The building Exarch Stefan had quartered himself in was a large stone house, that perhaps once belonged to a garrison commander or to a village notable.
Not that Fyra cared. She gladly let Ark wonder about that stuff.
What she cared about at the moment was that there were no guards at the entrance. Probably they were too busy keeping watch at the confines of the ruins or calming down the strained nerves of the citizens.
This made thing easier.
She opened the door and passed through an entrance hall not unlike that of many other houses, its size the only difference. She saw nobody there either, she didn’t even hear any movement despite having good ears.
Somewhere at the end of one of the corridors to her right or left there was the room Elef had been locked in, but visiting him would be of no help.
Just like Kal would. “Let me take care of this” my foot!
The girl instead proceeded straight, entering the inner courtyard of the house.
She heard voices coming from behind one of the doors giving onto it, and understood she had reached her destination.
«Tell me the truth, Ergon. How much…» a hoarse voice, she couldn’t hear the rest.
After a moment of silence, the voice continued, more peremptory: «Answer me.»
Another voice obeyed, although Fyra still couldn’t hear everything: «Not… But not… either. Especially if you intend to… If I had better tools, maybe I could… I’m sorry.»
Fyra’s intention was to immediately open the door and get in, but that dialogue made her curious, so she stood by, listening.
The first voice spoke again: «You do not have the tool, but I know you…»
«My Exarch, this would shorten… I took an oath.»
«I cannot keep lying on this… Remember what you told the me the day you…»
A moment of silence. Fyra didn’t exactly understand what they were talking about, but she figured out that the second person who had spoken, Ergon, now was hesitating.
The first voice, the Exarch, spoke once more: «Think of my daughter. I do not want to… this way. I must be able to… Please do it for her, Ergon. Do it for your future Princess.»
«Who goes there? Who are you, and what are you doing here?»
Fyra turned. Behind her, on the opposite side of the courtyard, she saw a young woman. The tunic and pants she was wearing had seen better days, but her black hair was carefully groomed and elegantly held up behind her head. Her dark eyes were pointed straight at her. Despite her eyebrows and mouth warped in a furious expression, Fyra recognized her: she was Helena Dorina, the Exarch’s daughter she had met at Elis harbor.
«Move away from that door at once!»
As she said so, the young woman started approaching her, walking at the greatest speed that still allowed to not use the verb “run”.
Fyra, without thinking twice, pushed against the door and rushed inside.
«Stop! Guards! Astor!» she heard the other scream, but she ignored her.
The room was dark, her eyes took a moment to get used to it. After that, in the little light that came from a narrow window, she saw two men.
One was young, with a rather athletic build. He was kneeling, looking toward a bed positioned near the wall in front of her.
The other was lying down on that bed. He looked older, and pale. She realized he was probably the Exarch.
But that was everything she managed to see before someone tried to forcefully pull her back outside. Fyra resisted and shrugged the person off. Someone feel to the ground with a shriek behind her.
It’s now or never.
«Exarch! I know what you plan on doing, and I won’t let you!»
She pointed a finger at the man on the bed, in accusation.
He merely gave her a puzzled look.
The other man, the one who was probably the “Ergon” she had heard before, seemed to not even notice her.
Once again, someone grabbed her from behind, this time with mush more strength.
«Alright, kid, you’re coming with me now.» a male voice.
«Take her away, Astor.» Helena’s voice; she sounded like she was catching her breath.
She tried to free herself a second time, but couldn’t manage to.
«No!» she screamed, shaking as she was lifted up from the ground. «Elef did nothing wrong! Do you hear me, Exarch? Nothing wrong!»
«Astor, stop.» said the man on the bed. «Let her go.»
«My Exarch, she entered without permission!» the male voice behind her complained. «She clearly has unsound intentions.»
«Do you think she came here to assassinate me? She is a citizen, Astor. Let her go. And then go back to your duties.» As the man spoke, his voice became clearer and clearer, his tone more confident and authoritative.
The hands holding her suddenly let her go, and Fyra fell on the floor.
When she raised her head again, she saw that the Exarch had sat up on the bed, looking at her with curiosity. The other man was gone, maybe he had left.
