ESKER VII

  Confinement in a holding cell while awaiting judgement was a trial in of itself. While it was comforting to see her friends, being whisked away to the Land of Dreams did little to improve the experience. Neither was the lack of consistent sleep, or the paltry meals offered to her. Esker was awakened three times every work span to be re-questioned. She did not see Gabbro during these interrogations and hoped that he was being treated better than she was.

  Esker refused to acknowledge the pain as she was beaten with clubs of mushroom stipe. She was hanging upside down by her feet and blindfolded. The group of guards took turns battering her back and forth. She relished being hit as she swung away from an unseen assailant, the momentum took away some of the sting of the blow. Once she heard the guards panting with effort, she knew that the end of this session was near.

  The interrogations followed a predictable pattern, she was asked to repeat her testimony before she being untied and returned to her cell. Esker shaped her words like a stone, imagining them indelible to the passing of eons.

  The drownings were far more difficult to withstand. With her head forced underwater, panic would flood her mind. Her body’s reaction to such traumatic stimuli was erratic. Esker was ashamed how she would flail her limbs and how she would beg between sputtering breaths. She tried to keep her story straight, to tell it the same every single time.

  Perhaps the truth was not what her cruel captures sought, Esker half suspected that her spirit is what they sought to claim. She would not let them win, she held fast to that final prize.

  ————

  The second day of adjudication was much like the first, except that Spar and Stibnite would be the ones to deliver testimony. Esker and Gabbro were forced to stand off to the side, still under the harsh spotlight, while they awaited the conclusion of this inquisition.

  “Report,” Magnate Citrine ordered.

  An arbiter emerged from shadows cloaking the judging panel’s side of the chamber. “Magnate,” the arbiter bowed low, “as documented in the accused’s conscription documents, Gabbro is a simpleton, only responsive to orders and unable to think independently. Our thorough investigation has confirmed that to be the case.”

  Esker glanced to her right, where Gabbro stood. He was missing several fingernails and showed visible signs of beatings. She marveled at his resolve.

  “And the other?” Magnate Citrine asked.

  “Her testimony has not varied, despite close scrutiny.”

  Esker wrinkled her nose in distaste at the sterilized language these officials used. She had been tortured. Gabbro’s hand twitched ever so slightly. She made an effort to mask her emotions and present a dispassionate face.

  “I accept your findings.” Magnate Citrine turned towards the dark portion of the chamber. “Have the amanuenses make copies of your reports,” she instructed. “Bring out the others.” A throne had been installed atop the judicial dais after the proceedings of the first day, the magnate sat stiffly upon it.

  In the past, Esker would have accepted this process as an expected part of serving the needs of the many; now she was not sure whether such treatment was ever justifiable.

  A soldier bowed to Magnate Citrine, before approaching a door on the side of the expansive room. He opened it and ushered in Spar and Stibnite. They were not shackled. The soldier returned to his post as the other half of Esker’s squad walked to the center of the chamber and knelt on testimonial mats. Esker had not been granted that courtesy in the previous day’s proceedings, her knees ached from kneeling on hard stone.

  Two arbiters flanked the magnate’s dais. Each was tasked to remember the testimony of a witness verbatim, so that it could be compared to an amanuensis’ notes. The arbiter’s recollection superseded all other records.

  “Your names,” Magnate Citrine demanded.

  Both Spar and Stibnite bowed low. The magnate gestured to Stibnite first.

  “Honorable magnate, I am Stibnite. I worked as a forge worker before I had the privilege to serve in your fire balm auxiliary squad. I was tasked with preparing the explosives to the magnate’s specifications.” At the conclusion of her statement, Stibnite bowed and kept her nose pressed to the ground.

  “Now you.” Magnate Citrine waved a regal hand at Spar.

  “Honorable magnate, I am Spar. I worked as a cricket farmer prior to my conscription. I was responsible for weaving the fuses for the fire balm armaments.” He also bowed his nose to the ground.

  Esker’s throat was dry, she struggled to swallow comfortably. The uncertainty of this trial’s outcome frayed her nerves.

  “Were your fuses properly synchronized?” Magnate Citrine asked Spar.

  “Yes, magnate.”

  “Did you see the fire balm activate?”

  “No, magnate.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Stibnite and I evacuated the cavern prior to detonation, magnate. We would not have survived had we remained within the blast area.”

  “How can you be certain all of the charges were effective?”

  “I heard both explosions clearly, magnate.”

  “From outside of the site, you were able to discern simultaneous explosions?” Magnate Citrine asked skeptically?

  “I was able to hear both a distant and a near detonation, magnate. In addition, I could feel each aftershock.”

