The sounds of yelling and weeping were all Arturo heard after Kyrad left. Somehow, even in his captivity, Kyrad had made another enemy. These women wanted revenge; of that, he was certain. If only that were good news for him. His captors had no plans to release him. If anything, Kyrad’s escape was a death sentence for him. The Swords of Justice weren’t going to give him a chance to escape.

  The fires were put out, and six guards stood vigilant, more alert than before. Whoever Kyrad’s partners were, they were strong, though he was confident he could take them. The only one he wasn’t sure of was Kyrad. Could he beat him, or would it be the same result as last time? Would he ever get the chance again, or was his fate to die here?

  Before, he was fine dying so long as Kyrad joined him. Now that it was just him, he wanted out. Arturo would not die here. His thoughts were interrupted as the guards all stood straight and in walked the leader of the Swords of Justice, Khaldoria. Her brown hair was in a tight bun, and her golden armor flashed brightly as she stopped in front of his cell.

  “That other prisoner deserved to die,” she said coldly.

  Arturo said nothing, for what was there to say? I agree? The people here knew he hated Kyrad already.

  “Twelve people were killed so that monster could escape,” Khaldoria continued. The other guards didn’t know what to say and remained silent. “Perhaps if I had captured Kyrad’s companion, this could have been avoided, though I have a feeling things would have ended the same way.”

  What is she talking about? Arturo thought. If they could have captured Kyrad’s friends, why didn’t they?

  “I’m surprised Kyrad didn’t kill you,” Khaldoria said.

  “He thought it would be amusing to have me die by your hand,” Arturo said. Not true, though Khaldoria didn’t need to know the truth.

  “I bet you have friends looking for you too,” Khaldoria said and raised her hand when he opened his mouth to respond. “It doesn’t matter. Your trial will begin within the hour.”

  Without another word, Khaldoria walked out of the room, and the guards remained in their positions. What a mess, how did Kyrad think he would escape? Arturo was screwed. There was no way he would be found innocent.

  For the first time since losing to Kyrad, Arturo felt powerless. To achieve so much and to die like this was pitiful. He doubted Achillion or Eurisha would find him. Jen and Tarmon were in Vandalor, maybe on their way back or still there. Either way, they wouldn’t know about his disappearance. If Achillion noticed, he would have no idea where to look, and neither would Eurisha.

  If only things could have ended differently. Arturo slumped against the wall and remained still for quite some time. He saw no point in thinking of escape. If Tarmella wasn’t going to grant him a way to escape, then there was nothing to do but accept his fate.

  “Arturo,” a familiar voice said.

  He turned and saw Lily, kneeling close by with a look of concern. “Yeah?” Arturo said. He hadn’t heard her come in.

  “You need to tell the truth; I’m sure you’ll be set free,” Lily said.

  “No chance,” Arturo snorted while shaking his head. Lily was na?ve, which he envied. “These people have a vendetta against me. Nothing I say or do will prove my innocence.”

  Lily opened her mouth, then stopped and shook her head. There was a look of despair that quickly disappeared. She stood and walked away, most likely accepting that Arturo was about to die. It was better for her to accept that than hope for a miracle.

  Not long after Lily left, a dozen guards entered. In addition to the six keeping guard, there were eighteen, and his cell door was open. A part of him wanted to fight and try to escape, but there was no chance. Three guards had blowguns ready to go, and he had no weapon. If Arturo had his sword, he could easily handle the eighteen of them, blowguns or not.

  “Stand,” one of the guards said.

  Arturo got up and watched another guard unshackle him from the wall. Another six surrounded him as he began to walk. The guards escorted him outside, and they passed a few of the burnt tents. Some of the soldiers glared at him, as if the attack was his fault!

  Before long, they arrived in an open field. There stood a small table and a chair ten feet away. The guards motioned for him to sit and set chains around his ankle and wrist cuffs, tying him to the chair. Moving was annoying, and the metal pinched his skin. Standing at the table was the leader, Khaldoria. He recognized the second in command, Salamina, and he had no idea who the third person was. There were at least fifty people watching, all members of the Swords of Justice.

