by Jeff Hale
I shut the cupboard door and went to head outside through the back, figuring that Alex had invited Kat over; I certainly hadn’t, I figured she would just as soon run me over as talk to me.
“Darien!” Alex’s voice stopped me before I could get out the door. “Quit slinking off, I need to talk to both of you. It’s important.”
I braced myself and headed out to the front room, hoping that Kat would be civil. She was perched on the edge of the couch, black scoop neck shirt tucked into black jeans, her jacket on a peg by the door. I could see that necklace now where it lay against her skin, that little crystal unicorn on its gold chain. She saw me looking at it and unconsciously reached up to rub the crystal.
I leaned against the fireplace. “What’s so damned important, Alex?”
“I talked to Aerick today.”
“What?” There was a note of surprise in Kat’s voice. “We’re not supposed to talk to him outside of trial right now, you know that.”
Alex laughed. “Yeah, I know that, but I reckon I didn’t have much choice since the man caught me and Celeste in a somewhat… compromising… position and I didn’t exactly feel like just standing there while he killed me. So my survival instinct kicked in and we got to talking.”
Survival instinct. Alex had a strong one, was good at not escalating situations; he’d always had a better leash on his anger than I did, was better at controlling it.
“So what did he say?” Kat asked.
“Well, this girl Celeste, she’s actually Aerick’s dead girlfriend, Serena, and he’s still in love with her.” I saw Kat just nod her head miserably as Alex continued on, “He says she just doesn’t remember who she was. He says the only reason he killed the shifters that he did is because they were ready to violate her and torture her, and he still maintains he didn’t kill the others. She, on the other hand, thinks he hates her and doesn’t want to have anything to do with her.”
“Why would she say that?” Kat wanted to know.
“He told her he doesn’t want her around him, that he wants her to have a normal life. He’s willing to walk away from her so she can.”
Kat had mentioned that Aerick was in love with another girl, she just hadn’t said who. If her friend Celeste was actually Aerick’s dead girlfriend, then I could understand the man’s interest in the girl. Still, he’d killed shifters who hadn’t even been there when Celeste had been threatened.
“It doesn’t give him the right to go after all of them. I could maybe see it if he had just gone after the ones who threatened her, but the rest of Henry’s pack had nothing to do with it. He punished innocent shifters along with the guilty,” I pointed out.
“Innocent?” Alex almost choked on the word. “Maybe of this, but not in general. Henry tried to talk me into leaving your pack and joining his when I got back to Vegas. I told him to fuck off. Nothing had changed, not with any of his pack. They’re all irredeemable. There might have been a couple who were all right, like those two weretigers, but the rest…” He shook his head.
“Yeah, the two tigers, Sayuri and Takeo? They were different,” Kat said. “They were the ones who took me under their wing after you guys… left.” There wasn’t any accusation in her voice but I felt guilt anyway, and I could see from Alex’s expression that he did too. My own shame had made me leave my cub behind, with no one to turn to except strangers.
“I’m sorry, Kat, so sorry that I deserted you like that,” I told her, frowning and swallowing hard. “I just… I didn’t know how else…”
“It’s okay, Darien. I understood, still do. I was fine. I would have probably done the same,” she assured me, actually smiling at me.
“That’s not the point. Abandoning a cub is almost unforgivable,” I said. Alex nodded his agreement, reaching out to pat her leg.
“Look. Over. Done with. As my mom always says, ‘woulda, coulda shoulda’.” Kat made a motion with her hands as though to the drop the subject. “Can’t change any of it now, so forgiven, both of you, all right?”
“You’re sure?” I pressed, although her words still didn’t make me feel less guilty.
“Positive. Now. Henry’s pack? Alex said they were still behaving badly, and I believe him,” Kat said.
Behaving badly. That was a polite way to put it. Alex had mentioned that he thought all of Henry’s pack was irredeemable, but I had been considered irredeemable once and all it had taken was one person to not give up on me for everything to change. Henry I couldn’t have given a shit about, but I had hoped that maybe the rest of his pack would have seen a different path. Aerick had taken that chance away from them.