«You have my attention.» the Exarch said. «Elef must be Eleutar Krommynid, the deserter who will stand trial tomorrow, right?»
All traces of weakness or fatigue were gone. Despite the dark circles under his eyes and the bandages around his stomach, the man in front of her now appeared indomitably strong and fully interested and attentive to the person he was speaking to. She understood then how this man had earned the trust and admiration of all the people she knew: even sitting as he was on a dirty bed, wearing clothes wrinkled by days of use, he looked like he was on a throne, dressed in ceremonial robes, granting an audience to one of his beloved citizens.
However, Fyra refused to let herself be impressed.
«I am glad that you at least know the name of the people you’re about to send to the wolves.»
«Please, at least try to show a modicum of respect, Citizen.» said Helena, still behind her, in a weirdly patient, almost conciliatory tone, similar to the one she had used at the harbor. «You are in the presence of your exarch.»
«Let her talk, Helena.» the man said, looking away from Fyra for a moment. As he looked at her again, he responded: «I do not understand: what do you mean?»
Fyra grit her teeth: «Do you really think we’re all fools? We’ve been held up here for days, and the people are losing their patience. You’re very quickly losing the trust they had in you.»
«I will not deny it.» The Exarch didn’t seem intimidated by her aggressiveness. «But I still do not understand how this would concern Eleutar Krommynid.»
«Stop making fun of me! You obviously mean to judge him guilty and let everyone release their anger on him! What better way to calm the people down and gain some time?»
Helena intervened, in a bizarrely embarrassed tone: «T-This is an offensive insinuation! It is nothing but shameful slander!»
«Oh, really?» Fyra turned and looked at her. Now that she saw her face, she almost pitied her. She seemed a few years older than Fyra, and yet her expression was the one of a child caught doing something she shouldn’t do.
«You have my word.» the Exarch answered, momentarily drawing her attention back. «If Eleutar Krommynid is found guilty and condemned, it will be only as the result of a fair trial. He is a citizen, ad as such he shall be treated.»
Fyra held back from telling him his word meant nothing. Maybe, just maybe, saying that wasn’t a good idea.
«Wait, now I remember.» said Helena. «You offered to go back in the town, at Elis harbor. You were together with Artor Deutarid and Kalos Aregonid.»
«Congratulations, Helena Dorina.» Fyra said, sarcastically. «You know who else was with us? Elef. Oh, but I can’t expect you to remember him. You’re just about to condemn him for desertion.»
She saw her grow pale.
«What is the meaning of this, Helena? You never mentioned that.» The Exarch sounded curious.
«I-I will explain it to you later, Father.» she answered.
«No, I will explain it, right now.» said Fyra, talking once again to the man on the bed. «Elef has saved a life, in Elis. He helped a citizen reach the harbor and flee, when almost every other watcher had no time to do so! Without him, now a woman would be dead!»
She was embellishing the story a little, but she didn’t care. Though Elef had grown into an insufferable idiot, he was still her friend.
The Exarch stroked his chin, murmuring a “hmm”, then he said: «I assure you this will be taken into account during the trial. Right, Helena?»
The Exarch’s daughter seemed to have not expected that. All she managed to say was: «…What?»
«You will be the one presiding the trial tomorrow.» he answered, with a smile.
The young woman shook her head. «Father, I…»
«You have always wanted a chance to help me and show me what you were capable of, have you not? Well, here it is. You yourself have said that I must do nothing more than rest. So the trial will be your responsibility. Go on, show me and the citizens your judgment. I am sure you will not disappoint me.»
«But… but…» Helena stammered for a few moments, then lowered her head, closing her hands into fists. «As you wish, Father.»
Fyra wasn’t exactly sure of what had just happened, but for some reason she felt optimistic.
The Exarch smiled at her. «What is your name, Citizen?»
Normally, she’d have been tempted to not answer.
«Fyra Eufyina.»
«Fyra.» the Exarch repeated her name. «Do you have relatives with you?»
«My grandparents.»
The Exarch did not inquire further on the matter. «Eleutar Krommynid is your friend, is he not?»
After a moment of hesitation, she answered: «Yes. He is.»
