by Kristie Cook
"Sophia will take her place, right?" someone asked.
"Of course she will," Solomon answered. I couldn't believe he actually went along with this and tried to listen to his thoughts for an explanation but I heard nothing. In fact, with all the mind signatures floating around, I couldn't focus on a single one. I couldn't hear anyone. The traitor must have learned about my gift and now blocked me, too. Shit.
"No one else–" someone started but was interrupted.
"Sophia can not take the seat!" Adolf, the German werewolf, declared. "Her actions do not prove her trustworthy."
Mom spun on him. "You can't name anyone else leader of the Amadis. It is against the Angels. Against God!"
Adolf stumbled over his English. "The Angels are apparently not caring about us with the moment. Neither of you are worth the position."
Anger flared within me, but I bit back my temper.
"Then who?" someone demanded as I watched Rina exchange a look with Julia.
"Solomon," someone else suggested.
"He's no better than Sophia," Armand said. "He'll just be Rina's puppet."
Solomon hissed but otherwise didn't respond. Rina and Julia shared another significant look.
"I propose Martin," Julia said. I was surprised she didn't say herself.
Mom freed Adolf from her glare and returned to my side. Apparently, she and I agreed with Julia, for once: if not Rina, Mom or Solomon, Martin was the next best leader. Temporarily, of course. He had enough distance from our family that the council might accept him, but he and his family were close enough to us that he'd defend our wishes. I wondered if Rina had actually told Julia to suggest Martin.
If so, it meant Rina's powers weren't completely blocked like mine were. The traitor had made a point to silence me from everyone, both ways, allowing no communication at all. Who knew about my power? Who had Rina told? And how the hell did they get into my head to do this without my knowing?
"I second the motion," Adolf said, "but not for the trial only. I move we appoint Martin to rule the council and the Amadis."
With raised brows, Martin's eyes bounced between Julia and Adolf as if he waited for them to say, "just kidding."
"I doubt it possible," he finally said when he realized they were serious. "Think about what you're saying. Our leadership is not up for election, even if we did agree in a vote."
They all spoke at once, challenging each other's statements and talking over one another.
"Enough!" Rina said, actually sounding firm, like her old self. Everyone fell silent. "There will be no vote."
I wondered, if she was able to quiet them like that, why she hadn't stopped this sooner. She displayed complete control over herself and them, so why let the discussion go on? Apparently, it wasn't lasting. She sighed wearily, and her voice came out heavy and tired.
"Martin is right. Only I can make the decision." She held her hand up when others started to speak again. "I temporarily relinquish my rule to Martin Allbright. That is an order, Martin."
With an exhalation of his breath, as if in resignation, he nodded, bowed his head to Rina and walked to the door. Without a word from anyone, he led the council, with Rina, Mom and I at the end of their procession, down a long corridor, toward the rear of the Council Hall, not to the front of the grand meeting room as we'd gone before. A thick and heavy silence weighed down on us, as if trying to press us into the stone floor.
I couldn't make sense of what happened–the council trying to oust Rina and Rina giving up her authority voluntarily. I half-expected lightning bolts to shoot from the sky and strike down the traitor and her sheep for taking this too far, beyond their boundaries. Surely the Angels didn't want this. How could they even allow it? My understanding of the Amadis, the council and the Angels' role and rule in our society had flipped over, whirled and twisted into a senseless pretzel. How could I be devoted to these … these politicians … whose values and beliefs obviously meant so little? They didn't seem so loyal to God and the Angels now. Why should I be loyal to them? How could Tristan be so adamant about it?
My heart felt nothing but a burning rage toward them now. If it weren't Tristan on trial, I would have left with Dorian right then, not caring what they did anymore. I wanted to forget my position and leave the Amadis forever. They weren't worthy of my allegiance.
But it was Tristan on trial.
We stopped in the dark hall as Martin, up ahead, paused in a doorway. The room beyond, which had been buzzing with voices, fell silent. As we filed into the back of the grand meeting hall, I thought at first we had come to a completely different room. But, no, it was the same one; only the arrangements had changed.
