The Sky is Endless

by Alexander W Meurant

  Chapter 12

  * * *

  Sain woke with a start and sat bolt upright, his hazy mind struggling to tell him where he was. The youth looked around blearily, his mouth slightly hung open. He hurt. He hurt everywhere and he let out a low confused groan.

  Sain tried to think, but his thoughts ran from him and he scowled, almost dumbly. He had been drugged. Again. And with a heavy dose. Groaning again, he swung his legs over the bed and blinked, realizing he was in his cell. His home for the last few days. He recognized the bare white walls, bleak metal door and the near empty room, the only furnishings being his low bed with a thin mattress, a stainless steel toilet, a sink and a sole camera fixed high in the wall.

  Throwing himself back down on the bed, Sain lay there, his eyes locked on the ceiling. He couldn't even think, and the minutes seemed to drag on. Finally Sain just huffed and closed his eyes, resolving to get some sleep, something he had had very little of in the last few days, exhausted from his ordeal. He felt like he had been hit by a truck. After some time he dozed off into a light and troubled sleep.

  Sain was awakened by a loud clang and he sat up groggily, looking at the source of the noise, his eyes locking on the steel door keeping him from his freedom. Seeing a metal tray lined with food on the floor, pushed through a small slot, Sain felt his stomach rumble. Swinging his legs off his bed, he groaned as his sore limbs protested. Shuffling over to the tray of food, he bent down to pick it up and noticed it was unusually good meal considering the slop he had received the last few days.

  Lifting a hand to the door, he banged it a few times and waited. Before long he heard a guard approach.

  "What do you want kid? I have others to feed" the guard snapped at Sain irritably through a small hole in the door. Sain blinked and stared, trying to gather his thoughts, his mouth hanging open slightly in a rather dumb expression. He tried to speak, and failed, nothing but a faint gurgle escaping him. The guard gave him a disgusted look and shook his head.

  "Kid, you're fucked" the guard snapped and stepped away from the door, a food cart coming into view.

  "I am guessing you are wondering why the good meal. Well, it’s your last. That stunt of your's earlier moved up your schedule" guard stated, a look of pity briefly crossing his face.

  "Your date with the needle has been changed to tomorrow morning, so enjoy your last meal kid" the guard stated rather bluntly and gently pushed his cart, humming to himself as he moved on.

  Sinking to his knees, Sain rested his forehead against the cold metal door just closing his eyes and struggling to think. After what seemed like an hour but was most likely just a few moments he sighed and stood up. Picking up his tray the youth shuffled over to sit on his bed. He placed the food tray on his lap and just stared at it dumbly, noting the lack of any eating utensil. With another exaggerated sigh, Sain started scooping up the food with his fingers, trying to at least enjoy his last meal.

  Finishing it rather quickly, Sain placed the now empty tray of food on his bed and lifted his head to stare at the door blankly. His mind was numb still and he couldn't even seem to muster the thoughts to look at this situation. He just felt immeasurably sad. Flopping backwards onto his bed, he looked at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. Eventually his eyes misted and he realized he had started to cry silently, his sadness overflowing. Hiccupping quietly, he dashed his eyes with a thumb and tried to wipe away the tears, but they seemed to never stop until he eventually simply cried himself to sleep.

  * * *

  Sain lay awake, resting on his bed, his eyes swollen and puffy from his nights crying. He was a little more lucid now, and could make some coherent thought. He laid there, his arms behind his head as he listened to the heavy footsteps in the hall. A large group approached.

  It seemed as though his hearing had adjusted to the vast silence of his cell, to the point that even the faintest sound rang loud in his ears. As the footfalls came to a halt, he turned his head to the side, locking his eyes on the metal door of his cell. A key rattled briefly in the lock and then the door swung open, silent on well-oiled hinges. Four armed guards filed into his cell then, and a fifth man, completely devoid of any sort of body armor or weaponry.

  Sain scowled as he recognized the figure. It was the mage from the other day that had well and truly handed Sain’s ass to him.

  "No need to give me such a dagger eye lad" the mage said, his voice almost gentle. Sain looked him up and down, still scowling. The man had long blonde hair, tied back against his head, sharp blue eyes and a well cut and short blonde beard. He carried himself well and was rather well built, if not lanky.

  "Alright, that is enough staring. Up you get, or the guards will drag you out" the mage stated, and gestured with a flick of his hand, causing a guard to step forward, hand cuffs being displayed. Sain swung his legs off of his bed, a small sniffle escaping him even as a hand came up to rub at his puffy eyes before he held both his hands out to the guard.

  As his hands were secured, he was basically hauled forward, the guard using the link of the cuffs to pull him and then thrust him out into the hallway. The guard then pushed Sain, his hand between the youth's shoulder blades, and continued pushing him as they walked through the corridors. Sain heard the other's fall in behind him and he gulped, knowing a repeat of the other day was not an option. That had to be why this mage was here this time.

  Sain was forced to turn a corner and he locked his eyes on the door at the end, particularly its sign that identified it as the execution chamber. He froze and felt a cold shiver run through his entire being.

