CHOICES
1637 Words
-All right Genynna, why don't we go through this just one more time, would you mind? – Jakul spoke with a deliberate calm voice, a smirk frozen on his face as he leaned forward towards the young tearful woman sitting before him – So... You say you escaped Hathengatt then?
-I did! – She cried out, exasperated, looking at him resentfully with her puffy red eyes – I already told you! I had to! Or the Queen would have chopped my head off!
-Because you'd just messed up her favorite gown, and she was pissed – The pale interrogator recited in a bored tone, audibly sighing – And you only escaped a gruesome death sentence because one of the guards took pity on you and let you go in the middle of the night.
-Yes! – She yelled, wincing with guilt – And he surely died because of that, poor Lothar… He knew he was trading his life for mine the moment he opened that lock.
-Fair enough… I'm going to pretend for a second that I do believe your outrageous story – The Argantean man said, scratching his jaw curiously – Let's say nobody sent you, and that you are nothing but a simple refugee then... Of all the cities around, why would you come to Lowland's gate precisely?
-Are you kidding me? – She scoffed, eyeing him with a sudden audacity – Anyone with a pair of ears within at least a dozen realms has heard the story of the white Yahurian that turned this fallen town into an impenetrable fortress. If you are someone in desperate need of safety, like me, this is the place to be.
-Then why the hell would you betray us? – The man suddenly shouted, slamming his fist on the table and staring at her with choleric eyes – Don't you see how you've jeopardized that very same safety you claim you came looking for!
-Because he found me! Sefran… That damn tracker! – She sobbed, hiding her face ashamedly behind her hands – Just when I'd thought everything would be fine, I had to bump into him right in the middle of the town square! By the time my brain reacted, he had already spotted me... And I could see it in his eyes. He was as frightened as I was.
-So, that's when he threatened to kill you – Jakul muttered, staring piercingly at her – And he forced you to convince your man to steal those guns.
-No… Not immediately. He barely acknowledged my existence that day – She whimpered painfully, raising her head slightly and nodding at him – In fact, he even let me think for a blissful moment that maybe he would just let it pass.
She sniffled, straightening her back a little and wiping her face with the back of her hand.
-But he´s good. He knows exactly what kind of weaknesses to dig out, and where to look for them... I'd already heard about his deductive talents back in court, so I should have known better… I should just have run out of here and never looked back.
-Oh, but you didn't, did you? – The white man pressed on, ruthlessly poking her evident wound – You stupidly thought you could gamble your life away on something you couldn't even begin to comprehend and still win… You made your choice, and that is why your man is dead!
-Stop! – She screeched, openly wailing – You don't understand! We were happy… We'd just found out I was pregnant with this child… I thought I could fix it! I trusted him! He said we could!
-Who? Sefran? – Jakul inquired scornfully –That imaginary handler of yours? I don't see him anywhere around… Where is he? Why don't you give him up, so we can capture him?
-Because he's long gone! – The woman replied, her voice dripping with annoyance – When he came to our door that night, he already knew everything: Kai's job, our relationship, my pregnancy. I told you I could sense his fear, and I wasn't wrong… He was as terrified as I was.
She paused, rubbing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts before resuming her tale.
-He had been forced to come to Lowland's gate along with other scouters to try and find a way to get the Queen some of those mythical weapons she'd heard about... Or she had sworn to have their heads instead. So, finding me had been a heavenly lucky strike for this purpose, he said it himself.
-How did the Queen find out about the weapons? – The intimidating soldier that had remained silent until then suddenly demanded to know.
Genynna found herself inevitably trembling as she heard the massive man speak for the first time since they brought her in there, every hair on her neck rising at the sound of his potent voice.
-I… I'm not really sure how the rumor came to our doors or who brought it back then, but I remember it was already common knowledge in Hathengatt even before King Yerbun died – She explained – Yet no one knew exactly what they were or what they did, other than what the rumors stated.
-That being? – The warrior softly said, tilting his head encouragingly at her.
- That they were some deadly craft surely devised by some dreadful necromancer, and that only Lowland's gate unfairly possessed their power, which bothered Elande greatly at the time. So, once her father was out of the equation, she lost no time sending her trackers after them.
-You said you came here looking for safety – The large, tanned man reasoned – So, why didn't you come to us instead? This was just a coward making empty threats! We would have protected you if you'd just reached out… It didn't have to end this way.
-We thought about it… We almost did it – She confessed –When we found out that Sefran and the others had left town after being here for just a couple of days, we began feeling less scared. We figured out that they must have been forced to leave, or they would have raised suspicions among your men. Kai suggested that we should report this, and I had agreed to it… But then he was attacked on his way to the warehouse, and that's when we panicked.
Genynna sadly proclaimed, her demeanor changing as she boldly held his gaze and squared her shoulders up before the soldier.
- Because they might not be able to get inside your walls and go unnoticed, but there are still plenty of other places outside where you don't have eyes… Sir.
-So, you somehow thought that giving them access to an incredibly powerful and deservedly forbidden arsenal was a better idea than asking for our help? – He retorted, sneering at her with contempt before standing up and turning his back to her – Very well then. You made your choices, woman. Now live with them!
-What does that mean? – She cried out, her voice noticeably shaking again, all trace of bravery suddenly gone – What are you going to do with me?
-Oh, don´t worry. We're no monsters, Genynna! – He responded with a loud chuckle. Halting by the door and reaching for the knob – Despite what you did, we're still going to take good care of you and your baby. But I just hope you enjoy being behind bars… Because you're spending a long time in lockup.
-You know we can't trust her testimony, right? –Greghan had announced gravely as soon as they'd left the room – We can't torture the truth out of her… Ussi would kill me himself if I were to touch a single hair of her head, and that Wetlander husband of hers just used his poisoning skills to ensure that we wouldn't find out what really happened. We might never know who else he was protecting... So, I'd say we're screwed!
Jakul, Jogru and Teranha stood expectantly before the stern Captain, who had been pacing restlessly around the hallway for a while, silently considering his next actions.
-We need to cut this off, and we need to do it cleanly – He finally spoke, sighing with affliction – That means we must get rid of every suspect, no matter how small. If they were remotely close to this incident, I want them out. No questions asked.
-But that's too drastic! – The former Argantean Captain complained – That would mean we'd lose at least half of our current staff!
-I am aware – The Captain nodded at him knowingly – I still need it done… I want an entirely fresh crew trained and ready to take over by the end of the week. So, I suggest you get to work, foreman.
-What about my people? We have no proof that they were even involved at all! – The foreman worriedly insisted – According to that woman, their plan was always to extract the weapons right after delivery. So, I don't see why my men should be punished for this! Those Arganteans have proved their loyalty countless times before, and you know it, don't you ever forget that!
-I'm not, and it's nothing personal… Trust me! – Greghan replied, his eyes softening – But I must now make some choices as well, and none of them are easy. I am not punishing them, Jakul, rest assured. They can all continue proving their value in whatever position we are reassigning them to. It just can't be here anymore.
-Well, Captain – Jakul breathed out, eyeing him with deep concern – I certainly hope that they will see it your way.
- Writer
