The Jewel of the Kingdom

By Roy Dimond and Lorraine Dimond

Amid an attempted assassination, the secrets of an ancient library, and looming climate disaster, China stands at a crossroads in this taut thriller.
 
Decades ago, an old woman in an Egyptian bookstore implemented a plan inspired by manuscripts rescued from the ancient Library of Alexandria. These papers predicted that when global climate change threatened humanity, opportunity would manifest—but to take advantage, China must awaken.
 
However, with the attempted murder of the Dalai Lama, someone is trying to return China to the old ways of Mao. How do the shocking similarities between quantum physics, Buddhism, and the ancient Japanese game of Go provide answers?
 
Only when the paths of a woman code-named The Blue Rose, sequestered in the Tiger Monastery of Bhutan, and the youngest high-ranking Chinese Communist known as The Seeker, converge will solutions become clear. While lovers embrace and assassins stalk their prey, the Middle Kingdom sits on a geopolitical precipice. One path leads to the old ways, the other to a new world . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781639843237

Roy Dimond

Roy Dimond lives with his wife in Victoria, British Columbia, a small community on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada.In his first life, Roy had the honor of helping at risk children and their families. In his second life, he pursues his love of travel and writing. Having explored four continents from Cuzco to Kyoto, Santorini to Tsumago, his wanderings have all found a way into his stories.Roy’s first book is called The Singing Bowl, his second novel is titled, Silence and Circumstance, and his third book is titled I, Bully. He is already working on his next adventure.

Book preview

Jewel of the Kingdom

By

Roy Dimond and Lorraine Dimond

The Blue Rose…signifying hope against unattainable love…longing to attain the impossible.

—A Chinese Folktale

"The General who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the…Jewel of the Kingdom."

—Sun Tzu

The Jewel of the Kingdom by Roy Dimond and Lorraine Dimond

Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.

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Published by Pen It! Publications, LLC

812-371-4128   www.penitpublications.com

ISBN:  978-1-952011-30-6

Edited by Peggy Holt

Cover Design by Donna Cook

Chapter One

Alexandria, Egypt

The ancient Alexandrian bookstore had been boarded up for decades. As Rebecca inserted her key, the metal lock creaked from lack of use and with a firm shove, the old door gave way, rust flaking from its hinges. Finally, after too long, a warm breeze rushed in and manuscripts fluttered with gratitude.

Rebecca closed the door behind her, shutting out the gentle Egyptian breeze and silence settled again over the once bustling bookstore. She frowned at the dust and cobwebs and her nostrils flared as a slight musty smell aroused her senses. Mold, she thought, the enemy of all booklovers.

Stepping cautiously, she glided across the sand that had blown in, and willed her dancer’s legs deeper into her grandmother’s bookstore. Memories flooded back and she sadly muttered, How I miss you, old woman. Absent-mindedly, she wiped dust from a thick, leather-bound tome. She then lifted a stack of disintegrating newspapers from a rickety chair and ignoring years of grime, sat down. Seeing a humidor, no doubt filled with the husks of dried out cigars, her olfactory memories ignited a vision of her grandmother dancing with a massive cigar clenched in her teeth. 

Tears swelled in Rebecca’s violet eyes. Her head suddenly collapsed into her hands and her pale body shook with emotion.

Wiping away tears, Rebecca recalled that fateful day; she was only eight when her grandmother had passed away. That was thirty years ago and this was the first time she had been able to enter the store bequeathed to her. Previously, even the mere thought of entering the bookstore had been overwhelming. There had been too many memories, too many shared laughs. Rebecca fought her way back to the present where the knowledge she carried was simply too heavy for any one person.

***

Rebecca had spent a month cleaning, rearranging and organizing the stock, then another month looking for just the right person to help run the bookstore. Her search had been futile because few knew how to even begin categorizing a tenth of the scattered knowledge. Then one day, a very peculiar man appeared, humbly asking if he might be considered for the position.

He was older, extremely skinny, with sunken eyes that penetrated wherever he looked. Wearing a crumpled light-green shirt, creased grey slacks, and well-worn black loafers, he introduced himself simply as, Akio.

Rebecca felt comfortable in his presence and his impressive résumé listed experience at universities in both Kyoto and Tokyo. After rejecting so many applicants, she gratefully hired him. 

Akio’s mornings began early reorganizing manuscripts, then cataloging and referencing until late into the evening. After two months, Rebecca and her new employee had formed a bond of true friendship.

***

Suddenly, one afternoon, Akio tapped the computer screen and excitedly gasped, Finally! This is what I’ve been waiting for.

