Okay, for a start, I am SOOOO sorry that i've made everyone wait soo long. I could use the excuse that i've just been so busy, and i have but thats not relaly a good excuse. Considering i've been on holidays for ages. So, i can only say, "sorry!" and will you ever forgive me? *gets down on knees and begs* No? Please?? *kisses feet* PLEASE?!?! I feel sooo bad! Well, i made this chapter slightly longer then my usual chapters. Also, i haven't finished writing the complete story yet! And its 83 pages so far, 52,000 odd words....so this story is gonna be a long one! I've written the end and everything, now all i have to do is just fill in the gaps!
Anyway, i better answer some reviews and then no doubt, you wanna read da story, ya?
Deana: I'd have to say a HUGE thankyou for taking the time to read AND review my story...you must be so busy with your own! And if my story is awesome, you're are just....SPECTACULAR!
Nakhti: Man, I LOVE YOU! You are such a cool reviewer! You have like the longest reviews i've ever seen and you always manage to put a smile on my face! I'm sorry, you must be dead hey? *tried to revive nakhti, not working so roz bursts into tears and sulks* Wake up! Wake up! *rubs those electric pads together* CLEAR! *shocks nakhti* I'm sorry for making you wait too long! And you'd be impressed to know that i finished writing up the Sabre Dance scene! It took my only a whole of like 3 pages. You admire Ardeth's arse? I can't get past his accent, its so cute! Thanks for your luck on exams, it came through! And no, i'm afraid you can't be Ardeth's girlfriend. He doesn't really have one here! Besides can you imagein the lineup for Ardeth's girlfriend? I'd have to run auditions! Well, that was a long response to all your long reviews! Keep reviewing, you're fantastic!
Freakizimi: And Freakizimi! You've been a godsend! I wish there were more people like you! Thankyou SOO much for all your advice on exams, it really helped me calm down and get my thoughts straight. And i even had a milk milo before i went to bed one nite! i loved all your suggestions, and i would've taken you up on that site that explained chem easily cept they do teach different things from country to country. I mean, they teach different stuff from state to state! (isn't that gay?) You are a really cool reviewer, hey, how come you don't have a profile? I went looking for it to see if you've done ne cool stories cause you always seem to be able to find mine, and.....theres no freakizimi! *cries* Well, i hope you like this story! Oh, and just in case you wanted to know, i got 85.1 on my exams (out of 99.95) and with my bonus points, that means i got 91 to 93! Me so happy!
MedjaiAngel: I'm sorry that i made you wait for this next chapter for so long. You know how it is. Exams, end of school, graduation, christmas, boxing day, new years (get really drunk nite), getting prepared for uni.....yeah, i've just been lazy! Well, i hope you enjoy this chapter! My brain died. No seriously! LOL!
Well, thats it! Onto the story! And has anyone else noticed how alike Med-Jai and Jedi are in the spelling and sound? It's been bothering me during my writing! Enjoy! ****Ardeth glanced around fearfully as he was dragged out into the clearing. His body ached from all the blows it had taken and even though his shoulder had stopped bleeding during the night, the renewed rough treatment threatened to tear the wound open once again.
Like before, the crowd jeered and sneered at him, their aura of hate visibly affecting the boy.
Ardeth was not a coward by any standards but just the malicious look gleaming in their eyes, scared the boy. He had only looked into eyes like this once before but had never seen them on a human's face. It was not a look that you wished to see on a human's face. The once he had seen it, had terrified the boy. That time was when he was out in the desert with a group of friends, when a rabid jackal had attacked. It had had the hysterical, out-of-control, vicious look of an animal just wishing to rip, tear, main and do some harm before it died.
Of course, Ardeth had killed the animal. It had wrenched his heart to do it to an animal that obviously wasn't in it's own mind, but the jackal had to be put out of its misery and the disease had to be stopped. The young boy had been called a hero and paraded proudly through the village, but the young Med-Jai could only see the blood on his hands as he killed the jackal and its insane look in it's red eyes.
The people jostling around him had the same insane look. Subconsciously, he drew nearer to Jawhar, who was leading him to the trial grounds. The boy had been more then evasive when Ardeth had questioned him about the happenings that were to occur today, in fact the Sami-Nhir teenager had all but hit him when Ardeth had continuously asked about the events.
And the girl. Ardeth wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or dreaming when he had had the vision of the girl peering in at him. But there was something strange about her eyes….they seemed to see right through him. Past his barriers and walls, and straight into his soul, reading his mind and his heart.
Ardeth shivered, he had to have been hallucinating. He smiled faintly, It was a good hallucination while it lasted.
