RECOVERY

COMING TO TERMS

Hunter and Rant had just finished building a tent for themselves in the woods that would see them through the night. They were about to have their rest when they noticed movement some distance not too far away. Upon careful observation, they saw to their amazement that it was a colony of spiros. With record speed, they packed up the little they could gather and made for the hills. The spiros destroyed the tent when they got to it, as the brothers had guessed, and took everything that appealed to them. From their safe distance, Hunter asked his brother. “I thought they went extinct?” Rant gritted his teeth as they watched the tent they had worked so hard to build destroyed and their provisions looted. “Yeah me too.” He answered him in equal agony. The spiros finished up and walked on without any care in the world.

“What now?” Rant asked Hunter. “We can’t stay here, there could be more of them on their way.” “What do you say we turn ourselves in to the local magistrate?” Rant suggested. “That would have been a very reasonable option, but now considering that we have killed some of their soldiers, whatever charge it was that they held us for would have doubled.” Hunter told him. “Still I do not wish to live the life of a fugitive.” “Who says we are living the life of fugitives?” “Well look around. We cannot afford to settle down because the local magistrate is always after us.” “Relax Brother. Everything is going to be fine.” They grabbed their things and walked away from the place.

Meanwhile, in the stone tower of the imperial court, the SAKINRA were holding a private and very secretive meeting in one of the enclosed cubicles of the tower. It was RA who had called for the meeting. “I think Lady Chance is hiding something from us and whatever it is, it is not good.” He was very convinced because of the circumstances surrounding the last arrest the castle made in the name of justice. “I have never seen her treat any prisoner like she does the sorcerer. She even took away his powers.” KIN added. “We should be careful with these allegations and suspicions. If she finds out, it could spell disaster for all of us.” SA tried to warn them of the dangerous path on which they were threading. “Your loyalty to that woman is beginning to concern me.” RA cautioned him. “I don’t believe I have to remind you that ‘that woman’ made us what we are today.” SA maintained his position. “Enough you two” KIN came in and stopped them from arguing any further.

They were still talking when the sound of the gigantic warning bell was heard all over the castle. “What now?” SA asked no one in particular. “Only one way to find out.” RA answered him as they opened and stepped onto the massive hallway that led to the cubicles they were having their private meeting. They caught hold of the first servant they came across and asked what was going on. His reply was a confirmation that Lady Chance was indeed losing it. “One prisoner tried to escape. The guards caught him and the lady ordered his execution.” When the servant was gone, they looked at themselves, then decided it was in place to have an audience with the Lady.

The brothers of death had arrived at the local magistrate. The soldiers standing guard at the gate which was constructed out of wood strained their eyes as they saw two figures from the distance walking towards the gate. The local magistrate was an old establishment with lots of buildings and watch towers. They saw decorations made of fine local marble all over the place and the entire structure carried an atmosphere of discipline. The local magistrate had no head or leader. It was operated by delegates from every kingdom before some kings became tyrants, considered themselves to be bigger than the magistrate and pulled away from it both in terms of support and participation. The most notorious of them all was the king of Zorak. He did not only pull out but began to oppose the decisions and activities of the magistrate. Thankfully, the magistrate still had the support of a few kings, which is why it still exists.

The soldiers looked on as the figures got closer and closer, then one of them said with a tone of command. “That’s far enough. Identify yourselves.” But the brothers did not heed the soldiers’ voice. The soldiers drew their swords. When the brothers got closer, the other soldier asked them. “Who are you and what is your business with the local magistrate?” “Oh. No one important. We just seek an audience with whoever is in charge in there.” Hunter answered the young soldier. The faces of the brothers of death were not as famous as those of their names or reputation.

Now, as they surrendered themselves to the local magistrate, Hunter began to have second thoughts about the idea. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” He whispered to his brother. “What?” Rant asked him. But by then, the soldiers had closed the space between them and were now standing face to face with the brothers. The younger one pointed his sword at them. “Pathetic”, Hunter thought to himself. “I’m sorry but we cannot let you inside with those swords. Give them up.” The older soldier said firmly. He had returned his sword to his belt, having sensed that their visitors were not there to cause trouble. But now seeing their hesitation to give up their swords, he cautiously returned his hand to his sword should the need for it arise. Rant looked at Hunter and, with a sigh of disbelief, loosed his sword belt and threw it on the ground. Hunter still hesitated. “I said drop the sword.” The soldier said calmly. Hunter’s hesitation had caught the attention of more soldiers and quite a number of them began in haste towards their comrades to access the situation.

“What are you doing? Drop the sword.” Rant called out to him. “Okay. Okay.” Hunter raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “No need for shouting.” He said as he loosed his sword belt, looked at it for a brief moment and dropped it gently on the floor. “Show some respect for those.” He said as the soldiers picked them up and out of curiosity, one of them drew that of Hunter. The red blade could only mean one thing. But to be sure, the other soldier did the same with the sword he held. The snow-white blade dropped the bombshell. “No way!” The young soldier exclaimed. “Seems they got the message.” Rant nodded to his brother. The soldiers all had their eyes fixed on the brothers in surprise. In the same movement, they all drew their swords and were raining down orders on the now exposed brothers of death they had been after forever.

The order to arrest them was carried out swiftly. The brothers were half dragged into a wide hall with no single place for one to sit. They were made to kneel in the middle of the hall while they awaited their fate. Hunter tried to tell the soldiers what their business was but he was commanded to ‘shut up’ by one of the soldiers. “We shouldn’t have come here,” Hunter insisted. “Well, we are here now, so please shut up. I am trying to think.” Rant told him. “Really? Please tell me. What are you thinking about?” “Have you completely lost your mind? We…?” “Silence.” A soldier shouted at them as footsteps registered their presence behind them. They turned as far as the heavy ropes used to bind them could permit them and saw a company obviously led by three women walking towards them.

“Look at that. Who would have thought the local magistrate was being operated by women?” Hunter said. “Beautiful women”, Rant added. The women came and stood a little distance away from them and, without any pleasantries or formalities, went right into it.

“You have been accused of murder and destruction of property and, according to the dictates of the local magistrate, you are…” “Excuse me. You don’t even know who we are. I think you have us confused with someone else.” Hunter interrupted the woman who was speaking. Rant, on the other hand, could not afford to get his eyes off the youngest of the women. A soldier slammed his elbow at Hunter’s jaw for interrupting her. Rant helped him up. The impact was without warning and it caught him off guard, landing him on the floor. “…You are hereby sentenced to death by hanging. This sentence shall be carried out in the morning.”

“Wow. How many mean women do you get to meet in your lifetime?” Rant asked his brother, who still grumbled from the pain in his jaw. The soldier that hit him was quite experienced and Hunter tried to commit his appearance to his memory for payback. “Hey! You didn’t even hear us out.” Hunter complained to the women as the soldiers advanced to take them away. “We have heard all about you. Brothers of death. Take them away and lock them up.” Now it was the youngest woman among the three who gave that order. “How can such a beautiful and innocent looking woman take any part in this?” Rant said to his brother as the soldiers dragged them away.

They had just received a death sentence that would be carried out the next day, yet Rant still found a way to think of a woman’s beauty. “You are unbelievable. You know that, right?” Hunter told him. “But come to think of it. If this is how cases are judged and adjourned by the local magistrate, little wonder that the king of Zorak has tried many times to bring it down.” Rant said as the soldiers fastened the giant locks on the cell in which they had been thrown into and walked away.