***
Javin had moved over to drench his face in the trickling water coming into a bowl at one end of his cell. Occasionally he and Sauros would sit and talk. He'd found out all he could about where he was from Sauros. Still nothing made sense. Now he mostly just sat and pondered. Every once in a while he tried to focus on the crystal in his breast, trying to get it to do something -- anything that might help him retrieve his memory.
It was ridiculous to think that he hadn't come from somewhere else, and that this was his home world, if indeed, this actually was a world. There were no others like him that anyone he'd met knew of, and he also had those flashes of memory that told him things he was sure were alien to this place.
The cell was cold and musty, but Javin was hoping the splash of water would waken him from the lethargy he felt himself slipping into. There was nothing for he and Sauros to do now but wait.
"Here now, step back from the bars!"
Javin swung around the water dripping from his hair and running down his face.
A detachment of guards were standing in front of Sauros' cell, and he moved back, turning to eye Javin.
Here it comes, Javin thought, flashing Sauros a wry smile.
The guards opened the door and three men covered Sauros with drawn blades while two more turned Sauros around and began binding his hands behind his back with a chord.
No one spoke.
They moved Sauros out of the cell, and then came to stand in front of his. Javin pressed the water out of his hair with his hands and scrubbed his face, then shook his hands to rid them of the excess water. "Need to look my best, you know."
The guard opening the cell door looked up at him a moment, then continued to open the door. Two men came in with a chord to bind him, while the other three waited outside the cell with Sauros.
He must have put up quite a fight to have them watch him this close. Javin allowed the chords to go around his wrists, but tried tensing his muscles, to make the chords a little loose when he relaxed. The guards knew what he was doing. They cinched them until the circulation was cut off, then he relaxed and let them finish. Might as well wait and see what happens.
With drawn knives against their throats and a stern warning to not try anything foolish, they were led back up through the palace to the audience chamber.
The doors were swung open and Javin and Sauros were ushered through. This time there were more guards surrounding the sides of the large chamber, and then a smaller group of guards were standing in front of the throne. Javin's eyes immediately focused on the stone archway sitting in the middle of the room. It was nearly the same as the one he'd seen in the temple --or whatever it was.
Javin continued to watch it carefully as they moved him forward. The closer he got, he began to notice the faint shimmer within the archway that he'd seen earlier. It was hard not to stare, but he knew he also needed to see what else was going on in the room. He needed to be able to put everything together, try to find a way to turn this audience into a way of escape.
Javin glanced at Sauros and noticed his eyes go wide and followed where he'd been staring. Mouhra’ Lah, the princess, was standing off to the side in another small group, and Sauros was fighting within himself, Javin could tell, not to bolt and fight to her side.
Saballa was standing directly at the foot of the dais, addressing Tranthra' Joh in low tones, then turned to Javin and Sauros as they were moved up in front of the throne.
Sauros ignored Tranthra' Joh and focused his eyes on Mouhra' Lah. She, in turn, was gazing back at him, tears starting to streak her cheeks.
Javin glanced back over his shoulder to the archway, then back to Tranthra' Joh.
"I see you're interested in our little death machine," Trantha' Joh said.
"You don't know what it is, I see," Javin replied.
Saballa's eyes narrowed at Javin and he took a half step forward.
"Pretty brave when I'm tied up," Javin said to Saballa.
Saballa half-drew his knife before Tranthra' Joh held up his hand.
"Not now, Saballa. We'll let the machine have him . . . unless he decides to urge the Princess to cooperate."
I see today is the day for the blackmail play, Javin thought, turning to stare at the archway again. There was something about it . . .
"You see," Tranthra' Joh continued, standing on the dais. "This little machine here will kill whoever steps through it. It might not look like much, but whoever steps through never returns."
Tranthra stepped down and moved behind them to stand by the archway. He rested his hands on its side and focused his attention on the Princess.
"It makes a horrible noise when they step through. I'm sure there's a great deal of pain. But of course, the choice is yours."
The princess held up her chin, but looked directly at Sauros' Bho, as if trying to communicate with him without words.
"If you agree to my . . . proposal," Tranthra' Joh continued, ignoring the play between the princess and Sauros, "then your prince, here will be set free. He'll be able to return to his own country, and you'll be assured he'll be safe."
Tranthra turned back to look at Sauros. "But if you don't agree, right now, then I'll have no choice but to have him step through."
Javin noticed in the back of his brain there was no mention of him, though he had no doubt he would be put through the death machine also. Probably first to apply some extra leverage and show Tranthra’ Joh was serious. Something told him that might not be so bad. An idea was forming in the back of his mind. He stared hard at the archway. There was a subtle change occurring that apparently no one else was noticing. The crystal in his breast started to warm.
"No!" Sauros shouted and launched himself at Tranthra' Joh, his arms still bound behind his back. They collided and Tranthra' Joh was sent sprawling. Javin could tell that Sauros had tried to angle his collision in such a way as to push Tranthra’ Joh through the archway, but it hadn’t worked. Tranthra’ Joh had moved just enough. Sauros had nearly fallen through himself, but instead topped to the ground in front of the frame.
Javin snapped out of his thoughts and knew he'd better act quickly or his half-formed plan would be useless.
“Don’t do it!” Sauros yelled to Mouhra’ Lah as guards surrounded him with their long blades. “He’ll kill me anyway, he can’t let me go!”
The princess held out her arms but was forced back.
Saballa drew his knife and stepped forward while Tranthra’ Joh was climbing back to his feet with the help of two guards.
Javin was left to himself that moment. Sauros had been pushed back just in front of the arch. Saballa was intent on murder. Tranthra’ Joh didn’t appear in any mood to stop it.
Javin took two running steps and kicked out with his right leg, catching Saballa in the temple. Saballa went down. Javin hoped it was for good. He was just enough off balance with his arms bound he wasn’t able to put full force behind the kick. His guards came out of their stupor and drew their blades and rushed at him. He didn’t turn to face them. Instead, he called to the Princess.
“Stick to your guns! We’ll be back!”
Javin had landed in front of Sauros, who was staring down at him in surprise.
“Trust me,” Javin said and he pushed forward into Sauros’s bulk. Together they fell through the now shimmering arch.