Roddy frowned as if he was surprised by the question and had expected a different response to his words. “People will build their own dwellings but there will be public structures for shelter in the time of storms. What does how much the workers are to be paid have to do with my not permitting you to kill out right the people who want to see your wife dead?”
“Nothing,” Jubal admitted, and then rubbed beard thoughtfully. “I cannot say they do not deserve to be punished, but my instantly killing them after the sentencing would be too quick and I think the penalty ought to last longer and be in public view. It is a matter of using to the fullest a ready and available resource.”
Roddy nodded and his eyes widened as if he knew exactly what his friend had in mind. “Training, yes, we can line them up at challenging distances and allow the younger Weapocarns to hurl spears into each of the condemned. The practice at long range would do them good and the spectacle would dissuade people from conspiring against their government. However, I fail to see how that would affect the cost of labor in Semidon, unless you want my workers to do the killing.”
It took an act of will to keep from sighing and shaking his head, yet Jubal managed to keep the disappointment off his face and out of his voice. “The newest hunters could use the practice,” he conceded, “but you will still lose the resource, one hundred twelve able bodies to be precise. Would it not be better to make the guilty pay for their crimes with heavy labor? I mean, make the conspirators work for free.”
While Roddy was scratching at his beard, mulling over the notion, Semiramis cocked her head to the side and then nodded after reaching some conclusion. “Your notion is a good one. There are only a few details we must see to in order to make the idea feasible. Weapocarns must go as guards to see to it the guilty actually work hard and to make sure none of them try to run off. Jubal, you are too trusting, which is why you believe the conspirators would actually work and not run away at the first opportunity. They must be forced to comply with the sentence and promised severe penalties, even death, for non-compliance.”
Nimrod smiled and leaned forward. “As she said, the core of your idea is good. They and all future offenders shall be put to work, why waste the resource? This group in particular will labor for the rest of their lives on public works. Still, not only must these individuals be guarded, they must be housed, clothed, fed, and kept restricted in their movements. I have plans for the Weapocarns and Aakacarns and those plans do not include guarding the convicted.”
“Train a contingent of Tinies to guard them. There are plenty of men who, like Xerxes, can do the job,” Vashti suggested.
Roddy fixed his gaze on his wife, she nodded, and then he locked eyes with Jubal. “Your idea is not as simple to implement as you thought, but it is workable and worth giving a try. Tomorrow morning the trial begins and within two hours the guilty verdict will be announced and then we will have the sentencings. However, what we just discussed remains between us. I want the guilty and the public to believe the conspirators are going to be put to death. Afterward, Tinies and Anakim, those among the weaker giants who have not joined the Weapocarns, will be offered the job of guarding the convicts. ”
Jubal made no comment about the use of, “Weaker giants,” in reference to the Anakim, him being relieved over altering the fate of the yet-to-be-convicted and having no problem staying quiet about the issue. “It will be as you say.”
“It will be as you say,” Vashti’s voice echoed his.
-----
More than thirty thousand souls were gathered on the hill outside of the Place of Meeting, which had been constructed at the highest point. The eight ancients, women on the verge of giving birth and their midwives were the only people absent from the newly constructed place of judgment, a courtyard spread out in the shadow of the huge historic structure made of logs.
The sun shined brightly in the partly cloudy sky and birds chirped their greetings to one another, none caring about the affairs of men. The beautiful morning could not break through the gloom of human concerns, nor could it lighten the hearts of those who had gathered to see the price of sedition paid in full. Some faces reflected sadness while others frowned in deep contemplation. Still others nodded as if to say, “Justice demands the guilty account for their crimes.”
Nobody smiled, giggled, or joked over what was expected to happen, although some stood with the look of anticipation written in their facial features and accentuated in their body language. They were expecting a terrifying display of Aakacarn power to be unleashed upon the guilty, as if some part of the spectators actually wanted to see the horror and be afraid, so long as they were not the focus of the deadly potential. People could be peculiar that way, Jubal understood, but had faced enough danger on a regular basis, and felt no need to experience horror for entertainment value; music was his recreational and emotional outlet.
