“crew” was then placed aboard and it was set back into the current to await its fate at the edge of the falls. “With this passing comes a new judgment,” Invictus continued. “As you know, the crew of this vessel are men and women accused of transgressions against the new world. Our world. They have chosen themselves over others. They have committed crimes against the greater good. But we are not monsters here. As we all survived the fall of the old world only to rise up and prove our worth to one another, they too shall be given the chance to fall and rise again. For he who survives the fall is worthy of our favor.” He let his words hang in the air for only a moment before whispering into the microphone. “Let them fall.” Fireworks exploded over the falls. Bright reds, brilliant whites, and somber blues burst in quick succession as the cannons once used for New Year’s celebrations fired into the sky. Thunder ripped above as each rocket exploded. Then there was another blast that did not belong to the display. The explosive charge severed the cables that held the ship back from its final voyage and the vessel began to move. “Give me their terror,” Invictus said to a man behind a control board. A second later the mammoth screen displayed a close-up of the men and women on the deck of the ship. For many, their first instinct was to run aft. Others clung to the rail as the ship tipped nose first into the horseshoe. The panic grew as the rear of the ship towered over the bow. Those that had run began to fall free of the deck and into the mist below. The ship followed and twenty thousand tons, give or take an engine’s weight, dropped into the mist. The bow drove a hundred feet deep into the plunge pool and brought the ship to a sudden stop, causing steel to scream and the hull to buckle. Those that were left on board were torn from the railings and thrown down to the waters to meet their fates. For a moment everything stopped and the ship hung propped against the falls as if it was there to stay. But the river always gets its way, and the current built up behind the wreck and shoved the ship sideways. Gravity took it from there as the vessel collapsed into the pool and took its place in the pile of wreckage. Invictus turned the microphone on and let it give a squelch before he spoke. “We shall now look for the strong.” He turned the mic off again and turned to his director. “Show me the applause.” The man in charge of the video board hesitated. “Lord Invictus, I ... I can’t.” Invictus stormed across the room and backhanded the director across the face. “Show me!” The director hung his head and hit the switch. Invictus strode back to the window and looked at the board. The crowds were there. But they were not cheering. The raucous applause that naturally followed such gleeful destruction was not there. The masses stood silently with a finger to their lips. “What is this?” Invictus shouted. “You know what this is,” the praetor said. “That fucking librarian,” Invictus whispered. “I thought we settled this. They’ve been told!” “They have,” said the praetor. “They carried books so I burned the books. I burned all the books.” “Do you want us to start burning their fingers?” Invictus was on the praetor before he could respond. The Great Lord crushed the man’s nose beneath a fist. He grabbed the strap that held the man’s cape in place and dragged him to the open window. Invictus struck him every time he tried to pull away. “You know what I want. I want that piece of shit here. I want his head in a bucket to show all the people down there that I am not to be challenged.” He forced the praetor off balance and held him from the abyss with a single fist. “And I want a praetor that gives me what I want.” “We sent men. We’ve offered money. It’s only a matter of time.” Invictus grabbed the man’s jaw and twisted his head to the right