Van Helsing Academy

by Stacey O'Neale

I didn’t change out of my tactical gear. Last time I’d stood in front of the Court of the Four Rings, I wore a prison uniform. They made a point to shame me. This time, I wore something that would remind them of who I was. I entered the high council courthouse with Sacha by my side. It didn’t matter what he wore. When he strode into a room, his size alone gave off an intense intimidation vibe. He carried Alexei’s device in the pocket of his dark jeans.

  When we reached the courtroom, two shifter guards stood in front of mahogany French doors. Sacha flashed his red alpha eyes at them, and they both maneuvered out of our path. He pushed the doors opened, nearly taking them off of their hinges. The commotion in the room silenced. Similar to my trial, it was a packed courtroom. I tried to keep my composure, but I could feel the tension building in my chest.

  Camera-ready reporters were seated on both sides. The defense had four lawyers in suits, and one handsome blond with his hands clasped behind his back. That had to be Prince Orpheus. On the other side, I saw another quartet of similar-looking lawyers. Behind them, Cassius sat alone with a smug expression. Then our eyes met, and his jaw dropped. He collected himself a second later. Now his face was unreadable.

  Sacha and I strode right up the middle like we had a right to be there. Silas, the vampire council member, had a venomous glare that hid nothing. The human, witch, and shifter all shared a puzzled expression, and I was sure they were curious why I was here instead of the Van Helsing Academy. Just before I reached the wooden bar separating the spectators from the trial participants, I saw my parents sitting in the far corner.

  Mom glared at me with a mix of confusion and concern. Dad crossed his arms, and I knew he was displeased; I hadn’t given him a head’s up to my plans. There was no time. If only the headmaster would’ve contacted them. None of that mattered now, so I brushed those feelings aside. I had to focus all of my efforts on the four high court council members who may or may not decide to throw us in prison for interrupting Prince Orpheus’s trial.

  We stood and waited for one of the council members to address us. Silas spoke first. “Please tell me you’ve escaped the academy. I will enjoy throwing you in prison.”

  My initial thought was to say something snarky, but supernatural prison wasn’t a place I wished to visit. “I have information that is vital in this case. I beg you to hear what we have to say.”

  Prince Orpheus turned around. He shared all of the same features as Cassius, but his honey-colored eyes were weary with dark circles underneath. He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. I wondered what they had done to him before he arrived in court. Vampire king, Declan Stoica, his father, didn’t have a forgiving reputation. If he accepted the lies that Cassius fed him, then he believed his oldest son betrayed him.

  “Ms. Van Helsing,” the witch spoke. “You cannot show up to a court hearing and present new evidence. There is a process we follow. I have to insist that you are removed from these proceedings immediately.”

  “I want to know how she got herself out of the academy,” Silas added. “The boy standing next to her is not the headmaster.”

  The council members argued amongst themselves, each considering my fate. A commotion built within the spectators. Meanwhile, the burly bailiff headed right for us. I heard a series of noises that sounded like bones popping. I glanced at Sacha. His green eyes were now red, and he heaved heavy breaths. That was when it hit me that he was about to transform into a wolf. I maneuvered in front of him and squeezed his shoulders. “This isn’t the way. You’ll only make it worse.”

  “I’m not going to let them take you,” he growled.

  This situation was about to get real in a violent sort of way. I had to act now. Sweat pearled at the back of my neck as I stared at the council members. My eyes settled on the human council member. Caroline’s face flashed in my mind, and then I remembered that he was her uncle. As the bailiff reached for my arm, I yelled loud enough for them to hear, “I can tell you what happened to Caroline Dupree.”

  Her uncle’s head turned swiftly in my direction.

  “You know I was with her the night of the attack. My memories have returned, and I can tell you what happened,” I urged, speaking to him as if he were the only person in the room. I pointed to Cassius. “He is the one who should be on trial, not Prince Orpheus.”

  A riot of voices erupted all around us.

  Caroline’s uncle hit the gavel against a hard surface. “Silence in the courtroom. I want to hear what you have to say.”

