He remembered the fear, the feeling of lost and helplessness when he was thrusted up the slopes and through the city gates, several others in tow behind and ahead of him. There had been guards then; military men escorting townsfolks that had been lucky enough to survive the attacks, many of whom had lost their families, just like him. At seven years old, Ty had probably been one of the youngest amongst the groups of survivors that day. He remembered the pitiful stares thrown his way when they saw he was companionless as he trudged up and took his provision of food and blanket.

That was how he felt now; scared and vulnerable as he was dragged through judging eyes and bright concrete buildings. Everything here was too colourful. There were too many fountains, and plants, as if these people had all the time in the world for gardening. It was nothing like the comforts of the lower district, or the jail cell he had been in minutes ago.

According to the law, because he had been arrested in the middle district, he had to go through jurisdictions there, but the look on greasy hair's face when the manacles were slapped on him had implied that there was something more. Ty guessed it was probably something along the lines of the guards being able to get away with having him beaten up for what he did to them. No one in the middle district would care for the injustice inflicted upon a lowly teen from the lower district.

The courthouse was a large rectangular building complete with a steeple and large pine doors, its design similar to those of the buildings in the middle district: colourfully painted brick and iron railings, and octagonal or round towers and turrets to draw the eye upward. The sigil of the city council was emblazoned over the door – a golden scale with an arrow straight down the central pivot point, looming ominously over him as he was led through the wide open doors.

He was met with a room that was similar to the insides of a church, with low empty benches on either side and a high table at the end of the room, seated by an old grim-faced judge dressed in black and white robes.

Saved for the guards that stood by the entrance and greasy hair behind him, the only other people in the room were the staring faces at the front; the jury. Ty felt a pang of dismay seeing no signs of Alexi or Tobias. He wondered if they even knew he was here, it had only been a couple of hours since his capture.

Greasy hair led him down the aisle, his head held up as if proudly displaying his captive. Once they arrived at the pulpit, Ty was released, albeit reluctantly by the man.

'Hubert,' the judge acknowledged with a sigh, lifting his glasses and peering at them over a long hooked nose. 'This better be important, unlike the other offenders you've brought previously. May I remind you that courts held for small-scale crime have been reduced under recent circumstances, and I would actually like to utilize my time on actual crimes.'

A few of the jury nodded in agreement and Ty felt hopeful that he would be let off easy. It seemed Hubert often brought people in under dismissible situations. Ty suddenly felt certain if he was given the chance to explain that it was all an accident the jury would give him a pass.

'Your honour, this... rat had attacked me and my comrade while we were on our patrol, under no particular reasons except for the fact that we were doing our jobs. We saw a man wielding a weapon on the streets and was apprehending him for doing so. My guess is that this rat is under cahoots with that man and was hoping to rob us blind after apprehending us.'

Ty rolled his eyes in disgust at Hubert's obviously made-up accusations, earning himself a glare from the judge. As if anyone in the lower districts would ever have the right mind to rob a pair a guard under broad daylight.

'My partner is in the infirmary as we speak, nursing an injured arm. Luckily, I was fast enough to fend off the attack, and my quick thinking allowed me to arrest him.' The pleased and cocky look returned to Hubert's expression.

'In the middle district...' the judge begrudgingly added. He pushed his glasses up and pointedly scrutinized the red and yellow attire Ty wore. 'And how did this boy attack you?'

'He took us by surprise, releasing several beasts onto us while our backs were turned. If only I had moved fast enough!' He shook his head, a hint of tremble in his voice. A performance.  'I would have seen the knife he brandished sooner, then I would have been able to stop him from stabbing my partner in the —'

'You're lying!' Ty yelled in outrage; all sense of decorum forgotten. Hubert flashed him a sadistic smile, which was unfortunately lost to the jury and the judge amongst the slight disarray the accusation caused.

'Silence,' the judge ordered, pointing a long bony finger at Ty. 'One more word from you, boy, and we shall have you gagged.' He turned back to Hubert, who was gleeful from the scene and recomposed himself. 'This is a serious offense that can punishable by death. Under the roof of the court, are you testifying to witnessing such a crime with your own eyes?'

