The crowd erupted with boos and jeers, apparently fully on the side of Legion’s guilt. The more rowdy among them would be throwing things onto the platform, if not for the risk of hitting one of the judges. Whenever abused or convicted criminals were put on display in the square, all manner of abuse was heaped upon them.
It didn’t appear that Legion would suffer that fate, though. One of Guardians gripped the noose as if preparing to slip it over her seated mate’s neck in anticipation of a guilty verdict.
“A significant amount of evidence has been gathered against you, including financial links between you and the terrorist accused of murdering Prince Castor.”
“And who gathered this evidence?” Legion asked, voice measured.
“That is not material to the subject of your conviction. The information that has been provided against you was obtained from reputable sources.”
“Like Undersecretary Barnard?”
“I’ll have you know--“
“Barnard is the one responsible for the crash of Castor’s skycar. He is currently plotting to overthrow the Crown and has bribed any number of judges on this very panel.”
“Lies,” one of the lesser judges shouted. “You would say anything to save yourself.”
“And do I not have a right to face my accuser?” Legion asked, seeming remarkably calm considering the situation. He acted as if he was the one conducting the proceedings, as opposed to the one on trial. “Or has the entirety of rule of law been suspended, solely for me?”
But the head judge simply smiled as if he anticipated that exact question. “I call Undersecretary Barnard to testify before the Tribunal.”
As if he’d been summoned from the dark ether, the Undersecretary mounted the platform from the rear side. His appearance was met by cheers from the crowd. He was not a particularly popular official, but the crowd appeared to support anyone in favor of showing them a bloody execution. Guilt or innocence had nothing to do with it.
Ianthe hesitated just at the edge of the crowd so she remained hidden from the view of anyone on the platform, unsure of what to do next. She had thought she had no choice but to come here and try to interrupt the proceedings, but now she was frozen with indecision. And her hesitation was mostly due to the appearance of the Undersecretary. If she was being honest with herself, Barnard terrified her. And as much as Legion had assured her that the odious man would never touch her again, that was difficult to believe when her mate was in chains on the execution block and the man she feared was standing less than a hundred feet away.
The smug expression on the Undersecretary’s face spoke volumes. He openly reveled in the fact that he had won, only moments away from having the man who used control him executed before a salivating crowd. He did not appear to have any question that Legion was about to be found guilty. When he spoke, his voice was full of that confidence.
“This poor excuse for an Alpha that stands before you is accused of the worst crimes imaginable. For years, he has conspired to control the very air you breathe to keep this city under his thumb. Legion Aristophus is the most startling example of the corruption that continues to plague all of our lives. I heard the confession of his co-conspirator in the plot to murder Prince Castor, may his soul rest ever in peace. And while he was interrogated, I heard from this man’s own lips his plan to assassinate our beloved King Rolan in a bid to overthrow the crown.”
The Undersecretary’s fiery speech was enough to make her want to regurgitate her last meal, but many others in the crowd did not appear to share her disdain. All around her, Ianthe saw faces lit with the fever that always prefaced an incitement to violence. These people wanted blood and it did not seem to matter to them under what circumstances.
To his credit, Legion appeared unconcerned by the rabid cheering of the crowd as the Undersecretary promised them his head. When the noise finally died down enough for him to be heard, Legion opened his mouth to speak. But instead of denying the accusations made against him or moving to defend himself, Legion did something completely unexpected.
He laughed.
The sound was full-throated and mocking, filling the air around them with more force of presence than the Undersecretary could ever hope to possess. In response, the crowd grew silent. All eyes were on the man who sat in the executioner’s chair like a ruler on his throne.
“You accuse me of treason, am I understanding that correctly?”
Barnard glared at him, clearly unhappy with having the wind ripped from his sails. “You are guilty of treason.”
“But that is precisely what I would say about you, Undersecretary. While I will admit that corruption has many definitions and I run my business dealings with ruthless intent, it is not my business practices that have me on trial. Instead, you accuse me of attempting to overthrow the Crown. But I am not a politician, nor a member of the guard, what possible purpose could it serve me if the King were to be assassinated? It doesn’t truly make any sense, does it?”
“Clearly you’re interested in power for its own sake,” the Undersecretary scoffed. “And perfidy needs no motive. Raising some flimsy bit of doubt won’t save you.”
“I don’t need doubt. I’m substantially more interested in proof, rather than this idle speculation. For example, proof that it was actually you, Undersecretary Barnard, who organized the crash of Prince Castor’s skycar. And further, in the absence of Castor’s stabilizing influence, you have been conspiring with the more easily swayed members of our parliament to overthrow the Crown. I think proof of that would be more persuasive than a manufactured confession and your false testimony.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard. You have proof of nothing. And the words of a man facing the execution block carry no weight in these proceedings,” the Undersecretary spluttered, voice growing more high-pitched than he likely intended. He turned to the head judge whose gaze had bounced between them like he watched a ball being tossed back and forth. “I think we’ve heard all that we need to hear. Are you prepared to render judgment?”