“Still, Aerick took out an entire pack who might have been saved if Henry’s influence was removed. If Aerick had just killed Henry, or Henry and the couple others that he already did, it would be an easy ruling in Aerick’s favor.” I sighed and leaned my head back against the stone.
“You know, I hate Henry just as much, or more, than anyone here,” Kat said evenly, looking at Alex. “But, behaving badly or not, I have to agree with Darien, there was no call to kill the others.” She stood, headed for the door, grabbing her jacket. “I understand what you’re trying to say here, Alex, and I know the pack wasn’t filled with good people, but more violence isn’t the answer. I’ll see you two tomorrow, okay?”
I heard Alex let out a slow breath once the door had closed behind her.
“What?” I asked, knowing something about Kat was bothering him.
“She is such a paradox, you know that? A violence addicted shifter who hates violence.”
“Yet she’s still taking that kickboxing class, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, but she says it helps. I reckon it does, she gets to take out her aggressions on sand filled bags and people in padding. She says it helps her keep her center. Maybe you should try it?” he suggested, grinning at me.
“Why do I need a class to help me take my aggressions out when I have you?” I gave him an evil look. “Beat me out to the corral and I’ll take it easy on you.”
“You never take it easy on me,” he complained, but he was already up and headed for the back door.
“That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” I called after him, laughing.
But it was true, especially when it came to shifters.
_____________________________________
The next day Alex and I headed down to the Flame for the first actual day of the trial. Alex had managed to come up with a suit from somewhere, while I settled for a new pair of black jeans, a crisp black button up shirt, and a bolo tie that my mother had given me one year for my birthday. The tie was probably older than Kat by a couple of decades, a stylized wolf’s head engraved into the onyx clasp, with real silver agnets on the cords that I handled very carefully.
Kat met us there, dressed up herself in a pencil skirt, white blouse and low heels. The three of us walked into the back part of the Flame, where there was an entrance to a dimensional pocket. Inside had been set up as a formal court room. Benches made of oak lined either side of the aisle, finally separated from the defendant and plaintiff desks by a low white marble wall with a gold gate in the center. Redwood desks with white marble inlay and matching redwood chairs were on either side for the defendant and the plaintiff, and on raised platform at the end of the room, there was a wide white marble judges’ stand and bench.
There were several fae already present, scattered about the room, with runes carved into their crests. One rune I thought I recognized; it looked almost like the ‘justice’ symbol I sported.
There was another fae, this one perched on a high seat to the right of the judges stand that let her overlook the others and the entire room. Her hair was blonde, almost like spun gold, cascading down her back in waves, and her eyes were a brilliant sky blue. Her dress looked like it was made of liquid crystal, catching the light and casting off prisms of color. She wasn’t moving, other than to swing one foot back and forth, but the dress seemed to flow about her, giving a glimpse
of bare skin here, the hint of a breast there, while never quite showing anything. Her figure was curvy and athletic under the dress, her shapely legs ending in small feet encased in glass high-heeled pumps. She had one elbow resting on her knees, her pert chin sitting on the palm of her hand, and a delicate crystal crown sat just back from her forehead.
“You must be the adjudicators,” she said, her voice carrying a tone of authority. The half-smile she gave us was friendly enough, but I didn’t know her.
“Raven’s contact?” I asked, eschewing politeness.
“Darien,” Kat said softly next to me, elbowing me at the same time. “She’s wearing a freaking crown.” Kat dipped into a clumsy curtsey. “Is it your Highness or Majesty?” she asked the woman.
“Oh, I like you,” the woman said to Kat, smiling fully now. “It’s Majesty. I am Cynthia, Queen of the local fae court.”
Queen? Raven had brought the fae Queen? I bent at the waist, just a hair later than Alex did, bowing. “I’m sorry, your Majesty. I didn’t realize,” I said.
