Viewing Single Post From: The Emblem Kingdom: A Fusion Fic

Viewing Single Post From: The Emblem Kingdom: A Fusion Fic
+Hollie	Feb 8 2009, 06:04 PM
Resident Brit Posts: 6,836 Group: Advisor Member #801 Joined: May 19, 2006	Big action scene next chapter. Promise. Chapter 4 “First off,” Kamai said, “I want you to tell me what happened. How did you get separated from Wirt?” Reaver repeated what had happened in Helma, and the trek through the countryside avoiding the roads and towns. “We got here this morning, but I put off getting into the city until tonight.” His old friend swore softly, “They timed it perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. If you weren’t so cautious, Reaver, then . . .” “Kamai, stop being so dramatic and tell me what the hell’s being going on!” he snapped. He didn’t like seeing this side of his friend. Kamai had never seemed like the type to worry about anything or anyone. Hearing Kamai say ‘I thought you were dead’ had been the scariest thing he’d ever heard. His friend sighed now, not meeting his eyes. “They brought Wirt here this morning.” The colour drained from Reaver’s face. “They brought Wirt . . . here?” “Reaver, it’s not your fault,” Kamai said hastily, “Or PZ’s. It’s just the Family, they’re--” “Kamai!” The man fell silent and stood up, walking to the other side of the room. PZ shot Reaver a quizzical look, but he just shrugged. Kamai was acting oddly. Something must be very wrong. Several seconds of silence passed, seeming to stretch on longer than they should have done. Eventually, Kamai said, “They were expecting you to come here. They must have been.” “Kamai, just say it.” The man turned around. “They’re executing Wirt tomorrow morning. Unless we give them ‘the traitor’.” Reaver sensed PZ freeze beside him. The expression on his face had probably frozen in horror, too. He should have been expecting something like this, but he hadn’t actually thought about it much. He should have done. He should have known that the one who would ultimately end up in deep trouble would be the one left behind. “It’s not your fault, Reaver,” Kamai told him, almost as though he was reading his mind. He knew him too well. “And we aren’t going to turn your friend in, either. I’ve had twenty different people come and tell me that on behalf of their families today.” Despite his sense of relief at those words, Reaver couldn’t help quirking a brow. “I didn’t think they trusted you.” “Maybe not for Fire district matters. But a traitor from the Family is bigger than just the Fire district, and all the other Readers are Earths.” He paused. “Besides, what would happen to you if we gave up PZ? They wouldn’t leave you in peace, especially knowing what you’ve just told me. You’d be killed too.” “You’re right,” PZ said slowly, making Reaver jump. It was the first thing he’d said since their arrival. “But I can’t just stand by and let somebody be killed for my actions.” “I hope you’re not planning on doing something stupidly heroic like turning yourself in,” Kamai said coldly. That sounded more like the Kamai that Reaver knew. “If you really do know a way to remake the emblems, that’s far bigger than one man’s life.” PZ shook his head. “I wasn’t planning that, but . . . we have to do something!” “I think the Fire district are one step ahead of you,” Kamai murmured. “If you want to be there tomorrow, I’ll work something out.” Reaver met PZ’s eyes and they both nodded. Kamai scowled, “Of course, why did I even bother to ask. Any chance to be someplace it would be best not to, you jump at the opportunity.” Reaver glared right back. “The very least I can do is be there.” “Actually, I think you’ll find that’s the most you’ll be doing,” Kamai snapped. “Anyway, you both need rest. Bed.” Reaver stared at him in dismay. “You can’t send me to bed. I’m not a child anymore!” “It’s my house. You can stay up as long as you want outside.” Reaver couldn’t think of anything to say to that. Kamai looked thoughtfully at PZ, “You can have my room for tonight. Reaver will show you where it is.” “What about you?” the Earth asked. “Me, sleep? Tonight? Pfft.” Kamai gestured towards some stairs, “Go on, get out of my sight.” Reaver kept his scowl as he and PZ left the room. He was so preoccupied with his bad mood that he almost didn’t hear PZ ask, “Kamai’s a Reader?” “What? Oh, yeah,” he shrugged. “You know about Readers?” “We had one or two working in the palace,” PZ muttered. “I see.” Reaver had noticed that his friend didn’t like to talk about the palace. Whether it was because of his family or the vast difference between that place and the districts, Reaver wasn’t sure. There was a pause. “Hey, Reaver? If you don’t mind me asking, how exactly do you know a Reader?” “I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know Kamai,” Reaver replied. “My father worked as a cleaner in the library. After he died, Kamai looked after me.” He frowned. “I thought he might have grown out of bossing me around, though.” “So he’s like a father-figure to you?” PZ sounded almost wistful. “I