"IS THIS SOME SICK JOKE?! THE NIGHT RAIDERS, JUST TWO LITTLE HATCHLINGS?!"
"WELL, THESE TWO LITTLE HATCHLINGS HAVE TERRORIZED THIS VILLAGE LIKE FALCONS!"
"YEAH! AT LEAST THEIR OUTFITS MATCH THE SUSPECT POSTERS!"
"THIS RAID COULDN’T HAVE BEEN PULLED OFF BY KIDS, FOOL!"
"HEY! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A FOOL?!"
"JUST TIE THEM UP, GODDAMN IT!"
The shouts overlapped as Sarah and Zuru were dragged through the village, surrounded by angry villagers pulling at their clothes and shoving them from every direction.
"Sarah!" Zuru yelled, barely hearing himself over the chaos.
"Sarah! Are you okay?!"
Someone shoved past Sarah, and Zuru immediately lunged toward them, knocking their hand away.
"Don’t touch her!"
Another villager grabbed Sarah from behind. Zuru twisted against the hands restraining him, but there were too many.
"Get your hands off my sister!"
He didn’t care what happened to him. They could drag him or beat him, but anyone who touched Sarah would face his resistance.
Still, Sarah said nothing. Her head remained lowered as she was dragged through the crowd, her body trembling not from fear, but anger.
Star.
She had trusted him. Believed every word he had said, only for him to do... this.
The more she thought about it, the hotter her anger became.
"Sarah!"
Zuru’s voice finally reached her through the storm of shouting. She slowly lifted her head. Zuru was staring straight at her, his face filled with worry.
"Be strong, we’ll get through this... we always do?" A villager yanked him harder. "Ow! Damn!"
Sarah stared at him for a long moment before lowering her head again.
However, the chaos around them only rose.
"They’re just kids! We should let them go!"
"Are you insane?! They should be tried!"
"I know those figures! I’ve seen them before! It’s the Night Raiders! They should be executed!"
Zuru’s stomach twisted. He was about to turn toward Sarah again when something caught his eye.
He looked again, and his mood plummeted.
"No," he gasped, shivers running through him. "No, no, no..."
Sarah noticed his expression and followed his gaze. The colour immediately drained from her face.
For the first time, her anger dissolved, replaced by raw fear.
Ahead stood a large stone building bearing a dark iron crest: a balanced scale beneath a seven-pointed crown.
Sarah’s breath caught.
"T-the magistrate..." Her fist tightened. "He dared bring us straight to the magistrate. That little—"
PUUUUUUUUU!
A resounding trumpet blared through the air, making several villagers flinch.
Two young men in long yellow robes stepped onto the balcony overlooking the square, standing on opposite sides with trumpets in hand. When they lowered them, silence followed.
Everyone looked up in anticipation, with only low whispers drifting through the square. Zuru raised his head, but Sarah kept hers lowered, weighed down by anger, guilt, and shame.
Finally, a man in his mid-sixties stepped onto the balcony. He wore a dark burgundy robe over a white tunic. His thinning gray hair was combed neatly backward, and his stern expression made it clear he was accustomed to being obeyed.
When he spread his arms grandly, however, cheers filled the night as the villagers celebrated the beginning of the trial. The magistrate raised his hands higher, and the cheers grew louder.
Perhaps it was because they were the Night Raiders. Or perhaps everyone simply wanted to see how the judgment would unfold.
Yet, Star couldn’t help thinking the man looked like an overgrown, shameless butterfly.
However, the magistrate might have fooled everyone into thinking he was in the same mood as them, but Star knew better. He could tell the man was frustrated. They had probably just interrupted what should have been a pleasurable moment with the three whores currently waiting on his bed.
"Ew, old perv!"
Star grimaced and leapt from the magistrate’s window ledge to another building, giving himself a better vantage point.
Honestly, Star couldn’t believe the night could be more in love with him. If the old perv was frustrated about having his pleasant evening interrupted, there was a chance he’d rush through the trial and hand down a fair judgment to get back at the people.
"I just hope it’s a lose-lose for everyone—"
"Ahh!" he suddenly yelped, instinctively clutching his temple. The pain was fleeting, but he remembered it all too well.
