Chapter 38: Judged

“Darren Kinsley. I’ve heard so much about you from the former chancellor, also the former king. Your deeds are told far throughout Shirn’s history. Yet here you stand before me, barely a man, and I hold your fate in my hands.” The throne room had been redecorated since last Darren stood in it. Gaudy curtains and tasteless art littered the palace like garbage. But with a change in government, it was to be expected. To the group’s surprise, the people of the royal city had clamored for the removal of the previous chancellor and king within days of Darren’s departure. “Too soft,” they said.

Darren stared at the new king, a man fair of skin, wide of girth, wealthy, and a pitiless face. There could be no mercy from such a man. “You profess to hold my fate in your hands. That’s interesting. Tell me, what would you do with such as I, hmm?”

“You will address me as ‘Your Highness’! And very simply, my dear lad...I would put you to work at whatever task I had need of you for. Perhaps a simple execution, an assassination, or guard position...I’m sure none of those are too tasking on your skills, are they?” The king leaned forward and smiled unpleasantly.

Darren barely contained his disgust. “No, Your Highness...none of those are too tasking on my skills. What tasks my skills is giving me meaningless clean-up jobs that further only one man’s ends. I prefer to serve the people in small, but essential ways.”

The king burst out laughing. “Oh, oho, ahh...that’s rich. You’d be surprised how detailed some of these stories about you are, Darren Kinsley. The amount of blood stored in a single body was thought to be minimal, before you came along and showed us just how wide a range it could be spread across.”

Darren gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to hand Sara to someone else and destroy the fat man. “A man can change, Highness. Pardon me for asking, but I don’t even know your name.”

“My name is Abuwan. Of the Larendabard lineage, I am the ruler by choice of the people. Now that we’re acquainted, down to business.” Abuwan stood and pointed at Darren. “The people are all claiming you destroyed their ‘city in the sky,’ what we all know as Destiny. Yes, I know of the place. The previous chancellor was very informative after learning he could be executed for not sharing all the ‘royal knowledge.’ Did you destroy Destiny, or not?”

Darren nodded. “I destroyed Destiny, Highness.”

“Oh, then that’s that. You will die to satisfy the people’s lack of technology, since you believed in it that much.” Abuwan waved a ring-adorned hand and a servant approached with a cup of wine. Downing it at a single gulp, he turned back to Darren. “You’re still here. Shouldn’t you be throwing yourself on your own blade, or something similar? I did command you to die, after all.”

Darren blinked, astonished. Were the people really this blind, to think that brash and loud airs would make a good king? “I was just wondering whether you’d like to hear my reasons for destroying Destiny...Highness.”

The king yawned. “Your reasons don’t concern me. Or the people, for that matter. All they know is that you destroyed their hopes, and so somebody has to pay. Since you willingly admit to it, you must face them. Would you like to try to reason with an angry mob?”

Darren stared at him. “No...I wouldn’t. However-”

“Enough! I tire of you and your rag-tag following! Guards!” In came four armored and armed men. “Take Darren Kinsley and execute him publicly at the tallest point in the royal city! If his followers attempt to leave before this is done, execute them as well!” Abuwan noticed Sara and focused his leering gaze at her. “Is she drugged or merely sleeping?”

Darren’s teeth hurt from clenching them so much. “She is very sick and will not survive without my care.”

“I don’t believe it. Guards, take her from him and set her in my private chamb-”

Darren passed Sara to Thendat, tore a sword away from an unsuspecting guard and was beside the king instantly, a visibly powerful aura twisting the air. “Listen to me, you lazy irresponsible pile of human waste. I served every king Shirn had because I cared about order. When people see the most influential and dangerous man alive submitting to the king, they follow suit and respect him. I don’t-“

Darren’s voice suddenly rose in volume but dropped dramatically in pitch, a near-growl of threatening proportions. “Don’t touch her.” The music from the cathedral, known throughout Shirn as the Song of the Feladána, the Eternal Symphony, and the Baroun, began to drift through the minds of all present. One of the guards who had been inching towards Thendat backed away slowly, his face a mask of frozen fear.

