Chapter 11: A Blindfold of Injustice

A minute later, the left door of the interview room opened, and two prison guards escorted in the first Erros, dressed in the prison’s faded gray uniforms. The grimy, scowling Erros glared around the room but appeared to miss Fallon behind her screen as he focused on Lieutenant Clark, seated at the table.

“Here now, what’s all this nonsense about?”

“Come in and take a seat, Erros 267,” the Lieutenant replied neutrally. “I just have a few questions to ask to fill in some missing information for your paperwork.”

“Just a few, eh?” 267 sneered as he sank into the chair. “My trial was over sixty bloody days ago. What do they want to know now? Will it change my verdict? My execution is coming up. It was scheduled for the start of Cleaves.”

Fallon sighed quietly. There was nothing about the Erros’s behavior that screamed upstanding citizen. It was already the 63rd day of Harven, Orianthian’s summer season, which lasted 95 days, which meant Erros 267 only had 30 days left to live.

“First question,” Lieutenant Clark began briskly. “Did you, on the 35th day of Harven, take a shovel and split open the head of one Archie Lightbrook?”

267 leaned back into his chair and slowly crossed his arms. “Well,” he replied with a cynical laugh. “The Judge says I did, didn’t she?”

‘He must be talking about Jude Elouise,’ Fallon reasoned. An easy guess given there was only one female judge in Highguard. ‘I heard she can be rather strict, especially when it comes to crimes committed by Esus.’

“I’m asking that you give an honest answer about what happened, Erros 267,” the Lieutenant explained patiently.

“Why?”

“It’s just part of the process to complete your paperwork before your execution is carried out.”

“Oh, well then, no—I didn’t do it.”

Lie Detected!

“Didn’t kill Archie Lightbrook?” Lieutenant Clark pressed for clarification.

“That’s right,” 267 replied with a firm nod.

Lie Detected!

‘Well, that was easy enough. It looks like 267 is guilty.’ Fallon shook her head and tapped the red crystal.

Lieutenant Clark glanced up only briefly before writing something down in the Erro’s file and flipping it shut. “Thank you, Erros 267.” The Lieutenant said neutrally as he turned and nodded to the two prison guards who waited by the left door. “These men will take you for a short walk around the courtyard before returning you to your cell.”

Lie Detected!

Fallon smirked and tapped the already dimming red crystal again.

The Lieutenant frowned as the light flashed behind the screen and shook his head slightly.

‘Guess he doesn’t want the prisoner noticing that they’re being watched,’ Fallon reasoned as she tapped the crystal three times to deactivate the light. She focused on the window and noticed a ledge on the left side that allowed it to open. Fallon left her seat and waited until 267 and his escorts had left through the right door before she tapped the glass and slid the window open.

Lieutenant Clark looked over sharply. “Yes, Seviner? I trust that wasn’t too difficult.”

“What if 267 killed that man in self-defense.”

“He did not,” the Lieutenant replied promptly as he moved the doomed Erros file to the other side of the desk. “Archie Lightbrook was asleep in his bed when that man broke into his house and cleaved Archie’s head in two with a shovel.”

‘Definitely guilty then.’

“But, what if—”

“I understand your concern, Seviner,” Clark interrupted with a patient smile. “I promise, in the event self-defense should play a part in the prisoner’s verdict, that I will ask the appropriate questions. There are another twenty boxes of files awaiting us that I have already screened through to make the most of our time today effectively. If I skip straight to the question of the prisoner’s guilt, then you may take that to mean it is an open and shut case we are verifying simply to ensure all executions today are justified.”

Fallon sighed and crossed her arms. ‘Looks as if I’ll have to trust him.’

“Shall we move on?” the Lieutenant asked as he lifted the bell beside him.

“Yes,” the Warlock replied, then shut the window and sat down.

Fallon’s neck and back were beginning to ache uncomfortably by the time the Lieutenant called for a break. Of the sixty-some Erros that had walked into the interview room, only seven had been returned to their cells. None of the prisoners appeared to trust the Lieutenant’s explanation for why they were being asked such specific questions, but for the most part, they complied with the orders they were given and even seemed eager for the chance to walk outside in the courtyard.

‘Little do they know.’

Fallon stretched her arms as she walked down the steps from the box balcony only to find the door locked from the outside. She snorted, knocked, and smiled with relief beneath her mask as a guard promptly opened the door for her.

“The Major is waiting for you in his office, Praeditus.”

Fallon nodded and followed them back through the dull, lifeless hallways. Despite the rather grim nature of the crimes Lieutenant Clark had listed off to each Erros, Fallon felt rather good to have at least prevented more than a few convicted Esus from being executed for a crime they did not commit. ‘Given how little access Esus have to a good defense in court, I’m rather surprised there aren’t more cases of miscarried justice.’

The Major welcomed Fallon into his office with a business-like smile and gestured towards a plate of unexpectedly appetizing food.

“Roast lamb and potatoes?” the Warlock said as she moved towards the empty seat.

“What, did you think I would starve you?” Kellen joked with a hint of bitterness.

“No….” Fallon cleared her throat. “Thank you for the meal, Major.”

“Eat up quickly, Seviner,” Kellen replied and returned to his desk. “You still have more than half of today’s quota to get through.”

Fallon was more than ready to rip off her mask and eat, though the reminder that she still had over a hundred more crimes and verdicts to verify did diminish her enjoyment of the surprisingly well-seasoned lamb. She was only halfway through her meal when three sharp knocks came at the Major’s door.

“Mask on,” Kellen said as he glanced up from his work. “Time to head back.”

“But—” Fallon set down her silverware with a disappointed sigh and quickly wiped her lips and hands before tying the white mask back on again. ‘The sooner I finish, the sooner I can leave. I still have a Monster Core to cultivate for some more experience, and I want to check in on Asmodeus.’