Rebecca leaned back from the books she was classifying and peered over his shoulder. He pointed at the computer screen while muttering enthusiastically, Yes. Yes. This is it. At last!

Rebecca read: Will meet you in Nara. Immediately! The email had been sent only hours earlier and she asked, Why is that particular email of importance to you?

Feigning confusion, Akio responded, It is not important to me at all.  He smiled. It is, however, extremely important to you. This elicited no reaction, so he added, Well it’s plain, don’t you see? His skinny finger annoyingly tapped the computer screen. A message for you to go to Nara -- you must leave immediate -- see, right here, it says -- immediately.

Exasperated, Rebecca muttered, Why in the world would I go to Nara? That’s in China.

Japan. Akio corrected.

Fine, Japan! Why would I go there?

Because you are no longer needed here. The store is almost ready to reopen and I will be here while you will be there -- meeting whoever sent this email.

Even if I do go to Nara, how will I find who sent this message?

That will not be a problem. He will find you.

He? Her eyes searched the email, but it was only a generic address.

Akio’s eyes focused on the computer screen and for a moment seemed lost in thought. He examined her frustrated face and smiled benevolently. Just go to Nara. You know you must.

Rebecca guffawed. What in the world makes you think that I must?

You are one of them. That is why I am here. I know the weight that you carry.

One of who? she asked hesitantly.

A scientist. One of those people who plays in the world of quarks and multiple dimensions. What is that called?

Rebecca sighed. Quantum physics?

Yes. Akio smiled inwardly. Quantum mathematics.

It had been her decision to isolate herself from colleagues within the scientific circle. Her mind was such that it naturally led to constructs larger than itself where great satisfaction lay in the vast world of string theory with its quarks and branes. Nevertheless, there had been a price to pay for that choice, leaving no time for relationships, and she paid for it every day with deep unrelenting loneliness.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes and for the first time, Akio noticed that they were cold like amethysts. How do you know what I do for a living? I’ve never mentioned it.

He shook his head and shrugged off the question as if it was of no consequence. 

Rebecca wouldn’t let it go and repeated, How exactly did you know?

Quantum physics has taught you much. Existence is ethereal. Sometimes the tangible world is here and then simply not here. At the smallest level, material sometimes exists and other times it does not. You are fully aware that things are not as they appear. Are you not?

Rebecca clenched her teeth but said nothing. As part of their friendship, she had accepted his annoying habit of asking questions despite already knowing the answer.

I know your hobby is astrology. What do the stars tell you? He had hit a nerve.

Rebecca blanched. They had been predicting travel in the future and so much more. He was also right about one other thing -- she was going to go to Nara. Rebecca had always dedicated her life to the search for something larger than herself. The insatiable curiosity that had made her commit to physics had been piqued.

Rebecca admitted to herself that this had the making of an intriguing mystery. Why had Akio been waiting for that specific message and why was he so certain that it was from a male? She seldom turned down an adventure and considering there was still time left on her leave from the university… Akio had been right; the store was ready to open and he was more than qualified to oversee its day to day operation. Besides, there was something about Akio that she inherently trusted.

Chapter Two

Tokyo, Japan

The skinny, young man known among his colleagues in the Chinese Communist Party as The Seeker, was completely accustomed to crowds, so standing across the street from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Train Station, he blended in comfortably. His physique, face, and personality were all best described as average. He had devoted his entire political life to developing this common persona, learning early in life that by lowering his profile, he lessened the threat his intellect posed to others. He believed that his greatest asset was his ability to enter a room of two and not stand out.

There were only two features that worked against this strategy. The first was his intelligent eyes that absorbed information from their surroundings. The second was his despised nickname -- The Seeker. The Second-in-Command of all China, who monitored his every move, had assigned the name as a means of insult, identifying him as someone who couldn’t be trusted. However, others used the nickname as a compliment, believing he was wise, genuinely in search of knowledge. This was the genesis of the Second-in-Command’s hatred of The Seeker.

At thirty, The Seeker was already one of the ten richest men in China, and therefore the world, and the youngest high-ranking member of the Chinese Central Politburo. His power and wealth had been accrued the traditional Chinese way -- clever political intrigue and ruthless manipulation. He had been among the first to grasp the new quasi-capitalist system, quickly profiting from his investments. This marked him as a real threat to the old guard whose leader was the Second-in-Command.

Many times, he had joked with members of the Politburo that no two countries owning a McDonald’s had ever gone to war. From his perspective, his string of franchises in Taiwan, China’s mortal enemy, guaranteed peace.

