Why did a widow weep? Because her husband died
Why did the hangman weep?
Because the hanged man lived
Robert wakes up, gets up from the floor with a quick movement.
Wow! What a nightmare. That was so real, I can feel the rope on my neck, the hangman kicked the stool, I slid down, but not hanged, but all the way down to the hole. That was... strange.
Then suddenly Robert realizes something.
Eh? I feel so much refreshed today. The Enfeeblement Powder must’ve worn out by now, and my wounds are almost healed completely! Thank Vadis he placed Zach here. He really worked to give me a way out from this crisis.
Robert looks around and finds Zach still sleeping in a very odd position, drooling like a baby. Rob decides not to wake him up. He moves Zach into a more comfortable sleeping position and covers him with a ragged blanket – the only thing that keeps Zach warm during his three years behind bars.
After that, Robert continues to delve within his thoughts, planning how he’s going to break free from this dungeon with his strength restored. With Algaban’s help? No, the innocents will die. The Arcadian jailers may not be evil – they are just justice-upholders, so Robert must take care not to kill any of them. He must use his own strength only, plus supporting Zach who must be weakened from the meager food and unhealthy condition here. And first, he will attempt to break the cuff-and-chain binding his foot.
As Robert makes up his mind, suddenly he hears heavy, quick footsteps and the cell door opens. Three jailers come into the dungeon cell, grab Zachary violently and slap him with force to make him wake up.
‘Ouch! What’s this all about?’ Zach protests.
The warden comes in, takes out a letter and reads it aloud.
‘Zachary alias Nightshade or Zach, convicted for espionage, your sentence has been altered by the Supreme Court of Arcadia from life to death by hanging. The execution will take place today at eight o’ clock in the morning in public, in Vochaux City Square.’
‘B-but why?’ replies Zachary in protest. ‘I was only sentenced for life according to law and you know all laws are final!’
‘Not this one. There’s a new law passed, directly from the Emperor himself yesterday. An amendment for the old law concerning espionage, that whoever proved guilty of espionage and high treason is condemned to death by hanging or decapitation without chances for amnesty or lighter sentence.’
‘Ah, how misfortunate,’ says Zachary to Robert. ‘I guess this means goodbye, Robert. I didn’t know the law changes so often here – and in a coincidental timing too, when I really, really having a good time with you. Is this Vadis’ will too, perchance?’
‘Vadis’ will lies in the final outcome, so we better pray and keep our fingers crossed,’ says Robert.
‘Wait, guards. Let this old man pass his last words to his friend here:’
The future is vague
And destiny is mystery
But if we walk the Right Way
We’ll always be in peace
As Zachary finishes his words, which sound like a death poem, the jailers drag him forcefully out from the cell. Zach’s face becomes quite calm now. His fate is not really determined – yet. Robert watches Zach’s departure with unexpressed sadness.
==oOo==
One hour later, Robert is alone in the solitary cell with a chain of thoughts. He thinks of how Vadis alter the fate of humankind by timely coincidences.
Then he hears commotions and noises from outside. It’s not a fight, but sounds more like people falling down. And then, within a few minutes Robert hears someone unlocking his cell door. A jailer comes in; the blank expression on his face shows obviously that he is hypnotized.
Then a familiar voice follows. It’s Sheena’s. She enters the cell with Baxter and Ellephar, all wearing black suits, concealed their faces so no one can recognize them – like ninjas from Shima*) Empire.
(* Shima Empire = Middle Age Japan in our world, one of the most powerful Far-East Nations beside Wushu (China in our world) and Ashura (India in our world).
‘That’s all. We’ll take over from here. Sleep tight!’ She hits the jailer’s nape of neck, rendering him unconscious. And then she cuts the chain on Robert’s foot with her Dancing Scimitar.
‘Sheena?! What are you doing here?’ asks Robert, puzzled.
‘Quick, Robert, come with me! Let’s get the hell outta here!’
Robert gets up and follows Sheena out from the cell. He sees the inmates chained in the dungeon walls there – all asleep – and ignores them. He tries to catch up with Sheena, Baxter and Ellephar. All the way along the hallways of the fortress-like jailhouse there are jailers everywhere lying scattered on the floor, dead, asleep or unconscious.
‘HALT! You are going nowhere!’ says a gruff voice from Robert’s back. Robert ignores the voice and keeps running. And then he hears heavy, quick paces, looks back and sees about ten jailers chasing them.
‘Yo, Rob,’ says Sheena, still running. Robert looks at Sheena as response. ‘Here, take your sword back. We’re going to need extra hands here.’
