The Regenerates Read online

  “I promise you, Lord Magistrate, I don’t mean any harm to you or your citizens.”

  “That remains to be seen,” said Kayn, “considering you nearly succeeded in destroying my council room.”

  “Ah, yes. Sorry for that. Sometimes a little proof is necessary when the intelligent young man you’re trying to communicate with lets his ignorance control him.”

  The man’s eyes twinkled. The small crowd assembled in the hall gasped at their future leader being addressed this way. Kayn’s face was inscrutable.

  “I implore you to hear me out, Lord Kayn. I figured I’d need to do something drastic to get your attention. I’m going to say this one more time and I promise you, I am telling the truth. A malevolent force is threatening to destroy Cor, and the Haze Theory is involved, whether you wish to hear it or not. My little spectacle should be proof of that.”

  The room fell silent. Ven’s eyes widened. The Haze Theory was the most taboo subject in all of Cor. Even mentioning it in passing or by accident meant an immediate ticket to prison at least, if not the death sentence.

  He shuddered. The thought that the Haze Theory was in fact real was a frightening notion. To make matters worse, this man was suggesting that it was threatening their city. Even though Ven knew that was impossible, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

  Kayn looked the man in the eye with a dangerous glower. “We are done here.”

  He gestured to the heavily armed soldiers. They surrounded the man and began to kick and beat him till he crumpled to the floor, tattered and bloodied. The man made no attempt to defend himself. Kayn walked over and looked down at him, his eyes merciless and unforgiving.

  “I will give you eight days in a prison cell to curse you for your stupidity, after which you will be hung till dead in a special public ceremony meant just for you.”

  Before turning to leave, Kayn kicked the man hard in the face. Blood splattered from his nose onto the floor. “For good measure,” he said, “and for calling me ignorant. Get him out of here.”

  The man was dragged away and slowly disappeared from view, behind the crowd of stunned onlookers.

  Ven turned his head, slightly sick. He felt Hans and Florentine behind him. They hardly dared to breathe until Kayn had dusted himself off and addressed the crowd.

  “I’m sorry you all had to see that,” he said. “But no matter. He’s been dealt with. We will have Council Hall restored as soon as we can. Now get back to your work. Abolition Day is around the corner and you all have a lot to do.”

  After a long, stunned silence, cheers began to erupt throughout the hall. Enjoying the attention, Kayn smiled. Beside Ven, Florentine let out an excited squeak and turned a bright shade of pink.

  “Well, remind me never to mess with him. Ever,” said Hans, frozen to the spot.

  The next day, word of Lord Magistrate’s confrontation with “that babbling madman”, as everyone referred to him, had spread like wildfire. Across the estate, and for that matter across Cor, Kayn Stafford was being hailed for weeding out and putting an end to a potentially dangerous troublemaker. More entertaining in Ven’s eyes was peoples’ retelling of the explosion.

  “I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was the most frightening form of black magic I have ever seen!” said one woman in Market Plaza as Ven and Coralie looked for something to eat.

  “I wish I could have seen it,” said Coralie, sulking as she sampled a piece of chocolate from a stall.

  “I didn’t see it either,” said Ven, “but I did hear it. It was really loud. I felt it, too.”

  “Who was he again? That man?”

  “I got there a bit late,” said Ven, “but he said something about Cor being threatened, and that it had something to do with” – he lowered his voice to barely a whisper – “the Haze Theory.”

  “What?” Coralie exclaimed. “That’s insane!”

  “The thing is,” Ven went on, “I’m not saying I believe him or anything because I don’t, but he didn’t sound or look crazy. There are times when you can tell if someone is just spewing nonsense for the sake of attention, but he looked as sane as you and me, and that’s what scares me a little.”

  “But you don’t believe him, right?” said Coralie. “What he’s saying is completely far-fetched. I’m a sane, intelligent person, but what if I decided to walk into Council Hall proclaiming the apocalypse? You have to put your foot down sometimes, even for a seemingly normal person.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  A boy carrying colorful supplies crashed into Ven, sending streamers flying everywhere.

  “Watch it!” said Ven.

