by K. N. Banet
“Then you didn’t witness anything, Nakul did,” Johann, the male witch, snapped. “And that’s—”
And we’re off to the races. Time to argue with the Tribunal…again. I need to stop finding myself in this position.
“I was Nakul. You know how riding memories works,” I hissed. “And let me tell you, there is nothing more disgusting than that feeling. You know how compulsion spells work, sir. On top of that, there’s no stipulation how Executioners need to witness anything. None. You wrote the Laws before technology, and you probably didn’t think about this happening. I’m one hundred percent certain I am under threat directed by Eliphas.
“Going back to the prison break, he’s the only witch powerful enough in the prison to lower the defenses the way they were. Maybe he had help from guards under compulsion, but he’s the guy who orchestrated this. And if you don’t want to believe he did all of this, fuck it. I’ll execute my right as a naga to kill all those who make themselves enemies of my people. As the female representative of my people, that is not only my right but my duty. This witch and his friend dug into the memories of one of my kind, possibly breaching the security of my people in hiding. Eliphas broke the fucking rules, and now he gets to pay for it.”
My rant over, I panted softly, glaring at the road before me.
“We lost a good Alpha in this breakout,” Corissa said softly, possibly to one of the other Tribunal members like her peer, Callahan. “Tarak was a good Alpha, and he was obviously pulled into this scheme.”
“Hard to prove since he’s dead,” Johann snapped.
“Beyond that, Tarak couldn’t do compulsion spells,” Callahan growled. “We have reasonable evidence that Eliphas did, though. How do you answer for that?”
“The fae—”
“The fae aren’t involved in this,” Hasan growled like an angry parent. “Don’t drag them into this. The fae units of the prison have been some of the most cooperative because their Warden is away on business.”
“Convenient, isn’t it? All the fae are missing, then the prison outbreak happens,” Matilda pointed out.
“Actually, I think the prison outbreak happened because the fae were gone, which took players off the board,” I said, cutting in. “Cassius, one of the most powerful Investigators, works with me, and he has a lot of political sway. Alvina is one of the most compassionate of you, while Oisin is one of the most ruthless. I think the fae left to do their own thing, and it was a good time to get to me. Because that’s all this is, a massive attempt to kill me.”
“You are full of yourself,” Hasan mumbled. “But not wrong.”
“That’s why we all dislike Kaliya,” Callahan commented softly. “She’s not always right, but she’s just paranoid enough to make all of us look like fools on occasion.”
“It’s not hard to make you look like a fool, Callahan,” Hasan muttered.
“Sometimes, I miss the War. I was kicking your ass,” Callahan growled back.
“Moving on. Kaliya, you are set on this path, are you not?” The clear voice of the male vampire, Isaiah, cut into the call. He had been notably silent, and I realized so had the female vampire.
“I am,” I declared.
“I vote for, and so does Maria. I will also recommend since you have such a small species and the trust of the Tribunal and our facility, the prison, has been compromised, you keep Nakul under the care of your people. Send him back to your homeland and put him under house arrest for the rest of his life. After what we have done to him, I’m certain that might help make amends in some way.”
“You don’t get to make those decisions. She doesn’t get to make those decisions. Nakul is dangerous, and his crimes were—”
“I will not have abuses like this happening in that hell hole you have created,” Isaiah roared at the female witch who had just tried him. “Why do you think I don’t send many vampires to your prison? Do you think I should trust power-hungry supernaturals with the safety of my kind? What Eliphas and possibly Tarak have done is disgrace us in the eyes of another species, one that has supported the Tribunal since its inception. We all forget that Kaliya is the representative of the naga, not only our Executioner. She is due the respect of that, and we have broken a sacred trust to her.”
My personal dichotomy. I was in several different ranks of the social hierarchy, using each when needed. I was a representative of a species, a ruler in the eyes of the Tribunal. I was their employee, an Executioner who followed orders. I was also a scum bounty hunter, depending on how busy work was keeping me.
“My friend—” Hasan tried to break in to end the vicious words of the vampire, who sounded like he was going into a blood rage.
“No! Even if Kaliya has been kind enough not to say it, we all know Adhar will come to us before the week is out. This entire affair has been disgraceful, and every single one of you involved in the prison who choose the Wardens should be ashamed of yourselves, especially you fucking witches. You’re still trying to protect them, and I haven’t even begun to figure out why. Kaliya has never been wrong in her estimation by the time she comes to us with it. Never. She is one of our most intelligent Executioners, and we owe her our trust to do what is right, not only for the supernatural world we rule but our own reputations.”
I turned the volume down and glanced at Raphael, my eyes wide. His were too.
“I completely agree,” Hasan said softly. “Please sit down, old friend. Please.”
“Disgraceful children,” he growled softly. “Not you, Hasan. It’s good to have you back, my ancient friend. I forgot how much I appreciated your wisdom in times such as these.”
“Thank you for that.”
Things settled down on the other end. No one said a word, and after a few minutes of silence, I decided it was time to get this moving again.