guess so,” Reaver replied hesitantly. He wondered what PZ’s father was like. Somehow, he couldn’t picture the man being a warm-hearted, caring figure. He decided not to ask. They reached the top of the stairs. “Kamai’s room is straight ahead,” Reaver told PZ. “Alright,” the Earth replied. “Good night.” “Night,” Reaver muttered, heading for his old room. Even that lumpy bed would probably feel like heaven after a week of travelling. “Reaver?” PZ suddenly said. He turned. “Thanks.” He nodded. “Don’t mention it, PZ. Really.” * The square was packed. People from all over the district had turned out to see Wirt’s execution. Guess the spymaster was right. Hakado, the Overseer of the Fire district, still couldn’t quite believe the orders he had been given. But at the same time, orders were orders. He didn’t like it, but he’d have to go through with it anyway. And the back-up plan . . . Hakado shuddered, the thought of it enough to make him feel sick. When Psio had contacted him, the man had seemed confident that it wouldn’t come to that. The King’s spymaster obviously did not know the Fire districters well. Hakado did. His whole family had been Overseers for the Fire district at some point or other. His grandfather, then his father, and now him. Heck, Hakado had been born here. His duties meant that he’d rarely even visited the Earth district. The same was true for most of his staff, too, and the soldiers here. Well, the same was normally true for the soldiers here. Psio had sent another group along with his message. They had made it clear to Hakado from the very beginning that they weren’t going to answer to him. Psio had given the Colonel power to act as he pleased as long as it was all for the cause for catching the so-called traitor. Poor kid. If Wirt’s execution was bad, then PZ’s would be worse. At least he probably wouldn’t have to witness that one. There was a knock on his door. Hakado turned away from the window slowly, steeling himself for the Colonel’s derogatory gaze. “Enter.” Hakado needn’t have worried. The man who entered instead was Soja, one of his staff. He bowed. “Overseer, Colonel Yzarc has asked if you’re ready to enter the square now.” He laughed bitterly. “Soja, you don’t need to mince your words with me. What did he actually say?” Soja shuffled his feet. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “He said, ‘Get that districter-loving boss of yours here now, or I’ll just go ahead without him’.” Shaking his head, Hakado replied, “I’m tempted to let him do just that. Let him try to control the crowds without my help.” Suddenly he frowned. “Wait, Soja, shouldn’t you be making preparations?” “Colonel Yzarc ordered me to deliver the message to you instead. He said it was beneath an Earth.” Hakado ground his teeth. Soja was an Air, yes, and he knew that most of the Earths considered the other districts beneath them. But Soja wasn’t there as an ornament, he was needed - unless the Colonel and his men wanted to be overrun by the districters. “If Colonel Yzarc isn’t careful, that pride will be the death of him. I’ll be down shortly, Soja. You go ahead and prepare as best you can. Something tells me we’ll need it.” Soja bowed again and hurried off. Hakado glanced out of the window. Colonel Yzarc was going to severely regret underestimating the Fire district. Hakado knew the people here almost as well as his fellow Earths. The rest of the Family liked to think that they had the districts under their control. They liked to think that the districters were too downtrodden to think of rebellion. That wasn’t true. The districters were willing to make the best of what little they had, and to make life easier for themselves, they just went along with what the Family said. Wirt was the man they channelled their rebellion through. Wirt was the man they could count on to speak out. Wirt was the man who fought his way into Hakado’s manor and demanded food for the poorest families. Wirt was the man who took the blame for the whole district when things went wrong. Wirt was the man who had his way paid out of jail by the whole district. Every. Single. Time. Most importantly, Wirt was the symbol that the Fire district mattered. If the Family thought the Fire district would let that go without a scene, they were wrong. Hakado sighed and started for the door. Sometimes, he regretted the promise of loyalty he’d made to the Family. There were times, like this, when he wished he could step in. But he was the Overseer, and that was his job. Things would only get worse if he interfered. * Reaver, from his vantage point on top of the library, saw Wirt being dragged out by four Earth soldiers, a Colonel leading them, before the rest of the Fire district did. He’d never seen his boss look defeated before. It sent a chill down his spine, and he had to clench his fists tightly to keep from screaming. He was shaking. “Calm down,” Kamai muttered in his ear. Reaver breathed deeply and forced himself to watch as the ‘charges’ were read out. The whole district was silent as the