“I will do my best to make the Emperor see the truth, but it is unlikely he will move on his decision. Right now, I am trying to focus on saving my parents. I can worry about my own life later.” Kaori slumped in her seat, overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events. Talking was becoming a chore. Her desire to further the conversation nonexistent.
Pehrona appeared to recognize Kaori’s desire for silence. The two girls sat in their seats, listening to the sound of the carriage wheels along the gravel, an occasional shout from Liurn breaking through Kaori’s thoughts as he pushed the horses onward. For hours they remained quiet, neither knowing what to say to the other. There were no magic words which would console Kaori. Her mind wouldn’t be at peace until her parents were safely returned to their home in Rothdara.
By the time Rothdara came into view through the carriage windows, Kaori was exhausted. Sleep evaded her throughout the journey, all of her fears crashing about inside her head without pause. The wait had been nothing short of torture until now, a sliver of hope finding its way into the back of her mind. If she could reach General Deliao before he gave the command to the executioner, it was possible she would be able to prevent this gruesome event from taking place. Despite what Pehrona said about the Emperor, Kaori hated to think he was evil enough to go behind her back and give the order for her parents’ death without consideration of the agreement struck between them.
A crowd had gathered at the city center. Kaori’s heart sank at the sight, afraid that they might be too late. She couldn’t remember the last time she witnessed such a sight. Rothdara was far from a small city, but never had the townspeople found reason to gather on the streets in these numbers. Before Liurn could bring the carriage to a halt, she already reached for the door, pushing herself outside into the cool breeze, the cries of her friends nothing but empty noise to her ears. She wasn’t going to wait. Her parents needed her. Every second she wasted was another moment closer they came to death.
She paid little attention to the rocks on the street as she moved closer to the crowd, her bare feet already scratched and bloody from the branches and thorns in the woods. At the center of the gathering she could see what looked to be some kind of platform. It was made of wood. Sturdy. Out of place. Executions weren’t typically performed outside Eykanua. The General’s men would have had to work hard to create such a contraption in the short span of time they were given to prepare for this day. Still, she couldn’t deny it was there. Smaller than the standard execution stage, but equally as frightening.
To the right she could see her parents at the base of the stairs leading onto the platform, her mother’s face streaked with newly shed tears, pleading with the guards holding her in place. Kaori couldn’t hear what was being spoken, but she could sense the desperation in her movements. At her mother’s side, her father remained perfectly still, his eyes settled on the steps at his feet. Always the poised gentleman. Even at the moment of his death, he showed nothing but pride. No fear. No pleas for his release. Accepting of his fate. Kaori knew him enough to know he wouldn’t lose his composure in front of his people. He would take his death with the honor and dignity of a soldier and nobleman.
There were too many people. Kaori pushed her way forward, offering apologies to the nameless faces who stood between her and her parents as she tried to cut through the crowd. It felt hours by the time she reached the platform though she knew it was mere minutes. With every step she took, more details came into focus from her surroundings. A man stood on the platform, a black mask hiding his face from view, the only visible feature being that of his eyes peering through a cut in the dark fabric. Human. He lacked the glow of the inner energy so prominent in the eyes of a Vor’shai. Not that Kaori expected him to be of any other race. No Vor’shai would have willingly accepted the job laid out before this man.
A heavy wooden block was situated at the center of the scaffold, an indentation carved to create an arc where the head of the guilty party would be positioned. Kaori had never witnessed an execution before, but she was aware of how everything worked. It would take time for the guards to bring her parents forward and present them to the crowd. If she hurried, there would be plenty of time to state her case to General Deliao.
“General!” Her voice was drowned out by the loud cries of the townspeople. She could barely hear her own words over the commotion. The people were angry. Frightened. Rothdara was a predominantly Vor’shai city. It no doubt came as a shock for their revered Count and Countess to be brought before them in such a manner. “General Deliao, wait! Please!”
