Broken Blades Don't Sing (Tales of Ashkar Book One) (28 page)

Samantha scratched her head. There have been no
shortage of odd characters lately, and she still had no idea why.
"What of the elementalists?"

"They were apprehended in Enorra by the Blue
Swords, and I hear they are to stand trial at Enept-Ihs", responded
Graf.

Samantha looked down and scoffed. She had
witnessed firsthand that they were no allies to those hellish
creatures, and they did not seem to have sinister purpose. They
even went so far as to aid her, though if that was for practical
reasons she did not know. She turned back to Graf. "And they didn't
go for the other traveler? At least those elementalists fought
against demons."

"I'm not sure ma'am", began Graf, "But Enept-Ihs
is a kingdom of justice, and justice will be dealt. They are by no
means a nation of ulterior motives."

"You're right", Samantha said, continuing her
movements and already seeing improvements. She made her way over to
the door. "Then I shall enact my own justice.”

"Lieutenant, wait", Graf urged softly.

Samantha turned around, and regarded the
sergeant's outstretched hand. In it was a black eye patch. She
grabbed it and brought it up to her face, inspecting it. It was
made of leather, and was soft to the touch. It was probably her
best option, lest she walk about with such an unsettling
feature.

Samantha walked over to the mirror and placed it
on her face, making sure it fit correctly. She fidgeted with it
until she found the perfect placement, then examined her face
briefly. As satisfied as she was going to get, Samantha wheeled
around and again headed for the door. There was something to be
done about that demon-summoning bastard. "Alright Graf, let's
go."

"Are you sure you want to go out there?" asked
Graf reluctantly. It seemed to physically pain him to say it.
"Isn't it much nicer in here, lieutenant?"

Confused, Samantha turned to regard Graf. It was
unusual of him to speak in such a way, and she felt fear rising
within her. She pointed to her face, specifically at the epicenter
of her wound, and searched his eyes for answers. "Surely there is
nothing more ill-conceived than this?"

Graf frowned. "I'm sorry, ma’am, but I fear the
contrary."

---

Raxxil groaned. "I can’t believe we’re relying
on that bast—?"

He felt a sharp pain in his side as an elbow
jutted into his ribs.

Raxxil rubbed his side with snared hands and
looked to his left. Serraemas gave him a you-better-not-ruin-this
look. Raxxil rolled his eyes, but sat back and said nothing while
Sevag walked down the aisle. As Sevag passed their table on his way
to his seat, he glanced at them and, unsurprisingly, offered a smug
look directed at Raxxil. Even without words the bastard made
Raxxil’s face flush red.

"Let us begin", rang Judge Bane the second
Sevag's ass connected with his chair. The old geezer sat atop his
high throne, gavel in hand and peering down at those that were
helpless to his whims. In here, Raxxil had the feeling that the man
was judge, jury,
and
executioner—and that he enjoyed his
position thoroughly. "Prosecutor, you may proceed."

The sound of a chair sliding across the floor
echoed throughout the otherwise silent room as one of the men
seated at the opposite table stood up and stepped out into the open
space in front of the judge's rise. He wore the same sharp attire
as of the defender assigned to them.

"Your honor", said the accuser as he bowed. He
straightened and turned around, speaking to the crowded room. "I
call on Hami to serve as my first witness."

A guard next to the doors opened them, stepped
out, and returned moments later with another man. The witness had
tanned skin and wore a cloth robe with a swirl of colors, fashioned
with a matching belt and hat. Raxxil could not identify the
garment's origin, but one thing was for certain—the man was
nobility. He looked to be in his thirties. The foreigner walked
down the center of the room, past the rows of curious spectators,
then past the tables where Raxxil and the others sat, and finally
sat at the seat designated for witnesses next to the judge. He
dared not look at Raxxil or the others, not even glancing at their
table.

A different guard stepped forward, his plate
armor clanging as he faced the witness. "Do you swear to speak only
the truth, for not only are
we
present in this courtroom,
but also Enept-Ihs the Exalted One?"

