Starlight (The Lightning Strike Trilogy Book 1)

by K. A. Rygaard

  “Ableon.”

  An exasperated Keenan looked at Wingrove.

  “Miss Fitch, Ableon is out of the question. You cannot plead it.”

  “I invoke the right of Ableon, which is clearly stated as an undeniable right to all citizens of the Galaxies in Queen Allu’s original constitution.”

  “I will hold you in contempt and throw you in a cell with Mr. Adler,” Wingrove told me, out of reach of his voice projection box. “Would—”

  “The press would have a field day,” Keenan whispered, and I frowned at him; he was only saving his own skin.

  All eyes in the courtroom were on the three of us, but two pairs were only on me, judging my reaction to what was being said: Zach’s and Lucas’s.

  “Emma,” Keenan said, louder so everyone behind us could hear him, placing his hands before me on the stand. He seemed to be restraining himself. “Please tell me.”

  I looked him right in the eyes.

  “No.”

  He closed his eyes, bit his lip, and then opened his eyes.

  “No further questions, Your Honor.”

  “Defense, your witness.”

  Georgeson was in front of me in an instant. Zach was glaring at him from behind his back.

  “Miss Fitch, what do you have against my client?”

  I glowered at him.

  “He tried to kill me. I don’t know why you think that’s acceptable, but it’s wrong.”

  “It is your word against my client’s. Why should anyone believe you over my client?”

  My eyes narrowed.

  “My Magic hasn’t been on any murders,” I said heatedly. “How many people has your client murdered, again?”

  Georgeson opened his mouth to retort (I saw Zach smiling at me from behind him) but Wingrove cut across him.

  “Strike the comment from the record. Ignore the witness’ last statement, jury. Georgeson, you are supposed to be cross-examining the witness.”

  “Yes, Your Honor.” Georgeson took a breath. “Miss Fitch, where is the proof of these ‘attacks’ my client has supposedly taken against you?”

  “My clearly unmodified memories, for one. Also those that Zach has. The curse the hospital took out of me that has his Magic all over it. That is my proof.”

  Georgeson nearly looked ill.

  “I have no further questions, Your Honor.”

  He went back to his table and Lucas started furiously whispering to him.

  “Redirect?” Wingrove prompted, looking at the prosecution.

  After a look at the attorney next to him, Keenan said he didn’t. Wingrove dismissed me from the stand. I went quickly, though not too eagerly, and sat back down next to Zach.

  To my surprise, he took my hand in his and squeezed it. I looked at our hands—his is much bigger than mine—and then at his face. He was watching me, and when he gave me a half-smile, it combined with the look in his eyes to make me feel safe again. I smiled back at him.

  You did good, Em, he Pathed as we looked back at Wingrove. He didn’t release my hand, but I didn’t complain. I welcomed it, and I think he did, too.

  “We will take a fifteen minute recess. Court’s dismissed.”

  Wingrove hit his gavel on his podium and then left out the door he came through. Lucas was led away with the same guards and then the row behind me emptied, and probably others, too. The current suddenly stopped and I realized Zach had released my hand. I frowned, but when I looked up I saw that Keenan was looking at us.

  “Thank you for testifying. We don’t have any other witnesses, so when we return, Georgeson will call Adler to the stand. That should be it. . . And then the sentencing.”

  We nodded, me refusing to speak to him. I was furious with him.

  “I still want to know,” he said suddenly, looking directly at me, “and I will find out.”

  “Leave her alone, Keenan,” Zach demanded protectively.

  “If it’s dangerous—”

  “It’s not,” I told him. “And drop it. You’re not going to find out. I’m not telling you.”

  “You can’t be the only person who knows.”

  His eyes flickered to Zach.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m not going to tell you; it’s none of your business.”

  Keenan seemed to be thinking of something else to say, but then he left out of the courtroom without another word. I sighed.

  “Hey.” I looked at Zach. “Don’t worry about this, okay? He’s not going to find out.”