  I turned to Sacha to make sure he remained in his human form. When I was sure he was calm, I approached the council once more. “You have to bear with me, Your Honors.” I tried to settle my nerves with a long exhale. “The story I have to tell isn’t a simple one. Prince Cassius is to blame for most of it, but he had help along the way. My help.”

  When I admitted I was partly at fault, Silas visibly perked up. “Go on,” he insisted.

  “This all started during a simple retrieval mission. I decided to override my commanding officer's decision and go off on my own.” I glanced at Caroline’s uncle. “Your niece followed me and wouldn’t leave, even though I begged her to go back to the team. She didn’t want me to be alone. Caroline is a determined friend.” Her uncle smiled. “We were attacked by Prince Cassius and a few members of his clan. They used compulsion on me, which is why I couldn’t remember anything during my trial.” I stared at Cassius with narrowed eyes. “Prince Cassius probably told you he did it because he needed me to protect him, but that is a lie. He forced me to kill members of his clan so he could frame his brother and steal the crown.”

  “Liar,” Cassius shouted.

  The courtroom exploded. With everyone shouting all at once, it was impossible to hear what anyone was saying. Caroline’s uncle pounded the gavel four times before the room silenced.

  “What evidence do you have to support these new allegations against Prince Cassius?” Silas asked with narrowed eyes.

  “The new video evidence came from a laptop Cassius smuggled into the academy,” Sacha explained. “We couldn’t have broken into the network with it. On that same day, a member of his clan came to visit him.” He used the device Alexei built to show the council the recorded video of Cassius speaking with a clan member at the academy, and the electronic visitor logs that confirmed the clan member's identity with picture identification. “If the clan had sided with Prince Orpheus and Cassius truly feared for his life as he claimed, why would he reach out to a clan member for help?”

  “You have no video showing that the clan member provided the laptop,” Silas argued. “What you have provided is pieces to a theory, not proof.”

  “On the day Cassius was supposedly poisoned with putrid blood, there was no record of him visiting the blood bank, so where did the blood come from?” Sacha presented a second video that showed Cassius step out of the camera's view and pour something into a vile of blood. “This video was taken the day before. It shows Cassius purposely stepping out of the camera’s range to pour something into a vile of blood.”

  “All I see is a shadow in a video,” Silas challenged. “And even if it was Prince Cassius’s shadow, you have no proof that what he poured into the vile was poisonous.”

  Silas seemed set on convicting Prince Orpheus. Cassius had told us that Silas would do as his brother, the king, requested. It would take a lot more to convince Silas to go against his king. I had to do something they wouldn’t expect, even if it meant my reputation would never recover. I couldn’t hide any longer. “I admit that what we’ve shown you isn’t concrete.”

  A look of surprise fell over Silas’s face.

  “I’ve made a series of terrible mistakes,” I admitted. “I let my vanity get in the way. I was so obsessed with proving my innocence and playing the hero that I ignored all the signs and pushed forward without investigating Cassius’s accusations against his brother.” I let out a sigh. “But my memories have returned. I’m willing to swear under oath that Cassius orchestrated all of this
to claim the throne. I will even take a lie detector test to confirm my claims.”

  “A human lie detector test,” Silas scoffed. “Those readings can be manipulated.”

  “I’m offering you eye-witness testimony along with the additional evidence I presented. You may not feel it’s enough to convict Prince Cassius, but it does weaken your case against Prince Orpheus,” I countered. “That should warrant an immediate dismissal of the charges against him.”

  “You don’t get to play judge and jury, Ms. Van Helsing,” Silas objected.

  “And neither should you,” I challenged as the spectators gasped. “Cassius and Orpheus are members of your family. That fact alone should disqualify you as a proper judge in this case.”

  My father stood, speaking above the chattering voices. “I formally request an alternative judge in this case and a new trial.”

  Silas rose from his chair with fury in his eyes. The shifter next to him stood at his side, holding onto his biceps as he attempted to free himself. Was Silas trying to attack me physically? Reporters shouted questions while snapping pictures. The flashes from their cameras made it difficult to see. The human council member spoke to the witch, while Caroline’s uncle pounded the gavel. Lawyers shouted on both sides at the council.

