by Katya Moore
"What about the human realtors they bought the property from? Do we know them? Do we know where they are?" I asked, a note of desperation creeping into my voice.
Meriwether spoke up. "That property was purchased through a number of shadow corporations. The likelihood of the Chosen tracing the purchase back to Dario is slim to none."
"But it's there. And it's about as slim as the chances that Aric would betray us." I glared at her. "He didn't do this. And I'm not going to let you torture him."
Elder Chang looked taken aback. "Torture him? Where did you hear that?"
I looked down at my hands. "I know you plan on interrogating him. He's already been tortured, less than twenty-four hours ago. He doesn't need it from his own people, too."
"We need to know what happened, dear." Meriwether's voice was pitched to be soothing. Instead, it chafed like sandpaper. "For his own good. We need to be sure."
I thought back to what Cass had said in the car. Suddenly, it clicked.
"It's the Shadow Queen's duty to interrogate the suspect, isn't it?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral. I looked around the circle. Schulte frowned. Meriwether looked vaguely amused. Chang looked surprised. Long looked pensive.
"It is," Long said tentatively. "Though, we thought you'd choose to recuse yourself. As Aric and you are so close."
"The Shadow Queen handles the interrogation because she's empathic, right?" I pressed. "I can tell if he's lying or not. You wouldn't have to torture him if I did it, right?"
Schulte looked down her nose at me. "And how do we know that you'd be honest about the results?"
I glowered at her. My dragon writhed. "You need to start trusting me sooner or later. I suggest sooner."
She studied me for a long moment. Finally, she sniffed. "You look like you have a terrible poker face. I'll trust in you. For now."
"I do," I promised. "If Aric lies, you'll be able to tell." Because I won't be able to stop crying for the rest of my life.
"Very well," Meriwether said. "We'll begin the trial momentarily."
We filed into the ballroom-turned-courthouse. I had to bite my cheek to keep from crying out.
Aric sat in shackles, hand and foot, surrounded by four armored guards. I could see the pain on his face as he struggled to stay sitting up in his hard wooden chair. I could see the bandages around his ribs through the thin fabric of his white dress shirt. His hands were still bandaged, and the edges of the shackles pressed on them mercilessly. His pain was a knife in my heart.
"Unshackle him, damn it." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Schulte glared at me. "Restrain yourself, shadow dragon."
I glared back. "He's not going to run off. He can barely move. The shackles are only there to hurt him worse. I won't stand for it."
Schulte shook her head in annoyance, then made a dismissive motion to the guards. One of them produced a key and began to undo the shackles. Aric gave me a grateful look as the heavy steel was removed from his broken hands.
I looked around at the rest of the gathered dragons. Kane sat in the prosecutor's chair, with Dario sitting stiffly next to him. There was a bandage over his left eye. I could tell it was sheer force of will and hate holding him upright. Quinn sat next to him, looking far more lucid than the last time I had seen him. Jared sat at the end of the table, his broken leg extended in front of him in a stiff cast. Kane looked more than ready to interrogate the life out of Aric. My jaw clenched.
Chase and the boys sat in chairs behind the prosecutor's chair. My brow furrowed. If they were there, who was defending Aric?
My stomach dropped as I found my answer. Mrs. Beauvais sat in the defense's chair.
They really don't want to give him a hope in hell, do they?
"I'd ask you to rise, but not many of you can," Meriwether began. "We will begin with testimony from the prosecution. Mr. Haydon, you may present first."
Kane rose from his seat, and my world began to crash and burn.
It was as bad as I'd imagined. Alpha Squad eviscerated Aric. Kane read off his damning history at the Proving Grounds. Apparently, at sixteen, he could only go an hour under intense interrogation, and ten minutes under interrogation with pain. I thought back to myself at sixteen and wondered if I would have done as well. I also had some very judgmental thoughts about what dragons did to their teenaged children. Dario gave an account of the condition Aric was in when he was extracted from the cottage. He seemed to take pleasure in detailing the broken bones, the torn flesh, the bruises, and, considering Kane's testimony, the likelihood that all of that had taken considerably more than ten minutes to inflict. Jared confirmed the medical assessment, and added his own psychological assessment of Aric post-capture. "Post-traumatic stress, with a considerable amount of defiance that might be hiding feelings of guilt." No, you fucker. That's just Aric. Quinn gave the account of the attack on their base. I could see him sweating with the effort. He still wasn't a hundred percent. I felt for him, but wasn't about to let that get in my way.
