“Prove it.”
“Prove she’s la ladrona.”
The gavel comes down, like the gauntlet has been thrown, and Diego looks at me with alarmed excitement in his eyes. “Both sides have arrived at their arguments,” he explains. “Defense goes first.”
Stepping up to the tribunal, he says in an amplified voice, “I call Saysa Rívoli to the stand.”
A moment later, Saysa strides in. Her eyes are red and puffy, and they trace the vines binding me with such intensity that if she had her magic, they would probably spring open.
Diego rests a hand on Saysa’s shoulder and steers her to the empty space between us and the tribunal. “Please state your name and schooling,” he says, standing across from her.
I can only see the back of her head from here, but I watch her face on the largest screen.
“S-Saysa Rívoli,” she says, her voice shaking. “I’m a third year at El Laberinto.”
As she speaks, a white aura begins to glow around her small frame, like she’s a ghost.
“You first met Manu two moons ago, on the first night back from Lunaris,” says Diego. “Is that correct?”
She nods.
“I need a verbal answer.”
“Yes.” Her aura brightens.
“Good.” Diego gives her an encouraging nod, but that only makes her expression tauten, until she looks constipated. “Please describe those circumstances to the court.”
“She—Manu—was my best friend’s roommate.” Best friend comes out rushed, and as she says it, something shifts in her aura. The white glow grows a light gray tint.
“Jazmín—Señora Jazmín—said she was a new transfer when she brought her to Cata’s room. That’s her daughter. My best friend—”
“Thank you,” says Diego, cutting her off as her aura darkens to a deeper shade of gray. It’s not a lie detector, exactly … more like a secret detector.
“Saysa, I’d like you to close your eyes for me. Can you do that?” I see the back of her head nod, and the screens on the walls show her eyelids flickering with nerves. “What were your first impressions of Manu?”
“When I first met Manu…” Her features start to relax, until the only lines on her face are the comma-shaped creases on her cheeks left behind by her dimples. “I thought she looked lost.”
As she speaks, her voice regains its natural cadence. “There was an innocence about her that made her seem brand new. Like a blank page. I think I was drawn to the mystery, but it also made me feel this instinctive need to protect her. Even though she doesn’t need anyone’s rescuing.” Her aura has lightened to a soft silver.
“How can you explain that instant connection you felt?” Diego prods.
“It was like meeting a member of my pack.”
He nods like it’s the answer he wanted. “Every single one of us knows that feeling,” he says, panning his gaze across the mushroom shelves. “When we meet one of our own, and a new piece of our puzzle clicks into place. It’s the way we know that even when we’re lonely, we’re not alone. It’s the strongest of binding agents, and the only magic that can tell us where we belong—friendship.”
As I watch Saysa, and I think of all she’s done for me, I know Diego is right.
“Do you have any reason to believe Manu means the Septimus any harm, or has any secret powers we don’t know about?” he presses her.
“Not at all,” answers Saysa, regaining her warm complexion. “In fact, she saved my life on the Septibol field.”
“Tell us about that.”
“It was the day Manu’s lobizona powers manifested. We were playing against El Laberinto’s pro team, when the ball was shot at my neck, too quickly for anyone to react—except Manu. She practically flew.” Her eyes widen with horror. “I didn’t mean that literally—she can’t actually fly, I just mean she’s a powerful—”
“Go on,” says Diego.
“If Manu hadn’t sprung into action, I might not be here right now. Her wolf instincts kicked in on the spot. She’s a natural.”
Diego seems to think this is a powerful closing point because he lets her words linger in silence for a beat, then he says, “No further questions. Thank you, Saysa.”
Diego winks at me as he returns to my side, projecting confidence, and Saysa squares her shoulders as Bernardo takes his place.
“Hello, Saysa,” says her girlfriend’s father.
“Hi,” she says to Bernardo, her shrinking voice betraying her nerves.
“Do you think there could be another reason, beyond chemistry, why you were attracted to the accused so quickly?”