Suddenly, Ardeth found himself lying flat on his face, his breath knocked out of him. What? How did I? What the?? The boy struggled to his knees, making sure he didn't jostle his injured arm. He tried to breath in deeply, his lungs straining to fill with life-giving oxygen. But then, the boy found himself lying on his side and his ribs were screaming at him. Ardeth blinked and tried to put the picture together as another boot slammed into his stomach, causing the boy to cry out and curl protectively. There was shouting going on around him and then, then there was no more kicks.
Ardeth risked a glance upwards and saw Jawhar struggling to hold the crowd back.
The Sami-Nhir opened his mouth and yelled something, but Ardeth couldn't hear it. He could see the veins standing out as Jawhar used maximum volume but whatever he said appeared to calm down the blood-thirsty crowd and Ardeth shakily regained his feet.
"You are not to touch him until AFTER the trial! You HEAR ME?!! That is the way of our tribe! A fair trial! Once his sentence has been handed down, THEN you will find out what you CAN and CAN'T DO to him! But until then, YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME??" Jawhar's voice was strong and didn't quaver.
There was dirty muttering from the crowd, but the words had their intended effect and the people visibly backed off, and kept their hands and feet to themselves. However, their glares didn't soften in the least and Ardeth still found himself shivering from their hatred as much as the pain his body was feeling.
Ardeth's vision was reeling and before he knew it, he was standing in an open clearing in front of a group of older men, the man called Ruwaid sitting amongst them. Mikail and Shahin also stood near them, near enough to offer advice and give evidence but not near enough to be included in the deciding panel.
The teenager felt his heart wrench and he knew from the very start that he was not going to get out of this easily. He just knew, that the trial would be rigged. Despite what Jawhar had said, he knew that the trial was not going to be fair.
"The trial of the boy in front of us begins right now, the panel can see that it is indeed dawn, as is the tradition time that trials take place." Ruwaid broke off and looked at the panel to see them men nodding their heads in affirmation.
"State your name boy." Ruwaid spoke severely to the scared teenager.
"Er…..Ardeth Bay. Uhm, what am I doing here." Ardeth spoke his name and without thinking asked a question.
Ruwaid's face tightened and he nodded to one of the guards that had taken up a position on either side of the Med-Jai and suddenly Ardeth found himself on his knees and yelped as felt a painful lash to his back.
"The prisoner is not permitted to speak, unless spoken to, and only at the time of his stated defence can he speak. Each transgression is awarded with a hit with the horsewhip." Ruwaid eyes hardened and he asked, "Do you understand prisoner?"
Ardeth swallowed and nodded, "Yes."
"Good." Ruwaid smiled coldly as his son joined him, coming to stand expressionless alongside.
"You, Ardeth Bay, are hereby charged with the murder several members of the Sami-Nhir tribe, to which occurred one peaceful day in the past. How do you plead?"
Ardeth's mouth dropped open in shock, "Not guilty."
The panel muttered and exchanged glances. "You believe yourself not guilty?" Ruwaid asked, scorn entering his voice.
"Yes." The teenager spoke back, confidence and bewilderment colouring his voice. I would never murder anyone! Why am I in this situation? How did I get here?!?!
"Fine then. We will do this the hard and long way." Ruwaid's face was grim and his face angry. "We call the witness Zen."
And then she came. The girl that Ardeth thought he had dreamed up. The girl with chestnut hair and vacant eyes. She looked heavily pregnant and seemed to stare right through him. Ardeth felt his heart clench inside of his chest, she looked so beautiful. But the only emotions on her face were ones of anger and hatred. The emotions were so strong, Ardeth internally recoiled, wondering what had caused this girl so much pain to make her feel the strong emotions.
Ruwaid spoke again, silencing the muttering of the warriors which had started up when the girl had entered the circle, "Zen. We of the panel, apologize for making you have to relive your memories but we need you to restate the evidence that you told us. Please start once you are ready to begin and please start from the very beginning.
Zen nodded, and her hand unconsciously went to her large stomach, caressing her unborn child within. She took a deep breath and began to speak, her voice was silky smooth and pure, carrying musical overtones and gentle fluctuations. "It was a day in our recent past when all of the Sami-Nhir warriors decided to go on a large hunt. There had been good reports of jackals and camels present and it was thought that we needed the food. Times had been peaceful, and it was decided that all of the men warriors should go on the hunt. So, the day came and all of the warriors prepared to leave. They packed their gear, took their horses and left. For a while, it was peaceful in the village."
