nodded.
“You want to see me suffer, yes?”
“Of course.”
I pointed to Karina. “Do you think she needs to suffer also? She’s a civilian.”
Odin pursed his lips.
“We used to have order in the Midnight Society,” I said “What this is here, the Revenant’s, is insanity. All I see is mindless bloodshed.”
“To start anew we need to burn everything to the ground,” Odin said.
“That’s bullshit and you know it. Calisto sold you all promises of a better tomorrow. Well, have you seen her move towards that direction? Because all I’m noticing here are decisions made based on a personal vendetta. You guys all sit there following her blindly, but what you don’t realize is this: at some point, you’ll do something to piss her off. God forbid the day that you do because she’ll sit across from you at the dinner table, with a smile on her face, and proceed to slit your throat.”
“Why Lincoln, are you trying to turn my own organization against me?” Calisto asked.
I shook my head. “No. What I’m trying to do is to reintroduce the concept of humanity back into them. They can start by letting Karina go and punishing me for my crimes instead. Take my life as the offer Calisto. In your eyes it’s of higher value.”
Odin shook his head. “Calisto is right, she knows too much. When she leaves, she’ll talk.”
I looked at her with pain in my eyes and then nodded. “Fine then, in exchange for her silence, take her tongue.”
I could see Karina’s heart sink to her stomach as she closed her eyes and covered her face.
“I’m sorry Karina,” I said, despite knowing that no apology could ever make things right.
I looked at the jury. “Find your humanity. Take her ability to speak, but give her the opportunity to live. Is this acceptable for you?”
I watched intensely as they began conversing amongst themselves. After a minute of discussion, Alexis, their spokesperson, rose from her seat.
“The jury finds this solution acceptable,” she said. “We side with the defendant on this matter. Take the civilian’s tongue and allow for Lincoln to accept the punishment, whatever it may be.”
I felt relief wash through me.
“ We side with the defendant, ” Calisto mocked. “Fuck, all of you are sheep.”
Odin slammed the gavel down. “Regardless, the intent of this entire exercise is still a trial and with that comes the democracy of one. We shall take the woman’s tongue, and then let her go.”
I looked at Odin with the intensity of a man, begging for his own life. “Promise me, Odin. Promise me that no harm will come to this woman once she’s set free.”
Odin looked at me and frowned.
“Your word always meant something. You were the only man in the Midnight Society who knew how to keep their word. Do me this one favor, please.”
All I said was true. I couldn’t recall a single damned time he never followed through with his promises, which of course included ruining my life.
“Fine,” he finally said. “I’ll ensure that she’s looked after, and protected. However, should I get any hints of her speaking to someone outside the organization about our business, there will be no mercy.”
“She won’t,” I said, “That I can promise you.”
“She’s been silent thus far, much to my amazement,” Odin remarked. “In her shoes, any other sensible person would have begged for her life.”
I wasn’t surprised.
The thing that no one else knew about Karina was this: shortly before we parted ways, her vocal chords were permanently damaged. To this day, I still cursed the old bastard and his bony hands, the same ones used to crush Karina’s throat. If I had only gotten there sooner, perhaps I could have saved her voice. Perhaps the rape attempt would never have occurred and the scarring wouldn’t have been permanent.
How different would our lives have been then?
But that horrible night did happen and there was no changing it.
“I’m not pleased with this result,”
“You want to see me suffer, yes?”
“Of course.”
I pointed to Karina. “Do you think she needs to suffer also? She’s a civilian.”
Odin pursed his lips.
“We used to have order in the Midnight Society,” I said “What this is here, the Revenant’s, is insanity. All I see is mindless bloodshed.”
“To start anew we need to burn everything to the ground,” Odin said.
“That’s bullshit and you know it. Calisto sold you all promises of a better tomorrow. Well, have you seen her move towards that direction? Because all I’m noticing here are decisions made based on a personal vendetta. You guys all sit there following her blindly, but what you don’t realize is this: at some point, you’ll do something to piss her off. God forbid the day that you do because she’ll sit across from you at the dinner table, with a smile on her face, and proceed to slit your throat.”
“Why Lincoln, are you trying to turn my own organization against me?” Calisto asked.
I shook my head. “No. What I’m trying to do is to reintroduce the concept of humanity back into them. They can start by letting Karina go and punishing me for my crimes instead. Take my life as the offer Calisto. In your eyes it’s of higher value.”
Odin shook his head. “Calisto is right, she knows too much. When she leaves, she’ll talk.”
I looked at her with pain in my eyes and then nodded. “Fine then, in exchange for her silence, take her tongue.”
I could see Karina’s heart sink to her stomach as she closed her eyes and covered her face.
“I’m sorry Karina,” I said, despite knowing that no apology could ever make things right.
I looked at the jury. “Find your humanity. Take her ability to speak, but give her the opportunity to live. Is this acceptable for you?”
I watched intensely as they began conversing amongst themselves. After a minute of discussion, Alexis, their spokesperson, rose from her seat.
“The jury finds this solution acceptable,” she said. “We side with the defendant on this matter. Take the civilian’s tongue and allow for Lincoln to accept the punishment, whatever it may be.”
I felt relief wash through me.
“ We side with the defendant, ” Calisto mocked. “Fuck, all of you are sheep.”
Odin slammed the gavel down. “Regardless, the intent of this entire exercise is still a trial and with that comes the democracy of one. We shall take the woman’s tongue, and then let her go.”
I looked at Odin with the intensity of a man, begging for his own life. “Promise me, Odin. Promise me that no harm will come to this woman once she’s set free.”
Odin looked at me and frowned.
“Your word always meant something. You were the only man in the Midnight Society who knew how to keep their word. Do me this one favor, please.”
All I said was true. I couldn’t recall a single damned time he never followed through with his promises, which of course included ruining my life.
“Fine,” he finally said. “I’ll ensure that she’s looked after, and protected. However, should I get any hints of her speaking to someone outside the organization about our business, there will be no mercy.”
“She won’t,” I said, “That I can promise you.”
“She’s been silent thus far, much to my amazement,” Odin remarked. “In her shoes, any other sensible person would have begged for her life.”
I wasn’t surprised.
The thing that no one else knew about Karina was this: shortly before we parted ways, her vocal chords were permanently damaged. To this day, I still cursed the old bastard and his bony hands, the same ones used to crush Karina’s throat. If I had only gotten there sooner, perhaps I could have saved her voice. Perhaps the rape attempt would never have occurred and the scarring wouldn’t have been permanent.
How different would our lives have been then?
But that horrible night did happen and there was no changing it.
“I’m not pleased with this result,”
Similar Books
