Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

'What then you suppose we should do, my fellow colleague? Shall we, who are the consuls, tolerate Caitlin, openly desirous to destroy the whole world with fire and slaughter? There was- 'And he paused for dramatic effect before continuing 'there was once such virtue in this state, that brave men would repress mischievous citizens with severer chastisement than the bitterest enemy. For we have a resolution of the senate, a formidable and authoritative decree against you, sanctioned by the very power of the King, to pass judgment upon our kind.'

And the Consul quieted. Some can be seen nodding, agreeing with Silas word. Some of the Consuls in her pocket is unconformable in their seats

'O Caitlin; the wisdom of the King is not at fault, nor the dignity of this senatorial body. We, we alone—I say it openly,—we, the consuls, are wanting in our duty'

And he sighed before continuing almost immediately.

'The senate once passed a decree that, that the consul, should take care that the Kingdom suffered no injury. We were given power by the King, given responsibility to safeguard the Kingdom. We are the Knight of mind, our mind is capable of great destruction with the knowledge we possess….and yours are the most destructive of us all here, Caitlin. One day, we might even be entrusted to protect this Kingdom. Is it not the Praetorian class that teaches arms and weaponry? Is it not the Consuls who research every day to supplement the strategy of war by the Praetorians? Are we not all, to be the backbone of this new Kingdom?'  Silas paused and looked at the men sitting around the hall, who were slowly nodding their heads. 'We will one day become the sword and shield of this new nation. We are shield…...but we are also the sword. But we, for these past years, have been allowing the edge of the senate's authority to grow blunt, as it were.'

Silas stopped, and every person in the hall let out a collective, heavy sigh, all of them suddenly realizing they had been holding their breath.

Silas's speech was entrancing, a true master orator.

He walked closer to Caitlin, smiled and turned his back to her.

It would have taken one simple, swift movement to slash his neck right then, but Caitlin did not dare. Not in this situation.

Silas is not as illustrious as Caitlin but right now, if she slashed him, she would fall into his trap.

The Senate would ask for expulsion…no…she might even be executed. The University has its own laws…not that different from the laws of the new Kingdom.

She had no other choice but to listen to this man. For the first time in years she felt a pang of regret as she listened to Silas.

"My fellow consuls," Silas threw his arms open.

'We are in possession of a similar decree of the senate, but we keep it locked up in its parchment—buried, I may say, in the sheath; and according to this decree you ought, O Caitlin, to be put to death this instant. You live,—and you live, not to lay aside, but to persist in your audacity. I wish, O Lord Father of Heaven, to be merciful; I wish not to appear negligent amid such danger to the state; but I do now accuse myself of remissness and culpable inactivity. A camp is pitched in Alan, at the entrance of the border, in hostility to the Kingdom; the number of the enemy increases every day; and yet the general of that camp, the leader of those enemies, we see within the walls—aye, and even in the senate—planning every day some internal injury to the Kingdom.'

He smiles and look around him and then continue his oration that astound people.

'If, O Caitlin, I should now order you to be arrested, to be put to death, I should, I suppose, have to fear lest all good men should say that I had acted tardily, rather than that any one should affirm that I acted cruelly. But yet this, which ought to have been done long since, I have good reason for not doing as yet; I will put you to death, then, when there shall be not one person possible to be found so wicked, so abandoned, so like yourself, as not to allow that it has been rightly done. As long as one person exists who can dare to defend you, you shall live; but you shall live as you do now, surrounded by my many and trusty guards, so that you shall not be able to stir one finger against the University and the state; many eyes and ears shall still observe and watch you, as they have hitherto done, thou you shall not perceive them.'

Hearing this Caitlin is in despair.

In the highest seat, Julia watched in surprise.

The young man had the power to turn black to white; his power with words was extraordinary.

On the stage Silas continues on his parade of words, his breath is uniforms and stable, sometime rising and enthusiastic, other time it was grave, reminding the Senate of the danger of keeping Caitlin in the enclosed walls of the university.

'For what is there, O Caitlin, that you can still expect, if night is not able to veil your nefarious meetings in darkness, and if private houses cannot conceal the voice of your conspiracy within their walls—if everything is seen and displayed?'

He then smirks and continued

'Change your mind: trust me: forget the slaughter and conflagration you are meditating. You are hemmed in on all sides; all your plans are clearer than the day to us. You do nothing, you plan nothing, you think of nothing which I not only do not hear, but which I do not see and know every particular of. Listen while I speak of the night before. You shall now see that I watch far more actively for the safety than you do for the destruction of this institution. I say that you came the night before into the Old Street, to the house of Marias; that many of your accomplices in the same insanity and wickedness came there, too. Do you dare to deny it?'

Silas scrutinized Caitlin's face, which was pale white and as still as ice.

'Why are you silent? You were, then, O Caitlin, at Liam that night; you divided the class and the factions into sections; you settled where everyone was to go after the deed was done; you fixed whom you were to leave here, whom you were to take with you. My assassination my dear fellow consul. This lady here, plotted my demise just a night before and she dares show her face to me!'

The consuls were stunned with shock, but none so much as Caitlin.

A year ago, she had tried to assassinate Silas, but the day before she had done nothing but await the decision of the senate and plan to silence them only depending on the outcome.

It was the arrival of the Duchess that threw her plans to tatters. Now, it seemed, Silas was spinning lies. He continued with a devious smirk.

'All this I knew almost before your meeting had broken up. I strengthened and fortified my residence with a stronger guard; I refused admittance, when they came, to those whom you sent in the morning to salute me, and of whom I had foretold to many eminent men that they would come to me at that time. As, then, this is the case, O Caitlin, continue as you have begun. Leave the university at least; the gates are open; depart. That camp of yours has been waiting too long for you as its general. And lead forth with you all your friends, or at least as many as you can; purge this place of your presence; you will deliver me from a great fear, when there is a wall between you and me. Among us you can dwell no longer—I WILL NOT BEAR IT!'

He yelled his voice thundered inside the Senate reverberating and send shock to the heart of all that was present.

'I WILL NOT PERMIT IT, I WILL NOT TOLERATE IT!'

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