  “Urgh, I hate this time of year,” Coralie frowned as the boy ran away. “For the life of me, I can’t understand why they treat Abolition Day like a carnival.”

  “Well, as morbid as it is, it’s a celebration of Cor’s cleansing. The methods are a little harsh, but in the end it’s for our safety, right?”

  Coralie scoffed. “Want to stop the Drudger Quadrant and the Prentice Quadrant from resorting to theft? Spend money on food instead of trying to compete with other cities to be more technologically advanced. We’re already behind in that department, anyway.”

  Behind her, a woman hissed angrily, visibly distraught by her comment.

  “Oops. I guess that was out of line.”

  “You’ve really got to be careful, Coralie,” said Ven softly. “You’re in the Highborn Quadrant. Just assume everyone is keeping their ears open, waiting for you to slip up. What’s worse, they twist everything you say to make it sound worse than it is.”

  “I don’t get it, though. Why do they care so much?”

  “Because with every ‘menace’ they bring forward, they go up higher and higher in the Grand Magistrate’s good books. They’ll find the smallest reason to get you arrested if it means gaining status.”

  “All because my father was born a Prentice. Life sure is fair, isn’t it?”

  Ven’s face twisted into a grimace. “Whatever. Let’s get out of here. Now even I’m getting nervous.”

  That night, Ven’s mother had some choice words about the strange man. “How dare he come here and try to destroy our peace,” she said as she and Ven were having tea. “To bring up that of all things. It’s awful.”

  “Do you think he’s telling the truth?”

  “Ven, you know we can’t discuss that. Of course he’s not telling the truth.” His mother sipped her tea and bit into a butter scone.

  “Who do you think he is, then?”

  “He could be anyone,” she replied. “An enemy spy, perhaps? A sick prankster? Someone trying to rile us up and cause a stir? Who knows. At any rate, he’s being held in a special underground prison here at the palace. We haven’t had someone down there in ages. But it’s where he belongs.”

  As Ven lay in bed that night, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. His mind was plagued with images of evil demons with red eyes waving spears in his face. He sat up, punched his silk pillow into a more comfortable position and tried to shut the images away.

  Don’t be stupid. The Haze Theory is nothing but a load of superstitious garbage.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Ven’s mother shook him awake.

  “Ven, get up. I need to tell you something, and it’s…it’s not good news.”

  Ven sat up and looked at her groggily. “What’s wrong?”

  “Coralie and her parents have been sentenced. They’re going to be executed at the ceremony next week.”

  “W-what?”

  Numb shock spread through him. Ven looked at his mother blankly, an odd ringing in his ears. It wasn’t possible, not Coralie. It just couldn’t be. Only a day ago, she had been telling him about how the Grand Magistrate was going to use her father’s weapons blueprint…

  “Mom, what are you talking about?” Ven flung his blanket onto the marble floor and leaped to his feet. “They didn’t do anything wrong! They haven’t done anything. What is Lord Kayn thinking?”
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  “I don’t know. We were keeping record of all those who’ve been sentenced today and their names were added to the roster. They must have been added last night. I’m going to see if there’s anything I can do, but until then, Ven, you have to promise me you won’t do anything rash.”

  She turned and left the room, leaving Ven in just as much a state of shock as before.

  His head was reeling. There was no way he would accept this. Ven grabbed his housecoat and rushed out the door, running as fast as he could to the large windows by the classroom where he could get the best view of the Sentenced. There were only two sets of people having their arms stamped this time, an old woman, her son, and…

  Mr. and Mrs. Hasset were behind the old woman, their hands bound in front of them and heads bowed. Ven’s stomach lurched. Where was Coralie? He glanced behind the stamping counter to the small path leading to the stone building. Once again, he couldn’t make out anything from this distance. Was it possible that they had spared her because she was still a child? But he knew the answer already. Children were equally guilty.

  Still, he was going to hang on to this feeble glimmer of hope. His mother would set things right.

  The next two hours were like an eternity. All he could do was stay in his room and pace. Horrible thoughts were running through his mind, and try as he might, he couldn’t shake them off. The worst of them was making his stomach twist into a painful knot – the thought of being forced to have a front-row seat at his best friend’s execution.

