Blade(Part 3): Dusk

Chapter 10: Marla

 When Marla saw her brother die, her heart shattered. She sobbed over Jake's body loud enough to be heard across the entire colony of Weshiola. There was nothing else that could have come close to the pain that Marla felt at the thought of Jake being killed so unexpectedly and uncleanly, and by their best friend since their childhood. That was the only thing about what happened that didn't make sense. Marla looked back, through that moment, over and over again. As soon as Dameon's throwing blade sank into Jake's throat, he was tackled down by another Blade of Midnight, shouting to him that he just killed his best friend, as if he needed to be reminded that he did. He was genuinely confused and shocked by what he had done, and even gave himself up for arrest. It still didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. Marla found herself in a tavern just beside the crumbled wall of Thebas after thinking about it for too hard. She was nineteen, so no one could tell her to do otherwise. Even so, she only stared at her glass of whiskey instead of drinking it. Marla had always said she would never even touch alcohol, and it sparked conflictions about whether Jake would want her to damage herself in any way. A familiar voice would make her decision final, though.

"The first time is always the toughest decision, isn't it?" Commander Zeno asked. "Trust me, you don't want to do such a thing to yourself just yet." Marla turned towards the Commander for a moment, then realized that he was right. She needed to keep her head up and her eyes forward. Jake was just one of thousands who have already died during the war, and more would continue to die for the colonies' freedom. Marla lowered the glass.

"Good evening, sir," she greeted.

"I heard about Sergeant Connor a few hours ago," said Zeno. "And I'm sorry. I just wanted to go over a few things with you, regarding the incident."

"It can't wait?" Marla hissed.

"No, because General Tullius is the one prosecuting Dameon," Commander Zeno answered. "And both you and Jake have suspected him of espionage for a year. I seriously doubt that your brother, who suspected him, was killed by your best friend, who is a Blade of Midnight, and Maisa and Akanotahkon, two aura-sensitive warriors, both swear up and down that they felt some kind of dark force at work just before the killing blow was struck, is all pure coincidence."

"I see," Marla understood. "So, you think Dameon was framed, by Tullius?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Zeno answered. "Especially after what the Skaolan Empire did to him twelve years ago. He's the last person who would side with them."

"Right," Marla agreed. "Well, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what happened, and nothing makes sense. I've been over it a thousand times now, but now that you've told me this, I'm starting to agree."

"Tullius intends to call upon you as his first witness," Zeno continued. "Along with the other members of your team. Inevitably, so will Maisa and Akanotahkon. They'll be testifying in Dameon's defense. We'll need to work on your testimony whenever you're cross-examined."

"Why would I need to be cross-examined?" Marla wondered.

"You won't be the only one," Commander Zeno assured. "But you saw your brother die in front of you, which causes certain traumatic effects that could cause doubts to what you say."

"Right," Marla sighed. "Not to mention the fact that if Tullius really is a traitor, there's nothing he won't do to make sure Dameon is put to death for this."

"Well, it's possible that he's affiliated with the one group of people who want him dead, too," Commander Zeno added. "And I'm not talking about the Empire of Skaola."

"It doesn't matter," Marla declared. "Tullius is a traitor and he's the reason my brother is dead. Just tell me what I need to do." Commander Zeno explained to Marla that Tullius would do absolutely everything he felt was necessary to see Dameon found guilty, and even so, that she would need to make sure that she kept her composure when she was cross-examined, answering as honestly as she could without showing too much emotional instability to the jury. Dameon would be called upon for cross-examination himself, along with Maisa and Akanotahkon. It was a gamble that the jury would believe them, but there was only one way to find out for sure. Marla and Zeno both rehearsed her testimony dozens of times, and Marla recited it before she went to sleep to prepare for the trial the very next morning. When the morning did come, Marla prepared herself. She went to the courtroom of Thebas' pyramid keep, where a judge in a green military suit sat in a large podium with the witness' stand and jury's gallery to the right. General Tullius was sitting at a desk in front of the right side of an aisle between the seats for the spectators, while Commander Zeno sat with Dameon on the left side. He seemed to be defending him, which gave Marla joy. Marla sat with Maisa, Akanotahkon, and the other Blades of Midnight she met over the past year. They all had looks of worry and anger in their eyes. Maisa, who had made it her life's mission to protect Dameon, seemed to have the least anger out of all of them. She trusted Zeno, and the jury. Marla had no choice other than to do so as well.