"At that point, the electronic specialists employed by the Signatory Representatives discovered that the video itself had been tampered with, and that the video that was originally found, happened to be a fake video recorded over the actual video from that night. That specialist was able to recover the actual footage. He could then corroborate that footage with external cameras from the area, showing the real perpetrators of this heinous assault."
She toggled the controller again, and the footage recovered by Spooky began playing. It started with the view from outside the club, watching the vehicles arrive and disgorge their fae passengers. The view soon switched to the inside of the club as those same fae attacked and slaughtered the patrons inside. The attacks were even more horrific than the human-centric video, and the murmurs rose again.
Ghost looked at the King of the Draukh and smiled. The King's eyes were on the screen, and his brow was creased from anger. The King looked at Ghost and noticed the DHS leader's grin. His eyes narrowed and anger flared behind the lids. Ghost looked back up as the view switched back to the outside as the fae exited the building and left in their vehicles.
The Arbiter held up her hands in a gesture to quiet the angry voices among the Seelie and Seanachaidh onlookers. She touched the lighting controls and the lights came back up in the great hall. Many of the fae were staring at the Unseelie King with anger plain on their faces, and it was evident that his Knight was nervous. The Arbiter cleared her throat, drawing attention back to the podium.
"As you can see from the evidence brought before the Inquiry, it is clear that Humanity was not the perpetrator of this attack. Under expert witness and from multiple sources, I learned that many of the fae pictured in this video are confirmed to be aligned with the Unseelie Court of King Arkanai t'Nakaót. I suspect that those that could not be identified are also Unseelie Court-aligned, and that further Inquiry would bear that out." She looked directly at the King. "Does His Majesty have anything to add to this Tribunal?"
The King sat and regained his composure for a few seconds. He then stood and angrily glared at Ghost. He pointed an accusatory finger at the DHS leader. "That human and his team have obviously crafted false video to smear my Court with lies and insinuations." The anger crept into his voice, "I know their headquarters has access to the specific weaponry listed as fae origin. It would be expected that they might fabricate evidence to indict my Court." The King looked back at the Arbiter, "What guarantees do you have that your noble personage has not been lied to and given false evidence to make you an unwitting accessory to their vile attack?"
The Arbiter coolly returned the King's gaze. "Your Majesty. Under the Law, you do not have the right or ability to question my methods or facts. However, due to the seriousness of the charges, I will provide an answer. All witnesses that provided testimony were subject to Aidmheil." A small gasp ran through the crowd. "The veracity of their answers is unquestioned. In your defense, would Your Majesty and your Council consider submitting to the Aidmheil?"
The King suppressed a shudder. "I will not subject my Court to such an artifact. I simply deny that I and the Unseelie Court had anything to do with the attack on the Seelie vermin. It was either Humanity, or the Queen herself who committed this foul act to trap my Court."
"As you offer no defense or mitigating evidence, I will pass judgement on Your Majesty and your Court."
The Arbiter stood stiffly as the Oracle, Praetorian, and Protector rose to their feet behind her. The Praetorian and the Protector walked down off the platform and stood in front of the platform while the Oracle approached to stand near the Arbiter.
The Arbiter began, "It is my finding that the Unseelie Court and King Arkanai t'Nakaót are guilty of using agents to attack the Seelie property and kill all the Seelie-aligned fae inside. It is my finding that the Unseelie Court, or its agents, then planted evidence and framed Humanity to misdirect the investigation and potentially start violence among Accord Signatories."
As the Arbiter spoke, Ghost watched the King tremble in fury. It had all gone wrong for the draukh, and he had been caught. The DHS leader knew the monarch would retaliate. He only hoped that the elf did so outside the hall when Knightmare would be better equipped.
"Due to the severity of the actions, I am forced to order the following reparations." The Arbiter took a deep breath and began again, "For impugning the Signatory known as Humanity, the Unseelie Court will turn over twenty-five percent of its liquid assets here on this plane to the Signatory Representative Section Twenty-Eight. This is both compensation for loss and punitive damages for the Court." There was a small gasp from the King's Knight.