Sheena throws Grimlock to Robert. Robert catches it with gratitude and fastens the scabbard on his back quickly. Soon enough, they find that Sheena’s fears are all too true. A larger group of jailers and sentinels are waiting in front of them near the exit. Now the black-suited people and Robert are trapped on both sides of the main hallway. There’s no way out but fight and break the ranks.
Sheena shouts, ‘Robert, Baxter! You two handle the back. I and Ellephar handle the front!’ Robert and Baxter turn back at once. Robert rushes towards the jailers, grabbing Grimlock firmly with both hands. Robert doesn’t want to kill his opponents, so he attacks only using the blunt side of his saber and basic swordplay. Even so, it’s enough to knock the jailers down one by one like falling timbers.
Baxter is ready with his bow and arrow, trying to find an opening for his shot. A thought comes in his head and he alters his aim to Robert’s back instead. Baxter intends to kill Robert! And now he releases the arrow! The arrow darts unavoidably, but it hits a sentinel’s hand instead – the one who’s attacking Robert from behind. Apparently, Baxter changed his aim again right on the last second. He puts the bow back on his back, unsheathes a pair of daggers and rushes to help Robert.
On the other hand, Sheena doesn’t care whether she kills or cripples her opponents, as long as she can do it quickly before more jailers fall in. Ellephar just presses on like a wild boar. Then a one-time Sandstorm Skirmish from Sheena finishes the job. Robert knocks his last opponent out and turns to follow Sheena, Ellephar and Baxter. Baxter and Ellephar also finished their opponents before Robert did.
‘C’mon, Rob! You’re lagging behind!’ Sheena shouts.
‘He was busy playing “humanitarian” just now, that’s why!’ says Baxter mockingly. Robert doesn’t respond to that. It’s no use and there’s no time lecturing them about saving lives and preserving own honor by choosing actions carefully. He just runs on to the outer gate. Sheena’s crews wait on the spot there, ready with their ropes and grappling hooks. It’s still night, it seems, and almost all jailers were defeated, so Sheena and the others don’t have too much trouble getting out of there (except for the weighty Ellephar, of course).
==oOo==
As soon as they are outside the jailhouse, they quickly move to a hidden spot in an alley. When they are sure it’s perfectly safe, Robert speaks up.
‘What did you do that for, Sheena? Getting me out of jail, spilling law-upholders’ blood and making more mayhem in process, ruining my honor even more severely! For your information, you only made ma a real crook, not clearing my name!’
‘Tut, tut, that’s just the point, dear Robbie,’ says Sheena. ‘You know, one of the essential qualifications of a pirate is to have a reputation so filthy that no society will take you in and hell is your final destiny. As you exceed both plus Grimlock and the Pope’s murder, now I hereby announce your new nickname: “Dread Pirate Rob”.’
‘What? Being a pirate all my life is no dream of mine!’
‘Well, the choice is yours to make. If you decline to join us, you’ll be a fugitive again and your next captors might not be as merciful as us. If you join us, you will acquire treasures, loots and riches beyond your wildest dreams!’
‘But you didn’t answer my question. What is your REAL motive for helping me out of jail?’
‘Let’s say that the deal went sour,’ answers Sheena dryly. ‘The scurvy dirtbags messed up, so I got even with them by getting you out of there and back into my hands again. I thought I might hand you to the Bishop of Redne or Freidle to get more bounty, but on the second thought, why don’t I make you a pirate instead? With you by my side, we will make many, many times more than the price on your head. So, what do you choose: freedom in open seas or death by the gallows?’
Robert takes a moment to think, relating all the events he experienced during his days in captivity. Then he tries to improvise to take a full benefit from this situation at hand and makes a decision out of it.
‘All right,’ says Robert. ‘I’ll join you, Sheena, but with two conditions.’
‘Hmph, you are not in a position to bargain, Robbie. Don’t push it,’ says Sheena.
‘Conditions apply, or I’d rather take the other option and it’ll be your loss.’
‘Grr.... go ahead, name it so we can consider.’
‘Good. The first is: our first trip will be to Lore. I need to meet Hulferd in Rand and Rael’charon in Alceste.’
‘Hmm... That’s your original plan, isn’t it? Going to Lore and seeking help from your friends in high places? Well, okay, but I must accompany you all along the way to make sure you don’t desert me.’
‘I gave you the word as Vadis’ servant that I won’t desert you,’ says Robert confidently. ‘And the second one is, help me rescue my jail mate Zachary. He will be hanged at eight o’clock in the City Square in front of public.’
‘What? Are you nuts? Why would we risk our necks to do that kind of stunt? He’s a condemned man! I don’t want to risk my life and my crew’s to help him, it’s useless.’
‘Then I’ll pick the second choice,’ says Robert, drawing Grimlock and points it to Sheena. ‘And I must shake you all off first!’