“I—” Saysa’s face reddens, and her aura grows grayer. I’m sure I know where her mind’s gone: Does Bernardo know the truth about her and Cata?
“I just thought she could use a friend.”
“A friend like you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Her aura is as thick as smoke now, and even though her secrets are her own, just by exposing their existence, Bernardo is casting shade on me by extension.
“What I mean is you’re not exactly a model citizen either, are you?”
“¡Objeción!” shouts Diego over my hammering heart. “This whole line of questioning is out of bounds. Saysa isn’t the one on trial.”
I don’t know if Bernardo is aware of Saysa’s involvement in the illegal distribution of Septis, or if he’s hinting at her sexuality, or if he’s learned of her attacks on Nacho and Sergio—so I’m relieved when Diego puts an end to it.
Bernardo gives him a lazy shrug. “It goes to the accused’s character if her character witness has questionable character. We are a pack species, after all.”
“Fine,” says Diego, but instead of backing down, he says, “If your issue is with this witness, we won’t waste any more of the court’s time. It’s a good thing we have such a deep bench to pull from.”
He nods at Saysa. “Thank you. You’re excused.”
Her smoky aura dissipates to nothing, but in her eyes, a different storm is gathering. Her eyebrows furrow like she’s ready to fight, and Diego grips her arm and guides her out before she can speak.
“One martyr at a time, please,” he whispers to her as they pass me.
I try to meet Saysa’s gaze before she goes, but Diego’s body blocks us, and then she’s gone.
“I don’t think you’ll have any objections to our next witness,” says Diego, returning to my side. “She’s top of her class, a model student, and comes from a fine family, as I’m sure you can attest to. Defense calls Catalina del Laberinto.”
Bernardo must have anticipated his daughter would be called to the stand, but his eyes shutter on hearing her name.
The day is beginning to set when she walks in, the air taking on a red tinge that deepens the pink of her gaze. Cata looks straight ahead as she approaches, without letting her view stray in one direction or the other.
“Please state your name and schooling for the court.”
“I’m Catalina del Laberinto, and I’m a fifth year at the academy.” Her voice is cool, clear, and crisp. Like her heart is on mute.
“Good,” says Diego, as a white aura manifests around her. “And just so everything is in the open, please state who your parents are.”
“My mom is the headmistress of the school, and my dad…” She swallows, her composure faltering for a breath. “Is prosecuting this case.”
There’s a rush of reactions as the information spreads to those who either didn’t know or didn’t make the connection.
Diego waits for the murmurs to subside, extending Bernardo’s discomfort as long as he can. “So you were Manu’s roommate for a whole moon. Tell us about her. What’s she like?”
Cata crosses her arms. “Hairy. I’d find hairballs all over the bathroom.”
Heat scorches my cheeks. Chuckles break out in the mushroom shelves, not like they’re laughing at me, but with me. As if it’s a common issue with werewolves.
“Also, she’s a little too neat. She
’d put things away the instant she finished using them, make her bed every morning, that sort of thing. Oh, and she whimper-snores.”
By now my face is aflame, and all I can think about is Tiago having to listen to that at the Coven. The Septimus in the shelves are chuckling again, and it feels like they’re starting to find me a bit too funny.
“She wasn’t a loud sleeper at first,” Cata goes on, arms no longer crossed, like she’s enjoying her control of the crowd, “but once she tapped into her inner wolf, it was like ripping off a muzzle!”
Diego grins along with the spectators. “She sounds like a werewolf, all right. So why do you think your mom bunked her with you?”
“She wanted me to spy on Manu. She sensed something was off about her, and she asked me to report back what I found.”
“And did you?”
“No.” Her aura flickers.
“Your mom must’ve been pressuring you. I’m sure your life would’ve been so much easier if you’d just done what she asked. After all, you didn’t know Manu, nor did you owe her anything. So why didn’t you?”
