Heart of the Ocean (The Equilibrium Cycle Book 2)

by Jason A. Gilbert

  "He told me that even if you succeed, you'll still fail. In the end, all that you will achieve is your own death. And, despite everything, there's nothing that I can do to protect you."

  "I don't..." Laila began, but her mother was gone, back down the corridor to her own room. Laila heard the door shut as she stood silently in front of the window, surrounded by the chaos of the study.

  Three

  The Trial

  Laila took her time as she walked toward the main avenue from her home. She was flanked by Dio on her right, who had come to support her at the trial, and Connor on her left. Icarus led the way. Icarus had returned the day before, but he had not offered any suggestions for what Laila should do next. He had been glad to hear that she had decided to leave and had agreed that she should see through her testimony. Now, his dust-covered robes were pulled tight against him in the chill morning air as he led their small group onto the main avenue from the Wardein estate and once again toward the Consulate hall.

  Laila flinched as they passed each small group of people on the street. She waited for some of them to recognize her and begin their tirade. She had not left the house for two days, regretting the foolish decision that had left her exposed. She gripped her staff, not calling on her power, but supporting herself physically with the stone.

  They reached the city center without incident. It was calm; the sun had just risen. The trial had been planned early in the morning to limit the crowd that might gather due to the rumors circulating around the city. The small group climbed the stairs of the Consulate and passed underneath the large pillars that supported the roof.

  A group of four Consuls stood near the entrance and watched Laila and her escort approach. She steeled herself against their reaction, waiting for the shouts and jeering. She hunkered back into her hood, trying to hide herself, though they would still know who she was. Everyone else coming to the Consulate this early was a Consul. She could feel their eyes on her as she and her companions walked past. A few more steps and they were past the group. They continued to watch as Laila moved into the Consulate, but they did not say anything. She let out a breath and inhaled quickly, not aware that she had been holding it in.

  Connor glanced at her and tried to smile reassuringly, but it came out as an awkward grimace. He was just as nervous as she was. She turned to look at Dio. He was holding himself up stiffly, trying to emulate what he thought was the proper appearance for someone in the Consulate. It was likely he had not been to the Consulate since his Test, several years earlier. Icarus led them deeper into the bowels of the building, disregarding the gathering groups of Consuls.

  In moments, they had reached the Consulate Hall. Laila had not been back since that day. The scorched floor and stairs were a testament to her failure. The hole in the dome a scar on her home and against her purpose. They stopped near the top of the stairs leading down into the Hall, and Laila saw Dio gape at the damage that her confrontation with Nuriel had caused. He had likely heard the story; the rumors about what had happened had spread through the city like wildfire, but seeing it with his own eyes was something else entirely. Laila found her own eyes drawn to the burnt stairs where the Aurai emissary had stood. She had replayed that moment in her mind over and over, and she couldn’t keep herself from hearing the airy, high-pitched scream. She had failed that day, and the repercussions of that had not yet come to fruition.

  "That's the Magus." She heard a whisper off to her left, coming from a couple of Consuls who stood waiting to enter the Hall. "Alain's daughter. Poor man. To be the father of one like her..." The Consul who had been speaking trailed off when he saw Laila look up toward him.

  "Keep focused, child," Icarus said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  "I'm fine," Laila responded. "Let's go find my father."

  Icarus nodded, turning to lead them deeper into the Consulate. They would meet Alain in his office and wait to be called to the trial from there. Passing beyond the Hall itself, they made their way into the twisting hallways that led further in. There were more Consuls here, preparing for the day’s trial. There had not been a trial of this magnitude in Terus for as long as Laila knew. Small trials were common, often to mediate disputes between families, or even more rarely, to punish minor crimes. But an actual trial for treason and malfeasance had never occurred in her lifetime and likely not for many years before that.

  They turned another corner and nearly ran over a group of younger Consuls, led by Selene. Laila stopped suddenly, unsure of how to address her old friend. The young girl looked just as surprised, but she quickly recovered, leering at Laila.

