Abby sat bound on the throne room’s floor, waiting for Sevas to end his speech. Through her heat sense, she saw General Thane standing resolutely, and surprisingly, Sevas’ floating eyes also gave off a faint heat source. Sevas had taken his seat upon the throne, interlacing his fingers and leaning towards her.
“Now,” he started calmly, “let’s begin this trial.”
“Shouldn’t I get a jury of my peers?” she asked, glancing around the empty room, save for the four of them.
Sevas chuckled. “Do you know of any other Auctians in this kingdom? I do not.” From his side, he pulled a black folder from the interior of his throne. A ball of white light appeared from behind the throne. As it moved around, General Thane brought a pair of glasses to Sevas, who nodded and placed them on his face. Thane then returned to his place behind Abby. Nat was busy scribbling in his notebook.
As she saw the sphere for the first time, Abby’s mind flashed back to a conversation with Nat in the Torchbearer’s cafeteria. She remembered him explaining how anyone could use the writings narrators used to create anything they wanted. Now, she realized that what she had always thought of as “ancient Auctian runes” were actually narrator runes, distributed by narrators themselves. These runes powered the device, storing recordings in the sphere until they were downloaded by another device that could house the sphere. No one knew exactly how it worked, but the museum she worked at had one as well.
“As per our laws, this runed sphere will record everything in its entirety and be put in our records. This cannot be tampered with and will serve as proof that this trial is fair and just.” Sevas opened the black folder. “Abigail Tiller, Auctian of the city and country of Arvendon, you stand trial today for the crime of treason against the country. How do you plead?”
Abby glared at the sphere, her mind racing through the past few weeks. Nat had been right; she had grown too complacent in the city. She hadn’t practiced her powers, confronted Thane about Erik’s death, or prevented Julie’s fate. Even their plan to confuse Sevas with the resistance’s invisibility to Sevas’s eyes, per Nat's intervention, might have led to the deadly raid.
Lost in thought, she muttered, “What was the treason?”
Sevas turned a page. “You were found at a meeting of resistance members plotting against the nation. Your base was raided, and your resistance squashed. That is your crime.”
“It’s treason to support a friend? What evidence do you have that I knew it was a resistance meeting? A friend invited me out for the evening. How could I have known?”
Sevas looked amused. “There are several accounts of the leader of said resistance coming to your house multiple times in the last few months. And we have it on record you are an employee at her shop, which was a front for her operations. How could you not know?”
“She dated my brother. All three of us were friends since childhood. Upon learning of Erik’s death and my return to the city, we reminisced to help grieve over our collective loss. I needed a job as my savings were depleting day by day, and she offered me one. Of course, I took it. This resistance was never mentioned in our talks. And now that she’s dead as well, there’s no way to know, is there?” Abby’s skin darkened to a deep purple, almost red with her underlying anger.
“I see.” Sevas made some notes on the paper within the folder. “Being a worker in a shop is a drastic pay change from being…” He rifled through the papers. “A museum curator for Arvendonian history. A job which you quit yourself.”
“I had just learned of my brother’s death, and it was a dead-end job. I wanted to find myself out in the world. How is that related to the treason accusations?” Abby looked at the ball and then Sevas questioningly.
“It isn’t, merely adding evidence into the recorder.” Sevas said dismissively. He maintained a professional demeanor, but Abby sensed a hint of frustration. The evidence was lackluster. Perhaps he relied on his abilities and spy equipment that Nat had repeatedly destroyed. Inwardly, she smiled.
Sevas nodded, and the recorder shut down, becoming a dull grey sphere with etched runes. “I must say this is quite embarrassing on my end. Usually, my presence and the evidence make people confess to their crimes. Off the record, I’m impressed that you are holding your own.” He paused, scribbling notes down in the folder.
“Tell me,” Abby seized the opportunity as he reached to activate the sphere again, “when was the last time a High King visited Emberax? By the looks of his chamber, it’s been centuries.”
Sevas sat straight up, his eyes narrowing at her mention of the volcano spirit that fueled and supported the city. “How do you know that name?”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Abby met his gaze steadily. “There are many things you keep hidden, Sevas. Secrets that not even your generals know. You speak of justice and law, but there are forces at play here that you don’t fully control.”
Sevas’ expression hardened. “You tread on dangerous ground, Abby. Emberax is not a matter for public knowledge, and you are not in a position to make demands or insinuations.”
Abby leaned forward slightly, her voice low but firm. “I’m not making demands. I’m simply pointing out that there’s more to this story than you want to admit. The sinkholes forming around the Crown of the city—if you don’t intervene, it could cause massive devastation for the overall city, and you know it.”
Sevas’ eyes flickered with a mix of anger and curiosity. He activated the sphere again, its runes glowing faintly. “We have brought up the point of the sinkholes forming in the Crown. The truth of the matter is I have been putting my attention to the slums more than any other High King before me. Of course, the sinkholes are the most important when it comes to the safety of the people. However, the resistance actively attacked and stole resources that were being sent to the Crown for repair.”