"Not again..." he murmured.
That strange sensation had returned, as though something dark was reaching out to him.
’Could a demon be hiding among these people?’
He was about to scan the crowd when his eyes caught his ring. They widened.
’What... what could this be?’
The ring was glowing faintly around his finger, its aura carrying a palpable darkness he didn’t recognize.
"If it’s a demon, it can’t be here," he muttered. "My father’s accord is still strong... so what is this?"
Meanwhile, the trial had begun. The magistrate looked over the crowd.
"Tonight, these two have been accused of being the Night Raiders, a pair of thieves responsible for repeated robberies within this village and the surrounding settlements." His eyes settled on Sarah and Zuru. "Do you deny these accusations?"
Zuru immediately raised his head. "Of course we do! We’re kids, not thieves!"
"Liar!"
"They’re lying, my lord!"
"It’s them! They’re the Night Raiders!"
The crowd erupted. Some villagers pointed accusingly at the siblings, while others protested.
"They can’t be lying!"
"Look at them idiot! They’re just children!"
"Let them go!"
"This is unfair!"
The voices crashed together until the magistrate raised a hand. The trumpeters beside him blew their instruments again.
PUUUUUUUUU!
The crowd gradually fell silent.
"Very well," the magistrate said. "I will not condemn two children based solely on the anger of a crowd. If anyone here can personally testify that these two are the Night Raiders, step forward and give your evidence."
Silence followed his voice. Every eye moved through the crowd.
Star’s heart jumped into his throat as he silently prayed for no one to step out.
Seconds passed, then a minute, still, no one moved.
Star slowly exhaled. "Thank goodness." But before his relief could settle—
Five boys stepped out from the crowd.
Star’s eyes widened and his stomach dropped.
Sarah noticed them a moment later and nearly gasped.
Even with the bandages wrapped around their bodies, the fat boy was impossible to mistake. Sarah could have recognized him even if he had been wrapped from head to toe. So also the boy with teleportation abilities.
They were five of the eight boys who had attacked Sarah and Zuru, stolen their loot, and later returned to burn their tents and claim the bounty on their heads. The other three had been badly injured during the first encounter.
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. Judging by their bandages, she had a strong feeling she knew exactly who had caused most of those injuries.
The magistrate studied the boys. "You claim these two are the Night Raiders?"
The fat boy stepped forward, looking far too pleased with himself.
"I know they are, my lord. I saw them myself." He turned and pointed directly at Sarah. "She is responsible for our injuries... she’s a Blessed."
At those words murmurs swept through the crowd. "A blessed... She’ve got powers."
"No wonder they haven’t been caught all this while."
However, as the murmurs spread, three more of the injured boys stepped forward, their bandages making the accusation even more convincing.
Zuru’s expression changed instantly. The veins in his neck bulged as he struggled against the ropes and the villagers restraining him.
"Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?" he roared. "An oversized fat cow like you got beaten by a little girl, and you’re standing there bragging about it?"
SMACK!
A hand struck Zuru across the face.
"Watch your mouth, thief."
Another fist slammed into his stomach.
"Yeah! Know your place, filth!"
Blood spilled from Zuru’s mouth as he doubled over.
"Zuru!" Sarah cried, her eyes glistening with worry.
The fat boy only grinned before turning back toward the magistrate.
"I’m sure of it, my lord. They definitely are the Night Raiders."
The crowd exploded once more.
"they should be punished!"
"Yeah! Send them to prison!"
"Execute them!"
The magistrate raised his hand.
"SILENCE!"
The noise dwindled.
He looked down at the siblings.
"The witnesses have identified you as the Night Raiders, and their testimony supports the accusations of theft, assault, and repeated attacks against civilians."
Sarah lowered her head, while Zuru clenched his jaw. From the rooftop, Star watched with his fingers curled against the tiles. He had hoped the trial would be fairer, but the truth was that the two had harmed people.
"But that alone," the magistrate continued, "is not enough reason for me to condemn two children to death. If they stole to survive, that does not excuse their crimes, but it matters when judgment is passed."
He turned toward the crowd. "However, if anyone can provide strong evidence or firsthand testimony that these two have murdered anyone, step forward now."
