Shortly after Saul sat back down at the table, the woman he’d spoken to delivered more of the steaming food and a cup of the honey drink bigger than the last one. Amazed, Gabe looked up at her. “Thank you.”
Up close, the woman was as pretty as any he’d ever seen. She had blue paint above her eyelids and smelled incredible. She caressed his cheek with her fingers. “You’re welcome. And I don’t mind saying you’re as handsome as your father. Perhaps you can come and work here with me one day.”
“Really?” He caught his father looking at him with a smile on his face.
“I wouldn’t tease. Enjoy, gentlemen.” She walked away.
Gabe caught his father’s eyes watching the sway in her hips. “Dad!”
“Oh, sorry.” Saul chuckled. He glanced at the food and picked up his cup. “A toast.”
Gabe lifted his cup. “What’s a toast?”
“Uh, it’s a moment of honor and reflection and a word about the future. To us and new beginnings.”
Gabe bumped his cup. “To us.”
“To a better future.”
After they finished eating, they walked the perimeter of the agricultural center. Gabe held his belly. It was tight as a ball. His father cleaned his teeth with a toothpick. They looked at the livestock and then at a huge metal arm that churned into the ground and pumped the oil to the lanterns. There were some other marvels, too, that even his father couldn’t describe—things of the old world, rusted and faded.
Night had fallen, and everything began to close down. With an aching stomach and his head down, Gabe headed with his father back to the tunnel leading to the main compound.
“I don’t want to go,” Gabe said.
With his arm over his shoulder, Saul said, “The joy of leaving is that you can always come back.”
“It’s been a great day with you.”
“One of many more to come. Tomorrow, we’ll head for the den. You have to see the dragon.”
“Huh,” Gabe said. “I’ve been having such a good time I’d forgotten about him. I feel ashamed a little.”
“I’m sure the little monster will forgive you.”
“So are we going home now?” He patted his popped-out belly. “I think all that eating made me tired.”
“We’re on our way, but let’s make one stop by the hunters. Malak’s mending fences, and I’d best not pass up his invitation.” A rumble of thunder erupted in the night sky. “That’s odd. Not a cloud in the sky. Perhaps a storm’s coming.”
Staring up into the night, Gabe said, “How can you have a storm without any clouds?”
CHAPTER 32
Arms wide, Malak roared out, “Saul!”
A cheer went up among the men in the room, who stood by a fire pit. Tall and rangy, stout and bearded, each one of them had the mark of a seasoned hunter. One by one, they glad-handed Saul and slapped him on the back as if they hadn’t seen him in years.
“Get him some dragon juice, men!” Malak said.
Yawning, Gabe found a seat on a wooden bench away from the men. It was the hunters’ lair, a building half-covered with a sloping roof held up by metal beams. Many of the cement blocks were busted up, and coils of iron rebar jutted up through them. Oil lanterns hung on the walls and sat on the tables. It wasn’t a big room, but it was where the hunters spent much of their free time. A dragon net hung from the ceiling. There were dragon bones and skulls on the walls too, mostly from creatures not much bigger than a dog or a cat. Sitting at a bar was a stuffed dragon, long necked, wingless, with its mouth wide open. Iron Head’s helmet was there as well as a tribute to Malak’s son—a ring of candles set around his gear.
“Drink up, Sully! Drink!” Olley poured a clear liquid out of a copper urn into a melon-green hard plastic cup. “It’ll put more chin on your hairs.”
“Don’t you mean hair on my chin?” Saul said.
Otis’s brow lifted, and his lips screwed up. “Nope!” He drank from the urn and wiped his mouth. “I said what I said, and meant what I said! To the chin!”
Saul drank and winced. “This really is dragon spit!”
Everyone started laughing. “Bwah-hahahaha!”
The carousing went back and forth for another hour. The hunters were in high spirits. Buggy was there. Otis was in fine shape despite the loss of his brother. Several other hunters were there. Skinned up and scared, each of them had the look of a prowler. Malak’s youngest son was there too. He was a little older than Gabe but much bigger. He was a smaller version of his father. He sat across the room, eyeing the men, not so much as glancing at Gabe. They called him Jubal. Gabe didn’t know him at all.