Overseer read from a scrap of paper, flanked by two of his staff. Even from this distance, he looked miserable. “Wirt Ash is charged with betraying the Kingdom and conspiring against the King,” Hakado said. His voice carried. “He is sentenced to execution on this day, the 24th April, in the year 1198. Under section 442 of the New Treasons Act 1099, the Family has seen fit to carry this sentence out without a trial.” After concluding this short speech, Overseer Hakado screwed the scrap into a tight ball and threw it into the air, where it hovered. The man on his right clicked his fingers and threw the fire to meet it. As the charges burst into flames, the gathered Fire districters burst into an admiring applause and even Reaver couldn’t help but smile a little as Hakado sank into the chair that had been placed there for him with an acknowledging wave. The Overseer had always been sympathetic, or at least Wirt said so. Judging by the furious expression of the Colonel and the soldiers holding Wirt, the Overseer had planned that little stunt by himself. “It was very brave of him to do that,” PZ said quietly. “The Family won’t like it.” “That’s the point, I think,” Kamai told him, “The Overseer is obeying Family orders, but he doesn’t like it. He’s on the districter’s side.” He laughed quietly. “It also means that if something does go wrong for the Earth soldiers, he’s not going to be torn apart by the mob. It’s probably simple self-preservation.” PZ didn’t answer. He frowned, turning his head back to the square. Reaver did the same. The Colonel seemed to have gotten over his momentary fury and motioned for the soldiers to bring Wirt into the centre of the square. Reaver’s breath caught in his throat. This was it now. He bit his lip, forcing himself to not look away. It was the least he could do. He kept expecting something to happen. Surely Wirt wouldn’t allow himself to go out like this. Reaver expected him to fight back. It was probably futile, but Wirt was never one to give up when faced by words like impossible. Nothing happened. Reaver watched in dismay as the Colonel moved to stand opposite Wirt. Two of the soldiers holding him let go, standing behind him instead. The crowd was restless now, but stood where they were, as though pressing against an invisible barrier. “Why don’t they do something?” Reaver exploded angrily. “Hakado’s got an Air with him,” Kamai answered calmly, “If the Air’s any good, they won’t be able to pass until he allows it.” “What are they doing?” Reaver heard PZ mumble quietly. “This isn’t normal . . .” He frowned, confused. Not normal? What the hell is he on about now? Suddenly, a collective gasp of horror welled up from the crowd. Reaver turned back, expecting to see Wirt dead and cursing himself for letting PZ distract him. That wasn’t what he saw. The Earth at Wirt’s feet opened up, the Colonel shaping a deep hole in the ground. Even Overseer Hakado was now on his feet, yelling something Reaver couldn’t hear over the outraged roar of the districters, but the soldiers ignored him in favour of the Colonel. They weren’t just going to execute Wirt. They were going to bury him alive. Wirt appeared to have realised this himself, because he was struggling wildly and the soldiers looked like they were having difficulty holding on to him. PZ had gone absolutely white, and looked like he was about to be sick. “They aren’t . . .” “Oh yes they are,” Kamai said, and Reaver noticed that even his voice shook slightly. Someone in the crowd must have clicked their fingers, because a flame appeared somewhere in the crowd. The outrage died down as others mimicked the districter. In the square, the Earth soldiers had suddenly become nervous, except for the Colonel, who just looked annoyed. The crowd might not have been able to get through the barrier create by the Air, but the same couldn’t be said of the fire. A thousand different sources of flame crashed onto the dirt of the square and raced towards Wirt, forcing the soldiers to throw themselves out of the way before the fire consumed them. Reaver watched, eyes wide. He couldn’t stop himself feeling suddenly hopeful. Maybe Wirt would escape death after all. He felt Kamai’s hand on his shoulder. “Don’t get your hopes up, Reaver,” he said quietly. “He still doesn’t have much of a chance.” “At least he has a chance now,” Reaver argued. Kamai sighed. “Maybe you’re right.” He didn’t sound very optimistic.
	MSN Wirtjr, Speaker for the Dead says: "Be good, because if you're not, Arick will come down that chimney instead of Santa, and instead of toys he has choloroform, a hacksaw, and a burlap sack." MSN... again Wirtjr, Speaker for the Dead says: I'm a horrible rolemodel. HØ¿¿¥ says: I'll take extra care not to blow my neighbourhood up, I promise Wirtjr, Speaker for the Dead says: Also don't jam forks in strange orifices. Wirtjr, Speaker for the Dead says: ...Wait, that didn't come out right Known as Haar on Brand of Flame. Bitch. Formerly Margaret Thatcher, Aleksandr

The Emblem Kingdom: A Fusion Fic · Fan Fiction