  It was a circus.

  Chapter Thirty

  Caroline’s uncle continued to pound on his gavel until the room silenced.

  The last time the gavel hit the desk, we heard a loud crack. The wood split, and he threw the hammer against the wall. “I’ve served as a member of this high council for ten years, and in that time, I have never witnessed anything like this trial,” he stated with disgust in his tone. “Serious procedural errors have been made along with a bevy of misconduct charges. I have no choice but to adjourn this case without a decision.”

  A mistrial.

  “Prince Orpheus will be awarded a new trial with an alternate judge from the vampire faction,” he continued as Silas glared at him with astonishment. “Both Prince Orpheus and Prince Cassius will remain in our custody until we conclude a full investigation.”

  “As for you, Ms. Van Helsing,” he continued. “You will return to the academy until this court can decide your fate.”

  “My daughter is a victim. The charges made against her should not stand,” My father argued. “She risked her life coming here today. You would’ve convicted an innocent vampire to death if she hadn’t intervened.”

  “Ms. Van Helsing admitted to using poor judgment that put her in this position, and she broke half a dozen rules that could dismiss much of the evidence she provided in this case,” Caroline’s uncle countered. “Until a formal investigation is complete, she will remain at the academy serving her sentence. That is my final ruling.”

  “Court is adjourned.” He signaled to the bailiff. “Please take Prince Orpheus and Prince Cassius into custody.”

  As the council exited the chambers, the spectators erupted into chaos. Every person in the courtroom was on their feet, shouting or cheering. They came at me from every direction. Some accused me of lying, while others praised my efforts. My head was spinning. Would a new trial free Orpheus? The evidence didn’t seem strong enough on either side. Would they decide I was guilty too? They might send me to prison, or at the very least, strip me of my reaper status.

  Reporters surrounded my parents, peppering them with questions. They came for me too, but Sacha held them back. I didn’t hear a word of what they were saying. I kept my eyes on Cassius as he argued and attempted to fight off the bailiff. Additional court officers came to aid the bailiff as he struggled to get handcuffs on him. Prince Orpheus didn’t fight. He looked relieved, knowing that he was going to get a new trial.

  An explosion rattled the floor, creating a cloud of smoke. I pivoted around and ducked a second before a piece of the courtroom door flew over my head. The doors and a large portion of the wall were gone. Large pieces of wood, metal, and cement were everywhere. Wailed screams of pain and fear rippled through the room in waves. My eyes searched the room. People were on the floor with bloodied cuts, while others appeared unconscious or dead.

  A collection of masked vigilantes rushed the room carrying guns and various weaponry. They moved too fast to be human. A large black wolf with red eyes growled, and I knew it was Sacha. He must’ve shifted after the explosion. The rest of the officers shifted into their wolf forms, recognizing Sacha as an alpha. They formed a group with Sacha out front and attacked the masked perpetrators.

  I wanted to search for my parents, but I couldn’t see much of anything. The dust had spread, clouding the room. My eyes burned. Fighting erupted all around me, and I struggled to get out of the way. I was no match for these supernaturals without a weapon. The canvas bag. Somewhere beneath the rubble, Sacha had packed a compound bow. It was the only weapon we brought inside the courthouse. Every other one was metal and wouldn’t pass through the metal detector.

  It was probably somewhere on the floor around me. I kneeled and crawled across the floor, searching for the bag. I felt a sharp pain. I stopped to examine my palms; both were bloodied and realized I must’ve cut myself on a piece of metal. I ignored the pain and kept moving. I pushed several large chunks of concrete out of the way as I continued my search. I couldn’t focus on any one thing happening around me.

  It was complete pandemonium.

  I felt a nuzzle at my side. I turned my head and saw Sacha still in wolf form. He had blood on his lips and fur. I wasn’t sure if it was his or if he was hurt, but he latched onto my shirt and tugged as if he wanted me to follow him. I rose to my feet, and he led me to my bag. The blood connection. He must’ve known I was looking for it. I patted him on the head. “Please find my parents and protect them,” I begged.

