Keys of Candor: The Red Deaths

by Casey Eanes

  Kull tried to reassure himself and provide some sliver of hope, regardless of how hopeless it really was. “I’m here to get you home. Mom is waiting for us.”

  “SILENCE!” The guard sent a steel-toed boot into Grift’s gut. Grift’s eyes never left his son’s.

  Kull whispered over to him “It’s okay, Dad. It’s okay.” A smile flashed on Kull’s face, despite it all. Grift smiled too, remaining silent. They were finally together. That fact alone made things better, no matter what was waiting them.

  Silence passed for a moment as Kull heard slow footsteps approach him.

  “Touching, really, to see this reunion.” Kull looked up and was face to face with the High King of Lotte once again. Seam Panderean looked down at him as one might look at a worm or a dead animal. He reached down and patted Kull’s cheek before letting out a sigh and turning to the mirror facing them.

  “Ah.” He looked over at Grift. “So nice to have both father and son.”

  Grift’s eyes filled with fire, but he remained silent as Seam turned back to Kull.

  “Your family has been quite a thorn in my side. Destiny, however, cannot be stalled.” He paced toward one of the tall mirrors that stood near them. He ran his hand down the glass, his deep brown eyes turning back, surveying all of his captured prisoners. He screamed at them, “I plan to make you all into an example of those who choose to voice their opposition! Candor and its newfound unity will not tolerate sedition!” He looked at Kull and then to Grift. “Grift, I am going to enjoy seeing your son gutted.”

  Grift raised his face toward the King, his yell echoing through the chamber, “LONG LIVE KING CAMDEN!”

  The entire room went completely silent.

  Grift stared at the young royal, “My son is more of a man than you have ever been, you worm.” Kull stared at his father, his heart overflowing with awe, fear, and pride. “He is a warrior and a man of great valiance. He has, to the end, remained loyal to his King and to his family. I am so very proud of him.” Grift’s battered face looked on Kull for a moment, his eyes filling with tears. He shot back at Seam, his voice filling with deep disdain. “I wonder, High King, what Camden would say about you?”

  Seam’s face went pale.

  Grift did not relent, “Better yet, Seam, what would dear Aleigha think if she knew that it was you who murdered her husband? All because of your lust for his throne.”

  Seam flushed with rage. “SILENCE!” Seam turned to the guards behind Kull. “Put the Surrogator on the screen. These trials will commence now. As for the rest of the security detail, stand down. I will call for you once you are needed.” Seam stared over at Grift, daggers shooting from his eyes.

  A long, panoramic window filled with the large, pale face of the rat-like man that Kull met with in the Groganlands. The red-haired girl threw herself against the weight of her chains and screamed like a wild animal.

  “HOSP!”

  A broken, digitized voice filled the room. “Ah, High King Seam, it looks as if you have secured everyone that we need.”

  Seam spoke, “It is time to conduct the trials, Surrogator. Where should we begin?”

  Kull kept his mouth shut but allowed a torrent of curses to flow through his mind against his enemies. Wait for the right opening. Seam turned and faced Kull and then looked at Grift. Everything on his face made his intentions clear.

  “My dear, Hosp, let’s start with the boy. Grift Shepherd’s son.”

  Kull’s stare softened as he looked over at his father. Terror flooded Grift’s face.

  Kull did the only thing he could think of doing. “Dad,” he whispered, “it’s okay, Dad.”

  “It is time to pronounce our judgment over you, Kull Shepherd of Lotte.” Seam tapped into the datalink on his wrist and read off the list of charges for Kull.

  “Kull Shepherd, you are hereby found guilty for inciting sedition, revolt, and terrorism. Your actions and conspiracy led to a massacre in a bagger work camp, costing many civilian police their lives, not to mention that of the baggers who were employed there."

  Willyn could not stand it anymore. She fired out, “This isn’t a trial! Where is his chance for a defense?!”

  Seam turned to Willyn. “Silence! Your crimes will be read for you in time, Willyn Kara.”

  Rage overflowed from her mouth, “Oh, please, don’t hesitate. Tell me these crimes I have committed against Candor and this new peaceful unity. I want to hear them come from your divine mouth, most glorious High King.”

  “Fine,” Seam turned to face Willyn. “It will be as you wish.”

  Tapping his datalink, Seam glanced up at the large projection of Hosp. “For the murder of Sar Hagan and for the insurrection of the Red militia, this court finds you, Willyn Kara, guilty of high treason.”

  Willyn threw herself against her bindings. “I did not KILL my brother!”

  “For these crimes, Willyn Kara, and for so many innocents whose blood is on your hands, you are hereby sentenced to death. I believe the Surrogator supports this sentencing?”

  Hosp’s eyes grew wide as he sneered into the datalink screen, “I could not agree more, King Seam. Her crimes have ravaged our once proud Realm, and her betrayal of her own brother is unimaginable and unforgivable.”

  The two guards flanked Willyn. Seam pulled a long, black sword from beneath his robes. Kull knew that it was time. This was it. This was his moment. Was it adrenaline, or maybe Adley’s drugs? It didn’t matter as his mind locked into a new state of clarity. This is my chance. I have to move now.

