Camille walked briskly. Not only was she upset, but she was also disappointed. She rushed to her brother in hopes of finding an explanation. How and why was a prisoner suffering so badly under his watch? She had to know the truth.

  The Sokidu banged on the door with one hand, clutching the Zaatsu’s robe tightly with the other. From inside, Hugo asked, “Who is it?” as he walked to the door.

  “Open up,” Camille said, loudly, and then, under her breath, added, “Damn it!”

  He opened the door and said, “Hey, Cami! You’re just in time for dinner.”

  “That’s low!” she said and threw the robe in his face.

  Looking at it, he asked, “What’s going on?”

  “Your prisoner is being beaten to a bloody pulp down there!”

  Wide eyed, Hugo stared at his sister for a few moments then, grabbing her by the arm, dragged her inside closing the door behind them. He sat her down on a chair. “You went into the Atramentum?” he asked.

  “Yes!” she quickly replied. “Punish me all you want! If I have to, I will do it again!”

  “That’s not what I meant…”

  “Hugo, that man has not eaten anything all day! He is continuously being beaten by the guards! Hell! He hasn’t even had a single drop of water!”

  “I know…”

  Camille leaned back and stared wide eyed, stumped by what she had just heard. “What are you saying?” she asked in a hushed, almost whispering voice, disgusted by her brother's response.

  Hugo grabbed a chair and sat right in front of her. “Hear me out,” he said, with an arm extended. “I know you must be upset but there are some things that you should understand now.”

  The Sokidu remained quiet, so he continued, “I don’t say anything in front of the team because I am not exactly sure who I can trust anymore. Trust is a commodity in short supply these days. But… I know I can trust you.” He paused, took a deep breath, then said, “There’s something going on here. Can’t lay an actual finger on it, but there is something definitely going on here.”

  “Where?”

  “Imagine a machine built to fix other machines but then the fixer machine begins to leak oil and yet, nobody wants to fix it. Everybody is worried about the other machines not getting fixed properly.”

  “Are you talking about the Eye?”

  “Hmm… how many prisoners did you see?”

  “I didn’t go to the deeper levels but in the temporary holding area, there was no one but Vincent.”

  “There is no one there... Deep, shallow, temporary or permanent, no one’s there, Cami.”

  “But why?”

  “Let’s just say that no one likes prisoners… too much work.”

  “So, they just keep torturing them.”

  “No. We kill everyone now.” Camille gaze widened as she gasped. With a nod, Hugo added, “You have no idea how many people I had to coerce to make sure that he was brought back living and breathing. Gina told me about your argument with Neil…”

  “Oh…”

  “Your brother is as much an enthusiastic man as he is na?ve. He is being moulded as a weapon, and he doesn’t even realize it. Now, I have been trying to keep him out of their hands, but I can only do so much without giving away my intentions.”

  “You are making absolutely no sense right now. What’s Neil got to do with all this?”

  “Just know that I am doing as much as I can to take care of Vincent. I know. I know he is being mistreated, and I know he is hurting down there, but I can’t interfere directly. At least not just yet…”

  “What do you mean?” Camille leaned ahead and further asked, “What’s going on, Hugo?”

  “I am going to take him off death row.”

  “What?!”

  “Yes. Something big is going down and I need him. I need his skills and his knowledge, and I need him for the upcoming missions.” The Zaatsu leaned closer too and said, “I just don’t know who to trust anymore…”

  “You’ve been acting strange for a while now,” she said, paused for a moment, then asked, “Tell me what’s really going on?”

  “Ah! I won’t bore you with the details, Cami. But just know that whatever I say in front of you stays with you and you alone. Even Neil gets nothing of it. Understood?”

  “But…”

  “Shush!” he placed a finger on her mouth. “No more questions. I’ll tell you more when I can. Now please… hurry and freshen up! I’m starving!”

  “I’m not hungry,” Camille said, folded her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.

  Hugo sighed as his head dropped. He asked, “Do you want me to send him dinner or something?”

  “Maybe…” she rested her head on her knees. “I don’t know…”

  He looked up and asked, “Explain something to me…”

  “What?”

  “Why did you go down there?”