The Exarch made a short laugh. «I too once knew a Eleutar. And we too called him “Elef”. He was a good man.» After a pause, he added: «And a good friend.»
The Exarch closed his eyes, as if lost in some happy memory.
The spell that lasted so long broke, and Fyra once again saw only a man on a bed, injured, tired and sickly.
Then those eyes opened up again, and the Exarch said: «Now, Fyra, I must ask you to return to your grandparents and let me rest. Tomorrow will be a long day. For all of us.»
Fyra left, more satisfied than she expected.
Not even the coldness with which Helena led her to the exit managed to affect her good spirits.
It wasn’t over, it was far from over in fact, but now her anger had been replaced by another feeling entirely.
Hope.
Two guards came to take him.
Elef rose from his bed, giving sign he wanted to walk on his own legs. Recently he had started feeling better. His injured arm still hurt and he’d rather not use it, but the pain in his other limbs had grown faint enough to not be a hindrance.
The two watchwomen escorted him out of his cell and then outside, toward the square at the center of the ruins.
Elef saw that six or seven large circular tents had been set up around the square. He didn’t remember noticing them the day he had arrived. But probably he had been too sick to pay any attention to them.
In the center of the square someone had put an unadorned table covered by a meager rectangle of dark cloth, and behind it a battered chair. On the chair sat Helena Dorina, daughter of Exarch Stefan. Elef realized that was the closest thing to a courtroom the watchers had managed to set up. It looked funny, but Helena’s expression was so serious that nobody was inclined to laughing.
Apparently every single Elis denizen who had managed to flee the city had gathered around the table. A hundred murmuring people, many of which wore menacing frowns. Elef saw a few of them flashing a malevolent smile at him as he passed. Some others threw insults in his direction.
Suddenly a man managed to cross the cordon of watchers that made way between him and the table, and spat at him.
«This is what you deserve after always looking down on me! How does it feel to be treated like garbage now, Elef?»
It was then that Elef realized the man who had spat at him was someone he knew: Klazon was known as an idle slacker to all Elis, and had often tried to mooch money or food off him or his parents, with a servile attitude Elef had always found irritating.
The guards pushed him back behind the cordon, but not before he managed to shout: «They’ll eat you alive, you cursed brat! And I will laugh as I watch it happen!»
The young man became afraid. He felt that the instant he was judged guilty, the mob would jump at him like wild animals.
But despite that, he couldn’t find it in him to blame them. He was fully aware of what he had done, and shame consumed him. All he wished for was a second chance, to show he wasn’t a coward.
Even if he knew he’d never have one.
The two watchwomen who escorted him made him kneel in front of the table.
«Defendant.» Helena said. «State your name and rank.»
Elef answered, keeping his head lowered.
«Eleutar Krommynid, decarch of the Second Company of the Elis City Watch.» repeated the woman who would soon judge him. «You are accused of contravening an order of your captain and running away from the advancing enemy. What do you say in your defense?»
Elef shook his head. «Nothing.»
He had no excuses. Had he been able to turn back time, he would have done so.
«Then let us proceed. Normally, I would now ask if anyone present here could testify the truthfulness of the accuses against you, as Daskal, our Teacher, has taught us.» Her voice lowered in pitch. «But in this case there will be no need. Your very presence here is evidence enough. Eleutar Krommynid, you have abandoned your post. Your duty, as member of the Second Company, was to hold your position and fight, in order to give the First Company enough time to evacuate the city. You did not fulfill it.»
The murmur from the mob started to rise in volume. Elef already knew what awaited him. But suddenly, the voices died down. Lifting his gaze, Elef saw that Helena had raised her hands, calling for silence. The woman, still looking at him in the eyes, continued: «The verdict is already written, you are guilty. But although you have renounced speaking in your own defense, that does not mean this trial is already over.»
Then Helena looked at the crowd. «For as Daskal has taught us, now I ask: is there someone present here who can testify in the defendant’s favor?»
From the crowd, a familiar voice rose: «I am!»
Elef turned just in time to see Kalos make his way through the people in the front.
What are you trying to do? He asked him silently with his eyes.
