by M. K. Eidem
Kiran rose, "I did as did my family."
"And had it been destroyed?" Autumn asked.
"No, I noticed no change to the Lair except for the fact that it was within Kruba's boundary."
"Thank you, Elder Kiran," Rad said, taking back control of the questioning. "Lady Macawi, you just admitted that you knowingly abandoned your mate's Hoard. Is that true?”
"I had to…"
"So that is a yes," Rad cut her off.
She turned frantic eyes to Tove.
"Stop harassing my mate!" Tove demanded.
"I am not harassing her. I am simply trying to ascertain if your accusation against Elder Dacke has merit." Rad looked back to Macawi. "We are waiting for your answer, Lady Macawi."
"Yes," she whispered, lowering her head as her mate glared at her.
"I'm sorry, the rest of the Assembly couldn't hear you," Rad told her.
"Yes!" she yelled this time.
Ignoring the outburst, Rad turned to Kiran's mate. "Lady Niccele, were you with your mate on the day in question?"
Rising Niccele spoke. "Yes."
"And Krapis?"
"I noticed nothing unusual although I have to admit that I didn't think anything about it being inside Kruba's boundary until after we landed. I was more focused on spending time with my son and daughter-in-law."
"Thank you." Rad turned and addressed the Assembly. "As we all know, no Keeper can overtake another's Lair unless its Hoard, empowered or not, has been removed or completely drained of power. As Lady Macawi has admitted to abandoning the jewels that Kruba drained, Elder Dacke had every right to empower them. The Hoard in Krapis is Elder Dacke's."
"That is not the matter before this Council!' Tove exclaimed.
"It wasn't until you presented it while on the Assembly floor. Now that it has been settled we can return to why we are here. We'll start with your attack on this Council."
"I was the one attacked! By her!" he pointed up to Autumn before spinning around to address the Assembly. "You all saw it. Without any provocation on my part, she attacked and threw me onto the Assembly floor! That is what we should be discussing today. If she is unstable enough to attack an Elder for no reason, or attack a Lair when she knows its Keeper isn't there, what else would she be willing to do to any of you?"
"That piece of Varana dung," Kirall growled moving to stand. "He's trying to scare them, so they turn against you and us."
"No, Kirall," Autumn quietly warned, putting a restraining hand on his arm. "That's exactly what he wants you to do. We both know I'm not unstable and had a good reason for attacking him." She'd raised her voice so all could hear the last part she'd said.
"Elder Autumn," Rad turned back to her. "If you wish to offer testimony on this matter then you need to appear on the Assembly floor."
Autumn frowned at that. No one had needed to go onto the floor to address Tove's charge against Dacke.
"As the charge against Elder Dacke was made from the floor and is not part of what the Council was convened to address, those providing evidence refuting it can remain in the stands," he explained to her. "What Gold Prime Tove is now charging is part of why the Council was convened to pass judgment on. Therefore the only testimony we can consider must come from the Assembly floor."
Autumn stood, "I see, then I'll move to the floor." She frowned as her mate moved with her. "Kirall?"
"You're my mate. I go where you go," Kirall growled. "He has already tried to kill you once. I will not allow that to happen again."
"Elder Kirall, you cannot give testimony from the Council area," Rad rebuked.
"I wasn't giving testimony," Kirall argued. "I was only stating what everyone who was at the last Council saw."
Rad said nothing to that.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"Autumn," Kirall put a hand on her arm to stop her before she opened the door leading to the Assembly floor.
"What?" she asked, turning.
"Don't get too close to Tove. He will try to harm you if he can."
"I know, but I'm not weak, Kirall."
"I know that, but when we prove that crystal came from Earth, he'll be imprisoned. He's not going to let that happen without a fight. He might even willingly die first."
"But that would mean the death of his mate!" She couldn't believe any mate would willingly do such a thing.
"Did you not see the look he gave Macawi after she admitted to abandoning his Hoard?"