The Warlock rose to her feet and brushed back her blonde hair before she headed for the door and her waiting escorts to begin another round of Truth and Lies.

“Erros 789,” Lieutenant Clark monotoned as the 149th Erros entered the interview room. “Please take a seat.”

Fallon pushed her forehead off the table to focus on the balding man being led to the chair. ‘If I have to come back tomorrow, I’m going to bring a proper seat cushion. These chairs were not built for prolonged sitting.’

“Did you, on the 87th day of Liake, drown eight-year-old Fergus and ten-year-old Samuel, your nephews, in the Lapis River?”

Fallon’s stomach clenched as she straightened with both eyes pinned on the prisoner. Murder was by far the most popular charge for the majority of the Erros she had seen today. Accidental, intentional, negligence; poisons, drowning, stabbing, drunken beatings. Sometimes the victims were strangers; more often than not, they were from acquaintances, even family—young, old, men, women, and children.

‘I didn’t realize things had gotten this bad inside Highguard. Then again, the population has grown to the extent the Pillar of Dissonance can’t shield us all.’ Fallon dragged her fingers through her hair and sighed as the bald Erros scratched his neck.

“I did,” 789 finally answered without a quiver of remorse.

‘Your own nephews? Why?’ Fallon shook her head and tapped the green crystal.

Lieutenant Clark masked his emotions well as he made a note in the file, turned to give the guards a nod, then gave 789 the same speech about a walk in the courtyard.

Fallon closed and rubbed her tired eyes, drained from the long day and very little sleep. ‘Just 50 more…and then I can leave….’ Her head banged down against the window ledge as Fallon slumped forward with a frustrated sigh.

“Almost done, Seviner,” the Lieutenant called up with an encouraging smile that did not reach his eyes. He stared down at the portraits of 789’s victims for a long moment, then shut the file and added it to the nearly full box on the floor.

‘Ten years old,’ Fallon thought grimly as she picked at a small splinter beneath the window. ‘The same age I was when that Gromulus almost—’ The fragment of wood snapped unevenly, and she flicked it to the floor as the Lieutenant rang his bell for the next interview.

“Erros 318, please have a seat.”

Fallon drew in a breath, then slapped her cheeks through the mask and shook her head. “Come on, Fallon. Focus.”

“Why am I here, Sergeant?” A male voice possessing the clear, crisp dialect of High Guard’s upper-class citizens pulled the Warlock’s attention to the Erros that stood defiantly in the doorway between the next two prison guards.

Dark ebony hair peeked around a dirty blindfold that covered the man’s eyes from view. Fallon frowned as something in his voice and demeanor pricked at her memory.

“I just have a few questions for you—”

“Half the lower jail cells have been emptied,” 318 cut in sharply. “More than a hundred, to be precise.”

“I’m surprised you could tell, 318,” Lieutenant Clark replied as he turned his attention to the guards. “Assist 318 to his chair, please.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on!”

The guards ignored the Erros’s protest as they pushed and dragged him towards the chair.

“Get your hands off me!” 318 snapped with a sense of authority that sent a prickle down Fallon’s spine.

‘I swear I know that voice.’ The Warlock scooched forward to the edge of her seat and pried the blinds open with two fingers as she studied the prisoner curiously. ‘If only I could get a better look at his face.’

“Erros 318, did you, on the 69th day of Snold, attempt to murder Praefectus Xander Gaumond?”

‘What—’ The missing piece snapped suddenly into place as Fallon left her seat and pressed both hands against the screened window.

“No!” 318 replied firmly. “I never attempted to kill anyone!”

“I see,” Lieutenant Clark replied and then glanced towards the Warlock.

With a jolt, Fallon quickly reached down to tap the green crystal.

“Is that so….” The Lieutenant appeared flustered by Fallon’s verdict for a moment as he glanced down at the file before him. “Ah—but did you break into the Hall of Principals with a weapon?”

“I never set foot inside on that day. I came to speak with the Praefectus in regard to my father’s unjust execution and the unlawful seizure of my family’s property. Instead of receiving my promised audience, I was arrested. I have been rotting away in jail ever since. Now, tell these guards to get their fucking hands off me!”

Fallon pulled her trembling hand away from the window. She tapped the green crystal twice and left it glowing as she sank into her chair and dragged both hands over her mask. Then she stared at Erros 318.

No, not an Erro. A Praeditus—or at least, that had been his status while his father, Praefectus Asher Grantham, was still alive.

‘Before I all but sentenced him to death.’

Fallon covered her mouth and closed her eyes. The blind prisoner being questioned before her now could only be Asher’s son, Orion Grantham. Once considered a genius B-Ranked Lightning Mage. Feeling sick to her stomach, Fallon sat up and activated [Infernal Gaze].

Orion Grantham. Nucleus (Ingenium). Class (Mage). Rank (B). Level (ᚢᛜᚲᚾᛟᚹᚾ) Lightning Mage Orion. Health: ᚢᛜᚲᚾᛟᚹᚾ. Mana: ᚢᛜᚲᚾᛟᚹᚾ. Experience till next level: ᚢᛜᚲᚾᛟᚹᚾ. Status Effect: [Extreme Fatigue], [Hunger], and [Blindness]. Status Effect—Extreme Fatigue Due to extended periods of poor rest, your body has become extremely fatigued. Health and Mana Pool reduced by 30%. Movement Speed reduced by 10%. Status Effect—Hunger Your body is suffering from insufficient food and water. Health and Mana pool reduced by 10%. Movement Speed reduced by 10%. Status Effect—Blindness Your eyesight has been irreparably damaged and you can no longer see the world as you once did. Vision reduced by 100%.