Subtle Movements

The Forolan younger generation was miserable that night. Stallesso lectured on morals and family bonds for two hours, while Rebecca finally remembered that she hadn't scolded Daren for sneaking into a city under siege. Chris and Jacki were somehow dragged into the mess as well.

Innello and Chris's father, Philip, came back to a noisy estate. Thrilled that his father had arrived, they talked late into the night in the secure privacy of the Innello's private study. The pair only emerged the next morning with dark circles around their eyes.

Stallesso immediately headed out with the Halcyon Guards to squash the remaining chaos in the city. Aayla scratched her head in confusion. The city looked fairly safe to her. Maybe Stallesso was preparing for any riots during today's trials?

Just after the father-son pair left to take care of their duties, Rebecca brought the residence's youngsters to the trial. Jacki and Chris escorted them this time. They sat in the same booth as last time. The audience buzzed with anticipation and didn't even notice their arrival.

The trials began sharply on time. Once again, today's events were mostly for show and any last-minute corrections. The actual trials had been performed in secret. Now the courts would announce the evidence and their decisions to the public. The executions would immediately follow, if the convicts weren't killed during an escape attempt first.

Though not as personally traumatic for Daren, today's trials were more chaotic than those from the yesterday. The high-ranking combatants and traitors would go on public trial today. The Goldings were some of the most hated individuals in the city, but they weren't the only hated ones.

The crimes grew worse with each new criminal. The worst of them made the Goldings look like saints in comparison. Sentenced to death, heads rolled from bodies as all the guillotines earned their keep. Cheers went up throughout the crowd as the blades dropped, like when a player scores a goal.

Aayla had never seen such a bloodthirsty crowd before. Their rapid joy when another head fell off was deeply disturbing to her. Sentencing heinous criminals who destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives to death was one thing. Watching children scream for their brutal demise was another.

Midday couldn't have arrived fast enough. Relief washed over Aayla when the court announced a short recess for lunch. A warm hand cautiously gripped her icy fingers.

"Are you feeling ill, Aayla?"

"Just a bit disturbed. Is it really alright to let children watch this?"

"Of course. Execution via guillotine is faster, cleaner, more humane and more child-viewing appropriate. Normally criminals this savage would either be impaled or drawn and quartered. With so many executions, we unfortunately couldn't use such slow methods if we wanted speedy trials."

"… You have a strange definition of 'child appropriate'."

"If you want to see something different, the leaders will probably be drawn and quartered. An example needs to be set for the rest of the rebels. That type of execution is rare. Even aunt and uncle haven't seen that type of execution."

Seeing Aayla's face turn from paper white to ghost white, Jacki chimed in.

"Have you been to a public execution before, Aayla?"

She shook her head. Aayla had seen some gruesome sights, but nothing like this. Rebecca thoughtfully tapped her fan on the palm of her hand. If Aayla turned any paler, she would be translucent.

"Jacki, how about you escort Miss Glowery out for lunch? Take your time. The box will always have plenty of room for you two."

"Yes, my lady."

A pleading gaze bore directly into Rebecca. With a sigh, she continued.

"Nevermind. Let's have Daren go as well. Miss Glowery is his guest after all. Chris, you stay with your master. Tregario and Edwina will come with me to visit their father during his lunch break."

Daren's eyes brightened as he nodded his head. Unfortunately, two third wheels would tag along, but he got rid of his bratty cousins. The group quickly left for lunch. The streets were packed with vendors and hungry onlookers.

The temporary court room was formerly a sports arena in the inner-city. With most of the outer-city in an extremely dismal state, there were few venues remaining that were intact and large enough. Fortunately, the inner-city was still intact with plenty of food vendors nearby.

Chris found an upscale restaurant where they could all have lunch at. Fewer people chose to dine here as the restaurant was a bit far from court and didn't allow for takeout. Most wanted to take their food back to their seats.

With Daren's family name, the waiters instantly guided them to the best table in the restaurant. A few lingering eyes watched them for a few minutes before returning to their own food. They had to return before they missed something during court!

The waiters didn't want to miss court either. Just as the group sat down, the waiter hurriedly took their orders and left. They had to get as many customers fed as possible. Otherwise, the money would all fly away! Then the restaurant would really be out of luck.

The restaurant kicked out the group within an hour. Even as a Forolan, the staff didn't hesitate. One hour was extremely generous when most barely got half that time. The streets filled with people again as they flocked towards the temporary court with their food.

Daren led the group through the crowd to wander the streets. He didn't want to go back just yet. They still had some time before the afternoon trials began. Aayla carefully looked at the elaborate buildings lining the streets.

The inner-city had an ancient and historical vibe. Similar to Venice, the inner-city had artificial rivers flowing through it. The entire area was like a living art museum. With shiny eyes, Aayla fluttered around the streets to look at the buildings like a kid in a candy store.

She had never seen anything like them before. Her fingers itched for her camera. Daren calmly followed her, keeping Aayla from dashing out into the street to go look at another statue or whatever caught her eye. He didn't bother checking on Chris and Jacki who ran after them.

Finally having enough with all the running around, Chris thought of an excellent idea. He pointed to a nearby dock. He gave his young master a pointed look saying 'I'm handing an opportunity to show off on a silver platter! You better take it!!'

"Young master, how about we take Miss Glowery on a boat ride through one of the canals? We can tour the city much faster that way."

Daren blankly stared at Chris. Why should they do that? Boat rides are boring. As far as he knew, Aayla wasn't interested in boats.

Aayla's eyes lit up in excitement before she suppressed her joy. She loved kayaking and wanted to experience all the new things that Tellus had to offer. However, that would cost money, right? She didn't have any money.

"That… I'm fine with walking. I need the exercise."

"No, it's a really good idea," Jacki chimed in. "Come on! This will be fun!"

"But the cost… I still don't know where my wallet is."

"No worries! The Forolan family can pay for a small boat ride. You are under their protection after all. Right, young master?"

What was that idiot doing, just standing there when Chris was trying so hard to make him look cool?! That pig teammate! Fortunately, Daren seemed to get the hint this time. He walked up to a random pontoon boat with its captain still tightening the mooring lines.

"Sorry, young lad, but I'm off to get my seat in court. I'll be back –" Daren stuffed a wad of cash into the captain's hands. "Right now. I have plenty of time for one more ride. My ship is perfect for a double date, my lord. I will ensure that you and your friends have an excellent time!"

The captain's demeanor changed in an instant. His eyes practically turned into dollar signs when he discovered how much those bills were worth. He quickly opened the gates to let the passengers on board with a broad smile on his face.

Daren happily helped Aayla on board while Jacki patted Chris's back to cheer him on. Being Daren's wingman was tough work. The boat went underway as soon as all of the passengers boarded. The city from the waterways had an entirely different look.

The captain was intimately familiar with the waterways of Halcyon. Aayla constantly asked him questions about the history of the city. He was not a very scholarly man, but the captain answered as much as he could when he noticed that Daren became happier when Aayla was happy.

They travelled down all of the major waterways, with the captain taking them passed the most elaborate and historical buildings on the canals. Formerly viewed as an annoyance due to all of the traffic nearby, nobles and the wealthy fought to live nearby due to trade and status reasons.

Just as they rounded a bend in the canal, they heard shouts coming from one of the buildings ahead. People dressed like servants fled from the building. Armed guards quickly caught up with them. Before the captain could turn the boat around, someone appeared out of the water beside it.