The Shifting Storm (Book 4)

by Jeff Hale

  “My client did not agree to those terms. The sorcerer boy…” Phil started to say.

  “You will use his name, Aerick, or his proper title, Sentinel, while this trial is underway. Is that understood?” I glared at Phil. I might not care for Aerick that much, but I wasn’t going to stand for any disrespect.

  “Yes, sir. Aerick demanded of my client’s pack something they could not give since Henry is the Alpha and was not in a state to agree to anything.” Phil turned to scowl at Aerick.

  Unfortunately for Aerick, Phil was right. “Very well. Noted,” I said.

  The next tape that Phil presented was one from a security camera set up outside a house. This one was incredibly damning for Aerick and I could feel the tension from Kat where she sat next to me. It had caught him killing one of Henry’s pack, a coyote shifter, and there was absolutely no doubt that it was Aerick. A few moments after he severed the coyote’s head, he simply vanished from sight.

  “Now what happened there?” I pointed at the television.

  “May I?” Aerick asked Lucien, getting a nod in return. “I was transported magically to Baba Yaga’s hut, where I confronted her and found the body of Kent Dyson, whose disappearance I had been investigating. Furthermore she threatened me, and everyone I cared about.”

  I noticed Celeste go pale and a little gasp escape her at the mention of Kent Dyson, and I heard Kat mutter an expletive under her breath. Maybe they had known the guy Aerick was looking for? I remembered Kat telling us about Aerick’s venture into Baba Yaga’s hut after Dave had called her.

  “Thank you,” Alex said from beside me.

  Lucien presented the next set of tapes for Aerick’s defense. He had procured security footage from the parking garage at the Circus Circus. I kept my calm as I watched Henry and five members of his pack attack Aerick, nearly disembowel Travis, although I could have applauded them for that, then threaten Celeste and the two other girls there with sadistic acts. Aerick killed three of the shifters that were with Henry, but two of them escaped: Wally, and Guy, the werecoyote that Aerick had murdered. Then Henry misjudged a charge, plowing through a foot of concrete to fall six stories to the ground below. The tape continued to show Aerick talking to Celeste, and then he disappeared from sight, presumably teleporting somewhere.

  The second set of tapes that Lucien provided were security footage from the Velvet Flame. Each one showed Aerick suddenly appearing, and then collapsing, energy flashing off his unconscious form. The timestamp was directly after Aerick had disappeared from the Circus Circus footage.

  Those were the only tapes Lucien had for Aerick, so we moved on to the ones that Henry claimed showed Aerick killing off the majority of his pack. There were several from Henry’s club-warehouse, and seven from the packs’ personal homes. We were mostly through the third tape, it showing the same as the two before it, a blur of motion with conjured blades slaughtering shifters, when I saw Aerick lean into Lucien and whisper something to him.

  “Adjudicator Darien, if you would?” he asked me.

  I paused the tape and gave him a questioning look.

  “What is it, Advocate?” Kat asked from next to me.

  “None of the tapes that the Plaintiff has provided, outside of the first two, have had date or time stamps,” he pointed out.

  I tilted my head and stared at the television screen, hitting play on the remote, and sure enough, he was right. There was absolutely nothing to indicate when the footage had been recorded. I glanced over at Phil and Henry, scowling, and wondered just what kind of game they were trying to play. Still, the tapes showed someone who had powers that only Aerick did, regardless of date.

  “What is your point, Advocate?” I asked Lucien.

  “The point would be that the Plaintiff is obviously trying to hide something in order to make it look like Aerick did indeed do these killings. My belief is that these killings actually took place shortly before, or directly after, Aerick killed the coyote in Calico Basin. Note that you never actually get a good look at the killer, only a quick blur of motion, and while Aerick was indeed using supernatural speed during his rush to the coyote, he obviously was not before and after the kill. He did not care whether or not he was seen one way or another. The other tapes, so far, have shown us nothing but the blur of motion, like the attacker does not want to be seen,” Lucien pointed out.

