Within a Name
Page 8
“It is beyond even the Grace’s power to overturn a sentence. You must understand, the Church is infallible. It must always remain thus.”
Ranat only trusted himself to give a tiny nod. Even knowing what would happen, it was hard to watch all the little stars of hope wink out, one by one, in his mind.
“You will, of course, be spared the Pit.”
Ranat blinked the tears from his eyes and nodded, focused on the table in front of him.
Magistrate Vaylis chewed her lip a moment before continuing. Ranat glanced up and thought he saw a tear in her eye as well, but maybe it was just a reflection because when he looked again, it was gone.
“You will be held in Wise Hall until the end of N’tasal’s trial, in which he will be found guilty if the things you have told me are true. At that time, you will be hung. Privately. No conviction will be read aloud. Just your name, which will then be written into the Heaven of Light as a martyr.”
Ranat nodded again. he wiped his face and forced a smile.
“I’m sorry I cannot do more for you, Ranat Totz.”
He pulled his eyes from the grain of the table and looked up at the magistrate. “You did more than I expected you’d do, I guess.”
The smile she gave him was kind. “The Heaven of Light awaits you, Ranat Totz. Not even I can say as much.”
He laughed. A heartfelt laugh he wasn’t expecting. It burst from him and seemed to lift away the heavy weight of his life. “Yeah. Maybe. That’s not was I was talking about, though. You gave me my name back—attached something to it that makes it worth leaving behind. Funny, I never thought about how much that mattered until it got taken away.”
Magistrate Vaylis smiled again. “The world will be at a loss without you, Ranat Totz. You are a wise man.”
Ranat smiled, showing the gap of his missing teeth, and blushed at the compliment, but all he said was, “No. No, I’m not. But thanks.”
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