"It is hereby ordered that the Unseelie Court must turn over ten percent of its current holdings of geleafa to the Seelie Court." There was an audible gasp from the crowd that time. Ghost knew the Courts collected this substance that they harvested here on earth to power their magic here and to ship back to their home realms. Geleafa was the theoretical substance that powered the faith or magic in this realm. It also could gather enough to draw other creatures from other planes of existence, the source for the incursions his team dealt with regularly. It was literally the substance that powered beliefs and faith.
The Arbiter raised her hand and toned, "This is my judgement. As Arbiter of this Tribunal, I consider this matter Adjudicated."
The King abruptly spun and strode for the exit, his startled Knight close on his heels.
24
SACRIFICE
GRAY COURT HALL, BROADWAY AVE SW, GRANDVILLE, MICHIGAN
The King of the Unseelie Court angrily strode down the aisle toward the exit and his Knight bellowed for the way to clear. Ghost watched the King storm off, and muttered loud enough for Do-Right to hear, "I do believe that man is going to try to kill us."
The former Colorado deputy sheriff answered, "Yeah boss, and I think we’d better get our gear ready soon." As his boss turned to go talk to the Queen, the former deputy saw the King pause by the robed figure. The figure nodded, and the Unseelie monarch left the hall. Do-Right watched as the figure worked its way through the crowd toward the platform.
There was something off about the robed figure, and the former deputy's training and instincts screamed that the figure was dangerous. Trying not to be noticed, Do-Right started moving toward the hooded figure, aiming to intercept the figure just before it reached the platform. He could see that the figure was homing in on someone, and it looked to be the group of dwarves that were leading the Tribunal. As he looked around, the former deputy noticed that the King's retinue of trolls had remained behind as well, and were quietly standing near their seats.
Do-Right made a small wave and got Heavy's attention. He subtly pointed to the lingering trolls. It took the big man a few seconds, but he finally nodded. The heavy weapon specialist leaned over and tapped the diminutive Boomer on her shoulder and motioned for her to join him. The two began to make their way to cover the trolls, just in case something happened.
Do-Right was close to the hooded figure when it reached the group of dwarves. When he was within arms length of the being, it threw back its hood and hissed. The Praetorian turned and found herself face-to-face with a large, bald, black man. The former deputy realized he looked familiar just before he saw the glowing red eyes. Do-Right looked down at the creature's hands and saw a glint of polished metal as it drew a dagger from its sleeve.
Without thought or hesitation, the former deputy lunged forward grabbing for the knife as the creature swung it in an arc. The Praetorian's eyes widened as she realized what was happening, but her reflexes were not nearly fast enough. Just before the blade swung through her throat, Do-Right collided with the creature in a perfect open-field tackle. His old coach would have been proud.
Do-Right felt a cold, yet burning, sensation in his stomach as the two crashed to the ground. The robed creature growled a guttural curse, and the pair rolled for several feet, each trying to gain an advantage. Do-Right was fighting the creature with everything he
had, but his arms and legs were getting weak. In some small corner of his mind, he realized that he had probably been stabbed by the creature. He pushed that thought away as he struggled to subdue the robed figure.
Sensing that it was beginning to lose the battle, the robed creature fought with a manic intensity, trying to tear itself away from this human who had tackled it. The being stopped trying to get at the deputy with its knife, and instead began to concentrate, pulling in power around him. After a particularly nasty elbow across the Do-Right's face, the former deputy momentarily lost his senses, and the creature seized its opportunity.
Hands turned into paws, and skin grew furry. The creature's face elongated and the bones in its body began to rearrange itself. Do-Right felt the change as he struggled to hold on to the creature. Suddenly, the former deputy was staring at the muzzle of a very large dog with glowing red eyes. As Do-Right struggled to hold the beast, the muzzle flashed toward him.
When the hooded figure had revealed itself, Heavy had been momentarily distracted. By the time turned around, the big agent had larger problems at hand. Four of them. All four trolls were standing with their tall warhammers, and they looked like they were spoiling for a fight.