The point of the blade inched closer to Abuwan’s throat. “I don’t respect you. I will never bow to you. You live only because I choose not to kill as I used to. And when the people see this, they themselves will kill you. Now,” he dropped the sword beside the throne and walked back to where his friends were standing. “There is one more option for you. I will abide by the laws of the former king, Adytlan, this woman’s brother. I will submit to a public trial by the people and also submit to their decision, as long as I am allowed to explain myself and my actions, and my friends are allowed to watch over the trial to ensure there are no corrupt activities. If, as you say, the people do not concern you, then there is no reason to think I will not be found guilty, correct?”

Abuwan didn’t like the way this man in front of him spoke. Clearly he overstepped his authority when he felt like it and had already broken about five different royal laws in this previous speech alone. But there was something in his tone and demeanor that frightened Abuwan to the point where he would almost take the blame for the destruction of Destiny, rather than risk a tortured death at the hands of the Feladána. “I accept.”

“Excellent.” Darren’s smile was somewhat forced. “Set guards outside the quarters we shall stay in if you must. Send people to watch if you feel the need. None of us shall leave the palace until the trial is prepared.” Bowing, he led the group past the stunned guards and towards the private rooms. Picking the first one on the right, he opened it and waved them all inside quickly.

Once inside, he surveyed the room and chuckled unexpectedly. “This room’s the one Sara and I stayed in...it hasn’t even been that long and yet it seems like forever.” Sighing, he placed Sara on the bed and pulled up a chair next to it. By now, she was rarely conscious and slept most of the time, occasionally calling out incoherently.

He sat there quietly for a couple minutes before Thendat walked up behind him. Not unkindly, he asked “Don’t you ever get tired of saving her?” Darren glanced up at him, smiled, and then looked back at Sara’s tranquil form. “Simply put, no. She is my Icklethe, The One I Live For; she is my Beloved. The bond we share is never broken. Distance only strengthens it. Attacks only bring us closer together. I will always be here for her as long as she needs me, and she will always be able to bring her troubles to me.”

Celia spoke up from her sitting position on the floor. “Doesn’t it seem...weak? To run to someone else with all your problems, to hope that they can solve what you cannot; doesn’t that ever annoy you?”

Darren smiled again. “On the contrary, she seems stronger to me than ever. She trusts me enough to know that even if I can’t help, I can still listen. She does whatever she can for me, even asking if there are any problems she can help me with. She tries her best, and if her best fails, she realizes she can’t do it on her own. Admitting you need help takes a tremendous strength of character.”

An unmeasured amount of time passed before Darren turned his eyes from Sara and retrieved a blanket from his pack. “They won’t come until morning. It’d be a good idea to get some rest...or even better, leave. You’re not the one on trial, and Sara would be safer with you all.”

The group exchanged glances, weighing his words. Thendat voiced his thoughts. “Darren, I think we would all rather die with you than either hear of your death elsewhere or learn you lived and try to face you again. I just wouldn’t be able to.”

Darren grinned. “Oh, I know. I figured I had to say it, though, just in case Celia or Tim wanted to go.”

The two mentioned people looked at each other and shrugged. Tim spoke up first. “Where would we go? We don’t know anybody, and you’re probably the most understanding person on Shirn when it comes to where we came from.”

Darren nodded. “A good point; it’s one that I keep forgetting. Well, since you’ve decided to make your fate with me...then get to bed.” He smiled and leaned back in the chair, his breathing slowing almost instantly.

The others smiled as well and laid out blankets, trying to relax on the hard stone floor. Before long, all of them were asleep except for Tim, who was near the door. He was having more trouble sleeping than ever before. After growing used to air conditioning and constant temperatures, the environment of Shirn was a huge adjustment for him. And right now, it was far too stuffy. Creeping to the other end of the room, he opened the window, wincing more than once at the creaking it made.

The fresh air cooled him instantly and he breathed in deeply. The moonlight bathed the windowsill and a few trees outside. Losing himself in it, he almost didn’t hear the door open quietly. Something inside him sounded a warning, though, and he flattened himself against the wall. A shadowed figure walked without noise towards the bed where Sara lay and Darren sat asleep.

Tim crouched and slid his left hand down his leg towards the combat knife. In retrospect, his side would have been a better place to strap it, he thought to himself. But the time for that was later. Even though he’d trained in the ISP room and had been a rather big weapons enthusiast, he wasn’t sure he could hit a trained assassin in the dark.