Cynthia hopped down from her seat gracefully and walked up to us. She stopped in front of me, looking me up and down before staring into my eyes for a few moments and nodding to herself. “You’re a strong one. That’s good. And you?” She inspected Alex. “A weaker specimen, to be sure, but true of heart.” She turned towards Kat, reaching out to touch a lock of her hair and rubbing the blood-red strands between her index finger and thumb. “And you, there is more to you, but your feelings, your sense of self, they are twisted round and round like a knot. Unravel who you are. The fae know you.” She let the lock of hair drop and stepped back, clasping her hands in front of her. “But, I am here to make sure that this trial goes as it should. Normally, there would be no need. You are an Adjudicating pack, it is your job to oversee. However, since there is a Sentinel involved, it makes things more complex. Still, I would stay in the comfort of my castle and let my trusted servants do their parts… except I have found that some of them might not be as trustworthy as I once thought.”
She turned and walked back to her seat, then sat on it and put her hands on her knees. “Baba Yaga overreaches herself, and into my territory, corrupting my people. This will not be tolerated, and so I am here, to make sure she knows I am no longer unaware, and to make sure she has no wicked hand in these dealings.” She said all this with a serene expression on her face and I got the impression that she would be able to dress you down worse than the best drill sergeant, all without raising her voice. “Now, if it wouldn’t be a problem, I would like to sit in on these proceedings, as well as act as counsel to the three of you in your deliberations.”
“We would be most honored, your Majesty,” I told her truthfully. This trial was already going to be difficult and any help, especially from fae royalty, was definitely appreciated.
The door opened and someone else strode into the room. He was taller than me by an inch or so, and lanky, and he wore a snappy dark-blue three-piece suit. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. His face was narrow, despite a strong jaw, his hair light-brown and trimmed short. He smiled at me, but there was something that immediately made me distrust him.
“Your Majesty.” He dropped a quick bow at Cynthia before turning to me. “Which one of you is Adjudicator Torre?”
“That would be me,” I answered flatly, giving him a perplexed look, until something occurred to me. “Are you the advocate the Council sent?”
“Yes. Phil Emerson, at your service.” He stuck out a hand expectantly.
I shook it, not prolonging the contact. The man was a shifter, I could tell that from his resonance, but it didn’t quell my initial feeling about him. “You’re the prosecuting advocate for the Council?” I asked, trying not to sound like I was put off.
“Well, yes and no. I’m a defense attorney in Tucson. But Luke has Hugo Falhoun all tied up with some mess in North Carolina and the Council wasn’t quite prepared for two different packs needing him at the same time. So, yeah, here I am,” he explained.
“You’re the backup advocate?” Kat seemed a little thrown.
“I guess so, yeah,” Phil said. “Anyway, I’ve been in contact with Henry and he and the remains of his pack should be getting here any time now. I just figured I should introduce myself first. I’ll go wait and bring them in as soon as they arrive.” He smiled cheerily, ducked his head towards Cynthia, then hurried from the room.
“I’m not sure I care for that bloke all that much,” Alex said as we made our way up to the judges’ stand.
“Why not?” I asked. I slid into the seat in the center. It was raised slightly higher than the two on either side, so that I would sit just above Kat and Alex. It wasn’t that I liked the advocate either, but I just figured it was me.
“Because…” Alex began.
“He seems kinda sleazy?” Kat put in, wrinkling her nose.
“I was going to say dishonest, but yeah, sleazy works.” Alex laughed softly.
We hadn’t been seated very long when the door opened again and Phil came back through, trailed by Henry, Wally, and Jill. Wally was actually wearing a suit and Jill had dressed in a matching skirt and jacket, but Henry hadn’t bothered to impress. He had opted for a tank top and the entire skins of what I thought had to be two cows worth in fringed black leather pants and black leather biker jacket. Phil directed them to the long table on the plaintiffs’ side of the room and then sat down next to them. Henry just gave me a look that suggested he was going to be marginally bored the whole day.