The King Arthur's table had been removed and the throne-like chairs moved to this end, placed behind a long table on a raised platform. Rows of chairs, a center aisle splitting them in two, faced the dais, all of them filled–well, they would be, once everyone sat down. More Amadis lined the walls and the crowd seemed to flow out the doors. The warrior angel statues–one above the doors and one above the head table–looked fiercer than ever, their anger directed at us.
The council members paraded behind the table to their chairs. Solomon, who preceded Rina, took the last one at the table, meaning Rina, Mom and I would not be joining the council at the head of the room. Instead, Martin motioned toward a line of three chairs against the wall, perpendicular to the dais, between the council and the crowd, as if we were the jury. But I already knew we'd have no say in the outcome of this trial.
Once Rina, Mom and I sat down, everyone else sat, too, showing at least some kind of respect. Then Armand raised his hand and flicked it, as if hailing a waiter. Everyone turned toward the doors, and I did, too. I held back a gasp as two guards sandwiched Tristan between them and brought him down the center aisle. The urge to run to him, to throw my arms around him, to blast the guards and the council with electricity and then run away with him, nearly overcame me. But the look on Tristan's face stopped that thought.
He barely glanced at me, his eyes hard, and quickly looked away. His face remained stony and indifferent as the guards led him to stand before the council. I love you, I thought as he took his place. But he didn't respond. Of course, he couldn't hear me. No one could.
Nothing bound him, at least, nothing I could see, but his hands were gloved in some strange, metallic material that must have blocked his powers. But the extra precautions weren't necessary. Although he stood straight and confident and kept all emotions from his face, he would never fight them. Like Rina, he would submit to them. As a true Amadis should do, he'd go along with whatever they decided. He really had given up.
The anger within me flared hotter. This is not my Tristan! Who is doing this? What have they done to him? They were breaking the ultimate warrior. Shattering his spirit. And for that, I hated every single council member up there except Char and Martin.
Martin stared at Tristan for a long time as the crowd settled and quieted, then he frowned, as if he didn't want to proceed.
"Tristan Knight," he said, "you are brought here before us in response to charges of treason against the Amadis. According to council member Julia Acerbi, you attacked her and threatened her. She also claims you attempted to kill what may be the youngest Amadis daughter. Based on your background with the Daemoni and many other actions, it is believed you are working on behalf of the Daemoni to infiltrate and destroy the Amadis. If found guilty, you will be banished from the Amadis or … executed."
I inhaled sharply, the breath catching in my throat. My hand flew to my mouth to muffle the cry.
"Do you have anything to say to these charges?" Martin asked.
"Only that they're absolutely ridiculous," Tristan said, the familiar steeliness in his voice. He paused as a wave of gasps and murmurs flowed through the crowd. I let out my breath–he wasn't just going to bow down after all. "I am loyal and devoted only to the Amadis. I did not attack or threaten Julia. I simply defended my wife, an Amadis daughter, as well as the girl y
ou accuse me of harming. As far as any other actions, I do not know what they are, so I cannot possibly respond to them."
"Are you denying that you threatened to use your killing power on Julia?" Martin asked.
"Yes."
"Liar!" Julia said. Always quiet, mostly communicating only with Rina, especially in large groups, Julia shed any pretense of being submissive and became the monster she was. An arrogant, aggressive and threatening vampire. "You had your hand out, ready. That's no different than pointing a loaded and cocked gun. You saw it yourself, Martin, when you arrived."
"While fighting the Daemoni, I saw you holding the girl in a death grip, and the next time I looked, the girl lay on the ground. And, yes, I saw Tristan facing you, his hand lifted toward you the whole time."
"I was holding Julia in place," Tristan said. "Before she killed the girl or Alexis."
"Are you accusing me of threatening an Amadis daughter?" Julia demanded.
Tristan didn't answer at first. His jaw muscle twitched. "The situation escalated out of control. The girl attacked, and Julia tried to stop her. In the chaos, she knocked Alexis to the ground. Whether Julia intended to hurt her or not, I cannot say."