  Lucien was right again. While the tapes might be damning, they certainly didn’t show any detail that would be considered anywhere near proof positive. “Noted. We will continue to watch the tapes, however.”

  We made it through three more tapes, all of these still missing the date and timestamps like the others, before I called a recess. There was a small room set up behind the judges stand where Kat and Alex and I could go to rest and eat some lunch. Queen Cynthia followed us inside, closing the door behind her, as Kat and Alex both dropped into chairs around a small conference table. I leaned forward with my hands on the top. There were already several plates on the table with sandwiches, and bottles of water and soda.

  “So what is your opinion of those tapes? The ones without the timestamps?” I asked tiredly. I reached for a sandwich and a water bottle.

  Queen Cynthia sat gracefully in one of the empty chairs and leaned back in it. She was still wearing the liquid glass dress and it swirled hypnotically around her. “I think I would like to have one of my fae take a closer look at them,” she said.

  Kat nodded as she opened a bottle of Pepsi. “I agree. How are we to know those aren’t faked?”

  “We don’t know. And I’m betting they are. I reckon Henry was just hoping for something small and quick, and maybe counting on your dislike of Aerick, Darien,” Alex said.

  “Maybe,” I agreed.

  Cynthia stood and went back to the door, opening it and saying something to one of the fae on the other side. A minute later, another of the fae stepped into the room, with the stack of suspect tapes in hand. The fae looked mostly human, except for the strangely elongated ears that almost touched his shoulders and greenish hued skin. He had one of the runes embossed on his surcoat, one I didn’t recognize, but I knew he was one of the ones placed near the judges stand to help detect lies.

  “Orlon, I know you are here to listen for lies in the courtroom, but I need you to look for lies on these tapes, please?” she said to him, gesturing to the small television in the corner of the room.

  The fae, Orlon, nodded at her, and we sat eating in silence while he briefly put each tape in and watched it for a few minutes. He finally turned and shook his head.

  “They’ve all been altered, at least in that a part here,” and Orlon pointed to the corner of the playback where the date and time would appear, “is missing. The rest, however, is genuine.”

  “Thank you, Orlon,” Cynthia told him, and he bowed to her, then gathered up the tapes and left the room. She turned to us. “Well?”

  “Even if what actually is happening on the tapes is genuine, it doesn’t matter. Since there is no way to ascertain when they were recorded, and you can never see the person’s face in them, they’re worthless,” I said, frowning. “The fact that you can’t tell it’s Aerick just by looking at that guy is circumstantial enough without adding the rest.”

  Kat let out a sigh that sounded like one of relief as she nodded. “I agree.”

  “Me too,” Alex said. “So we throw them out?”

  “Yes,” Cynthia answered. “I know I certainly wouldn’t allow them if it were a trial for a fae.”

  I had to agree with them, and I was pretty sure that Phil knew they had been tampered with as well. I was going to have some choice words for him and Henry when we resumed.

  We finished eating then headed back into the courtroom. Phil and Henry still had four more tapes for us to watch, and I sincerely hoped they weren’t messed with like the others, but I feared they would be.

  Sure enough, even as the first one started playing, it was missing the timestamp just like the others. We waited patiently
for them all to play through, on the small off chance that they might actually show a face or something more definitive towards identification, but it was just more of the same. When the last one finished, I stood up and gave Phil and Henry a cold look.

  “We have it on good authority that these tapes have been tampered with,” I informed them, trying to bite back my anger. “We have no way of verifying when the events on these tapes took place and they do not show the attacker as definitively the defendant. They are inadmissible, and you knew that, Phil! We are throwing them out as viable evidence. Thank you for taking up the entire day for nothing!” If I stayed, I was going to hurt one of them, so I left the courtroom instead, heading back into the little conference room and pacing determinedly as a way to expel the desire to mangle something. Kat, Alex, and Queen Cynthia came in a few minutes later.

  “You really shouldn’t have left, Darien,” Cynthia admonished me.

