Nodding, Madame Helena waved her bony fingers in the air as though dancing them along a piano. Two deafening cracks shook the benches, startling all of us, and the entire left wall of the courtroom crumbled to the floor. From the darkness beyond the fallen wall, a row of nine individual iron chambers suspended from a swinging bar soared into the courtroom.
“Cannot believe they have the nerve to let Helena use her powers, yet outlaw you all,” said Mom.
“Probably some exception to the rule, you know, for the greater good,” said Meikle.
“Yeah, the greater good being whatever benefits them at any given moment,” I said.
“The Imperia calls Fletcher Gibbs, Camille Valentine, Katrina Zale, Troy Tombolo, Marina Valentine, Airianna Hail, Trey Campbell, Meikle Martinez, and Benjamin Wamberly to the chambers. Please sit in the order called,” said Graytone.
We all peeled ourselves from our seats, like weeds in a bed of perfect, plastic flowers. I felt Troy’s hand brush against the small of my back as I climbed into chamber number five. Sitting in the chamber was a bit like being in a birdcage for a really large, really dead zombie-bird.
“Shall we begin?” asked the albino. “Mistron, please commence the questioning.”
Mistron Havenot, their science control expert, opened his folder and removed several blood-red sheets of paper. He adjusted his glasses over his crooked nose and looked at Mr. Gibbs. “Fletcher Gibbs, are you currently in a relationship with banished Marina Valentine’s mother, Camille Valentine?”
“I am,” Mr. Gibbs said firmly.
“Mrs. Valentine,” said Mistron Havenot, turning his steel eyes to my mom, “have you or have you not had sexual relations with the merman, Fletcher Gibbs?”
“Excuse me?” said my mom, her jaw tightening.
“Have you or have you not had sexual relations with—”
“I heard you the first time,” said my mom. “I’m asking you how you have the nerve to inquire about my private life in such a public manner. Of course, it’s hardly surprising given your diligence in documenting each and every bathroom deposit I made.”
“Please answer the question, Mrs. Valentine,” instructed Graytone.
“This is hardly relevant to the—” said Mr. Gibbs angrily.
“Silence!” shouted Teldon Tyne, the Imperia’s combat specialist, his boulder-size arms flexing beneath his suit. “Answer the question, Mrs. Valentine. This is not a request. It is a command.”
“You command an answer?” said my mom. “Well, here ya go—and, I’m sorry baby girl, but sometimes bluntness is your only recourse when faced with ignorant prying—yes, Fletcher and I have had hot, steamy, pull the curtains, shut the door, close the blinds, wake the dead, pound the headboard, make your loveless asses seek alone-time sex.”
Apart from Katrina, the Ravenflames, scared Fairhairs, the Imperia, and Madame Helena, the room erupted in applause, hoots, and hollers.
“Since you are keen on providing us with such exceptional detail, Mrs. Valentine, perhaps you can be equally as vivid with our next question. Are you in fact…pregnant with an illegal species of human and merperson?” asked Havenot.
Mom’s face fell as Mr. Gibbs roared at the Imperia. “You have absolutely NO right to ask her such questions!” When he attempted to jump from his chamber, the sides shifted and spikes emerged from every angle, closing him inside.
“I’m afraid we have every right,” said Havenot. “You see, such an abomination must be immediately terminated, as per clause ninety-three, which states that no human shall procreate with any mythological being. Science has provided conclusive evidence that the creature resulting from such a union would prove devastating to society as we know it.”
“No,” said my mom, her head down. “I am not pregnant.”
“Can you provide the Imperia with proof?”
“She already answered your question!” I yelled.
“It’s all right, Marina,” said Mom. “Yes, I can provide proof, if requested.”
After a moment’s pause, Mistron Havenot said, “Noted. Teldon, you may commence.”
Teldon Tyne, by far the most physically threatening of the group, leaned back in his chair and held his red pages up by his ear. “Benjamin Wamberly, how would you describe your relationship with the banished students?”
“I didn’t really get to know them until Marina arrived, but I’d say it’s a very friendly relationship,” said Benji.
