Rage: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Spelldrift: Coven of Fire Book 3)

by Sierra Cross

  I wanted to hug Asher at that moment. Coven connection rocked.

  “This would cost me a great deal of political capital,” the vampire said.

  “Sorry, Ambrose, there was no fine print,” I said.

  “It’s Director Bonaventura to you.” He exhaled. “All right, I’ll arrange a hearing.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Don’t thank me, Miss Hill,” Ambrose said. “You’re a sloppy, untrained witch with no respect for the rule of law. Your unorthodox coven threatens our very way of life. Just know, that after today we are even—no matter the outcome.” He sniffed the air like he was smelling a steak cooking. “And if I meet you on the street, I may decide to make you lunch.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The very air of the courtroom commanded reverence. Polished wood wainscot panels covered the walls, and the abstract magicborn art that graced the ceiling—which felt like it was miles above us—rivaled that of the Sistine Chapel only it had been enchanted to sparkle and dance. The painting over the judge’s bench depicted the figure of justice being delivered from twinkling blue stars in the night sky.

  Word traveled fast. The courtroom was packed with so many magicborn I figured every store in the Spelldrift must be closed…and it wouldn’t matter because there’d be no one left to go shopping. I could hear the steady murmur of well-coiffed Witches Assembly members and righteous warlocks, speculating based on the misinformation they had. I was sure most of them thought that in shipping Matt off to Barcelona justice would be served. With so many magicborn gathered, it was a shame we couldn’t show everyone Masumi’s video and blow their minds. But without a plan, we’d just be pissing in the wind. Not to mention signing Masumi’s death sentence.

  Liv and Asher had saved me a seat at the front. I scooted in and noticed Agent Larch on the aisle side of our row. I wondered what her take was on this.

  A panel of five judges—with Bonaventura sitting dead center—presided behind the bench on the dais. It could be a human courtroom, except for the navy-blue robes and globes of light that floated in front of each judge.

  “What the heck are those?” I asked Asher, pointing at the ethereal crystal ball thingies.

  “Vision orbs,” he said. “For reviewing evidence. And if a memory spell is performed on the accused, they all can view it.” He was about to tell me more when Bonaventura banged the gavel. Why was I not surprised he was the chief justice? The man radiated power and dominance like the sun radiated light and heat.

  “I call this session to order.” Bonaventura’s voice projected to the far corners of the room. A door opened and two beefy Fidei guards walked in, pulling Matt in by his elbow. Chains rattled on the marble floor. My heart burned as all the eyes descended on him, like he was some rogue zoo animal they were here to see put down. My sweet Matt. Lodestone shackles bound his hands and feet—though the cuff on the right wrist had been expanded to fit around the cast he now wore. The court clerk stated his list of crimes, including being an Amalgam, evading arrest, purchasing illegal explosives, and a half-dozen other crimes I didn’t understand.

  Of the five judges, only one was a woman—I recognized the perfect makeup and smooth flat-ironed hair of the combat-dud witch from the alley.

  “What’s her name, Judge Passive?” I asked Asher, pointing.

  “Judge Merwin,” he said. “Chill on the judgment. I know she froze in the alley but she’s a very talented witch. One of the strongest in the Assembly. Not everybody’s cut out for battle.”

  Of the other three judges, one was human—Fidei no doubt—one was a warlock and one was a shifter, lion by his energy and blond hair that looked like a mane. Their faces were hard to read. Did Matt have a chance?

  He took his place at the defense table, shoulders slumped, chin tucked. One of the lawyers seated next to him gave his shoulder a pat that looked more orchestrated than reassuring. I knew Matt felt me staring at him, but he purposefully faced forward. Was that a new bruise on his cheek? He seemed so defeated.

