Under Guard

[Jay Carpenter]

Jai & Zakar

He checked himself out in the mirror.  Alone for once.  Thank the Light.  He never appreciated having rooms all to himself until after the unfortunate turn of events that landed him in the Black Tower.  Going from a private suite to bunking with a hundred other guys was quite the eye opening experience. 

He turned to the side.  It wasn't bad, actually. But it was odd.  To see a figure of himself in something besides black.  Jai meant those oaths when he swore to be a man of the Black Tower until the end of his days.  The coat hung a little loose in the shoulders and was cut by a simple fall to his waist.  The shirt under it was scratchy.  A poor man's wool.  One that certainly did not breathe.  And poorly dyed white.  Instead it simply looked like the owner was clueless when it came to a simple wash.  The pants weren't terrible.  They were long enough and made to fall outside his boots rather than be tucked inside them.  There wasn't time to find a replacement pair of those, however. Which was a bloody shame. Tar Valon bootmakers were worth their weight in gold, or more. His own leathers were expensive, but they would have to work.  He could simply hope nobody would notice.  Thankfully they were just a plain black, at least, he found embroidered leather nauseating.  It'd be hard to fall into the crowd with embroidery on the cuff.

A scrub through his hair could tossle it some.  Once the beard was grown out, he doubted even he would recognize his own reflection.  He scratched at the stubble so far.  His father had a magnificent trim.  A trait not passed on to all the Kojima brothers apparently.  It'd take a couple weeks to get that kind of growth on Jai.  He could wait though.  Caemlyn had been without Jai Kojima's presence thus far without incident.  What was a few more weeks? Even if he was itching to get there.

He was still checking out the poor man's version of himself with the sound of knocking filled his room. 
"Uhh.  Hang on!"
  He called and jumped out of the clothes faster than he thought possible. 
"Jai?"

"Blood and ashes, just a sec..."
  That'd been his brother's voice.  His oldest brother, Light help them all.  He shoved the discarded clothes into a travel bag and jumped into his usual uniform pants.  "Yeah come on in."
  He looked up, lacing up the front, just as someone entered.

The oldest Kojima son was a trophy firstborn.  His hair was slicked loosely back like usual, and a stately, but groomed, point of a beard touched his chin.  He closed the door behind him with a quiet click, and lifted a curious brow at his half dressed asha'man baby brother.  He meanwhile, smirked and tugged at the tight seams at his wrist.  A habit frustratingly similar to Jai's.

"Ah!  Zakar.  To what do I owe the honor?"
  Jai shrugged into his shirt and looked up between fixing buttons.  His older brother looked around the room, eyes moving swiftly from the horrid scar not yet hidden under Jai's shirt and instead landed on their great-father's sword lost among the blankets of a single man's bed across the way. 

Jai followed his older brother's eyes.  A frown touched them when he realized what'd taken the other Kojima's interest.  He finished the buttons on his black shirt and shrugged into the coat next without bothering to close it up yet.  So long as the pins were straight. 

"You look well.  May I speak with you?"


"Uh.  Not bad, I suppose.  Come in?"
  Jai smirked.  "I see you still haven't figured out what a razor is?"
  He laughed, eventually crossing to clap his older brother on the shoulder on the way to fetching Asad's sword.  Best not let it lay around unattended for too long in present company.

"I see you haven't figured out what an iron is?"
  Zak nodded at the wrinkles criss-crossing Jai's reflection.  The coat had been a little abused since trying on the new identity's change of clothes.  It wasn't like he'd be returning for more portrait sitting tonight, so he didnt think much of it.  Of course, though, trust Zak to point it out.  Golden boy Zakar Kojima. 

They both laughed at each other's expense.  Jai as he started buckling on the sword and his brother taking up position by the door.  He paused.  The figure of Zakar might as well be their father.  He looked about as comfortable as a guy being Delved, though.  "You look stressed.  Bank work been taking its toll?  Is that a bloody gray hair, I see?!"
  Jai smirked dramatically as Zak ran a hand through his perfectly falling hair. 

His brother flicked something invisible from his perfect, boring lapel.  It did look so banker, Jai could have laughed.  "Speaking of Razors, Jaslene said something about you being in Arad Doman, yesterday.  Is that true?" 


"Yeah.  Why does this feel like an interrogation?"
He sat on his own bed and worked at tucking in his pantlegs into his boots.  The sword was still unbuckled, but nearby, within reach.  His brother didn't move from the door.  He simply smiled and looked at the floor.  Which was odd.  Zak was never unsure of himself.  ""What?  Wait, don't tell me.  Bank's been hard to manage lately?" 


