Kira broke into tears and went to fall, but the large feminine guards grabbed her arms and held her easily erect. The collar burned hotter as the question was asked and when it started to hurt she was forced to say “Kanade! He thought I was Kanade.”
Kanade bristled with anger and understanding now that she knew how it was done. She wanted to shout, but Ethan’s grip on her was grounding, like a lightning rod that protected her. Her teeth clenched so hard it hurt.
“And where did you procure his blood?” Morgane continued after receiving the answer.
The collar burned hotter. “He’s always wounded. His combat training with Blake is severe. I actually was trying to use a new spell with it so he could heal sooner without being sleep induced.”
“And why did you rape him. Again, remember you cannot lie without causing immediate damage to yourself or use any magic.” Morgane Le Fay ordered.
“Because he is so kind.” She sobbed limply, unable to resist talking. “I’ve wanted him desperately. He’s not like anyone I know. I tried caring for him, offering to be his girlfriend, wanting him more than any before. He was so quiet and shy, but I could see he was suffering and wanted to end it. I started learning from Ken about healing methods because I was afraid he would kill himself from doing so much… and Blake always left him bruised and bloody.” Kira swallowed. “And then two days ago she” Kira finally looked at Kanade sadly and with great jealously. “just suddenly shows up and Ethan didn’t look like he suffered any longer. I hated how he looked at you, Kanade. He never looked at me that way and I was there when you weren’t.” Morgane snapped her fingers and forced Kira to look at her alone, with magic. “Sorry… Well… I hated how she took him away when I really wanted him. I knew that it was over for me, but I still wanted him. I created the potion, using blood of his I already had, and when it was done… he was mine for a time. I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop. I slept with him and took his memories so no one would know. I don’t know how the plan went wrong…”
“Kanade’s soul is irrevocably bound to Ethan’s.” Morgane stated. “Just as mine is to Merlin’s. Soul mates isn’t some trifle word thrown around, Child. Especially with Spirit Guides. She knew right away he wasn’t with her, but with another. If not for this potion, he would be unable to have any sexual reaction with another. Kira, if you find your soul mate no other will hold your attention in a great romantic way. By sleeping with her soul mate, you also raped her. In this, you should know. You shouldn’t have for I teach all young Witches this.” Then Morgane asked a question none in the room expected. “Kira, did you do the spell all Witches know? Are you carrying Ethan’s child?”
“No!” Kanade shouted as she jumped. The room turned to her wide eyes. Her shout echoed several times in the stone room. Kanade began to shake and a quiet whisper she said “No, please say no…”
“No.” Kira responded. “I didn’t drop an egg to make myself pregnant. I just wanted him, not a child… and only I would have the memory. None were to know of my discretion.”
Kanade deflated as she sat back down and hid her face in Ethan’s neck.
“I’m done, Lord Odin.” Morgane shifted the mantle back over.
Odin gave a curt nod. “Dress, what have you to add?”
The cabinet looked over and said “Kira ordered I leave till morning from her room. I thought nothing of it as she came in alone with Ken being his obnoxious self, but without knowing her actions till afterwards, she used me too. She invoked privacy so I could do nothing. Odin, I have nothing else to say.”
“Minna Penbrooke, Prince Storm-shadow, stand front.” Minna tried hiding, but her parents got up and protectively bought her over to stand before the present council leaders. Storm-shadow’s hooves echoed as he stood proudly beside the three. In a not so threatening tone Odin said “Lass, why did your elder sister use you as a distraction?”
“Distraction?” Minna asked in a very frightened, timid voice. Her mother knelt and whispered in her ear. “Alright mother… Lord Odin, Kira came yesterday and asked if I wanted to meet Enchantress Kanade. I did… like many other children… Kira said they were friends and would tell me stories. I like stories. Enchantress Kanade was nice and pretty, but we spoke only for a few minutes…” she went quiet.