"No."
"It was a look that should never pass between mates." He pulled her close to give her a deep hard kiss. "And never will between us. He is unstable, just like Bonn was."
Autumn had to close her eyes at the remembered pain she'd felt when Bonn had continually injected her. She was never going to let something like that happen to her again. Or anyone she cared about.
'To us,' her dragon whispered. 'We better than that bad Dragon.'
'I agree,' Autumn told her, then opened her eyes to look at her mate.
"I agree," she told him, "and I will stay out of his reach."
With that, she gave him one last kiss then pushed open the door and walked confidently across the Assembly floor.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"Lady Autumn," Rad began, "even though you are an Elder, you will not be recognized as such while on the Assembly floor." He turned then told the other Elders. "As such, Lady Autumn's words cannot be considered to carry more weight than that of any other Dragoon."
He waited until every Elder had nodded his or her head in understanding before looking back to Tove and Autumn, noticing the distance between them and how Autumn's mate stood protectively several feet behind her.
"Red Supreme Kirall, while you are allowed to be on the floor and support your mate, you may not interfere in any way."
"I understand, Elder Rad, and while I know my mate is more than capable of protecting herself, I will respond to any physical threat against her."
"As any mate would," Rad agreed then looked to Autumn. "Lady Autumn, as Gold Prime Tove has stated and many of us witnessed, you did attack him without any provocation."
"That depends on what you consider provocation," Autumn responded. "My mate and I arrived at the last Council because it had become known that we were Supremes. After having our mating called into question, being insulted, and generally harassed, my mate and I were about to leave even though the Council never officially declared our mating valid." She let her gaze travel over the Council, letting them know how irritated she still was about that. "I didn't need it, and neither did my mate. But as I turned to leave, I saw the smoky quartz crystal that Tove," she finally looked to the male several feet from her, "wore around his neck. It is the same crystal I found on Earth, the same crystal I gave to my brother, Jack, and the same crystal I watched General Terron pry from his fingers while he was dying." Autumn felt her throat tighten as she spoke of her brother, but she wouldn't let it stop her. "Because of that, I think just tossing this heap of Varana dung onto the Assembly floor was completely called for and very restrained on my part."
"There!" Tove exclaimed, pointing at her. "She's just admitted to the attack. I call for an immediate vote by the Council."
"You claimed it was unprovoked," Rad reminded Tove. "Lady Autumn claims it was because you had in your possession something taken from her by the Varana. How do you explain that, Gold Prime Tove?"
"I don't have to explain anything because it isn't the same crystal."
"Commander Cai." Rad looked to where he was still standing by the wall. "Please appear before the Council."
Walking onto the Assembly floor, Cai shifted from his Beast form into his Other and came to a stop several feet on the other side of Autumn.
"Elder Rad," he bowed his head.
"A few questions for those that might not know why you were called," Rad began. "You are the Commander of the Council Guard, are you not?
"Yes, Elder Rad."
"And you were here during the last Council?"
; "Yes, Elder Rad."
"And was it the decision of this Council that you be the Keeper of the crystal in question?"
"Yes, Elder Rad."
"And do you have it with you?"
"Yes, Elder Rad." Reaching into his shirt, Cai pulled out the crystal, extending it away from his body by its chain so all could see it while still around his neck.
"Lady Autumn, is this the crystal you claim was taken from your brother by General Terron?"
Autumn's eyes filled with tears as shards of light reflected off Jack's twirling crystal. "Yes," she was finally able to force out.
Rad nodded then looked back to Cai. "Has this crystal been in your sole possession this entire time, Commander?"
"Yes, Elder Rad."
"No one has tried to or succeeded in influencing you to give it to them?"
"Only one tried, Elder Rad, and she was unsuccessful."
"See!" Tove again exclaimed and pointed toward Autumn. "She would use her power to try and deceive this Council."
"Is this true, Lady Autumn?" Rad frowned down at her.
