Several days had passed since Katya was taken from the holding cell, and every day Mikhail worried they’d killed her. Nebo had woken up two days ago, and after the initial shock of being in an entirely unfamiliar place, the boy had been inconsolable about Katya not being there. He had fallen silent again.
It also didn’t help that they couldn’t communicate as well as Mikhail would’ve wanted, so he couldn’t explain the details of the situation since he wouldn’t know if the boy would understand what he meant. Then again, maybe that was for the best, he didn’t know how Nebo would react if he knew they were most likely awaiting their deaths.
He’d gotten the boy to eat the slop they were given after many failed attempts. It was far worse dying of hunger than by an executioner's axe, after all.
Before Nebo took a bite, he smelled it, narrowed his eyes at Mikhail and made a disgusted face. After Mikhail granted him a look that could turn blood into ice, the boy decided it would probably be best to suffer through eating it.
Mikhail had had time to think about what they could do to get out of this predicament, but came to the conclusion that he just had far too little information to hatch a plan. All he’d seen were the platforms, the city hundreds of meters below them and the holding cell. He couldn’t see any possibility of escape, and even if he did, he doubted Nebo would come willingly without Katya.
Hours went by in which the two didn’t hear a sound, apart from the eerie howling of the wind in the dark corridors outside their cell. Nebo had buried his face in his knees in a failed attempt at sleeping, and Mikhail waited patiently for a sign of life other than Nebo’s.
The uncertainty of it all was getting to him, and a man with nobody to speak to but his thoughts can turn them dark easily. The shadows of certain thoughts were creeping up on him; Wasn’t this all Katya’s fault in the first place? What if he’d just left Nebo in the woods that day? They were the thoughts of a man he didn’t want to be anymore, but nevertheless they still gnawed at his brain.
He tried to push them away, and as he tried, he heard footsteps approaching the cell rapidly. The guard wasn’t coming for food, they’d recently been fed. His heart rate shot up.
The cell door opened again, and four guards entered. Two of them went to grab Nebo, and the other two unshackled Mikhail. They were blindfolded again, and after the guards unshackled them they were led through the corridors. He heard the rapid little steps of Nebo right behind him interspersed with the heavy thumps of the guards’ leather boots. The guards didn’t say a word the whole way they winded and weaved through the Spire’s many corridors and stairways. They went up, always up. As they reached new floors and areas, Mikhail noticed different smells and sounds every time they passed through them. Once, he could’ve sworn he smelled cinnamon, and in a different hallway he’d heard moans and cries from people most likely in the same situation as him.
They’d stopped. The guards said something to each other in their strange language, and Mikhail guessed they must have reached the destination where their fates awaited them.
Fate.
He hated the word. It implied a man couldn’t do anything about his lot in life. His current situation only reinforced that belief. He heard two doors in front of him being opened. He and Nebo were led towards what he guessed was a sort of stage, as he’d heard whispers around him when they led him up a few steps.
Their blindfolds were removed, and Mikhail had to shield his eyes against the light shining through the glass ceiling. When he got used to the brightness, he scanned the room.
Ten men and women were seated around the podium, divided into three sections of three people each, with one young man with white hair sitting in between two of the sections. They were all seated on opulent thrones, though the one where the white haired man sat was particularly elaborate. The room was very large, and there were embroidered banners hanging from the wall on each of the three sides, representing each faction.
One of the banners was black and emblazoned with a golden Arulian, the second was red and sported a coiling silver snake, and the last banner was purple with a kind of black owl on it, though the owl seemed to have two big horns sprouting from its head.
He also saw Katya. They’d kept her blindfolded, and he saw streaks of dried blood below her eyes. He felt his anger rise, they’d probably blinded her as a precaution.
“Katya, we’re here!” He shouted. She looked around in vain, but he could see an uneasy smile form on her face. She nodded.
He looked at Nebo, and saw the boy’s sadness at seeing Katya like this.
“Kata! Okay?”
“Are you a-” Before he could finish the sentence, one of the guards struck him across the face with an armoured fist again. His legs buckled, but he managed to resist falling to his knees. The other guard struck Nebo’s face as well, and he screamed out in shock and pain.
Katya bit her lip.
Fuming, Mikhail decided to keep quiet for now to prevent more punishment.
The white haired man slightly raised an eyebrow at him, but then spread his arms and said a few words in a commanding tone. Following this, he sat back down and slammed his ringed fist hard on the wooden armrest of his throne. All the others did the same, and the synchronized sound of nine fists slamming into wood echoed through the room.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Katya got shoved forward, and the white haired man started speaking. He had a voice that oozed authority, so even though Mikhail couldn’t understand a word he said he felt he should be careful in how he would act.
When the man stopped speaking, one of the guards shoved Katya.
She took a deep breath. “You’re in front of the Golden Council of the Spirehold of Satharia, Mikhail. I am to translate what they say for you. The man who just spoke was the Steward of the Spire. Please don’t talk unless I tell you to. I’ll translate his words now.”
She turned to the Steward and spoke a few words. The man nodded, and she bowed quickly before turning to face Mikhail again.
“Outworlder, you are in the presence of the noble houses Celdos, Wrethyn and Bathavria. As such, you will conduct yourself humbly in this room. Though we know you are ignorant of our laws, you’ve still decided to slay one of our holy beasts, and this is something we cannot ignore. Your woman here has informed us that you have no knowledge of our customs, and as such we have decided to put the three of you on trial. Keep in mind that your crime is normally punished immediately by execution.”