Abby’s skin darkened further, her resolve strengthening. “I have nothing to confess because I have committed no crime. The meeting I was in had said something along those lines, and I was trying to leave when your military barged in as I was attempting to.”
The sphere hummed softly, recording every word. Sevas leaned back, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of his throne. “Very well, Abby. Let the record show that you plead not guilty. The trial will proceed. I will tally the evidence with your testimony.” He went to the recorder and turned it off. Then he looked to Abby, and turned the recorder back on, then he announced the next part loudly. “After thirty-minute deliberation between me and the members of the council, I have decided that the Auctian, Abby Tiller shall not be charged with treason, but negligence and aiding a criminal. As such, she shall be imprisoned.” He then shut the recorder off and threw it to his throne.
He went to Abby and bent down to her level. “Now tell me what the spirit of this city told you, and why my ability cannot see you or your brother. I know you can see them; I’ve seen you glance at them since you woke up.”
Abby met his gaze with defiance. “I can share Emberax’s information and explain how I can see your ability. But as for why you can't observe me or my brother, that I cannot tell you.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Really, I don’t know why it cant. I’ll tell you about Emberax because it concerns the entire city. Everyone here doesn’t deserve the fate that’s coming.”
“Please do.” Sevas stood and straightened his garb, his expression one of mild curiosity.
“How long has it been since a High King visited the volcano spirit?”
Sevas thought for a moment. “My great predecessor was the last known to see him, so about six hundred years or so. At the time everything was fine and all operations were running smoothly.”
“Well, the magma chambers are running dry. As they empty, the pressure from the city above is causing those chambers to collapse.” Abby stretched out her tentacles, straightening herself up as best as she could while bound. “Sevas, the volcano is becoming dormant. Emberax told me we have a hundred, maybe a hundred-fifty years tops until he can no longer provide energy to the city.”
Sevas paled at the news. “This…is troubling. High King Enes’s estimates were that we didn’t need to check back in for another thousand years… An overestimation it seems.”
“The spirit gave me an awakening to help address the situation. It awakened a heat sense. Since your eyes give off heat, I can see them.” Abby lied, knowing full well it was Nat who had enabled her to see them.
“I see…” High King Sevas made his way back to his throne. He picked up the recording device and sat with it on his lap. “That was something I did not know.”
“Now it’s only fair that you answer one of my questions.” Abby’s glare was intense, making Nat wince. “Why did you send my brother to his death?”
Sevas visibly relaxed in his throne and sighed. “Because he was truly a traitor. During his military career, he targeted and killed members of our military command. Some were his former trainers, so I believed he held a grudge. But he continued, and when I discovered it was him, I decided to take matters into my own hands before he targeted others or possibly even me.”
“That doesn’t sound like him,” Abby’s voice trembled with shock. In her peripheral vision, she saw Nat nodding, confirming Sevas’ statement.
“It’s true, my dear Auctian,” Sevas continued. “If left to his own devices, he could have destroyed the entire leadership of the city, plunging it into anarchy. Have you ever ruled a city or country, Abby?”
“No,” she replied, confused about where this was going.
“It’s one of the most difficult things imaginable.” He gestured broadly, indicating the city and country of Arvendon. “There is always something happening, always someone who thinks they can do it better. Jealousy begets danger. Perhaps after your imprisonment, you should dabble in settlement management, as you will be banned from my country.”
The news of being exiled struck Abby hard, leaving her mentally reeling. She struggled to maintain her composure, her mind racing with the implications of Sevas’ words.
“I’m not so ignorant as to ignore this. I will order some of my Grounders in the military to see Emberax and see if any can awaken an ability concerning lava. Though with the nature of abilities, I find that effort might be futile. I’ll also invest in restructuring the base of the city. As payment for this information, your sentence in prison shall be reduced to sixteen months. Afterwards, you will be exiled from my country.” Sevas shifted his gaze to General Thane, who stood behind Abby. “General, please escort her to the imprisonment wing of the military section.”
“Yes, Ser!” Abby heard his footsteps coming closer. She turned, ready to attack Thane in revenge for her brother and Julie as soon as she was released from the bindings. She was met with the brunt of a sheathed sword across her head, plunging her into darkness.
“She’s a feisty one, Ser,” Thane said, shackling each of Abby’s tentacles together. “Are you sure this is a good call? No telling what she’ll do in the future.”
“You have been questioning me often, General,” Sevas said coldly. Thane bowed his head in response. “No, I believe she had no reason to lie. Our efforts to spy on her yielded nothing substantial. The evidence of her involvement in the resistance movement was circumstantial—being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plus, the current situation the city faces is due to the High Kings’ neglect of Emberax, and now something must be done.” He waved Thane off, indicating he wished to be left alone with his thoughts.
Thane took Abby into his arms, carrying her away and leaving Sevas alone. “This puts a damper on my plans. First, we’ll make sure this city survives, just as High King Serenity intended.”