  Khaldoria had her hands behind her back, and once Arturo was settled in his chair, began to speak. “Welcome to this trial. Our prisoner, Arturo, is accused of killing guards at Moontani. Judging this trial are myself and Salamina. The one affected by this tragedy for the loss of her father is Medissia.”

  That explained the third person and exposed what kind of sham this trial was going to be. Arturo wanted to tell them to kill him and get it over with, yet he couldn’t. If there was even a one percent chance of getting cleared of his charges…

  “The situation was that Arturo was staying at an inn, when he decided to attack some guards who told the owner to pay their taxes. When asked to stop, Arturo attacked, and the guards were forced to flee. Not long after, Arturo tried to escape and was surrounded by the guards, who he killed without remorse. What do you have to say to these charges, Arturo?” Khaldoria said.

  “That isn’t what happened,” Arturo said. He saw Medissia glare at him, and he had no doubt if she had a choice, she would kill him herself. Ironic, she wanted him dead for defending himself against criminals who pretended to be guards. “The guards weren’t trying to get taxes but wanted to steal from the owner. I was forced to defend myself and when I tried to leave, the guards attacked me. I killed them in self-defense as they were corrupt, and there was no doubt I helped the people of Moontani by stopping those criminals from stealing again.”

  “Liar!” Medissia hissed.

  “Medissia!” Khaldoria said, shooting her friend a sympathetic look. “We must be fair.”

  “I’m sorry,” Medissia said. Her gaze never left Arturo.

  “Witnesses say you attacked without provocation. Why would they lie?” Khaldoria asked.

  “Either they weren’t there, or the guards forced them to,” Arturo said.

  “How convenient for you, you can blame the ‘corrupt’ guards for all your trouble,” Salamina said.

  “It’s the truth,” Arturo insisted and wondered why he was even bothering. Nothing he said would convince these women of his true intentions.

  “Very well, Medissia, you knew your father well. What do you say to Arturo’s accusations?” Khaldoria said.

  “Wait,” Arturo said. “What was your father’s name?”

  “Stephen,” Medissia said.

  Of course. Arturo remembered him. The first guard he punched. Would things have gone differently if he had killed the guards inside the inn first? Or was this situation going to happen regardless of his decisions?

  “I saw his body,” Medissia said with a quiver. “You nearly split him apart. What you did was inhumane.”

  Arturo couldn’t stop it. He let out a laugh. Not because of how he killed her brother but how she described the way he killed him. There was no point holding back; this trial was over anyway. “Let me teach you one thing before you sentence me,” he said, forcing himself to stop laughing. “Dead is dead. Whether you lose your head or an arrow to the heart. The result is the same.”

  “Why you—”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Khaldoria raised her hand to stop Medissia from speaking. There was no mercy in her face, of that Arturo was certain. “So, you have nothing else to say?”

  “You have the truth; do with that as you will,” Arturo said.

  “Very well, guards!” Khaldoria said, and six guards walked up to him. “Escort the prisoner back to his cell. We’ll have your fate in a few hours.”

  Why the farce? Arturo almost told them to slit his throat and be done with it. But a few hours gave him the chance to escape or maybe Tarmella would grace him and allow him to live. Whatever happened, he would fight. There was no way he would stand idly by and allow someone to kill him like livestock.

  “As you command,” one of the guards said, bowing and began to unshackle Arturo from his chair. Two guards with blowguns were on standby.

  Whatever he thought of these people, Arturo had to give them credit. They were prepared. These women knew the consequences if he got loose. It should be flattering; instead, it was a nuisance. Without a word, Arturo followed his guards back to his cell.

  The guards said nothing, and Arturo didn’t bother asking anything as the result would be the same. They would tell him to shut up and smack him if he kept talking. The guards shackled him to the same wall in his cell and walked out. Six guards. There was no hope.

  I’m sorry. Arturo thought. His family was never going to get justice, and his sister may never know what happened to him. Jen didn’t deserve to lose him this way. Maybe Khaldoria would deliver his body if he asked, except, he couldn’t get himself to say those words. The thought of asking for his body to be delivered felt too final. No, he would fight and maybe luck would be on his side.

  The guards were extra vigilant. Arturo watched two guards checking outside every few minutes. He wanted to laugh. If Jen were to somehow know he was captured and find him, she would try talking to them and throw her weight by announcing herself as someone from the Whispering Mists. Not many would fight someone from that group.