At long last, Meriwether turned her attention to Mrs. Beauvais. "Defense, please present your case."
Mrs Beauvais made a small half-shrug gesture with her hands. "I'm afraid we don't have much," she said. I saw her eyes dart to her precious boy, her Dario. I seethed with rage. "We will have to rely on the interrogation of the suspect."
At the word 'interrogation,' I could see the whites of Aric's eyes. He gave a low groan of anguish, writhing in his chair.
I wanted to run to him, to hold him, to stroke his hair and tell him that I would never let them hurt him. Instead, I took a deep breath, then rose from my chair. "As Shadow Queen, I will be conducting the investigation." Mrs. Beauvais looked disappointed. Aric looked horrified. I winced slightly at his fear, then put on a mask of dispassionate professionalism and walked to Aric's side. The guards closed around him. I waved a hand and let my annoyance show. They looked to Schulte for answers. She sighed and waved a hand dismissively. They stepped aside.
"Objection," Kane shouted. "There's no way she's going to be objective about this."
"Objection noted," Schulte said sternly. "The Elder Council has taken this into consideration, and feels able to determine the Shadow Queen's motives for ourselves. Thank you for your concern." She did not sound thankful. Kane settled back into his seat, eyes dark with fury.
"The method of interrogation..." Meriwether began.
Aric's breathing became ragged. I interrupted her. "Investigation," I corrected her.
Meriwether raised an eyebrow and continued. "The Elder Council will pose their questions to the accused. The Shadow Queen will determine the truth of the answers."
Aric looked up at me like a beaten animal, fear in his betrayed eyes. I swallowed back my tears and tried to look neutral. I could feel my lip trembling and willed it to stop.
"Aric Beauvais, you stand accused of treason to the draconic people. How do you plead?" Schulte intoned.
"N...not guilty," he stammered. I could smell the fear on him, perspiration rich with adrenaline. I reached out with my empathy and nodded, half to myself, half to the Council.
"You stand accused of revealing the location of the Alpha Squad's base of operations to the Chosen of Apep, resulting in grave injury and the destruction of a warded property."
"I didn't say anything! I didn't!" Aric's voice cracked, full of terror and desperation. I could feel it pouring off him in thick, dark waves. My heart pounded with it.
"Aric, try to calm down," I said softly. "I can't get a good read on you if you're panicking. Please take a few deep breaths." He stared at me with blank eyes. I looked back with as much support as I could offer. "I will not hurt you. But I need to know the truth."
Painfully, he drew in a deep breath, then another. His panting slowed to something resembling normal breathing.
"When you were held captive by the Chosen of Apep, did you reveal anything that might lead the Chosen to the Alpha Squad's base?" Schulte asked.
&nbs
p; Aric looked at me, then at her. "No. I didn't say anything." He swallowed hard. "Unless you count screaming."
Schulte looked at me.
"He's telling the truth," I said. My heart leapt. I hated myself for it, but I was relieved at the sincerity I felt pouring out of him. I felt his shame, too, shame at his own screams. It hurt.
"Did you reveal anything about the wards used on the Alpha Squad's property?"
Aric snorted softly. "I don't know anything about the wards used on their property. That's the nerds'..." He looked up at Elder Long and stopped himself. "Cassidy handles that part of our operations. I've never dealt with them."
I bit my cheek to stifle a laugh. Not the time. "Truth."
"When you were held captive by the Chosen of Apep, did you reveal anything that might endanger the Shadow Queen?"
"Of course not! Never!" Aric shouted, then coughed. His breath rattled. "No. Like I said, I didn't say anything."
"Truth," I confirmed. His outrage at the idea was a comfort.
