The Dark Storm Chapter 9
By Martin Berglund
”Therefore, I would recommend the penalty of death.” The chancellor
said, once they were finished. ”That’s all.”
Some in the audience cheered, but when Shadin turned around, they stopped.
Shadin turned back.
”Thank you, chancellor. Pierre?”
Pierre stepped forward.
”My client is accepting the fact that he DID destroy the guardia castle,
but under control by an unknown force. He do not remember anything, and out
witness is confirming that theory.
Therefore, I would recommend a low penalty for the crimes he do accept as
his actions.”
The crowd was quiet.
”Members of the jury, step forward. Death penalty to the left, and lower
penalty to the right.”
The first jury member came in.
”Death.”
Second:
”Lower.”
”Death.”
”Lower.”
”This is pre-aranched!” Lucca whispered.
”Death.”
”Death.”
”Death.”
Shadin looked down.
”It’s over.” Marle said. ”They’re gonna execute
him here and now.”
”WHAT?” Shadin shouted.
Marle shook her head.
”How could he hear?” Crono whispered.
”A verdict have been reached. Death penalty. It will be done in a few
minutes.”
Lucca almost cried.
It THAT unfair.
It wasn’t his fault!
But, had they any other options she wouldn’t regret?
They didn’t leave Shadin alone, so he could make this illusion.
Lucca feared that he would use powerful magic and destroy more.
Outside, some worker put a up hanging device.
Shadin watched it with fearful eyes.
Not feared about that, but how he would get away from here with a minimum
causalities.
They led him forward to it and placed the rope around his throat.
Marle looked at her father.
He looked at her.
Please! Do something! Marle mimicked with her mouth.
The king didn’t respond.
He sat quiet and watched Shadin.
”Please!” Marle shouted.
The executor pulled in a rope, and Shadin fell down.
He hang there for almost a minute before they took him down.
Once they cut of the rope, Shadin fell down on his stomach.
Lucca cried.
How could she have let this happened?
Then...
”He’s alive!”
Lucca, Crono and Marle almost jumped up to the back side of the moon.
”He didn’t die! Let’s put him back for a while.”
The other nodded and helped him up.
The workers reset the device, and put him back.
They put the rope around him, and they were just about to pull the rope,
when...
”Stop.”
It was the king.
”I think this is a question for the people. They have been affected
by this. All who wants us to spare his life, up with your hand.
Lucca, Crono and Marle put up their hands.
They looked back.
There were not very many others.
About 99% did think of an execution.
The king was just about to give orders to hang Shadin again, when Marle rose.
”Hold it!”
She ran up.
”Sorry, but you...” a worker said, but Marle pushed him away.
”Please... Say you can repair the castle... Please!” she whispered
in Shadin’s ear.
”Will it save me?”
Marle didn’t have the chance to answer, because some guards pulled her
away, but Shadin could read the answer in her face.
”I wonder if I still can do it...” Shadin thought.
”May I have any last words?” Shadin asked the judge.
He nodded.
Shadin talked calm, but his voice sounded hundred times louder.
”You can still choose... If you want a castle or a ruin as nation
symbol.”
Many voices came up from the crowd.
It took several of minutes before everyone became quiet.
”You can repair the castle? With magic?” the king asked.
”If my magic fails me, then I’ll do it with my hands.”
Slowly, one by one, more hands came up in the air.
Crono, Lucca and Marle rose theirs.
In a matter of seconds, all hands were up in the air.
And finally, the king’s too.
”What can I say?”
”You can tell us why you didn’t mention that you could repair the
castle before.”
”Oh... I don’t know... I guess I haven’t recovered to 100%
after the incident.”
Crono nodded. ”Could be a reason.”
”Why didn’t you die when they hang you?” Marle asked.
”Because I was levitating!”
”Really?” Lucca said supriced.
”Yep. But I was afraid. I might have lost the control.”
They were all gathered in Lucca’s house.
As they talked, Lara and Taban entered the kitchen.
”Oh, there you are! How come you survived?” Lara asked, when she
saw Shadin.
”I’m a survivor.”
Lara nodded.
”How are you gonna repair the castle?” Taban asked.
Shadin thought for a second.
”I’ll be using a spell to rebuild it. A very old one. I’ve
heard that some gods were using it to create worlds. But I don’t believe
that.”
”A spell?” Lara said.
Shadin nodded.
”Trust me. I’ll fix it.”
”Prince Shadin?”
”That’s me.” Shadin answered.
The soldier looked in to see if anyone else was there.
”We have what you wanted. It’s all set up.”
”Good.”
Shadin picked up his dragon cape and put it around his shoulder.
”You’re going to the castle?” Lucca shouted up from her room
when she heard Shadin open the door.
”Yeah! But I’ll set the spell tomorrow.”
”It’s all there.” The king said and pointed on a cart.
”Whatever you need it for.”
Shadin nodded and walked forward to check the cart.
”Mistle, Silver, Gold, Black lotus and diamonds, yes that’s all.”