'Yes, your honour,' Hubert dropped to one knee in a bow. 'I do not lie before the court... Though —' He paused, somewhat dramatically; Ty found himself tensing up. 'I would like to ask for a pardon for the boy.'

That had grabbed everyone's attention. Ty turned to the man, a wary look on own his face as he waited for what he was planning to say next.

'He's only a child after all. We cannot condemn someone so young to die. No, we are all reasonable men under the will of God, aren't we?' He turned to the jury and received a couple of nods before proceeding. 'A boy this age wouldn't think of doing such diabolical actions, it is his guardian we should make an example of, for corrupting the next generation of Havenridge!'

'No! I wasn't attacking them I was trying to help the old man!' Ty shouted. Fear and hatred bubbled inside him, hot and caustic. No one seemed interested in what he had to say, whether it was the truth or not. He knew the guard didn't care about his wellbeing; he was probably going to beat him up once he's thrown back in jail. No, this was done because the man wanted to get a rise out of Ty, so he would act out in front of the judge. The jury was already discussing amongst themselves, their stirred chatter sending a heavy weight to his gut.

'Silence!' the judge said once more, knocking his gavel against the desk for emphasis. 'Boy, I have warned you, one more word and you will be gagged.' He nodded to the guards standing by the door, and one came up with some linens, ready to muzzle him. Ty's mind raced; he wasn't sure what was going greasy hair was trying to pull, what they were going to do to Alexi, or even Tobias once they find them.

'Please! It was all me—' The linens were wrapped around his head when the judge raised a hand; Ty's voice shrill and desperate, echoing across the room like a wailing toll. All eyes were on him, expectant and waiting. But what could he say or do at this point? This trial was nothing but a charade, the verdict a foregone conclusion. They had made it abundantly clear his side of the story didn't matter. What they wanted was for him to trip and confess something else in the midst of the travesty.

Like sneaking out past curfew and breaking into Falk mansion.

He clamped his mouth shut, biting his tongue until hot blood filled his mouth. He wanted to cry out at the unfairness of it all. This was inequality and discrimination at the tip of the iceberg. Images of Alexi being flogged or chased out of the city flooded Ty's mind, and he felt hot tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

'Take him away,' the judge ordered, raising his gavel, and Ty was gagged and dragged off by his underarms. 'We will make the verdict without the presence of the convict.'

The last thing he saw before the double doors closed on him was the cruel smile adorned on Hubert's skinny and greasy face and the bored look in the judge's mildly slanted eyes. It fuelled the hatred simmering inside of him. The fact that these people could treat them like dirt, and found it in their time to sabotage anyone they could wrap their hands around on a daily basis. The fact that they had all the power and he had none. The fact that he was just something for the guards to play around with until their interest turns to someone else.

Even as he raged, his thoughts were preoccupied with one, frightening realisation: Alexi could die soon, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could very likely never see him again.

He had to get out.

They didn't throw him in the same cell as before – the stairs to his right led down to the jail cell he was kept in hours ago. Instead, he was kept in one of the holding cells that occupied part of the workstation, which were much smaller in size with only a hay bed to sleep on and a bucket to do his business in.

Neither of the guards stayed after locking the cell. Ty was left in his restraints, but at least now he had the privy to stew, plot and strategize. He looked around, taking in the rickety tables and chairs on one side of the room, but there was not much to see besides. Stacks of crates and barrels lined the opposite wall, neatly ordered, their contents labeled with military precision. His cell itself was barren, all but for the years of dirt caked between the slats on the floor, and a small bucket in the corner, whose purpose he did not care to contemplate. The rest of the hold held little interest. 

Ty flicked his eyes over to the one sally port that kept the prison secure; a controlled entryway to an enclosure. The narrow windows near the ceiling were just enough to bring light into the the room. Though the setting sun meant he would be encased in darkness soon, seeing as the torches on the walls were unlit.

The air was dusty; stale and dry to the throat.

He needed to get out.