  "Let the Magi pass," she said to the group behind her.

  A few of the Consuls behind her stepped aside quickly, unaware of the insult in Selene's words. A few others stood still, staring at Laila and her companions.

  "Selene, please," Laila said softly.

  "Please what, Magus?" Selene seemed to hurl the words at her former friend.

  "Don't do this, Selene," Dio said.

  Selene spun on Dio. “I listened to what you said the other day, Dio! And if our friendship meant anything to her, than why did she not come to me before? Why was it Consul Wardein who had to ask us to go see her? She’s the reason why Torin is on trial today. The one member of the Consulate that has tried to prevent everything that’s happening, tried to make us stronger. Do you know what’s happening because of her?”

  Dio shook his head. "I don't care."

  His indifference set Selene off. "You don't care! The Confederacy is losing its strength. Torin tried to bring unity. And this...heretic nearly destroyed us!"

  "Selene..." Laila tried to cut in. She wondered where the friendship that she had shown not two days ago had gone. The incident in the city center could not have been the only factor. This was something that had festered much longer.

  "No! I tried to find out why you did it. Why you would come in and undermine everything that you've known. But you don't even know!" Her voice continued to rise and even the Consuls who had taken a stance against Laila looked surprised. "That's what the Magi used to do. Create fear and dissent! Why don't you just leave?"

  Laila started to say something in response, but then she lowered her head. She could not speak to her friend. Not when she directed so much anger toward her. Instead, Laila took a step forward, hoping to move past the group without the need for anything further. Angrily, Selene stepped in front of Laila.

  "I want an answer." Selene’s voice was lower now, but the anger still boiled at the surface.

  Laila could not respond. She did not know what to say. She could feel Selene's anger increase, but she had no recourse. Laila already had enough doubt of her own. How could she explain any of what had happened to Selene? She would never understand.

  Before Selene could continue, however, Connor stepped in front of Laila.

  "Ah, the farm boy," Selene said.

  "Enough! I have watched you and your people do nothing but berate her. You have no idea what is going on. You have no idea what Laila's been through. What have you done? You sit here in your city, in your Hall, and pretend to understand what's going on in the world. You're just a child, pretending to be an adult. You have no right to speak to the Magusari that way!"

  Selene relented slightly as Connor straightened to his full height. Her eyebrows raised slightly at the mention of Magusari. She hesitated a moment, glancing back and forth between Connor, Laila, and Dio before finally shaking her head in frustration and stomping off down the hallway, the small group of Consuls trailing behind her.

  "Calm yourself, Connor," Icarus said.

  "I don't understand their anger, Magus," Connor answered, reverting to formality to keep his voice under control.

  "I know.” The Magus paused, offering no further explanation. “Let's get to Alain, shall we?" He led them down the hall once again.

  Laila turned toward Connor. "Thank you," she said softly.

  He looked down at her and nodded, a small sm
ile crossing his face, this one far less awkward.

  Finally, they reached her father's office. He was in his regular position, sitting behind his desk, reading through a series of parchments. He looked up as they entered.

  "Oh, good. The trial should start shortly. I hoped you'd make it before it began." He glanced at the three men flanking Laila. "I see you brought an escort."

  "I... They wanted—" Laila began.

  "It's all right, Laila-sa. It's probably better. I hate to think what could have happened if you'd come alone after what happened the other day."

  Laila started to speak, but Icarus waved her off, shaking his head. She took a deep breath, "When will the trial begin?"

  As she spoke, a young Consul, thankfully not one of those who had accompanied Selene, entered the office.

  "Now," Alain said, motioning toward the young Consul.

  "The trial is about to start, Consul Wardein," the younger Consul said, confirming Alain's interpretation of her arrival.

  Alain took a deep breath, pushing himself up from his desk. He motioned for Laila and her companions to lead the way out the door. Laila gripped her staff tighter, finally allowing herself to draw a hint of power from it, calming her raging nerves.