  “I know. Unprofessional. But if I had stayed I might have tried to tear Phil into tiny bloody strips, and that would have been even more unprofessional,” I admitted tightly.

  Cynthia just sighed, shaking her head a little.

  “It’s okay, Darien, I adjourned it and told everyone we would be back at eight in the morning.” Kat gave me a little smile.

  I was surprised that it had been her and not Alex, but maybe I shouldn’t have been. I loved Alex dearly, but he was a submissive, always had been. Kat was the stronger one, and Alex would wait for her to take the lead before he did so himself.

  “That was good, Kat.” A thought occurred to me. “Why don’t you take over for tomorrow?”

  “Me?” Kat’s voice was almost a squeak. “Why?”

  “This is what we do, Kat. You have to learn at some point. I’ll be right there if you need any help.”

  “Why not Alex?” she asked.

  Alex barked out a laugh. “Me? Really, Katie? You really see me being able to stand up to either Aerick or Henry? That’s too funny.”

  “I guess I could,” Kat finally conceded.

  “You’ll do fine, Katelyn,” Cynthia assured her. “You are stronger than you know.”

  “Queen Cynthia? Could I ask a favor of you?” I asked.

  “It depends.” She gave me a coy smile. “What did you need?”

  “Do you, or any of your people, have a way to analyze those tapes better? Maybe clear them up?”

  She thought a moment, then tilted her head to the side. “I’m sure I have someone who can, but it would be considered tampering as much as what they did.”

  “I know, but it might give us a clue still, to something else.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt anyway. I’ll have one of mine see what they can do,” she promised.

  “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m beat and ready to go home. Shall we meet back here at seven thirty?” I suggested. All I wanted to do was go home and kick back on the porch with a bottle of whiskey, maybe go riding, anything to unwind. Cynthia and Kat both nodded at the same time, and Alex was coming back with me. “Tomorrow then.”

  TWENTY-FIVE

  KATELYN

  I headed into the Velvet Flame, still tired from a restless sleep the night before. I still wasn’t sure what Darien was thinking putting me in the lead today, but he was right that I had to learn how to do this if I was going to be an adjudicator. I just hoped I could keep my impartiality.

  It was hard to, with Aerick. I certainly didn’t believe he had done what Henry claimed, that he hadn’t killed all those other shifters. But there was no denying at least the one, the coyote. It was all there in black and white and Aerick hadn’t claimed otherwise. He was too quick to use violence as an answer to everything.

  Darien wasn’t much different. And maybe, if I searched myself, part of my attraction to both men was that very thing; the violence they carried with them. Much as I hated it myself, I was drawn to it, entranced by it, seduced by it.

  Sitting in the courtroom with both of them had been difficult. Despite Darien’s accusation, there had been more to our moment of madness at his new house than just my depression over Aerick. My anger at Darien over his arrogance and presumption was still there, but it was slowly being eroded away and I missed him, missed what we had. But I couldn’t stem the feelings I had for Aerick any more than I could quit breathing. My joy at seeing him was shadowed by the knowledge that his heart was no longer mine. Maybe Dave was right, maybe Aerick still loved me somewhere deep down, but he had loved Serena first and best, and his belief that Celeste was Serena would push me to the side.

  I tried to shove all of this from my mind as I entered the courtroom. Today I needed to be strong Katelyn, not weepy emo Katelyn, as I had been entirely too much of lately.

  Darien and Alex were already there, conversing with Queen Cynthia. The men, like me, had worn the same clothing from the day before, but Cynthia wore pants and sleeveless blouse today, still in that liquid crystal material, and her long hair was in a single braid down her back, the little crystal crown still perched jauntily above her brow. Unlike Raven, who I had a strange and almost jealous dislike for, the Queen made me feel comfortable and welcome, and I liked her.

  “You ready to be in charge today?” Darien asked me, giving me an assuring smile.

  “As ready as I can be. You just be ready to bail my ass out when I mess up,” I teased.

