Page 78 of Null & Void

The next morning, a procession of guards, including Lottie, march down the stairs. Tovi and I look at each other in alarm. I mouth at her, asking what this is, and she shrugs, her panic as wild as the rage inside of me.

One by one, each prisoner is brought out of their cell and manacled to a chain. Tovi and I are at the end of the long chain of about fifteen prisoners. I look at Lottie to ask what’s going on but as I open my mouth, she gives me a cutting glare with an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

Manacled together, a guard addresses us all with his booming voice. “Today is the scheduled day of the moon for crime sentencing. You will be brought before the king and judgment will be passed immediately.”

Tovi squeaks in front of me and takes a step back, stepping on my toes and I bump forward into her. Maybe this is part of the plan, and I whisper to Tovi not to panic as we’re marched up the stairs.

Reaching the top of the stairs is unbelievable. The fresh air tastes sweet and clean. Now I can see everyone clearly, Tovi and I are the only women and the only Patrons. I am the only non-Erduborn.

Men are crying, some with what looks like relief as they breathe in fresh air, some with desperation as we’re marched toward our sentencing before the king. Tovi hasn’t made a sound since we started marching. I grip onto her filthy shirt, partly to let her know I’m here with her and partly because I need something to ground me to the Divine earth.

“I’m sorry, Mika,” Tovi whispers frantically. “I’m sorry for what I did to you, I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry.” A small sob punctuates her final word.

“Don’t you dare. This isn’t the end, stop it!” I whisper, digging my fingers into her back to make my point. “Don’t give up now.”

The fifteen of us are lined up in front of an empty dais and told to kneel. The chain connecting us is removed but our manacles remain. Most of the guards leave along with Lottie, with a few remaining to station themselves between us and the dais, their swords drawn.

The king’s violet eyes are all I can see as he enters the room and sits down on his throne with feline grace. He doesn’t look at me; he doesn’t look at any of us. He looks bored and annoyed. Covered head-to-toe in jewelry, a large and gaudy crown sits upon his head. Multiple rings, necklaces, and the buttons on his clothing are all jeweled.

Standing to the king’s left is an older-looking Laguzborn Patron with short-cropped gray hair and a thin frame. He’s looking us all over, and I quickly avert my eyes before he sees me staring.

I’m staring down at my hands as someone else comes into the room, and the original guard starts speaking. “You will be heard one-by-one and sentenced immediately. You,” he points to the man who was first on the chain. “State your name.”

The man does as he’s told, and I look up to see the guard shuffling through papers on a table in front of him. He’s reading out the man’s transgressions as my eyes lock onto someone sitting to the king’s right. My heart slams into my spine and down into my stomach painfully. Prince Eryn.

I hear the king’s voice for the first time, and it sends chills down my spine. He asks a question and the prisoner responds, but I miss the entire exchange. My focus is locked on Eryn. I can see he’s struggling to breathe normally, his eyes becoming bloodshot. I look around in fear of being seen locking eyes with the prince, but everyone important is staring at the wailing man being led away. Flicking my eyes back to Eryn, I mouth, “It’s okay,” and try to give him a small smile. His lips turn into a thin line, and his jaw twitches.

Listening to the ridiculous reasons these men have been imprisoned and their equally ridiculous pleas is already hard enough, but hearing the wails when the king declares their punishment is death, fills my stomach with lead.

On the tenth man, the Laguzborn man standing next to the king tilts his head to the side with a frown, watching above the prisoner’s head. Once the man finishes speaking, the Gifted Laguzborn whispers something to the king that has him sit forward with a smile full of malice.

“Dion, you should know better than to lie,” the king says, sounding excited. “Now, I do not know what to believe. Perhaps you really did pay for the loaves of bread. But now that Lylle has told me you have lied, I am going to have to assume the truth is much, much worse.

“Dion, you are sentenced to death by hanging today, as the sun sets. Guards, escort him with the rest,” the king orders, returning to his bored look and sitting back on his chair.

The next three men are also sentenced to death. And now it is my turn.

“State your name.”

“Mika.”

“Charged with trespassing in the Royal Castle. Found impersonating a Gifted Patron Oferdu.”

“Father,” Eryn interrupts before anything further is said. “May I sentence the last two? You said you wanted me to start taking on some duties. Allow me to practice?”

Eryn stands but doesn’t look at me, thankfully. A small bolt hits me in the chest at the risk the young prince is taking. He shouldn’t be doing this. The king stares at his son, a small smile curling at the side of his lips as he side-eyes Lylle, raising his eyebrows.

“Sure, my son, have fun,” the king purrs, looking at Tovi and me.

The prince sits back down, brushing his pants and steeling his face with cruelty. He looks good. He has a small crown, not as hideous as his father’s, and a few rings—a particularly pretty one that he’s wearing on his pinkie. I recognize it from the painting in his room as belonging to his mother.

“Mika, what is your reason for being in the castle, and why were you impersonating a Gifted Patron Oferdu?” he asks me, one flick of his eyes at Lylle. A warning: I cannot lie.

“I was looking for someone. The easiest way to move about without detection was in a uniform. My friend,” I gesture to Tovi, “was in the dungeon the whole time. An unlikely coincidence.” My rage flutters like an angry bird, but keeps the claws retracted. I didn’t lie.

If Eryn is surprised, he doesn’t show it. My gaze looks to my right, and I see Lylle looking disinterested, with no hint that he detected a misdirect in the truth. I am somewhat emboldened.

“You, state your name,” Eryn directs at Tovi, eyes wide as she darts her eyes between me and Eryn, giving her name quietly.

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