China had historically gained influence over its enemies not through war, but via financial conniving. In high-level government meetings, he consistently extolled the ancient policies of his ancestors. These same strategies had managed the Silk Roads, befriended the Persians, controlled the Mongols, influenced the Soviets, intimidated the Vietnamese, and manipulated the Indian population. 

He often challenged, Why lose soldiers and wealth when one could simply buy another country? Why not just own the companies that make the weapons, lease the warehouses that store the military supplies, and buy up the bad mortgages of the farms that feed the soldiers?

Led by the Second-in-Command, the warmongers within the Politburo seethed whenever these questions were raised. Having no rebuttal, their anger roiled, resenting the questions that made it so difficult for them to carry out their agenda of aggression. With each winning argument, The Seeker made more enemies within the Party’s old guard.

The Seeker had recently earned one of his country’s highest military honors after signing a business deal for a string of movie theaters in, of all places, North Korea. His time in North Korea had been a bizarre experience -- surreal, frightening -- God worship gone mad. But using his unique skills to blend in, he discovered that their Great Leader loved movies, and through his myriad of contacts, he offered the Great Leader a deal that he could not pass up, thus gaining influence within North Korea. From the Chinese perspective, it was like winning the first skirmish of a long drawn out war.

Only the warmongers inside the Politburo perceived the award as a loss of face. A military honor for a business deal was unheard of and during the ceremony, The Seeker noticed men whispering. Members of the military would not, could not, tolerate this affront. Even worse, it threatened the Second-in-Command’s power base and without this support, his status in the Chinese leadership would plummet. 

The Politburo had watched the Americans dismantle the Soviet Union by outspending the enemy and pushing them economically until their infrastructure collapsed — an extremely effective strategy.

Even more disconcerting to the Second-in-Command was the fact that The Chairman of all China was buying into The Seeker’s ideas. Funding to implement these new tactics for world supremacy would likely come from what the Soviets used to call the Metal Eaters and what the Americans still call the Military Industrial Complex, and thus weaken the Second-in-Command even further. Throughout the past year, he had grown even more frustrated and The Seeker knew that he was making an unwanted and dangerous enemy. 

And now, The Seeker found himself standing before the crush of humanity at the daunting Shinjuku Train Station. The trains of China were modern thanks to the great successes of the Central Planning Committee, but for every train that arrived at even the largest of Chinese train stations, five sped through Tokyo’s Shinjuku.

Above him, a massive HD screen towered over the population of Tokyo displaying the American movie, Casablanca. The smoke of Humphrey Bogart’s hand-rolled cigarette entwined with the soft hair of a stunning blond who gazed lovingly at Bogart’s twitching face. In Japanese, a French Resistance fighter begged for help, but Bogey just sneered and shrugged his shoulders. With all the city’s commotion, it was clear how Tokyo had earned its nickname -- The Spoiled Teenager.  The city’s psyche wanted everything -- NOW!

Despite the slight chill of early autumn, The Seeker had removed his grey sports jacket, and realized that without meaning to, he now wore the uniform of the Japanese Salary Man. Scanning the streets leading to the intersection, he suppressed a grin. There stood perhaps fifty thousand men all identically dressed.  Unknowingly, he wore the perfect disguise: black pants, black shoes, and crisp white shirt.

Anonymously, he descended the stairs deep into the guts of the Shinjuku, a beast with tentacles kilometers long, its lungs breathing in and out as high-speed bullet trains, express trains, commuter trains, and uncountable subway cars came and went. Each exhale expelled a hundred thousand commuters out of the station’s internal organs and each inhale replaced them with newcomers. 

Standing near a pillar, invisible in the crowd, The Seeker gathered knowledge. Unnoticed, he explored underground avenues, looked into crowded stores, and watched mindless servants of the capitalist system buying meaningless trinkets. He contemplated the task that he believed righteous, the reason he was in Japan, all the while blissfully unaware of a woman from an Alexandria bookstore who was embarking on a mystery that would change everything. 

Chapter Three

The Game Begins

As she prepared for her trip, Rebecca was filled with curiosity and apprehension. When her departure day arrived, she was anxious, not because she was leaving for a strange city in Japan to meet a mysterious man who had sent a vague message, but because Akio was rushing her out of her own store. He promised to take care of the books, but the hand at the base of her back hurrying her through the aisles towards the street was disconcerting. She barely had time to double check if she had her passport before the door closed firmly behind her.

Rebecca glanced at her watch and realized that she still had time for a bite to eat before going to the airport. Fortuitously, she turned left down an alley towards her favorite falafel shop. If she had gone right and directly to the airport, the two thugs waiting for her would have been successful in their mission.