"Yes", replied the man after taking a deep
breath. His voice was resolute, as if he had waited for this moment
for a long time.

The armored soldier bowed in the direction of
the judge, then stepped back into his former position at the right
side of their table.

"Very well", said the judge, seemingly pleased
with the witness's vow. He then looked at the prosecutor that was
still standing and nodded. "Continue."

"Hami", began the prosecutor. "Will you please
explain who you are and where you hail from for the court?"

"My name is Hami Yoyen", said the witness after
clearing his throat. "I come from Garabas, a kingdom much like this
one, in southern Arcadia. I am the head of one of the noble houses
there."

"Very good", said the prosecutor as he clasped
his hands behind his back, walking back and forth pensively. "Now,
tell us your relation with the men on trial and how you may help us
reach the truth."

Raxxil scoffed. He did not recall ever being in
the kingdom the man spoke of. Then again, he had been to many
places and done many things that would cause many people to want
his head.

"My... my father was an ambassador in Garabas",
stated the witness, though his voice was now shaky. His eyes
glinted as what looked like tears started to form. "Our kingdom had
traded extensively with a neighboring one, so much so that many
thought it best to simply merge together so that we could grow and
flourish as a nation. My father had worked tirelessly to realize
that future."

The prosecutor stopped pacing and looked
directly at the witness. "You say 'was' and 'had'. What do you mean
by that?"

The witness looked down, and wiped away a tear
that was making its way down his face.

The entire room waited with bated breath for the
man’s answer.

"He was murdered, along with the ambassador of
the other kingdom", proclaimed the teary-eyed noble, finally
glaring at the three captives.

Looks certainly can kill.

Silence filled the court as Raxxil felt several
pairs of eyes boring in his back. No doubt a few knew where this
was going and had already jumped to the conclusion. They might have
been correct in their assumption.

"I apologize for your loss, Mister Yoyen", said
the prosecutor. "Are you claiming that these men are the ones
responsible?"

"Yes", snapped the witness, "I have no doubt in
my mind that they murdered my father."

"Objection, your honor!" exclaimed Gallo out of
nowhere as he jumped out of his seat, "Where is the proof for such
a bold claim?"

The judge pointed a gavel at the prosecutor.
"Mister Fash, I assume you will not leave it at baseless
claims?"

"Of course, your honor", said the suited and
well-groomed man as he bowed. "Mister Yoyen will back up his
claim."

The judge nodded at the prosecutor. "Very
well."

Gallo eased back into his chair and looked
expectantly, clearly curious to see what his colleague would
present.

Fash walked back to his table and picked up a
sheet of paper along with a pencil. He then walked over to where
the witness was sitting and handed him the items, and turned to
face the spectators. "Ladies and gentlemen, Mister Yoyen here is
going to illustrate for you the wounds that the murdered
ambassadors sustained, as well as the weapons used to do so."

Next to Raxxil, Gallo guffawed and shot straight
back up into a standing position. "Your honor, it is folly to back
such an accusation with a drawing."

The judge looked at the prosecutor, searching
for answers.

"Mister Fash, will this illustration actually
offer insight for the fate of these men?" asked Judge Bane, his
beard shifting about as he spoke each word.

"I assure you, and everyone in this room that
what our witness has to offer is quite enlightening", responded
Fash. "And it is certainly
not
folly."

The bearded judgment shrugged, then nodded to
the witness. Even Raxxil was curious to see what the robed man
would conjure up. Several minutes passed as dozens of heads stared
at Yoyen. Paying no mind, he scribbled on the parchment for what
seemed like forever.

If it wasn't better than Lenarro's
The White
Moon
, Raxxil was going to be disappointed. At last, the witness
dropped his pencil and sighed heavily. He pushed the paper forward
and looked away. "Take it. I cannot look upon it any longer."

The prosecutor briskly walked up to the elevated
platform where the witness sat and reached for the paper. Fash took
the parchment and turned to face the audience again, perusing it
before holding it up for everyone to see. Most couldn't actually
see it, but Raxxil had a clear view. On the top were two men laying
on the floor, wearing robes identical as the witness. The one on
the left was impaled by none other than one of Serraemas's ice
lances. On the right, the lifeless corpse had severe burns and a
crushed skull.