“But, isn’t it true that you did not get along with Miss Valentine and, in fact, thought of her as a threat?”
“No, I mean…that was before I knew her,” said Benji anxiously.
“Ah, so you did see her as a threat?” Tyne smiled sinisterly.
“Only because I didn’t know her! Once I understood the kind of person she was—”
“Mr. Wamberly isn’t the only one who considered Miss Valentine a threat, is he, Miss Zale?” Interrupting Benji, Tyne pointed his papers at Katrina.
“No, he isn’t. Marina has threatened me and my family on numerous occasions. She is a menace who has brought this town nothing but trouble,” she said eagerly.
“Really, Katrina? What happened to having ‘no concerns whatsoever about a filthy American Normal’ and ‘there is nothing about you I fear?’” I said. “You said those things to me at Sprinkles restaurant, remember…right after you bestowed your smite upon me?”
“Is this true, Miss Zale? Did you smite one of our banished students?” asked Vipor.
Breathing heavily, her reddening eyes focusing hard on me, Katrina said airily, if not proudly, “Yes. What she says is true. I issued a smite on Marina Jayne Valentine.”
Gasps and mutterings filled the room.
“Silence!” shouted Graytone.
“Imperia brothers,” started Vipor, “when issuing a smite, a merperson has only one intended goal: to kill its subject in the most grisly manner imaginable. What’s more, smites do not simply disappear. They keep coming until the smite successfully results in the demise of its target. Miss Zale has confessed to this accusation. This, brothers, is a clear breach of clause five. Any actions or words Marina Valentine may have made thereafter were logical, justifiable reactions to the unending threat she faces because of Miss Zale.”
“We are presented with quite an obstacle, Miss Zale,” said Graytone, slightly alarmed. The passing consideration of holding King Zale’s little princess responsible for breaching their precious Banishment Charter sent a clear wave of unease amongst Imperia members. To risk losing support from the sea’s most powerful creatures would not only cost the government mega bucks, but it would also mean the careers of many a shady politico.
“If I may,” said Kyle Zale, removing his mini-trident from his robes. As he approached Prax Graytone, Kyle swirled his mini-trident in front of him. A book with wildly flipping pages appeared within a purple mist on Graytone’s folder. “Before you is a passage on Merpeople smites. Because smites involve creatures of the sea, all smites must be approved by the Stirring Forces. If they deem a smite legitimate, said smite is activated, and the target is universally accepted as a threat to our kind. Perhaps it would be prudent to ask Miss Valentine if my sister’s smite was ever activated.”
“Well, Miss Valentine? Did you ever have to face anything as a result of Miss Zale’s smite?” asked Graytone.
“Yes, I did,” I said. “And I escaped it.”
Tyne crossed his massive leg over the other, leaned back in his chair, and said, “Well, well, well. It appears Miss Valentine is indeed a threat. This excuses Miss Zale’s actions, does it not?”
“It appears so, yes,” said Graytone.
“May I ask who controls the Stirring Forces?” asked Vipor.
“I was hoping you would, Luxton,” said Kyle. “The Stirring Forces are controlled and modified…by the Tombolo family.”
I flipped my gaping mouth and wide, alarmed eyes to Troy. “Why wouldn’t you tell me?” I whispered.
Shaking his head, Troy said,
“It’s more complicated than you think.”
Prax Graytone allowed a relieved smile to stretch across his face. “Thank you, Prince Zale.”
Kyle nodded, shot his sister a disapproving glance, and retook his seat.
“Uh, you know, I’d like to make a statement for the record,” said Doctor Tenly.
“Of course. Please, Principal Jeepers, have your say,” said Graytone.
An impatient Teldon Tyne growled a bit.
“Well, now, honestly, you can’t expect to hog all the ego-time,” said Doctor Tenly, throwing his arms up at Tyne, who crunched his papers in his fist. “There should be some clarification about the current commander of the Stirring Forces. Indeed, they were created by the royal Tombolo family many centuries ago, but the final decision maker has long since been a member of another royal family. Queen Mistaleah Tombolo…ah, sorry about that,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Queen Mistaleah Zale, wife of King Zale, stepmother of Katrina Zale, stole—oh, dear, I did it again—of course I meant took the rights of the Stirring Forces with her when she left her son, Troy, daughter Treeva, husband, King Tombolo, and her soul…to be a Zale.”