  “He didn’t kill me, Hugo!” She raised her head and looked at her brother dead in the eye and continued, “When we met in the forest, he had the opportunity and an open chance to cut my head off, but he just put me under a spell to make me lose control over my Ki and then just moved away. He didn’t even try to hurt me. If he is a stone-cold killer like everyone says, then why did he do that?”

  “One explanation would be that he wanted a friendly inside the captors house,” Hugo once again placed a finger on Camille’s mouth before she could say anything. “But…” he continued with a smile, “Another explanation is that you were just not as much of a threat to him. The way he fights, it looks like he’s been well trained. And a man who is properly trained in the Martial Arts is taught constraint before aggressiveness, and humility and forgiveness before arrogance and violence.”

  As he removed his finger she said, “But they said he’s a coldblooded killer...”

  “They sure did.” Hugo took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Opening them, he looked away and said, “But they also said that the Cultists of Africa were responsible for killing 50 operatives of the Eye before finding Ambris did that, who was a Zaatsu for the Eye back then. And they also said the middle easterners were orchestrating the attacks on our outposts before finding the rogues of eastern Europe behind it. Lord knows what they’ll say next…” He looked at Camille with a tilted head and, with raised eyebrows, said, “‘The Mexican taco makers are stealing the remnants to add flavour to their meals!’”

  Camille chuckled and looked away.

  “Alright, listen,” Hugo said giving a little nudge on her wrist. “I’ll get him something to eat. Happy?”

  His sister nodded. He smiled and gave her another nudge, on the head this time. Thereafter, the two had dinner, and as promised, straight after, Hugo went down to the prison wearing a unique Cultist cloaking spell. The guards never saw him come or leave and he easily placed some food and water in Vincent’s cell. Along with the meal was a tablet under a note which read, ‘eat me to regain some Ki and then eat the food fast before they are able to see it.’

  The knocked-out Vincent was woken up by what felt to him like a chilly breeze. He got up and saw the note right in front of him. He ate the tablet and regained some Ki, just enough to move a bit better. He was able to push himself up and sit.

  Smiling, the White Bolt whispered, “I had no clue,” and then proceeded to have dinner.

  The morning brought a large crowd to the Regal Palace to witness the trial of the bounty hunter, White Bolt. They thronged the Visionaries’ Court of Justice. It was vast, built to accommodate hundreds. And it was filled to capacity.

  The architecture of the court bore the weight of tradition with arched ceilings, stone pillars, and tiered seating that rose in layers around a central floor. The front of the hall was divided into three distinct sections of authority and relevance.

  To the right, in a raised and enclosed box, sat the Seear along with his personal council, senior Zaatsu, and members of the Parliament. They watched and observed but their power to interfere in proceedings was constitutionally limited.

  Opposite them, a similar box was reserved for key figures tied directly to the case. At present, the seats were occupied by the Zeta Squad, who had brought the accused, the infamous White Bolt, into custody. This space shifted occupants from trial to trial, depending on who had standing or involvement.

  Between these two enclosures and slightly elevated sat the Justice Council. Composed of randomly selected citizens over the age of 45, from within the city of Ayn, this council served as the deciding authority on all cases – civil or criminal. Each member held a three-year term, and while the Seear’s council maintained the right of oversight, their ability to overturn decisions was minimal. The Council was the true heart of the courtroom’s judgment.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The front rows of the general gallery were reserved for active Martial Artists of the Eye. Behind them, civilians and lower-ranked combatants filled the rest of the gallery, their murmurs fading as the proceedings began.

  Upon the Seear, Renekom Mujin’s instructions, a chair was placed in the middle of the Hall, in front of the council and right in between the Zeta Squad and Seear. The senior most Mystic at the time, one of the closest councils to the Seear, Mystic Master Hedish Norma, then called, “Bring out the prisoner!”

  Amidst whispers and gasps, two guards dragged Vincent out, blind-folded with hands and feet tied up, and sat him on the chair. A man from the Seear’s council, with a huge scroll in his hand, then got up and began addressing the court.

  “Good Morning!” he exclaimed. “By the Seear’s leave, I shall now ask the champions of Zeta Squad to please rise!”

