The Regenerates (6 page)

“Ven? What are you thinking, Gant? For the crimes he committed, he deserves immediate death. What will the Quadrants think if you let him live after what he has done? There will be an uproar. No one will take Abolition Day seriously anymore. He must be punished.”

“There are two things to consider.” Gant twirled a long steel pen in his hand. “First, it’s thanks to his little mutiny that we have been given a chance to get back at Russell Stafford. I would feel
terrible
if I had him killed right away.” His eyes twinkled. “Secondly, Rosa Kealy has left me in a bind. She approached me not too long ago and threatened to revoke her…services to us if we did anything to her son. We need her on our side. However, she knows we can’t let him off completely or the Quadrants might revolt. He
is
being punished. The trip will be his sentence. The boy is weak and there’s no guarantee he’ll make it back alive. This way, he’s out of our hands and we remain in Rosa’s good books. We can’t give him a prison sentence because the guards will know we left him alive. Word spreads, and we can’t take the risk. May as well use this chance to get rid of both problems.”

“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” said another elder, snapping Ven’s medical report shut. “Kayn will not spare him. You can’t expect them to work together. If the journey doesn’t kill him, Kayn will, and there is not a single thing we could do to stop him. There would be no way to verify his death, either. Kayn could push him off a cliff and call it an accident. If her son dies, Rosa will cause problems for us.”

“You don’t know Kayn like I do. Despite his moments of irresponsibility, he is fiercely loyal to the Stratum Order. He will keep Ven alive because the journey is to be his sentence. Killing him would be quick and simple. For the crime he has committed, his death deserves to be drawn out and painful and Kayn knows this. Let the world decide his fate. He will be out of our hands for good.”

“I never thought you to be a sadist, Gant.”

Gant leered. “Justice is justice, no matter how cruel or twisted the means.”

“And on the off chance that they survive and make it back?”

“We kill them, just as they deserve. I wish to transform Cor into something far greater than it has ever been, and any hindrance to that goal must be eliminated.”

D
arkness. Pain. Ven was dizzy. Where was he? He tried to open his eyes, but it was as though an intense weight was preventing him from moving his eyelids, and for that matter, his whole body. He forced his eyes open as best as he could and squinted at the light. He suddenly became aware of the searing pain in his ribs and a strange discomfort in his stomach. Amidst the haziness, he racked his memory, trying to remember what happened. He and Markis had just saved Coralie and the others. He was supposed to make it back to the palace unnoticed… then Markis began acting a little strange. The beast, the great black monster Markis had summoned, had taken him back to Stratum Square and everyone saw him, including Kayn. Kayn was about to attack him when…

Then he remembered. Markis had stabbed him with the Magistrate’s Dagger. But he was alive! He had survived somehow. Where was he? Where was Markis? More importantly, was his mother alright?

His head reeling from confusion and from Markis’ betrayal, he slowly sat upright, but breathed between his teeth as a sharp pain shot through him. Taking deep breaths, Ven lifted his shirt and looked at the wound on his abdomen. Though it was heavily bandaged, a bluish tint could be seen through the gauze. He hadn’t been stabbed with an ordinary dagger, so it didn’t surprise Ven that the wound was strange. But if it didn’t kill him, what effect would it have on him? The power contained in the dagger’s blade was ancient and sacred.

Pushing that thought aside, he took in his surroundings. He was in a small, white room in what appeared to be an infirmary. There was no one in sight.

“Hello?” he croaked, his throat parched. He got up off the bed and gingerly made for the exit, but the door was locked. He searched around the room for a window to escape from but there was none. Moments later the door opened and a nurse walked in carrying a glass of purple tonic. She passed it to Ven without looking at him.

“Hurry and drink this. Then follow me,” she said robotically. Ven emptied the glass and followed her out the door, just as a warmth began to fill his body and the pain lessened significantly. The nurse said nothing as they walked along a corridor, turning several corners.

“Excuse me,” he began, “where am I?”

The nurse did not respond.

“Hey, I asked you a question,” he said irritably. He was tired and confused, and most certainly not in the mood to be given the silent treatment. The nurse stopped but did not turn around.