It was useless. He wouldn’t hear her unless she was able to reach the steps. Kaori could see him standing there, a strong hand positioned on the shoulder of Kaori’s father, staring him down with a menacing scowl. He was saying something. Attempting to goad her father into breaking his calm façade. It wasn’t going to work. Kaori was sure of that. All she cared about was the time his antics bought her.
Finally breaking through the crowd, Kaori stumbled into the clearing at the base of the platform. General Deliao’s head snapped up at the disruption, glowering at her presence. “Step away from the scaffold, girl.”
“You cannot do this!” she shouted, moving swiftly to cover the remaining distance between her and her parents. “The Emperor gave his word that I would be allowed to present myself in their stead. It is not yet the date we agreed upon for my return.”
General Deliao laughed. A heartless sound, sending chills down Kaori’s spine. “You?” he scoffed. “That would hardly serve the Emperor’s purpose.”
“Purpose?” Kaori challenged. “There was no purpose other than to see justice enacted upon the one who truly is guilty for the crimes of which my parents are accused. What does the Emperor stand to gain by murdering two innocent people?”
“It makes a statement which will be heard more clearly at the moment of their deaths than it would with yours. Now stand aside or I will have no choice but to have you escorted out of the city.”
Kaori inhaled a deep breath, confused by the General’s words. Statement? What kind of statement was the Emperor attempting to make? Executions were for justice, not political gain. “You don’t understand. The Emperor assured me that if I completed the rites of adulthood I could surrender myself and spare their lives. I have just returned from the lake. I have held my end of the bargain. My parents are to be released.”
“I told you to stand down!”
Angered, Kaori took a step forward, her progress stopped by a gentle hand clasping her shoulder, calmly drawing her back. “Lady Kaori, you must be careful.”
Therek. The sound of his words only served to heighten Kaori’s rage. Why would he try to hold her back? He knew her parents were innocent. “What are you doing?” she gasped in exasperation. “We cannot allow this to happen. You were there. You heard the Emperor. Tell the General what was promised!”
“The General knows. If you continue the way you are, it will only end in your death alongside your parents.”
“Tell him!” she shouted. Her legs trembled. Never before had she felt herself so filled with anger and hatred. Why was everyone against her? Did no one care what was happening? Spinning to face Therek, Kaori lifted her arm, delivering a hard punch to his chest in desperation. “You are the only witness other than me! The Emperor promised. You heard him!”
Therek stared down at her, a hint of emotion visible in the depths of his azure eyes. Something she couldn’t recall ever having seen there before. He was always so calm. So collected. Something was on his mind that he wasn’t saying. “I heard the Emperor say the words, but never did he promise,” Therek frowned, grabbing Kaori’s wrist before she could strike at him again.
Fighting against his hold, Kaori continued to try and lash out. “He told me it would be so. Do his assurances not imply a promise?”
With a sharp glance to see if the General continued to listen, Therek leaned forward, his lips positioned close to Kaori’s ear, the words he spoke barely reaching
her senses over the noise of the crowd. “Not when it comes to him.”
“Keep your wench under control, Your Grace,” General Deliao interjected, the heavy leather of his boot creating a loud thud as he placed his foot on the first step. “I will not tolerate any more disruptions.”
Carefully, Therek moved Kaori to the side, closer to the edge of the crowd to position himself between her and the General. “Rilas, can we not discuss this? The girl is right. I heard the Emperor myself. He assured the lady that she would have a week to perform the rites and return to Eykanua. In exchange, the Count and Countess were to be released.”
A smirk played at the corner of General Deliao’s lips. He looked amused. Entertained by something only he could see. In a sharp motion he turned away, moving up the steps onto the scaffold in a haughty display before the townspeople. “May I have your attention, please!” he announced, raising his hands to quiet the crowd. Content that all eyes were on him, he gave a devious smile, slowly lowering his arms back to his sides. “Before we begin, I have been charged with presenting a new law which is considered effective immediately by order of the Emperor.”