«What is your name?» Helena asked.
«Kalos Aregonid.»
«Speak, Kalos Aregonid. What can you say in defense of this man?»
Elef saw him take a deep breath, and then speak to the crowd.
«During the fall of Elis, I and a few other citizens tried to take one of my neighbors to safety. She was an elderly woman, incapable of running away on her own. To save her, I asked him for help.» Kalos pointed one finger at him.
Elef shook his head in disbelief. That was a lie, Kalos knew that.
«Kalos, no!» he exclaimed, trying to stand up, but the watchwomen pushed him back down.
«I did not know what his orders were,» the boy continued. «so I inadvertently put him in a difficult situation. I presented decarch Eleutar with a choice: obey his captain, hold his position and abandon me and other defenseless citizens to their doom, or disobey those orders and escort us.»
I don’t need these lies!
«If he is to blame, then I am to blame just as much. For without him, we would have never been able to save ourselves. The decarch… even suffered an injury to protect us.»
«Enough with this farce!» Elef screamed, but the watchwomen held him down.
«Defendant, you have no permission to speak now.» Helena said, coldly.
Then she looked at Kalos, who seemed to be done speaking: «Thank you, Kalos Aregonid. But the word of a single person is not enough. Is there someone present here who can confirm what you have said?»
Elef noticed that the crowd’s murmur had abated, almost to complete silence.
There was no answer. Elef sighed in relief. This shameful attempt at deceiving the tribunal was going to fail.
But then suddenly another familiar voice: «I am.»
the crowd parted, showing the last person Elef expected to see.
«What is your name?»
«Artor Deutarid.»
«Can you confirm what Kalos Aregonid has said?»
«Every word.»
Elef felt as if he were having a hallucination. Maybe that was it, maybe in truth he was still in his cell with a burning fever.
«Very well. The testimony in your favor has been confirmed, Defendant Eleutar Krommynid.» said Helena. «As I said before however, this does not change the facts.»
That was what Elef expected, and he was grateful for it.
«Whatever your motivations might have been, whatever noble act you might have performed, you are guilty.» his judge continued, as if she were reading his mind.
Then she rose from her chair.
«According to the Old Law, the punishment for a deserter was death.»
Somebody in the crowd shouted something Elef did not understand, but that sounded threatening and eager, and the murmur started gaining strength again.
Helena took a deep breath, before she resumed: «But the Old Law also decreed that we humans were slaves, that we had no rights and that our one purpose was to serve our masters. That is a law we no longer uphold.»
As she spoke that last sentence, she moved her gaze from one end of the square to the other, as if she were harshly judging the entire crowd gathered there.
The murmur ceased completely. Suddenly, there was only a tense silence.
«We now have a new law. And according to it, the punishment for deserters is not death.»
Another pause. Helena laid her eyes on Elef once again.
«Eleutar Krommynid. You should be dishonorably discharged from the Watch, this is what the law decrees.»
This too was what he expected. His career was over, his dream of becoming someone everyone looked up to ended here.
Wait a moment. I “should”?
«However, considering the testimonies we have heard, and our current situation as well… I will show leniency.»
Elef could not believe his ears.
«Tell me.» said Helena, leaning toward him. «Do you wish to remain in the Watch?»
Elef threw himself down with so much strength that he almost hit the ground with his head. He felt he was crying, but he didn’t care.
«Yes… Yes! I beg you! All I want is another chance! I won’t disappoint you!»
«So be it then, this is the sentence: I condemn you to be demoted. You will once more be a watchman and nothing more, but a watchman still. Serve your exarch with dedication. We will need you as much as everyone else.»
Elef felt movement in front of him, Helena had straightened back up and was looking at the crowd again.
«We share the same circumstances. Now is not the time to release our anger on our own companions. We need each other, now more than ever before. Thus it is decided!»
And with a solemn clapping of hands, Helena signaled that the trial had concluded.
The crowd, that so little time earlier had seemed ready to attack Elef in a frenzy, now burst in jubilant cries.
«A sentence worthy of her father!»
«Helena Dorina has spoken with wisdom!»
«Her clemency is an example for all!»
They had completely forgotten about him.
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