  I looked over my shoulder. My parents, Jessie, and Thalia weren’t here, and Keenan was already gone.

  “I sincerely hope not. He’s always hated that I don’t treat him like everyone else does. If he finds out, he’s just going to be angrier. And now he’ll go after you since you so blatantly told him that you know, too.”

  “I’m not going to abandon you and let you take him alone. When he’s trying to get me to tell him, that’ll be less time he’s harassing you.”

  “Unless he comes at us at the same time.”

  “Then we’ll be together and he’ll have no luck getting us to tell him.”

  I like the word together.

  “Yeah,” I said inaudibly. “Together.”

  We lapsed into a silence.

  My lawyer let you and Stone off easy, Emma.

  Hearing his voice in my head made me frown; he shouldn’t be able to Path me.

  So you made him go after me? Told him to attack Zach?

  Just for my benefit. I wanted to prove something to myself.

  That you’re an ass?

  No. That you’re hiding something that could put you in danger, and that you and Stone are involved.

  We are not involved, I negated.

  Keep telling yourself that. It also proved that you two will do anything to protect each other. His words were actually quite convincing; he holds back less than you do, Emma. Not that it’s going to matter in a few minutes.

  My heart rate accelerated in uncertainty and the scars tightened at the edges.

  What are you talking about?

  Why should I tell you? I didn’t answer and he snickered. If you’re fed up, try to end the Path.

  Panic struck through me. I tried pulling my mind out of the Path, but I kept running into a wall. No matter hard I tried, I was stuck. My vision went black, and I couldn’t feel my body anymore.

  What did you do? I demanded angrily.

  The one thing I can do in this cell: Path. They should have stopped me from it, but I’m stronger than they are, and cleverer than you. You shouldn’t have Pathed me back at all, Emma. Along with Pathing comes the option of Pulling.

  I was going to die.

  I’d tell you to say your good-byes before I Pull all of your Magic out of you, but that’s not going to work.

  You aren’t going to get away with this, Lucas.

  I tried moving my fingers, to reach out and touch Zach, but I couldn’t find the strength.

  Who’s going to stop me?

  Light flooded back into my vision abruptly and I could feel myself once more—and the current. I squeezed my eyes shut and then open again. Zach’s hands were holding my face as he sat in front of me, looking furious.

  “Me,” he said, and I knew Lucas could hear him, for the next second he was shouting his surname in absolute rage, but then his mind was completely gone from mine.

  I took a deep, shaky breath before I folded myself into Zach’s arms. I closed my eyes, resting my head on his shoulder as his arms wrapped around me, holding me to him.

  “You’re okay,” he said. “He’s not going to get you.”

  “How did you know I was stuck?”

  “You weren’t moving, and you didn’t answer when I talked to you.” He pushed me back, looking at my eyes. “And your eyes were black. When you said his name, you sounded like you were suffocating.” He swallowed. “I did the only thing I could think of doing.”

  “Contact.”

  He nodded.

  “Just my h
ands on your face.” He hesitated but then his hand rested on my cheek. He watched his thumb stroke my skin. “I was going to do whatever it took to get you out of that. Even if I had to go break into where they’re holding him and kill him, I would have.” He paused. “I would have taken you with me. Carried you so when you woke up I’d be able to make sure you’re okay, so that I wouldn’t have to worry about someone hurting you when I was gone.”

  I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. He really would do anything to keep me safe.

  “Thank you,” I managed. “Again.”

  He smiled, and then he leaned forward and kissed my forehead, his hand holding the back of my head as he did. His grip tightened only briefly and my eyes closed, even though I knew it wouldn’t go any further than that here.

  “I’d do anything for you,” he whispered, resting his forehead against mine.

  I opened my eyes, seeing him do the same as he leaned back again, removing his hand from the back of my head. He leaned against the short fence separating the public from the main floor of the courtroom. His shoes were touching mine in the way he kept his legs.

  “Has it been seeming easier to you?” he asked, his arms crossed.