Rumor had run rampant over night with word the Instructor would be the one carrying out the sentence. Who started the talk was anybody’s guess, but the notion caught on like wild fire hitting a patch of tall dry grass, and by dawn the impending doom of the conspirators was a certainty in the minds of those who had listened. Jubal pretended not to notice the way people’s eyes widened in fear when he so much as glanced in their direction.
Is that what it was like for Thanatos, Hades, Osiris, and Anubis?
The reaction made Jubal a little uncomfortable, but it was worth it if nefarious people were deterred from taking violent action. He and Vashti were near the front of the crowd in a small cluster surrounded by Weapocarns bent on protecting them, just in case some few of the conspirators were missed in the screening. Among the guards were Cassiopeia, Anak, Orion, Andromeda, Malcus, Hercunus, and Constan. No one blocked Jubal’s view and so he put up with the over abundance of caution, for Vashti’s sake. Even so he held Elevation with a Da Capo in his mind and was ready to focus potential wherever needed.
The accused were grouped to the right of the vacant judgements seats, two oaken chairs on a dais twenty-four steps up from the lower court. The stage was set and plenty of people were gathered to hear the confessions. All that remained was for the judicial couple to arrive.
“The conspirators will go one at a time before Nimrod and Semiramis, presumably confess their crimes, and then move to the left to stand and await sentencing,” Vashti stated, perhaps for the folks standing within hearing distance.
Half of the Weapocarns on the dais had spears at the ready and the rest had bows with arrows drawn and aimed. Eleven Aakacarns in green and brown woolens held producers rather than the conventional weapons, they were the hunters Artemis recently led before becoming an administrator, and the females seemed to be getting more fearful looks from the accused than the other guards, especially the sisters; Bast, Darieen and Sapphira.
The huge audience was forward of the stone piazza in a semi-circle that was split by rope dividers. The many conversations taking place created a constant murmuring hum that steadily grew louder as folks strived to be heard. The noise seemed to be feeding on itself to the point people were soon shouting. Jubal settled for nodding acknowledgement of the statement rather than hollering over the multitude of voices.
A squad of Tinies began drumming a slow and steady beat on a row of ten kettle drums to the right of the divide, drawing attention. A nervous hush fell over the crowd at the unusual procession walking between the ropes.
A pair of male lions was leading the way, followed by two more of the great cats and behind them, walking with their heads held high, was Nimrod and Semiramis. He in his lion-skin coat and gold-threaded robe, and she in a black gown decorated with the figures of her zodiac worked in silver. The diamonds in her dark hair sparkled like a starry night. Right in the middle of her bodice was a single golden lightning bolt. Behind the couple walked two more pairs of lions.
“Roddy must have used Leader of the Pride on them,” Vashti whispered in Jubal’s ear.
He nodded agreement. “The spectacle is
certainly guaranteed to make an impression. Even the beasts seem to honor our chief administrator. This is probably why he wanted the Aaka restricted to us four. If it was common knowledge, no one would be so impressed. Look, even Ra’s eyebrows are climbing his forehead.”
Vashti chuckled. “So are Oden’s.”
The first pair of lions parted, taking positions facing the crowd on either side of the flight of stairs. As the remainder of the procession continued up, the next pair parted eight steps up and took positions on the first landing. At the second landing, another eight steps later, Roddy and Semi kept going while the pair of beasts behind them parted, turned, and faced the audience. The two remaining lions followed the regal couple the rest of the way to the top and then took positions to the right and left of the judgment seats.
“Nimrod truly is the king of beasts,” Apollo remarked from slightly behind and to the right of Jubal.