  Laila followed her father toward the floor of the Consulate Hall. Connor, Icarus, and Dio sat near the top of the theatre where they could watch the proceedings, along with a growing number of other Teruns. Laila, however, was needed on the floor. The judges, chosen from high-ranking members of the Consulate, sat in a semi-circle on the floor of the Hall itself, opposite the blackened scorch marks left from Casus's conflagration. Laila deflated slightly as her father led her past the marks, her regret and failure rising up again within her.

  Those familiar feelings were quickly replaced with anger. Standing in the middle of the Hall was Torin. Two fully armed Guardians stood on either side of him. Laila had been surprised when she’d seen the fully armed Balon Guardians a few months ago; she had never seen Guardians with their full complement of weapons before that moment, as there had never been a reason. Now, with the Terun Guardians armed in same manner, the unusual spectacle served to reinforce that everything that had happened was Torin’s fault. He had been working with Nuriel long before Laila knew her role. He had worked his way into the position of Consulari, and he had used his influence to shatter the peace that the people of the Confederacy had known for a century.

  He stood, facing the judges, chosen from his colleagues in the Consulate. His stiff back and blank expression could not hide the arrogance in his eyes. Finally, Laila turned away to look at the Consuls sitting as judges. Laila only recognized one of them, Gregor. He nodded toward her in recognition as she walked to her place on the first level of the Hall, waiting to be called on. Her father motioned for her to sit. There were a few others sitting in the place of witnesses. There were two young Consuls, not much older than Laila, and next to them was a young woman dressed like a Guardian. Something tugged at Laila's mind as she looked at the woman, something familiar, but she could not immediately place it. She sat on the other side of the young Consuls, and all three of the other witnesses moved slightly away from her, looks of discomfort on their faces. She placed the end of her staff on the ground and held it upright in front of her, gripping it tightly, but not calling on her power. She needed to be free of its influence for this, as difficult as that would be.

  Her father approached the seated judges. Gregor looked to each of them in turn, making sure they were ready, and then they nodded to Alain.

  "I am Alain, Consul of Terus, servant and Citizen," her father began, using the formal address for someone bringing an issue in front of the Consulate. As he began, the murmur in the crowd in the Hall died down and everyone's attention shifted to the Hall floor. "I am here today to present the case of malfeasance against Torin, former Consul of Terus."

  "You are seen and heard, Consul Alain. You may proceed," Gregor said, finishing the brief formality.

  Alain nodded.

  For the next hour, Laila's father addressed the charges brought against Torin. They were mostly focused around his manipulations of the Consulate and his deceptive use of the Guardians to further his own goals, and not those of the city. As Alain described the actions Torin had taken, Laila studied the reactions of the judges. She knew Gregor was a friend of her father's, but he was also a fair Consul and he sat attentively, listening to Alain's arguments. Three of the remaining six judges had a similar look of attentiveness. Two others were leaned back in their seats, listening but not actively engaged, as far as Laila could tell. She did not know if that worked in Torin's favor or against it. The final judge sat, clearly disinterested, often looking away from Alain and into the crowd that had gathered with disdain. Finally, Alain turned to the witnesses.

  "If it pleases the judges, I would like to call Terent of the Consulate as a witness."

  The judges nodded.

  "Terent, if you would," Alain said, motioning for the young man to come stand before the judges between Torin and the older Consuls.

  One of the young Consuls next to Laila stood and walked hesitantly over to her father. He kept his head down, glancing between Alain, Torin, and the judges.

  "We'll get this over quickly," Laila heard her father say to the young man under his breath.

  Terent nodded and waited for Alain to continue. Standing away from the young man and speaking loud enough that the whole Hall could hear him clearly, her father began.

  "Consul Terent, I have written testimony from you that you witnessed various exchanges between the accused and his former assistant, Casus."

  "I did," the young man said softly.

  "A little louder, Consul."

