In front of the gallows, Harry stood draped in irons. Beside him, the executioner waited, a hooded giant leaning on a great axe.
Silence heavy in the air.
Yawns.
Twiddling fingers.
Sipping wine.
The incomplete assembly of councilmen waited.
Lord Boren checked the sandglass once more, his old voice cutting through the quiet.
"We proceed. Time is a luxury we no longer possess. We will conclude the sentencing without lady Kaine or Headmaster Esq."
Just as the axe-man adjusted his grip, Satorii entered the yard. She ignored her waiting seat amongst the councilmen and walked straight to Harry with a restrained hurry.
Guards permitted her.
"Your son is across the border," she told Harry in almost a whisper. "He is safe. The deal is honored."
Harry let out a long, shuddering breath. The tension left his frame, his eyes clearing for the first time in days. "Thank you," he murmured, a peaceful, weary smile stretching his lips. "Take care of what remains. Goodbye, Satorii Kaine."
She stepped back to her place among the Councilmen.
Boren stepped forward, his voice droning out the charges of high treason upon Harry Whyteleafe and the sentence: death.
But before the axe could rise, the sable councilman, Valda Wisteria, stood from his
seat. He bowed his head to the others. "If I may seek your lordships' pardons, I will like to make a request." He said. "The sentenced is
my cousin. Let me have a final word with the man I once called brother."
Councilmen exchanged glances. None refused. Amongst them, General Schar reminded Valda he's a member of the Elsemer high council equal to the rest of them — therefore he needn't be bowing his head to them like a subordinate.
Another military man on the council hissed silently. Not at Valda's affected humility but at Schar instead.
Valda and Harry walked a short distance across the execution grounds. A slow, grim
pace under the watchful eyes of remote guards.
"Leonhart's death is a crack in the dam, Harry," Valda said. "Elsem is open now. Our enemies from without, our enemies from within — they will all seize this chance."
Harry drew a long breath relishing the air with a smile. "Even in my final moments, you wish for me to discuss politics. Though I should be grateful to you for stealing a few more minutes for me. Life is nice, isnt it cousin?"
"Unfortunate that you chose this fate." Valda stopped, turned and searched for Harry's eyes. "You are the most informed man I know. Don't die with your intelligence."
"You want me to leave you secrets that will be advantageous to you, is that it?"
"Yes. But believe it or not, I place my self interest second to Elsem's. I'm asking you to trust me with Elsem's future as I know that no one loathes you for betraying your kingdom as much as you do yourself"
Harry hesitated, then leaned in to hug Valda goodbye but whispered a secret in his ear that widened Valda's eyes.
Meanwhile Satorii, sat among the council, her eyes narrowed in suspicion at their intimate
huddle.
For a moment after Harry shared the secret, Valda remained stunned as the weight of
it sank into his mind.
"Valda." Harry called. "Keep my son on the right side of the coming conflict."
"Your… son?" Valda was surprised. It took him a moment to realise Harry's ignorance but it was too late by then as Harry questioned if the Elmerians had truly returned son.
Valda hesitated. "He was returned. The Elmerians returned bodies of their war prisoners this morning. Yuan was one of them… at least he will be laid to rest within
Elsemer land. They all will"
The peace in Harry's eyes shattered. A jagged cry died in his throat as his world
dissolved into anguish.
Across the yard, Satorii flinched; the sudden, broken look on Harry's face was a
horror she hadn't expected.
There was no more talk. The execution proceeded.
The axe fell upon Harry's neck.
Soon, the silence of the execution was broken by the sound of dragging boots and
heavy breathing.
Esq returned. Behind him, guards dragged a battered, bloodied Brimmah.
"This one!" Esq shouted, his voice cracking. "An Elmerian spy!"
The Council erupted. Murmurs rose.
Brimmah tried to lift his head, his lips moving to form a denial, but a guard's heavy gauntlet smashed into his jaw, pinning him back to the ground.
"It was he." Esq hissed, gesturing wildly. "He arranged Harry's meeting with the Elmerian envoys in the catacombs last night. His patrol partner testified so!"
Brimmah gasped, tasting copper. He tried to defend himself again, but another blow sent
him reeling. Dazed, he looked up through a haze of blood, searching for a single friendly face. His eyes landed on the guard towering over him — the man hitting him every time he tried to speak.
It was Vale. His friend now wearing a mask of stern, cold duty that Brimmah didn't recognize. The betrayal was more painful than his throbbing wounds, while his consciousness wavered.
Before he knew it he heard his sentence.
"Death," Lord Boren pronounced. "With immediate effect."
He was dragged onto the gallows. Harry's body cleared. The executioner stepped forward, his axe still wet with Harry's lifeblood.
Brimmah's ears began to ring — a high, piercing scream of sound. His vision blurred as a lifetime of fragments crashed into his mind: the starving streets, the torments
of the Rune Academy, the sneers around the castle, the endless, crushing weight of a system that only knew how to break things.
He sweated, gasping for air that felt like lead.
Something inside his mind snapped.
The executioner raised his axe high, the blade's shadow falling over Brimmah's
neck.
"WAIT!" Satorii's voice cut through the yard like a thunderclap.