Storm-shadow picked up the conversation. “It seemed several minutes, Lord Odin. Kira had altered our sense of time, making it seem pass faster and I found it was two hours we had missed by the time I returned the foal to her stallion and mare. We were not seen, nor did we hear anything under the spell to notice the difference. If not for Kanade’s power and being the first to sense something amiss I fear we might still be under the influence. The foal beside me would not have the capability to remove the spell for her lineage hasn’t surfaced and I certainly was helpless. No fault lays with Minna Penbrooke in her sister’s scheme other than as another object to be used to fulfill her objectives and have my companion mount her.”
“We are agreed. The child’s innocence isn’t in question.” Chillie, the Pixie princess said from atop her book. Minna’s parents sighed. “Truth I hear in your words. You may all leave the stage. The testimony is enough to satisfy this tribunal.”
They left.
Odin stood from his throne, as imposing a figure as ever. “Kira Penbrooke, your violations have been confirmed before this tribunal. Before your sentence is presented I’ll allow a moment to hear any defense you may have.”
Still under the collar’s magic to speak true she said, and stood under her on power. “I have none.” And then she turned to the pair. “But Kanade, Ethan,” Kira swallowed a lump in her throat. “I’m sooo sorry for what I did to you both. My jealousy was inappropriate. I know it’s too late for apologies, but I regret everything. It was wrong. I was wrong. I’m so very sorry.”
“Magistrate Morom, do you have anything to say?” The Ogre leader shook his head, silver hair shining in the lighting. “Chillie?” The Pixie mimicked the movement. “Morgane?” Same. “Queen Gra?”
“Yes.” The beautiful and powerful queen of the Amazons rose from her seat. “Kira, if Ethan was single I would commend you on your victory of conquering another male, but as it stands he has a soul mate. What you did was hurt a sister. We are above men’s pettiness. We bring young into the world. We nurture and protect. You forget that so long as a sister has claim over a man, you do not steal her property. If Kanade were an Amazon, you would be challenged and killed. Be thankful, for any other circumstance would have been your end if she could do harm.” Icy brown eyes turned to the All Father. “Now I’m finished.” She sat.
“Kira, by unanimous decision of this tribunal you are guilty of all the violations against you. You have two options to choose from. First is that you be banished and exiled from Order. You would therefore be thrust into the world for the remainder of your days and lose all protection the Houses offer. You would never have aid, see any friends or family. If attacked and killed, you will not have your killers brought to justice. You will be stripped of all your magic and, should the demons not realize who you are, you will die of old age like every other human.
“The other option is to go on a solitary hunt to atone for your crimes. If you live, you may return and Dress will keep an eye on you and alert this tribunal if you ever start any suspicious behavior or creations.”
Kira merely had to look at her miserable family to decide “I’ll take the hunt.” She didn’t want to die of old age, lose her family and powers.
“So shall it be.” Odin slammed the butt of Gungnir on the floor like a judge would a gavel. “Tattoo, what have you preselected?”
The deceptively deadly man in the wheelchair lifted a sheet of paper to say “For a hunt that will fit the crimes, my network has confirmed reports of nine confirmed missing young women who were found dead after recently giving birth nine months after being reported missing in Amsterdam. Through one of our Nagai scouts and a Spirit Guide telling the all the girls souls being killed intentionally to
eat, thereby breaking the accords, we are stepping in. The Nagai was able to catch the scent of the perpetrators and followed the trail to an abandoned farm outside the city. One of my aerial mini spy planes not an hour ago penetrated the building and showed thirty heat signatures inside.” Tattoo dropped the paper and looked at the Witch. “Kira, you will be hunting down and eliminating no less than a dozen Incubi. My scan of the building couldn’t positively tell which were incubus or woman, but your task is to kill them all and free the kidnapped women. There is a high probability they will be pregnant and be in great need.”
Kira went sheet white at the task given. Her mother collapsed while her father looked at Tattoo as if the man lost his damn mind. Kira’s mother knew she was listening to her daughter’s death sentence and couldn’t bare consciousness.
What broke the silence startled the whole room was a growl. “No.”