Buggy walked up and sat down beside Gabe. “Hey, how are you doing?”
Gabe shrugged. “Fine, I guess. Just tired.”
“Aye!” Buggy tipped his glass. “I heard you got a belly full. I envy that. Care to wash it down with a sip?” he said, sloshing the liquid in his cup.
Turning his nose, Gabe replied, “Not if it’s going to make my breath smell like that.”
“Ah, the women love it.”
“What women?”
“You’ll see. They’ll come about later.” Buggy lifted his eyebrows a few times. “You’ll see. You and I will be hunting together one day. The more hunters that know one another, the better. It’s called the bond. When you get untired, you’ll have to spend more time with us. You’ll be stretched up like me soon enough.” He finished off his drink. “And this dragon squirt helps bind us better than a duck and its feathers.”
I hope I don’t have to ever drink that stuff. I prefer the honey. Gabe huddled back against the wall and closed his eyes as Buggy moved on. He could feel the warmth of the fire pit on his cheek. He started to drift off. The deep voices of the rowdy men jostled him from time to time. It was soothing for some reason. The minutes turned to an hour as he settled into the night. He drifted off.
A raucous bang aroused him. He peeked through his heavy lids, searching for his father. Saul was among the crowd of men, talking fast, and his hands were animated. The voices became louder. The jolly tone that filled the room shifted into anger.
What is happening? Rubbing his eyes, Gabe leaned forward, covering his yawn. Shouting and shoving erupted among the men. They surged like an angry tide. There was blame shouted at Saul. Fingers were pointing at Gabe.
Malak hollered, “He’s a bad omen! A curse among us!”
Saul’s arms were locked up with another hunter that Gabe didn’t recognize. They were screaming in each other’s faces. The hunters egged them on. The brotherhood had blood in their eyes.
Standing up on the bench, Gabe started yelling, “Stop it! Stop it!” He just wanted to leave. He just wanted to go to sleep.
Buggy caught his eye and gave him a wink. “I’ll handle it, Gabe.” The bug-eyed man eased in behind Saul. He wrapped his arms around the man’s waist and started to pull him apart from the other man.
Without looking, Saul broke free of Buggy’s grip and gave him a fierce shove. Buggy danced backward, fighting for balance. When Buggy was one step from regaining his balance, Malak stuck his foot out, tripping the wobbling man.
Buggy, arms flailing, smiled and let out a jovial cry. “Buggy’s going down!” Losing complete control, he went down hard and fast. His head hit one of the concrete barriers on the edge with a loud smack. Blood dripped from it. Buggy’s restless eyes went dead.
Gabe couldn’t breathe. He caught Jubal’s eyes. The boy had seen the same thing that he had—Malak had tripped Buggy and killed him.
Malak rushed over and started yelling at the rampaging men. His voice quieted the room. “Look what you did, Saul! Look what you did!”
Saul unlocked himself from the other man. Slowly, they gathered around.
Malak held Buggy in his arms like a fallen son, saying with drunken wet sobs, “You killed him, Saul. You killed another one of us.”
CHAPTER 33
Chaos erupted. A storm came. Heavy rains flooded the streets. Gabe rushed into
his father’s arms.
Saul held him tight. “Have faith. Have faith.”
Out of the black of the night, sopping wet from head to toe, the guards came and ripped Gabe from his father’s grasp. The hunters were pointing and yelling at Saul.
“Killer!”
“Madman!”
The guard cracked Saul in the back of the head. The blow dropped him to his knees. They shackled him and hauled him off into the black and sloppy streets.
Gabe gave chase. Iron arms locked around him. Someone had him. He wasn’t sure who. Malak looked him in the eye and sneered. “It’s over, Gabe. It’s all over.”
***
A day later, Gabe sat on the floor of a small, dingy room in a building adjacent to the pavilion. He’d been there since the day before. There was no door, but two guards were posted outside. With his head between his legs, he rocked back and forth. It’s over. Malak’s words did laps around his head. What did he mean when he said it’s over?
My dad didn’t do anything.