The twin of Artemis had a single golden lightning bolt on the right shoulder of his green, gold-threaded, administrative robe of office. Neither he nor his sister wanted a trident on their foreheads, so they had performed Ranking. The color of his garment matched the shade of his potential, the exact hue of algae.
“Roddy will be the king of man once we all move to Semidon,” Vashti reminded him.
“And I will be the most revered administrator in his kingdom,” Apollo stated pompously. He did like pomp. The grin nearly split his face, the smile was so wide. “Osiris is already the most feared among my colleagues, but if Nimrod’s sentence is what I believe it will be, our chief administrator and future king will have that title. Your husband might be the most terrifying person of all and he is not even part of the government, not officially” he kept running off at the mouth. “Since Hades and Osiris are busy and I do not see Anubis anywhere near, I suppose the collector of the dead will have his hands full once the sentences are carried out. Jubal, try not to be too messy. No matter how you do it people will be nervous and frightened and deeply concerned over the prospect of facing judgment after today; that is for certain. You shall be the most feared, I will settle for being the most highly regarded by the masses, especially since I am in charge of animal husbandry.” He had control of a large chunk of the food supply.
Jubal turned slightly in order to look him in the eyes. “One wonders why the most revered administrator is standing here rather than up there beside the other government officials.”
Artemis, Ares, Set, Osiris, and Isis, all stood to the left of the dais, facing the offenders, as did the judges; Oden, Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Kronos, and Ra. Thanatos had on his traditional black cloak and sported a bronze trident on his forehead. Of the group, he seemed the most intimidating, even though Ra’s silver trident marked him as being sixteen-six times more powerful than Set, who had a Jade. The collector of the dead was only nine times more powerful. Jubal had no idea why Vashti’s nephew stood with the administrators and judges, him having no official title, but knew the reason had nothing to do with Apollo’s speculation.
Apart from the presence of the lions, nothing about what transpired came as a surprise to Jubal, and he doubted anything else would, yet felt compelled to keep his mouth closed, even though his nephew’s right eyebrow arched up suspiciously at the response to his words.
Hades and Poseidon used Status to evaluate their potentials; each had bronze tridents, while Zeus favored the lightning bolts. Not only did he have the three on his shoulders, he painted three onto his forehead. Oden rated a bronze, as did Kronos. The judges’ robes were emerald green on black.
“Perhaps this administrator enjoys the company of innovators and thinkers or simply intends to bless us with his presence.” Thoth answered. He stood to Jubal’s left.
Apollo held his head higher, chin up. “I thought this group could use a bit more respectability.”
Jubal laughed. He could not help it, not with Thoth standing there with a silver trident on his forehead and a contingent of Weapocarns; all surrounding the Instructor of Aakacarns, the most terrifying man alive according to the son of Zeus. The group could not be more respected or feared by the masses.
Apollo shook his head. “Great, now everybody is looking at us. You do realize, Uncle, you are the only one who finds this occasion to be funny.” He said it with a straight face as if innocent of having caused the reaction. “See, Thoth, I am here lending much needed dignity. My uncle is simply too young to appreciate the solemnity of the moment.”
Jubal pictured flipping his nephew upside down and suspending him thirty paces above the courtyard to learn how much dignity would be on display, but refrained from giving in to the temptation. “Maybe a little lift to the roof of the Place of Meeting..,” he banished that notion as well.
The lions roared, drawing immediate attention to the stairs. Roddy gave a speech the people in the rear of the crowd probably could not hear, unlike the lions’ roars which had been loud and clear. Semiramis stood after him and gave a speech even Jubal had difficulty hearing and then Fileeman walked from the right, gave a confession, and then moved to the left. Aaken came next, admitting to intending to kill Jubal but accidentally hitting Gemeena. He was followed by a string of men and women of varying ages, from early teens to perhaps a century in a few cases.
