Spark

Prologue:

'''  The jury watched the man with unflinching eyes. How far he had fallen, his violet eyes glazed and unseeing, blind, and his hooked nose smashed far beyond repair. His head was lowered, long braids sagging onto his soiled prison garb. And his face: an ugly mass of welts and bruises, inflicted in ways too horrible to say.'''

  He was a mess.

'''  “Order,” the Eldest called in a faltering voice, slender fingers twitching nervously at his side. “The Council has been called because of the… because of the crime of regicide, committed at the, um…” The Eldest’s words trailed off into silence. “Silethen, pass me the scroll!” he demanded, leaning across to scold a tall, raven-haired woman in golden robes. The Eldest fumbled at the scroll, his eyes darting to and fro, giving him the appearance of a hunted rabbit.'''

''' “Ahem! The Council has been summoned to attend to the matter of regicide, committed at Her Majesty’s ball (long may she rest in the Eternal Skies) by the Azeallan ambassador, Immortal One, Alyssys Contritum.”'''

'''  The Council stirred; you could almost feel a wave of guilt rippling from them across the stone hall. Alyssys raised his head, and took a shuddering breath. “I didn’t do it,” he rasped. “I didn’t!”'''

The Council were dead silent, listening to the eerie echoes of his pleading.

'''  The ‘trial’ was rigged, everyone knew it, even Alyssys. But the Council had been given quite a hefty sum: why should they choose justice and danger over a bit of… altering of truth and a sack of coins?'''

'''  The Elder gave a small cough. “As I was saying, he was seen by numerous witnesses, and we have heard testimonies from all of those witnesses, claiming that he was responsible for her brutal assassination. Unless anyone would like to vouch for him, we shall make our decision.”'''

'''  The Council were silent, and Alyssys shuddered. He knew how this story ended, they all did, after all, it was their choice. There was whispering, and he felt his pointed ears twitch as they struggled to hear something, anything! The Elder stood up and cleared his throat, with the air of one who has come to understand a sad yet necessary truth.'''

'''  “Alyssys Contritum, for the committing the greatest crime one can commit…” Here, he paused, looking a little queasy. “You shall serve a life sentence.” The silence was painful. To issue a life sentence, to an Immortal? It was to doom someone to insanity and beyond.'''

'''  “No. No!”'''

  A ragged scream tore from the ambassador’s lips, and he fell to his knees, eyes wide with pure shock.

  “YOU CAN’T!”

  They say that when someone is terrified, the last thing of theirs that stays in the room is their words.

'''  But that’s a lie, a fairytale. '''

  The last thing to go is fear.