"Who was left in the village?" Ruwaid asked for show, so that the Med-Jai would know the answer.
"Only the women, children and old men were left in the village. Anyone that couldn't go on the hunt, stayed behind. We were defenceless." Zen stopped suddenly, tears filling her eyes.
For a moment, silence reigned until she got herself under control and Ruwaid said, "Continue when you're ready."
Zen nodded, "I cannot tell how much time had passed since the hunting party left, it could've been hours, it could've been days, but time passed and then a Med-Jai group rode into the village." Ardeth's mouth dropped again, Med-Jai?!? In this village?? There have been no parties out this far that I know of.
"How did you know that they were Med-Jai?" Ardeth asked despite himself. Instantly, pain seared through his senses as the warrior beside him hit him with the horsewhip. Ardeth gritted his teeth in an effort not to cry out.
"Silence prisoner!" Ruwaid ordered sharply. "Although, Zen. Could you please answer the question?"
"They carried the markings of the Med-Jai. The traditional black tattoos that are found upon their cheekbones. Each warrior had the markings."
"Please continue with the story." The Sami-Nhir softly ordered.
"Well, the Med-Jai came galloping in on their horses, and they didn't even stop…….they didn't even……." Zen's voice broke but she valiantly continued, "They slaughtered anyone they came across."
Ardeth's mind was whirling, Surely this isn't true. My tribe would not do such a thing! "No!" Ardeth cried out for his tribe's defence, "They would never do a thing like that!" His argument was awarded with two more strikes from the whip which left him gasping in pain.
"SILENCE!" Ruwaid nodded for Zen to continue.
"Women, children, old men, it made no difference. They killed anyone and everyone they came across. If they came across any pretty girls that took their fancy, they would drag them away and……..they would rape them. They took great pleasure in inflicting pain, they shot Ukal despite the fact he was blind, and they whipped Retyrn to death. Many others they beat to death. They killed all the males and either killed or took all the females away with them. I was the only one they left behind."
The warriors muttering was getting louder and Ardeth could feel the hate emanating from the crowd as the story had continued. He himself was in shock. My tribe would never do a thing like this. I don't know who's done this, but whoever did deserves to be punished. The Med-Jai didn't do this, but they think we did. But we DIDN'T! Then………who did?? The situation was all very confusing but Ardeth had the sinking feeling in his stomach, thinking he knew just why he was there and what they intended to do with him. With a jerk he heard Zen's voice continuing:
"They killed everyone in the village but they left me alive to tell the story, except…….to have some fun, they blinded me just before they left." Zen had tears flowing freely now and she had deliberately left out the part of her being raped, it was too horrible and demoralising to talk about.
NO! There is no way that our tribe would be so heartless! They wouldn't take pleasure in inducing pain, they wouldn't harm innocents like that! They WOULD NOT blind a young girl. Ardeth would not believe that his tribe would do such a thing. He couldn't believe that any tribe would do such a horrible thing.
"Is that enough evidence for the panel to work with?" Ruwaid took pity on the shaking girl, and looked around the other members of the panel taking in their nods. "Then the witness is free to go."
No. This has to be a dream. A big, horrible, nasty dream.
The girl shakily stood up, and while caressing her belly, left. Ardeth couldn't help but stare after her as she left. Even though she was pregnant, the sway of her hips, her sightless yet dreamy eyes and full lips had him entranced.
"The accused now has the right to defend himself. He must stand before the panel." Ruwaid's voice lost all compassion but suppressed fury could be heard beneath it.
Ardeth gingerly got to his feet, wincing as the whip marks on his back stung. The men behind him retreated slightly but held their weapons just by their side in the universal pose of 'I could seriously harm you but I was told I was not allowed, so you just wait until they say I can'.
"What does the accuse plead?" Ruwaid asked again.
"Not guilty!" Ardeth burst out and flinched, waiting for the whip blow which never came.
The muttering in the crowd grew louder and their intent even more murderous. Shahin was grinning a grin that Ardeth wished never to see again, Jawhar's face was impassively stony while Mikail seemed agitated about something. He kept glancing around, his gaze straying to the horizon where the sand seemed to melt into the sky.
"You have listened to the evidence and still believe yourself not guilty?"
"Yes! I'm not guilty of those charges!"
"Ah, but your tribe is?"
"What? NO!" Ardeth shouted in vain as the muttering grew to loud arguments, the Sami-Nhir's voices covering his own. Shahin's smile grew even wider.
Mikail suddenly moved from his spot and hurried over to Ruwaid to whisper something frantically in his ear. Ruwaid pulled an annoyed face and waved the man away irritably.