Whispers erupted throughout the crowd, bringing General Deliao to silence once again while waiting for the murmur to die down. Kaori watched him, enthralled by the performance. She was beginning to doubt whether this man possessed a heart at all. He took pleasure in watching others suffer. Reveling in the power he wielded over these people.
As the crowd quieted, the smile on Deliao’s lips widened. “From this day onward, the law will no longer tolerate the foolish rituals of the Vor’shai. We are a united people and therefore should all recognize the same rules of society. This will prevent further tragedies like that which we are about to witness today.”
Raising his hand, the General motioned for one of the soldiers to bring the prisoners forward. Kaori’s cries rang through the city to see her mother and father paraded around the scaffold like common criminals. She had to stop this. It couldn’t be allowed to continue. Frantic, she broke free of Therek’s arms, running toward the steps to follow the soldiers. She didn’t know what she intended to do. All she could think about was getting to her parents.
Before she could reach the center of the platform Kaori felt herself apprehended by two of the guards. Their hold was gruff, pulling her back to prevent her from reaching the General. “You cannot do this!” she cried out, struggling against her captors, yet they held firm, making it impossible to get free.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the reason for this atrocity!” General Deliao bellowed, gesturing in a wide arc toward Kaori. “This girl is guilty of treason. She assaulted two of our Emperor’s most loyal men. But as you all must know, she was protected from punishment by the practices of your people. It is with a heavy heart that the Emperor was forced to enact justice upon her parents. To make them responsible for the actions of their child.”
“You speak lies!” Kaori exclaimed, resuming her futile attempts at breaking the hold of the guards. “I would not have had to assault those men if they had not attempted to dishonor me.”
“My men would never behave in such a nefarious fashion. You only add to your parents’ guilt by admitting that they allowed you in public prior to the completion of your entrance to adulthood.”
“That is not a crime!”
“Assaulting my soldiers is!” General Deliao shouted, his calm demeanor slightly shaken for the first time since Kaori’s arrival. She was making him uneasy. Kaori could tell by the anger he exhibited. He never intended for the townspeople to discover the truth of why Kaori assaulted his men. It would be more difficult to make her and her parents look like villains with the truth of the soldiers’ depravity being brought to light.
“The only one upon this stage who holds guilt is you, General,” Kaori spat, staring him down. She wouldn’t cower before him in front of these people. She would make an example of him for the treachery utilized by him and the Emperor against her. “Those soldiers accosted me with your blessing. When you left your men that night, you knew what their intentions were...”
Before she could say anything more, a meaty hand was placed over her mouth to silence her. General Deliao beckoned one of Kaori’s captors forward, the pressure of his grasp obediently lifting from where he held her arms, passing her over to the man who remained firmly positioned at Kaori’s back. Without a word, the guard moved toward the soldiers who held Kaori’s father, assisting them in forcing him onto his knees in front of the wooden block. Kaori didn’t think her fear could grow more than it already had, yet she felt it build, coursing through her entire body as if she’d been struck by lightning. She watched, mortified as her father’s head was lowered over the block, held in place by the steady hands of the soldiers.
When the executioner stepped forward, Kaori thought she would retch. Her stomach churned, bile building in her throat, leaving her nauseous and sick. In the distance she could hear Sivar’s voice, though she couldn’t be certain if it was real or a dream. He was shouting. Yelling at the General to stop. Aware of her brother’s presence there to aid in ceasing this atrocity, Kaori renewed her efforts to escape as she watched the executioner lift his ax over his head, flailing wildly against the hold of her captor. This wasn’t happening. She wouldn’t believe it.
The weight of the ax fell heavy upon her father’s neck, the sight nearly causing Kaori to faint as a loud gasp rolled through the crowd. Tears streamed down Kaori’s cheeks, her muffled screams coming again and again from under the palm of the soldier, barely audible over the grievous cries of her mother. The guards were having difficulty keeping Kaori’s mother still, her arms outstretched toward her husband’s headless form, weeping uncontrollably. Everything was all wrong. It was as if Kaori had fallen asleep on the way to Rothdara and was now trapped inside some gruesome nightmare from which she couldn’t awaken.
