Chapter Four

Aiden

I nervously tapped my right index finger on my knee.

“Hey, relax, will ya?” Benjy whispered.

I shifted uneasily in my chair as I studied the auditorium. The walls had no angles, instead forming a singular, curved sheen of chalky, jagged rock. It was if someone had carved the side of a mountain and reshaped it into a circle. The rows of seats mirrored the curvature of the walls, creating a sequence of eleven semicircles, each staggered below the next. At the ground level rested an elevated platform, composed of the same earthy rock as the rest of the auditorium.

Although the walls were bare, the ceiling—made of the same material—was decorated by short, shaven tree branches. It took me a second to recognize that they weren’t just fastened to the ceiling arbitrarily. The patterns revealed two broad shapes, as rudimentary and blocky as a child’s drawing. The disconnected little branches outlined a caricature of a Human, holding a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. The warrior’s featureless face was circumscribed by four awkwardly angled branches, and I was ready to criticize the artwork until I realized that the Human was looking slightly upwards.

To the left of the Human stick figure was the second erratically outlined shape. Branches aligned in such a way as to form two long, rickety wings that extended across nearly the entire ceiling. A few other branches were densely packed where the wings met in order to simulate the Creature’s belly. Above the belly, the naked, pale brown branches were lined up in a pair of narrow rows that diverged and came back around on themselves, emulating the cranial structure of a bird with a beak and pointed head.

“It’s a pterodactyl,” I whispered, ignoring Benjy. “I’ve never seen one in real life.”

“Hey,” my friend grumbled. “What’s up with you?”

I turned to Benjy, whose rugged features were clenched with an emotion bordering on concern.

He was worried about Wyatt, too.

“This is about this morning,” I said quietly, although the chatter of the other forty-odd Military members in the room would shield us from any eavesdropping. “He was in a bad mood. And he looked paranoid with Roderick and Maura.”

“Maura?”

“His Captain. Um, Roderick’s boss.”

Benjy squinted at me. “Right.”

“I know all of our chains of command,” I stammered. “It’s all—”

Benjy put his hand over mine and slowly squeezed until I could no longer tap away. “Take a breath, Aiden. Nothing’s gonna happen to Wyatt, you got it?”

His hand was firm. It felt good. I quit trying to resist the big gorilla and put my other hand over his. “Yeah. Okay.”

“I thought we’d be back on our way to Torque City by now,” I said. “Not in a Fortress.”

“Maybe they’ll send us back after whatever this announcement is,” Benjy said. “My Lieutenant said it’d be short.”

“So did mine. But we can’t leave without knowing where Wyatt is.”

Benjy pulled his hand away and took a slow breath. “We get three weeks off a year. You’re gonna ask me to use ‘em, aren’t you.”

“Wyatt might need us, Benjy.”

Benjamin clenched his jaw but nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I’m in. Obviously.”

I smiled in relief.

The world scared me.

But my friends were stronger than I could ever be.

The room fell silent as a section of the rocky wall on the ground level slowly split apart, groaning passively for a few seconds. A narrow, unlit gap formed on the right-hand side of the auditorium’s wall, out of which a gigantic, elderly man in a standard Military outfit walked onto the podium. He had a thick lion’s mane that would’ve been vibrant had it not been as white as a snowstorm, and I noticed a faint scar running down his forehead.

“Colonel Sideon,” I whispered to Benjamin. “He’s second only to—”

He mouthed for me to shut up.

I slouched back in my seat.

“Soldiers and Lieutenants,” he yelled in a creaky voice, crisply enunciating every syllable. “For those of you who don’t know me, I am Colonel Sideon. Thank you all for coming to the Capital for the welcoming of Bogg and his daughter. I won’t keep you long. You are all to return to your assigned posts immediately after I dismiss you. But tragic events have transpired since our ceremonial banquet, and I felt it necessary to inform you about them before Letters are sent across the Cities, and about what is to come.

“You’ll remember Bogg’s daughter, Kara. She was found dead—murdered by decapitation—early this morning, outside of her hotel. Three of our own were also killed. Workers at the hotel.”