  He glanced up at the clock on the wall. I had been running late and it was almost eight. “Why don’t we get set up? They rest will be here any time.”

  Darien indicated that I should take the middle seat today and I sat down nervously. He settled into the one on my left and Alex resumed his spot from yesterday. Queen Cynthia took her chair and a few minutes later Raven and Celeste came in, followed quickly by the same spectators from before. Henry and Phil entered the room and sat down, Aerick and Lucien not far behind. I glanced at Darien, who nodded at me, then I called the courtroom to order.

  Phil stood up and went through a small door off to the side of the room, then returned pushing a stand with a large whiteboard attached to it. There were clips along the top, and Phil retrieved a file folder off the plaintiff table and pulled some photos and reports from it. He began to clip them up on the whiteboard.

  They were autopsy pictures and autopsy reports. Sixteen pictures and sixteen reports. Phil went through each of them, one at a time, indicating the wounds on each shifter and the corresponding notes in the autopsy reports. They had all died the same, from wounds sustained from a bladed weapon that left energy burns behind. I glanced over at Aerick partway through it and he looked almost dumfounded.

  The last picture was the one of the coyote that Aerick admitted to killing. Phil pointed out the injuries and Henry stood, his arms held loosely behind him.

  “Permission to approach the stand?” Henry asked.

  I wasn’t sure if I should let him, or if I even wanted to let him. Darien leaned in close and whispered, “It isn’t going to hurt anything. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll confess to setting Aerick up?”

  I knew he was only joking, but I gave Henry a nod. He moved swiftly up to us, and I saw the bag that he held in his hand as his arms came forward, but before I could say anything else, he upended the bag on the top of the stand.

  Instinctively, we all leaned back, unsure as to the contents. It made a wet, squishy noise as it landed. It was a head, blood still oozing from it to form a sticky puddle on the top of the stand. The head was grotesque, in mid-shift, and belonged to the werecoyote that Aerick admitted to killing.

  I stared at the grisly thing for a moment or two and then fury surged through me that Henry would even do such a thing. I stood up and glowered at Henry, trying to ignore the tangy metallic scent of blood mixed with the cloying bite of decay.

  “You will not use shock tactics as a way to browbeat us into swaying our opinions! You will remove this… thing from the stand immediately! It will not be admissible as evidence!” I snapped at Henry, gesturing to the head. Beside
me Darien remained still, letting me deal with this.

  Henry just smiled at me arrogantly, and I wanted so badly to wipe the expression off his face with a handful of claws. It made me even angrier that he had goaded me to a desire for violence, but despite my beliefs, it seemed to not take much for that desire to awaken anymore. I watched him as he palmed the head and stuffed it back into the bag, leaving a bloody smear behind that he didn’t bother with before he sat back down.

  To distract from Henry’s show, Phil began to go through the photos a second time, slightly quicker. He was almost done when Aerick stood to get my attention. “Wait, Kat!”

  I acknowledged him, but Darien spoke up before Aerick had a chance to. “You will refer to her as Adjudicator Katelyn, or Adjudicator Shaughnessy,” Darien said evenly. “Furthermore, you are out of order. If you wish to say something, your advocate will say it.”

  I almost retorted that we had allowed Henry to say something, but then thought better of it at how well that had turned out.

  “I apologize,” Aerick said, “but this is not within his realm of knowledge. It is my personal expertise I would like to use here.”

  Darien and Alex both leaned in towards me. “He might be seeing something that Lucien isn’t,” Alex pointed out.

  “Maybe,” Darien begrudged.

  “And we did give Henry a chance,” I added, voicing my thought from earlier. Darien and Alex both just looked at me. “Well, I heartily doubt he’ll drop a head on the table. Look, you said I was in charge, I say we hear him out.”

  Darien started to say something, then bit it back, nodding. “You’re right, Kat. It’s your call.”

  I turned back to Aerick and nodded at him. “We will allow it.”

  “I object! There is no possible expertise that the defendant could have that would be relevant!” Phil said.