Jake

Alex and I sat in the back of the fourth car in the formation. The sky was gloomy and gray as our modern caravan made its way home. The cars were winding their way up the familiar mountain road, signifying that we were almost at our destination.

I turned to Alex. “Do you think they’ll be alright?” I asked quietly.

“What? You mean that girl and her mom?” he leaned his head back and sighed, “I don’t know, Jake. I mean, didn’t you hear what the General called the mom?”

“‘Major General Cyra.’”

“Exactly. She’s the Dawnscourge. The Guardian that deserted seventeen years ago and killed all who tried to stop her.” He laid out these facts for me with a tone insinuating that my worrying about them was crazy.

“See, I get that — I know the stories too — it’s just…” I sighed and looked out the window, “the mom really doesn’t seem like the type. And her daughter seems nice…” I said, mumbling at the end.

Alex exhaled somewhat frustratedly. “I guess I see what you’re saying. I did spend a decent bit of time with the mom when I was guarding her and never in a million years would I have guessed she was the Dawnscourge.” He speared his fingers through his crimson hair. “She really just seemed like a normal suburban mom.”

The first car in the formation reached the entrance to the city: a massive boulder situated on one end of a turnout on the side of the road. I watched as the first car sped up rapidly towards the boulder in order to activate the gateway. The vehicle phased smoothly through the stone until it could no longer be seen. Even though it was not my first time seeing this, it still mesmerized me. Seeing an object phase through matter was a rare sight indeed. Primordial magic was what my mother had called it back when she was teaching me about magic. I’d never seen the gate much as a kid. The laws barred anyone who was not a guardian from leaving the city.

The other cars in the formation followed one after the other, passing through the gateway. When it was our car’s turn, I held my breath. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this. The Guardian in the driver’s seat slammed his foot on the gas and we began to hurtle towards the boulder. The car reached the boulder and as it slipped through it, the view outside the windows faded to a dark and murky rippling color. Something like what you might find under the surface of a lake. Seconds later, we appeared in the golden, light filled world I’ve called home all my life.

Looking up through the window, I could see a piece of that ever unchanging, perfect ceiling. A beautiful blue enchanted sky, with the occasional white fluffy cloud milling around, a living painting on stone stalactites. The buildings in the city were just as grand as usual, their walls glowing with a soft golden light. The car formation wound its way up to the peak of the city, through pristine narrow streets, to where the city hall stood. City hall was a very imposing building, the tallest in the city, made of enchanted white marble and standing at fifty floors tall. The cars pulled up to the front of the building.

Alex looked to me. “Well, here we go.”

“Here we go,” I repeated and opened the car door.

When I got out of the car, I saw the girl already out of her car which was up front in the formation. Emily was her name. The dark circles under her eyes were prominent enough to be visible from even where I was standing. Her hands seemed to be shaking too. In fact, she was like a leaf shivering in the wind. She looked so frightened.

Then I saw my sister get out of the same car and walk over to Emily. She seemed to quickly whisper something in her ear before beginning to walk in our direction. When she reached where we stood, before speaking, she discreetly looked around as if checking for any eavesdroppers. “Okay boys, we're gonna help them win this trial.”

“What?” Alex and I said in unison.

“Look, we have to. You’re just gonna have to trust me,” Kirya said. “I have a plan. What I need you to do is, on my signal during the trial, launch an attack at Emily.”

I immediately began to protest. “The fuck!? Why would—”

Kirya lifted a hand to cut me off and looked me in the eye. “This is the only plan we have. I don’t have time to explain.” The General’s attendants were calling everyone inside.

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I stayed silent for a moment. She never seems to give the whole picture, I thought. “Emily better not get hurt.”

“If all goes according to plan,” Kirya paused, “she won’t.” With that, she turned and entered the hall. Alex and I followed.

Inside, the General took her seat at the raised bench at the front of the room. The council of elders was already assembled in their seats, slightly lowered from the General’s and arranged in a semi-circle. They must have been summoned before we arrived.

The General spoke, her voice echoing authoritatively off the marble walls. “Bring the prisoners forward.”