Heads turned to none other than Ethan who slowly stood. Kanade watched him move forward and couldn’t believe how calm he was. No one stopped him from stepping in front of Kira, effectively shielding her from the tribunal’s sight. The two Amazons looked at each other curiously. “Tattoo, that hunt is too dangerous for Kira.”
The second in command stared evenly at the Elemental. “It is her punishment for her crimes.”
“And I’m not saying she shouldn’t be punished. Just pick a different one. Sending a woman alone to an Incubus nest? Even I know that is a suicide mission and I’ve never seen one of them demons.” His calmness had everyone staring, except the mother who hadn’t recovered.
“Oh?” Odin finally grinned. “If you’ve never met an Incubus, how would you classify it as a suicide mission?”
“My angel and companion’s stories matched. After I died and returned with the spirit egg to wait and be revived, Kanade told me about many of the creatures, especially those I’ll be facing. Storm-shadow further explained how Order hunts certain demons who’ve gone out of line and started killing people to eat their souls. Firstly, if your assessment is right, this is a band consisting of nothing more than the greatest predator to women. They must not have a master or owe allegiance and are threatening to reveal the supernatural because suspicion is already being raised. What I’m saying is what I’ve been taught and if I’m wrong, I’ll apologize. Storm said you never take a woman to hunt even one incubus, not even Amazons. The incubus power is a honey trap to all women. Just setting eyes on one will make them an Incubus sex slave who will do anything to please him… just as you would never send a man to take down a Succubus. It does the same thing. Kira would be helpless and end up like the other kidnapped victims and I’ll not stand by for such a punishment. I’m none too thrilled on what she did to me, but I can’t watch her go alone into a hungry bear’s den covered in raw meat and bathed in syrup.”
“Ethan,” Tattoo sighed. “You are still new, but Kira brought this on herself. If she cannot resist her nature to save the lives of innocent women… well she will atone in death and still be avenged. This is the tribunal’s unanimous decision. Kira is going to kill the nest or die trying.”
The Elemental looked at the ancient gazes on him. “If you haven’t forgotten,” he looked each leader in the eye. “I took the Warrior’s oath. I vowed to endanger myself to protect another. Fate gave me a second chance on the words I become that warrior. Sending Kira alone would violate my oath, no matter what she did to me. I can’t in good conscience allow this… Even if it means withdrawing what happened.”
Eyebrows raised and Kanade sat with a dropped jaw that matched Storm-shadow’s. “Quite a large pair you got, Lad.” Odin seemed pleased, but remained neutral. “Unfortunately it isn’t your decision, but ours. Kira’s been long overdue for consequences not even you know of. Because she is our strongest Witch she pushes her craft in dangerous and forbidden areas. She will get someone killed because she doesn’t have the humility you possess. Kira will verify the situation and eliminate the demons, but” Odin held up a lone finger. “there is a condition in our laws that will allow you to retain your vows.”
“I’m listening, Sir.” Ethan calmed further while Kira was speechless behind him.
“Kira will require a supervisor in her hunt. All who break the law require it to keep them on track and from running away. As you say, Incubi are a honey trap for the fairer sex. You are male and therefore immune to their charms. Those women need to be found and rescued before they end up like the others. I also know you are combat ready from Blake’s daily reports to be capable of defending yourself against those lower class demons. If you feel as you sound, you may be her supervisor so you can maintain your oath to protect this family. This will be the only concession I’ll allow the tribunal to discuss.”
Ethan turned to Kanade and said “Angel, I can’t stand by and watch anyone die and if they don’t kill her outright, they’ll rape her too. I know she hurt y…”
“I know.” Kanade finally smiled, knowing her soul mate wasn’t the kind of person to stand by when others were in danger. “I might not like this idea, but it’s why everyone loves you. You’re honor bound and more mature than I about this.”
“Alright.” Ethan told the assembled. “I’ll keep an eye on Kira.”
