Not Yet Broken

Writers: Chelle, Miriah, Paula
Date Posted: 8th May 2013

Characters: Zandan, Sarban, J'ackt
Description: Caged and facing his fate, Jenackt tries to maintain his attitude.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 13, day 22 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Corowal
Notes: Follows "Caught and Arrested"

J'ackt

Jenackt woke, his head and leg throbbing. Groggily he looked around
him, trying to process the sight of the dingy, dark room he was held
in. The floor was hard. It smelled. He blinked slowly with a groan. It
was too dark. Was it night time? With difficulty he sat up and
memories came back to him in a rush that made his head throb in time
with heart. Sweet Faranth they had him.

Holding his head, he looked around, trying to see more clearly. His
leg had been patched up. He frowned at that. Why hadn't they let him
bleed to death? In the dim light he could make out the linear shapes
of the bars that held him in and his heart fluttered as an immediate
sense of claustrophobia took him. No….

Struggling, he fought against the pain in his leg as he rose, hissing
as his leg protested. He ignored it; there were more important things
to worry him now. He gripped the bars and attempted to rattle them.
There was only a slight sound. Was one of them loose? He shook them
again, a bit more firmly. Another rattle. Maybe if one was loose…He
began testing the bars one by one, straining to see the connections in
the dim light.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you're just wasting your strength. You
can't undo those bars, not in my cell. The rattling just comes from
the food hatch. And even a skinny lad like you can't squeeze through
it," Zandan said, walking in. He just loved torturing prisoners, even
if it was just taking away their false hope.

Jenackt stepped back, hatred clear in his blue eyes. He refused to be bullied,
even if inwardly he was frightened. If it was one thing his father had taught him,
it was to never show weakness. He had had it beaten out of him early
on. Instead, he spat at Zandan's feet. "I haven't done anything."

"Really? Well, then, you shouldn't have anything to worry about the
upcoming trial," Zandan said with sarcasm. Like he would believe his
innocence. "Oh, before I forgot: anything you say _will be_ used
against you in a court and some unlucky sod will be assigned as your
defence for the trial."

Trial....Jenackt's blood went cold. Fake trial more like. "Why bother? You all
have decided I'm guilty of whatever you claim. It's just a show isn't it?"

Zandan shook his head. "You don't get it do you? Growing up outside
the civilized society. " He almost felt sorry for the boy...almost.
"Nothing makes holders feel more secure than seeing the crimals get
judged publicly. Sentancing some one without trial is tyranny and
generally people resent that kind of rule."

"It's still a show." Jenackt bit out. "A show for them. I've already
been judged by you and your precious Holder Lord." In his anger
and frustration, Jenackt approached the bars. "And for what?
Wanting to survive?"

"_I_ don't judge you, I just catch you scoundrels. We know more than
you think, Mernsom was very helpful. You're a thief." Zandan replied.

"You already have." Jenackt stepped back into the shadows. "You know
nothing. I did what I had to. Just like anyone else would."

"And there you're wrong. Anyone else with any sense would have simply
come to the Hold, maintained honest employment, and would have been
provided with what they needed. So you chose to do what you did."
Sarban had entered quietly, wanting a look at the boy. He still
couldn't believe they had finally got him and it was him! He had the
privilege of having all those wanted hides taken down. "Now you will
be punished for that choice as Lord Corowal sees fit since it was from
his people that you took."

There was a burst of cynical laughter. "You all hate the Holdless. I
would have been locked up on sight, not gotten any sort of employment.
Don't even try that tripe with me. I know all about you people. And I
never took more than what I needed or what could be missed. I just
wanted to eat." He snarled. "And I was trying to leave. Get away from
you lot. " His anger faltered as he leaned against the back wall. "I
just wanted to eat."

"Obviously you know nothing about us or you wouldn't be where you
are." Sarban came forward, his eyes looking down at Jenackt through
the bars. The sailor-turned-holder wasn't very ostentatious in his
dress and he preferred cool, airy tunics and trousers. "If you had
come to us-we would have allowed you to hold. Simple as that. You
thought you knew everything, though, didn't you? So you never came.
You judged us, not the other way around. Think about who told you what
you know about holders, Jenackt. Think."

Zandan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, leting the
Steward to the talking.

Lifting his head, Jenackt scowled. "From the only person to ever teach
me and the fact that you lot took everything from me!" His jaw
tightened. "If your Noble Lord hadn't made my father Holdless, my
mother would still be alive. He would still be alive! I don't care
what he did, but we were innocent! Did you lot care? No! You're
shaffing right I judge you. You judged my family and sent us to die."

"Zandan, tell him the truth." Sarban stepped aside so the guard could
speak. It was a shame the boy had been lied to, causing so much
destruction needlessly. Not that the boy was going to believe Zandan
but he still should know.

"Corowal wasn't the Lord Holder back then," Zandan corrected Jenackt.
"He was still Steward in Coral Bay, wooing Ofelia. It was his
uncle..." he was interrupted when a boy ran in.

"Important message, sir!" he saluted and handed Zandan a hide.

"Thanks lad," Zandan said and unfolded the note, He read it, "Scorch
it," he swore and handed the note to Sarban. "Looks like the decades
of heavy drinking finally took their revenge on poor Mernsom." The
note was from the Infirmary, telling that Mernsom had died. Looking
Jenackt he said, "A little tip, lad, stay away from booze. It will
kill you."

The news of Mernsom's death made Jenackt blink, but there was no grief
in his eyes. The man had betrayed him. But Zandan's 'advice' drew a
snort. "I don't drink."

"Smart lad," Zandan said. Looking at Sarban he asked: "Did Corowal say
when the trial will be?"

"We have the harpers here now so that's not an issue, but I think during the
Turnover Feast since most of the holders will be here then to observe. They
need to know that it's done with." Sarban didn't much care about public spectacles
but he understood it was a calculated display of power on Corowal's part.

Jenackt was quickly learning that he intensely disliked people speaking
about him as if he was not there. He interjected. "Ah. So I'm to be an
example. How...fitting."

Last updated on the May 31st 2013

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Not Yet Broken