  Hans and Florentine burst into the room.

  “Ven! Are you okay?” said Florentine. “We heard the news about your friend. That’s just horrible! Can’t your mother do something?”

  “She’s trying now,” said Ven. His mouth felt extremely dry. “We just have to wait.”

  Hans looked at him, concerned. “Hey, if there’s anything we can do–”

  “No, nothing. But thanks.”

  Florentine’s eyes watered and she sniffled as she took Ven’s hands. “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry!”

  “Thanks, Florentine.”

  “Do you know what happened? Why was she sentenced all of a sudden? What did she do?” asked Hans.

  “Nothing. She hasn’t done anything.”

  A strange, pulsing anger was spreading through Ven like a wave, along with another abnormal feeling. It was confusion. Abolition Day normally meant nothing to him. As much as he was grateful when it had passed, to him it was just a particularly unpleasant holiday that came and went. The Sentenced were no one to him. In fact, he used to laugh at them. If they hadn’t bothered to commit the crimes in the first place, they would have been able to keep their lives, simple as that. But Coralie was different. She never broke the rules, never stole from anyone and had never hurt anyone. She might be opinionated at times, but she was a model citizen.

  Ven’s stomach jolted. The woman yesterday who had reacted to Coralie’s comment – surely she hadn’t gone to the authorities? As he slowly recollected the moment, however, his heart began to sink. Every sentence mattered. No matter what, the Stratum Order was to be worshipped and given the highest respect. Even a single negative remark was considered a potential threat to the Order, and every threat had to be eliminated. Why hadn’t he given more thought to how foolish that notion was? Were they really that restricted in their speech? Had the previous Sentenced all been executed because of a silly comment they had made by accident? It wasn’t just them – their immediate families were executed, too.

  The look on Ven’s face was enough to cause Florentine’s lower lip to quiver. She glanced at Hans for backup, but he stared back helplessly.

  “Ven,” said Florentine in a soft voice, “are you sure you’re alright?”

  Ven said nothing for a moment, then walked over to the door. “I’m going out,” he said, leaving a concerned Hans and Florentine in his wake.

  Ven didn’t know what he could possibly do to alter a sentence. It had never been done before. While he could only guess what Coralie’s crime was, he had to at least try and say something to the Grand Magistrate. His mother was in a respectable position and had served Kayn and his father for many years. Surely Kayn would hear him out before making a decision.

  As he made his way to Council Hall, he tried to mentally rehearse what he would say, but his mind was too frantic for him to think. Finally, he reached the entrance of the hall and stopped. The massive door was still missing, and repairs were being conducted by diligent workers. Inside, Kayn sat at the end of the hall, deep in discussion with several council members. Ven gulped. He’d never spoken to the Grand Magistrate before, and despite his young age, Kayn Stafford was powerful and intimidating.

  Ven took a deep breath and motioned for a nearby guard. “I need to speak to Lord Kayn. Is this a good time?’

  “One moment. I’ll let him know.”

  The guard walked down to the end of the hall and whispered something in Kayn’s ear. Kayn looked up in Ven’s direction, and Ven felt his heart leap. The guard motioned for Ven to come closer. As he neared the end of the hall, his legs feeling like jelly, he recalled Kayn breaking that strange man’s nose and splattering his blood on the floor.

  “Yes? What can I do for you?” said Kayn, smiling brightly.

  Ven began to feel at ease. “I didn’t mean to bother you, Lord Kayn,” he began, “My name is Ven Kealy. I just – I have a concern to address with you.”

  “Of course. What’s the matter?”

  “It’s about one of the Sentenced. Her name was just added recently and I think there’s been a mistake.”

  “Oh? What’s her name?” Kayn asked, reaching over to a stack of papers in front of him.

  “Coralie Hasset, sir.”

  Kayn went down the list, then stopped. “Oh, here she is. She was added last night, I believe. Let’s see what it says about her crime. Hmm…questioning and insulting the Stratum Order. Three strikes for that one. Very disappointing. What else… Oh, there’s another Hasset listed here. It seems her whole family are a group of troublemakers.”

