just managed to stifle the impulse to jump up and run towards him when something else stopped him and made him sit still. As Jiyo Kael got closer, Ben also realized what irritated him, what had changed so drastically in his appearance over the past few months. Jiyo Kael must have lost a tremendous amount of weight, and since he'd remained slim and athletic all his life anyway, the way the dark shirt hung around his torso like it was several sizes too big, and the tight-fitting jeans that nevertheless seemed too far, especially on.

Nevertheless, the gait was brisk, the posture erect, just as Ben remembered it.

But something else wasn't right. Jiyo Kael's gaze was empty; Ben could easily see that even from a distance. An ice-cold hand gripped Ben's heart as it suddenly became clear to him. Jiyo Kael was not consciously aware of his surroundings, not in the way that had become his nature. He hadn't noticed Ben, and he certainly wasn't paying the slightest attention to anything else going on around him, behavior unthinkable for any professional who had ever worked in the field and for Jiyo Kael as long as Ben knew him would never have been an option. No matter how exhausted, how bleary-eyed he might be, Jiyo's unconditional attention and concentration were one hundred percent reliable. Just not now. What was wrong with him? Ben got up, forgetting all caution. He owed it to him and he tried everything to find out what had happened. Determined, he stepped in Jiyo Kael's way.

"We know each other?"

Jiyo Kael winced and involuntarily moved a little to the side. His eyes widened in astonishment when he recognized his counterpart. But only for a split second, then he had himself under control again.

"Not that I know of, I'm not from around here!" he answered in the native dialect and shrugged slackly, ready to continue on his way.

"I'm not from the area either. Apparently I even got lost and haven't found anyone who could help me yet."

Jiyo Kael looked at him inquiringly.

Ben returned his gaze with a harmless smile."Would you like to drink something? I pay!"

"At least until the storm hits us," he added, glancing at the gray haze that was slowly but steadily drifting in from the opposite side of the small lake.

Ignoring Jiyo Kael's hesitation, he accepted two glasses and a bottle and sat down again. He filled both glasses and divided one of the waiting lemons in two.

Finally, Jiyo Kael decided to take a seat as well.

"What's that about?" he hissed almost inaudibly and reached for the shiny liquid.

Ben sat back and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring nod.

Jiyo Kael propped himself up with an elbow on the table, trying to hide his lip movements. "Is something wrong with my daughter?" he asked, trying in vain to get the rising panic under control.
Ben shook his head and closed both eyes in silent assurance. Of course, he should have remembered that Jiyo Kael would be the first to reckon with this possibility.

"My people don't know how lucky they are, the temperatures are really unbelievable in these latitudes. I don't think there's any money in the world that would let my family even vacation here," he said casually.

For the first time a brief smile twitched across Jiyo Kael's facial features, just for a moment, then it was gone again. "I'm afraid I can't be of much help to you. I don't know my way around here that well."

He raised his glass and drained it in one gulp. Ben grabbed the bottle and immediately refilled it to the brim.

"After all, this is the right place, if not the only place, to drink with a clear conscience!"

Jiyo Kael looked at him blankly. He didn't say a word, and yet Ben could feel his thoughts. There had been a time in his life when Ben had wanted to destroy himself with the help of alcohol, a time that had been harder for him than anything that had gone before. Without Jiyo's help and without Lara, this time could have meant his end, he was always aware of that. But he also knew that Jiyo Kael was the last person to blame him. If anyone knew the feeling of being on the brink, it was him.

Ben gripped his glass but hesitated to lift it. They had been drinking together for years before they even started to trust each other before they became friends. After the agony of Jiyo Kael, after the traumas he had suffered that had shaken his life and his goals to their very foundations, a kind of rite emerged almost unnoticed.

Without any agreement or appointment, they had met at regular intervals, sometimes sitting next to each other with almost no words or looks, linked only by an open bottle of whiskey, the contents of which dwindled rapidly as the evening wore on. It was the first secret they had shared together. The desire to lose control, which none of them would ever admit, if only because it could have fatal consequences in their job. So they kept quiet about it, kept quiet about their need to escape from reality from time to time and make the world easier to bear, if only for a few hours.

It had been years and Ben had no idea why he was remembering at that moment caught up from the past. But after a look at Jiyo's face, it was clear to him that his thoughts couldn't be in the here and now either. He stared past him with blank eyes, obviously completely in his own world. Again Ben wondered what world it might be that Jiyo couldn't break away from, not since he had last left home.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. Ben shivered. The wind had picked up, sending a roar through the trees that began to bow uneasily to his power, drying the sweat on Ben's skin until he shivered. But the cold that nature made him feel was nothing compared to the cold that gripped his heart relentlessly as soon as he lifted his eyes and looked into Jiyo Kael's face.

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