  “It has been easier. . . lately,” I admitted.

  From the brief way his eyes changed, I knew that he understood what I meant by ‘lately’.

  “It gets easier every time,” he said. “We don’t jump anymore, and this—” He took my hand in his. “— isn’t weird.”

  “The first time, in my Dream-World, I felt an over-whelming sense of trust for you. I still do.”

  “You’ll always be able to trust me.”

  I smiled at him.

  “I know I will.”

  He hesitated briefly, looking around the room.

  “It’s them, isn’t it?”

  I nodded.

  “I think so.”

  He sat silent for a moment, rubbing his thumb in circles over the top of my hand. It was incredibly calming.

  “He’s not going to be able to hurt you again.”

  “I believe you.”

  My eyes shot over to the door when it opened. The guards led Lucas back in, and when our eyes met, he smirked at me. I went rigid, which made Zach realize something was wrong.

  Zach was on his feet, stepping over my own to get down the row. Murder was in his eyes.

  “Zach, no!” I hissed, jumping up and getting in front of him before he’d moved more than two steps.

  “He tried to kill you,” he said, still glaring at Lucas over my shoulder.

  I put my hands on Zach’s chest to keep him from moving.

  “I know, but he didn’t. Zach, please, don’t do anything stupid! Going after him in the middle of a courtroom isn’t going to help us!”

  “No one’s going to miss him.”

  “Murder is murder, which the guards will probably end up doing to you because they have to protect him!”

  “I can get past them. I’m stronger than them. We’re stronger than them.”

  “That may be so, but if you die then I won’t be strong anymore!” I moved my hands to hold his face. “Let it be. I don’t want to lose you, Zach; I can’t.”

  Those final words seemed to stop him. He finally looked at me, the anger gone from his face.

  “You’re not going to lose me,” he said quietly.

  “Just—please, sit down. By going after him and acting like this, you’re giving him what he wants.”

  “He deserves to die.”

  “Do this for me.”

  He didn’t hesitate, only nodded, and pulled me down to sit next to him. I looked behind my shoulder, seeing my parents come back in with Jessie and Thalia following them. Jess raised her hand in a half-wave and I smiled lightly back at her before turning around.

  “I’m sorry,” Zach said. “I wasn’t thinking it through.”

  I looked up at him.

  “It’s fine. I just—didn’t want to feel what I would feel if you died.”

  He took my hand and squeezed it. I half-hated that I was openly telling him how I felt. Not that he couldn’t figure it out by our kiss, but. . . with words it made this all the more real.

  “I’ll be here forever. Don’t worry.”

  He smiled at me, that so over-used word forever actually meaning something in our case.

  “Just don’t do anything reckless.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  We stood up for Wingrove (Keenan had come back when we were talking) and after we sat, he asked Keenan if the prosecution had any more witnesses, which they didn’t. Georgeson was given the opportunity to call his one-and-only witness.

  “The defense calls Lucas Adler to the stand.”

  Two of the officers came over to Lucas and he stood up. They took him over to the stand and they all went into it. One of the officers stood between Lucas and Wingrove and the other stood between Lucas and the gate. He lied when asked if he was going to tell the whole truth and nothing but. . . Not that it mattered; he was already going to Hell.

  “Mr. Adler,” Georgeson started, “did you do any of the charges brought against you?”

  “No, I didn’t,” he lied. “They’re all false.”

  “Do you have any idea why they would bring these charges against you? Why they would employ Fitch and Stone to collaborate on this story of an ‘attack’?”

  “This whole city hated my father. He’s dead and they were never able to try and pin anything on him, so maybe they decided to go after me instead.”

  I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t a secret that Liam Adler was widely hated, but Quans aren’t the type of people to go after someone’s child for a person’s mistakes. At least not the good ones.

  “So, the prosecution—whose interrogators both were public advocates against your father’s line of work—falsified evidence?”

  “Seems that way to me.”