"It wasn't Lady Autumn," Cai spoke before Autumn could.
"Then, who?" Rad demanded
"It was Gold Prime Maaike," he announced and all gazes flew to where Maaike sat in Lando's area.
"That's a lie," Maaike screeched. "I would never associate with the likes of him." It took her a moment to realize her blatant prejudice hadn't gone over well with a great deal of the Assembly.
"Commander Cai?" Rad prompted.
"Gold Prime Maaike arrived with her mother and Elder Lando two days past and requested to see Gold Prime Tove. Elder Lando then left while I escorted Lady Macawi to her mate. Gold Prime Maaike remained in my office. When I returned, it was obvious she'd gone through my desk drawers and cabinets. She then tried to distract me while she played with the chain around my neck that held the crystal in question."
"Did she ever touch it, Commander?" Rad demanded.
"No, Elder Rad. I removed her from my lap then escorted her to her mother so they could both leave Dramman."
"I see."
"I guess she really is a doxy," Autumn's over the shoulder murmur to Kirall was heard by Cai, and he broke out in a coughing fit.
"That's a complete untruth!" Maaike shouted.
"Are you alright, Commander?" Rad asked, ignoring Maaike.
"Yes, Elder Rad," he coughed once more then stopped. "I just inhaled wrong."
"Do you have anything else you feel this Council or Assembly needs to know about your time as Keeper?"
"Yes, Elder Rad. The crystal has been receiving transmissions while it's been in my possession."
A gasp went through the crowd. "How many, Commander?"
"At least one a day, sometimes two."
"I see." Rad's gaze shifted to Tove. "Who has been trying to contact you, Gold Prime Tove?"
"It could be any number of beings," Tove told him. "It is a relay jewel after all."
"A jewel that every being on Mondu knows has been confiscated," Autumn stated loudly. "So who do you know off-planet that wouldn't be aware of this fact?"
"I don't answer to you," Tove spit out.
"While that is correct, Gold Prime Tove, Lady Autumn raises a good question. What Dragoon or Other doesn't know what happened that day or is happening today?"
"How would I know?" Tove snapped. "I don't know who is on- or off-planet at the moment."
"But you do know whose relay codes your jewel contains," Autumn fired back.
"Lady Autumn, please refrain from speaking unless it's to answer a question," Rad reprimanded gently.
"I'm sorry, Elder Rad," she bowed her head slightly to him. "It was just so obvious."
"Yes, well, let us decide that." Rad gestured to one of the Council Guards standing below him, and he began moving across the floor before turning his attention back to Tove. "This matter can be easily settled by you placing your relay jewel on the encryption device."
It was only then that Autumn saw what the Guard was carrying.
"Absolutely not!" Tove immediately replied, stepping back from the Guard as if he would force him to.
"Something to hide?" Autumn asked the question so only Tove, Kirall and Cai could hear. It had him glaring at her before swinging back to the Council.
"Elder Rad, she is speaking out of turn again!" he declared sounding like a petulant young'un.
"I heard nothing," Rad replied then looked to the other Elders. "Did anyone else?" Everyone shook their heads no. "Elder Kirall? Commander Cai?"
"I heard nothing," Kirall denied.
"Of course you'd say that," Tove accused spinning around to face Kirall.
"Try it," Kirall growled moving into a low crouch. "I dare you."
"Enough!" Rad commanded, and while the wave of power he sent out seemed to affect Tove and Cai, it did nothing to Autumn and Kirall, but Kirall obeyed.
"Commander Cai, did either you or your Guard hear anything?" Rad asked.
Cai looked to the Guard he had known for years and could see in his eyes that he would back up whatever Cai said. "We heard nothing, Elder Rad."
Tove just glared at Cai until Rad demanded his attention.
"Gold Prime Tove, are you sure you won't place your relay jewel on the encryption device?"
"It is in my rights to deny such an invasion of privacy," Tove told him.
