HavenGuarde

Chapter 14 - The Courtroom of Justice

Chapter 14

The Courtroom of Justice

- And the righteous shall look upon the guilty, with flaming eyes of blame -

"Enter", commanded a loud sonorous voice.

And the great doors opened. A boy walked in flanked by two dark-robed watchers. The boy was dressed in a clean white tunic.

"Remember what I have taught you to say Thonavar. Above all, be wise. Do not give in to emotion or passion for it is exactly what they wish to see. You are deemed guilty until proven innocent", advised the voice of Felix Vanyaga, lingering and fading in memory.

Following his escape from the prison wardens and the stasis cells, the boy called Thonavar was placed under the protection of the guardians. A courtroom investigation involving the guardians and the prison wardens was arranged, for Sir Alberoth had raged in City Above for justice to be dealt upon the one who had attempted to murder his son. He was in nature, exactly like his son, Alexis, and cared not that the facts presented to him were that of his son's history of violence and juvenile activity. He also cared not that Alexis's attacker was a small boy, a mere twelve years of age, two years younger than his big-boned son.

With the success of his business in brewing fine wines among the noble families in City Above, he had moved high up in the social ladder, making friends with government officebearers and other prominent figures of influence. As such, he was able to coerce the prison wardens into trying to force an admission out of Thonavar. At first, they strictly refused. Torture was unheard of since the dark days before the establishment of the HavenGuardean law. Furthermore, torture upon a barely twelve-year old boy?

But Lord Alberoth was persistent, sending bribe after bribe unto the office of the prison wardens, promising to be a powerful ally. Such was his persistence that the wardens had eventually agreed. However, the boy could not be found.

However, unbeknownst to Sir Alberoth, an emissary of the guardians had come to the chief warden of the stasis cells, conveying news of the immunity from arrest that Thonavar, his father and his mother had with them. It seemed that Thonavar and his family were under the protection of not just Felix Vanyaga and the guardians, but by Angardian Council member, Dragba Damon himself, the feared Lord of Blades.

The council must have an interest in the boy, thought the chief warden to himself. I must not get involved in this. And thus, he had approached the houses of court himself to set up an arrangement where both parties would present their case before an adjudicator.

When news of this arrangement reached the ears of Sir Alberoth, he was furious and raged at the chief warden.

"This matter is out of my hands now. This is now a matter between you and the Angardian Council. You know how they operate. They have the backing of the Unity behind them. I am unable to assist or intervene in this matter. It would appear that the council has an interest in the boy", said the chief warden, throwing up his hands in the air, with a shrug. "I cannot help you."

"What! The Angardian Council? Then I will deal with this myself!" roared Lord Alberoth, saliva spraying in all directions. "Clearly, I have been a fool for placing my hopes in you and your establishment."

He slammed a pudgy fist onto the table before him. But the chief warden hardly moved, raising an eyebrow instead.

"At any rate, I have the boy", he continued, the fat folds under his chin quivered violently. "The mere fact that he ran away proves his guilt. My son was helpless. He was cornered by that wretched boy who stabbed with him a knife!"