“So…I’m going to kill Eliphas, then I’m going to send Nakul back to Adhar for safekeeping. Then I’m going on a vacation.” I nodded slowly. “Yeah, a vacation sounds good right now.”
“Of course,” Hasan said carefully. “We can discuss time off for you once this is said and done…” He didn’t sound very positive in the matter.
“No, I think I need a vacation. Most of you haven’t mentioned or realized it, but this entire time, I’ve also had to drag around and risk the life of Raphael Alvarez. Raphael, say hi to the Tribunal.”
“Hello, everyone.” Raphael was awkward and had every reason to be. None of them had realized he was there, and he had heard their massive internal conflict. Fights like that in the Tribunal were not common, but they pointed to divisions among the group the public didn’t need to see. They tried to present a united front.
“I’m going to take a vacation so I can resolve the situation with him, then come back to work without getting him killed. Shit, I should have done it when the decision was made that I should keep him with me.”
“Well, this is embarrassing,” Callahan mumbled.
“Let’s just take it to a vote,” Corissa said, sighing. “Alvina and Oisin are unavailable, so their opinions on the matter are null. Majority wins at four votes. All in favor of Kaliya’s judgment that Eliphas should be executed?”
Five said yes. Both werewolves, probably pissed about what happened to Tarak and Wesley. Both vampires, who apparently hated the prison to begin with. Hasan, who was running by his own code. He was definitely an outlier, who the rest either loved or hated. Being the only werecat to fill one of the two seats for his kind, he made the Tribunal an odd number. He was literally the swing vote.
“You know she’s right,” the female vampire finally said, probably directed to the witches. “You know she is. You didn’t vote in favor because you’re being petty.”
“We didn’t vote in favor because it doesn’t matter. She’s pulled the naga privilege, and that massive power obviously needs to be curbed. We vote against out of principle,” the male witch snapped, hostility his number one emotion of the night. I had never seen or heard either of the witches t
his angry or this human, but tonight, their masks had fallen.
That sent a chill down my spine.
“We’ll speak on it another day,” Hasan said with finality. “Kaliya, deliver the judgment of the Tribunal.”
29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Ah, shit. I forgot to tell them about Kartane,” I muttered. “Raphael, don’t freak out, but I’m going to text and drive.”
“Want me to hold the wheel?” He wasn’t surprised, which made me chuckle. I nodded as I turned on cruise control. We were going ninety, so I hoped he knew how to keep us steady from the passenger’s seat. He grabbed the wheel as I picked up my phone. I quickly punched in the information Hasan needed about Kartane, where to find him, and that he was innocent. I got a response immediately.
Hasan: And here I thought you couldn’t piss the witches off more than you already have.
I chuckled again, knowing what he meant. The witches were probably hoping from the very beginning their precious Eliphas wasn’t guilty, and his second had done all of this, but Kartane’s information for them would wrap all of this up in a tiny bow.
As the witches said, it doesn’t really matter. He tried to kill me, which gives me the freedom to kill him.
The witch tried to play a dangerous game with a snake, and now he was going to get bitten.
I put the phone back down in a cup holder, then grabbed the steering wheel from Raphael.
“Thanks.” I was used to saying that now. When this had all started, his willingness to help was surprising. Somewhere in the last day, I had grown used to it, and now, I just appreciated it.
Being old makes some of us forget how fast things can change. Not that I’m old.
Before we reached the prison, I made one more phone call.
“Kaliya. I haven’t heard any news all day. Do you know what’s going on?” Korey was professional again. Whatever hostility she had felt toward me in the morning was gone. I was glad to hear it. It meant her power wasn’t tenuous. She had probably spent the entire day dealing with wolves who might challenge her role and securing her position.
I was glad she hadn’t heard any news, which meant there was a high chance Eliphas was also out of the loop. Probably because the Tribunal hadn’t cared to tell them what was going on outside the prison, much in the same way most of the outside world had never known what was happening inside it. Because of their positions, they were active suspects. A good Investigator would have made sure the Tribunal took that into consideration. I suddenly wished I knew which Investigator they had called in to work on their end, but it was something I could ask about another time.
“I killed Levi and the werewolf twins. Nakul is secured, but he won’t be returned to the prison. The threat to Phoenix and the surrounding area is considered active until further notice, but there’s been nothing for the last several hours. Everyone else who escaped probably went underground and found ways out of Arizona. Where are you?” I asked, needing to know if I would need to save her from an angry witch.
“Outside on a walk with some of the pack. We’re checking the perimeter, marking where we’ve found scents of other escapees to track later. I think we might find a few in the desert on their way to Mexico, instead of heading up to Phoenix.”
“And those would be the smart ones. Good thinking. I need you to stay outside until I get there. If you could, meet me in the parking lot. Something is about to happen.”
“Should I call Eliphas? He’s been locked up in his tower since you left earlier today, working on the magical defenses again.”
“No, do not call Eliphas. Don’t send anyone to get him or check on him. Korey, he was the source of the breakout. He was blackmailed by the healer he brought in. You’re going to meet me in the parking lot. I’m going to kill him while you work with my partner to find any information you can about the healer.”