”When can you start?” The king asked and pointed on the castle
ruins.
”Tomorrow. I must rest to regain all my powers.”
The king nodded.
The chancellor whispered something in the kings ear.
”You don’t need the equipment now, do you?”
Shadin shook his head.
”Not necessarily.”
Then he walked closer to the ruin.
He felt on the stones with his hand and then watched it for a long time.
”Hmmm...”
After 20 minutes, a guard became quite curious of what he was doing.
”Excuse me, but... What are you doing?”
Shadin turned to him.
”I’m trying to calculate the numbers magnitudes who is necessary.
But it’s hard.”
”What happens if you take wrong?”
Shadin smiled.
”Not much. If I take too less, then the castle won’t rebuild. If
I take too much, then I’ll be wiped out for a few days.”
The guard nodded.
”I see.”
A huge crowd gathered around the castle ruins the next day.
They all wanted to see when Shadin rebuilt the castle.
”You may start.” The king said.
Shadin nodded.
He sat down in a circle he had painted, and around his was all
‘equipment’ he had asked for.
He started the complexed spell by holding up his hands and whisper some words
out in the air.
Marle could feel how he was taking huge power from the surrounding area.
First, she was worried that he would drain all power, but then she almost
forgot it when things started to happened. The ‘equipment’ levitated
and circled around Shadin.
Flashes came out of them, hitting Shadin.
He took the power and launched it on the castle.
A big blue sphere surrounded it.
More and more energy flowed from Shadin’s body to the sphere.
Shadin’s word became unhearable because of the sound, when the spark
looking energy flied from Shadin to the sphere.
The sphere turned more and more blue, and in the last second of it’s
transparency, the crowd could see how big stone pieces flied up inside the
sphere.
Shadin’s magic was really rebuilding the castle.
After two hours the spell hadn’t changed much. No bolts came out of
Shadin anymore, but the rest was pretty much the same.
Suddenly, the sphere faded away.
The guardia castle was standing in front of the cheering crowd.
Shadin turned around and smiled. He raised his hands and waved to the crowd.
”Wow!” Crono said and got through to Shadin.
”What a show!”
Shadin nodded.
Then he collapsed.
”Goodevening.” Marle said when Shadin woke up.
The first thing he saw was a stone ceiling.
”Look like I succeeded.”
”Yes indeed.”
In the same moment, Crono, Lucca and the king came in.
”You awake?” Crono said.
”No, of course not!” Shadin said. ”Where d’you got that
thought from?”
Shadin looked around for his cape.
Someone had put it on a chair.
That was good enough, so Shadin leaned back.
”Where in the castle am I?”
”The old knights quarter.” Lucca said. ”To get out, you take
the stairs up, and then...
Well, you can’t miss it.”
”Thanks.” Shadin said.
”No, thank YOU” The king said.
”Me?” Shadin answered. ”I only cleaned up the mess I’d
caused.”
The king nodded.
”Perhaps... But thank you anyway.”
The king rose up from his chair and walked out.
”So...” Marle said. ”How long have you been studying magic?”
”Since I was 15.”
Marle nodded.
”And now you are? 25? 26?”
”No, no, no...” Lucca interrupted. ”He’s more than
100.”
”Say what?” Crono and Marle said on the same time.
”I figured it out after he had said a few things.”
Shadin nodded.
”That’s right. I’m far over 100.”
”How can you be?” Crono asked.
”Simple. You see, the... let us call it ‘my people’, don’t
die of age.”
”WHAT?” Lucca exclaimed. ”You don’t die of age?”
Shadin shook his head.
”When do you die?” Marle asked.
”When we feel it’s time.”
”And when is ‘time’ ” Lucca asked.
”After a few hundred years usually.”
”Then you just... Die?”
”Something like that.”
Crono, Lucca and Marle looked at each other.
”Ethernal life...” Marle said quietly. ”Forever young... That
would be something!”
Shadin laughed.
”Ethernal life? Ha! Believe me, it’s the worst curse you can
get.”
Marle didn’t want to believe, but she didn’t say anything.
”How old are you?” Crono asked.
”1228. Soon 29.”
”1228!!!” Lucca almost screamed. ”You don’t plan to die,
or what?”
”My time hasn’t come yet.” Shadin replied. ”But one day,
the world will wake up without me.”
Crono frowned.
”You’re looking forward to it?”
Shadin nodded.
”You’re looking forward to die?” Lucca asked, still paralyzed
by Shadin’s age.
”No, but I’m looking forward to finish my lifetask. That is what
death is all about for me.”
Lucca nodded.
Marle suddenly laughed.
”I just thought of...” She said. ”We use to celebrate 50 year
old people very much. I can’t imagine your 1000 birthday!”
Then other laughed as well.
”Don’t imagine.” Shadin said. ”Now, if you excuse me,
can I get some sleep?”
Lucca nodded.
”Sure.”
”No, wait!” Crono said. ”You never said you were a prince.”
”Does it matter?”
”Not really.”
.