"Alright, fellas." Heavy stepped up and placed one hand out in the universal stop motion. "I think that you are about to make a huge mistake. Listen, I understand that you are pissed, but don't make things worse than they are."
"Little human. How do you expect to stop us?" The troll at the front of the group spoke. He spun his warhammer in a careful arc, building up the crushing momentum that the weapon could then transfer to whatever, or whoever, its target was. "You are nothing."
"Aw hell, fellas. I was merely trying to distract you. She's your real problem." Heavy pointed at Boomer.
The DHS vampire demolitions specialist leapt at the troll closest to her. The big creature was just turned around when she struck, driving her razor-sharp claws through the big fae's body armor and between two ribs into its chest cavity. She felt the creature's heart beating. She grabbed the creature's heart and pulled, dragging it out through the small, fist-sized hole in its chest. Blackish-blue ichor spilled as she held the heart up in front of the creature's eyes. Comprehension dawned under the thick eye ridges of the creature as it realized that this small woman had ripped its heart from its chest. The life in its eyes faded, and the corpse collapsed to the floor.
The remaining trolls paused, watching this small woman rip their companion's heart from his body. One of them raised its warhammer and let out a war cry that echoed around the room. The other two joined in. As the first began to swing its heavy warhammer at the little woman, it faltered in its swing and missed the small human as it was splashed with the blood of the troll behind it. Boomer deftly dodged out of the way of the lumbering swing of a warhammer, and watched Heavy step away from the now-headless corpse. As Boomer's attacker raised its arms to swing the warhammer again, it was again distracted by a bellow of pain, and then a grunt from the troll next to it.
Boomer took advantage of its momentary confusion leapt at the creature, grasping for the creature's throat. It was not fast enough to block the DHS vampire. Boomer dug both of her taloned-hands into the throat of the troll and pulled. Large chunks of troll flesh and ichor sprayed as her hands ripped through the flesh like tissue paper. The troll looked into the inky black eyes of the vampire as it died. Boomer rolled free as it tumbled forward.
She stood at looked at her partner. Heavy held his two Nepalese khukuris in his hands and looked around the great hall. There were no other signs of battle around the hall although there was a cluster of his teammates by the platform. He noticed that all the khoztak Protectors were holding their rifles and guarding the doorways as if they were expecting a siege. The big man flicked his wrists and the troll ichor on his blades flew off to land on the floor. He slid them back into the scabbards on his back. He looked at Boomer and motioned for her to follow.
As they approached the platform, Heavy saw that Doc was kneeling down and working on someone who was sprawled out on the floor. He recognized the style of boots and pants and realized that the medic was working on one of his teammates. He pushed the crowded fae aside until he was towering over the medic and the person on the floor. As he looked, Doc reached one gloved hand up and closed Do-Right's open and staring eyes.
The big heavy machine-gunner looked at the body of his slain comrade. He could see that the throat was shredded. He also noticed the large bloodstain on his abdomen, and the incision in the clothing and armor that could only have been made by a bladed weapon. Heavy then looked at the man's face. The face would never laugh again. The eyes would no longer help share someone else's pain. Heavy saw red.
With a growl, the big DHS agent suddenly looked up at the assembled crowd. "Who did this?" His voice was a low rumble, the menacing growl of a predator ready to pounce.
The Praetorian spoke, her voice softer than it had been all day, "Oude Rode Ogen. Old Red Eyes attacked me while I was conversing with the Oracle. Your companion saw the attack, anticipated the strike, and grappled with the beast. He sacrificed himself to save my life. He will be honored."
There was a long silence as Heavy stared at his fallen companion.
"Fuck honor, I want revenge." The big man's cold, flat voice lowered and a dangerous note entered his tone. It was the calm in the eye of a hurricane, and his rage was just underneath the surface. "This bastard needs to die. Where do we find it?"