Luxton Vipor leaned forward, quickly adding, “With this information, brothers, it is impossible to determine whether Queen Zale legitimately viewed Miss Valentine as threat or not.”
Graytone nodded. “Just as it’s impossible to determine Queen Zale’s motives in approving her stepdaughter’s smite. For all we know, the queen was ill-informed by a hot-headed teen who was acting on an impulse at the time she issued her smite on Miss Valentine.”
“Might I suggest striking all of this from the record, due to it being inconclusive,” offered Vipor.
“So stricken,” said Graytone. “Tyne, you prepared to get us back on track?”
Tyne literally picked up where he left off with Benji, as though nothing had ever interrupted him. “And didn’t you, Mr. Wamberly, warn your friend, Troy Tombolo, of the consequences of associating with Miss Valentine?”
“Again, yes, but—”
“Thanks, Mr. Wamberly. No further questions of this one,” said Teldon Tyne, tossing his pages on the folder in front of him. “Barkley? Take it over.”
“Indeed.” For the Imperia’s main enforcer, Barkley Forth was certainly unassuming, particularly considering his slight stature, soft voice, and clueless expression. However, like most seemingly harmless things in life, the longer you observe them, the quicker you feel that sudden, surprising flush of fear. I swear there was a screaming, mad, flesh-ripping sociopath trapped beneath his calm, balding exterior. “Miss Martinez, please explain your reason for casting the Blue Crest spell on Halloween.”
“I never successfully crafted the spell,” said Meikle calmly.
“But you did try, is that accurate?” There was absolutely no inflection in Barkley Forth’s voice.
“Yes.” Like Forth, Meikle never wavered from a steady, deep, dark, don’t-piss-me-off tone.
“And why did you try in the first place?”
“Something for a bored witch to do on Halloween.”
“When you were trying to achieve the spell, were you aware of the existence of Merpeople?”
“No.”
“What exactly were you hoping to discover by casting the spell?”
“Nothing.”
Despite his unchanging expression, tiny beads of sweat appeared on Barkley Forth’s forehead. His line of questioning was going nowhere, and the Imperia members were visibly rattled. Meikle emitted only one emotion at all times: muted anger.
“Isn’t it true that Troy Tombolo removed you from the local hospital while you were still gravely ill and under quarantine?” asked Forth, changing directions.
“No.”
“No?”
“No. Your question is factually inaccurate. I was under quarantine, but I wasn’t gravely ill,” said Meikle, completely relaxed.
At her response, Forth showed the smallest glimmer of hope as he began to ask his follow-up question. “So, he did remove you?”
“Actually, I removed myself. Troy was nothing more than insurance,” said Meikle, a taunting little smile curling one side of her mouth.
Barkley Forth and the Imperia members looked at a loss. “Anyone have any further questions?”
Graytone shook his head. “None for Miss Martinez.”
“Didn’t think so,” said Meikle with a purr.
“Why don’t you move this along, Smith,” said Graytone.
“Certainly,” said Smith Merculee, the Imperia’s resident aquatic specialist. Ironically, he had the best fish lips I’d ever seen on a human. “Mr. Campbell, you, in fact, were the first of your group to discover the existence of Merpeople, is that correct?”
“Yep, that’s right,” said Trey, his arms crossed across his stomach.
“And you actively searched for this town’s secret, yes?”
“Yep, again.”
“What did you do with this delicate information once you acquired it?” asked Merculee, manically tapping his pen on his papers.
“I sent clues to Marina. I was the one who ignited her curiosity, in essence forcing her to discover the truth by letting her think I was in danger,” said Trey.
“Is that so,” said Merculee, smiling at his fellow Imperia buddies.