"I have just been told that a severe sandstorm is approaching fast. Do the people wish for the trial to continue even though we may be enveloped in this sandstorm?" Ruwaid asked the people gathered in front of him.
The resounding affirmation made the leader nod in satisfaction and turn back to the teenager,
"So you are Ardeth Bay?"
"Yes."
"Son of Hashim Bay, who is leader of the Med-Jai?"
"Yes."
"Who massacred more then ½ of this village?"
"NO! I've already told you! We did not massacre or murder anyone!" Ardeth couldn't believe this was happening to him, "What do you want me for??"
"Since it was the Med-Jai that committed the act, then it must be a Med-Jai who must stand trial. Who better then the heir to the leadership?" Ruwaid spoke triumphantly.
The sandstorm was coming closer, Ardeth could feel the wind already whipping his robes around and messing up his already messed up hair.
"Where were you when the attack happened?" Ruwaid questioned, while the whole panel seemed to lean forward in anticipation.
"In the village!" Ardeth uselessly tried to defend himself.
"How do you know you were in the village if we didn't tell you the day?"
"I am always in the village! I'm not allowed out! This is my first real time out!"
"Then you wouldn't know what goes on outside the village then!" Ruwaid laid down his point like a man laying down an ace.
"No! That's not true! All the journeys are discussed beforehand."
The air was getting grittier, the sand storm was only several kilometres away and closing fast.
"I don't see why they would discuss it with you, as you are only a child still, not a warrior. I doubt that the Med-Jai would tell everyone in their camp where they're going or what they're doing, especially if they've gone to kill a lot of innocents!"
"They wouldn't do that! They wouldn't!"
The sandstorm struck. Sand was flying everywhere and obscuring everything. The sand is obscuring my vision, just like someone here is obscuring the truth. I cannot see and they cannot see the truth. This is not right, my tribe would not commit such an act, but something obvious happened, so who did it? Ardeth tried to think, tried to make connections but couldn't, the sandstorm was pummelling him into the ground, distracting him, just like someone was distracting the Sami-Nhir from the truth.
Arms suddenly wrapped themselves around the boy so that he couldn't escape and for several minutes the air was gritty and solid with sand, then as sudden as the sandstorm had come, it was gone, moving on.
The arms unceremoniously dumped him on the ground and Ardeth spent several seconds just coughing, trying to remove all the sand from his lungs and oesophagus.
"Has the panel heard enough?" Ruwaid asked eyeing the retching boy on the ground.
Everyone on the panel nodded.
"Then has a verdict been reached?"
Ardeth's head shot up, But I haven't even really been able to defend myself! "But I haven't been able to---" the whip smacked into him so hard that Ardeth slumped to the ground, trying to control his harsh breathing and whimpers from slipping out.
"SILENCE! Has a verdict been reached? Good. What is it?"
One of the panel stood up, looked at the rest of the members around him and spoke, "The verdict is……guilty."
"So it has been done and spoken." Ruwaid nodded while Shahin's eyes smiled.
Ardeth's mind was spinning, This can't be happening. How can I be found guilty of something I haven't done? How can I be found guilty for something my tribe hasn't done? What kind of justice is this? Ardeth looked up just in time to see Ruwaid smile grimly, This isn't justice, this is revenge.
"The accused is found guilty. As chief I will lay down the punishment. He is to be kept within the camp, and is now property of the Sami-Nhir tribe. He is to be used as a slave to the Sami-Nhir until I find a use for him. Death is too good and too quick for him. He will pay for everything that the Sami-Nhir has gone through. Anyone may do what they wish to him, as long as he is not permanently damaged and still lives. That is my final decision."
The crowd cheered while Ardeth felt himself sinking into a hole of depression and desperation. Did he just hear right? A slave? HERE? At their mercy? GUILTY??
Ardeth was roughly dragged to his feet and carried off somewhere, he didn't even bother to try and struggle. The guards chained him back to his pole and then taunted and continued to hit him until the young Med-Jai couldn't see straight and couldn't hear the insane laughter of the bloodlust crowd. He didn't see the look of disgust and revulsion on Jawhar's face, nor Jawhar's arm tightly wound around Zen's waist. He didn't see Shahin's grinning face, excitement and pleasure written across his face as he watched the boy's beating. He didn't see Mikail's small shake of a head nor him walking off in disgust.
All Ardeth could feel and think of was the pain and the thought that if this behaviour continued, then he wouldn't last till the end of the week.
By the look on Shahin's face and the way things were going, that might be considered a good thing.
****Hopefully the next chapter should be up soon. Hopefully.
