Chapter 23:

  The Duke of Salt Brine

  The doors leading into the manor were so large they bordered on the ridiculous. Even as we climbed the many stairs up to the front of the building, I couldn’t help but lean my head back in an attempt to fully take in the reliefs that had been carved into them.

  The art was obviously made by someone possessing incredible talent; as they depicted an epic struggle between a man casting powerful spells and a massive sea monster collapsing into finely carved waves. It was a striking display of wealth, and left no questions as to who ruled the city.

  Rolin and I were ushered through the manor at a feverish pace as we proceeded through another set of large doors that lead into the court room. What I had thought was a grand display of wealth before was nothing compared to what I was seeing now.

  The Courtroom’s floor was made up of dark polished marble that reflected the afternoon sun like a still black lake. The only breaks in its inky surface were the veins of pale stone that gleamed faintly within it’s depths. The ceiling above soared into expansive vaults that were painted with sprawling murals of the deep ocean. Leviathans coiled across arches, reefs bloomed in impossible colors, and currents swirled through the artistry in a way that lent the chamber an illusion of motion.

  It was such an immersive display, that the entire hall seemed submerged underneath deep blue water that touched every surface within the court.

  At the end of the central aisle rose a small marble platform upon which the accused would be forced to kneel and give testimony. Beyond the platform stood twenty bone white chairs, ten to each side of the Duke’s throne, where the elders of Salt Brine sat in a solemn array.

  The Duke himself sat upon his throne; it was a massive bleached skull of a creature so vast that, even in death, its sheer scale inspired fear. Hollow eye sockets yawned like fathomless voids above its open maw, where teeth the length of a man’s arm stood proudly out from it’s jaws. It was not so much a throne as it was a proclamation, a reminder of the depths he had conquered, and the power that he still wielded.

  It seemed impossible that such a creature could ever be slain by man, yet there he was, cloaked in the heavy mantle of authority: The Duke of Salt Brine.

  “Captain Torren, you have shown these two a great kindness by escorting them here yourself.”

  The Captain bowed to the Duke before stepping out onto the platform in front of Rolin and myself. “Your Grace, there was an altercation this morning while I was on duty at the Fisher’s Gate. I felt that it was my responsibility to see this matter resolved due to my failure in leadership. My inadequacies allowed the situation to escalate further than it should have.”

  “I have been informed of the incident, Captain Torren. Though things could have been handled more efficiently, it is a hard thing to predict the impulses of the youth, especially those still coming to terms with their power. As for your leadership, treat this failure as a learning opportunity, and continue to walk proudly along your path.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace,” Captain Torren said, as he bowed deeply before stepping off the platform.

  “I will now address each young man in turn, and the attending jury shall deliberate before reaching a decision. Should you wish to appeal, the matter will pass to me, at which point I will make my judgment known. Are these terms acceptable?”

  Rolin and I both nodded in agreement.

  “I will start with the young guard, Rolin Fellwater. Approach and bear witness.”

  Rolin stepped onto the platform where he then knelt in submission.

  “It has been reported to me that you have stabbed an unarmed civilian who was already under the custody of Guard Captain Torren. Is this account accurate?”

  “Yes, Your Grace,” Rolin admitted somberly. “But, he struck me in front of a young woman that I had been courting for the past year. My honor demanded that…”

  Rolin’s words were cut short as a pressure unlike anything I had ever felt descended upon the room. My lungs seized inside my chest, and I felt as if I were drowning on dry land.

  It was clear that Rolin was the main target of this pressure as his body seized and collapsed upon the platform where he had been kneeling moments before. As the pressure relented I took in lungfuls of air as I did my best to compose myself.

  Rolin slowly pushed himself back up to his knees, and prostrated himself before the Duke.

  “Forgive me, Your Grace,” he said between desperate gasps for air. “I take responsibility for my actions, and plead your forgiveness.”

  The Duke raised a hand, prompting two guards to come and assist Rolin off of the platform. As he descended, he looked at me with a haggard expression as he was propped up by the guards at his side. The venom he had carried towards me earlier had been drawn out by the sheer force of power that had been displayed by the Duke.