Schulte looked to the other Elders. "Any further questions?"
Meriwether looked at me, then at Aric. "Have you been physically intimate with the Shadow Queen?"
His jaw dropped a little. I glared at her. "Relevance?" I snarled.
Meriwether was all innocence. "Goes to your own impartiality. Have you, Mr. Beauvais?"
Aric stammered, then looked at me apologetically. "She kissed me once. As a thank-you. And I've seen her boobs, but just because I walked in on her in the hot tub."
I wiped the emotion from my face. "Truth," I confirmed.
Meriwether looked to Schulte and shrugged. "No further questions."
"We will return when we have come to a decision," Schulte said. They rose, and I moved to follow them. Schulte raised a hand to me. "You may remain here. You have done your part."
"But, I..." I stammered, furious.
"The Shadow Queen conducts the interrogation. The others make the decision. It is how it is meant to be." Elder Long looked at me with kind eyes. "Your thoughts will be with us."
I watched them leave, then looked back to Aric. He wouldn't meet my eyes. I sat down at the Elders' table, folded my hands on the surface, and waited.
After what felt like an eternity, the Elders filed back into the room and took their places around me.
Schulte rose. A hush fell over the room.
"We find the accused innocent of the charges laid against him. He may return to his home unmolested, and return to his duties a free dragon."
I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding in a half-sob of relief. Aric stared in disbelief at the Elders, breathing hard. A flicker of rage flashed in Mrs. Beauvais' eyes, but she maintained her composure and thanked the Elders as though she actually valued her son's life. Kane bowed his head curtly at the Elders, then turned his attention to Dario, who looked ready to spit venom.
The Elders rose and turned to leave. I stood, frozen, not sure what was expected of me. Elder Chang rested a hand on my arm. "Go to your friends, dear. Your duty is done." She smiled and walked away.
I placed a hand on the table to steady myself. My knees wobbled with spent adrenaline.
Alpha Squad stormed out, with varying degrees of assistance offered from the guards. I was not sad to see them go. Mrs. Beauvais followed, supporting Dario at the elbow as he walked. Anyone who wants to bitch at me about bias needs to check themselves.
Galen approached the table and smiled at me. "You were amazing. We'll meet you back at the limo, okay?"
I nodded at him gratefully. "I need to talk to him. I'll see you guys outside."
Slowly, I pulled myself together and started to walk toward Aric.
Two of the guards were helping Aric to his feet, considerably more gently than I would have credited them with. Aric looked at me and his eyes grew hard. He glanced up to the guard on his left. "Get me out of here," he muttered. "I've had my fill of Elders for the day."
I opened my mouth, then shut it. The wave of emotions pouring off him slammed into me. Anger. Fear. Betrayal.
"Aric, I'm sorry. I had to. They..." The words poured out of me.
Aric didn't look back. "Let's go. I'm a free man. An innocent man. I should go pack my things and find somewhere people believe that."
"Aric..."
The two guards shuffled him out the door. It closed behind them, leaving me alone.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I knew something was horribly wrong when we returned to the mansion. Mrs. Beauvais was practically waltzing through the foyer, humming merrily, as though her youngest child hadn't just faced death a second time in two days. She beamed at us as we strolled in.
"Hello, Mrs. Beauvais," I greeted her warily.
"Hello, Miss Bellmont," she chirped. "You'll be glad to know that Dario will be joining your team effective immediately."
The hell you say. "I beg your pardon?" I forced myself to say.
She made an expansive gesture. "Aric is resigning from the team. He doesn't want his recent disgrace to bring down the operation."
Because that completely sounds like him. "There was no disgrace. He was acquitted. Innocent. I know. I was the one who interviewed him." I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at her. "What's really going on?"
Mrs. Beauvais looked nonplussed. "Aric is having a tantrum. He's packing his things now. Or, rather, having the servants pack them. I don't know where he thinks he's going, but apparently, he wishes to distance himself from you and Omega Squad." She clucked her tongue. "Silly boy feels betrayed. As though it wasn't your duty as the Shadow Queen to interrogate him during his trial. Really, you're the only reason he's alive."
