Walking in the Dark [Down Draft]

Part Eleven

Recap:

"Come forward, 201935." He stood from his bowing position and looked into my eyes, ten feet taller than him in the Judges' seats above.

He said not a word. As I peered into his eyes, I saw. I saw, through the deep depths of his soul, into the darker depths of his memories. I watched, as the truth unfolded before my eyes. There was no lying in your memories.

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Amir's POV

And lie he did not. 

He was simply unlucky to have to have been the one who witnessed it. I dinished looking, and sat down in my chair. 

The memory replayed in my head: 

The prisoner walked through the doors of the nobelman Abrir's estate. He was a worker for this nobelman. He was asked to come in on his day off to give advise. The prisoner knew this was odd, for he had never asked of such a request before; however, he was not to complain. As he passed the doors to his chambers, he heard Abrir's stern voice: "You will not get away with this! I won't let you!" 

And then a second, unfamiliar voice: "And what are you to do? There is no one here. You can do nothing. You are nothing!" 

"Someone will know, someone will see! I won't--" And he was cut off by the suddend impact of a blade piercing his granite-like skin. The prisoner hadn't noticed he had come so close to the cracked oped doors. He gasped at the sight, a stupid mistake to do. The prisoner would take the blame for this. And so he did. 

"Prisoner #201935!" I looked at the men sitting next to me and smiled a little. I looked directly into Cecil's blind eyes. And for I moment, I thought he could see me too. And I actually thought he could. I slightly brushed Cecil's forearm. Though he was blind, he did have one ability to make up for that. He coulddn't read your mind, no, but he could tell what you were going to say, even before you said it. He smiled too, a ginuine smile. Everyone was waiting on me. "Your charge of stabbing a killing the high nobelman Abrir has been dismissed! You are innocent and free to go!" 

He smiled in absolute delight. That only brought on the real question: How to get the real culpret. I knew who he was, once trusted him, even. I frowned in disappointment. Abner looked at me. 

So who exactly, did it? It wasn't going to be easy, becasue he was a trusted member of the palace. It would be hard. 

I looked forward and stared at the high wall far in front of me. "I now call a warrant for the High nobleman Emrick Von Rye!" I heard nothing but very audible gasps and noises of disappointment.  

Now he would be placed in the cells for trail. That's why it always took so long. Because after one was cleared, another was proven to be guilty. And we had to clear everyone. In the Trails, if you were proven and found guilty, you were condemned to death. No questions, no excuses. It was hard, because they were killed almost directly after the conclusion was reached. He had a few minutes. And he or she knew they were going to die. But with no pain, of course. We were not that ruthless. 

And I cringed, because someday, Schuyler would have to be sitting right next to me watching and taking part in the Trails themselves. Someday, yes. But not today, and not tomorrow. I would be able to get on with the week, I hoped. It was just too bad that I wouldn't get to see her until she woke up. 

During Trails, you didn't leave until they were completely over with. It really was to prevent information from leaking during the Trails. I hated that I would not be there when Skye was in pain, but maybe it was for the better. I didn't think I'd be able to take it anyway.