  “Have any of your fuses ever failed?” she addressed Spar.

  “No, magnate.”

  “Could anyone have survived the explosion within the cavern?”

  “Based on the positioning of the charges, that would be impossible, magnate.” Spar paused for a beat. “However, the effects of fire balm are not my specialty, I may not be qualified t-.”

  Magnate Citrine cut him off, “Your testimony has concluded until I consent for it to resume.” She directed her gaze to Stibnite. “Were the fire balm devices you prepared defective?”

  “No, magnate,” Stibnite answered with a dangerous level of brusqueness.

  “And what inspires such certainty?”

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  “I assembled them personally, to the exact specifications that were assigned. I also supervised the placement of the devices above the tunnel Spar and I retreated through.” There was a long uncomfortable pause. “Magnate,” Stibnite added.

  Esker was surprised by how brazen her squad member was, there was little tolerance for subordination in Tengu society. That was especially true during official inquiries. She began to suspect that there were many facets to Stibnite.

  Magnate Citrine glowered at the surly demolitionist. “Did both sets of charges detonate?”

  “Yes, magnate.”

  “How can you sure?”

  “As I answered a prior query, I assembled the devices and I have found squad member Spar’s fuses to be reliable. In addition, I heard both explosions as we fled the cavern.”

  “Was it possible for anyone within the cavern to survive such a blast?”

  “No, magnate.”

  “Did either of you see the accused leave the cavern?”

  “No, magnate,” they both answered in unison.

  “What happened to the tunnel leading out of the cavern after the devices allegedly detonated?”

  Spar and Stibnite looked at each other, uncertain who should answer. Magnate Citrine sighed and gestured at Spar.

  “It collapsed, magnate.”

  She gestured to Stibnite.

  “I corroborate squad member Spar’s statement.”

  “Can either of you explain how your squad members could have survived, assuming that they were within that cavern?”

  Spar opened his mouth to answer, but did not offer any theories. Stibnite remained sullenly silent.

  “You two are dismissed. Guard, escort them to their squad’s quarters. Arbiters, report to your amanuenses.” The floor of the inquiry whirred into motion. Magnate Citrine rubbed her temples with delicate fingers, appearing frustrated by the proceedings.

  Esker could not muster a guess as to why the magnate was irritated, it was not as if her life hung in the balance of this judgement. The mere fact that she and Gabbro could be accused of sabotage for the indecency of surviving an explosion was outrageous. Recognizing how expendable the entire squad was considered was no surprise, but it did undermine Esker’s view of her people further. She had returned in an effort to warn her people of the dangers of the surface dwellers. In lieu of being heeded, she was: branded, imprisoned, sent on a suicide mission, and now faced an inquisition; despite reporting valuable intelligence about their common enemy. For the first time in her life, Esker felt like her underground home was upside down.

  The first arbiter returned to the testimonial position and awaited Magnate Citrine’s direction. The court attendant held a scroll in her hands. “Begin,” the magnate ordered.

  “The inquiry agents have reported their findings of the cavern, magnate,” the arbiter stated.

  Gabbro’s fingers twitched ever so slightly. Were Esker not looking for the tell, she would not have noticed.

  “They were able to locate the small tunnel that the accused reported escaping through. It was excavated further to allow access for the team’s investigation.”

  Esker fought the urge to glance at Gabbro. She waited as still as stone.

  “Their investigation corroborates the statements provided by the squad members who were capable of testimony: both sets of charges detonated, causing catastrophic damage to the cavern.”

  Magnate Citrine seemed pleased by that last statement.

  The arbiter continued, “A body of the enemy was found matching squad member Esker’s description. A cursory investigation found that the creature had survived the blast and was killed by the weapon retrieved from the site by squad members Esker and Gabbro.”

  Esker was beginning to feel the sparks of hope. They were quickly extinguished.

  “And the alcove in which squad member Esker claimed she found refuge from the blast?” Magnate Citrine asked.

  Esker had to fight to prevent her body from trembling.

  “Apologies to this honorable inquisition,” the Arbiter answered. “The integrity of the excavated tunnel was compromised by its expansion. As investigative agents began to scale the cavern to the upper level, the tunnel showed signs of imminent collapse.”

  Esker’s mind flashed to how diligently she and Gabbro had carved their way through the rubble created by the explosion. Anyone unskilled as a miner would have lacked the knowledge to maintain stability.

  The arbiter cleared her throat. “The majority of the inquiry team was able to escape; the agents attempting to explore the upper region of the cavern were lost.”

  “Have the inquiry team regain access to the cavern immediately,” Magnate Citrine snapped.