He drew his left arm back and was about to throw when a barely discernable padding of paws caught his ear. He glanced over his shoulder as long as he dared, seeing only the outline of some large creature watching him from the nearest hill; a pair of glowing yellow eyes was the only thing visible. What astonished him was the gentle voice of a woman that spoke directly to him. “Fear not,” it said, or seemed to say. “I will guide your aim.”

Tim looked back towards the room, hesitating for only a brief moment before tensing his muscles. The moving person had almost reached the bed. Sighing mentally, he threw as hard as he could and immediately ran towards the figure, hoping to catch it by surprise if the throw missed.

Darren moved as soon as the sound of metal sinking into flesh reached his ears. Instinct made him reach for his sword; the absence of it made him grimace. Instead, he flooded the room with light, waking Celia, Fraydon, and Thendat, but also revealing Tim sitting atop a bloody body, fist raised to pummel it into submission.

The scene was so comically absurd that Darren smiled. The smile turned into a strange sniffing sound, which grew to full-blown laughter as he leaned back in his chair. When he was done, he stood, and ignoring the stunned looks of his friends, knelt beside Tim. Removing the mask from the intruder, Darren nodded in affirmation. “It was an assassin, all right. Sent to eliminate Sara first, the rest of us later. It seems our enemies are growing desperate.”

He turned to Tim, who was in the calm stage of shock. “You did well, Tim. I would never have expected you to be able to throw a knife that well.”

Tim nodded slowly, still dazed. “Me neither. I don’t even think it was fully me.” Darren’s last sentence hit him and he focused a half-glare at Darren. “You knew I threw the knife. You weren’t asleep.”

Darren’s smile showed teeth. “I was fully aware of everything that happened from the moment you left your blanket. I prefer to know exactly what happens while I sleep...it prevents nasty surprises later. By the way,” Darren motioned to the closet containing a full-length mirror. “It seems you’ve accepted more than just a life on Shirn.”

Tim walked over to the mirror and stared at his reflection. He was nothing special, just an average boy with black hair and pale green eyes...but his eyes seemed a lighter shade somehow. Even as he watched, they changed hue from green to the lightest shade of brown he had ever seen, to a dull gold color, to a slightly darker shade of blue, then to gray and finally to silver. Without moving his stare from his own eyes, he said “Darren? What exactly did I accept?”

Darren shrugged. “Beats me. Could be anything from an animal bond to sensitivities outside normal human ranges. I really have no way of knowing, and neither do you until you call it out. And don’t ask me how...you’ll understand it eventually, when the need is real and the time is right.”

Tim rolled his eyes as he shut the closet door. “You sound like a horoscope. ‘Friends will need you; you must help them quickly.’ ‘Time is of the essence, and your work is essential.’ Random pieces of vague riddles that don’t really help anybody out.”

Darren shrugged again. “Like I said, I really have no way of knowing. I’m not omnipotent...I just pretend I am.” Grinning, he leaned back in his chair and moved the hood of his gray cloak slightly to cover his face. Waving a hand, he extinguished the light.

The others were already in their beds, so they simply lay back down. Tim coughed softly from his position at the foot of the bed. When that go no reaction, he tried a little louder, finally saying to Darren “And the body?”

Without moving his hood, Darren sent the body and blood trail out the now-open window, flying off into the distance. Tim smacked his face and shook his head. “Don’t tell me some poor peasant’s going to have to deal with that mess.”

Darren’s grin was evident in his tone. “I’m cruel, not heartless. I took the liberty of cleaning and retrieving your knife for you. You’ll find it at your feet. As for the body, I know who sent the assassin. What better way to say “You failed to kill me” than to return the hired man dead on the employer’s floor?”

Tim shook his head again. “You never cease to amaze, Darren...and disgust, and amuse, and overlook, and laugh...” He stopped talking, shrugged in a gesture of dismissal, and lay down near the door.

Darren’s chuckle set him at ease and lulled them all to sleep.

~

Pounding on the door awoke Darren rudely. He stood up and looked around the room, confused. There was nobody there except him and Sara. None of their supplies remained in the room. There was nothing to suggest that anybody else had been there the night before. The sun was high in the sky, and judging by the light, it was blazing hot outside.

Darren rubbed his temples and answered the door groggily. “Who is it?”