"Actually.  As you would know if you were ever around.."
Zak looked up, arms crossed and stern like Jai would buckle under his father's stare.  It wasn't going to happen.  He went on, "I had to terminate someone today."
  Jai guffawed and went back to the mirror to finish the buttons while his overly-dramatic brother went on, "He was selling information about clients.  White Tower clients."


That got Jai's attention.  He turned around.  Frowning.  And wondering exactly what was going on.  This was his family's name and reputation at stake here.  Zak continued. "My guys tracked the last man he sold such valuble information to.  He'd attacked an Accepted of the Tower only yesterday.  Wager a guess who he met with just before that?"


Jai's frown deepened.  An Accepted of the Tower?!  Whatever it was his brother was talking about, he was getting an uneasy feeling his stomach. "Where are you going with this, Zak?"


"I think you know."
  He flicked open the door.  Outside his bedroom were a handful of white-cloaked Tower Guards, weapons drawn like they were ready to apprehend a criminal.  Zakar wordlessly ordered them in.  More faces filed behind them.  Unmarked men willing to step in in case they were needed.  Kojima men.  Jai felt his shoulders drop.  His brother took both a step forward and out of their path at the same time, "the last man in contact with the traitor was you, baby brother."
  He shook his head in disappointment and things went downhill fast after that. 

Jai's mouth fell open in shock.  He witnessed a handful of guys file into his own bedroom like they were flies circling a sweet family picnic.  ""What in the..?"
  He almost laughed.  What??!  ""It's been a while since a good prank, Zak, but this is takine it a bit far,"
he looked around.  If this was a prank, it was elaborate.  Only, this didn't look like a prank.  Had his brother lost his mind?  Light.  An Accepted?!  Was it Nythadri??  Questioned swirled. 

Zakar's expression was dark, but it was the touch of victory crimping the corners of his eyes that made Jai realize the gravity of the situation. Zakar really believed he'd finally caught Jai betraying their family. Well, if he wanted proof of betrayal, he was going to need to do more than show up with a dozen guardsmen.

He shook his head and clapped a hand on the hilt of Asad's sword, pulling it to him.  ""You really think I'm selling out the books?  Of our family?"
  He locked eyes with his oldest brother.  Brown, like his own, but cold and unseeing.  ""You think I need the money, or something?"
  Zakar wasn't the only intensity in the room. A second later and saidin turned into a storm in Jai's grap.  ""Do you not understand what I am?!"
  Tension clutched the air tight.

The fist of men fell forward without a chance.  Their feet were swept out from under them on throws of Air, but just in case that didn't send enough of a message, Jai threw his arms forward with a yell and a wall of heat punched every single man in the face.  This was his home, he would hate to set it on actual fire, so he struggled with the weaves to keep them from swarming into actual flame.  Usually, flames were kind of the idea.

In the seconds while they recovered, he grabbed his bag and Asad's sword and ran into the adjoining bathing quarters.  Locking the door behind him.  Weaves pulled a chair to block the door and more slapped a barricade over that.

"Get it open!" 
He heard his brother yell from the other side.  Followed soon after by the sounds of beating weapons on wood.  Their mother was going to be furious over the ruined door.  He tied off the flows for the barricade, set to dissolve in less than a minute. He wanted to see the look on Zakar's face when he saw what was about to happen.

Clutching his stuff, still in shock of what his own family was accusing, he had no choice but fall into the Oneness.  Zakar, and Andreu their other brother, both knew the trick for channeling focus as well as he.  Andreu was creator-blessed with arrow work apparently.  Zakar with jumping to conclusions.  It was Jai, though, that could actually channel.  Thankfully. 

Through the sounds of splintering wood came the sounds of struggle from the other side.  He needed those precious moments to finish the weave.  Which he wove swiftly, carefully.

A line of light clawed its way through the air moments later.  It ripped the fabric of the Pattern into two separate halves at his behest. And drew a black scour mark on the marble floor.  Their poor mother was going to faint.  His heart raced in his chest completely unlike the way it did in battle, but he was half a step to somewhere else when steel broke through the door. 

He paused from the other side and watched what happened.  Bodies filed through, gaping at the gateway of light, and last Jai saw was the fearsome, twisted face of his oldest brother demanding his capture before the gateway collapsed.  Poor bastard never had a chance.