The Consul’s Judgment

When I was a boy I watched as the city guard took my adoptive father away in manacles because of a fight he’d gotten into. I don’t even remember what the fight was about, all I remember is his furious face as they took him away, and how often I used that moment as an excuse to disregard his advice.

And when the Tagrosi soldiers led me away from Zac in manacles, I saw his mortified expression and silently prayed that it was concern for me and not his realization that I might not be as good a man as I pretended to be.

But, in this case, I was sure I was right. Avery had cut Zac’s face. My only regret as the soldiers chained me to a post in their camp outside the town was that I’d failed to run Avery through before they caught me.

I soon had many more regrets as Tagrosi soldiers who’d undoubtedly heard about my little scuffle with Avery threw clods of mud and filth at me. Chained to the post as I was, there was little I could do to dodge their disgusting onslaught. Soon I had foul-smelling clumps of dirt caked into my beard and hair, and the soldiers’ laughter grew crueler each time they decided to practice their overarm pitching.

The thought occurred to me to be grateful that Captain Marth had stepped in before I could run Avery through, otherwise they’d be throwing rocks rather than mud-clods.

If the shadows on the ground were any indication, I was there for about an hour, though it felt like days. I wondered where Zac was while I was there. Hopefully he’d gone back to Mr. Benji, or sought out Keren. Maybe one of them would come for me and argue on my behalf.

Footsteps in the soil drew my attention, and I saw Captain Marth approach, her eyes like two vipers poised to strike. She stopped a few steps away from me and held both hands on her hips. “Do not struggle and I will not hurt you. If you try to run you will be killed. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, averting my gaze from hers.

She drew nearer and produced a key from her pocket with which she unlocked my chains from the post. “The Consul has come to a decision and wishes to speak to you now.” Captain Marth took hold of the chains still attached to my wrists and pulled me along. “Follow.”

I did as she commanded rather than make her drag me in the mud, which she might very well have been strong enough to do given what I’d seen of her abilities.

We progressed up the hill, past a number of tents and golems towering over us on either side. The golems’ red, luminescent eyes watched us as we passed, making me wonder just how intelligent these beings made of iron might really be.

At the top of the hill I spied a tent far larger than all the others, at the pinnacle of which stood the Tagrosi flag: a white laurel crown on a dark purple diamond with a black background. On the path leading up to the tent lay wooden planks, forming a more solid ramp.

Captain Marth gave my chain a light tug when we reached the top of the ramp. She spoke at the tent’s flap, “Consul Maganti, I’ve brought the Oakbridge citizen as you commanded.”

“He may come in, and you may return to your other duties,” came Eon’s voice from within the tent.

Captain Marth pulled back the tent flap and released the chain. I walked in, dragging the links on the ground as I entered. Eon sat behind a polished mahogany desk with a quill in his hand and a stack of papers in front of him. Round spectacles rested on the end of his nose, and he slipped the quill back into its inkwell.

“Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

Before sitting down, I took stock of the inside of the tent. A large, luxurious bed rested off to one side, next to a wardrobe, a standing mirror, and a washing basin. On the wardrobe’s doors hung pieces of paper with hand-drawn pictures, apparently drawn by at least three children.

“Ah, yes. I’ve seen you before,” said Eon, folding his hands together on the desk. “But I didn’t catch your name then.”

“Ahv,” I told him.

“Ahv?” he repeated. “Interesting. Ahv, did my soldiers do this to you?” He gestured to the mud in my beard and hair.

“Yes.”

His demeanor was friendly, which I found odd considering that I’d been brought here because I attacked one of his soldiers. Part of me wondered if he merely intended to soften the blow of telling me that I was to be punished.

He sighed and shook his head. “I really wish they wouldn’t do that. But, you know how young men can be. They see things in terms of ‘Us against Them,’ and if someone attacks one of their own that person is one of ‘Them.’ Nevermind the actual facts of the situation.”

Eon pointed his index finger at me. “Speaking of the facts of the situation, I have listened to Captain Marth, who questioned the witnesses of your fight. As far as I can tell, none of that was your fault, so once we’re done talking I’ll send you on your way.”

I blinked twice, not sure I’d heard him right. “Send me on my way? Really? What… what did the witnesses say happened?”

“According to Privates Vinter, Bosby, and Wyatt, a little boy tried to take Private Avery’s sword, which he’d rather irresponsibly left resting against the trunk of a tree. Once caught, the boy tried to run away, but two other privates whose names I’ve not yet learned seized him and held him still while Avery used his sword to torture the poor boy.”

Eon made a tisking sound with his tongue on the roof of his mouth and shook his head. “Such poor character. I expect better from my soldiers, I hope you know that. Anyway, they say you approached and argued with Private Avery. According to all reports, you did strike first, but that’s understandable since you are the boy’s father, yes?”

“That’s right,” I said.

“Adopted father, I’m guessing?” said Eon with a raised eyebrow. “Because they said you look nothing like him.”

“He takes after his mother.” I wasn’t sure why I told the lie. Even if Eon knew that Zac wasn’t my biological son it was quite a leap from there to figuring out who he really was. Spinning falsehoods had likely done more harm than good, for he tilted his head back in a skeptical expression.

“Yes, well, in any event I want to both apologize for Private Avery’s behavior and warn you to keep better track of your boy.” Eon smirked. “What happened to him was a crime, but so is stealing. I might suggest employing a switch to ensure he never steals again.”

“I don’t believe in that,” I said flatly.

“Using a switch?” he said.

“Forgive me, sir, but I consider it barbaric to beat a child with a stick. Frankly, I wouldn’t even do that to an animal.”

Eon chuckled. “Such a gentle soul, for one who just attacked one of my soldiers.”

“My friend Benjamin Strato always says that if you can’t get your way without bullying those weaker than you, maybe your way ought not to be got.”

Eon chuckled. “Amusing. Very well, then, maybe not a switch, but I would suggest you discipline him in whatever way you see fit. Maybe a stern talking-to would suffice.” His tone had become mocking by the end, and I would have liked nothing more than to spit in his eye.

I moved to fold my arms, but the chains around my wrists immediately reminded me why I couldn’t do that. “Will you be disciplining Avery?”

“As soon as he recovers, yes,” said Eon.

“Recovers?” I repeated, confused. “I didn’t hit him that hard.”

“No, you didn’t,” said Eon. “But as soon as we got him back to camp he fell ill. A strangely sudden onset of symptoms.”

“What sorts of symptoms?” I asked.

Eon’s patronizing grin grew so wide his eyes were forced to close. “My, aren’t you a curious one? I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that, as I am not a physician. Neither would I share that sort of information with an outsider. In any event, he is sick. That is all you need to know.”

I found the answer unsatisfying, but also believed he was speaking truly. “Well, thank you.” I held up my manacled wrists and flopped them down on top of his desk. Papers fluttered and he slapped his hands down onto them to prevent them from taking flight. “May I go now?”

“Yes, of course,” said Eon. He held his hand over my manacles. One of his many rings glowed and a beam of light cut the chains from my wrists. “You’re free to go. Just… one more thing… Make sure you tell everyone in Oakbridge who asks what happened exactly what I told you. You know, that we determined you were in the right and Private Avery is to be punished. I prefer that the people of your town not think of us as the enemy. We’re all in this together.”

I gave a polite nod and smile as I stood from my chair and rubbed my wrists. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they know. Thank you, Mr. Maganti.”

“Adieu,” he said with a wave of his hand.