Paladins' Parabellum

Chapter Twenty Three: Moving Onward

THREE DAYS LATER

High-ranking Paladins and officials within the city create an impromptu trial for Garret's crimes early in the evening. They have him chained down to the ground in a town square. The whole street is filled with many people, and the entrance to the building I'm in is blocked. Spectators near Garret lash out their frustrations by throwing anything small that'll have a significant impact to give him pain.

Emdal, followed by what I'm assuming is the consul members Haleema mentioned, exits the peach-colored stone building behind Garret. Emdal is still wearing his armor. The members have long colorful cloaks over their tunics that reach to their feet. I see orange, sage, black, cobalt, and reflective red outfits. One person has their hood up. Three of them are male, one elf, and one female. If I have to guess the hooded one, I bet it's a woman. That person is shorter and thinner than the rest.

"Hey," Ulrika says to me in a soft voice.

"What?" I say, keeping my attention fixated on what's going on in the town square.

"Hey, look at me."

"What is it?"

"Kaio," she says in a raised soft yell, turning my head to her with her hand. "You've been glued to that window for an hour." Her fingers ease off my chin but keep their hold.

"I want to see what they're going to do to him. Plus, I was enjoying the masses throwing rocks at his face." She stands in between me with her arms crossed and lips pushed forward as she glares at me. I doubt she'll move out of my way until I leave the window, so I sit diagonally under it from the left. "Ugh, fine. But can you at least tell me what's going on?"

"Sure thing." I rest my cheek on her leg and glance down to one of the open rooms. Vaeril and Haleema are seated at a table, modifying the bounty list based on which territories were lost because of Nite. In the closed room to the left, Lyra speaks to projections of her other Paladins in areas on the continent. Her room pulsates with a pink light whenever someone speaks.

"Hmm," Ulrika says. I look up at her to see what's going on. Her nose is centimeters from the glass window. Someone's voice below is loud enough that I can hear it, but it's muffled.

"Open the window. I wanna hear what's going on."

"Okay." She flicks up the hook that's keeping the window doors locked, then swings both of them wide open.

"Gaze upon this fallen Paragon of Nite's whores!" Emdal says. The crowd shouts in boos and swears words I haven't heard nor used in a sentence. "This so-called knight, Garret, and his army failed to take over this city."

"A worthy sacrifice!" Garret boast. Something loud, like a hard slap to the skin, makes Ulrika gasp then laugh hysterically from a slow crescendo chuckle.

"What was that?" I ask, looking up at her.

"Garret got the soul slapped out of him. That was amazing!" Ulrika says. My restraint not to look breaks, so I stand with her to resume watching the trial. Garret is on his left side, and the person wearing the black cloak is over his head.

"Today, we have seen that these people can be defeated! Their fanatical agenda to restore Zadione's power will not come to pass," Emdal says.

"Hmph. The way I see it... shit. It might happen."

"Nite has taken a lot of territories. The best they can do is eliminate top threats that could be vital to their followers," I say.

"I agree. Their main priority should be finding the Paragons." She turns to me but gazes over her shoulder at Haleema. "What about their bounties? We've only served one."