  "Yes, I did."

  "Could you describe those exchanges?"

  Terent shifted his feet, keeping his head low and his eyes on the ground. "During a visit to the Consulari's office, while bringing a message from Consul Enid, I was waiting outside the office, waiting to be admitted. I could hear raised voices inside. They were arguing about Ester, one of the cities on the Red Bay. One voice was adamant about attacking the city." A surprised murmur ran through the crowd in the Hall, but Terent continued. "The discussion went on for a few minutes, but eventually both speakers agreed to sending Guardians against our allies in the east." His last statement sounded a little rehearsed, as he had likely been coached by Alain about to how to phrase it without taking any of the truth of the statement away.

  "And was the voice arguing for attacking Ester the former Consulari's voice?" Alain asked.

  "No, Consul. I believe it was his assistant, Casus's, voice."

  "So, in your estimation, Casus, the former Consulari's assistant, convinced him to send our own Guardians against our ally, Ester?"

  There was a moment of hesitation from the young Consul before he finally answered, "Yes, Consul. If what I heard was accurate."

  Laila noticed the barest hint of a frown at the last statement, but she doubted anyone else could have seen it, and Alain moved forward regardless. "Thank you, Consul."

  Terent shuffled back to his seat near Laila.

  "Next, I would call Gallus of the Consulate as a witness," Alain said to the judges.

  Motioning their approval, her father called the other young Consul seated near her. He stood quickly, moving far more confidently than Terent had, his head up and his steps sure.

  "Consul Gallus, I have written testimony from you pertaining to the apparent instability of the former Consulari's mental state."

  "Yes," answered Gallus.

  "Could you please elaborate for the judges?"

  "Yes, Consul. Prior to the events in this very hall two months ago, I saw the former Consulari demonstrate several moments of instability and outbursts of emotion that did not seem justified by the circumstances I witnessed them in." Gallus' voice was much more self-assured than Terent's. He spoke to the whole crowd, as though telling a grand tale. "In one instance, the former Consulari received a rep
ort from one of the outlying Guardian outposts to the north. The report did not contain the information he wanted it to, and I believe his exact words were, 'Where are they? I have done everything I needed to do to provoke them. Why, Casus? Why have they not attacked?'"

  "Was the former Consulari aware that you were present?" asked Alain.

  "Yes. I was the one that had delivered the report."

  "Can you describe his demeanor?"

  "He was angry. At one point, he stood and threw a statue on his desk across the room. I was immediately dismissed after that."

  "Was Casus present during this…exchange?"

  "No, Consul. He arrived after the former Consulari's outburst and led me out. He hinted that I may be punished if I spoke of the incident to anyone."

  "He threatened you?"

  "Not directly. But the sentiment was well communicated."

  "Yet, you speak out now," Alain pressed.

  "I do, Consul. When weighing the fear of the threat against the well-being of Terus, I decided it was better to risk the threat than preserve myself."

  Laila rolled her eyes. She was thankful for the added testimony, but Gallus was trying very hard to make it clear that he was working in Terus's best interest. He was self-serving, as far too many Consuls seemed to be.

  "Thank you, Consul, for your courage," Alain said. Laila smiled at the underlying sarcasm.

  Gallus bowed his head to Alain and then to the judges before returning to his seat.

  "Next, I would call Sabia of the Guardians as a witness."

  The young woman stood and moved toward Laila's father. As she did, Laila studied her further. She still felt that familiar tug. But she continued to struggle to place it.

  "Guardian Sabia. I have written testimony that the former Consulari, before he had assumed that position, utilized you and other Guardians in an illegal attack against another Citizen."

  That accusation brought a much larger murmur from the crowd. As her father spoke, the memory finally struck Laila. Sabia was one of the Guardians who had been with Riker on the day he had attacked her. Thoughts of that night sprang back to Laila, and she was filled with the anger and fear she had felt then. She wanted to stand and speak out, but she, barely, held herself in check.