Three quarters of the way through the confessions, Jubal’s hunter instincts were still on full alert, causing him to be circumspect concerning his surroundings. Just because the Weapocarns were watching for would-be attackers did not mean he could afford to be careless. He spotted no hostile gestures, heard no a smart remarks, nor caught a glimpse of an evil eye focused in his direction. His awareness extended even to those standing in the periphery, yet he detected no hostile intent.
People were straining to hear the confessions and some were fidgeting, clearly growing board with the official proceeding. Jubal wondered how many of them wanted the tedium to end so they could see him cast forth potential and kill the guilty right before their eyes, he hoped not many.
The lions seemed to be getting the greatest amount of attention, they being of the most interest. The alterative was watching the accused stand and utter words that were barely perceptible. That did not mean people ignored the Aakacarns, many of whom had donned scarlet and black silk cloaks similar to the one Jubal had on. He had no idea the gift from his mother would set a fashion trend. For whatever reason, many of his students had taken to dressing similar to their Instructor.
“Roddy should compose an Aaka that amplifies the voice,” Vashti whispered in his ear.
“I will mention it to him at the next opportunity,” Jubal replied as softly as he could while eyeing a sudden movement.
The experienced hunter inside screamed, “Danger!”
A black-bearded man dropped to the ground about fifty paces to Vashti’s left. He sprang back up with something in his right hand. Jubal concentrated, preparing to send a beam of life-force energy and snatch the man up into the air. Barely an eye blink before the thought could be turned into action, the object in the target’s hand wiggled, it was a lizard. The man handed the tiny reptile to a young boy in linens and would never know how close he came to being launched and suspended above the crowd.
“I need to get a grip on my nerves before I hurt someone,” Jubal mumbled under his breath.
“You want to hurt someone, only one?” Thoth must have picked up on some of the words. “I want to hurt every single conspirator.”
His voice had been loud enough to be heard well beyond the ring of Weapocarns and the result was many furtive looks in his direction from the Tinies and Anakim, who then edged farther from the armed hunters and the Instructor of Aakacarns. They apparently feared him more than the even more powerful Nephilim possessing a silver trident.
At long last, about one and a half turns of a sandglass, the final conspirator; an octogenarian named, Baroso, stood and declared in a surprisingly powerful voice, “I want you, O mighty hunter, and all spellcasting-demon-spawned Nephilim dead and gone. I encourage
d Fileeman and Aaken as well as a score of other younger men to kill you and Jubal whenever the opportunity presented itself.”
“I would like to take the opportunity to hurl my spear through his throat,” Cassi spoke out from her position in the protective circle. Jubal was touched by the way his slightly older sister always wanted to protect him, but wished she would be a little less vocal about it. She took a breath and continued. “The idiot doesn’t seem to realize all of us are the offspring of one of the three matriarchs, even him. The trait is more evident in us Nephilim and to a lesser extent the Anakim, but even the Tinies are related to the fallen angels who fathered Herara, Sheba, and Lilith.”
“You could only hit the idiot if you are fast enough to strike a moving target fifty paces in the air, which is how high up I feel like levitating the fool before I drop him,” Vashti responded. She actually pointed her ring at Baroso, but clearly knew better than to follow through with the whim.
Apollo chuckled. “Vicious women, can you not wait for the sentencing?”
The moment Baroso joined his fellow conspirators, Nimrod stood facing the guilty. “Each of you has confessed your crimes before all these witnesses,” his voice reverberated like thunder and was no doubt heard spans away,
“He must have realized the need and was inspired to compose a tune to amplify his voice,” Vashti spoke the very words Jubal had been about to say.
“Kronos would approve of the efficient use of time,” he told his wife.
“The just penalty for your crimes is death,” Nimrod powerfully declared, the voice of impending doom. Some of the condemned wept openly while most accepted the words stoically.
Every eye seemed to suddenly focus on Jubal in anticipation, which he did his best to ignore by fixing his gaze on the chief administrator. “Come on Roddy they are ready to hear the sentence. You have what you want,” Jubal mouthed the words.
Dawn Of The Aakacarns Page 23