Malak had tripped Buggy, and it had gotten him killed. It was intentional. Gabe wasn’t the only one who’d seen it. Jubal had too. Saul couldn’t possibly be blamed for that.
Gabe’s tummy rumbled. He’d been sitting there all night, and it was well into the morning. Outside, the sounds of an approaching crowd began to grow. Gabe heard shouts of “Murder!”
He’d never missed his father so much in his life. His heart ached for one last embrace. He thought about the great day they’d had, and he didn’t want it to be the last. It couldn’t be.
Have faith, Gabe. Have faith.
The long minutes passed into an hour. Finally, Sage, tight-faced and grim, appeared in the doorway. Clad in a clean set of olive robes, he extended his hand. “It’s time.”
“Time for what?” Gabe said.
“The trial.”
He felt the blood run out of his body. On numb feet, escorted by the guards, he followed Sage into the pavilion. They stood in the front. On the stage were the Count, his father, the hunters, and three people in maroon robes. One of them was the light-haired woman who’d fed them in the agricultural arena. All of them were seated in chairs except for the Count. She stood as she always did, tall, stark, and deadly. She gave a hand signal, and the crowd quieted.
Gabe searched for his father and found him. He looked into his eyes. Saul’s hands were shackled in front of him. He had a welt on his cheek. He seemed so small and alone up on the stage. Gabe eased forward. Sage’s firm grip on his arm held him back.
“Be patient for an outcome in your favor,” Sage said to him.
The Count took over. Speaking in her loud voice, she said, “Tragedy has struck again in Newton!”
The people grumbled.
Her words cut them off. “But there will be justice. The law brings justice. The law brings truth. Let me fill you in. Last night there was a scuffle in the hunters’ lair that got out of hand. Now, our brother and friend, the dragon hunter Buggy, lies dead. Witnesses say that that he died at the hands of one of his own friends. A fellow hunter.” She pointed at Gabe’s dad. “Saul.”
A clamor of voices started to rise.
“Silence, citizens! Silence!” She held out her finger. “Silence. We will all hear from the witnesses soon enough. Justice must be served, so you will all hear the testimony. Saul makes the case that this is an accident. Malak and his men say it was anything but. A fight broke out. A life was lost.” She shook her head. “Blood was shed. We know what happens when blood is shed at the hands of man. Shed man’s blood, so shall his blood be shed. Without that law, we are nothing but madmen.”
“Aye! Aye!” many of the people replied.
The Count pointed to Malak and the hunters. “You are the witnesses. These brave men have lost many of their own. Now they’ve lost another. That’s five now! I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to have to stand up here and accuse one of their own.” Her voice was filled with compassion. “The hunters are close men. They are brothers. They are family. This will be hard for them.”
She motioned to the three judges standing on the stage. “Are you ready for the testimony?”
The woman from the agricultural arena said, “We are.”
“Malak,” she said, “come forward and tell us what happened.”
Head down in a respectful manner, the burly warrior took center stage and addressed the panel of judges. “It all started out friendly enough. We drank. We sang. It was nothing but innocent merriment. Everyone here knows that,” Malak said, motioning to the audience. “But it turned ugly. Before I knew what was going on, an argument broke out. It took me off guard. I was surprised. Words were said. Harsh ones. Fingers were being pointed.” He held up his hand. “And I cannot lie. I’d forgiven Saul and Gabe. At first, I’d laid much of the blame of my son on them, but I decided it was time to move on.
“But I was guilty of some harsh words too—ugly things that I’d rather not say again. Anyhow, something jostled me back to my good sense, and I tried my best to settle the hunters down. Saul wouldn’t have anything to do with it. He kept on arguing. With his face as red as a rooster’s head, he kept coming at me. I’d never seen him so mad before. His eyes had a wild look in them. He’d just snapped. Buggy threw himself into the thick of the moment. We all know how Buggy was, heh heh. A quirky guy but a peacemaker. Well, he grabbed hold of Saul and tried to pull him out of the fray. Saul came out swinging. He said if Buggy touched him again, he’d kill him.”
The audience gasped.