  Kull threw his arm bindings down and snapped the pick into the lock around his neck. The second lock was much easier to navigate than the first. He offered up one last prayer as he felt the springs dance beneath the pick, and the bindings sprung free from his throat. Thank you, Aleph.

  He scanned the room. First he spun around, and his fears were confirmed. Wael managed to lift himself to his knees but was still trembling and weak. Kull knew he did not have time to free him, and even if he did, Wael would not be able to fight.

  This is it. Kull stood, ready to attack Seam from behind. The soldiers who saw him first pointed and yelled. Seam began to turn around, when suddenly the world began to slow. In Kull’s mind it was as if the entire world was stopping to a standstill, locking in stasis. Kull looked at Seam, the guards, Willyn, his father, and Wael. They were all frozen. Kull carefully stepped around the room. How is this happening? He stared at each face in the room. They all stood as still as statues.

  “What are you doing, child?”

  The mirror. Kull’s mind exploded with the reality. They are kept in the mirrors. He turned to face the pane of glass that carried the voice. It shimmered like the surface of water, and a face appeared, a radiant face that was intoxicatingly beautiful. The woman’s eyes glowed with the colors of swirling starlight, as cold as comets.

  Kull’s mind felt like a rope had noosed around his sanity, and it was being stretched to its limits as the woman spoke to him.

  Kull slammed his eyelids shut and took a deep breath. With his eyes still closed, he called out to her.

  “I know what you are, and I will not allow him to free you.”

  “You are sadly mistaken, for we are destined to be free. The keys have all been collected. This is the time for our unbinding.” Kull opened his eyes as the woman’s face crept into a sinister smile, “And I must say, thank you for delivering the Key of Preost to us. Now, return to your place at the altar.”

  From the corner of the room, behind the second mirror Kull could sense movement. Amid everything else frozen in place, something moved outside the mirror, a shadowy figure shifting against the wall. In a flash he ran toward it, but nothing was there. When he turned back he saw the mirror filled with the woman’s face. She smiled and opened her mouth. From it, hundreds of snakes began pouring out, crawling toward him and filling the room. It was as if the whole floor had become alive with nightmares. As his mind strove in vain to make sense of this, he saw that within this li
ving sea were not just snakes, but worms, maggots, flies, and centipedes. A full menagerie of darkness and death was sweeping over the room, racing toward him. It became impossible to move as Kull stood petrified by fear. The hoard got closer until it overtook him, wrapping him within a biting, stinging blanket of a thousand teeth.

  This can’t be real, this can’t be real. He slammed his fist against the mirror.

  “Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!”

  The woman in the glass laughed maniacally, and Kull pushed himself away from it. He stared down at his body. The carpet of creatures that covered him completely disappeared, even though he could still feel the pain of a thousand mouths gnawing on him. Absolute madness was on the brink of overtaking him. Wael was right. Wael was right about these things. How could I have been so stupid?

  Kull blinked and found himself on his knees again, back on the altar. His arms were unbound, and the collar around his neck was still locked. It was as if he never stood up. He looked over and listened as he freed the lock from his neck.

  “For these crimes, Willyn Kara, and for so many innocents whose blood is on your hands, you are hereby sentenced to death.”

  It was uncanny, the feeling like he had seen the future or traveled back to the past. Was it a dream? Kull glanced up at the mirror where she had been. Ice cold fear hit him in an instant. There she was, standing over him, but instead of starlight within her eyes, black blood poured out of her eyes, and her mouth opened wide to reveal a cavern of daggers.

  Kull held his face like flint against the horror before him. The Serub was trying to get him to stop, but it was too late. Kull knew this was the opening he had been waiting for. He stood, unlocked his binding, and turned to Seam.

  “STOP!” he screamed.

  Seam turned around from Willyn and saw Kull unbound. “Guards, seal the door!”

  The datalink connection crackled in with static. The face that filled the screen was clearly flustered with worry, “Seam, what is going on?!”

  The two guards drew their pistols and aimed them directly at Kull’s skull as he dove behind the nearest mirror. Adrenaline hammered through his heart as Seam screamed out to his men. “DO NOT FIRE YOUR WEAPONS! THE MIRRORS MUST NOT BE HARMED.”

  Seam ran to the platform with his sword in hand. “Kull Shepherd, I’d advise that you come out. You are outmanned and outgunned. Don’t play games with me.”

  Kull crouched behind one of the mirrors and waited. Seam paused, the two only separated by the single pane of glass.

  Seam had barely glanced around the portal’s edge when Kull slammed his fist underneath the King’s chin. Kull followed with another shot to his eye before tackling Seam to the ground. In the fray Seam’s grip loosed from his weapon. Rage, adrenaline, and purpose flooded into Kull as he struck Seam again, smashing his fist against the King’s mouth. The blow split Seam’s lip and a trail of blood pushed its way down his face. He landed an elbow to Seam’s cheek before hammering his fists down on his face again. Kull pushed every ounce of rage that was pent up in his chest out through his fists as he continued to land blow after blow on the King’s face.