“I’m the cleric of the jury, your assistant in this trial. Would it be possible to speak with you for a few minutes before we head to the sentencing?”

Darren woke up completely as he opened the door, allowing the tall, thin man entry. Giving him the only chair, Darren sat on the foot of the bed. “What would you like to speak about? You are defending me, correct?”

“In a sense. I am merely here to make sure you understand the proceedings. Though I warn you, you have to be absolutely careful of what you say. When people get angry, they are most irrational beings, something which I simply do not understand.” The cleric stood from the chair and paced back and forth. “Now, tell me your side of the story, from beginning to end.”

When Darren had finished laughing, he smiled at the puzzled cleric. “My story would take years to tell. But I’ll fill you in on all the facts about this case.” So he started from the moment Adytlan had requested he find the Stone of Naugan, leading all the way up until the confrontation with the commander in the control room.

The cleric simply could not believe his ears. “To think, I’m helping Darren Kinsley himself. I will certainly do the best I can.”

Darren smiled reassuringly. “I don’t doubt it.” Noticing the cleric’s confused looks around the room, he shrugged. “I don’t know where my friends are...maybe they took my advice and decided to leave while there was still a chance of their safety.”

Whatever the cleric had to say to that was cut off by a trio of soldiers that filled the doorway. “Darren Kinsley.” Darren looked at them expectantly. “Your trial will be held now, in the public square in the center of town. You will follow us in accordance with your agreement.”

Darren nodded, walked over to the bed, and picked up Sara. At the doorway, he paused for a moment, scanning the room for something he couldn’t quite place. Shaking his head, he turned back to the guards. “Lead on.”

~

Sara’s mental condition was far more complex than anyone could understand. Even Darren couldn’t figure out what ailed her, and he had spent years by her side and seemed to know her better than she knew herself. Wavering between consciousness and a sleep that never gave rest, she was constantly fighting for her sanity as illusions mixed with reality.

She found herself floating in a gray ocean, clinging to a board that appeared to be the only thing keeping her afloat. To her horror, the board began to crack and split, pieces breaking off and drifting away. Something grabbed her leg and dragged her under, churning the water and making it impossible to see what was pulling her.

Holding her breath as long as possible, Sara finally let it out and breathed in air, surprising herself. Whatever was grabbing her leg let go and she floated to the surface, breaking free of the water and waking briefly. Darren was leaning over her, shading her sensitive eyes from the pounding light. She smiled and reached up, touching his face for only a moment as her arm became impossibly heavy and her eyes closed of their own accord.

Sara fell back into her unconscious state as Darren turned to the seven randomly selected people who would decide his fate. Here he stood on a small platform in the public square, having just told his account a third time, his only chance of survival. Though I suppose I should be grateful I get any chance at all. “You have heard my story. You have heard my reasons. And you have heard my deeds.” As a formal closing, he announced to all present, “You will judge me.”

~

Celia, Tim, Thendat, and Fraydon made their way quietly throughout the city. The gates were wide open and unguarded, so none noticed their leaving. Five steps down the road away from the royal city, the dirt exploded to the side of the path. Those with weapons had them unsheathed and out in a second, but there was nobody to be found there.

Instead, Acerin came up the road towards the city, his face unreadable and still. Nearing them, he asked “Where’s Darren?”

Thendat answered him. “Standing trial, as he wishes.”

Only Tim and Thendat’s sharp eyes noticed Acerin’s face change briefly to panic, then back to calm again. Unexpectedly, he smiled and continued up the road. “Why aren’t you all with him?”

The group turned back and began to walk with him. Celia answered, “He wanted us to be safe, and after thinking about it for a while, we decided that not only could he handle himself, but he’d be better off without protecting us. We’ll meet up with him later, no doubt.”

Acerin glanced at her. “And the blonde? Why isn’t she with you guys?”

“After what Darren almost did when the king tried to separate them, we also decided not to make the same mistake, even if he did trust us with her,” replied Tim.

“The fool!” Acerin burst out loudly to no-one in particular. “He still thinks the rules hold!” He stopped and stared at each the confused four. “Darren will die unless he is helped.” With another explosion of dirt, he was gone.

Thendat, Celia, Tim, and Fraydon were left staring at each other in confusion as tension began to rise.