I began tapping my finger on my thigh again.

“Evidence strongly suggests that the killer was Wyatt, a Soldier in Lieutenant Roderick’s unit. He has been found in violation of Law number eight-hundred-and-sixty-two of the Second Book, the punishment for which is death by the same manner that he murdered Kara. Some of you may balk at the fact that Wyatt’s punishment is predicated on Kara’s murder over those of the Humans that he killed. But while you may frown, the Law supersedes our feelings on the matter. You may rest assured that he will face execution, and before that, five days in prison. As well, in accordance with Law number fifty-five, his title and accomplishments are to be expunged from our Records.

“Given the rarity with which we engage with the so-called civilized Wolves, this entire ordeal is unprecedented. While The Principles of Earth and Blood anchors our people and guides us into the future, it does not anticipate every possible contingency. I do not want to alarm you, but I will not coddle you, either. Many of you are very young, but I imagine that some in this room have already fought Wild Wolves. They are nothing compared with their civilized counterparts. War with the Wolves would be devastating. It is therefore not an option.

“Kara’s body is set to lay in the Catacomb while Bogg remains in Polygon. It is a small gesture and a bending of our principles, but no Law has been violated. It is the least we could do.

“As far as you and your duties are concerned, that is all I have to say. But as a gesture of gratitude for your continued loyal service, I will tell you that we have spoken to Bogg. He is, as you may guess, in quite a state of shock. Unfortunately, he is unsure whether or not to continue with our business arrangement. He intends to remain in Polygon until Wyatt is eliminated.”

The Colonel waved a hand to all of us. “Stay strong, young fighters. Thank you.”

As he exited the auditorium, whispered gossip broke out amongst the audience members.

It frustrated me.

Wyatt was innocent.

He had to be.

“What the hell,” Benjy muttered.

“Okay, okay,” I said between quick breaths. “Let’s get out of here.”

“We gotta tell our Lieutenants we’re off the next few weeks.”

I smiled weakly at Benjamin. “We can write them Letters later. Trust me, I know the rules.”

“’Course you do. Where are we headed?”

“To the first copy of Principles that we can find.”

Everyone was still in their seats as Benjamin and I got up and headed toward the exit. I felt the hostile stares on my back. Some in the room knew that we were friends with Wyatt.

Maybe they were wondering what we were capable of.

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The door at the top of the auditorium was a carefully carved, ovular wooden frame within the rocky wall. I grabbed the handle quickly and left.

The open corridor was huge, quiet, and empty. I breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing we needed was more eyes and ears on us.

A pair of twisted stairwells stood in the otherwise unblemished area. To our right, I studied the entrance to the Fortress.

It was also the exit to the rest of the world.

Benjy and I could just leave and return to our lives. Life was pretty boring over in Torque City for me. I’d never been sent to the Wildlands, at least not yet. I wasn’t a fighter, and my commander knew it. I wasn’t a sharpshooter like Benjamin. I wasn’t a firestorm like Wyatt.

“Aiden!”

I nearly jumped at the sound of Benjy’s voice. “Third floor,” I said, avoiding his eyes. “The library.”

Benjy grabbed my hand, and the two of us took to the stairwell. The steps were tight bundles of shaven branches, but the railings were craggy stone. I tried to hold the rail with my free hand, but my palm was too sweaty.

Once we reached the third floor, Benjy let go of my hand. “I don’t see any books.”

I snorted. “Follow me, stupid.”

I led Benjy out of the main area and into a short hallway on the left-hand side. Opaque wooden doors, exact copies of the auditorium’s entrance, peppered the otherwise bumpy stone walls.

“Here it is. See the sign?”

“I can read,” Benjy protested.

I rolled my eyes as we entered the library.

For a moment, my fears, my anxiety, my stress were replaced by the warm comfort of home. Eight bookshelves stretched across nearly the entire room, leaving space for a handful of round tables where readers could throw themselves into a whole new world.

