The Crown of Treason

Chapter 5. Pugnata (part 2.)

   'Now, get out of my way,' Chaya snapped when they finished binding the wound. 'If I have to keep this old fool alive you better keep out of my way. Are we clear?'

Wilfred didn't respond. He wasn't very eager to be ordered about by the slave woman. He was ready to protest, were it not for Salina pulling his arm and leading him to Weland's bed chamber. A nauseating stench of death and excrement mixed with the smell of blood hung in the room. An army of six-legged vermin was already feasting on the still-fresh bodily fluids.

The swarm rose to the air in a buzzing cloud as Salina and Wilfred stepped over the body. Before Zeedolf entered the room a few moments later, the host had settled to feast again, buzzing up once more as the soldier passed.

'We all knew this could happen,' Wilfred spoke.
The heavy boom was missing from his voice as the bodyguard tried to avoid breathing through his nose.

'I never liked the lad, you know. Could feel it in my bones he would bring trouble, I swear.'

'What do you think we should do with him?' Zeedolf asked, not knowing if he should support or oppose his comrade in his arid judgment of the barely deceased boy.

He tried heavily to avoid looking down as he spoke.

'We can't...' he continued. 'We can't just leave him like that, can we?'

'We'll bring him to the corpse cutters at dawn, that bunch is always looking for fresh bodies to put their knives in. 'Research' they call it.'

'Are you sure we should risk that? What if the Judiciaries come back for us? They must be keeping an eye on us.'

'Zeedolf had the right of it.' Salina thought. 'Weland's arrest had caused more than a little unrest. There was sure to be more trouble.'

'We have to get out of here,' she concluded.

'With Weland behind bars it is only a matter of time before they kick us out, or worse, arrest us. They are giving us a chance to get out. We better not be here when they come back.'

'This isn't the first time Weland had to appear before a Judiciary, Salina. So far those pencil pushers have never even laid a bribery charge on him. I'm sure he'll be fine.' Wilfred commented.

'Exaclty,' Zeedolf nodded in agreement. He had a habit of agreeing with every voice that minimized trouble. Under normal circumstances, Salina would call it naivety, innocence even, a harsher voice would call it wilful ignorance.

'There's nothing we should be worrying about. After all, uur master is head speaker of the Merchants Guild, you know.'

Something snapped inside Salina. Were those two oafs really that daft? That empty-headed that they couldn't comprehend what just happened.

'Wilfred, Zeedolf, are you two simple or what?' she shouted. Why would the Judiciaries come to our home in the middle of the night? Can't they arrest Weland on the street or something? That would have caused way less of a commotion, wouldn't it? It's not like our master is hard to find, but no, instead of a normal arrest the 'honourable lord Judiciaries' kick in the door in the middle of the night.

That disdainful emphasis in her voice at the word 'honourable' did little to hide her low opinion of the Judiciaries, the snake wanking enforcers of the sick and utterly corrupt legal order of Jalwah's holy laws.

'Don't you fools think they could have knocked, or something? In Jalwah's name, we live in the Khan's palace,' she continued.

'Kicking in the door in your lord's palace is a little bit excessive for a little legal dispute, isn't it? And on top of that, they thrust a spear through Joren's chest because he's a little slow to stand aside and lift the 'head speaker of the Merchants Guild' from his bed, naked. Not to mention murder his boylove on the spot. I'm no legal expert, but it seems rather counterproductive to just straight-up murder the accomplice and witness to our masters' alleged crime. Even for the Judicaries that seems a little much, no?'