Raven came in shortly after, escorting Celeste. Raven’s low-cut black catsuit made Celeste’s white button up blouse and black slacks look even that more prim. Raven led Celeste to the bench that sat just on the other side of the low marble wall, directly behind the defendant’s table. Almost on their heels, the door opened again to allow more people to trickle into the room, until the oak benches were full. There must have been close to fifty of them, most of them fae. The trial was by no means private, so spectators were a possibility, but I hadn’t expected so many.
Along with the fae were four others that were in formal uniforms, each with colored piping along the shoulders: red, blue, green, yellow. My guess was that they were local MAGE agents, come to see what was going on in their home district. The rest of the crowd, though, were shifters, all of them carrying themselves with the solid assurance of their authority. I didn’t recognize any of them, but I figured that they were Alphas and Betas from nearby packs, come to see how this trial was going to work out.
Lucien brought Aerick in a few minutes after everyone got settled. Lucien looked bright and elegant as usual, in a red suit, black shirt and white tie, his silver hair loose about his face. Aerick had settled for newer black jeans and a black button down shirt that he left untucked.
I waited for everyone to get quiet, then made sure they were paying attention and began to speak. “The Adjudicator pack of Western North America will now hear the case of Henry Ragingbear versus Aerick Kerensky, where Mr. Kerensky is being charged with murder in the first degree, intention to commit murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, intention to commit murder in the second degree, assault with deadly Aetheric powers, and assault with a deadly weapon. We will hear the opening arguments now.”
Lucien stood up, smoothing down his jacket. “Honored Adjudicators, I would present in my case that while Aerick Kerensky did, indeed, kill the shifters that attacked him and several humans, and one other, he did so out of the belief that they would harm innocent humans who had no way of protecting themselves, just to please their mistress Baba Yaga, whose intention, while unknown, is likely the enslavement of this entire region under her authority. I will also present that Aerick, did not kill the other fifteen shifters he is alleged to have killed, that in fact, those shifters had been killed by another Sentinel, also in the employ of Baba Yaga, and that the Plaintiff’s charges are nothing more than a way of plotting Aerick’s execution so that Baba Yaga does not have to face him herself
,” he said, then sat back down.
Phil stood next, from where he sat next to Henry, and approached us. “I bow before the authority of the Adjudicators and their representation of the Shifter Council’s power…” he began, but I waved a hand to cut him off. Deference was one thing but this fake subservience was uncalled for.
“Don’t presume to try and kiss my ass, Phil. The Council sent you to advocate for Henry, not suck up to me. Now make your statement,” I told him, annoyed.
“Very well,” Phil said, looking chagrinned. “I will prove that Aerick Kerensky did willing and maliciously hunt down the members of Henry’s pack and murder them in cold blood with his superior abilities and magics. I will also prove that Henry was not beholden to any sort of ‘deal’ that was made by the lesser members of his pack and Mr. Kerensky!” He motioned towards Aerick.
“Careful, Advocate. Don’t let your temper get away from you,” Alex warned.
The tape evidence was going to be alternated, showing both the plaintiff and defense in regards to the deaths that Aerick admitted to. After that, we would see the evidence for the deaths Aerick denied having a hand in. Phil presented first on Henry’s behalf as plaintiff, providing a security footage tape from Henry’s warehouse that showed the altercation between Aerick and Henry when Aerick had thought Nina was being hurt, the one that Kat had told me about. The camera was stationary, but showed most of the main room at the nightclub. I wasn’t sure why Henry had security footage in there, other than maybe he and his pack liked to watch their play sessions back like movies.
It was near the end of the segment he had shown us that I heard something on the tape that had me giving Henry a stern look.
I pointed to the television monitor. “It was witnessed by no less than three shifters in that video that it was agreed that you would leave Aerick, and any he claimed protection over, alone,” I said evenly. It was much like the oath I had made Henry take in regards to my own pack. I actually saw Aerick give me a surprised look that I had called attention to it.