The books were arranged alphabetically, but I’d been here before. I headed to the fifth bookshelf and quickly found it. It stood upright, far bigger than its neighbors. Its blue spine was decorated with a white embroidering of Polygon’s emblem.

It was the book that ran our world.

It was on the top shelf, so I had to lift my heels to grab it.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Benjy muttered as he beat me to the book. He examined it in his hands as if he’d never encountered such an object before. Which…may have been true.

I slapped him on the arm. “Give it here, please.”

He did, and I led Benjy to one of the tables at the far end of the library. The only other people around were a couple of older women, reading quietly at a single table. I sat down at the one that was furthest away from them and placed the book before me. The front cover was solid blue, with the same icon on its center as was on its spine, white, modest, and inconspicuous.

I opened The Principles of Earth and Blood.

The pages were yellow-brown, stiff, and grainy, and its earthy scent brought a satisfied smirk over my face. I quickly flipped through the first few pages, which, like every copy of Principles, were blank.

“‘The world is one,’” I said quietly, reading the words on the first page that contained handwritten, inky words. “‘Motion of the moon and order of the empire flow from the same fountain of knowledge. Once sages’ dearth and rulers’ dud, now bounded and boundless with Principles of Earth and Blood.’”

“Was that necessary?” Benjy asked. “We’ve all heard it a thousand times.”

Savages will never appreciate the finer crafts.

“Okay,” I whispered, keeping one eye on the other two people in the room, “Sideon said that Wyatt had broken Law number eight-hundred-and-sixty-two of the Second Book.” I pinched a thicket of pages and turned them over, landing me on a page filled with dense mathematics interpolated with incomplete sentences.

“That’s definitely not what we’re looking for,” Benjy muttered. “Haven’t seen that in years.”

“It’s pretty fascinating stuff,” I answered as I took a second before turning more pages. “The author explains how reality itself operates. You should try learning the physics in here sometime, Benjy. It might serve you well someday.”

The brute looked down at his sniper rifle and back at me. “Yeah. I doubt that.”

I opted out of lecturing him and flipped through another few hundred pages. Finally, the number in the top right corner of the pages changed.

“The Second Book…” I thought aloud. “Now, Law number eight-hundred-and-sixty-two…ah. Here we are.”

Like with every copy of Principles, the Philosopher who wrote this one left precious little blank space in the margins. The page was filled with enumerated Laws, described and expounded upon to lengths that varied wildly from Law to Law.

Next to its enumeration, I read the Law aloud: “‘Murder of Assembly’s guest is rude and inconsiderate. The punishment for such lack of hospitality is five days hostage then slew by method imitate.’”

“That doesn’t even rhyme,” Benjy said.

“Maybe it did when the author wrote it,” I said defensively, and I held up a finger. “Let me think.”

I read the Law several more times, hoping desperately to find a loophole, a way we could somehow get Wyatt out of this.

Panic and doubt were whispering to me, devils trying to persuade me to give up on my friend.

But I couldn’t entertain the thought of what would happen to him if I failed.

“Murder of Assembly’s guest,” I whispered to myself. “To be slew by method imitate. Come on…”

I hadn’t realized that I was tapping my fingers on the table until I felt Benjy’s hand on mine…again.

“I don’t know what to do,” I said to him.

“Sure you do,” he said with that cocky grin, and he pointed at the book as if it was a vegetable he’d never eat. “Make with the words. I’ve seen you do it before. You’re just nervous. It’s okay.”

My eyes welled up as the enormity of Wyatt’s troubles sank in. “He’s going to die.”

“Bullshit he won’t. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met. We’re not leaving until you figure it out, goddammit.”

I bit my lip. “Someone set him up.”

For just a moment, Benjy’s self-assured smile cracked.

“You don’t think he did it, right?” I asked.

Benjy looked towards the window on the far side of the room. “No, of course not. But Aiden…you’ve never seen Wyatt in battle. He gets…”

“What?”

Benjy’s small, dark eyes met mine with a seriousness I’d rarely seen in them. “Intense. He yells and laughs at weird moments. Like he…enjoys the violence.” Benjy shook his head. “You saw him back when we were kids,” he whispered. “Remember?”