  The guards did not risk firing, but ran at him armed with clubs. Willyn, pressing her advantage with the distraction, slipped her hands free and kicked the legs out from under the guard closest to her. As his momentum carried him down, she hammered her knee into his face. There was no hesitation as she snapped up his pistol and fired three rounds into the other guard. He was dead before he had time to realize she was free.

  Seam managed to gain an advantage by pinning Kull to the ground, but the shots broke his concentration enough for Kull to push free and land a kick to his head. Kull had no idea whose side the redhead was really on, but he took his chances. He threw the lock pick in her direction.

  He nodded toward his father and Wael. “Free them both. There is a transport waiting at the Spire’s base. Get them out of here!”

  Willyn scrambled for the pick and moved to Grift. “I am not leaving until I kill Seam myself. My brother’s blood is on his hands. You can take them, and I will finish this.”

  Seam regained his footing and flicked at the datalink on his wrist. The room immediately went black. Sirens cranked open with a deafening howl. Kull squeezed his eyes together to try and focus in the dark. The only light was the dull glow offered by the rolling static screen that was once the datalink projection, but it was a terrible help.

  A small red blip of light flickered to Kull’s right. Seam’s datalink. Kull ran full speed and collided with him, tumbling through the shadows. The two fell to the floor again and Kull swung wildly. His fists struck flesh and the metal floor. He could feel his knuckles swelling and splitting under the force of his blows, but he did not relent. The King swung an arm around and grasped Kull’s neck. Despite Kull’s assault, Seam’s powerful grip pressed down on the air in his throat like a vise. As his breathing became more and more labored, each punch was losing power. Seam began to laugh.

  Another light flickered on, and Kull could see Willyn fighting to finish with Wael’s locks. Grift was standing next to her helping lift Wael from the floor. She noticed Kull and screamed to him.

  “Keep fighting him. I almost have them out!”

  Seam’s grip continued to tighten on Kull’s throat in the darkness. His eyes were filled with anticipation and hatred as he waited to watch Kull’s life slip away beneath his grasp. Kull sent his fist into Seam's datalink, and suddenly the room was engulfed in hot white light. He threw a jab into Seam’s face once, then twice, and then a third time. He focused every ounce of energy he had left on trying to connect every heavy throw. By the fourth jab, Seam’s grasp broke free and Kull pushed himself away, gasping for air.

  How is he still fighting? No one can take this kind of beating.

  Kull’s adrenaline was wearing thin, but the sound of the last of Wael’s bindings popping free offered him hope. Seam slowly stood to his feet and pulled a dagger from his belt. He wiped at the river of blood flowing from his nose and lip.

  “I have had enough of you, boy. This ends now.”

  Seam lunged for Kull and grabbed his arm. He used his momentum to throw Kull into the empty pane of glass. As he thudded against the portal, he could feel the low chanting of a voice from behind the mirror’s edge. There was another one in that glass, too. Kull’s mind filled with horror when he recognized the voice. It was the one from the King’s Pit. Kull tried to push away from the mirror but Seam had already leapt on top of him like a panther, doing his best to thrust the knife into Kull’s gut. Kull held it at bay with what little strength he had left.

  Seam’s voice changed into a sadistic growl as he pressed down on the knife, “It’s time to wake the King. Arakiel is thirsty.”

  Kull’s arm screamed with protest as he held back the dagger, preventing it from falling in on him. Seam leaned down, putting his whole weight behind the blade when a deafening thunderclap rang out. Seam snapped back and crumpled to the ground, grasping at his chest. Blood splattered against Kull and the mirror. An intense heat grew out from the glass as the beads of red liquid sizzled into its surface. Grift stood a few feet away, smoke still swirling from the barrel of the gun in his hand.

  Kull glanced into the mirror and saw a new face begin to appear, morphing from the sagging, drawn face of an elderly man to the strong chiseled face of a warrior. He scrambled for the knife that Seam dropped and yelled out to Willyn and his father.

  “You have to get out. NOW!”

  “Not without you!” Grift screamed.

  As Grift called out, the door split open and a wave of guards flooded into the chamber. Their rifles were drawn and leveled down on each one of them.

  Kull heard Seam stir and he looked down. The King was starting to stand and he was laughing.

  This is impossible, thought Kull. How is he not dead?

  Kull surveyed the room, quickly counting twelve new soldiers. His mind whirled with possibilities, but he chose the only one that wo
uld work. In a flash, Kull sprung behind Seam and pressed the knife’s blade against his throat. All the guns in the room were focused on him.

  Kull screamed out, “This ends now! I will kill your King unless you let these prisoners walk!”

  The guards stood, their long, black riot masks concealing their thoughts. They shuffled, but did not lower their weapons.

  Kull screamed out again, positioning himself behind Seam. “I said they go free!”

  He cut into Seam, freeing a flow of blood from his neck. Seam shouted out in pain, and the guards pushed in closer. A soft voice full of fear escaped from Seam, “You heard him. Let them free.”

  Without hesitation, Kull dipped the blade back into Seam who howled.

  “Say it louder so they can hear you!” Kull bellowed, his mind alive with rage.