What was more startling, at least for Raxxil,
was the bottom half of the parchment. On it, was a fairly good
representation of both Serraemas and Raxxil with their cloaks,
armor, and weapons—something Raxxil dearly wished he had at his
disposal. They were, in fact, sitting right in front of the
witness, but to accurately depict their accessories was nigh
impossible unless they had met before.

By now, whispers and murmurs grew louder and
louder until they turned into overwhelming chatter. Keeping his
promise not to mess anything up, Raxxil did not say a word, but
instead looked at Serraemas and raised a brow. The latter shook his
head and returned a don't-worry-about-it look.

The courtroom was assaulted in noise until the
gavel slammed again. "Silence!"

And silence was what the judge received.

Judge Bane gestured at the prosecutor to come
forward and present the evidence to him. Fash obliged, handing the
parchment to the old man. He examined it for a few seconds, then
turned his head in the direction of the Blue Swords.

"Is the bottom depiction accurate?" asked the
old geezer, holding up the paper so that they could get a good look
at it.

Nine pairs of eyes turned to Sanjin, who took
charge whether she wanted to or not. The woman stood up and walked
over to the front of the judge's platform then studied the
parchment.

"These are exactly the items we confiscated from
the alleged", she said loudly, so that the entire room could hear.
Without pause she handed the parchment back to the judge and walked
back to her seat.

Raxxil expected chatter to erupt again, but the
air was still. The gavel, such a small little thing, appeared to be
an effective tool. He leaned over to Serraemas, and made sure his
voice was as low as possible. "I don't remember that. Must have
been boring."

"Garabas was quite a long time ago", whispered
Serraemas.

Raxxil reached up to scratch the back of his
head, and the chains binding his hands together jangled—

Suddenly the room went into high alert, with
even one of the guardsman unsheathing his weapon while several
heads shifted their attention to Raxxil as if he was about to try
something foolish. Registering that his intents were misread, the
tense atmosphere released.

"I said don't even move", reminded Gallo
harshly.

"Really?" retorted Raxxil as he rolled his
eyes.

"Mister Fash, is there anything else your
witness would like to add?" asked the judge.

The prosecutor shook his head. "No, your
honor."

Bane then looked at Gallo. "Mister Buci, do you
have anything to ask the witness before he is relieved?"

"Yes, your honor", said Gallo, "Just a couple of
questions for Mister Yoyen." The defender stood up and walked over
to the witness. "When did this alleged crime occur?"

The witness took a deep breath. "About twenty
years ago."

Gallo nodded thoughtfully. "And your drawing
depicts the accused as appearing about the same age they are
now?"

Confused at the question, the witness wrinkled
his forehead. "Y-yes but—"

"No further questions your honor", interrupted
Gallo, walking back to his seat. The defender sat back and glanced
at the prosecutor with a look of triumph.

"Very well", announced the judge, "You are
relieved as a witness."

The man looked down as he walked to the opposite
end of the room and out the double doors.

Raxxil felt a nasty itch on his nose, and
contemplated whether he should scratch it away or not. The fiery
elementalist turned to Serraemas with pleading eyes, the latter of
which shook his head, obviously disapproved at whatever Raxxil's
plight could possibly be. "My nose itches, damn it."

"The guards might run you through if you try
another questionable gesture", replied his partner
unapologetically.

"Scratching an itch is questionable?!" responded
Raxxil, but he did not receive a response. "Where's the justice in
that?" He shifted in his seat and turned to the towrth next to him.
"I need you to do me a favor, buddy. Better if you go than me."

Erendil did not answer him either.

"Oh I forgot, I've got two of you", lamented
Raxxil as he leaned back in his seat. He then wrinkled his nose in
an attempt to alleviate the inconvenience, but failed.

"Mister Buci, your first witness is next", said
the judge as the trial continued.