“There is one condition you must swear to.” Morom said as his large blue body shifted forward. “As a supervisor of the prisoner you may not intervene in her hunt unless there is a clear piece of missing information. If there are only Incubi and Kira gets killed, you must let her die, but if she does you may step in and burn them with your power to protect her soul. Only then may you show yourself, Ethan. If she dies or through misinformation are you allowed to intervene. Is that understood?” The Ogre’s large eye bored into Ethan’s.
Ethan made a hard fist that turned his knuckles white. He did maintain a calm presence and tone though. “Understood, Sir.” Over his shoulder he said. “Kira, if you die I promise to keep your soul from being eaten.” She could only stare.
Odin looked to each leader who all nodded in agreement. “Very well, Ethan, go ready yourself and return here after lunch, Lad. Use the remainder to prepare for the hunt. It will be only the two of you. You know what must be done. Lives are at stake. Amazons, take the prisoner wherever she must to prepare for her hunt.” The two muscle bound women turned Kira around and she followed out the door, completely unable to believe what just happened.
When the doors shut Tattoo said “Ethan, that was a brave thing you just did.” His wife agreed with a curt nod. “After yesterday’s incident, I know very few who even took the Warrior’s oath who would stand anywhere near someone who did such a despicable act of betrayal. I know I wouldn’t have done it.”
“That’s because I would have snapped her in half.” Gra said seriously.
“Nevertheless, Ethan, before you go, come here for a moment.” The Elemental stepped forward to the desk, passing Chillie as she flew out an open window. Tattoo reached behind his low backrest and dug in his bag till finding what he sought and pulled it out. “Here, you’ll need this.” The object turned out to be a strange earpiece with a thin bar holding a clear oval lens. It looked remarkably like half of a pair of adjustable glasses. “This is an invention of mine that I’ve patented and costs eight hundred thousand points. I’ll start taking five hundred each month from your account till it’s paid off in a century or if you pay more. The U.S. military really wants their hands on these. It serves many functions which will come in handy. It has multiple voice command functions you’ll need to learn. I’ll send an APP guide to your computer to learn all its uses. At the corner of the lens is a tiny camera the size of a pinhead and directional sound amplifier microphone thirty years ahead of anything even considered experimental. The microphone can pick up sounds from over a mile away from you, if it has a clear line of sight, and sends the amplified sounds to the earpiece here.” He pointed. “The camera can act like a sniper’s scope, but also give readouts to the lens which also maps distance, temperature, infrared, wind speeds and also calcul
ates the speed at which you travel. The most important function is it records everything up to a hundred hours of data and is both solar powered and by heat. For a Fire Elemental you’ll have no problems in that department. Also it has been spelled to see beyond the veil so nothing will be missed and will self destruct if a person not recognized by Order picks it up. It is a safety function. Just know once it’s attached to your head it won’t run out of power.”
“But how? It is all so thin and fragile looking.”
Tattoo smiled. “It’s more durable than it looks. Also you may use it to contact me or one of my workers anywhere in the world. When it’s over, call and the nearest Pixie on duty will send you back here. Now go and brush up on the basics. This device will be primarily used to record Kira’s hunt. Once it learns your voice it cannot imprint on another unless it’s returned and I wipe it’s databanks.”
“And to make sure I follow orders. Got it.” Ethan hooked it around his left ear and adjusted the lens till it felt comfortable.
He turned around to find Kanade with her hands together, fidgeting and went to go say he was sorry, but was stopped by a little hand. Minna looked up with teary eyes as her mother was just coming around. “Mister Ethan, take care of my sister…”
“Enough Minna.” Her father said and pulled her back before looking Ethan over and saying “I’m truly sorry for what happened, Young Man.” Ethan didn’t know how old this Wizard is, but was odd because they looked around the same age. “And your wife is right. That was quite mature, what you did for my little girl… and I would like to offer thanks that you chose to be her supervisor. I don’t know what I’d do if they did kill her and devour her soul. But what I do know is you can save hers if it happens. You have my thanks, but now I must take care of my family and visit Kira one last time, just in case.” The man tuned and he and his family left.
Forgemaster (Book 1 in the Spirit Guide Saga) Page 33
