THE LAST KEEPER

Things had escalated to toxic levels after Sagiri’s threat to eliminate everyone and bury everyone with him. The men and women gathered must have heard or seen the scene he had left behind in the north. The torn earth and the flattened houses.

"Such insolence, the East can not be responsible for what the boy does anymore," Chief of the East Linga Maaka said with chest. Whatever sagiri said was treason. He had threatened to kill everyone in the hall, and that involved the very sovereign ruler of Tagayia. That sin in itself was unforgivable, and things were in danger of taking a different turn. In the past few minutes, more bindings had been thrown around Sagiri, forcing him to his knees once again. He was now on his knees again, with more thread weavers adding so many threats that there was no part of his skin untouched.

"You can only take a donkey to the water. But you can’t force it, type drink." Chief Zaka Asakana said, leaning his broad hands on the platform, he sat behind.

"I thought the boy could be smart, but it seems we do not need to vote after all. The boy is determined to die. Threatening to kill our supreme ruler and bury all of us with him. How bold!" Kun Nakia said, still drumming her claws on the surface of the platform, she sat behind with her council. Even the diplomats’ council had gone silent, finally. "There is no saving someone who wants to kill you," she said, her voice filled with ice.

Chief Zaka was shaking his head in disappointment. The warriors’ guild was silent this time. Bekizize looked to be deep in thought, and the ten schools councils looked to be at a loss for words, too. The war council, on the other hand, was swelling with victory. Felunka was happy to see the grave Sagiri had dug for himself.

"Well then, it seems you have seen and heard what the boy says. This should help you cast the vote. "The vote will be, to kill him, to deport him south and rehabilitate him," Tsaka said, still unfazed by the commotion that had ensued.

There was silence, and then murmurs burst as the councils began to talk among themselves to decide what they should do with sagiri. The murmurs went on and on for a while while sagiri was pinned down by the power-sucking bindings and power-taming threads. He did not know where Nokai was, but when the archive had stirred violently, he had felt him in the same building, not so far away. Nokai was also bound by the seventh wing threads, and sagiri could feel the wall between them.

All he could do for now was listen to them vote on his fate as if the vermin who had changed his destiny were not in the councils. Sagiri had thought the man was high up in the power chain, but sitting in the mandra’s inner councils was quite a surprise.

"We will start on the vote!" Tsaka announced after a few minutes of each council member discussing among themselves. "Chief tendai mbeki, your councils seem to have concluded. Open the vote for us. Chief Mbeki stooped and headed to the platform behind sagiri to cast his vote.

"The central plains does not wish to be the enemy of the south or destroy our years of progress if a southerner dies in the north. We also do not wish to let the boy keep killing in the north. After much deliberation. The plan has decided that it will be in the best interest of the citizens of the central plains and the citizens of Tagayia if the boy is deported to the south. The plains are willing to make a treaty with the south and distance ourselves from this," Chief Mbeki said, his voice steady. The plains have never been ones to fight. They were innovators to drive Tagayia forward, and a war is never good for progress. Chief Mbeki returned to his seat.

"One vote to return the boy south!" Tsaka announced.

The kun of the west was the next person to take to the stage. Her thin, tall form was cold even in the manner of walking. Did the woman even have any warmth in the bottomless pit sitting on her chest called a heart?

"The West naturally doesn’t fear death, nor do we fear enmity. The boy is barbaric and unsalvageable. He will be in trouble for the south, whether he is left to go south or remain alive. He claims that his clan was killed by the north. He does not seem like he is the forgiving type. So as the kun of the west. The West had decided that it was in the best interest of the boy to die. The dead can’t avenge. Perhaps it’s best if he joins his clan," Kun Nakia said at the mention of his clan. Sagiri burned with rage, and he fought to get out of the restaurant, but this must have been modified because even the slightest movement caused him pain. The thin strings were beginning to cut into his flesh deeply.

"One vote to the boy to die!" Tsaka announced as the kun of the west walked to her seat.

The third council to take to the stage was the diplomats’ council.

"I stand by my sentiment. Tagayia does not need another war. War can never be solved by war, nor blood for blood. As diplomats, our mission is to maintain the peace in Tagayia. So, we have come to a conclusive agreement that it is in the best interest of Tagayia if the boy is returned south in one piece."

"Two votes for the boy to go south!" Tsaka announced.

Next to take to the stage was Linga Maaka, the chief of the east.

"The boy must have been raised in the east, and it fills me with so much pain that even having been raised in a place so peaceful, he could turn out like this. It seems someone has misguided him into thinking that the north had a hand in killing his clan. Such a vengeful and twisted young boy cannot be allowed to grow into adulthood. Who knows how many lives he could steal?" Linga was talking as if he was deeply disturbed, but sagiri could perceive his feelings, and they were those of fear. What a coward. He was the worst of them all. "To take full responsibility as his chief, I have to show how sorry I am that I personally gave an okay for him to be an aged student and a rare talent. To pay for this sin i and the east council have come to an agreement that the boy should be put to death. The hate in his heart is a burden that can only be lifted from his heart once he is dead." Linga said, keeping his voice steady and practiced regret.

"Two votes for the boy to die!" Tsaka announced. Many had not expected the chief of the east to give such a vote, and he was the only one who had voted in controversy with what anyone had thought.