Broken Blades Don't Sing (Tales of Ashkar Book One) (31 page)

"You are free to leave the premise", announced
the judge aloud, clearly speaking to the witness. With the help of
the guardsman again, the women made her way toward the back of the
room, but not without a sour glance at the accused.

"You may bring in the final witness", ordered
Judge Bane.

Gallo wiped his forehead with a cloth and
fidgeted with his suit in his best attempt to collect himself as he
stood up. The guard at the back stepped outside and returned with a
younger man who looked to be in his early twenties. The last
witness wore a white cloth shirt and a pair of brown cloth shorts.
His long black hair was ruffled and fell past his ears. It bounced
slightly as the witness briskly walked to his seat. For the last
time, the guard next to him made sure that the witness would
provide no deceit.

"Thank you for taking your time to offer your
testimony", said Gallo. "So, what is your relation to these
men?"

"Well, my name is Jaco and I'm a villager from
Bellis", began the young man, "And not too long ago we were
attacked by these demons. It was so crazy. I had never seen
anything like it. It felt like they were pure evil, and they...”
His voice trailed off as he looked down at his lap. “Well, they
killed a lot of people…"

Around him, Serraemas noted that the audience
was absorbed in the witness's words. For them, he surmised that the
spawn of Hell had up until this point been nothing but topics of
discussion and imagination. To actually hear of the actual
appearance of such beings, especially in a place not too far away,
must have been quite intriguing.

"I see", responded the defender. "What happened
after you were attacked?"

The young man brightened and pointed at the
captive trio. "Those heroes showed up and helped soldiers from the
Order of the Faith fight back the monsters. They saved us!"

"And do you know the charges brought on these
men?" asked the defender.

"I have no idea what they are accused of", said
the witness as he shook his head, "But what I do know is that they
protected innocent people."

Gallo smiled at the witness. "Thank you for your
time. I have no further questions, your hon—"

"Now, Jaco, you say your village was attacked by
demons", interrupted the prosecutor as he leapt out of his chair
and cut off his colleague. "Is that correct?"

The witness scratched his head in confusion.
"Yes I did, sir."

"And the alleged showed up right around that
time?" continued Mr. Fash.

"Well yes... they claimed to be traveling
elementalists in search of the man responsible for summoning the
demons", responded Jaco.

"Did you yourself see this mysterious man
responsible for such an atrocity?" pressured the prosecutor, his
voice becoming more adamant.

The witness furrowed his brows. "No, but others
said they saw—"

"You mean there is a possibility that the
alleged were responsible for the attacks?" interrupted Mr.
Fash.

"Objection, your honor!" shouted Gallo. "Mister
Fash's questions are bordering on harassment."

"Yes, I believe you're right", said the judge,
who looked at Gallo and then his rival. "Mister Fash, take a step
back or risk contempt."

The prosecutor sighed, then put a hand over his
mouth and rubbed his face as he collected his thoughts briefly. "Is
there any possibility that this mysterious man was just a hoax and
that the alleged were the ones responsible?"

"I suppose so, but I think they really are
heroes", added the witness with a shrug.

"No more questions, your honor", said the
prosecutor as he returned to his seat. The judge motioned for the
witness to exit, and the young man walked toward the back of the
room and out of sight. All eyes were now fixed on the elderly
man.

"Very well, the Blue Swords, the jury, and
myself will convene in private as we come to a conclusion",
announced the judge. "We will not dismiss the court, for our
deliberation will not tarry."

With that, a door located to the right of the
judge was opened and over a dozen pairs of feet shuffled into the
room beyond. The door shut with a bang, and the courtroom froze in
silence. Serraemas heard some hushed whispers and felt some angry
eyes staring at the back of his head.

"I thought that went pretty well", said Gallo
aloud sarcastically to no one in particular.

Serraemas decided not to say anything. Even
Raxxil was quiet, waiting expectantly for the verdict. It took
naught but fifteen minutes when the door opened again and the men
and women shuffled back into their seats.

The judge struck down with the gavel once more
just to make sure that all eyes were on him. "We have come to a
decision regarding the fate of these men, but before we announce
the verdict I will allow the alleged to speak as they will for the
court to hear."

Serraemas stood up, the shackles that bound him
clanging as he drew to his full height. He cleared his throat and
looked at both Raxxil and Erendil, the former giving him an
expression of encouragement and the latter appearing apathetic of
the events unfolding around them.

"In this court, you have all witnessed the
accounts of a select few that offer claims of both heroism and
malice", said Serraemas. "Some consider us men of valor and
righteousness, while others view us as a terrible evil. We are
neither. I admit to all accusations against us."

With that, Serraemas took his seat, and more
than one person gawked at him in utter surprise.

"You've got the biggest balls right now",
muttered Raxxil as he shook his head.

The judge scratched his beard and appeared to
contemplate for a moment. "Very well then. Guilty as charged! The
punishment will be death."

"So, uh, what in Enept-Ihs's name was that?"
whispered Gallo. He was just as stunned as everyone else was, and
his words were minced with slight frustration. Rightfully so, for
his efforts had just been undermined by a simple sentence.

Serraemas looked at Gallo blankly. "In your own
words: the truth will be revealed."

Chapter 18

4th Dawn of the 5000th Age of Lion

"Your plan was to get us hung all along, wasn't
it?" blurted Raxxil sarcastically.

They were back in their poorly kept cell. Back
in the cold, dark recesses of the dungeon that the citizens of
Enept-Ihs called prison. The bit of sunlight they embraced to and
from the courtyard was refreshing, but it was only a sip. At least
their bed was fixed.

"Don't be silly", responded his dark-haired
ally. "How many times have you entrusted your fate to me?"