Another round of whispers and murmurs ran through the crowd. Martin signaled to them for silence.
"Yet you still threatened to kill Julia?" Adolf said. "Even though you weren't certain if she'd intentionally hurt Alexis."
"No. I paralyzed her and the girl to stop the violence. Jax, Owen and Alexis were already down. I didn't want anyone else getting hurt … or killed."
"You lie," Julia seethed. "If you didn't want anyone else to be hurt, explain what happened to the girl."
Tristan dropped his head for a moment, then looked up. "I cannot explain it. When Alexis fell from the Daemoni magic, I turned toward my wife. When I turned back, the girl lay still on the ground. How do you explain it, Julia?"
"You hit her with your power, of course."
"It might have been Daemoni," Martin said. "They might have hit the girl just as they hit Alexis, but harder. We can't prove who harmed the girl."
Or it could have been the traitor, working with Julia. Tristan had to suspect Julia, too, but he pursed his lips tightly closed. He didn't exactly defend the vamp, but he was very careful about accusing her.
"If Tristan wanted to kill Julia, he would have. Nothing could have stopped him," said Chandra, the exotically beautiful were-leopard who thought Dorian could lead the Amadis. "We cannot prove he did anything to the girl and there is much doubt that he did. So what are the other charges against him?"
"After tying yourself to Amadis royalty, gaining your way in, you returned to the Daemoni," Savio, the Italian shark, said to Tristan. "Is that correct?"
"Not intentionally," Tristan said. "I was defending the Amadis and protecting Alexis."
"And before doing so," Savio continued, ignoring Tristan's defense, "you impregnated the Amadis daughter with only a son, who you knew would eventually convert to the Daemoni, leaving the Amadis with nothing."
"What are you saying, Savio?" Charlotte asked. "That he purposefully shot only male sperm?"
A chuckle ran through the audience.
"You must not really know the Daemoni if you can't believe they're capable of anything," Savio countered.
A murmur of agreement came from the crowd. I bit my lip, suppressing the urge to shout at them about how absurd they sounded. How they grasped at straws. At one moment, they talked about Lilith as an Amadis daughter, and in the next, when convenient for them, they spoke as if we didn't have a daughter at all.
"If you're asking if I married Alexis and she conceived a son, yes, that is true," Tristan said. "If you're asking if I gave myself to the Daemoni, yes, that is true, as well, but not to return to them. Only to protect Alexis and the Amadis. To protect you."
"That's what you say," someone nearby muttered. I leaned forward and twisted toward the source, wishing I could shoot daggers with my eyes. Many faces met my glare, some with pity and empathy, others hard and accusing. I narrowed my eyes, then turned back to Tristan and the council.
"Did you or did you not spend over seven years with the Daemoni and upon your return, attempt to murder your wife, an Amadis daughter, last March?" Armand the vampire asked.
The crowd became louder this time, with both defensive and accusing tones. I jumped to my feet, unable to keep quiet a moment longer. Especially because Tristan would never defend himself against this accusation. "No! That wasn't him. You know how the Daemoni are. You can't blame him for that!"
Several council members threw me a dirty look, while a couple looked at me with pride. Martin ignored my outburst, distracted by a piece of paper that appeared in mid-air and fluttered in front of him. He snatched it out of the air, unfolded it and studied the contents.
"Yes," Tristan said, also ignoring me. "I am sorry for not maintaining control of myself. That is a regret I have to live with for the rest of my life."
"Which may not be much longer," a voice from the crowd said.
Martin's eyes shot daggers this time. "Silence," he hissed.
"We all know Ms. Alexis is right," said Galina, one of Rina's favorite mages. "Tristan would never purposefully harm her. He was not under his own control."
"I believe it," spoke up Minh, her silly green hat now gone. "They are meant for each other, are they not? We agreed years ago they are to produce the next Amadis daughter. Why do we contradict ourselves now?"