With that, Rad leaned over to speak with Hy, the Green Prime Elder, then to Kiran. Those two in turn quietly talked to the other Elders, Minor and Supreme. With everyone nodding their agreement but Lando, Rad again addressed the Assembly.
"It is the decision of this Council that while Tove can't be forced to access his relay jewel, we can demand that he tell us the codes contained in it.”
Autumn frowned at that. What good would that do? Tove could just lie, or if there were more than one code, not give them all of them, and then there was the fact there was no way to prove what he was saying. Looking at Tove's expression, she knew he realized it too.
"Well," Tove began, a conniving gleam in his eye, "there is, of course, my mate's, and then…"
"One moment, Gold Prime Tove," Rad held up a hand as he interrupted before looking to Lando's area.
"Lady Macawi, I assume you have your relay jewel with you."
"I… why of course," she stuttered looking to her mate before lifting the chain to reveal the gold jewel.
"Please, contact your mate," Rad ordered.
"What?" she asked, her panicked gaze flying back to Rad.
"Your mate has just claimed your code is on the jewel in question. We need to verify that," he told her.
"Oh, well, you see, I removed that code."
Rad raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "You did? Why would you do that? Don't you want to be able to contact your mate?"
"Of course I do," she said glaring at him angrily. "I just do it on his other jewel."
"So you did know he had two, even though you denied that during the last Council," Rad pounced on her inconsistency.
Autumn had to stop herself from smiling. Maybe this Elder knew what he was doing after all.
"I…" Macawi fell back into her seat and began to sob.
"Now see what you've done to my mate," Tove shouted running to Lando's area, and although he couldn't climb the wall, Macawi leaned over and clasped the hand he extended.
"I'm alright, my mate," she said as she sat back.
Tove lowered his arm before he turned and addressed the Assembly. "Is this what our Council has come to with females as Elders? The complete breakdown of what's deemed acceptable in the treatment of our people?"
"You mean how it was acceptable for you to have Elder Lando nearly crush White Supreme Dacke when he was a Minor to extract information about me?" Autumn demanded. "All because your unmated female couldn't accept my mating to Kirall?"
"Elder Rad!" Tove spun to the Council.
"I believe Lady Autumn had the right to reply to your accusation as she is one of the female
Elders you are disparaging," Rad responded.
'Something not right,' Kirall's Dragon growled in his mind.
'I know, but what?' Kirall had been keeping a close eye on Tove, there was no way he was going to let the male try something.
'Power. He has more now.'
Kirall's eyes narrowed, and he saw his Dragon was right. The black spots on Tove's head were disappearing, and he was gaining body mass. Macawi must have slipped him some empowered jewels. It had all been an act.
"Autumn," he hissed quietly.
"We noticed," she whispered back, widening her own stance slightly while keeping her gaze on Tove.
Cai looked at Autumn and frowned. While he'd heard their whispers, he couldn't figure out why she was preparing to defend herself.
"Macawi slipped Tove empowered jewels," Kirall whispered lowly.
Cai's gaze shot to Tove and realized they were right, and it shouldn't have been allowed to happen. His gaze searched for the Guard that was supposed to be in front of the White Minors area and realized he was standing a few feet away from him, holding the encryption device. Kur!
"Who else?" Rad demanded.
"What?" Tove asked distractedly as he quickly tried to absorb as much power as he could.
"Who else's code do you have in the relay jewel in question?!" Rad demanded, quickly losing patience with Tove.
"No one else's," he announced smugly.
"Then, what is the purpose of having two?" Rad asked.
"I just happened to like wearing that crystal," Tove smirked.
"Which you got from where?" Rad demanded.
"I don't remember," Tove responded arrogantly.
"This is getting us nowhere," Autumn said in disgust as she walked over and grabbed the encryption device out of the Guard's hand before turning to Cai and holding it out. "Put the crystal on it."