  The Zeta Squad stood up and were greeted by a huge cheer from the crowd. “The names of the members are thus,” he said then opened the scroll and read, “Unit Zeta 9, otherwise known by the codename Zeta Squad, assisted by 11 Dominus for the mission, is: captain Zaatsu Master Hugo Baylis, Zaatsu Master Neil Baylis, Sokidu Masters Gina Hart, Marcus Bernthal, Ella Clay, and Camille Baylis.”

  With each name the clapping and the cheers grew louder. They were after all captors of the White Bolt himself. The buzz around the Palace and Ayn was loud and the thirst for justice was all but unquenched. The bounty hunter had killed Zaatsus, he had stolen scriptures of Dark Arts, he was the first man in years to be so universally excepted as the face of evil, and the public demanded that he be brought to justice. And that day had finally arrived. All because of the Zeta Squad.

  The Seear raised his staff and said, “Please be seated.” Everyone sat. Adel Abayomi, the chief councillor, then got up. Adel was a civilian citizen of Ayn and served the Palace as a scribe for the Seear and also held a post at the library. The slender, dark-skinned tall man, rocking a comb-over hairstyle and a goatee, was wearing the council’s signature silver robe. He looked at the Seear. “By your leave, my Lord…” he said with a half-bow.

  Renekom nodded. “Thank you,” the councillor continued. “The 2nd of August 2006, Vincent, the infamous bounty hunter, known as the White Bolt, was apprehended by the Zeta Squad near the Gold Coast, Australia, after a grand showdown. The criminal resisted but our champions brought him down.”

  He waited as the crowd once again cheered loudly this time accompanied by the Seear and all attendees.

  “Thank you,” he said, and the crowd slowly stopped. “We would, at this point, like to become the voice of one and all and thank the squad led by the illustrious Master Baylis, for their great service, not just to the Palace, but for humanity. They have time and again proved that they are, as of right now, our most celebrated squad of Martial Artists.”

  The Seear tapped his staff on the ground and once again there was a loud cheer, albeit it did not last as long.

  “And now,” Adel continued looking at Hugo, “As is tradition, I give you the chief captor: Zaatsu Master Hugo Baylis.”

  Hugo got up and walked up to Vincent amidst yet another cheer. He circled around the prisoner with a bowed head and stopped in front of the Seear. He looked at him and then turned over to remove Vincent’s blindfold. He then once again walked to the other side. ‘Where to begin,’ he thought. ‘I have to do this right.’

  The crowd grew restless, and Hugo stood scratching his head. One of the senior masters leaned forward to say something but was stopped by the Seear.

  “We are no champions,” the Zaatsu eventually said. “I believe we were doing what we are meant to do. We were just living up to our name… just doing our job. We are supposed to defend the world against criminals of this kind, and so, I will have to politely decline the title of champion.”

  There were whispers going around the hall. His seniors looked at each other and smiled. They knew Hugo was never a man to take a compliment well. He was way too shy and humble for that.

  “Anyways,” he finally looked up and continued. “As is tradition…” he chuckled. “Like my good friend Adel said, we apprehended the White Bolt near the Gold Coast, where we had a skirmish first with the bounty hunter. We acquired the remnants he was after and used them to lure him out. But rest assured people, he is no pushover. He eluded us for many hours before we were able to get a drop on him and bring him in. The battle was fierce and dangerous, but good execution of plans meant that not only did we come out without a casualty, but we also captured the man. Now… ah…”

  Hugo turned and looked at the Seear first then at the prisoner and said, “Vincent! Your turn.”

  The tired prisoner looked up at him and said, “What?”

  Many masters and the council leaned forward. “That’s a bit unnecessary, don’t you think, master Baylis?” Adel asked.

  “As is tradition, councilman,” Hugo quickly replied. “As is tradition, the prisoner will be given a chance to explain his side of the story, to give his take on the predicament and take a moment to may be come clean about his criminal nature and activities.”

  Vincent smiled. “Tradition has long been lost,” he said. “I am going to die anyway, what difference does it make?”

  And he was right. In recent years, the Court’s hearings and procedures had become quite one sided, with frontier justice being served by the council and the Seear. Never in the leadership of the Seear Renekom Mujin did anyone ever contradict the justice council who would almost always give severe judgements with the captor either being hanged or have their heads cut off.