  “I humbly apologize magnate,” the arbiter answered, bowing low. “That will not be possible for at least a full work span. The damage to the surrounding cave system was extensive and enemy activity threatens nearby mines.”

  “Testimony accepted,” the magnate announced. “The accused shall come forth for final judgement.”

  The arbiter grabbed both testimonial mats from the floor and retreated into the dark half of the chamber. Esker and Gabbro approached the magnate’s dais, awaiting either execution or salvation.

  “Given the amount of unanswered questions, I am reluctant to declare this inquiry closed and would be justified in keeping you both detained until the cavern is accessible.” The magnate flexed the extent of her political power. “However, given your cooperation with these proceedings, the corroboration of your testimony, and the successful application of my fire balm munitions in a military excursion, I will close this judgement panel and declare you both as uncharged.”

  To Esker it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. The shackles, awkwardly hanging from her single arm, felt much lighter.

  “Return to your squad quarters to await orders for your next deployment.” Magnate Citrine stood. “This inquisition is closed.” Her robes swished as she turned and exited the chamber.

  As a guard came to remove her shackles, Esker stifled a surface dweller smile and looked at Gabbro with twinkling eyes. Her squad mate’s face was impassive as he stared blankly into space. His pinky twitched ever so slightly.

  ———

  “There is no way either of you could have survived those explosions!” Stibnite accused as Esker led Gabbro into their squad quarters.

  Spar shouldered past her, sniffing dismissively at her behavior. He scratched at the strange scar circumscribing his nose. “I am glad you are both safe. Do not mind Stibnite, her chimney is blocked by the accusation that her armaments were defective.”

  Esker was warmed by Spar’s greeting.

  “Apologies that I did not testify more strongly in your defense…” he said, trailing off.

  “You told the truth of what you saw, that is all I would ever ask of a squad member,” Esker replied and gave him a friendly bow.

  It was near third shift, which marked the designated sleeping period of her squad’s rotation. Spar and Stibnite’s bedding were already prepared. Esker noticed that Stibnite had augmented her bedding with Esker’s sleeping mat and blanket. She went to retrieve her property.

  “How did you do it? How are you alive?” Stibnite demanded. She did not protest how careless Esker was with the rest of her squad member’s bedding articles as she separated her own.

  Esker took her time laying out her bedding, when she was finished, she rose and saw that Stibnite was still awaiting an answer. “Magic,” she replied. She channeled a bit of Eógan’s theatrics and brandished her fingers. Her Pechtish friend’s aggressive individualism was becoming more and more appealing.

  Stibnite turned away in disgust. Spar snorted in amusement as he lay down and closed his eyes.

  “Prepare your bedding,” Esker softly instructed Gabbro. When the others were not looking, she could see a smile in his eyes.

  ———

  The next work cycles passed uneventfully, despite the nervous tension that infused Esker. The novelty of sleeping on proper bedding and eating adequate rations quickly became routine. The squad performed their duties, ran drills, but most of all they waited. Waited for the details of their next mission.

  Specifics of the war between the Tengu and the Jotman were kept from Esker, however, she was able to glean the occasional rumor. Even more surprising was the revelation that the most sullen of her squad members, Stibnite, was a gossip.

  “The enemy have breached the middle mines,” Stibnite announced as the squad finished their meal in the mess hall. “Our soldiers have not adapted to their evolving tactics. They should assign us to the frontline, fire balm will win this war!” She pounded her fist on the table for emphasis, drawing glances and muttering complaints from nearby soldiers.

  “Command does not heed our intelligence,” Spar replied. “As soon as we…” He gave Esker a knowing look. “As soon as Stibnite and I evacuated the site of the battle, we made a full report.”

  “I heard another division was lost,” Stibnite groused.

  Esker had not been aware that the situation was this dire. It seemed impossible to believe that Tengu could be defeated by surface dwellers in their own tunnels. Perhaps the magic wielded by the Jotman and the strength of their champions were more of a threat than she had considered.

  “None of this is our concern,” Spar objected. “When we are given orders, we must follow them.”

  Esker was tired of being a silent witness to this exchange. “We have an obligation to our people, we have an obligation to our military, and we have one to this squad.”

  The others looked at her with more interest than she had anticipated.

  “We only have each other to rely upon,” Esker continued. “If we want our squad to be effective, we must forge the necessary bonds.”

  Stibnite stared at her in stunned silence.

  “What are you proposing?” Spar asked.

  “That we become one,” Esker replied. “We combine our strengths and our voices, so that we are impossible to ignore.” Perhaps her time upon the surface world had changed her more than she had imagined. What would have never occurred to her prior to that experience was now painfully obvious.

  “When do we start?” Stibnite asked.

  “We already have,” Esker answered with a smile in her eyes.