"Yeah. About that. Hell of a defense you offered out there." My tone was dry, my face impassive.
She shrugged. "There wasn't much to offer. He's fortunate that there was a shadow dragon to exonerate him." The words tasted bitter, from the look on her face. She adjusted a flower arrangement. "No matter. He is free to do as he pleases, and it pleases him to let his brother take his place on the team."
"That doesn't please me." I started toward the staircase. "I have to talk to him."
"That's not possible, I'm afraid. He's posted guards, specifically to prevent that." She looked pleased. "He does not wish to see you."
There was a fist crushing my heart. I felt it shatter in its grasp. I bit my lower lip to prevent it from trembling.
"Oh." It was all I could think of to say.
"Dario will report for duty in the morning," Mrs. Beauvais said as she walked off toward the west wing of the mansion. "Have a pleasant evening!"
I waited until her footsteps faded, then tore up the stairs to my room, hurling the door shut behind me.
A soft tap on my door broke me out of my miserable trance. I lay in the fetal position on the bed, my pillow damp, my throat raw from sobbing. My long hair was a tangled mess. I cursed myself for not jamming it into a ponytail before my breakdown.
"What?" I rasped.
"I brought you dinner." Galen's voice was muffled, but full of concern. "You should eat."
My stomach grumbled. I willed it to shut up, but it persisted. With a groan, I hauled myself off the bed and stumbled to the door.
Galen only looked more concerned when he saw my face. He carried the tray in and set it on my desk, then cupped my face in his hands. "Oh, Sia. I'm so sorry."
The care and worry in his deep brown eyes were too much to bear. I crumpled into his arms and let him hold me close, rocking and shushing me like a child. His hands slid down my back. Gently, he picked me up and carried me to the bed. He set me down on the edge and sat next to me, still holding me close.
"I'm so sorry," he repeated, his breath ruffling my hair.
"S'not you. S’him," I sobbed into his chest. "I... I tried so hard to help him. To save him. And now he hates me." Galen's arms tightened around me. "I can't blame him. He got captured because of me. Tortured because of me. God knows what because of me." I gasped for breath. "And wh
at do I do? I interrogate him for the fucking Council. I'm just as bad as the Chosen to him. And now... now he's going away!"
"He just needs time to process. He'll be back." Galen's voice was soothing, but I didn't want to be soothed.
"Why the hell would he come back?" I wailed. "His mother is a stone-cold bitch who was fucking ecstatic to hang his ass out to dry. His brother is only too eager to take his place." I paused. "Fuck his father. He's useless. He wouldn't defend him either. I'd want out of this place, too." My chest was tight. "And he hates me. He never liked me much to begin with, and now he hates me." My whole body shook with suppressed agony.
"Hey. Hey, now. He doesn't hate you." His lips pressed against the top of my head. "He's angry. He's frustrated. He's confused. But he doesn't hate you."
My voice went flat. "He posted guards, Galen. Fucking guards."
"He’s always had a flair for the dramatic," Galen muttered. "His mom was right on one thing. It's a tantrum. And tantrums pass."
I shook my head, my nose buried deep in his shoulder. "No. Not this time. I betrayed him. Just like I betrayed Chase. Just like I betrayed you all. I've been letting Alpha Squad get too close. I let them take charge of the rescue." I pulled my face out of Galen's shoulder and looked up at him with bleary eyes. "Have I betrayed you? I’m losing track."
Galen's jaw set itself. He ran his fingers through my hair and gently slipped his hand behind my head, angling it up to make eye contact. "You haven't betrayed any of us, Sia. You never would. You are the most loving, caring person I have ever met. Your friends are your life. I know that. Chase knows that. Aric knows that, even if he is a dick and the concept is gibberish to him."
An indelicate snort forced its way out of me. I rubbed at my nose and looked away, embarrassed. Galen reached behind me to the bedside table and fetched me a tissue. I blew, wincing at the awful wetness of the sound. I feel pretty, oh so pretty... He didn't seem to mind. His hand rested on my shoulder, gently stroking me.