  The guard behind him pushed Sain hard, causing him to stagger and fall forward on his knees, his knee's slamming hard into the concrete floor beneath him. Wordlessly, two of the guards stepped forward, grabbing him under his armpits and lifted him up before proceeding to drag him towards the chamber.

  Sain started to struggle and tried to shake them off as he caught his feet, and his struggles caused the guard behind him to clout the youth hard in the back of the head. Sain blacked out briefly, barely a second, but it was enough to make him realize that any real resistance was futile, and he simply sagged in the guards grip as the group reached the door. It opened, and another guard stood there. He stepped sideways wordlessly, allowing the group to enter the room, and Sain looked up, tears threatening to burst forth at any moment. And to his horror, Sain found the tall dark haired man waiting patiently for his arrival.

  Sain gaped at the man who was standing in the galley, his face bare inches from the glass. Sain could see the two rows of chairs there, and they were completely empty. Only the dark haired man stood as a witness.

  The guards did not wait for Sain to register where he was, and took him straight to the execution chair, an attendant standing next to it. Sain protested weakly, a small gurgling noise escaping him as he was turned around by the two guards holding him, and near thrown into the chair. They held his arms down as the attendant strapped him in, first his arms, and then his legs, all wordlessly, seemingly completely devoid of emotion.

  Sain whimpered again, his eyes wide as the guards let him go and stepped away, before exiting the room all together, leaving only the attendant, the mage, and a third person within the room. There third person was just out of view on his left side and Sain bit his lip hard, trying not to cry. The person finally came into view and Sain's eyes widened as he looked them over. It was a woman, dressed rather smartly in business attire, and by all standards Sain knew, she was beautiful.

  His heart pounded and he stared goggle eyed at her as she stepped around him and came to stand to his front, the galley glass to her back. Sain locked his eyes on her face, her light green eyes and long, free brown hair stark to the environment he was in.

  "Sain Belford. I am here today as the representative of the Rindai government, to read your charges to you, and to record any last words you may have for your loved ones" she stated, her voice rather hard, and distinct from her almost soft appearance.

  "Y
our charges are as follows. Sain Belford, you have been charged with five cases of murder, one case of reckless endangerment and one case of illegal use of magic, which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries to the citizens of Rindai. In such an extreme case of blatant misuse of your given abilities and the severity of your crimes you have been tried as an adult and sentenced to die. In addition to this, you have had three more charges of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one case of attempt to escape lawful custody. These charges have been added to your record" she stated, that voice still hard and rather formal. This was her job no doubt, and it seemed she took little joy in it.

  Sain looked past her now, seeing the face of the dark haired man, who simply stared right back at the youth, his expression completely blank. Sain sucked in a shuddering breath and looked back to the woman before him.

  "Now that I have read your charges, do you have any last words for anyone, or a statement to go on record" she asked of Sain, that formal tone still etched into her voice. Sain actually started to cry then, a small shudder running through his body, and tears running freely down his cheeks.

  "It, it wasn't me" he whispered and sobbed quite loudly without shame.

  "Tell my brother Niall, and my father, that I am, so so sorry. Please, tell them that" he let out between sobs before he looked up, tears cascading down his face. The woman’s gaze softened quite considerably then, almost as though she pitied him.

  "I will Mr Belford. I will" she stated, her voice considerably softer now. She stepped away then, her gaze turning to the attendant and offering a nod.

  "Begin" she stated and stayed standing there, her eyes turning on Sain, to witness his last moments.

  Sain sobbed still as the attendant raised a needle and slid it into a vein of Sain’s arm, causing him to whimper in pain a little. He turned his head and watched as the attendant stepped back, and pressed a button on a machine near the chair, causing two vibrant fluids to run down separate tubes and meet at a junction that connected to a tube that ran to the needle in Sain’s arm. He whimpered again and looked away, his eyes locking onto the gallery, and the sole person there. That dark haired man that now offered a single sinister smile. Sain felt the coolness of the fluid as it entered his body and within moments his head slumped forward, his vision blurring and then disappearing, the last image in his mind being that of the face of that man, and his wicked smile.

  Chapter 13

  * * *

  The mess hall was filled with noise. The constant murmur of voices, clangs of utensils on metal food trays and the scraping of chairs and benches as people moved to and from the seats, and the meal booths. Niall looked up rather bleary eyed and locked eyes with Keran who sat opposite him.

  "Shit Niall, didn't you get any sleep last night?" the other recruit asked of Niall right before he shoveled a fried egg into his face. Niall just scowled at him.

  "Of course I didn't you fucking twat. The military police dropped me back in the middle of the fucking night" Niall snapped angrily right before he attacked his own meal in silence. He could feel the eyes of dozens of people on him, and he guessed he was the center of many a conversation right now. And he could understand why.

  No one else had exactly been dropped off by a military airship like he had. Thankfully it seemed no one knew he had been caught up in a murder investigation. And no one had really asked him, not even his lecturers. He still didn't know what had happened to Sain and it really did rattle him.

  He noticed Keran looking up and over Niall's head, even as it dawned on the young man that a hush had come over entire mess hall. Niall spun around slowly and found an officer, a staff sergeant to be exact, standing right behind him.