  I tuned back in and caught the tail end of the prosecutor’s spiel. A gaunt warlock who hadn’t seen the sun in years, he delivered his words with passion but not hyperbole. His tone made it seem like he had a corner on the truth market. “…and while the defendant comports himself as an upstanding citizen, let’s review the facts. He has aligned himself with a Caedis of the highest order. A Caedis that had been in custody until he broke her out of prison. Numerous serious injuries were inflicted on Council agents as a direct result of his actions.” The prosecutor paused and shook his head. “Quite frankly, Chief Justice, it seems a lapse in judgment that you bring this good court together to rule on such an open and shut issue. This Amalgam is a danger to the community and has no credibility to be released.”

  Matt seemed to sink at the words that I knew were daggers to his heart. His entire system of moving through this world was based on his ethics. And this man was tearing him down in front of the entire magicborn community. Worse, all the people in the gallery were nodding along.

  “He is most certainly a flight risk. To release him, for any length of time, no matter the precautions would be foolhardy, to say the least.” He sat back at the table for the prosecution, pinched his nose, and looked out across the bench as if this whole matter were beneath him. Looking around at the wide eyes and concerned nods, I saw with dismay that the crowd had eaten his argument right out of the palm of his hand.

  To my surprise it wasn’t a member of the defense team that stood to speak on Matt’s behalf, it was Agent Larch. What the hell? I flinched and shifted in my seat. But Asher grabbed my arm.

  “Give her a minute,” he whispered. “Those lawyers you got him know what they’re doing.”

  Agent Larch stood at ease between the defense and prosecution tables, facing the bench. “Permission to address the court,” she said in crisp military fashion.

  “Granted,” Bonaventura answered, professionally clipped.

  “As you know, my job is to enforce the law, not interpret it.” Larch relaxed into a stance that was almost civilian. “So know that I do not take the decision to stand before you lightly. Guardian Montgomery risked his own life in order to save the group of us in that alley. And he exposed his Amalgam powers to save my...agent.” The way she paused on that last word...was I reading too much into it or did Kat mean more to her than a coworker? The audience sat on the edge of their seats, waiting expectantly for what she’d say next. Whatever Larch was doing, she was putting her reputation on the line as well. “He could have let her die—I’d be none the wiser. He could have feigned effort and let all of us perish and still received chits for having tried.” She was weighting her words with sincerity, revealing a bit of a personality I hadn’t even suspected existed. “Instead, he saved us the only way he could. By using powers that he knew would sentence him to death.”

  Jeers and hisses erupted from the gallery. Someone shouted, “Damn straight they would!”

  Bonaventura banged his gavel and called for order.

  When silence returned, Larch half turned and looked at Matt. “I’m only standing here because of his bravery.” She returned to her military at ease stance. The crowd bustled and murmured, but quickly quieted. “Yes, he’s an Amalgam. I will remand him to the guardians on Friday morning. But until then, he has earned the right to say farewell to those he loves.”

  Tears slipped down my cheeks. She’d asked for nothing in return for what she’d just done. But in my mind, I owed her a debt. One I vowed to repay.

  The bench cleared, with the promise of returning shortly with a verdict.

  After two hours, I was going stir crazy. My butt couldn’t take the hard-wooden bench much longer. I swung my legs and kicked the banister in front of me.

  “Alix, must you behave as a toddler?” Asher snapped at me.

  “Leave her alone,” Liv said. “This is hard for me. I can’t imagine how hard it must be on her.”

  “Sorry, I’ll stop.” I put my feet b
ack on the ground. Time was ticking by so loudly my head hurt. Without realizing it, I was kicking again. “Sorry.”

  Finally, the door behind the bench opened again and the judges filed in. Without preamble, Bonaventura addressed the court.

  “By Council Law, as the member who brought forth the request for ruling, I must recuse myself from voting.” What? He’d left out that detail. “As a result, we are deadlocked. Two for, two against.”

  The gallery erupted again, a cacophony of allegations, accusations, pleas. Bonaventura’s gavel was barely heard above the noise.

  “Silence!” He yelled with all his vampire might. This time I was quick enough to cover my ears. “Or I will clear this courtroom.” The room quieted instantly. “In order to break the deadlock, we request that the prisoner speak on his own behalf.” There was a quiet gasp and a rumble of talking that stopped as soon as it started. “Guardian Montgomery, please stand and speak your piece.”