  “Master Baylis, we should not be having to remind you of how severe this man’s crimes are,” Adel said. “He is a murderer. He has killed as many as 17 Eye compatriots and even stole Dark Art Scriptures from outsourced safehouses and other unknown locations! Will you be willing to except his apologies?”

  Hugo dropped his head as the Hall went silent. Vincent was smiling and the atmosphere was tense. Before Hugo could say anything though, the bounty hunter said, “Not once has anyone asked me where the remnants are. Not once has anyone asked me where the scriptures are. No evidence has been provided to support the claims of this damned fool here! Can you even be sure that I actually am the White Bolt? What kind of horseshit are you people running here? This is your due process?”

  The bounty hunter was giggling. “You don’t even know my name! Vincent. What Vincent? Nothing! You have absolutely nothing on me! Anyone who doesn’t comply by your stupid rules is deemed worthy of death!”

  “Silence!” the Seear exclaimed. “You dare talk about the Eye…”

  “Yes, I dare, sticks!” Vincent said, interrupting him. “The sadistic nonsensical regulations of your regime have meant that now even the most private Cults have begun to see you as the enemies! You’re running an obnoxious freak show here! Creating freaks of nature, ridiculous abominations like yourself and calling yourselves defenders!” He paused for merely a second before continuing in a calmer tone, “The world is well out your hands, sticks. It slipped from your wet and sweaty hands the day you took charge. Your outposts have become so utterly fruitless that it took them almost a year to find out about my operations and then it took you a further six months to send in the one able squad you have in this entire God-forsaken place. Let that sink in before you try to silence me, you fucking moron!”

  People looked around dumbfounded as Hugo laughed. “Time’s up, hot shot!” he said. “Nice speech, though.”

  Renekom got up from his seat. “Master Baylis,” he said.

  “Yes sir?”

  “Quite a few stones were skipped, and quite a few heads were turned, when you asked for this man to be captured alive. I believe this is the part where you prove that decision was a sound one.”

  Hugo shook his head. “Where are the Zaatsu who faced this man in battle?” he exclaimed looking at the crowd.

  Zaatsu Masters Beatrix Asimov and Sammy Labeau got up.

  “Good. Tell our seniors here how good of a fighter this man is. And also tell them how we as Zaatsu have never faced a guy who could go toe to toe with us so easily.” Then he quickly turned to face the Seear and said, “In case you wonder, he has no affiliations with the Order either.”

  “I have heard what they have to say, Baylis,” Renekom reminded the Zaatsu with a few lines beginning to appear on his forehead. He shook his head in frustration then added, “And for the same suspicions that you are pointing at, we all came to the conclusion that he should be removed from the equation.”

  Hugo put a hand on Vincent’s shoulder. “Are you not even a little bit curious about who trained this man?” he asked with a smile. “When he came up against my team, he did not look like a mere bounty hunter who was stealing some remnants. Oh no. He looked like a trained Martial Artist. He knew about us. He knew Ella was a Mystic and kept throwing defensive spells around himself whenever she was in striking range. Against Neil, he kept at the defensive knowing that my second in command attacks hastily and with his speed he could counter him very comfortably. But against me and Marcus, he was on the offensive. He attacked first and was as fast as he could be. If we hadn’t gathered the intel, or if we didn’t have what he was looking for, he could have easily picked us apart.”

  There was silence again in the hall as the Zaatsu continued. “All I’m saying is that I intend to find out who trained this man and who provided him with the info about my squad.”

  “And just how do you intend to do that, Hugo?” Adel asked.

  “The Eye used to have good interrogators,” Hugo replied scratching his head. “They’re all gone now. So, I guess I’ll have to try some other way.”

  “Such as?”

  “Alright here’s an idea,” he said looking at the prisoner. “Let’s ask the prisoner whether he has any conditions? Like I could give him something and in return he gives me what I need…”

  “You will do no such thing!” Renekom yelled.

  “What does the council say?”

  Adel looked at his fellows and they all had the same confused look on their faces. In fact, everyone in the hall was confused. Regardless, thereafter, the Justice Council demanded a brief moment to discuss the matter in private.