Malak clawed at the orange locks in his beard. “I’m telling you, Saul was wild-eyed. Savage. I thought they were about to break it off and things might cool. All of a sudden, Saul pounced at Buggy. The poor lad tried to defend himself, but he was surprised and overpowered. I grabbed after them just as they started going down,” he said, hugging the air. “But Buggy hit the broken stones with a sickening thud. He was dead. Instantly. Saul was still punching like a wild man until the brothers finally pulled him off.”
The audience moaned and sighed. Their faces were filled with dismay.
Saul, knees bent, shrank inside his boots. His mouth hung open, and his eyes filled with despair.
Gabe opened his mouth and started to cry out. Sage clamped a hand over his mouth. “Silence, Gabe. You’ll have your chance.”
The people’s murmuring became louder.
“Order!” The Count raised her hands. “Order! Let the witness finish. Malak, anything else?”
Malak wrung his hands. “There was blood. Lots of blood.” He sobbed. “That’s all I have to say.”
“Please, take your place by your men,” she said, giving him a touch on the shoulder. “Now, hunters, one and all, you’ve been interviewed about this. And as I understand it, you concur with his story. Is that true?”
Each and every one of the men gave a nod. Their chins weren’t feeble or hesitant, either. All of their eyes, each and every one, bore into Saul as if he was some kind of traitor.
Saul gave them all a pleading look. “Come on, brothers! You know this isn’t true. Right this thing! It just takes—”
A guard whacked Saul on the back with a club. Saul sank to his knees.
“You will have your turn, Saul.” The Count strolled across the stage. “Are there any other witnesses? Anyone else who can give an accurate testimony?”
Sage raised his hand and brought Gabe forward. “Saul’s son, Gabe, was at the event. I believe he would like to speak.”
She nodded. “Are there any objections?”
“I have to object, Count.” Malak said. “The boy will say anything to save his father, and I can understand that. But the boy was also asleep when all of this happened. I can, we all can, attest to that.”
“You lie!” Gabe screamed. “I wasn’t asleep! You tripped Buggy! I saw it! You tripped Buggy, and that’s what killed him!”
Heads turned in the audience, and the murmurings resumed.
The Count lifted her br
ow. “Silence.” She faced Malak. “What say you to that charge?”
“Again, Gabe is upset. He defends his father recklessly with perilous words. Not to mention that the child is proven to be untrustworthy.” Malak cleared his throat. “And children’s imaginings can run wild as a goose in a henhouse. I give my word that the boy was fast asleep when it happened.”
“Do all of you concur?” she asked of the hunters. Each and every one of them nodded. “Anything else to add to your testimony?”
Malak looked down the ranks of his men. “No.”
“His son! His son Jubal saw him do it!” Gabe shouted out as Sage held him by the arms. “Ask him!”
Lifting her hand before the crowd could lift their voices, she said, “We have interviewed Malak’s son, Jubal, and he agrees with the entire story, in detail.”
Gabe felt as if he’d swallowed his heart. He couldn’t breathe.
“Saul,” she said. “You’ve already given a statement that contradicts the eight other men across from you. But before the people, feel free to have your say again.”
Shoulders back like a stalwart soldier, Saul said, “I did not do what they say I did. I did not start a fight. I did not kill Buggy. He was my friend, more so than any of them. This was an accident.” His eyes shot daggers at Malak. “Shame on you.”
With a little curl of her lips, the Count said, “Is that all?”
Saul nodded.
The Count continued. “We have three judges from among our ranks. They will cast the deciding votes as to whether or not Buggy’s death was murder or an accident. It takes a full majority. This is no light matter. If all three agree, it will warrant the death of the accused. If they don’t all agree, the accused, Saul, goes free. Unconvicted. It will be deemed an accident. Saul will be fully absolved by all citizens of Newton of this crime. All citizens!”
“If he is found guilty, the penalty will be death.” She patted her weapon. “Immediately.”
Gabe broke out in a cold sweat. His chest tightened. He fought to breathe. This can’t be happening! He searched the faces of the judges. There was a stone-cold look in all of their eyes.
Squawk - Beginnings: The Dragon Games Revolution Page 12