  An hour passed, and the door opened. A guard came running. Arturo braced himself for the inevitable. Then, four of the guards went rushing out of the room, leaving two and the one that entered. It didn’t take him long to realize the new guard was Lily.

  “What’s that?” Lily said, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at the other door. Both guards took out their weapons and looked. With a move so fast, Arturo almost didn’t see it, Lily smashed one of the guards in the back of the head with the pommel of her sword. The other guard turned, raising her sword.

  Lily was faster. She slammed her shoulder into the guard’s stomach, causing her to double over and before the guard could say anything, Lily hit her on the head, hard. The guard collapsed, lying on the floor, motionless.

  “What are you doing?” Arturo asked.

  Lily’s face was pale, and her hands were shaking. She shook her head and fumbled with the keys and unlocked the gate. “I-I had to do something,” she said, rushing to Arturo and putting the keys on his cuffs and unlocked them. “Khaldoria is making a mistake, and I can’t let them kill you.”

  “I hope you won’t regret this,” Arturo said as he rubbed his wrists. It felt good to be free of his bindings. Stepping outside of the cell felt freeing. All he had to do was get his sword and armor. He would not leave those behind. His armor was the last thing his father had given him before his death, and he wouldn’t feel comfortable losing his newly sharpened sword to these fools.

  “I won’t,” Lily said. Her earlier shakiness was gone, replaced with resolve. “I joined this group to be a better fighter so that I could join you one day.”

  Arturo had many questions. However, he wasn’t out of the woods yet. “Where are my sword and armor?” he asked.

  “You should forget it; make a new one when we—”

  “No,” Arturo said, much harsher than he expected to. “They’re special, some of the last things I got from my father before he died.”

  “I see,” Lily looked out the window and nodded to herself. “We should have at least ten minutes before your escape is discovered. We’ll have to sneak into the camp.”

  “W-why?” one of the guards said, her voice sounding weak as she raised her head.

  Instead of responding, Lily walked over and smacked her head again. “Maybe less if one of these guards recovers.”

  “Let’s put them in the cell,” Arturo said.

  “Good idea,” Lily said.

  Arturo grabbed one of the guards and placed her gently into the cell. Despite their hospitality, he felt no malice toward these women. He understood their desires to seek justice, even if they were wrong in his case.

  With the guards placed in their cells, Lily ran to the same door she sent the other guards through and looked outside. After a moment, she poked her head back in and motioned for him to follow. Arturo did. His life was in Lily’s hands at this point. If he could get his sword and armor, they would be home free.

  Getting into the camp was far easier than he was expecting. A lot of the women were busy repairing the damage caused when Kyrad escaped. This allowed them to get inside and into the tent where his gear was located.

  Arturo almost sighed with relief. Out in the open was his giant sword, and his armor was lying next to it. The armor was easy to get on as it was specifically designed to slide on easily enough. His shoulders visibly lowered as he felt in the zone. None of these fools could take him in combat, and he wouldn’t allow them to knock him out unaware like before.

  Before he could leave the tent, Lily put her hand on his. “If it comes down to a fight, would you please not kill them? These people aren’t bad, I promise.”

  It wasn’t his style to hold back in a fight, at least not in a situation like this. Arturo wanted to tell her no, but how could he? She had saved his life; the least he could do was spare anyone who tried to stop them. “Okay,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  Nodding, Arturo walked out of the tent. He kept his sword in hand. There was no point in hanging his weapon on his back, not until they were safely away from this camp. Perhaps fate was testing him. There was no way to know for sure, but he was grateful to know he wasn’t going to die here.

  An alarm went off, and various people around the camp began running. Arturo heard the footsteps as he entered a tent, barely avoiding the eyes of a guard. A second later and he would have been seen for sure. Lily was right there with him.

  “This just got more difficult,” Lily said.

  “Don’t worry,” Arturo said, resting his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get out of here.”

  “You don’t get it,” Lily said and shook her head. “I’ll tell you later.”

  “Deal,” Arturo opened the flaps of the tent and didn’t see any guards nearby. “Where are the horses?”