“You’ll forgive me for choosing not to converse with a traitor and a criminal,” she said, and then continued walking.

Oh. So he was still in Cor, and he was in deep trouble. He pined for his mother, praying that she wouldn’t have to get involved. His stomach jolted. Was the nurse leading him to his death? Ven considered making a run for it. He wasn’t ready to die just yet, even if the law demanded it. He glanced behind him and his heart sank. At the end of the corridor were two heavily armed guards.

Finally, the nurse led him into an immaculate room he had never seen before. At the end of the room, five very old men were seated on marble chairs. Their beards were tied in front of them by silk ribbon and their robes were purple and gold. Ven gasped. Seated before him was Cor’s Council of Elders. They were the Grand Magistrate’s most influential advisors.

The nurse bowed low and motioned for Ven to bow as well, which he did.

“Welcome,” said one of the elders. “This must be your first time seeing the Elders Council. You’re quite the energetic little Highborn, aren’t you?”

Ven didn’t know how to respond. The elder smiled. “Can you take a guess why you are here, Ven?”

Ven’s eyes narrowed. They were trying to get him to confess. They were going to toy with him a bit before they tied the noose around his neck. He wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh? You believe we brought you here on a field trip, then?”

Ven decided to put the blame on Markis. The man had betrayed him, after all. He would be getting what he deserved. “That man stabbed me. I don’t know the rest.”

“Liar. You know exactly what happened. What made you decide to conspire with a criminal? Were you both trying to sabotage Abolition Day?” The elder pressed on, not waiting for a response. “Unfortunately for you, the odds are working against you. You see, Kayn told us you spoke to him a couple of days before the ceremony regarding a friend of yours who had been sentenced. No matter how you look at it, everything points back to you. What do you suppose we should do now? Without a doubt, you deserve an immediate death sentence.”

Ven had lost all the feeling in his legs. Markis had fooled him. But why betray him when everything had been going so well?

“However,” said the elder, “we have decided we are going to make an exception. We are going to give you a chance at redemption. Consider it a thank you to your mother for all her years of hard service. It’s a pity she raised such a selfish son.”

“
Don’t
,” he clenched his fists. “She didn’t know anything. Don’t you dare–”

“Did you not hear us, you little brat? We are going to give you a chance to redeem yourself to us. Show us that you are worthy of being given a second chance.”

That shut him up. Before the elder could continue, the door burst open, and Kayn entered. Ven had never seen him look so disheveled. He was heavily bandaged and was limping. There was still fury etched into his expression, as if it had been there since Abolition Day and had stayed there for hours.

“Ah, Kayn. How are you feeling?”

“You summoned me?” Kayn said mechanically. He shot an icy stare at Ven, who quickly turned to look at the elders.

“Yes, we did. As you may have guessed, due to certain actions by our friend here, your coronation ceremony has been temporarily postponed.”

Ven was convinced that if Kayn tried to look any angrier, the muscles in his face would give way.

“I don’t understand. The dagger was retrieved. Everything is fine.”

The elder reached into his robes, pulled out the Magistrate’s Dagger and gently placed it on the long table in front of him. The dagger, which had originally been blood-red, was now charcoal black.

“No…that’s not possible,” said Kayn, shaking his head. “How did this happen?”

“The blade was tainted when that criminal used it to stab Ven. The sacred power it contains, the one that keeps our city and you safe, has been nullified. You have failed the test your father entrusted to you before he died. Naturally, you can no longer be considered for the position of Grand Magistrate.”

Kayn fell to his knees. His anger was replaced by a look of desperation. “No, please, I–”

“We do not have a detailed explanation for this occurrence, I’m afraid,” the elder interrupted, “but we have come up with a solution, albeit a tedious one.”

Kayn twitched.

“I’m afraid you may not like it very much, Kayn. But unfortunately our decision is final. You will take The Magistrate’s Dagger to Roth’s tomb in Hygon Pass. There, you will soak it in the sacred pool, just as Lord Roth did so many years ago. In doing so, the dagger’s protective power will be restored. Consider this a second chance from us, Kayn. If you are successful, your coronation will take place as planned. Until then, your brother, Klaus, will act as Grand Magistrate. Whether or not this change becomes permanent is entirely up to your success.”