Son of a gun! No way in hell was I going to let Trey serve himself up on a tin platter to the Imperia! “You didn’t force me!” I shouted. “Trey’s clue had nothing to do with how I discovered the existence of Merpeople. And if you really want to get down to brass tacks, Trey’s gift, or malfunction as you people like to call it, is to see truth behind lies. Therefore, it was an undeniable calling which forced him to uncover this town’s secret.”
“Marina!” said Trey.
“Shut up,” I growled.
Prax Graytone tapped his fingers together a few times. “Because Ms. Hambourg could not cure Mr. Campbell of his malfunction, the Imperia will excuse him from any further blame. And I suppose this brings us to Mr. Tombolo, who actually exposed his true self to Marina Valentine.” Treeva squirmed in her throne, and I felt like projectile vomiting. “Is this true, Mr. Tombolo?”
“Yes. Of my own accord, I chose to show her my true self, knowing it was in direct violation of the Banishment Charter. At no time did Marina force or otherwise coerce me into revealing my fin,” said Troy.
Oh, hell no! Now Troy was trying to be all high and mighty! I love Trey and Troy for manning-up to save the damsel, but this was Savior-showdown territory, no balls required. “It’s not like he flashed his fin in the heat of the moment or anything. He had to fin-up to save my life.”
“Marina, what the hell are you doing?” said Troy.
“Telling the truth. I won’t let you take the blame for doing something as rare and noble as saving someone’s life, Troy.”
“Are you saying this is a falsehood, Mr. Tombolo?” asked Graytone.
“No, but—”
“So, in essence, Miss Valentine left you with a choice between revealing yourself and breaching clause ten, or allowing a banished one to die, which would have breached clause five. Is this a fair statement?”
“Totally fair,” I said, answering for Troy.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say Mr. Tombolo was placed in an impossible situation by Miss Valentine,” said Graytone, to which all Imperia members—with the exception of Luxton Vipor—and Madame Helena agreed. “Miss Valentine, what exactly were you doing when Mr. Tombolo saved you?”
“Drowning,” I said.
“And am I to understand this was a situation that could not be avoided?” asked Graytone, smiling.
For a moment, I thought about telling him all about seeing Polly, but I knew doing so would only open a can of worms we couldn’t afford the Imperia placing on hooks and tossing into the sea. If they found out about Zale’s network and Prehendo Animus, the word catastrophe would have a new definition.
“Actually, it could have been avoided. I was a reck
less teen, who drank too much on New Year’s Eve, wandered down a pier near my house, slipped on the boards, hit my head, and fell into the water. My poor decision making forced Troy to make a choice between two sure violations of the Banishment Charter.”
“Marina, no!” said Troy.
Prax Graytone looked like the devil welcoming his new condemned soul into his den. “This is a serious charge you are admitting to, Miss Valentine. We have very little wriggle room in terms of sentencing. You will be removed from Saxet Shores and executed. Do you understand?”
“I do,” I said.
“Wait! I’m to blame!” said Airianna, garnering an audible gasp from the room.
“Miss Hail, you have something to add?” asked Graytone, less than pleased.
“Yes,” said Airianna.
“Airi…what are you doing?” I whispered.
She waved her hand dismissively at me. “Marina is unaware of my involvement in Troy’s actions on New Year’s Eve…and even before then. You see, Sir, I knew of Troy’s feelings for Marina and had been encouraging him to pursue her without her knowledge. Long before Marina’s accident, I tried to convince Troy to reveal himself to her. I wanted to see people from two different worlds fall in love. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to see. Despite Troy’s feelings, he refused time and again to reveal himself. On New Year’s Eve, I was swimming nearby when I saw Marina in danger. Marina unknowingly delivered me the perfect opportunity. Troy was on his way back from a New Year’s Eve…event…and I told him to save her. So, you see, it was me who pushed him to make the decision he made. My endless convincing finally took hold. I even told him it was his only justifiable opportunity to start a relationship based on truth and honesty, things that are lacking in this town,” said Airianna.
As much as I admired her bravery and need to try and save me, I have never been so terrified for her well-being.
OVERFALLS (The Merworld Water Wars, Book 2) Page 7