  He hesitated to leave.

  I pulled the compound bow from the canvas bag and loaded the arrows. “I can handle myself. Go.”

  These masked vigilantes came here for a purpose. That meant they were here for one of the princes, but I didn’t know which one. I maneuvered my way through the hordes. I was heading toward the council benches. The dust had begun to settle, and I was able to see a path in front of me. One of the masked men raced toward me. He knocked me to the ground, but not before I shot him right between the eyebrows.

  I got to my feet and nocked another arrow. I stepped over bodies that covered the floor along with piles of ash. The ash confirmed what I already believed: the vigilantes were vampires. The explosion happened minutes after they announced a mistrial. When things went sideways, they must’ve come out of their hiding spot and attacked. But did they come for Cassius or Orpheus? When I reached the council bench, I found my answer.

  What remained of Prince Orpheus laid in a burning pile of ash. My stomach soured. I blamed myself for his death. If I had proven his innocence, there was a chance he could’ve escaped. Handcuffs were attached to his charred flesh. Soon he would be nothing more than a pile of ash. A fire raged inside of me as I aimed my bow straight ahead, fully prepared to hunt down Cassius for this. There was no doubt in my mind he was responsible.

  “Mina,” a female voice called out.

  I pivoted around. My mother stood a few yards away covered in dust and grime. I lowered my bow and ran toward her. I practically flung myself into her as relief spilled over my shoulders. I pulled back to examine her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  Her hands cupped my face. “Your father and I are fine. Your shifter friend kept us safe.”

  I squeezed her again. “Cassius killed his brother. I have to find him.”

  “He’s gone with the rest of his clan,” a male voice announced.

  Out of the dusty cloud, my father appeared with Sacha by his side. Dust and blood smears covered them both. Mom ran to my father, and they embraced. I rushed toward Sacha, wrapping my arms around his neck. He let out a whimper. I released him to examine his body. There was a bloody gash on his side that looked like it needed stitches. When I tried to touch it, he gently grabbed my hand
. “It will be healed in a few minutes.”

  I turned around to take in the rest of the room. The fighting had ceased, but the damage was everywhere. I took in the destroyed courtroom. Shattered pieces of window glass covered the floor, and the mahogany furniture was nothing more than broken pieces. Bodies were all over the place, along with humans crying out in pain. It was as if I’d lived through a natural disaster.

  My eyes narrowed. “Where is Cassius?”

  “He’s gone,” Sacha replied. “I saw him leaving, and I wanted to go after him, but I couldn’t abandon your parents. I’m sorry.”

  “You did the right thing,” I assured him. “Don’t blame yourself for saving lives.”

  “The high council is safe,” Dad offered. “They hid in one of the back offices after they heard the explosion.”

  “Someone needs to keep a close eye on Silas,” I suggested. “His clan was responsible for this.”

  “We can’t prove that just yet,” Dad argued, as he attempted to dust himself off. “There were no more than twenty of them. Their clan has numbers in the hundreds.”

  I didn’t need to hear anymore. I met eyes with my father. “Then, the rumors are true. It appears that we’ve found the secret rebellion.”

  “Do you think Cassius was the leader of the rebellion all along?” Mom questioned, staring at my father like he had the answer. “Could one vampire be responsible for all of this?”

  “It would seem the evidence is pointing that way,” Dad replied, looking nervous.

  Dad feared what this would mean. I’d bet, in the back of his mind, he thought the rebellion was just another empty threat from the supernaturals. But he couldn’t deny what was right in front of him. This tragedy would be all over the newspapers, vlogs, and blogs in a couple of hours. Supes from every faction would now pick a side, and ultimately put the covenant in risk. Everything my family had built over the centuries was now in jeopardy.

  I wouldn’t stand by and allow this rebellion to grow into an all-out war. I held the bow handle at my side and stared at my parents. “It’s time I get back to my family roots.”