Kayn’s face lit up. He got to his feet. “Yes, Your Grace. I will be ready to leave tonight–”

“Not so fast. You haven’t heard the rest.”

“What?”

“Ven is going to accompany you. The journey is to be his sentence, as well.”

Ven and Kayn stood in stunned silence.

Were they out of their minds? Kayn would kill him within moments of leaving Cor. Was this all a game to them?

“Like hell,” Kayn snarled.

“Since your position as Grand Magistrate has been revoked for the time being, the nature of Ven’s sentence must be decided by us.”

It was Ven’s turn to speak up. “Don’t mess with me. If you want me dead, then do it yourself. Or is there a reason you want him to do it?” He gestured to Kayn.

The main elder gave him a cold stare.

“If I wished it, I could have you killed where you stand. Don’t snub my mercy. You are the one responsible for this mess, and you will help Kayn make it right, even if that means facing death by other means. If you make it back? So be it. You will have garnered our trust once more. A few slaps on the wrist and you will be forgiven. So make your choice. Die here, or accompany him and serve your sentence.”

It all sounded far too good to be true. Ven suspected they had an ulterior motive. What it was, he didn’t know, but he decided he would humor them. If they planned for him to die by whatever peril awaited them outside, he was going to put up a fight for his mother’s sake. There was nothing stopping Kayn from exacting vengeance on him, though. Ven would have to butcher his own ego and ask for forgiveness. He turned directly to Kayn.

“Lord Kayn,” he began. Kayn looked at him, astounded that Ven dared to address him. “If I did what I did, it’s because I was trying to stop someone I cared about from being killed. I’m sure you would have done the same. I’m sorry that this happened to you. I didn’t mean for your position to be jeopardized. You don’t have to forgive me if you don’t want to, but let me help you make things right. I’m intelligent and I’ve studied the outside world. I can help get us there quickly.”

Kayn seemed unable to respond to this unwarranted politeness. The elders exchanged glances with each other.

“You’re right,” said Kayn. “I don’t plan on forgiving you. And if I were you, I would sleep with one eye open, because if I decide to keep you alive, it will be to give you the most miserable life possible.”

Ven was triumphant. While Kayn’s threat wasn’t necessarily empty, he had at least acknowledged that he was open to the idea of receiving Ven’s help, and had no plans to kill him right away.

“Well then,” said the elder. “It’s settled. Kayn, you will need to travel in disguise. While your appearance may not be well known to everyone outside, we can’t risk you being recognized by an enemy nation. We will organize supplies and transportation for you both and will see you off. Be ready to leave in the morning.”

Still unable to believe his luck at being given a chance at life, Ven couldn’t shake the sinister feeling he had in his gut. Either way, he was going to live a little while longer, and that’s what mattered most.

A soldier motioned for Ven to follow him. In his hands, he had a pair of brass handcuffs. Ven stared at the elders.

“Can’t have you running away now, can we?” one of them said.

“I want to talk to my mother before I leave,” said Ven.

The elder looked at his colleagues, who after moments of deliberation, nodded. “Fine. We will bring her to your cell.”

With that, the soldier handcuffed Ven and led him away. When they reached the cell, the soldier shoved him roughly inside and locked the door behind him.

Ven laughed darkly as he fell to the cold stone floor, remembering that not so long ago, he had told Hans that he had no plans to get himself arrested. He then slunk into a corner, hating Markis with a passion.

A couple of hours later, Ven’s mother appeared at the door of his cell, Hans and Florentine by her side. His mother let out a strangled sob when she saw the handcuffs on his wrists.

“Mom…please don’t cry.” He reached his arm out between the cell bars and held her hand. Florentine took it as well, her eyes puffy from crying, and her usually neat curls limp. A massive lump formed in Ven’s throat. If he ever saw Markis again, he would make him pay.

“Are you hurt at all?” his mother asked between her sobs.

“No, I’m alright.” He paused and swallowed. “I’m sorry. Markis offered me a way to help Coralie and I took it. She’s safe now, and so are her parents! That’s a good thing, right?”