Ghost looked at his heavy weapons specialist. Face somber, he felt he had to speak, "Don't worry, big man. This thing will die."
Doc suddenly stood and looked Ghost in the eye, "Find this bastard. Christian deserved better." She blushed slightly, realizing what she said, but not correcting herself. The medic turned to Heavy, "Are you injured?"
Heavy shook his head. "No, Doc. Just some trolls. Rebekah took half, and I took the others."
Ghost looked at the Praetorian, "So what happens now? What's your protocol when the Unseelie Court directly attacks the Seanachaidh after an Accord-bound Tribunal? It seems to me that they think you and the Seelie Court are weak, and that you can't do anything about this shameless act."
The Praetorian looked at the body of Do-Right at her feet, "I'm not sure." She paused before she spoke again, "We have had nothing so egregious happen since the Accords were signed. I will have to confer with the Oracle and the Queen of the Seelie Court."
She looked up at the DHS team leader. Her voice grew firm, "As a Signatory party of the Accords, this matter does concern you. Because your Representative was killed by Oude Rode Ogen, you have the right to carry out a hunt of the creature. Because this happened at a Tribunal, my Protectors were supposed to protect the attendees and Representatives. Because they failed, they will help you in your quest to find Oude Rode Ogen."
She paused then looked Ghost in the eye, "You are not, on the other hand, authorized to attack the Unseelie Court, or the King himself. Until the Oracle passes judgement, they are still inviolate." Ghost frowned. The Praetorian continued, "However, should the Unseelie Court interfere with your hunt of the outlaw Oude Rode Ogen, or if there is resistance to your search, you are authorized to protect yourselves and to continue your search. But take care. Do not simply attack the Unseelie Court, or Humanity, too, will be held for judgement."
Ghost nodded slowly. "I believe that I understand you. When will the Oracle pass judgement on the Unseelie?"
"Likely yet this night. I expect that we will meet shortly, and work to find the answers for him."
"And the response to the Unseelie's attack?"
The Praetorian shook her head. "I genuinely do not know, Agent Vanhof. We will seek a peaceful resolution if possible, and we must contact some fae in Álfheimer. I will contact you when the Council has made their decision. In the meantime, I will have my Protectors available to help guard you as you walk to your vehicle. I believe that you will be sufficiently well equipped then to protect yourselves?"
&n
bsp; Ghost let an empty smile touch his lips, "I believe we will be able to defend ourselves, then." As quick as it had appeared, the smile vanished. "I will assist Doctor Sorenson with Do-Right's body, and we will be ready to go out to the truck."
Doc was already laying out one of the body bags that she kept in her equipment. Ghost walked over and helped her place the deputy's body inside the black bag. After zipping the bag closed, Doc wiped a single tear away as she rose. Ghost, Heavy, Scout, and Boomer all grabbed a corner of the bag and lifted it together. Ghost nodded to the assembled Protectors, and they led the team out into the cool night air.
After they loaded Do-Right's body into the truck, they all mounted and it was a silent somber ride back to the MCC. A light drizzle began to fall as if the heavens themselves were mourning. Ghost called Gretchen and told her an abbreviated version of the night's events. He recommended that she contact Agent Smith, and that she have a video conference waiting when they return. He also told her to make sure that the body storage area was cooled to the right temperature for storage.
The Wunder Wagon pulled up next to the giant Air Force C-17 that was the Mobile Command Center. The somber team silently carried the body bag up the stairs and into the back of the jet. The DHS security team looked at each other as the body bag was carried past them. Once the door to the Air Force jet was closed, they looked at each other in bewilderment. The lead agent made a note to inform the SAC when he got off duty.
Gretchen touched Ghost's shoulder in sympathy after they had placed the body in the cold storage of the jet. His face tightened, and he shook his head. She removed her hand and led the DHS leader and Doc into the conference room.
The other members of the team peeled off their gear and sat in the couches and chairs. Grim faces stared around blankly. It was only a few moments later that Heavy let out a loud, "Dammit!"
INCURSION: Faeblade (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 2) Page 20