‘Wait, Robert, wait!’ says Sheena. ‘I said I don’t want to help him, but it didn’t mean I won’t do it!’
Robert doesn’t move at all, still in the same stance. He only says, ‘Talk on. I’m listening. Talk as if it’s your last lie in this world.’
‘All right, all right! I’ll do it! But you have to do something for me as well.’
‘Okay, what’s it?’ asks Robert, lowering his saber.
‘I’ll tell you later after we rescue this Zakharia.’
‘Zachary.’
‘Whatever.’
(for Part Two)
==oOo==
Vochaux City Square, ten minutes to eight.
A great mass of people gather there, in front of a large platform in front of the city courthouse. The platform has been there for years, specially built for public hangings and other kinds of execution.
A gallows and a guillotine*) stand magnificently on that very platform, sending a message to the world that justice and law are served well here, therefore people are safe and outlaws will surely pay for their crimes. The people, however, get the wrong message. They think of executions as entertainment – a spectacle to liven up this boring and busy city, while real entertainment is only for the rich and the nobles.
(* Guillotine = A decapitating mechanism that reached the peak of its notoriety in our world during the French Revolution. It consists of a very heavy blade supported by high hurdles. Using the gravity, the blade falls down and decapitates with a higher chance of a clean cut than using axes or broad sabers.
The good thing is, it does strike fear into the outlaws. Anyone will think twice before breaking the law. So, indirectly, this makes the city of Vochaux a safer place to live in indeed.
‘... And so, here we are, once again, witnessing the moment that Justice is again victorious,’ the herald says, acting as master of this ceremony. ‘This is the ceremony, the jubilee, the grand festivity you should join in, and do tell your children, grandchildren and your children’s grandchildren that our Vochaux is the City of Justice; a safe, good place to live and for outlaws, it’s the gateway to HELL!’
The herald is making this spectacle of death into some kind of show, and the people seem enjoying it.
‘And now, let me introduce you the Executioner of the Day! Please welcome: Byraxx the Mutilator!!!’
The crowd cheers in an uproar as Byraxx climbs the platform. He is an enormous man; the wooden platform shakes with every step he takes. He wears a black mask – typical for executioners – and is bare-chested. His big, bad belly wobbles every step of the way and his short legs makes him rather unbalanced, but his overall appearance is so frightening, covering his shortcomings.
Chants of ‘Byraxx! Byraxx!’ from the spectators shows that this executioner is quite a celebrity. The herald rouses them more by adding some statistics.
‘Byraxx did 79 guillotines, 184 hangings and scored 133 decapitations with his great axe Orgathl*). His clean cut ratio is 85 percent. He likes to mutilate the body he has executed, just as the name of his axe stands for. And now, let’s see all of it, live at Vochaux Square Garden!’
(* Orgathl = Ancient Aurelian language, means the Mutilator.
After a long applause from the crowd, the herald continues, ‘Next, here cometh... the scums!’
The crowd boos as response.
‘First, Father Malloy Kordion the Hypocrite! He posed as a good priest, yet he raped sixteen women including little girls! His sentence is: death by the guillotine!’
As Priest Malloy Kordion climbs the platform, the ‘boo’s from the spectators become louder and louder, and volleys of rotten fruits and tomatoes find their targets on Malloy. The herald must speak louder this time to announce the second felon.
‘The second one is the spy, the threat for our beloved empire. Some might call him Zach or Zachary or any other name he might use. But his enemies know him by his codename: Nightshade!’
‘Sounds like a fungus to me!!’ a spectator shouts in the front row.
‘Yes, yes, his name might be kind of a fungus,’ says the herald. ‘But what is he? A SCUM! And what do we do to scums?’
‘Trash ‘em! Trash ‘em!’ The mass shout wantonly, throwing more volleys of rotten food and trash to Zach and Malloy. Before the platform gets too filthy and too slippery, the herald shouts at the top of his voice to get the executions going.
‘SSILLLEEENCCEEE!!!’
...and continues as he gets the crowd’s attention.
‘Now it’s time for the main event! Byraxx here will send the scums to hell, the big scum bag where they belong! With one jerk, Byraxx will hang Zachary and decapitate Malloy at the same time: a spectacle no one has ever seen before! Ladies and gentleman, let the execution begins!’
The officials of justice in the podium next to the execution platform get up. The one in the center, the Magistrate of Vochaux reads the court verdicts on both prisoners and re-mentions their crimes in more details than the herald’s, along with the statements in the Arcadian Laws that support the verdict. When the elongated, boring speech ends and the magistrate orders the execution, Byraxx the executioner roars excitedly and the crowd follows suit. The guards then put the prisoners on their positions: Zach on the gallows and Malloy on the guillotine.