“It’s like Saysa said. I felt a connection. Manu is family.”
Since that’s literally true, her aura doesn’t darken with secrets.
“Is that why you went on the run with her last moon?”
Cata nods. “It didn’t seem like anyone was willing to give her a chance and hear her side of things.”
“Do you have any reason to believe her biological makeup makes her a threat or presents a difference between her and other Septimus, aside from being a lobizona?”
“I think she’s just as powerful and flawed as the rest of us.”
“Thank you.” Diego returns to my side, and from his half-dimpled smile, he clearly thinks we did well.
The air grows charged as Bernardo takes his place. As father and daughter stare at each other, I flash to seeing them together last Lunaris, when she ran into his arms. This must be crushing her.
“I’m proud of you,” says Bernardo, and Cata blinks in surprise. “Yamila says a big reason she caught Manu was you. That you turned on your friends to feed her intel. So now that the worst is over, and no one can hurt you, tell us, hija—what do you know about the accused that you’re afraid to say?”
The chamber is the quietest it’s been, and as I watch Cata’s face on the screen, by now I know the signs of her quick thinking. She sucks in deep breaths like she’s trying to gain control of her emotions, but from the way her eyes move to every corner of the courtroom, I know it’s just a distraction while she lines up her words.
“Zaybet’s death scared me,” she says in a halting tone. “I didn’t want to see any more of my friends hurt, including Manu. So I decided to place my trust in you and hope you’d do the right thing.”
“But I didn’t, did I?”
Cata frowns, and even Diego looks confused.
“Instead of coming to El Laberinto with you and your mom, I stayed in Kerana and indulged my ambition. I abandoned you.”
If my throat stings from lack of breath, it’s nothing to the shock Cata must be feeling. I watch her eyes go blank on the screen, like for once her powerful brain has overloaded.
“I’m sorry, Catalina,” he says softly. “I’m sorry for what your mother and I put you through. It wasn’t fair. But I know you’re a good girl at heart, and I don’t blame you for acting out. Your mother and I got so distracted by our disagreements, we stopped seeing you.”
Cata’s mask holds in place, keeping her expression frozen, but her aura is growing dustier, cloudier, and her hands ball into fists.
“You didn’t get to grow up like the other kids,” her father goes on. “With siblings and two parents. So it’s understandable if you felt an affinity for humans and their broken homes. I don’t blame you for protecting the accused, or rebelling against me. I don’t even blame you for changing your name—”
“Well, that’s a relief!”
Cata’s anger erupts in a volcanic shout.
“I don’t remember a home before El Laberinto,” she says to her father, her face red and splotchy. “I wasn’t even two when I left Argentina with Ma and Gael. I only remember having a father when I turned thirteen and became a bruja. I would look forward to the full moon every month, not because of Lunaris, but because I would get to be your daughter. And you would parade me past all those important politicians so they could pat you on the back for the pretty doll you had a hand in making. And I ate it up because I wanted you to love me. I wanted to impress you enough to make you consider spending a month in El Laberinto getting to know me. Or maybe even invite me to come stay with you.”
Tears dive off her lashes.
“But you didn’t. Not once.”
Her voice breaks on the word.
Bernardo doesn’t speak, his eyes locked into the pink beam of her gaze, and it’s unclear if his plan worked or backfired. If he wanted to make it look like Cata has deep-seated issues with her parents, he succeeded—but I don’t think he expected his shot to rebound.
Once it becomes clear that neither Bernardo nor Cata are going to end their staring contest, Diego intervenes. He places a hand on Cata’s arm and guides her out. It looks like Bernardo might try to say something, but Diego glares at him so hard, I’m afraid he’s going to sink his fangs into Bernardo’s neck.
Cata’s watery eyes look my way as she passes, and I give her a small nod because I don’t remember how to smile.
It’s nighttime now, and the moon is so low in the sky that it takes up the whole view, bathing the proceedings in white light.