I sat down, my arms across my chest, finally understanding why Rina had trusted those two mages so much. They were utterly loyal; you could feel it emanating off their bodies.
"Have you produced a daughter, as you agreed to do twenty-eight years ago?" asked one of the Middle Eastern mages–whether Attair or Shihab, I couldn't remember.
"You tell me," Tristan said. "You've tested the girl's qualities. Since you accuse me of attempting to murder the youngest Amadis daughter, you tell me if she's even been born yet."
The mage pressed his lips together, having no answer.
"As to how you convinced Alexis to marry you in the first place … is it true you deceived her with a faerie stone?" Julia asked. How did she know about it?
Tristan's eyes flicked to me, and I shook my head before his glare returned to Julia.
"I didn't remember the meaning of the stone at the time," he said.
"But you did give her a faerie stone? And it did make her believe she loved you?"
Tristan's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "Yes. It is true."
I flew to my feet again. "No, it's not! You've gone too far! He didn't make me do anything. My love for him is real. More authentic than any of you!"
Mom tugged on my arm, pulling me back to my seat. Rina opened her mouth as if to say something–finally–but then snapped it closed, as if she couldn't bring herself to voice her own thoughts.
"A faerie stone does not work in that way," Chandra said dismissively. "We are fully aware that no magic, no powers, not even faerie powers can force or create love."
Exactly.
"If you're going to accuse Tristan of treason, your grounds must be better than what you've put forth so far," Galina said.
"Is it true you can flash while holding another living being?" Armand asked, and everyone looked at him with confusion, the question seeming to have no grounds for treason. He ignored them, staring at Tristan expectantly.
"Yes. I've flashed with Alexis a few times."
"You do realize no one has ever heard of that being done?" Armand pressed.
"Of course I'm aware. There are many things I can do that no one else can."
"So if a baby–a baby girl, in this case–were taken at birth, the kidnapper would have to flash in and out … leaving with the baby. And no one but you can accomplish such a feat."
The crowd broke out in a quiet roar. Mom, Rina and I exchanged glances. So many holes peppered that insinuation ….
"Let me get this straight," Tristan said, rocking
back on his heels. "You're accusing me of pretending to become Amadis; somehow convincing the council and the matriarch and the youngest daughter that I should have a child with the next daughter who hadn't been born yet at the time; purposefully giving her only a son and no daughter … except, no, now you're saying something different. I did actually give her a daughter, but right after conception, I went back to the Daemoni for nearly eight years; and at the birth, I somehow flashed into the room, delivered a baby, cut the cord and flashed away without Rina, Sophia or one of your most powerful warlocks noticing and took the girl with me, leaving the boy. Years later, I returned to kill my wife, but since that didn't work, I took her on a wild goose chase around the globe, although I would know exactly where to find our daughter, only to try to kill her and attack a council member. Is that what you're accusing me of?"
Everyone stared at Tristan for a long moment, probably still weaving through the tangled web he'd thrown.
"Something like that," Adolf finally said.
"Except you're not even sure the girl is an Amadis daughter, in which case your stories and allegations change. Again."
The crowd sat silently as the accusing council members averted their eyes and squirmed uncomfortably. Martin, who'd been studying the piece of paper he'd been delivered a few minutes ago, lifted the page and waved it in the air.
"We do have an answer to that now," he said. He looked at Tristan, then glanced at me, his expression wary. "I believe, however, we should discuss this in private. It's very personal in nature."
"Nonsense!" Julia said. "The results are pertinent to the case. They will be disclosed publicly."
"I agree," Armand said.
Martin sighed and gave a shake of his head as he glanced down at the results. I sat on the edge of my seat, my knuckles white from the tight fists I held in my lap, and waited to hear if Lilith really belonged to me. My heart pounded louder with each passing moment as Martin took his time to form his thoughts. Unable to read his mind, I wanted to physically reach in and grab the words out of his throat. Finally, he spoke. "The results show a trace of Amadis blood, but not enough to be an Amadis daughter. She is not Alexis's child, not the youngest daughter."