I watched as two of the guards walked Emily and her mom to the center of the room. I gritted my teeth against the anger that bubbled up when the guards forced them to their knees and locked their hands in the shackles bolted to the floor. This feels wrong.

“The trial of Talia Cyra for the murder of her fellow guardians and the desertion of her sworn duty will now be held,” said Head Councilman Valoa, who was seated to the right of the General. “Councilwoman Jiwe will now read the account of the malicious actions of former Major General Talia Cyra.”

The Councilwoman cleared her throat. “On the night of September 28th, 17 years and 5 months ago, the accused, Talia Cyra, unequivocally committed many heinous acts including the murder of Guardians Kapila Elidi, Ariston Reva, Marybeck Reva, Jonathan Anino, and Dara Jiwe,” the councilwoman paused at the last name, anger evident, “during her attempt to commit treason through the abandonment of her sworn duty as a Guardian of Eris.”

After a slight pause, Councilman Valoa spoke, “Talia Cyra, do you deny these accusations?”

Talia glanced at her daughter, and a guilty and sad look passed over her face. “No.”

I watched Emily’s head whip towards her mom, her eyes wide and muddled with confusion and strife. Talia looked at the floor avoiding her daughter’s eyes, her shadowy brown hair closing off her face to the rest of the room.

“I see,” responded Councilman Valoa, “Then we will now decide your punishment.”

I looked frantically around the room for my sister. Um, shouldn’t we be doing something? I thought we were going to help them. When I finally found Kirya, who had positioned herself on the opposite side of the crowd, she noticed the look on my face. She slowly shook her head, almost unnoticeably so, and mouthed the word “wait.” I hated it, but I had no choice but to trust her judgement in this situation. Dammit, we better do something soon.

The General raised her hand. “I motion for execution of the accused.”

My heart beat at a sickeningly fast pace as I looked around the room at the crowd and the council and saw, one after the other, nods of agreement. We’re running out of time.

Then the loudmouth Councilman Elidi spoke up. “I motion we also imprison the child,” he said gruffly, “Who knows what her mother’s taught her. She’s a danger to our peace and security.”

Talia spoke up. “NO!” she shouted, lifting her eyes to the council, “My daughter has nothing to do with my crimes. She has done nothing wrong! Do whatever you want with me, but leave my daughter alone.”

“Even if that’s the case, we still can’t just let her walk around free,” Councilman Elidi chuckled, “That would be absurd.”

“Yes that’s true,” agreed Councilwoman Reva, glaring down her pointed nose. “There are only two places for an unregistered magic user like your daughter: fighting as a Guardian or confined to a jail cell. They just pose too much of a threat.”

“And there’s no way she could be trusted to be a Guardian, given who her mother is,” agreed Councilman Aella.

That slime, it’s shameful to have to be part of his house. It seemed that the entire council was in agreement. The only one who hadn’t spoken was Councilman Anino but that airhead rarely exercised his will on anything.

Come on! It's now or never. I looked at Kirya. She was raising her hands in the same way that she does to launch a spike of ice. She met my eyes and nodded. I saw Alex notice too and we both started to prepare our attacks as well. I glanced at Emily. I hope this works. I started coiling the mana inside me in preparation for the spell and as I did so, I brought the tips of my first two fingers on both hands together. Then, as discreetly as I could, I drew my right hand back, mimicking the way someone might draw a bow and arrow. Energy started to crackle quietly in the gap between my fingers.

“Well then it’s settled,” Councilman Elidi stated, satisfied. “The traitor will die and the girl will be impri—”

CLAP!

With the sound of Kirya clapping, she launched a spike of ice directly at Emily. Simultaneously, I let go of the bolt of lightning I’d prepared and Alex sent a small boulder hurtling at Emily. Instantly, time seemed to me to slow down as I watched our attacks fly towards this innocent girl who had no idea what was going on. Fuck, you better be right Kirya.

Just before the attacks reached her, Emily burst into flames.

The magic ice, stone and lightning were each incinerated in kind and the courtroom fell into chaos.

⊲ 3.1 ⊳

1701 words