Rise of the Mare (Fall of Man Book 2) by Jacqueline Druga Page B

them to our protected land—”
    “No!” she cried “No!”
    “You have put at risk your brothers
and sisters and those in the City of La Sveg As. You have tainted
the nourishment, and in doing so, hindered our wellbeing and
survival. A human child is a gift from the gods to the Ancients and
you have broken the Laws the gods have set forth that a child of
human nature is to be allowed to experience growth in physical
being and maturity. You defied that for your own selfish gain.”
    Nito lowered her head. “Please, I beg
you.”
    The king drew up a bellowing voice.
“For crimes against the humans, crimes against the Ancients, and
defiance of the laws set forth by your king, the counsel in
accordance with the gods, I hereby sentence you.”
    Nito scurried to her feet. “Father,
please. Please!”
    His voice dropped to a saddened
whisper and he stepped back. “Gods be with you.” Nito shook her
head frantically.
    “I take from you all that you have
given to that child. Until such a time where you have proven your
worthiness to hold such high power again, I… banish you.”
    The king swung forth and from his
hand blasted a golden light. It struck into Nito and she cried out
in agony. “No!”
    The light encompassed her, her body
withered and shook as the lighter grew deeper, and Nito faded to a
transparent image. Her back arched, her head flew back, and with
one final scream, she vanished.
    The golden gown that she wore dropped
to the floor and the light extinguished. The king walked sadly to
the garment, lifted it, and turned to us.
    “Educator, take the Mare to her
counterpart and bring back the memories. Tell the child nothing of
what happened.”
    “Yes, my king.” Iry bowed his head
and the king walked out.
    I was still holding my breath. “Nito
is gone? Banished? What does that mean? She disappeared.”
    Iry took hold of my arm and began to
lead me out.
    “So she is no longer a threat?”
    “Not right now she isn’t.”
    “She will be again?”
    “Doubtful. There have been many
banishings and only a few prominent figures. No one has ever come
back.”
    “Where do they go?” I asked. “What
happens to them?”
    Iry shrugged. “We aren’t privileged
to know the details of the banished. Like I said, they don’t come
back. I don’t know where Nito is now. My guess,” he said with a
shrug, “is that she is somewhere she can’t hurt a soul.”
    Had not I not seen her disappear
before my eyes, I wouldn’t believe Iry’s words. However, Nito did
vanish, and only her clothes remained. Surely she went someplace
where only her ethereal being could exist. With all the bad that
had happened, there was one bright spot. Nito was gone and chances
were she wasn’t coming back.

TWENTY-FOUR – NITO
     
    Never had I experienced pain
like I did when Father banished me. It was far more than the
physical pain, I was lost in an emotional collapse that I never
would have thought I’d experience.
    That was at first.
    I was confident, after all, I was not
one of the lower Ancients, a peasant in nature. I was a princess,
next in line for the throne. There was no question in my mind that
if there would be punishment it would be minor. A slap on the
wrist. Perhaps I would have been sent to the pen to monitor the
farming for a few days. That is disgusting work, because humans can
be so vile.
    How they ever came to be so
accomplished on Earth is beyond me. Yet they did and again, because
of their vile nature lost it all.
    Many times in man’s history they lost
it all but they rose again to the occasion and reclaimed. Not this
time.
    Standing in that pathetic court while
my father and four peers passed judgment on me all based on the
word and memories of a lowlife Mare enraged me. Why was there even
a question? The beast attack needn’t even have occurred had the
Elders handed the little wench over to me.
    It all would have been done, over
with. Her withered body would lay at the bottom of a ravine,
ravaged from me