I swallowed. “Yeah. I do.”

“Something happened with him and Kara last night. Wyatt was off this morning.”

“But he didn’t kill all those people,” I replied. “And he didn’t…he didn’t chop someone’s head off. No way. He’s not a monster.”

“Not a monster,” Benjy agreed. “The guy loves his job too much, anyway. He’d never screw it up by killing a guest’s daughter.”

I blinked several times. “What did you say?”

Benjy scrunched his thick eyebrows. “Wyatt would never jeopardize his career in the Military.”

“No, not that. ‘A guest’s daughter.’” I thought back to yesterday’s banquet. “Clovis said Bogg was our guest of honor.” My eyes widened. “But he didn’t introduce Kara as a guest. Am I remembering correctly?”

“Oh, um…I have no idea.”

“’Welcome our guest of honor,’” I said, trying to recall Clovis’ words as best I could. “‘He brought his daughter with him.’ My goodness. Benjy!”

“What are you talking about?”

I read the Law over one last time.

“If Kara wasn’t an official guest of the Assembly, then they accused him of violating the wrong Law.”

“But Kara was a guest,” Benjy protested. “I don’t follow.”

“The Laws can be read literally…or not,” I answered. “I mean, Philosophers have been debating about this since forever. But that doesn’t matter right now. I don’t know who officially accused Wyatt of violating this particular Law. Only Assemblymen and some Military higher-ups have that authority. Whoever it was, they appealed to a loose interpretation of it. But we can fight this, Benjy.”

He raised his chin slightly in a vote of confidence. “Keep talking.”

I pulled my hand from under Benjy’s.

I wasn’t tapping my fingers now.

“We received Letters a couple months ago about Bogg’s visit, remember?” I nearly laughed. “Goodness, Kara wasn’t mentioned in that! We need to get a copy of that Letter.”

“Okay, but…won’t Wyatt still be found guilty of killing her? And those Humans.”

My newfound stride receded at that, but I kept thinking, my eyes darting back and forth. “Right, um…I think I know the punishment for that.”

“Off the top of your head?”

I shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah, I know a few of the Laws by heart. I’ve read Principles before. Um, twice.”

“Just a few,” Benjy muttered sarcastically. “I told ya, Aiden. You’re the smartest Soldier we’ve got.”

I felt my cheeks burn. When I didn’t say anything, Benjy asked, “Alright, what’s the punishment for a killing spree?”

My mind raced through contingencies piled on contingencies as a plan congealed. “I forget how the book puts it. But the punishment is decided by whichever family member of any of the victims appeals to the Assembly first.” I bit my lip. “Ah, I’m pretty sure it still applies even if not all the victims are Human. I’m not certain, though.”

Benjy shook his head. “Still sounds like a death sentence for Wyatt.”

I closed The Principles of Earth and Blood. “I have an idea. But we need to find Maura, and fast. Sideon said that Letters are going out soon, right? We need to find her before they do. The Assembly wouldn’t want to lose face after they’ve publically declared Wyatt’s violation of Law number eight-hundred-and-sixty-two. If we succeed in changing Wyatt’s punishment, it’ll need to be before everyone in Polygon knows about what happened. And, from what I know, the change will have to take place at the next Assemblage. Agh, this is getting too political.”

“The Assembly meets on the fifteenth of every month, right?” Benjy said. “But I don’t see how we can cut in front of the line.”

I contemplated what we had to do and said, “There’s an Assemblage at the beginning and middle of every month, yes. And Maura’s husband is the head of the Granite Party. He represents Vector City. I follow the biannual elections. He squeaked by last time. And everyone will be eager to give Bogg what he wants, especially now that their deal is on shaky ground.”

“I’m not following, Aiden. What’s the play?”

“Maura’s office is in this Fortress,” I said. “We need to go now. Let me do all the talking, please.”

“Easy. What if she’s not there?”

I picked up the most important book in the land and turned towards the door. “Then Wyatt loses his head.”