  "Private Belford. Come with me. The Colonel would speak with you" the Sergeant stated and turned on his heel, not even giving Niall the time to ask a question. Not that he would.

  Niall rose out of his seat and hurried after the Sergeant, a knot forming in his belly. He could hear all the whispers starting up again and scowled.

  The Sergeant led Niall out of the mess hall and down a few different corridors until they came to the academies administration offices. He was led to a particular office that was at the end of a corridor. The Sergeant opened it silently and gestured for Niall to step inside. As Niall did, he sensed the door being closed behind him.

  Niall looked around the office and found the Colonel staring out of a window that overlooked a large chunk of the academy airfield and its quarter dozen corvette class training airships. As the Colonel turned to face Niall, the young man snapped to attention and offered the officer a smart salute.

  The Colonel replied with a salute of his own before gesturing to a seat at his desk. As Niall sat, the Colonel sat opposite the youth in his own high backed chair. As Niall waited for the Colonel to speak, he cast his eyes over the man's desk, seeing nothing on its surface save the officers name plate, reading Colonel Shawn Leoherdt.

  "Private Belford. I suppose you might have some idea as to why you are here. Last night you arrived on base after curfew, escorted by military police, who gave no insight as to why. I did some digging of my own and found nothing. There is a complete blank order over your name and events relating to the last week surrounding you. An order that even I, with considerable clearance cannot access" the Colonel stated and looked at Niall hard, his eyes seeming to bore into Niall's soul.

  Niall gulped and stared at the man, taking in his appearance. The Colonel was perhaps in his fifties, and was bald as an egg, whilst sporting a full mustache. His apprehension may have shown, because the Colonel offered a sly smile.

  "I will not ask you about the events, as for you to speak of them may breach any order you may have received from a higher power than I. Instead, I have this for you. It arrived this morning by express courier" the Colonel stated and pulled open a drawer in his desk, to produce a single letter which he then slid along the desktop to Niall. The seal on the letter was quite clearly broken, and Niall guessed the Colonel had read the letter himself.

  Niall gulped and picking it up looked the envelope over, and seeing it was from his father, Niall opened it and took a single piece of paper from the envelope. With trepidation Niall unfolded the letter and started reading it. Halfway through the letter tears started to splash onto the paper, and by the end of it he was sobbing uncontrollably.

  The Colonel obviously knew what was in the letter, because he reached over the table and put a hand on Niall's shoulder, gripping it firmly.

  "Son, I contacted the Rindai prison system, and they confirmed that your brother, Sain, had been confirmed dead yesterday morning. I am sorry for your loss. I really am. It is never easy to lose family, let alone a sibling younger than you" the Colonel said to Niall, genuine feeling in the man's voice.

  "If you need to call your father, I will let the admin team know that you have my permission to use the phones. For now, the graduation ceremony is held in two hours. Rest up and try to come to terms if you can" the man said before standing up and moving around the desk to come to stand at the door and open it for Niall.

  Niall stood up and pocketed the letter, sobbing haphazardly still. As he approached the door the Colonel held out a hand and spoke one last time.

  "Son. Whatever happened, no one knows. Even the prison staff didn't seem to know why your brother suffered his fate. No record exits at or below my clearance. It takes someone very powerful to make that happen. The only souls on this base that know the contents of that letter are you and I, and I suggest you keep it that way. Destroy it as soon as you are able is my recommendation. Now, be on your way" the man stated and finally ushered Niall out the door.

  Sain stepped out into the hall and started walking away from the office immediately, aiming for his quarters. His face was wet with tears and grief tore at his heart, even as burning anger filled him. He wasn't even sure what he was angry at. He was just angry.

  He reached his dormitory and burst inside, flinging the door open. There was a shout as two of his
dorm mates stood up from their beds and stared at Niall with evident shock. They could see his distress and chose to stay silent. Niall pushed past them to his locker against the wall and pulled it open, looking for his dress uniform hanging from the rack.

  "If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the showers getting ready for the ceremony" he stated. Looking down at the bottom of the locker, he saw his bag and with a scowl, he took the letter from his pocket and stuffed it into the bag before slamming the locker shut and turning away. He exited the room without another word and headed to the showers.

  * * *

  Niall stood at attention in his military uniform as the names of his class mates were read out and they were given their graduation papers and military assignments. For an hour Niall had wept as he had gotten ready for the ceremony. With red rimmed eyes he had participated in the graduation drills, his voice hoarse and his eyes threatening to spill over at any time. It had not been easy, and he could still feel eyes on him every minute. Whenever his eyes met with someone else’s, they turned their eyes away, hiding their own curious expressions.

  Hearing his name called, Niall snapped out of his thoughts and straightened his back before he marched out of the ranks. As he ascended the podium, he heard whispers break out below him among some of the more amorous recruits. He suddenly faltered and stumbled in his stride. Quickly regaining his footing, he continued on as all chatter was crushed by the teachers and military officers.

  Reaching the officer on the podium, he shook hands and accepted the proffered papers and then listened to the proclamation made.