  “Follow me,” Lily said and walked out of the tent. She was quick, and somehow; they were able to make it to the horses without being seen.

  The problem was, there were twelve guards, all at the ready. Arturo couldn’t help being impressed. The Swords of Justice assumed he would go for the horses and were right. Four of them had blowguns in hand. The first thing he would do was disarm them. If one dart hit him, it would all be over.

  He was about to confront them when Lily grabbed his arm. “Please don’t kill them,” she said.

  “I won’t,” Arturo said. Did she not trust his earlier words, or did she fear he would forget? He wasn’t a liar, nor would he betray someone who saved his life. “I have a plan.”

  Before Lily could say anything else, Arturo got up and stood right in front of the guards. All twelve jumped into action, their weapons already drawn and pointed at him. The four blowgunners had their lips on their weapons, ready to send their poisonous darts his way.

  “You traitor,” the familiar voice of the main guard said. It took Arturo a moment to realize this was Salamina. “Why would you help him escape? He’s a murderer!”

  “You’re wrong!” Lily said. “He saved my life, and he wouldn’t kill unless he had to.”

  “You’ll pay for your crimes soon enough,” Salamina said. “Take him.”

  Four of the guards blew four darts at him. Arturo swiftly moved his blade, and the four darts bounced off. He rushed forward. The first guard he got to was Salamina, who raised her sword and tried to strike. Arturo swung his weapon first and shattered her sword with a clean cut.

  Two guards tried to attack him from each side. Arturo dodged both of their strikes and swung his mighty blade, hitting both of their swords and cleaving the blades in half. His sword cut through the armor of one but didn’t do more than leave a scratch. Three more attacked, and he was forced to block a staff and dodge two sword strikes. When the staff user struck, Arturo side-stepped the attack, grabbed the staff with his left hand, and yanked the weapon out of her hands. He raised his sword to block the next two strikes, then countered and took off both blades.

  This was a risky strategy, for Arturo had to swing his weapon precisely, or he might take off an arm or kill one of them. He moved so fast the guards couldn’t react fast enough as he aimed at each of their weapons, shattering them all within seconds of one another.

  “He’s so fast!”

  “Don’t kill me!”

  The guards began to utter various phrases, but Arturo ignored them. He dodged the next few darts, with one hitting his armor before he got up to them. The guards looked at him with horror, and Arturo struck the first one in the stomach with his fist. Her eyes bulged as she grasped her stomach and fell face first to the ground.

  He said he wouldn’t kill them, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t harm them. Arturo grabbed another by the throat and tossed her. The other two reloaded their blowguns and fired. One of the darts whistled by his right ear while the other missed completely. Before either could react, he kicked one in the stomach and elbowed the last one in the face. He heard a crunching noise as she flung toward the ground, with blood streaming down her face.

  The guards with shattered weapons stared at him but quickly recovered and moved in front of the horses. “We won’t let you leave!” Salamina said.

  “You have two choices,” Arturo said coldly. A part of him wanted to kill Salamina, but he forced his urge down. She did nothing but imprison him; that wasn’t enough to warrant a death sentence. “I can kill you or you can step aside. You have five seconds.”

  Thankfully, Lily didn’t say anything. Arturo wasn’t going to kill them. Worst case, he might take off an arm. He would keep his word. To bolster his bluff, he raised his sword, and the guards quickly ran. All except for Salamina, who glared at him. Those hateful eyes, that must be what he looked like when he saw Kyrad. It almost caused him to freeze.

  “You’ll pay for this, both of you,” Salamina said and stepped aside reluctantly.

  “Remember my mercy,” Arturo said as he walked toward the horses. Lily stood by his side, and he saw the relief on her face. “If I was the evil man you think I am, I would have killed you all without a second thought.”

  Without a glance backward, Arturo hopped on a horse, and Lily did the same. He opened the barn door and cut off the ropes for all the other horses and forced them to run out. This would stop the guards from chasing them. They rode off.

  “That was incredible! I can’t believe how strong you are!” Lily said.

  Arturo turned around and saw the guards rushing to the scattered horses. There was no chance they would follow, not without their weapons. Somehow, he had been spared. Now, he had to make it back to Carhan and get his men together. It was time to hunt Kyrad Durmaddon and end him for good this time.