  The chair squeaked across the floor as Matt stood, causing me to wince. His hands were bound, so he had no choice. It was the little things that gave you a picture of a person’s character, and I was painfully aware that he needed every bit of positive affect he could curry. He clanked to the same place Larch had stood, and adopted her same military stance as best he could despite the leg shackles. He requested permission to speak and it was granted. All eyes were on him, the crowd breathless in anticipation of what this “creature” would say. Would he fight for himself? Did he know his own worth enough to convey that to these people who wanted to sentence him to death?

  “I battled the Caedis in the alley not only by choice, but because I took a vow.” His voice was quiet and he was looking at his shoes. Come on Matt. I was willing him to fight, fight for himself. “A vow that I will honor until the day I die. But my fate isn’t the only one on the line. The soul of a dedicated witch hangs in the balance. She’s trapped in the Void, with the prospect of being tormented for eternity—unless that Caedis dies in the proper way.” Matt’s voice was surging, gaining momentum. “You may think risking the escape of an Amalgam is too great a price to pay for the soul of one deceased witch. But the Caedis that roams in her body can wreak havoc on thousands. Its plans threaten not only those attacked in the alley, but this entire Council.” He let that sink in. “I am the only one that will be able to get close enough to that demon to take it out. And I promise you I will kill that Caedis. I will free that witch’s soul.”

  My heart was pounding. Could others hear the truth and tenacity in Matt’s words, as I did? Looking around, I did sense a shift in the room. I think he may have swayed at least some of the crowd. But what about one of the judges? One was all we needed. It could be our chance. We could take care of that Caedis, and then we could go into hiding while we worked on changing the system using Masumi’s video. We didn’t have a vampire favor left for fake IDs, but we’d figure something out. We had to.

  Then Matt added, “On my vow as a guardian, I will surrender myself into custody on Friday morning.” And my heart sank. Damn him and his unwavering sense of right and wrong. Of course he would keep his word.

  This time the judges were out for less than five minutes.

  “By a vote of three to one,” Bonaventura said. “The petition has been granted. Guardian Montgomery, you are released on your own recognizance until nine o’clock Friday morning.”

  Relief flooded through me like a tonic in my blood. The vampire banged his gavel and the courtroom exploded in dissenting opinions, shouting over each other. At least not everybody was calling for Matt’s immediate death. Judge Merwin stared down at Matt from the bench, not trying to hide the loathing in her eyes. It wasn’t a huge leap to guess she’d been the dissenting opinion. We saved her life, how about some gratitude? I guess prejudices really ran deep. It didn’t matter what one witch thought of him. He was free.

  For the moment.

  Matt had two days to live and we were going to spend it hunting that Caedis. Who knew if we could even kill that demon? And did it matter? In the end, every scenario ended with Matt gone from my life.

  We waited for Matt at the foot of the Council Suprema courthouse. Nervous energy had me biting my nails as if the judges might change their minds before he left the building. They couldn’t do that, right? Geez, what was taking them so long?

  “Let’s do this thing,” Matt said, banging out the front doors.

  I smiled and just stared at him—walking down the stairs into the misty rain, a free man with no one hunting him…at least for now.

  “Ya big dummy.” Liv playfully slugged him in the shoulder and yanked him into a sloppy hug. “How about a ‘hello’ first?”

  “Hello, Liv.” He smiled and hugged her back, pausing to wipe a tear from her cheek. “It’s good to see you too.”

  “Let me guess,” Asher said. “You’ve got a plan?”

  “I’ve got an idea that we can turn into a plan,” Matt answered. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. My positive-thinking, strategy-minded guardian was back.

  “Let’s head to the cozy corner,” I suggested and grabbed for Matt’s arm. He slipped his hand around my waist like it was the most natural thing in the world. The feel of him pressed against me, the smell of his skin, set my senses firing, longing for more contact. After, I thought and prayed there’d be an after.