~

The four men, three women, and child that made up the jury observed Darren, each musing on their own thoughts. The child had been Darren’s choice; both he and the king had the right to select four random people from the crowd. As Darren had expected, the child had no reason to believe Darren was lying and wasn’t inherently suspicious. He took Darren at his word.

The others were a bit more...unforgiving. As they had pinned hopes on Destiny, they felt a bit more betrayed. And would I be any different? If I had hopes for a better life in Silver Lake and one man’s crusade took them away, I’d be angry too...but at least I’d take the time to find out why he did it. And I’ve given them their time.

~

Thendat raced through the city, heading for the square. He had no idea how to help Darren even once he found him. What could he do against a mob with arrows and blades? Fraydon had stayed with Tim and Celia, guiding them to an inn that was safe and easy to find. He’d meet up with them after...after whatever happens.

~

Each member of the jury was given two pieces of wood, one with a large “G” on it, the other with a large “I”. If the boards displaying the letter I outnumbered the boards displaying the letter G, he would be innocent. If not...then the topic for years to come would be Darren’s execution.

The jury began displaying the boards as Thendat reached the fringes of the crowd. There was no way to get a clear shot at anything that threatened Darren from where he was. Looking around, he spotted a bell tower and ran towards it, hoping to scale it in time to help.

Darren blinked in surprise. Two men and two women showed the boards with “G” on it. The other two men, the remaining woman, and the child all had “I” proudly displayed. A hung jury was not something he’d expected. The king’s laughing drew his attention.

Sitting in a golden chair supported by four well-muscled and shirtless men, Abuwan sat with obvious glee. “So, Darren Kinsley, your fate is still mine to control.”

Darren looked at him with growing suspicion. “What do you mean?”

Abuwan’s grin was ghastly to behold, triumphant and gloating. “The laws of the king state very clearly that in the event of a jury being unable to decide the fate of the tried, the king has the final word.”

Darren glared at him. “That’s never been a law. The case is retried-“

“I made it law myself! I am king, and as such am allowed to make, retract, and rewrite laws as I please.” Abuwan’s smug smile was almost enough to push Darren over the edge. But he had promised to abide by the results of the trial, hadn’t he? Abuwan leaned towards Darren and smiled ingratiatingly. “But of course, I will show mercy...provided you swear your services to me.”

Darren took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Abuwan had probably made that law the previous night, to assure his victory in any outcome. “I will never swear allegiance to such as you.”

Abuwan shrugged and leaned back. “So be it. You shall die, then.” They had already raised a platform in case of such an event, and Darren was lead to it. But before he went, he leaned down over Sara for one last kiss. The little boy in the audience groaned loudly, making Darren smile at the boy. Ah, to be young again. He almost chuckled. Almost.

Once he reached the platform, his head was rudely forced into a block made for that purpose. A basket waited for his head, a twisted way of turning away the wrath of the people of Shirn. Darren closed his eyes as the executioner’s axe was raised. The crowd’s jeering swelled. Something’s not right...never before have the people been so hungry for blood. It’s as if the odds are-

He could sense the axe about to fall as the noise increased steadily. Blocking out the outside world, time slowed as he examined his own thoughts. What is wrong with me? Why did I think that my enemies would play fair if I did?

A collective gasp went up from the crowd and Darren turned to look where they did. Sara staggered slowly up the steps to where he knelt, the executioner’s axe poised and ready to fall. Falling next to him, she looked into Darren’s eyes. The clarity he saw there was startling.

“It’s not time to die,” she whispered to him in a strong, yet soft voice, even as the axe fell. Sara’s hand shot up and gripped the shaft of the axe, holding it up with a strength that clearly should not exist in her form. Her arm began to quiver with the strain of holding it, and as her grip failed and the axe fell towards him once again, Darren’s mind changed in thought pattern.

Why should I even bother playing fair or ‘by my own rules’ if it won’t help anybody and evil is allowed to go free? I made the rules...and I can smash them. Welcome to my world, peons.

His eyes flickered black for a moment and the axe shifted slightly to the right and sank into the raised wooden dais. Standing up, Darren faced the screaming mob and began to speak. But the more he tried to speak, the more the people drowned out his voice.