Silence washed over the square. Nobody moved.
The magistrate waited, still, no one came forward.
Zuru slowly lifted his head, his eyes searching the villagers worriedly. A worry that precisely wasn’t for himself but his sister. ’Universe! Whatever happens keep her alive!’
However, no one stepped forward.
"So be it." the magistrate finally said.
Star exhaled so deeply that he only realized afterward that he had crouched against the rooftop.
"Thank goodness," he whispered.
Below, the magistrate continued. "You may not be guilty of every crime shouted against you tonight, but you have been identified as the Night Raiders, and you will be punished accordingly."
His gaze hardened. "Then again, one of you possesses powers granted by the Crimson Mandate. The law requires every Blessed to submit to I.V training, so their abilities may be used to defend the Seven Kingdoms rather than prey upon its people."
Goosebumps rose across Sarah’s skin.
"You rejected that duty and instead used your powers for theft." he straightened. "Therefore, Sarah and Zuru, you are hereby sentenced to compulsory service under the I.V."
A murmur swept through the crowd.
"You will be taken to the Iron Frontier, where you will receive combat training and serve beneath the I.V until your sentence is fulfilled."
Zuru stared at him in horror. "The Iron Frontier...? MY LORD, PLEASE! THIS ISN’T FAIR! SHE’S JUST A CHILD! LET ME GO ALONE. DOUBLE MY SENTENCE! PLEASE!" Tears streamed down his face.
Sarah stared at her brother, her face paling at the lengths he was willing to go to protect her. Tears soon filled her own eyes.
"I’m afraid, son, but my decision is final," the magistrate said.
Everyone gasped in horror. The Iron Frontier was a war zone, a massive wall built in the north after the Grand Raid of the North to hold back demons and monsters. Its settlements were attacked constantly, and those sent there were expected to fight, but only ew survived their sentences.
Zuru’s knees gave way. "I failed!" He broke down.
The magistrate’s voice remained calm. "You will serve for five years. If you attempt to escape, your sentence will become permanent."
Star’s eyes widened from the rooftop. "Five years?" He stared at Sarah and Zuru. "That old man is insane."
A bitter twist formed in his gut. His plan had been to let the villagers judge them fairly before McCoy and the Red Queen could catch them and kill them. Instead, he had only made things worse.
"Guess they’re going to die anyway," he muttered. "That place is no place for kids."
"There will be no one going to the Iron Frontier."
A calm voice came from the edge of the square.
Star immediately looked down. Even the entire crowd turned toward the voice.
A pair of expensive black shoes stepped into the light of the three crimson moons.
Then came the rest of the man.
He wore a finely tailored black doublet with a high-collared shirt beneath it. A long dark coat hung neatly from his shoulders, while a monocle rested over his left eye. In one gloved hand, he held an elegant cane crowned with a carved wolf’s head.
"At least," he added calmly, "not alive."
Star’s throat went dry as his eyes widened.
’McCoy...?’
The name escaped his lips as little more than a whisper.
The villagers, however, knew exactly who had arrived.
"Mr. McCoy..."
"What is he doing here?"
"Why would someone like him come here?"
McCoy merely adjusted his monocle.
The magistrate stared at him from the balcony, his expression tightening.
"There will only be an execution."
This time It was a woman’s voice. Soft, almost playful.
A strange silence fell over the square as every eyes followed the figures approaching.
It was four men, carrying a large wooden chair between them. Sitting comfortably upon it was a woman dressed entirely in red; Red high heels, long crimson gown, and in one hand, a red folding fan that she lazily waved before her face. Her long black hair fell over one side of her face, hiding one eye.
"The Red Queen..."
"What’s she doing here..."
"What are they doing here..."
Star winced as he heard the murmurs.
’It’s really her.’ he thought dryly. ’She’s... she’s the red queen? And she’s here... Damn!’
Sarah and zuru too had already stiffen, tonight couldn’t just get any worse.
The woman slowly turned her head. Her visible eye settled on the magistrate.
Then she gave him a slow, playful wink.
"Hello, my lord." Her voice was sweet, almost innocent.
"It’s been a long time. I hope you missed me."