BloodRose

12. The Augur

*Present, Calliope*

Alias and Kyle turn as I enter the room. I expect there to be a sound or something, anything to signify that three lives are about to end, dead as they may be already. Instead, there is only earthshattering silence. I vaguely notice the new scars, already fading, on both Alias and Kyle's necks. I wonder if they are partially contributing to the grave-quiet atmosphere. When the acolytes move, not even a rustle of their clothing can be heard. I walk quietly to the spot open for me between my friends. I feel that if I break the silence, somehow it will trigger our deaths.

I look to my right. My own vision blurs when I see the tears glistening their way down Alias's face. Unable to bear it any longer, the hopelessness, I look away. My gaze darts around, but there is only one thing, one person, in the room that is easily focused on.

The man in the cloak has not moved since I entered. If I had to guess, I would say he hasn't moved since before any of us came in. His stoic presentation must serve a purpose. He wants us to fear him. Unlike some leaders, the man does not bluster or boast his reputation. In fact, his lack of self-elevation makes it seem like we should already know who he is. And of course, we do. His name was on the door.

He is The Augur.

From what I recall of Greek mythology, augurs were given the will of the gods. If this man thinks he is acting on the authority of deities, we have no hope. Someone who believes themselves to be that important can be nearly unstoppable, especially with an army of devout followers behind them.

With one motion of his hand, the man commands half a dozen henchmen in the room. He waves us forward and none of us struggle. We all sense death coming toward us, but nothing has yet been said about our executions. It gives us all the tiniest bit of hope that we can escape or be released. I assume this is by design, to keep us in line and fearful. His words are quiet, a mere breath in the chasm of silence.

"Alias, I told you what would happen if you broke your oath." His voice is smooth, sweet almost. There doesn't seem to be any malice in his tone, but the words are unmistakably a precursor for something worse. Inexplicably, I want to hear him speak again, yet I fear that his tranquil ferocity might turn on me next. "Take him into the next room. Death awaits you." Air that I don't need seems to be unable to find its way into my chest.

Just like that, Alias is condemned. I feel empty as I watch my teacher struggle with his guards. Now that hope has been removed, a wild desperation overtakes him. He calls out for them to stop. He shouts Kyle's name, then mine. Another name tears itself from his lips. "Garret!" Despair seeps into me and I want to cry out, to stop them, but I can only watch, frozen, as the door slams on Alias's fate. Something is broken inside me and it is because of The Augur. His seemingly endless and all-powerful control paralyzes me.

His gaze is like his voice, indifferent, and it lands on Kyle next, "Kyle, you aided my enemy. Take him into the next room. Death awaits you." Kyle barely fights. His hope has gone and his sense of survival went with it. His eyes remain unfocused as he's hauled from the room.

The way this trial is going, I know what to expect next, but my stomach still drops when I hear the silky voice say my name. "Calliope." I feel a last bolt of desperation.

"Wait," I say. I trail off. I have no defense. There is no case for my innocence. Then, I feel the smallest spark of hesitation flit around the room. If I push on, maybe I can convince them, "Please. I only wanted to help her. Please." If The Augur has any humanity left...maybe...just maybe, he can be swayed to spare me. Hope resurrects in my chest as The Augur's forehead creases slightly. Then, cold betrayal crushes me again. He smirks and I realize he is not moved by my plea. He is amused.

"Calliope," he begins again. I lower my gaze, unable to look into the eyes of my judge any longer. "You consorted with my enemies. You stole from me and then you destroyed my property. Take her-" Anger explodes inside of me, filling every space that had been so empty only a moment before.

"Your property?" Margaret's face fills my vision, surrounded by a blind, red rage, "She was a human being, someone who was untainted, innocent! She never belonged to you!"

Disdain seeps into The Augur's veneer. He is growing impatient with me. "Take her into the next room. Death awaits you."

"No!" I yell, "Stop! You can't do this! I tried to save her!" My loathing for The Augur is quickly replaced by thoughts of survival. I have no idea what's on the other side of that door, but whatever it is, it will mean my death. I fight as hard as I can. Even when I manage to get an elbow in some acolyte's face, she's immediately replaced by another one. I brace myself against the door frame and barely withstand being pushed through it. I can only resist for a few seconds, but it's enough to take in my situation before I get there.

The room beyond is stone-walled and nearly bare. There is one piece of furniture, a chair in the middle of the room. A masked Ambrogio member stands, a bloodstained knife in one hand and a coil of rope in the other. Several sets of hands force me down into the chair. Fighting, as weak as I am, has almost no effect. Within seconds, I'm bound tightly by the rope.

The guards leave the room and the acolyte circles me slowly, saying nothing. Her bangs and mask leave only her eyes uncovered. I'm tempted to say something to break the deathly silence, but I don't. I can't. The one thing I feel able to do is examine the room. I look anywhere but my executioner's face.

I look for clues as to where Alias and Kyle are. Nothing. There is no sign of them. There are also no doors or windows in this room except where I entered. A small itch begins to work its way into my mind. If Alias and Kyle were killed in this room which has no apparent exits, their bodies would still be here, wouldn't they?

I look up as the Ambrogio member stops circling me. She stands over the chair. The knife rises in the air and I close my eyes. Maybe it's cowardly, refusing to face my death, but I can't do it. I can't die like a hero when I'm not one. I hear air move as the hand strikes downward, fast. I flinch on instinct, as if tensing up can actually stop the knife from tearing through my skin and muscle and bone. I never believed what they said about your life flashing before your eyes. In fact, my first death hadn't really given me enough time to consider my life in full. Alias was too quick. Now, the knife is in slow motion. Maybe it's because I'm expecting it.

Pictures flood my mind. My mom and I eating ice cream by the lake. My dad's rumbling voice before he died in that awful fire. Kyle knitting under the tree. Alias wrapping me in his arms. Funny, the one person I thought I would hate for the longest is one of the people I care most about in this world.

The one other thing I can think before I die is that I wish I would have done more. Eternal life was given to me and all I did with it was kill an innocent woman. Death was too good for me.