Raxxil kneeled next to Serraemas, facing the
direction of the wall and away from the guards. "Alright then, how
about you divulge the plan? Sevag, I'm assuming?"

"He will be here shortly", whispered Serraemas
into Raxxil's ear as the former leaned forward.

"I hope that the
Green Wonder
goes along
with it", mused Raxxil as he tilted his head in Erendil’s
direction.

Both of them glanced over at the towrth, who was
in his usual brooding state in the shadows. Whatever was going on
with Erendil, Raxxil wondered if he would sabotage their escape. It
truly was a most unusual situation given the archer’s previous
personality. The new one that they were presented with was
unnerving, and Raxxil didn’t appreciate it one bit.

"He will do exactly what he needs to do", said
Serraemas in a manner that was almost threatening. "He wishes to
escape just as much as we do."

The lizard man's mouth curved up in a wicked
smile.

Raxxil sat down next to Serraemas, albeit much
more carefully this time. To his relief—and probably Serraemas’s as
well—the bed only yielded a slight creak. The combination of
silence and boredom made Raxxil drowsy, and he slipped in-and-out
of consciousness before the sound of whistling awoke him. It was an
unfamiliar tune, but the person responsible
was
familiar and
clearly enjoying the act. Alongside the whistling were footfalls
that drew closer and closer until they stopped just outside their
cell.

Raxxil looked up to meet the gaze of a smiling
devil.

"Well, well", chided Sevag. "If it isn't our
guilty little rascals.” The white-haired warrior turned to the
guards. "Leave us be. I wish to talk to these men regarding private
matters."

Without question, the guards bowed and walked in
the opposite direction away from their cell. Sevag made sure that
they were gone before returning his attention—and his grin—to the
three prisoners.

Both Serraemas and Raxxil stood up, moving
closer to the bars to ensure that not only did the guards not hear
their conversation, but the other captives around them as well.
Sevag wore the same armor of blue and silver as the other members
of the Blue Swords. The garment of a paragon representing truth and
justice adorned the man that was furthest away from such
virtues.

"How go your endeavors?" asked Serraemas in a
hushed tone.

"Always a breeze", returned Sevag smugly, then
looked at Raxxil with condescending eyes. "Obviously, it hasn't
been the case for you."

"Blow it out your ass", blasted the
hammer-wielder.

"Once you get out, take out the guards and meet
me by the armory", continued Sevag as if he didn't hear the insult.
"It lies to the south of the prison's exit, about two-hundred feet.
The kingdom's weapons and armor are stored there, along with your
weapons in a stowed-away cache."

"So we're not exactly sneaking out of here
then?" questioned Raxxil, brightening up from the revelation that
he was about to cause an inordinate amount of destruction.

"How perceptive", jeered Sevag.

"What about Tanaria?" inquired Raxxil further,
deciding not to take the bait.

"Ah, so little Raxxil's heart does indeed burn?"
replied Sevag playfully. "Last I heard she was being kept in the
orphanage on the lower level. It's one of the larger buildings in
the residential area on the western side.” Sevag’s sneer grew even
wider. “How admirable to feel for another, considering who and what
you are."

"Are you sure we will be able to handle your
peers with no loss?" asked Serraemas before Raxxil could provide an
outburst.

"The Blue Swords?" blurted Sevag. "Those guys
are a bunch of losers. Well, most of them are. Sanjin is the only
one that could put up even a modicum of a fight. Unfortunately for
her, she's up against our might. Other than that, the only one we
have to even glance at is that bastard that calls himself judge.
The king is decrepit, withering away atop his thro—"

Sevag abruptly closed his mouth, and at first
Raxxil didn’t understand why. Instead, he focused intently on the
man's face. The fiery elementalist envisioned the satisfying crack
of his fisting connecting with Sevag's nose. However, he soon
snapped out of his daydream as he realized that Sevag was not their
only visitor. Sanjin's visage came into view, and her yellow eyes
glowed under the blaze of the mounted flames. Her eyes narrowed at
Sevag.

"Offering jests to lighten their impending
doom?" asked the woman. Raxxil wasn't sure whether she said it in
mockery or suspicion.

"Sending these men to the afterlife without
letting them smile would surely be an injustice, wouldn’t you
agree?" Sevag replied with a silver tongue.

She continued to stare at him as if trying to
determine something Raxxil did not know, but relaxed after a few
moments. "I did not come here for your childish games. Illistainn
has come under attack, and we ride in one hour."

Sevag's eyes widened for a moment before he
burst into laughter, his voice echoing down the halls. "What idiots
would attack those insane Veri?"

"We're not really sure", responded Sanjin as she
shook her head. "Attacking the kingdom of the Makkan Veri would be
suicide for many, but it seems that they were attacked from within.
I said one hour, and don't forget this time. We meet at the front
gate. We're not leaving without you."

Before Sevag could say anything, Sanjin whipped
around and vanished out of sight.

"Looks like Enept-Ihs will still stand another
day", whispered Sevag, once again leaning closer to the bars. "With
the Blue Swords away, your escape should be much smoother."

"I'm sure we will still run into heavy
resistance", said Serraemas. "They won't take too kindly to the
notion that we're free."

"Certainly the guards are nothing compared to
Raxxil", claimed Sevag in between laughs.

"Of course not", boasted Raxxil. "After them,
I'm coming for you."

"My, oh, my!" responded Sevag as he feigned a
shiver. "I'm shaking in my boots."

"Sevag", intervened Serraemas calmly before
Raxxil could erupt. "The key."

The jester reached to his side and rummaged
through his pack before withdrawing two keys. Sevag handed them to
Serraemas discretely, who caught the keys in between his palms and
stuffed them out of plain sight.