“For our final witness,” says Diego, “defense calls Santiago Rívoli, el lobo invencible.”
I hold my breath until he enters.
It hurts to see him.
It’s only been a few hours, but the time feels like decades. We stare at each other as he approaches, and even after he’s passed me, he twists his neck to keep looking. He only faces forward when Diego speaks.
“Please state your name and schooling.”
“Tiago Rívoli, fifth year at El Laberinto.”
“You’re also the top scorer in the junior Septibol league, and the first Septimus in recorded history to survive an encounter with one of the six remaining demons of Lunaris.”
Tiago doesn’t respond since Diego didn’t pose a question. He’s just establishing Tiago’s credibility. Reminding everyone who he is, as if that’s necessary.
“You could marry anyone you wanted.”
Again, Tiago stays silent.
“Yet you’re in love with Manu.”
Sound explodes in my head, and I realize that talking has broken out in the shelves. My stomach knots, and I catch the head judge’s chin dip a notch, the first time any of them has moved in a long while.
Once the room has quieted down, Diego asks, “Why?”
Tiago’s answer is instant. “I know who I am when I’m with her. I feel a stillness, and my turmoil ceases.”
His voice is a ballad, and there’s a velvety silence as his aura brightens. But his words feel familiar. They tug at my bookish brain.
“Every piece of Manu—her courage, her sunny eyes, her terrible poker face, her love of books, the wolfish thrill she tries to stifle at the onset of adventure—is inwoven with my deepest life.”
I can hardly breathe.
He’s quoting The House of Mirth. I remember thinking of that quote last moon, when I realized I loved Tiago. And the fact that he gets this about me makes me love him all the more. Makes me want to break free of these vines and run into his arms. Makes me—
I feel the ivy in my right wrist slacken a little.
The rest of the vines tighten on my other joints, but the plant on my right wrist stays slightly loose. I didn’t command it like a Jardinera …
I numbed it.
“That’s beautiful,” says Diego, and my attention snaps back to Tiago as applause breaks out in the stands. The clapping echoes through the chamber, overwhelming us wi
th sound on the ground, and the head judge has to bang his gavel twice.
I might lose my hearing after this.
“I was hoping for a clearer explanation, but your words are the epitome of a schoolboy in love,” says Diego, and there’s soft, mollified laughter from the crowd. “However, you must have considered the legal issues you’d face. Septimus law states a wolf may not marry another wolf.”
Everything down to the blood in my veins freezes.
Tiago’s aura flickers, and I scowl at Diego. Why the fuck would he bring this up now? Does he want to add to my charges and get Tiago arrested too?
“How do you feel about that?” Diego prods Tiago.
“I think Manu’s existence invalidates labels. The system defines most of us by one identity—bruja or lobizón—but Manu defies classification. She can’t be caged by a category.” His aura begins to brighten again, his skin glowing like a real guardian angel. “She’s a flower that’s never finished blooming.”
I hardly notice when Diego’s finished his questioning and returned to my side. I only snap out of the bask of Tiago’s words when I hear Bernardo’s voice.
“You’re quite the Romeo, Tiago,” he says with a knowing smirk. “He too was fickle in his love. Why should we believe your feelings now, when for years you’ve been mooning over my daughter?”
There are enough gasps in the crowd that we can hear them from down here. I feel like I’m living in a telenovela as everyone reacts to this gossipy twist of events.
Tiago’s expression remains calm, his aura clear. “My wolf found hers in Lunaris.”
His answer settles Bernardo’s challenge because shocked reactions spread through the crowd, and instead of banging his gavel, the head judge turns to confer with the others.
Once the room settles, Bernardo says, “You claim the accused defies classification. That means she contains multiple identities. Could one of those be la ladrona?”
My stomach clenches. Tiago saw me deflect that pirata’s magic. I stare at his aura and try not to think of the loose vine on my right wrist and what it could mean.
“No.”
His aura is as clear as his voice. Tiago truly believes I’m not la ladrona.
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