  “Falsified evidence!” Georgeson said, making sure to emphasize the words. “And what of the witnesses?” He pointed at us. “Miss Fitch claims to have ‘clearly unmodified’ memories of you attacking her on more than one occasion.”

  “‘Clearly unmodified’ doesn’t mean they are real.” He looked at me. “I wouldn’t put it past her to create memories just to help her father’s friend. She is over-powerful; they would look like originals.”

  “And of Mr. Stone’s?”

  “The same situation: created. I doubt there’s little he wouldn’t do for her.”

  Jessie was going to be intolerable after this. Lucas was all-but saying that Zach and I had feelings for each other.

  “Perjury.”

  Lucas looked back at his lawyer.

  “Perjury,” he agreed. “Emma Fitch hates me, just as her father hated mine. Hate passes down through generations and the good little girl that she is,” he said snidely, “she’d help her father put me away because of my own.”

  “Objection!” Keenan stood up. “Your Honor, these are blatant and uncalled for attacks against Miss Fitch.”

  “I agree. Georgeson, enough.”

  “Yes, Your Honor.” He paused. “Mr. Adler, I will ask you once again: Did you commit any of the crimes which have been brought up against you?”

  “No.”

  “Thank you. I have no further questions.”

  Keenan went up immediately.

  “Falsified evidence, eh? Mr. Adler, you know as well as I that a person’s essence is impossible to put onto someone else’s Magic. Don’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past the government to find some way,” he said spitefully.

  “But so determinedly? Mr. Adler, you are fooling yourself. Your Magic has been over countless murders since you were ten years old.”

  “Why would I kill when I was ten, Keenan?”

  “Your father was a bad influence on you.”

  Lucas’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

  “My father died when I was very, very young. I hardly have any memories of him.”

  �
�But he lives on. His prophecies, for one! And I’m sure he kept journals, writing down how much he hated people!”

  “He’s not like you. He acts instead of hides behind his position.”

  Ouch.

  “Do not turn this on me, Adler.”

  “I’m defending myself, Keenan. I’ve done none of the things you’ve charged me with. I haven’t conned or murdered, or tried to steal Emma Fitch’s Magic.”

  “Em,” Zach whispered.

  I looked at him.

  “Should we tell them?”

  I shook my head.

  “How would we explain how you got me out of it?”

  He sighed.

  “Good point.”

  We looked back at Keenan and Lucas.

  “Your Magic is over countless murders. Your Magic is all over the curse that you hit Emma Fitch with, the one that would have knocked her unconscious long enough that you could steal her Magic so she would never wake! But Zachary Stone saved her on a twist of fate timing and now you are out for his blood, are you not?”

  “Not.”

  “You will not get away with your crimes any longer, Lucas Adler. All those families who lost people to you will have clearance at last.” He turned and walked back to his table. “No further questions.”

  “Redirect, defense?”

  “No, Your Honor.”

  “Mr. Adler, you may return to your seat.”

  The guards took him back.

  “Any further witnesses from either of you?”

  “No, Your Honor,” Georgeson and Keenan both said.

  “State your closing argument, then.”

  Georgeson stood and walked to the front of the room once again.

  “As you have heard, my client is innocent. He did not do anything the prosecution said. As for their witnesses, as my client said: falsified evidence and old hatred. Their so-called ‘proof’ is very lucky, having so much against one person. A person who the whole world has a grievance against, because of his father. The evidence against Lucas Adler, ladies and gentlemen, has no substance. Do not punish him for what you think you know. Let him free on the facts.”

  He went back to his seat and Keenan went up.

  “The claim of ‘falsified evidence’ is spurious. The evidence of Lucas Adler’s crimes is undeniable, ladies and gentlemen. We do not attack people’s children for our dislike of them, and nor do we falsify evidence. Emma and Zachary’s memories are genuine, ones that not even the strongest Being could create. I implore you, ladies and gentlemen, to make the choice you know is right. Lucas Adler is guilty of all his charges, and he should be punished.”