"Xen Sora-Lem, you stand before the Council of Ten accused of the murder of Edrik Saldrosen, a Learner of the Third Level. How do you plead?" asked the cold, pure voice of a woman. She stood with the other Council members in a circle around me, her face hidden beneath her hood. I swallowed nervously.1
"I plead innocent, ma'am," I murmured. The Council members all looked at the woman who had spoken before, and I was given the impression that she was their leader. 2
"You were found at the scene of the crime, holding the murder weapon, with his blood on your hands, were you not?"3
I sighed slightly, knowing that I wasn't ever going to win this battle... "Yes, ma'am."4
"What right have you to plead innocent?" she asked, her voice growing louder. I could tell that she was straining to keep control. Why?5
"Edrik was my friend. I wouldn't kill him or anyone!" I exclaimed, hearing my voice heighten in fear. The woman sensed this, and leaned forward. I was scared.6
"We shall have your verdict very soon, Xen Sora-Lem. I will have you know that the penalty for murder is death," she whispered dangerously. My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. In the instant she had leaned forward, I had seen her face.7
She wasn't human at all.8
* * * * * 9
I was thrown back into my cell, but left unchained. I was severely shaken from seeing the Councilwoman's white, clouded eyes...10
"Poar kyid. Shoulda warned ya," the other man said regretfully. I inched my way across the cell and gripped the bars.11
"You never answered my question before," I said. "Who are you and why are you in here?"12
"I ain't all dat sure. I been in here so durned long... Alls I know is, I confesses straight away. Dat done lessened my purnishment," he wheezed. I sighed, releasing a mixture of feelings from my heavy heart. What would Sona think of me? Clirenz was probably ecstatic to find out that I was finally blamed for something. And Edrik...13
Without warning, I started sobbing. I hadn't cried since I was twelve winters old, but I couldn't stop myself. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I would even have been willing to stop training to become a master Keeper if it meant that I could go free. Why did this have to happen to me? I didn't want to die for something I didn't do!14
"Dat's it. Let it awl out," said my fellow prisoner. He watched me shaking with a thoughtful look on his face.15
"Me name is Gameen," he suddenly said. I sniffed and looked up at him. Gameen was smiling. 16
"Yer cryin' done helped me 'member!" he exclaimed, quite happy to have remembered his name. I took deep, controlled breaths to slow my heartbeat. 17
"Let's start over then. My name is Xen Sora-Lem," I said politely, even though my voice still shook. Gameen was now grinning at me, and he looked much younger in spite of himself.18
"Me name is Gameen Soo-Ben. Thanks fer cryin', Xen."19
* * * * * 20
I must have fallen asleep at some point after being reintroduced to Gameen, because I remember waking up to the sound of the gigantic door creaking open. The same man who'd brought me to the council chamber earlier came back.21
"Get up. The Grand Councilwoman will see you now. She will present you with your verdict."22
When I sat up slowly because I was still half-asleep, the man yanked me to my feet, even though I protested at such rough treatment. 23
"Move it, boy," the man growled. He gave me a push that almost sent me tumbling forward. I glared at him, but didn't want to say anything that might merit even harsher treatment.24
I walked into the dark, circular room and felt the cold, frightening presence of the Ten. Like the rest of the City, it was underground and lit by Glowstones, but the stones in the council chamber were old and dim, which made it even scarier to be inside.25
"Xen Sora-lem," the Grand Councilwoman said in her mystical, knowing voice. This time, however, she displayed no readable emotion. I lowered my eyes, not wanting to meet hers. Her white, almost gray skin glowed a faint red from the light of the Glowstones.26
"Your verdict was one of the most difficult we've ever had to determine. You are neither guilty nor innocent. Tral could not detect truth nor lies in your statements earlier," she spoke. I saw one hooded figure raise its head slightly when the Councilwoman said the name "Tral." I guessed that that was their name.27
"Since we cannot let you go free and cannot have you executed, we have come to a decision..."28
I knew immediately that they were going to let me rot in that cell with Gameen. It was better than being killed, but not by much.29
"You shall be banished from the City."30
I stood there, only half-hearing her words. Banished?31
"Grand Councilwoman, pardon my ignorance-"32
"It is pardoned."33
I cleared my throat nervously. "The world at the surface has a toxic atmosphere. Doesn't that make it uninhabitable?" I asked. My voice cracked as I spoke.34
The Grand Councilwoman was silent for so long that I'd begun to wonder if she'd heard me. When she finally answered, my worst fears were recognized.35
"Yes."36
To be continued...37
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 11 of 11
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That's one screwed up court system, I mean come on, banishment to unlivable world=death in my book. This is quite interesting, I like the names.
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Hmm, the sentence is death, eh?
Oops, it's looking like I was wrong now.
Lol! Nope, banishment it is ^^
Your concept of a City being an oasis of safety, surrounded by toxicity reminds me of my own ongoing story, Untitled. Feel free to check it out if you have the time, but don't feel like you have to just because I suggested it
This is still awesome; good character development here with Ganeen, and you've made some very mysterious characters. There are a lot of questions about your world yet to be answered, keeping the reader hooked.
Kewl ^^
Eph -
this is so good im hanging on the edge of my seat. i want to know what the ten are, you made them inhuman sounding. your a great writer, i feel his emotions i cant wait to read the rest and find out wha happens when he goes above ground. your a great writer and i paln to be back to read more.
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Oh, I remember this! perfect job
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I Have Enough Trouble with Reality
I am very much the outlander here....
It's either a generation thing...or a genre thing. I find no fault with your skill in writing...nor the language but find it difficult, not having been raised with the Dungeons and Dragons set, to truly immerse myself in this type of literature. I, in fact, often wonder why writers choose a fantasy realm to express themselves. Escape, I guess. For me, I try to communicate what I feel it is imperative to convey through my own world and that with which I am most familiar. AND...even this I find difficult enough to do! But, I wish you good luck on your endeavor...BTW, I find it most interesting that you have chosen the first person POV rather than a third person to tell your story. It's unusual.
Best,
GA -
wowwww! you really make me feel as if I'm really there! You have amazing writing skizzles - keep up the good work. wowww
~lise
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ahhh! so Xen's fate is just as bad as being executed! that will suck majorly. but as i said in my last comment, maybe he'll survive since he might be the great one. or maybe gammen will help Xen escape from prison...
well i'm off to read more!!! -
Without warning, I started sobbing. I hadn't cried since I was twelve winters old, but I couldn't stop myself. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I would even have been willing to stop training to become a master Keeper if it meant that I could go free. Why did this have to happen to me? I didn't want to die for something I didn't do!
This isn't my only favorite part but when reading this I really felt the pain of Xen and I really liked it! All the way through, since I sort of spoiled it for myself, was wondering, if he gets convicted how is he going to escape death, and if he isn't convicted..how can there be five other parts?
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^-^ Ohh, is he going to die a long and painful death? And then burn in eternal flame? *Takes way too much pleasure in that*
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Hope your days are bright- great job.
MoonNight
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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Cliffhanger!
AGH! CLIFFHANGER!, This is why I have to stop reading long bulky books during school days (despise how good they are). All the authors leave cliffhangers, then I have to keep reading to the next chapter, then cliffhanger!! Nicely written, kept me interested throughout the whole story! Good cliffhanger too, I can't wait for more! Oh yes, I love Gameen, I can just imagine his accent too, for some strange reason I expect him as a major character, I might be wrong though... it's all up to you.
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