“Yes—“
But Legion interrupted the official, his voice darkly seductive. “Doesn’t the court want to see the proof of my words before determining my guilt? Barnard is the one who should be facing the censure of this court.”
“The time for presenting evidence is long past,” the Undersecretary shouted, eyes wild as he cast his gaze over the assembled judges. “This man must hang.”
But to Ianthe’s surprise, the head judge did not immediately agree as a pensive expression crossed his face. “Call your witness.”
A brief smile touched Legion’s lips, matched by the surge of triumph that she felt through their shared bond.
“I call Prince Castor ban Rolan to testify before the assembly.”
It couldn’t be possible, she thought. The sentiment seemed to be shared by those standing nearest to her, judging from the incredulous expressions she saw reflected in the crowd. Even the group of judges gathered on the platform did not appear to know how to respond, their gazes scanning the square for the improbable appearance of the prince they were all convinced was dead.
A silence descended over the crowd, so profound that for a moment Ianthe wondered if she had lost the ability to hear. But then murmuring started at the back of the assembly, low enough that it was impossible for her to make out what was being said. She was shoved to the side as the crowd parted down the middle. If she stood to her full height, Ianthe could just barely see the overly large figure walking towards the platform, propelled forward on determined strides.
No one spoke as Prince Castor mounted the steps of the platform, coming to stand before the assembled judges and dwarfing most of them with his impressive height. She had never seen the prince in person before, only on vids from the CommNet, but he appeared to be as far from dead as it was possible to imagine. The man practically glowed with vitality, his bearing regal despite the simple jumpsuit he wore that had likely aided in blending with the crowd
until his impromptu appearance.
“Shall I state my name for the record?” His voice boomed through the square, echoing off of the nearby buildings as it was amplified by the speakers. He had a voice that was designed to stop those who listened cold and demand their attention. “Or shall I proceed with my testimony?”
The head judge swallowed hard as if whatever he wanted to say had caught inside of his throat. He simply nodded as his gaze moved over Prince Castor with eyes that had gone overly wide.
And the prince did not hesitate to address the crowd. “I am Prince Castor ban Rolan, firstborn son of the glorious King Rolan and heir to the line of Thandros. As you all must know, my skycar crashed in the Forbidden Zone several weeks ago while I returned to the city from a diplomatic trip to another province. This crash was no accident. My skycar was sabotaged by someone within our government who wanted my death for their own political gain.”
Calls for a name rose up around her, the crowd hanging on Castor’s every word. And the prince had a flare for the theatric, obvious as he hesitated before continuing and surveyed the crowd. He waited to deliver his next words until they quieted for maximum impact.
“You must reveal to this court who perpetrated such a terrible act.” The head judge had broken ranks from the other judges and moved forward on the platform, as eager as the rest for all to be revealed. “Name the traitor, your majesty.”
“I did not believe it at first, but there is only one person who had access to the diplomatic fleet and the schedule of planned arrivals. Only one person was perfectly placed to benefit from my death in a way that would move them to murder.” Prince Castor’s hand rose to sweep the assembly with one finger pointed in accusation.
Gasps came from the crowd as he turned to point that finger at the man standing at the center of the platform with a pinched look on his face, bordering on near terror. “I accuse Undersecretary Barnard of the highest treason against the Crown. He has attempted to murder me and plans to overthrow our very government. I move for his immediate execution.”
Eruption was the only word for it. The crowd went literally wild, becoming a mob as people crowded toward the platform to see for themselves if it was true. Eaon appeared at her side and shoved her out of the way of the rush of people, which was all that saved her from being trampled under dozens of feet.
In the chaos, a quick-footed Adrian unchained Legion and the two slipped off of the platform and into the surging crowd whose attention now focused entirely on the cornered Undersecretary. The judges called for calm, but their voices were drowned out by the crowd that demanded immediate justice for their beloved prince.
Circe followed close behind them as they struggled to the far side of the viewing area in order to avoid the mass of spectators screaming for blood. From this vantage point, she could no longer see what occurred on the platform but what she heard was disturbing.
The Undersecretary’s cries for mercy turned to screams as the first rush of people reached the edge of the platform and climbed on top of it. It didn’t take long for it to become clear that he was being placed in Legion’s vacated seat on the executioner’s block with the noose slung around his neck.
Ianthe turned away, bubbles of nausea curdling in the pit of her stomach, as she heard the mechanism trip and the loud bang of the trap flying open underneath the chair. The Undersecretary’s screams were abruptly cut short, ending with a gurgle as his neck snapped.
In that moment, all she wanted was to be away from this place. She had no stomach for violence and this was considerably more than she could take. Shivers wracked her body as Eaon tried to stand between her and the shifting crowd. But she didn’t feel protected as people shoved past them, almost causing injury. The crowd had gone rabid, threatening to turn on each other as the fervor rose to a fever pitch.
