Zemblanity

Chapter 20

Azrozan kneeled down as the screams in the arena got louder. Behind him, Malachi and Cassiel Berretta engaged themselves in a heated conversation; Gloria Berretta kept her Maun.

The crowd was eagerly waiting for their empress to arrive and serve justice to the son-in law of the central family. Some even went ahead and threw things at the Archfiend but he remained unfazed.

"She should've been here by now." he heard the former Berretta emperor.

"I will look into it." Gloria Berretta spoke for the first time but before she could perform any other motion, the crowd went dead silent.

"She's here." Malachi whispered.

Azrozan lifted his gaze from the ground and looked up to the balcony. Talini walked up to the podium and looked right at him; the distance made it hard for him to read her expression.

"Blood of my clan, we have suffered a great degree in the past couple of weeks. First Cael and now Jophiel, Raziel and Malak; we lost our kin; the clan lost its blood. But this loss, this loss was personal. I am not standing here as an empress, waiting to announce the penalty and get back to work," Talini said.

"I am here as a widow, as an almost wife of an amazing person. A person chosen by the angels for me and with their will a person I was supposed to love. But as always calignosity took that away from me; like always Archfiends took away our light." She continued. The crowd listened to their grieving empress with heavy hearts.

"Azrozan Archfiend, second born to Ramiel and Rusalka Archfiend belonging to the central royals of the Archfiend clan; you are convicted for murdering Cael, Jophiel, Raziel and Malak." Talini said.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" the question made Malachi grab Azrozan by the collar and pull him to his feet. He literally dragged him to the base of the balcony and pushed him towards the microphone.

Azrozan had no intention of saying anything; he owed nothing to this crowd or anyone. He knew why he did it and that seemed enough until he saw the familiar figure of his angel standing a couple steps behind Talini; the reduced distance making her visible.

"I..." he started making the crowd erupt in angry screams at the convict. He wanted to tell the truth but not to the crowd, he wanted his angel to know the truth before he faces his punishment proudly.

"He had it coming." were the words that left his mouth instead of the explanation he would've offered to Seraphina. His eyes never left Seraphina; his mind clearly drowning out the aggravated noises in the arena.

"Death isn't the only thing you're being held accountable for, you reprobate imbecile." Talini said. Her statement made Azrozan's eyes snap to her.

Talini gestured to a man standing behind Seraphina and he, at the order ushered her forward. Seraphina in a perplexed state let the motion continue.

"He took her away from us."

The statement caused multiple reactions in a quick moment.

The crowd went shy of any sound.

Azrozan's eyes widened.

Malachi's grip tightened around Azrozan's neck.

Seraphina's wide eyes looked at her sister in disbelief.

"Azrozan Archfiend took our angel away from us. He tarnished her; convinced her to think that she needs to leave her home and run. Azrozan tainted our second in command royal for his benefit only to later kill the empress's man." Talini said.

The silent crowd then erupted in harmony of the verb that Azrozan wanted to avoid the most.

"War!" the crowd chanted continuously.