  “Young man, you may now approach. I’m afraid the report does not contain your name, would you please share it now with the court?”

  I mustered all my will to keep from shaking as I stepped up and knelt on the platform.

  “Your Grace,” I said mustering my courage. “My name is Samuel Jacob Garner. I come from a small town in the Belt known as Wheat Hollow.”

  Upon hearing my words, murmurs immediately erupted around the the courtroom. Several men pointed and a few guards stared at me with shocked expressions.

  “Tell me, what brings you to my city, Samuel Garner?”

  Despite the Duke’s words being almost a whisper, the sheer force they carried caused shook the air, causing a hush to fall over the room.

  “I came to Salt Brine in order to inherit land left to me by my uncle, Sir Lucian Garner. In my pack that was confiscated by the Guard Captain, I have the contract which I signed on my Choosing Day. I was on my way to see you, Your Grace, when the incident took place at the gate.”

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  Once again the room erupted into raised whispers much louder than they had been previously.

  “Captain Torren, please bring me the documentation that Mr. Garner claims is in his possession.”

  The Guard Captain approached the Duke carrying my pack, and withdrew the paperwork that I had carefully stored inside. After several long moments, the Duke handed the papers Back to Captain Torrey who then placed them back in my pack.

  “After reviewing your documentation, I have verified that you are indeed the rightful inheritor of the land that formerly belonged to Sir Lucian Garner. You are free to settle there and make use of it as you see fit. For now, however, there are other matters that require our attention.”

  Shock rippled through the chamber upon hearing the Duke’s confirmation. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room weigh me critically, as I now stood as an inheritor of a man they all very much respected. Rolin, for his part, looked utterly stricken, as though the ground had been pulled from beneath him.

  “Mr. Garner, please enlighten the court as to what compelled you to strike a guard who was in the midst of performing his duties?”

  “Your Grace, as I travelled to this city, I became quite close with the Claybrook family. They have been kind enough to take me in while I have made preparations to claim my inheritance. Ariel Claybrook offered to show me around the city this morning while we made our way to your residence. However, when we arrived at the gate, Sergeant Fellwater began to speak harshly with her, as they have a past history with one another. It was at this time that he said something uncouth concerning her honor as a woman, and in response to that, I reacted… poorly… though not regrettably, by punching him in the face.”

  The Duke nodded in understanding.

  “Mr. Garner, I see the evidence of your injuries based on the state of your blood stained attire, but why is it there is no wound to be found on your body?”

  “Your Grace, on my Choosing Day I was given three choices, one of which was a path within the Divine Domain. One of my abilities allows me to heal wounds, provided I have the resources to do so.”

  There were more murmurings in the courtroom, and even the Duke seemed to be caught of guard by my response.

  “It’s highly unusual for a Divine path to manifest in such a humble settlement. According to the Crown’s reports, we hear of three new Divine Domains in a cycle, and many of those have been carefully prepared by the priesthood since birth. Tell me, what is the name of the path you have chosen?”

  “Harvester,..Your Grace.”

  The room once again erupted in murmuring. Even the Duke turned and spoke with one of the elders nearby as they discussed something with feverish intent. After a moment of excitement, his presence once again settled over the room, and brought it to a hush.

  “Now, Mr. Garner, despite the unfavorable circumstances in which you found yourself, you have in fact broken one of the laws of this great city,” the Duke continued, his voice was firm but not unkind. “As such, the elders have deemed it appropriate for you to be fined fifty gold pieces.”

  Fifty gold pieces… that was more money than I could even fathom. I had three gold pieces that my mother had left me, but that was nowhere near enough to settle this debt. It could take years to repay such a price, maybe a lifetime, if I was still a farmer.

  “However, as you are the nephew and sole inheritor of a man who has done more for this city than any other, I am willing to offer you a warning as opposed to following through with the legal consequences of your actions.” He paused and bore his aura presence down upon me before finishing his statement, “I do warn Mr. Garner, do not take this as a free pass to do as you will, for this is a courtesy that will not be extended to you a second time.”