Frustrated and rapidly growing angrier, Darren lifted his hand and sent the Baroun through the ears of every person, animal, and insect for miles. Nothing could save the entire city from a deep-rooted fear of the reputation Darren had gained, and even his friends felt cold at the sound of it. Abuwan covered his ears and shrieked, though it did nothing to save him. Thendat shuddered as he reached the top of the tower and peered over the side, trying to figure out just what had happened while he climbed the many stairs. He readied an arrow, but waited patiently.

Once the last scream of terror had died, Darren raised his voice and spoke to all present. “People of Shirn! You forget the principles of the kings before you. You forget how patient, compassionate, and caring they were. It was not too long ago that you were all bereaved upon hearing of the bitter loss of Adytlan, a truly kind ruler. I myself helped carry his coffin, mourning the loss of my newly found brother-in-law.”

That made more than a few people sit up and take notice, and Darren continued with a hint of anger in his voice. “The only reason I do not simply kill you all off right now is because I have saved you countless times, many open and many more secret. I have protected all of Shirn from many threats; why would I do something that doesn’t benefit you all? I’m a Guild Guide! I’ve dedicated myself to helping people, instead of becoming an assassin of the king.” He almost spat out his last few words.

Something distracted his mental focus and he stopped his speech. Something was coming...no, something was here. Looking around quickly, he saw nothing of interest...wait, what was that? Something or someone leapt from rooftop to rooftop towards the square, moving at an incredible rate.

In seconds, it landed beside Sara and picked her up. Darren moved to intercept the being, but even as he moved the figure lifted a hand and a massive surge of energy collided with Darren and slowed his velocity. Darkness swirled around this new foe in an unholy vortex, masking his face and figure. As Darren fought against the wave, the being leaned closer to him and unveiled its face, causing Darren’s eyes to widen in recognition. You...

“Me.” The voice was painfully familiar. “You will find me outside the city, three miles to the south. She will be there. Your destiny lies with me, Darren Kinsley...you know that. Come. Embrace your future and the new world of Shirn.” With that, the dark figure leaped from the platform and flew to the south, away from the city and the palace and into the wilderness. The field Darren that fought against disappeared as his enemy did.

Thendat watched them go from his vantage point, then saw them settle amidst a dark mass and gasped. He raced down the tower steps and was beside Darren in seconds panting. “There’s...an army massing...it’s the biggest I’ve ever seen! That’s where...Sara is. Behind the huge army. It’s not moving now, but who knows when it’ll march on this city?”

Darren nodded; no expression was on his face. “Sara was right. War is here.” He turned to the people. “War is here! Will you surrender or will you fight?”

“Whose side are you on?” someone shouted from the crowd.

Darren pointed right back at them. “I am on the side of the people. I will fight against the army.”

“And we will fight with him!” Darren’s friends came and stood beside him on the platform. Fraydon smiled helplessly at Thendat. “Sorry. We weren’t able to stay at the inn and had to come.” Thendat shrugged.

Darren turned to the king. “Will you lead them into battle or will you cower as you sit on your throne?”

Abuwan glared at him, then at the people, then back at him. “I will plan strategy, rather than risk my important life at the frontlines.”

Darren’s smile was condescending. “As you wish. I will lead your people into battle. Thendat, Fraydon, Tim, Celia, you all have skills I need to command. We need to meet at the palace now, while the people take time to arm themselves and assemble here in this city.”

As they walked away from what was almost Darren’s execution, Darren glanced back at the direction Sara had been taken, resolve hardening. I must face him now. I didn’t think he would be here. I made this a perfect world, after all. I guess it would have happened eventually...

~

Sara felt the experience of being carried while flying, but she was facing down, so all she could see was the land traveling beneath her, and that was while she was conscious. The line between illusion and reality was becoming even more blurred recently, and it was hard to tell what things were anymore.

She heard the sound of a tent being opened, felt herself being carried inside, and felt the softness of a cot with pillows. With a tremendous amount of will and effort, she opened her eyes and tried to look around the room. All she could see was the pulsing blackness that surrounded the one man in the room. If she forced her eyes to focus, it almost looked like...“Darren?”

An all-too-familiar chuckle rolled throughout the tent. “No, Sara...my name is Nanashi.”
- posted by Nick @ 1/20/2005 11:13:00 PM