Godbringer

Chapter 3

The first thing I heard were chains when I woke up. The feeling of my feet being dragged across the rough stone hallway was the next sense I regained, along with a throbbing pain in the back of my head. The metallic taste of blood that lingered in my mouth paired nicely with the musty smell that radiated from the stone walls.

Still disoriented and in no position to object, I was carried down corridor after corridor, as if being guided through a labyrinth. The guards carrying me weren't the ones from the alley. These were in full armor, castle guard. Great, I thought to myself, I'm in the castle jail.

Eventually, the long passage came to an end at a set of double doors. The guards who manned the doors opened them as we approached. Light assaulted my eyes for a moment as we entered from the dimly lit halls. Large walls funneled us downward into a circular area, where the guards dropped me on my knees and took their place on the opposite side of the opening we emerged from. The room was like a small arena, with seating for an audience around the curve, although none attended. The chamber was raised about seven or eight feet, leaving me to look up at the empty gallery; a gladiator awaiting his opponent. I turned around to see that in the gallery there was another set of large doors directly above where I entered the room. These doors, however, had extravagant designs that shimmered in the sunlight. Then, the doors opened inward, and from the dark entered the lion.

The Foreman, followed by that guard, Calan, made their way into the rotunda. The Foreman, a man with hard features, and a face as stoic as steel, contrasted Calans calculated coldness. As they descended the stairs, they were illuminated by sunlight that bled through the windows high above. Emblazoned on the podium, a crest with an even scale; justice personified. The Foremen took his place at the podium overlooking the lower level where I awaited judgement. Calan took a seat behind the Foremen. Then the trial began.

"Name," the Foreman said, more as a command than a question.

"Alexander," I mumbled. My heart beat louder than my voice.

"Speak up, boy," The Foreman booms, his voice filling the room.

"My name is Alexander." I manage, pulling as much confidence as I could into my words.

"Alexander, is it?" The Foreman adjusts his spectacles while looking down at a piece of paper, "You have caused quite a disturbance, I'm told." Calan smiles as he leans back in his seat. The smug look on his face made my blood boil. I direct my anger into my clenched fist, hoping it would dissipate. I can't afford anything that might worsen my sentence.

"You are brought before me today with charges of assault and trespassing," the Foremen announces as if the room were full. "Do you have anything to say for yourself? Any explanation for these actions?"

I look down at my feet. Would an explanation help my case? Or would it get me another kick in the chest, like in the alley? I kept my mouth shut not knowing whether it would worsen my case or not. "No, sir," I finally said.

"I told you to speak UP, boy," The Foreman thunders, his words bouncing off the walls, echoing themself.

"No, sir!" I yell, failing to keep the anger from my voice.

"Well then, I believe I have come to my verdict," The Foreman grasps the sides of the podium, as if bracing himself for the recoil of his own words.

"Death, by the gallows. You shall hang tomorrow before dawn. Your death shall mark the start of a new day. For now, enjoy your time in the cells, and make your peace with this world. May the gods preserve you."

"DEATH?" I exclaim, the anger mixing with disbelief. "How can you reach such a sentence? My crimes were minor offences at best. The guard I assaulted had minor injuries. Look at him, He is sitting right ther-" A blow hit me in the back of the head, causing me to stumble forward.

"Watch your tongue, Beggar," One of the castle guards who hauled me in here said, grabbing me by my hair and lifted me upright.

"You see," The Foreman began, as he turned his back and started walking toward the doors behind him. "Calan here, is my son, and this sentence is. . . Well let's just call it a repayment in blood." The gate lifted as the lion excited the arena. The guards restrain me, dragging me back to the dark hole I entered from. I struggled against them, kicking and yelling to let go of me. One of them hit me in the head to try and incapacitate me, but it just made me dizzy, my anger keeping me conscious. The world blurred as the gladiator, beaten and bloodied, was hauled off. As I was being dragged away, I caught one last glimpse of the podium's crest; the scale, however, seemed to be tilted completely.