“Oh.” Korey was stunned. “Am I going to get a briefing on why my fellow Warden is going to be executed?”
“By the time you get the full briefing, it’ll be about why he was executed. He’ll be dead before dawn, probably not long after I get there. I just want you out of the way.” I didn’t need the fucking wolf pack trying to help. For once, I was in my element and didn’t need anyone tagging along.
“Okay. I’ll call out the wolves inside to get out of the way.”
“Good.” I hung up on her and hit the gas.
“Partner?”
Raphael’s smooth voice sounded all too pleased. The man sitting next to me wasn’t the man I had lived with for four months, certainly not the man I had found outside that church, paranoid and pissed off.
“Yeah, partner.” I swallowed. “I know you didn’t ask for any of this, but—”
“I’m not mad. I’m glad I can help, and you consider me a good help at that. I was just messing with you.”
“I’m not going to say you’re good, but you’re at least hard to kill, so I don’t need to worry about you as much,” I smirked, turning it around on him again. “Now, pay attention. You’ll be with Korey through this. I am going to kill Eliphas alone. I don’t want you to see that or potentially get in the way. It’s nothing against you, but this is an official execution, and…this is what I do most of the time. I’m an assassin. These big brawls aren’t really my thing, but this is.”
“I’ll help Korey, just don’t nearly die on me this time. I kind of need you, Kaliya Sahni.”
I kind of need you, too.
We pulled into the prison’s parking lot an hour later. For the third time today, I stepped out of my BMW to be greeted by a werewolf Alpha. Part of me was weary, tired of this back and forth, tired of this entire fucking mess—only a small part. I was so close to finishing this, and the resolve made me stand straighter, lifting my chin as Korey walked closer.
“I don’t think any of them have a clue what’s going on,” Korey said softly. “I’m afraid the witches and fae might attack you, thinking you’ve turned or something. Loyalty to the Wardens runs deep.”
“I know. Once I’m in, you’ll know when it starts. He won’t go down quietly. I want you ready on the intercom system to announce he’s no longer in power, and he’s been sentenced to execution by the Tribunal. That will keep them out of my way.”
“Are you really going to climb his tower? That’s his seat of power, where he’s most powerful.”
I knew all of that. Eliphas controlled all the magic around the prison from the top of his tower.
“Yes.” I wasn’t concerned. I should have been. Only hours ago, the coven had to put me back together. There was a principle to the matter, though. He came after me. I got to end him.
Tit for tat.
“I’ll be helping you collect evidence from Eliphas’ office,” Raphael stated as he came around the car. “Kaliya…maybe you should get ready?”
“Yup.” I left them to talk about what they needed to look for. Raphael knew the score and what we were looking for. He also knew what to keep, what to give to the Tribunal, and what to leave with Korey. I trusted him to handle it.
I went to the back of the BMW, ignoring the wolves around me. Many watched as I popped open the truck and began to arm up—talwar, katana, sidearm, thigh daggers, and boot daggers.
“She’s a walking arsenal,” someone whispered. “Do you think she’ll need all of that?”
“It’s not about what you need,” I said loudly as I added a case of throwing knives on my belt. “It’s about what you might need. Never go into a fight unprepared.”
“Wolves don’t need all that. We have teeth,” one scoffed.
“You have numbers,” I corrected, turning on the werewolf as I closed the trunk, then opened my mouth. “And my teeth are better.”
“Move for her,” Korey ordered. The werewolves, both in human form and wolf, made a path.
I entered alone, noting the silent halls. The few fae and witches on duty let me pass without much concern. I was always heavily armed when I came in. The werewol
ves had only pointed it out because they had seen me preparing, something not many got to watch.
No one questioned me when I started climbing the stairs to Eliphas’ tower. Once I hit the third floor, there were no guards. I walked slowly, knowing Eliphas didn’t have anything similar to werecat magic. Werecats could pinpoint the type and location of any supernatural in their territory. It was a magic unique to them, and there were few who could recreate even a knock off of the werecats’ territorial awareness. Most couldn’t differentiate between different supernatural types or couldn’t get the location perfectly accurate. I knew Eliphas had neither. There were too many living things in the prison. That’s why his border defenses were so important.
When I reached the top of the stairs, all six flights up, I wasn’t out of breath. It was just another day. I knocked once, then opened the door.
I wanted Eliphas to know I was coming.
30
Chapter Thirty
“Ah, Executioner Sahni. What a pleasant surprise.” Eliphas looked up, his eyes still bandaged.
Liar.
“I wanted to ask you a few questions,” I said, closing the door behind me.
“You could have asked any of the witches below to call for me.” He was annoyed. He didn’t like anyone in his personal space.
“I could have, but I figured it would be nice to drop in on you and not force you to go down all those steps in your current condition.” I smiled, locking the door. I did everything slowly, with purpose, so he knew what was happening around him. Not that I thought his blindness would be a problem.
“What news do you bring?” he asked, leaning back in his seat. “I would offer to get you a drink, but I’m afraid those are on the floor below.”