Instead, Rebecca had a leisurely snack while the two men waited impatiently. Frustrated and thinking that she must have given them the slip, they decided to pay the bookstore a visit in hopes of gathering information to share with their employer.

***

The larger of the two men entered the store first and his partner scurried in behind. Hoping to find the clerk distracted behind a counter, they were startled to see a Japanese gentleman confidently sitting in a large over-stuffed chair in the center of the store.

Akio smiled warmly and greeted the men, Please, make yourselves at home. I do hope you speak English.

The first man threateningly slid his hand into his coat pocket as if to retrieve a weapon and demanded, Who are you?

Akio smiled confidently and said, Since you are in my store, I think it is I who should ask, ‘Who are you?’

The smaller of the men whined, We’re asking the questions, clerk.

Akio maintained his demeanor and softly replied, My name is Akio. Does that somehow help you?

The larger man removed his hand from his coat revealing what Akio assumed was a Chinese pistol, but upon closer scrutiny he recognized it as a Tokarev TTM33, Chinese manufactured, but of Russian make. 

Again, the smaller man spoke in a high nasally whine, Don’t get smart with us. The woman, where is she?

Akio looked slowly over his shoulder in both directions and smiled before responding, Not here, apparently.

The larger man stepped forward and shouted in Japanese, "Kanojo ga on’na?"

As I told your friend, apparently she is not here.

The man took another step forward and pointed the pistol at Akio’s forehead. He was about to issue another threat when Akio quietly asked, Why do you pretend to be Japanese when you are obviously Chinese? The larger man hesitated and Akio pressed the issue, You have nearly flawless Japanese, but your slight accent gives you away.

From behind the hulking figure, the smaller man sniveled, Let’s deal with him and get out of here.

As the man waved the gun in Akio’s face he threatened, Tell the woman we will meet another time.

Akio shrugged and the smaller man kicked over a display, scattering hard covered books across the floor while sneering, Maybe we will deal with you when we don’t require a messenger boy.

Akio calmly said, Unfortunately, there will NOT be another opportunity and that elicited the response he desired. The larger man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him out of the chair, giving Akio the energy needed to implement his Aikido training. With the gun pressed to Akio’s temple, he took the large man’s wrist and instead of trying to push him away, twisted the wrist and pinned it painfully against his own neck. A wrist bone could be heard breaking as the gun clattered to the floor. The larger man was thrown off balance and Akio quickly propelled his foot into the man’s gut, but again, instead of kicking him away, he used his foot as a lever. He brought the man closer still, allowing his foot to hurtle his enemy head-over-heels. The man landed awkwardly. The snapping of his neck sounded very much like a deadly pistol shot and was as effective. Akio instinctively kicked the gun under a table.

The smaller man was caught off guard and hesitated. A churlish cry escaped his throat and he reached into his pocket for a knife. The blade glinted as it slashed wildly in search of an artery. Despite his age, Akio rolled nimbly forward, his leg swung out and broke the man’s ankle. Screaming in pain, the thug staggered and fell. The bookstore went eerily silent. The stranger lay dead, bleeding from his own blade. Akio looked at the mess and sighed. It was indeed good fortune that he had hustled Rebecca out.

A month earlier, Akio had discovered that Rebecca’s computer had been hacked. The invaders had been sloppy and easily traced back to China. He had deduced that once the message from Nara arrived that those who had done the hacking would send thugs to intimidate. It had been clear these were mid-level functionaries and not the high-level hackers used by the Communist Party. It also meant that for now they were amateurs, but if Akio was right in his theory, soon more would come…better hackers and more professional thugs. If this was indeed launched covertly by a member of the Politburo it wouldn’t be long until professional men, real soldiers, and devout communists replaced these amateurs. Akio thought, someone inside the Chinese government must indeed be scared. The great game had begun.

Chapter Four

Messengers of the Gods

The excitement of being in a foreign country to meet a complete stranger was all consuming. After landing in Japan, Rebecca was only able to relax when she envisioned Akio caring for her bookstore. He was such a gentle and easy-going soul. She could picture him sitting in a large over-stuffed chair, tea and reading material beside him, enjoying an atmosphere of calm and civility. The bookstore was always such a peaceful and contemplative place. Deep down, Rebecca hoped that her dear friend was not bored.

Rebecca strolled through Nara along the covered sidewalks that protected her from the late autumn drizzle. If she were to meet someone, logically it would be in an obvious location. So, Rebecca headed to where all tourists congregated, where twelve hundred wild deer or ‘Messengers of the Gods’ regularly meandered down from the surrounding hills and freely roamed the streets of the small, bustling city.