  We’d just hit the sidewalk behind the bookstore when I knew something was wrong. Though the building looked unharmed, no prickling sensations of wards greeted us. We turned the corner and the wards were…they looked like torn cellophane wrap, twisted and bunched, with a gaping hole right in the middle. Green magic still arced across their surface. Whatever demon did this was immensely angry.

  My muscles tensed. Matt was in a crouch. Asher burned through another pair of gloves. Liv had firebolts dancing on her fingertips. Matt silently motioned Asher to go first and sent me in behind him. He sent Liv to the front of the store, while he secured the perimeter.

  At the top of the stairs, I saw putrid grey-green smoke billowing out through a broken window. The backdoor swung open on its hinges, though I was certain Asher wouldn’t have left it unlocked. We crossed the threshold and entered the hallway. The doors at this end looked untouched. Only the sharp scent of sulfur that burned my nose told me there was destruction ahead.

  “The lab.” Asher raced ahead, and I followed at his heels, pulling back on his shoulders as Matt had done many times for me. I understood the danger of emotions running ahead of caution. I also sympathized. The lab door had been blown from its hinges.

  The place was trashed. Liv came tearing up the front stairs, and Matt came up from behind me. Together we took in the carnage. But whoever—whatever—had done this was long gone.

  Both the lab and the cozy corner were smashed beyond recognition. Every tall shelf had been toppled. Asher’s neatly ordered jars of potions and tinctures lay fractured, mingling on the ground, sparking and smoking. Beakers were shattered, bags ripped open, every item that could be crushed had been. The beautiful butcher-block work table had been chopped in half.

  My heart clenched when I turned and looked at the cozy corner. The Oriental rug smoldered, charred right up the center. Asher’s desk looked like a Mack Truck slammed it into the wall. And my beautiful green leather loveseat had been burned to a pile of ashes.

  “What could have done this?” I asked no one.

  It was only then that I saw the melted pile of metal in the corner. The Hamilton safe had been reduced to abstract art. The spoke handle was sitting on the only intact chair in the room, its polished metal looking like a ship’s wheel waiting for a captain. A none-too-subtle message. Whoever, whatever did this wanted us to know they got into the safe before they destroyed it.

  Which means they had Masumi’s video. And we had nothing to prove Matt wasn’t evil.

  “Fuck!” Asher yelled, kicking at a pile of singed books. Honestly, Asher was taking this better than I would have. I’d had my place destroyed; it was a bitch an
d I didn’t have nearly as much of me invested in my place as Asher did in his.

  “This wasn’t a random attack,” Liv said quietly. “This was very personal.”

  “Let’s not get distracted.” Matt spoke up. “As bad as this is, we can’t get caught up in trying to solve some mystery. Freeing Alana is our priority.”

  “That video is the only hope we have of keeping you from being executed,” I said.

  “This is a waste of time,” Matt said. “I need to kill that demon. Whatever happens after that, happens.”

  “Maybe figuring this out will help with that,” Liv said, pissy.

  “We don’t have to guess,” Asher said. “We can find out definitively. It’ll take less than an hour.”

  He walked to the bookshelf that was once next to the fireplace. It was now leaning on the molten metal at an odd angle. He pulled a picture off the shelf, brushed away the broken glass and took it from the frame. As he folded it in half and tucked it in his wallet. I saw it was a picture of him and Marley. It was the smallest of the knickknacks that adorned his shelves, I had never even noticed it. Yet, it was the only thing he took. “Let’s get out of here.” He left the room without looking back.

  Twenty minutes later we pulled up in front of a thirty-story black glass building downtown. Ferries churning across Elliot Bay were the sparkling backdrop for the city just before dawn broke. The streetlights were shining on empty sidewalks. Asher hadn’t said a word since he gave me the address.

  “This is your off-site facility?” Liv asked as we stepped into the elevator from the marble and chrome lobby.

  “Colocation services, at their finest,” Asher said, guiding us through a set of glass double doors. “All my equipment is backed up here. It’s a twenty-four-hour facility. And they’ll let us use an office.”

  “You uploaded Masumi’s video,” I said, not sure if I should be elated or really pissed off. It was the one thing he promised not to do.