  I exhaled a sigh of relief at the Duke’s words. The men and women in the jury also showed signs of gratitude towards the Duke, but I didn’t understand why. They were the ones who made the decision, so why would they care what happens to me?

  “Thank you, Your Grace, I will do my best to be more careful in the future.”

  The Duke nodded in approval, and waved for Rolin to approach the platform once again.

  “Sergeant Fellwater, the Elders have also come to a decision regarding your position as a guard of the city. Due to your poor judgement, rash behavior, and shameful display of leadership, you will be stripped of rank and forced to reinstate in the academy. Let your willingness to humble yourself be a stepping stone back onto your path.”

  At the sound of the proclamation, all color drained from Rolin’s face. He threw himself down beside me on the platform, pleading desperately for an appeal.

  “Your Grace, I beg you… please reconsider. My father returned to the Path last cycle, and my mother is sick and advanced in years. The coin I earn from my post is the only way I manage to care for her needs in my fathers absence. Without it, I do not think she will make it through the winter. What I did was foolish and unbecoming… please… show mercy.”

  Up until now, I had seen nothing in Rolin worth redeeming. He was arrogant, spiteful, and quick tempered—hardly the qualities one would want in a guard. Yet as he begged for mercy, I began to wonder if those flaws were merely symptoms of a man overcompensating for hardships he had borne alone in silence.

  My brief exchange with Emelia earlier that day had left me more willing to consider the perspectives of others, rather than assuming my conclusions were always correct. I didn’t know if helping Rolin was the right thing to do, but consequences be damned, I knew I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

  “Sergeant Fellwater, unfortunately for you, I too will rule that…”

  As the Duke spoke, I tried to come up with a plan, but instead I did the most foolish thing I could possibly do. I spoke over him and interrupted his decree.

  “Your Grace, I revoke my testimony against Sergeant Fellwater. There is no evidence of a wound on my body, therefore he is not… ”

  I never finished my statement.

  The Duke’s presence covered the room like a crashing tide. That same suffocating weight from earlier bore down on my chest, and the drowning sensation returned once again. My lungs labored, my thoughts scrambled, and I felt my mind clawing to remain conscious. The Duke’s displeasure was palpable, and he was making it unmistakably clear that I had overstepped his good graces.

  In my desperate attempt to stay conscious, I drew upon my final remaining fragments of spiritual potential, and simply willed it to resist the presence that was bearing down upon me. It was a pitiful resistance, but still, I resisted with all I had left.

  Skill Unlocked: Amplify Aura (Rank 1 : Level 1)- Amplifies the target’s Spirit attribute, increasing resistance to external auras while enhancing the potency of your own. The strength of your aura scales with your level and Spirit attribute.

  Note: You currently lack the ability to project and actively manipulate your aura.

  It was only for the briefest of moments, but I felt my own spirit refuse to bend underneath the weight of the Duke’s displeasure. The Duke’s eyes widened with amusement before he utterly crushed me beneath the weight of his power. Then as quickly as it had come, the aura was pulled away once again.

  In the silence that followed, the Duke’s voice cut through the anticipation of the room.

  “Due to the remission of Mr. Garner’s testimony against Sergeant Fellwater, the charges against our young guardsman shall be dismissed. With that, this court is adjourned. Mr. Garner, you will accompany me to my private quarters, where we will discuss the matter of your Uncle’s inheritance.”

  As the Duke finished speaking, the courtroom erupted into shouts, exclamations, and heated discussions over the decisions that had just been made.

  Rolin staggered to his feet as his shackles were removed, the glare he’d given me earlier replaced by a look of absolute disbelief.

  Captain Torren unshackled my wrists, and I was finally free from the manacles that had bound me for the better part of the afternoon. The cold metal had left faint red marks on my skin, which I rubbed absently as I flexed my arms.

  “Mr. Garner,” Captain Torren said, his voice carrying genuine regret, “Once again, I apologize for the events that took place today. It is my sincere hope that your time in the city proves to be less… eventful.”