Adrenaline aided in Kaori’s efforts, increasing her strength enough to pull her face from the guard’s hand. Wildly she brought her arm forward, building momentum to drive her elbow into the man’s stomach, the sound of his breath the only thing she heard as she felt his hold loosen. She was free! But there was no time to celebrate her success. Lost in the tumult of her thoughts, Kaori rushed forward, angrily pushing at the General to get him away from her father’s corpse. He seemed ready for her, easily gripping her arms to toss her aside like a rag doll, her body tumbling over the edge of the scaffold to land in a pitiful heap at the base of the platform. In awe, the crowd backed away, leaving her there in the clearing, afraid to come to her aid in fear of sparking the General’s ire.
Hands were upon her instantly, the sound of her brother’s voice coaxing her to stand, filled with desperation. She could hear him, though the words didn’t register in her mind. Looking up to Sivar’s face, she could see the tears in his eyes. She wanted to embrace him and let her own tears flow freely but she couldn’t bring herself to give up. Their mother was still alive. As long as she remained standing upon that stage, Kaori had reason to fight.
As the guards moved her father’s body from the block, they wasted no time in bringing Kaori’s mother forward, applying force to the back of her knees to drop her onto the ground, cruelly pressing her head against the blood-covered wood where her husband had been only moments before. Instantly, Kaori was in motion again, running toward the edge of the scaffold in attempts to climb back up. She had to stop this. The Emperor had the death of her father to make his wretched statement. She refused to let him take her mother as well.
More fingers grasped at her than before, adding to Sivar’s gentle guidance to prevent Kaori from reaching the surface of the stage. It was Liurn’s hands which pulled her back down, speaking softly to try and calm her. Pehrona was at her side, staring between the others, unsure of what to do. Why did they stop her? Sivar should be helping, not holding her back! Yet he remained firm in his grasp, begging her to stand still, shouting at her to stop. He was afraid of the General. Fearful of what wo
uld happen to Kaori if she managed to reach him again.
Horrified, Kaori watched as the executioner’s ax descended upon her mother, helpless to do anything to stop it. Screams echoed in her head, though she couldn’t determine if they were her own or those of Pehrona who remained frozen at her side. The crowd watched Kaori, curious of what she would do. Her actions were erratic. Unpredictable. Emotion had taken her over, rational thoughts no longer forming in her mind.
Her vision seemed tinted with red as she pushed away from her friends to reach the edge of the scaffold. With all the strength she could muster she tried to climb onto the platform, filled with a heated desire for revenge. Someone had to pay for the death of her parents. The murder of two innocent people. And right now, the only person whose blood she wanted was the General’s.
From her position at the base of the platform Kaori felt as fingers entwined through her hair, dragging her upward with a harsh pull, her screams intensified by the pain. The wood of the scaffold scratched her midsection as she was lifted onto the stage by nothing more than the sharp tug at her head. People shouted angrily from the crowd, many whose voices Kaori didn’t recognize. Her focus was too broken. She could barely see the outline of the General’s face as he slid her body along the surface of the platform, blood soaking into the thin fabric of Kaori’s white dress where she came to rest in front of the execution block, still dripping from the remains of her mother’s lifeless corpse.
Shaken by the sight, Kaori tried to stand, no longer certain what she intended to do. Her parents were dead. Nothing she did now would bring them back. The only thing her actions served to do was add more dishonor upon the Levadis name. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Her parents worked too hard to earn their place in society. The respect of the people she stood before now.
While Kaori fought to regain her composure, she could see the guards moving to take her mother’s body away, Kaori’s hand reaching toward it, crying out for them to stop. They didn’t listen. Not that she expected they would. Their orders came from only one man. And that man now stood at her side, grabbing her shoulder as he spun her to face the crowd.
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Four: In the Beginning Page 21