Mikhail felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The three of you, he said. As he thought, Nebo was in danger as well. He calmed himself and turned to Nebo. The boy’s face had grown swollen and red, and tears welled up in his eyes. Mikhail winked at him and smiled, trying to calm him down. He looked at the Steward, and silently nodded to show that he understood.
The man studied Mikhail and began speaking again at length. Mikhail found the language to sound somewhat melodic and lilting. It would have been pleasant to hear if not for the content he knew the words held. When the Steward stopped speaking, he gestured for Katya to translate again. The guard tapped her shoulder.
Katya nodded. “I see you understand. We’ve heard what happened from this woman and the trainee who witnessed what you did, but we’d like to hear your version as well to ascertain if she’s telling the truth. Though we have decided to consider leniency in your case, keep in mind that if we notice any lies, this leniency will be discarded and all three of you will be executed immediately. Now, tell us everything. We will decide your fate after we’ve heard what you have to say.”
Mikhail’s mind raced. Should he tell the entire truth, or not? What if there was something he’d say that he’d regret? Or something he didn’t say? What did Katya tell them?
After a while, the steward slammed his hand on the armrest again and shouted a command.
Mikhail didn’t need a translator to understand that he’d best start talking now.
After considering it, he decided they probably knew about Katya’s powers since they’d wounded her eyes. He’d leave out that Nebo could do magic because Katya had to run away to his world to be safe. They hadn’t left the boy blindfolded or mutilated either, so he could reasonably assume they didn’t know about Nebo stopping the Arulian, furiously hoping the so-called trainee hadn't stuck around to see the end of the fight.
So he began. He told them about how they’d ended up here, how they survived in the cave, how they’d heard the shriek coming from the cave, and how he’d jumped down and sliced open the neck of the Arulian. He could hear audible gasps at that part, and it amused him a little that he’d made them uncomfortable. Then he told them about how they got captured, and ended the tale at being thrown into the holding cell.
The council members whispered to each other fervently, some even raising their voices. After an appropriate amount of time, the Steward raised his hands, and the bickering died down.
He looked at Mikhail intensely, and spoke again. After he was done, he asked each of the noble houses for their opinions, and motioned for Katya to speak again.
Katya’s lip trembled, and Mikhail heard her voice crack as she began translating.
“The houses have heard your explanation. Though unwittingly, you've still broken one of our most important laws. As such, the houses of Bathavria and Celdos have decided upon your execution. The child will be made to work as a slave in the Balthun Mines for the Empire until his death. The woman will be transferred to the Elysian Tower, where her eyes will be healed. She will be examined and re-evaluated as a Weaver and an Ocularus since she was unconscious at the time of the crime. The house of Wrethyn have withheld their verdict. Do you or the child wish to say anything more in your defense?”
Mikhail’s eyes widened. So this was to be the end for him after all. He thought he’d probably have been better off telling them about Nebo’s powers if he would be sent to work as a slave his entire life. After considering all possible angles, he started speaking.
“The child, he-” But Katya cut him off. She dropped to her knees and wailed in the Empire’s language. He saw her bowing her head to the floor multiple times as she begged for something.
The Steward shouted, and Katya fell silent. He looked around the council at the sections one by one, and each nodded in turn. Then he stood up and spoke again. As he spoke, Mikhail could see a sad smile forming on Katya’s face.
This didn’t calm Mikhail. It wasn’t a smile you’d see on the face of someone who’d won.
After the Steward finished, he slammed his fist on the throne once more, and all nine of the council followed suit. He said something to Katya in a noticeably softer tone, and she nodded.
Her voice was still shaky. “Outworlder, this woman had the chance to be trained and educated at the Elysian Tower in service of the Emperor. She has turned this down in favor of giving her life to protect you, however.” Her shoulders slumped. “In accordance with our laws, she is entitled to give her life for another, as we see this as one of the highest virtues one can possess. Our ancestor and hero, Bathael, has sacrificed his life to defeat the Unraveled One in this very room, saving countless lives in the process. She, too, will sacrifice her life in this room to save yours. In honor of her sacrifice, we will send you along with the child to the mines so you may watch over him. This is as much as we can do.” She paused, and took a deep breath. “Keep him safe, I know you will. Don’t let them take him away from you.”
One of the guards unsheathed his longsword, and walked up to Katya.
“Mikhail, remember, a life spent protecting is a life worth living, even as a slave.” She turned her head to Nebo. “And you, child, take care of him, he might need it even more than you do.” She smiled and gazed up at the glass ceiling. “Time to rest.”
The guard stepped behind her and turned the tip of his sword towards her neck. The Steward said something, and in a flash the sword pierced her throat. She fell to the floor, a puddle of blood forming beneath her body.
Nebo cried out. “Kata! Kata! No!” He turned to Mikhail. “You, keep Kata safe! Help Kata!”
It killed a piece of Mikhail. He knew he couldn’t do anything to help her, but he still broke a promise to the boy. He’d said he’d keep them safe, and he failed.
“Mika, help!”
But Mikhail could only look at Katya’s lifeless body on the floor. He closed his eyes and felt a tear roll down his scarred cheek.
Their fates were sealed.