Broken: Shard's Tales

Chapter Seven: Family Time.

Luthen went to see his family at the detention center while sticking to the shadows. He saw his wanted posters all over his home town. Dead or alive with a very attractive bounty. Sophia was not lying.

He came to the location of his house and faced what used to be the door. All that remained of a fine estate was the charred remains of wood, mortar and metal left behind by those angry cultists or the mob they had stirred up. He said silent thanks to Sophia for protecting his family.

This location too had not been spared the onslaught of his wanted posters, some of them defaced with the word “murderer” written in red. One could not turn without spotting them somewhere. On a street pole with his poster by his left side, were two drunken men talking. One with a bottle and the other, equally drunken but not holding his. He listened, hoping to get a piece of information or two.

“Oi, what–hic–would you do if you catch–hic–guy?” he heard one say to the other

“I’d–hic–collect my bounty and buy all the drinks–hic–this world.” The other replied. “I would–hic–sea rides with only the finest women–hic–finest booze………”

Luthen left them to discuss their vile fantasies.

The detention facility was not hard to locate though it looked unassuming from the outside. Luthen sneaked in to the room where his parents and sister were being held.

He entered the room. They sat on the floor in a circle. There was no visible change in their looks. Again Sophia had helped him.

He was dressed like a Cloak, so they did not really notice him at first.

“Hi Dad. Hi Mum,” he said.

They all froze. Then they stood and looked carefully at him, thinking they were hallucinating. Was it this morning’s meal?

“L–Luthen?”

They could not believe their eyes. They approached him and though his mum hugged him and his sister cried,  his father didn’t come closer, though he stood.

“Do not alert the guards.” he tried to calm them

He took a look at his dad. His dad looked at him with conflicted eyes. Is this my son or is he a monster?

“Dad, Do not–”

“Did you do it?”

“Dedan, we just got our son back. Do not spoil this, please.” His mum said crying into her clothes. She believed he did it. He wasn’t disappointed. He had half expected his parents to throw stones at him or curse or report his presence to the guards–that would have been messy. His sister, Anda looked at him with eyes similar to her father’s.

“I did not.” Luthen said, heavily.

“That’s all I needed to hear, son. That is all.” His father said with relief and hugged his son. His sister’s eyes looked less conflicted and she hugged him also.

“You can’t stay for long.” said his father regretfully after a long hug. “You need to go.”

“I know.” Luthen replied. He was on the verge of tears.

“Big Bro, come back to us, please.” Anda said.

“I will.” Luthen said with a finality and left.

The Church had successfully upgraded an enemy to an archenemy.

*******

Outside the detention center, Luthen had to process his emotions. He stood in a corner for a while. It was time to be at the next stop. Maron’s grave.

Sophia had also given him the location of the cemetery. Maron was given a heroes burial in the national cemetery. He walked carefully, slowly and with his head bowed, avoided all forms of public transport, partly because he did not want to be recognized and partly because he wanted to honour his fallen friend. He continuously played the memories he could remember of Maron in his head.

This was his first time being in Rhyne’s capital. He had always wanted to go when he was little. The city would have opened its arms to him then. It did not now.

His wanted posters, already a nuisance outside of the capital, was a menace inside. They were everywhere—walls, windows, street poles. Even the ground was littered with them. Almost every single one of them were defaced with various insults.

The walls of the buildings seemed to weigh on him together with his guilt. Their gaze was unwelcoming and cold. Luthen had almost begun to wonder why he came.

The security of the capital was really tight. The City Guard was extremely active, demanding IDs and permits, uncovering hooded civilians and enforcing a mandatory check. However, this was not enough to deter or stop his advancement.

He reached the cemetery and continued his careful, slow walk, almost as if he was afraid of hurting any blade of grass.

Sophia had not given him the exact location of Maron’s grave, but it wasn’t hard to find. Maron was the latest hero of the land to be buried. He was ashamed of not being able to offer something at his grave, but at least Maron wasn’t lacking for offerings. For the first time since the explosion, he cried; the amount of flower pollen and incense at the grave choking him made it easier.

Slowly, softly, savoring each and every tear like it was his last.

*******

Back in the detention center, Luthen’s mum wailed. His father comforted her.

“I know you could feel it too, Morya. Our son has changed, grown.”

“Why would you ask him that, Dedan?” His mother, Morya, asked his father.

“I wanted to know whose side he was. He will be fine. He is stronger than us now.”

*******

Luthen cried.

It helped his grief, strengthened his resolve and resolved his inner chaos. It did good to come here.

He stood and breathed in and out till it was even.

Now to deal with the three scoundrels that had been following him from the detention center.

He turned from facing the grave with his eyes closed and said to no particular direction,

“Come out. It is no use. I know you are here.”