  But it was not brief. The following hour passed slowly. Hugo decided to sit away from his team and the Seear alike. Vincent remained on his chair and the restless public kept buzzing about. However, once the council returned to their seats, the court went silent. Adel Abayomi shuffled through some papers and then the council discussed some more, whispering so that no one would be able to hear them. They kept having slanted looks at Hugo and many a time looked at the Seear.

  Hugo walked up and stood next to Vincent. “They are worried more about pleasing you and the Seear than about the actual issue,” the bounty hunter whispered.

  “Been the case for more than six years now,” Hugo replied in kind. “Are you willing to help me out here?”

  Vincent looked up at him. “I don’t know what your game is,” he said. “But I don’t trust people all that often or all that easily.”

  “I thought a Ki pill would be enough to shift the balance in my favour.”

  “Think again…”

  There was a moment’s silence before Vincent looked back down, took a deep breath and, shaking his head, whispered, “You’ve ruined everything. Now do what you have to, and I’ll do what I have to…”

  “Master Baylis,” Adel called. “Shall we begin?”

  “Of course,” Hugo quickly replied.

  “Lord Mujin, by your leave…”

  “Proceed,” the Seear said raising his staff.

  Adel stood up and began addressing the attendees, “Ladies and gentlemen, the court is in session now. Let it be known that the Justice Council has taken all the variables into account to come to this unanimous decision. Be it the uncommon opinions of Zaatsu Master Baylis or the severe crimes of Vincent the bounty hunter or the opinions of the many senior masters calling for severe punishments, all have been considered.”

  He paused and Vincent changed angles.

  “We looked into the matter and found the bounty hunter known as the White Bolt worthy of death.”

  “Oh no no no,” Hugo calmly commented as he shook his head.

  “Excuse me?” Adel asked.

  “I said, no! Not on my watch. As long as I have a say in the matter this man remains alive.”

  The council again discussed, whispering amongst themselves.

  One of the other councilmen said, “That is absurd Master Baylis, and you give us no material to even have a proper discussion.”

  “Are you deaf, or just stupid?”

  “What is the meaning of this, Hugo?” the Seear exclaimed.

  “I have already told you! We have to know who trained this man. We have to find out where he came from, who his employers are and use all this information to strengthen the Eye and find the remnants and the scriptures. This man may very well be a golden opportunity to understanding and controlling the mess of the black markets. He knew everything there is to know about the Zeta Squad. Who knows about Zeta Squad? Who gave him that information? Where did he acquire it from? How many times do you want to hear all this?”

  Adel looked at the Seear and said, “But isn’t that highly unlikely to happen? I mean what chance do you have of acquiring that information from a man of his skill and cunning?”

  “I agree with the councilman,” Renekom said with a nod.

  Hugo sighed. “How about you let me worry about that?” he said standing with arms akimbo.

  Vincent laughed and taunted, “Looks like we have a Mexican stand-off, boys.”

  The decisive voices in the hall went silent once again. Hugo was ready to go to any lengths to keep Vincent off death row, while everyone else was more than ready to put him out of his misery. The crowd was growing more and more impatient. The process had already been dragged far longer than they expected or hoped for. They were chatting loudly now. On the other hand, the bounty hunter did not look bothered at all, poking fun at his captors and mocking their process and ranks, which made the whole scenario even more frustrating.

  The Seear’s council members sitting all around him now began to lean in and whisper. Hugo, standing about six inches from Vincent’s shoulder, dropped his head and whispered, “You’re not making it any easier, man.”

  “What are you trying to gain here?” the White Bolt asked.

  “I’m not sure, exactly.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I need to get you through this first.”

  “Alright postpone it!” Renekom exclaimed. “Postpone it, councilman.” He then looked at Hugo and said, “Send him back to his cell. We shall decide this matter privately.”

  Hugo tapped Vincent on the shoulder. “Mission accomplished,” he whispered as the bounty hunter shook his head.

  The crowd hooted and booed then as the smiling prisoner was blindfolded once again and dragged out. The furious Seear and his personal council, followed by Hugo and the Justice Council, stormed out of the court. Vincent was taken back to his cell and very soon, the Visionaries’ Court began emptying.