The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 330

Chapter 330: The Hight Hall

The three weeks until my trial passed in a blur of repetition and monotony.

When the morning came, I was spared the usual session of torture with Petras and Matheson, and even allowed a cold shower to wipe away the blood and grime of my three week stay in the Granbehls’ dungeon. I guess they didn’t want it to be too obvious that I’d been deprived and tortured.

Ada, thankfully or not, hadn’t come to visit me again, but I guessed I’d be seeing her soon enough at the trial.

I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, Three Steps’ dried-fruit toy held firmly in one hand. The index finger of the other hand had sprouted a curved claw of violet aether, which was currently wrapped around the seed within the fruit, pulling desperately at it.

I’d held the claw’s shape for ten seconds already, but the seed wasn’t budging. Twenty seconds passed. Then thirty. My finger began to ache and tremble, and I could feel the claw losing its shape.

Finally, after nearly forty seconds, the aether claw dissipated with the seed still lodged firmly inside the dried fruit.

“What is that?”

My eyes snapped open to find Matheson staring through the bars at me. I’d been so focused on holding the aether claw’s shape that I hadn’t heard him arrive.

I flourished my hand, rolling the toy out of sight before storing it in my dimension rune, then cupped one hand over the other.

“Oh…you mean this?” I said innocently while slowly sticking up the middle finger of the hand I was hiding in my palm.

Regis barked out a laugh.

Matheson scowled and stepped aside so four Granbehl knights could open my cell door and march in to surround me. The tallest of the four pulled my arms behind my back and put manacles around my wrists.

“Search him,” Matheson ordered, and the same knight proceeded to give me a thorough patting down, but of course found nothing. He shrugged his armor-plated shoulders at the steward.

“I hope you’re enjoying yourself, Ascender Grey,” he said quietly. “I myself am very much looking forward to seeing that infuriating smirk slapped off your smug face.”

“Can we get going then?” I asked. “I sure wouldn’t want to be late for that.”

Matheson adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves and marched past, leading the way up the stairs and through the well-appointed halls of the mansion above. A few household servants peered at us from various rooms as we made our way out of the Granbehl estate, but the only familiar face I noticed was Petras, who was sitting on some barrels near the backdoor that I was led out of.

I gave him a cheery smile as I passed by. “We shed so much blood, sweat, and your tears together that I’m almost going to miss you.”

My words made the torturer practically fold in on himself in shame, while Matheson chortled in disgust.

‘Way to kick a man when he’s down,’ Regis said accusingly.

I rolled my eyes. Forgive me for lacking sympathy to the guy that spent the last three weeks cutting me open.

‘Well, if we only judged by your reaction, I’d say poor Petras did nothing more than give you a rigorous massage,’ Regis noted. ‘But that’s beside the point. You’re awfully chipper for a guy on the way to his own murder trial.’

I felt genuine curiosity radiating from the little ball of warmth that was my companion.

I’m just about ready to burn this damn place to the ground. We’ll see how things play out with whatever Alaric is up to, but whatever happens, I don’t plan on coming back here.

‘I call dibs on Matty.’

Several more heavily armed and armored Granbehl guards met us outside the house, and I was escorted to another cart like the one in which I’d been brought here.

Lord Granbehl was standing beside the door, his hands clasped behind his back. He lifted his chin as I approached. “This will be your last opportunity to confess your crimes, Ascender Grey. Admit your guilt, and I will plead for leniency on your behalf. If you stand before a panel of judges and profess your innocence, it will be out of my hands.”

I locked eyes with the Alacryan nobleman. “Thank you for your wonderful hospitality, Titus.”

He ground his teeth as we matched glares, but eventually he waved a hand, and I was shoved bodily into the carriage.

This time there were two knights seated inside, each with a naked blade trained on me. Even if one of the guards turned out to be Alaric, there was no way he could let me know without giving himself away, and so I stayed quiet. Mostly.

I let out a sigh, leaning back in my seat. “They could have at least given me a carriage with windows.”

One of the guards shifted awkwardly on the narrow bench across from me, which was obviously meant for luggage, not a fully armored knight.

“I guess you fine gentlemen are still a better sight than my dingy cell and ever-attractive Petras,” I continued with a shrug.

The other guard stifled a laugh while the first raised his blade so the point pressed into my throat. “Be quiet.”

‘Do you think everyone that works for the Granbehls is trained to be an ass, or do they need previous experience as an ass to qualify?’ Regis asked.

This time, it was my turn to stifle a laugh.

“You think this is funny?” The guard holding his blade against my throat twisted the shortsword and lashed out with the pommel, driving it into the corner of my mouth. “Make another sound, and I’ll give you the other end, scum.”

‘Yup. This guy definitely likes to kick puppies.’

I smiled as I ran my tongue across the cut that had already begun to heal, tasting blood.

“Vritra, he’s as freaky as they’ve been saying,” the second guard said. He sounded young, and more than a little nervous.

Neither are Alaric, then, I thought, regarding the knight coolly.

“You heard the rumors, Roffe? They say someone’s been stirring up all kinds of trouble around this ascender. Some of the guards think he’s secretly from a highblood house, and they’re—”

“Would you shut up?” the guard who’d hit me, Roffe, snarled. “We’re supposed to guard, not chit chat like a couple of academy girls.”

The second knight went silent.

So, someone is starting rumors? That has to be Alaric, I thought, frowning. What’s that old drunk think he’s doing, going head to head with a named blood?

Securing his investment, I’d imagine,’ Regis suggested.

Let’s just hope that he knows what he’s getting himself into, I thought, leaning slightly to the side and trying to get comfortable, which wasn’t easy considering my hands were still chained behind me.