robe and produced a scroll. He showed it to the circle of
dragons that surrounded them and then unrolled it.
“Zane Hunter,
Commander of the Firebound Guards, you have been found guilty for the crime of
regicide, against your clan and your king. Under the authority of the seven
grandmasters, and the Kingdom of Aries, you shall be executed as you sit now
before the court. Do you have any final words before it is carried out?”
Zane breathed
heavily. He looked from the Mage to his brother.
“Make him do
it. By the sword.”
The Mage
rolled up his parchment and tucked it away. He nodded to Conrad.
Conrad
grimaced. “Sword!”
A sword was
flung out from the circle and Conrad caught it in one hand.
The Mage
backed away from them.
Zane’s eyes
drifted upward as Conrad moved to his side.
“This will be
a great mistake for you,” he said. “Murdering your brother who comes to you in
a time of need. Bought for blood. Bought for gold. Who will trust you now that
you’re so cheaply for sale?”
“Shut up,”
Conrad murmured.
He raised the
sword above Zane’s neck.
“You think
they’ll make you king? A coward like you, who was so afraid he wouldn’t offer
his brother a final duel? That he murders him with the help of the lowlife,
degenerate Human Mage?”
Conrad closed
his eyes. The sword went higher still.
“And what
happens when they find out I was right about Horatio? Because they will find
out. And you will burn forever for your treachery today.”
Zane lowered
his neck.
Stared at the
ground.
There was a
moment of silence, and then –
The sword
landed on the ground.
“What are you
doing?” the Human Mage demanded.
“We can’t
kill him,” Conrad declared. “You can’t, I can’t. Not here we can’t.”
“What the
hell are you talking about? We’ve been given order from the otherworld –”
“Who have
given it upon your evidence. Your testimony. But if there’s a chance he’s
telling the truth about…”
“About what?”
“Come here a
moment.”
Conrad took
the Mage under his wing as the pair peeled away to talk quietly together.
Zane’s gaze moved around slightly, and he suddenly became aware of feeling in
his right arm.
Then his
left.
CHAPTER
THREE
After she had finished using the
bathroom’s facilities, Stacey stepped out of the shower and retrieved the towel
from the hook. It was dry, and hadn’t been used much. It smelt nice too – much
nicer than the clothes she was expected to wear. The rags consisted of a man’s
unwashed shirt, and a pair of paper thin leggings. She didn’t understand why
Conrad wished her to wear these as she was sure they would make her look
undesirable.
She debated
with herself about putting them on, finally admitting they were better than
nothing. Once on, she stared at herself in the mirror and realized that she
could actually see through both the shirt and the pants, as they were that
thin. She didn’t want to wear these. She felt sick.
But the
decision was not up to her.
Now that she
was finished, she went to the door and called out in hope Conrad might hear
her.
“Hello? I’m
ready now!”
She waited
through the silence.
Then she
heard footsteps approaching the door.
“Hello?” a
voice came on the other side.
Not Conrad.
One of the servants.
“Hello?”
Stacey shot back. “Can you please let me out? The door won’t open.”
She heard the
sound of keys jingling. The door’s lock snapped open.
The servant
held it back, and Stacey smiled sweetly at him. “Thank you.”
She
approached the stairs.
“I wouldn’t
go that way if I was you.”
Stacey
stopped and turned.
“It’s
dangerous out there,” the servant said.
Stacey paced
back towards him. “Is there another way out of here?”
The servant
nodded. “Follow me.”
The servant
briskly moved from the bathroom’s doorway and around the corner of the hall.
At one of the
rooms on the opposite of Conrad’s study, the servant used his keys to
dragons that surrounded them and then unrolled it.
“Zane Hunter,
Commander of the Firebound Guards, you have been found guilty for the crime of
regicide, against your clan and your king. Under the authority of the seven
grandmasters, and the Kingdom of Aries, you shall be executed as you sit now
before the court. Do you have any final words before it is carried out?”
Zane breathed
heavily. He looked from the Mage to his brother.
“Make him do
it. By the sword.”
The Mage
rolled up his parchment and tucked it away. He nodded to Conrad.
Conrad
grimaced. “Sword!”
A sword was
flung out from the circle and Conrad caught it in one hand.
The Mage
backed away from them.
Zane’s eyes
drifted upward as Conrad moved to his side.
“This will be
a great mistake for you,” he said. “Murdering your brother who comes to you in
a time of need. Bought for blood. Bought for gold. Who will trust you now that
you’re so cheaply for sale?”
“Shut up,”
Conrad murmured.
He raised the
sword above Zane’s neck.
“You think
they’ll make you king? A coward like you, who was so afraid he wouldn’t offer
his brother a final duel? That he murders him with the help of the lowlife,
degenerate Human Mage?”
Conrad closed
his eyes. The sword went higher still.
“And what
happens when they find out I was right about Horatio? Because they will find
out. And you will burn forever for your treachery today.”
Zane lowered
his neck.
Stared at the
ground.
There was a
moment of silence, and then –
The sword
landed on the ground.
“What are you
doing?” the Human Mage demanded.
“We can’t
kill him,” Conrad declared. “You can’t, I can’t. Not here we can’t.”
“What the
hell are you talking about? We’ve been given order from the otherworld –”
“Who have
given it upon your evidence. Your testimony. But if there’s a chance he’s
telling the truth about…”
“About what?”
“Come here a
moment.”
Conrad took
the Mage under his wing as the pair peeled away to talk quietly together.
Zane’s gaze moved around slightly, and he suddenly became aware of feeling in
his right arm.
Then his
left.
CHAPTER
THREE
After she had finished using the
bathroom’s facilities, Stacey stepped out of the shower and retrieved the towel
from the hook. It was dry, and hadn’t been used much. It smelt nice too – much
nicer than the clothes she was expected to wear. The rags consisted of a man’s
unwashed shirt, and a pair of paper thin leggings. She didn’t understand why
Conrad wished her to wear these as she was sure they would make her look
undesirable.
She debated
with herself about putting them on, finally admitting they were better than
nothing. Once on, she stared at herself in the mirror and realized that she
could actually see through both the shirt and the pants, as they were that
thin. She didn’t want to wear these. She felt sick.
But the
decision was not up to her.
Now that she
was finished, she went to the door and called out in hope Conrad might hear
her.
“Hello? I’m
ready now!”
She waited
through the silence.
Then she
heard footsteps approaching the door.
“Hello?” a
voice came on the other side.
Not Conrad.
One of the servants.
“Hello?”
Stacey shot back. “Can you please let me out? The door won’t open.”
She heard the
sound of keys jingling. The door’s lock snapped open.
The servant
held it back, and Stacey smiled sweetly at him. “Thank you.”
She
approached the stairs.
“I wouldn’t
go that way if I was you.”
Stacey
stopped and turned.
“It’s
dangerous out there,” the servant said.
Stacey paced
back towards him. “Is there another way out of here?”
The servant
nodded. “Follow me.”
The servant
briskly moved from the bathroom’s doorway and around the corner of the hall.
At one of the
rooms on the opposite of Conrad’s study, the servant used his keys to
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