Her destination was surprisingly quiet when, as if on cue, busloads of school children arrived. Classmates giggled and laughter peeled through the chilly air as Rebecca watched the worshipped and the faithful fuse into a swirling mixture of antlers and school uniforms. Vendors sat chain-smoking, selling special deer treats to the students while Gods lined up to devour the morsels from outstretched hands. With disbelief, she watched as school children bowed to the deer and shockingly the Gods, displaying a Pavlovian response from generations of free food, bowed back.

Rebecca cautiously avoided pointed antlers and the even more dangerous darting, giggling children. Unlike The Seeker, who blended into the shadows while watching the comings and goings of the Shinjuku Train Station, Rebecca dressed flamboyantly, her tall, lithe figure, pale skin and long blond tresses distinct in a crowd of jet-black hair. The printout of the email that had inspired this trip was still clasped in her tightly balled fist.

Rebecca bought some of the cookies and shared with the ‘Gods.’ While feeding a small, delicate fawn, she sensed someone staring.

On a ridge near the park entrance, a tall stranger observed the riotous scene. Even from a distance, his height made him stand out. He had a muscular build, wide shoulders and thin waist. His black hair fell straight halfway down his back and he had piercing eyes that searched -- as did Rebecca’s.

He watched her coldly like an animal studying its prey, but then suddenly he smiled, his teeth white as pearls. For some reason, this unnerved her even more.

He bowed deeply to the Buddhist monk standing beside him; the two men exchanged words and then bowed again. Alone, the stranger slowly approached Rebecca. His persona was regal, as if from another time and place. As he neared, she decided that he was an old soul in a young man’s body. Rebecca found the contrast very appealing.

He bowed and with a gentle voice said, We don’t have much time. Thank you for coming and please accept my apology if I speak directly. Rebecca was unsettled, an uncommon feeling for her.  My name is Alexander. In an attempt to mask her attraction, Rebecca mentioned the coincidence between his name and her grandmother’s bookstore in Alexandria.

Alexander smiled poignantly, but ignored the comparison and continued, I am here for the same reason as you. We both know that the world is about to experience a loss of catastrophic significance.

Her mind struggled to reconcile how he could possibly know, when one of the Messengers of the Gods suddenly bumped her and she jostled against the stranger’s muscular chest. For a moment, he held her and she found herself blushing -- something most rare.

He chuckled. Seems like the Gods have ordained that we be together.

She gazed into his gray eyes flecked with yellow and recognized the eyes of a wolf. They expressed dignity and power as well as great loss. Without even realizing it, she muttered, Apparently. 

Alexander startled and released her. Rebecca hid a smile. He was vulnerable -- good -- she liked her supermen flawed.

Chapter Five

Pseudo Vacation

From the public observation deck on the top floor of the government offices in the Shinjuku District, The Seeker had an unobstructed three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view. No undeveloped land existed between where he stood and the next metropolis, effectively amalgamating Tokyo into the largest city in the world. He sat with a coffee and took in Mt. Fuji’s symmetry -- the perfect way to start the day.

In the latter part of the morning, The Seeker strolled the ultra-expensive Ginza neighborhood, as well as the old Asakusa section of Tokyo.  Curiosity motivated him to explore the decadent Kabukicho red light district with a final respite at the sprawling Shinjuku National Park, an emerald retreat in the middle of the city.

Returning to his hotel via the Green Train’s circular route, The Seeker was impressed with the number of solar panels that adorned many of the tiled rooftops. While making a mental note to tell the Central Committee that they should encourage increased use of solar power, he was pleased how even this small observation would help promote his vision and therefore weaken the Second-in-Command’s oil agenda.

The Seeker believed that the next war between the superpowers would be fought on the ecological front. Others in the Committee foolishly debated that it would be a confrontation over the precious metals used in computers, or drinking water, or oil, and as a result they spent time arguing for the control of sea-lanes. 

Instead, The Seeker chose to ignore these discussions and fight the war that would connect all scenarios. In the world to come, whoever had ecologically neutral energy had control of everything. He envisioned gigantic solar and wind farms, wave plants powering enormous desalination factories so that fresh water was no longer an issue while at the same time, making oil obsolete.

Like Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, The Seeker’s Holy Bible, In the practical art of war, the best thing is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good… supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

Moral authority was what The Seeker wanted for his beloved China and green energy could do that. In the future, military might alone would not be enough. After all, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic had had nearly unlimited force, but today the Soviet State no longer existed. As soon as the Chinese leaders perceived that the American strategy was to outspend the Soviets, not out bomb them, the Politburo had implemented a plan to push China towards a market economy. They had learned what the extinct Soviets had realized too late -- financial power was