Without thinking on it, she reached out through the bond, the appeal for help more emotion than logic. She did not question that her body’s innate response to danger was to yearn for her mate. He was more able and willing to protect her than anyone else in existence. And even though the implication of the thought terrified her, she wanted nothing more than to have him standing between her and everything else in existence.
And so she was not surprised when a shadow fell over her, sending prickles of awareness shooting down her spine.
When she turned, Legion stared down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She could feel the mix of emotions swirling within him through the bond and none of them particularly reassured her.
“Let’s go home.”
But she took his hand and allowed him to pull her forward until she was pressed against his body, fully caught within his orbit. And she didn’t fight him as he pressed her close, as if his body could wrap itself around hers and protect her completely from the outside world.
And together they set forth into an unfamiliar future.
Chapter Fourteen
“You can’t keep me locked up here forever.”
At this point, it was an old argument. The birth of their child was imminent and Ianthe had not been allowed to set foot off of the property without Legion present for the last several months. Her only connection to the world outside of the high walls of his compound were the daily vidcalls that she was permitted to make to her sister. Legion had bought a comfortable house for her family in the mid-levels, although she hadn’t yet had the chance to visit.
But her sister sounded happy and her brother had mostly been behaved since he’d been enrolled in a fast-tracked education program intended for those with plans to take jobs with Central Command after reaching their age majority.
“It’s not forever,” Legion responded mildly. He rubbed the tension from her neck as she sat in her chair at the dining table. “Until my child is born, I have to ensure that you won’t engage in any impulsive behavior that could put both of you at risk.”
“Impulsive behavior,” she repeated, voice indignant. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t consider showing up to my trial to be impulsive? You do realize that any number of terrible things could have happened to you, yes?”
Even with so much time having passed, she still hated reminders of that day. The sound of the Undersecretary’s neck snapping still haunted her dreams. Even knowing that the terrible man was dead and could do nothing more to hurt her, wasn’t enough to set her mind completely at ease. “I thought you were going to be executed.”
“And I told you to stay put.” His voice was repressive, thoughts of her harmed one of the few things that could move him to extreme emotion. “Do you have any idea what it did to me when I realized that you were in that crowd?”
His low growl reverberated through her bones and she resisted the irrepressible urge to bow her head in submission. She was able to recognize that he was not truly attempting to silence her, but that the emotion threatened his tenuous hold on complete control. Nothing could rile him faster than the thought of something bad happening to her.
But his hands continued to knead the sore muscles of her shoulders, the gentle touch completely at odds with the aggressive tone of his voice.
So she did not hesitate to speak her mind to him, finally convinced that he was incapable of truly doing her harm. No matter how angry she might make him. “And did you really expect me to just sit and wait while the Undersecretary had you executed?”
“That wasn’t going to happen. I had everything under control. It was critical that the Undersecretary’s treachery be revealed in the most public way possible. Castor showed up precisely when he was supposed to.”
“Perhaps things would have occurred differently if you had shared any of that with me. I had no idea that you had actually found the prince and he had agreed to testify against the Undersecretary. You kept me completely in the dark.” Her voice was faintly accusatory even as she melted under his touch. “I always assume the worst, you should know that by now.”
“I’ve learned my lesson,
which is why your terminal is incapable of signaling for a skycar. It seems that the only way I can keep you safe is if you are under lock and key.”
“That won’t work forever,” she harrumphed, thoroughly annoyed at his heavy-handedness, despite the little thrill that his possessiveness gave her. “Eventually I’ll find a hole in the wall to slip through.”
“There aren’t many holes large enough to fit you at this point, my love.” His hands shifted lower to stroke the round curve of her stomach. The child inside of her shifted against his palms, as if sensing its father’s presence. “And once Maxwell is born nothing will be able drag you away, not even this ridiculous desire for freedom.”
“You don’t even know it’s a boy,” she grumbled. “I might have a girl just to spite you.”
His dark chuckle reverberated over her skin. “Which would be all the more reason to try again.”
“I still haven’t forgiven you for what you put me through,” she said, although her tone lacked any real bite as the feel of his touch on her skin diverted her attention. “You can’t imagine how it felt when I realized that you’d been arrested.”
“My intention was not for you to discover it at all, which is why I had instructed Circe to deny you access to the terminal that I had given her for emergencies. While the Undersecretary pounced on us, the trial was delayed longer than I expected. He wanted a larger spectacle, fool that he was.”
She glanced back at him in surprise. “Are you telling me you planned on being arrested?”
“I knew that if I returned to the compound that the Guardians would arrest me. Without the Undersecretary there to make arrangements, they would have no choice bu to take me to the nearest detention center. My arrest would hit the newsfeed almost immediately so he would have to try me in public. The Undersecretary wouldn’t have a chance to make me disappear to some black site like he did before.”
And even though it was all over, thoughts of everything that could have gone wrong sent a surge of anxiety through her. “Why didn’t you just tell me your plan?”
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