One World

Part 26

Rag'ell and a group of five of his closest advisors, including Maw-ghet and Leic-en, were watching the footage of the interrogation of Gabriel's father on a large holographic screen.

The six Ardanians sat in absolute silence around the large table in the conference room, listening intently to every word of the recording that had just arrived from Ardana.

The questioning took place in a great palace in the heart of the capital city of Ardana, where Mieh-ga had resided for thousands of years. Rag'ell had visited this ancient structure, with its tall, slender towers covered in eternal snow, countless times in his life and knew every detail.

However, the footage did not show much of the magnificent beauty and elaborate decoration, as the camera focused mostly on the man on trial.

Nevertheless, the Supreme could imagine a large meeting room with a high ceiling, massive columns, arches and many windows. And although there were cameras and other technical devices, they were placed so as not to spoil the grand atmosphere of this elegant ancient building.

Fifty councillors, dressed in their typical silver-grey flowing robes, sat on elevated benches around the circle, all eyes fixed on Kairen as he stood motionless in the centre of the hall.

The whole spectacle had been going on for some time, and the questions were very personal. Moreover, the Ardanians clearly expressed their contempt for the accused, his crime being all the worse in their eyes because he was not an ordinary citizen, but one of their own.

The interrogation was carried out by Irnaq, Rag'ell's predecessor, who, despite his advanced age and deep wrinkles, looked energetic as he marched briskly around the man on trial, putting Kairen under pressure with his uncomfortable questions.

Kairen, however, despite the enormous mental pressure he was being subjected to, stood tall and proud in front of everyone, oblivious to the hostile stares of the others. The Supreme found himself studying his face, searching for any resemblance to Gabriel.

But he saw none.

The sharp features, thin lips and tightly braided fair hair bore little resemblance to his son. Yet the determined, defiant look in Kairen's dark violet eyes felt strangely familiar.

The Ardanian's proud and unwavering demeanour throughout the interrogation reminded him more and more of Gabriel.

Kairen's hands had been trembling slightly for some time, and Rag'ell had so far attributed it to nervousness. Now, however, he noticed that beads of sweat were running down the accused's face, and his pupils were unnaturally dilated.

"They gave him raw'hara?" He said, hoping he was wrong. Then he paused the running recording.

Maw-ghet shrugged, "I do not know, my lord. It's possible."

Raw-hara was a synthetic drug that made it impossible to modify one's answers in any way. Not only did it prevent lying, but it also had a powerful effect on the psyche, designed to make the accused more compliant and force full cooperation.

However, the drug had different effects on each person. In some cases it could induce wild fantasies and hallucinations, often leading to frightening states and paranoia.

This was the reason, why raw-hara, commonly known as the drug of truth, was more often called the drug of madness.

Rag'ell grew more and more disgusted by what he witnessed. He couldn't understand why Mieh-ga had resorted to such extreme measures. All he had ordered was that Kairen be questioned to find out the circumstances of his encounter with Gabriel's mother. He didn't want to turn this into a humiliating public lynching.