  Ven’s blood went cold.

  “It says here her father had a bit of a scuffle with some of my officials regarding his work ethic. Something about him refusing to test his new pistol prototype on one of the Sentenced to evaluate its efficiency.”

  Ven could feel his legs going numb. Kayn had a somewhat amused look on his face.

  “So, Ven, I’ve just read their crimes to you, yet you say there’s been a mistake. Please explain.”

  “They, um…” All that came out was an inaudible stutter. “I’m sure she said it by accident, Lord Magistrate. She probably didn’t mean it. She’s a very good person and she follows every rule. She’s been a family friend for years.”

  “Tell me,” Kayn interrupted, “were you there with her when she made these remarks? Because if you were, by all sense of logic you should be reprimanded as well for not stopping her.”

  “I – I did stop her, Lord Kayn, and she apologized for it.”

  The smiling face from minutes ago was now nothing but a hideous mask. Ven stood there in hopelessness, anger rising in the pit of his stomach.

  A voice rang out from behind him. “Ven!”

  Ven turned to see his mother carrying a stack of papers wearing a look of terror. She rushed over to Kayn and bowed her head.

  “Lord Kayn, I’m very sorry. Please forgive my son for whatever he might have said. He’s just a little distressed right now.”

  “No, no, Rosa, don’t look so terrified.” Kayn smiled, his eyes now cold and bloodless. “We were just having a nice discussion. He had some questions about one of the Sentenced and I cleared them up for him. Everything’s alright now.”

  “Thank you. We’ll be on our way,” she said, seizing Ven by the arm and dragging him away.

  “Oh, and Ven?” Kayn called after them. “I’d be more wary of the company you keep. Continue associating with people like that and you’ll put your lovely mother in trouble. Take care, no
w.” He gave them one more twisted smile.

  Without warning, a boiling hatred erupted inside Ven. He wanted to take the pieces of rubble on the floor and throw them at Kayn’s face.

  “What did I just tell you?” said his mother as they made their way back home. “I specifically said not to do anything rash. How could you, Ven?”

  “He’s evil.”

  Ven’s mother gasped and clutched her heart. She grabbed his arm, sprinted inside her room with him in tow and closed the door, bolting it behind her. Before he could open his mouth, she slapped him across the cheek.

  Ven staggered. She’d never struck him before.

  “Do you want to get us killed?” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. “Because if you say another word, it will be more than Coralie you’re going to lose.”

  “Mom, I’m sorry.” Ven’s throat began to swell. “He threatened you too. You haven’t done anything. Has he done this before?”

  Ven’s mother could no longer hold back her tears. She pulled Ven close and hugged him. “If Kayn is the way he is, it’s because his father was like that, and his grandfather was like that. His threats are empty so long as I continue to do my job well, as I have been.”

  “But mom, Coralie… It’s not fair. She can’t die.”

  His mother had nothing more to say. Her face was contorted in pain.

  “Ven, Coralie is like a daughter to me, and her parents are like family. It isn’t fair, you’re absolutely right, but my hands are tied. Kayn’s decisions, along with those of the Elders Council, are final. I’ll give it one last shot tomorrow, but after that…”

  Ven broke away from her embrace, ran to his room and slammed the door, praying that this day had been nothing but a bad dream. He picked up a beautiful vase from his dresser and flung it at the wall where it shattered, showering the floor with colorful glass.

  As night fell, he wondered where Coralie and her parents were right now. Were they in a jail cell like the other Sentenced, counting down the days to their impending deaths? What could they be feeling? He lay in bed, nauseous, disgusted and frustrated with everything. He racked his memory for images of all the other children his age and younger who had been hung in front of him during previous Abolition Day ceremonies. What had their crimes been? Something petty, perhaps. A while ago, his mother had had him sort the crime reports of the Sentenced. He laughed darkly as he recalled their offenses: Unlawful use of transportation. Disrespect of Coran texts (Placed personal objects, food and drink etc. on top of ancient documents – discovered during Drudger Inspections). Attempted contact of foreign civilians through forbidden technologies and radio devices. Attempted to alter and dismember transport pods for personal use.