Byraxx walks on the slippery platform slowly and carefully and adds his exaggerated trademark style on it. He comes in front of Father Malloy, grabs him by the hair and speaks.
‘Any last words, scum?’
‘Just tell the world that even a devout person has worldly passion too. I tried and tried to suppress it, but I failed. As for my victims, I beg forgiveness for ruining your futures. And for...’
‘ENOUGH!!’ shouts Byraxx. ‘You can feel sorry over and over again later – in hell!’ He lets go Malloy’s head with a jerk and then goes near Zachary. This time he just looks up and scolds.
‘You! Any last words? Hurry up! My hands are getting itchy to release that trap door!’
‘I’ve given it to my friend back in the dungeon, so I’m pretty much done. Just do your thing and get it over with!’
‘Hey! Don’t tell me what to do, scumbag!’ says Byraxx, punching Zachary’s belly so hard it pushes that condemned man two steps back.
With a grunt, Byraxx moves back to the center of the platform. Blood comes out from Zach’s mouth, but he didn’t groan or scream in pain – trying to keep tough in the last minutes of his life.
Byraxx bares his muscular hands, distracting the audience from his enormous belly, and adds it with another roar. It’s the sign that he is ready to perform two executions in one time.
The executor holds the rope connecting the guillotine blade on one hand and the rope tied up to the trap door on another.
‘LET – JUSTICE – BE – SERVED!’
As he speaks, without any more warning, Byraxx lets go of the rope on his right hand and pulls the rope on his left hand at the same time! The blade comes down, so does the trap door.
SNAP!
The rope on the gallows severs, and Zach falls all the way down into the trap hole below the platform. As for Malloy the adulterous priest, only his head falls on the platform, severed from his body with the guillotine blade.
The officials, the executioner and the spectators all become silent at once. They can’t believe what they’ve just seen. Not the severed head on the guillotine – that’s the default, usual thing happened in the end of every execution – but not this one. Zach, the hanged man only fell, not hanged anymore.
The executioner and a soldier take a look into the trap hole and find no one there, only the ground and a little bit of sunlight coming into the darker parts inside the trap hole. Then one of the spectators yells, ‘LOOK! There he is!’
All eyes shift to the back of the podium as they see a woman and a fat man in all-blacks running away, with Zach on the fat man’s back.
The Magistrate, realizing what’s happening, yells, ‘Somebody STOP THEM! Don’t let them run away!’
The fat man can’t run fast enough with the burden he carries, lagging behind the woman. They just run, and soon the soldiers are closing in to them. The woman and the fat man, whom we already knew as Sheena and Ellephar throw smoke pellets – standard bandit equipment – to block the soldiers’ sight and make them go slower. Coughs and swearing are soon heard, and the two bandits turn into a corner. Once again, Sheena makes a good use of her knowledge about the streets in Vochaux and avoid more pursuers before she finally reaches the rendezvous point where Robert, Baxter and some of her newly recruited crews are waiting.
‘Great shooting, Robert,’ says Sheena.
Robert answers, ‘All thanks to Baxter’s sturdy bow. And you really pulled out a great escape, too.’
Zachary realizes what’s happening now and asks Robert, ‘Is that you, Rob? H-how...?’
‘It’s a long story, old man, we’ll talk about it later.’ says Sheena. ‘Now we must stay low in our hideout here and get ready for the next step of our plan.’
And they all go into the carpenter’s shop, a camouflage of Sheena’s hideout.
==oOo==
Meanwhile, back in the City Square, the crowd has a new spectacle to see. It’s a rare, different show, something that never-ever happened before in the annals of history.
‘Oohhhh...!! No, no, no! Why is this happening to meee???
Bwaaah! I never-ever left a scum alive after I finished with him, but now... he slipped away under my hands! My HANDS! Bwaaaah!
Stupid rope! Stupid gallows! How dare you fail me so? I should’ve listened to my mama and be a butcher instead! Bwaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!’
It’s Byraxx the Mutilator, the renowned executioner, crying like a baby, adding more shame into his failure to keep his notoriety intact. The hanged man lives.
But of course, the crowd doesn’t share his sorrow. Instead, they sneer and laugh at him. Byraxx acts so funny, indeed, but he doesn’t care. On the peak of his disappointment, he gets up and kicks late Father Malloy’s severed head from the platform as high and as far as possible.
Some may say that the action inspired one of the spectators there to invent a new sport that later become very popular in Aurelia and the entire world: Football.
Then the spectators leave the City Square as there’s nothing more to be seen. An hour later, the Vochaux City Square is practically deserted, except for a few guards who stay to clean up the mess and the executioner sitting alone, still crying in sorrow.
End of Chapter Ten
No comments:
Post a Comment