Okay guys, there's only one left after this one...................
Chapter 21
The trial had been going on for two hours. They called it a council meeting, but it still felt like a trial. Scott had insisted he had something to tell everyone and before the council members he stood and spoke of his past. And as the seconds ticked by, I watched the members of the council. Their faces went from looks of curiosity, to frowns of confusion, from pale from shock, to red with anger.
I could see the condemnation in their eyes and I felt my body go tense, my fingers curl into fists. My legs banded, ready to support my weight when I would spring up to take my brother’s defense. Riley, sitting to my left, either felt my anger or saw the effect of it on my body because he laid a comforting but restraining hand on my arm. I felt a little of the tension dissipate but I kept my gaze forward, trained on the council members. I could feel the same tension emanating from my parents, seated to my right.
When Scott was done speaking, the room fell into heavy silence. Everyone in it seemed to be holding their breath, as if breathing at that moment would make them swallow the evil surrounding Scott’s actions. Maybe to spite them, I breathed out noisily and in my own way, I showed Scott my support.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity’s wait, Gaspar rose. His face was grave and his eyes were solemn as his gaze travelled from one council member to another. When finally he looked at Riley, then me, I knew what the condemnation would be; Gaspar’s eyes revealed much.
“My friends,” Gaspar said, his voice thick with emotion, “we have waited a long time for this moment to arrive; the moment we may finally avenge our family members, our friends, our loved ones.” His gaze swept over me to meet my parents’. “We understand that your son has been finally returned to you and we hope you were able to spend as much time together as possible.” Gaspar paused and seemed to search within himself the right words, the words that would condemn a not-so-innocent young man. “Because,” he continued, “our laws are clear. Murders of this magnitude, murders committed by Scott Cambridge standing here before us, cannot go unpunished.” His voice was a quiet rumble as he said, “The sentence is death.”
I heard my mother gasp beside me and I waited, expecting her to protest, object or do something but she remained seated. So I shot up. “Hell, no!”
Riley rose beside me. “I agree with Shanna; you didn’t even give us the chance to explain our version of things.”
A dark-haired man seated behind Gaspar said, “What’s to discuss? The young man confessed.”
“To being coerced?” my father said, rising slowly from his chair. “Well, yes, he was.”
“He admitted to having freely- ”
“Done what he’d been told?” my mother said, having regained her composure. “Sinclair, our son was four years old when he was taken from us. He has no memories of any other life that the one with Silas.”
I made my way to the front of the room and stood beside Scott, my gaze defying Gaspar to say anything. I reached down and took my brother’s gloved hand in mine. His fingers squeezed mine gently before he shifted position slightly. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Scott was trying to shield me from the council members.
“The first time he was forced to kill was when Silas convinced him that his life was threatened by that specific RM. Silas told Scott that if he was murdered, then Scott would be all alone in the world since they had no other family or friends.” I swept my own gaze over the council members. “Tell me you wouldn’t have done what he did. Tell me so I can call you all a liar.”
I had managed to fluster a few of the members. But one of them, a pale-haired older woman said, “Maybe he was forced as a child, but what of his actions once he was older? Once he knew the difference between right and wrong?”
“As taught by whom?” Riley countered beside me. “You really believe that the man who kidnapped a little boy and murdered RM’s for power, would teach the child performing the murders that what he was doing was wrong?”
Go, Riley! I thought.
“And the reason we are standing here right now is because of Scott,” my father said.
“Silas was going to kill us but Scott managed to thwart him the first time by partially draining him. Then, when we were battered and bruised, Scott killed Silas,” my mother finished.
“So, if he was capable of turning on the man who’d raised him, who’s to say he won’t turn on us?”
“Because,” Scott said, his voice low, “I may not have been taught the difference between right and wrong but I still know it instinctively. Who I was with Silas was wrong, who I am with my family is right. That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t pay for my past actions, but it does mean that had I been raised with my natural family, I never would have become the monster who killed all those people.”
“So, once again the parents are blamed for the children’s’ actions?” a female voice mocked derisively.
“No,” I said, in the same quiet tone as my brother’s, “but Silas is to blame for the deaths committed by this particular child.”
Gaspar held up his hands and the room fell quiet once more. “Enough said. You are all right; we had not discussed the reasons for the killings; we simply reacted to the relief of finding the murderer amongst us.”
I felt Scott flinch beside me at the words ‘killings’ and ‘murderer’. I pressed closer to his arm, a silent gesture of comfort. When I felt a slight nudge, I knew my mother had probably done the same from his right side.
Gaspar was quiet for a moment or two before saying, “Scott, we cannot make a decision without speaking of it thoroughly. In the meantime, you will be held in confinement in the- ”
“In his room?” I interjected.
Gaspar sighed, “You really do like to interrupt, don’t you, Princess?”
I shrugged. “I assume you were going to say cell or dungeon and although he is being tried for murder, he also saved us, as my mother pointed out.”
“I could guard him all night, it wouldn’t be a problem.” Riley said, stepping forward.
“So could I,” my parents and I said as one.
“I disagree,” the sour-faced Sinclair said. “Guardian Riley is too close to this family to keep an objective head. I suggest another guard or the dungeon.”
Riley’s spine snapped to attention when he straightened. His voice was low as he said, “Am I being accused of unprofessional conduct?”
“You and the Princess- ” Sinclair began.
I cut him off, “What about us? Didn’t Riley make the oath to find our family?”
“Well, he- ”
“Yes or no!” I demanded.
“Yes.”
“And did he fulfill his obligations?”
“Well, yes, he brought you back, but- ” Sinclair was squirming on his chair.
“But nothing,” I said, my voice hard. “Not only did he bring us back to help fight Silas, but he came after me when I stupidly decided to trek through the desert. He faced the Wogs courageously several times, saving both my brother and I on more than one occasion. Any objections to that?” I raised a cocky brow.
Sinclair fell silent. Gaspar, looking decidedly amused, took over the conversation again. “Now, if no one else has any objections, I see no reason Scott cannot be held in his room by Riley. And who ever else wants to guard him.” His eyes twinkled. “As long as you remain in your room, young man, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
Scott nodded and said gravely, “Thank you. You don’t have to worry about me.”
* * *
“I still say we should run,” I muttered.
“You’re being very cliché, you know,” Scott said, a twinkle in his eye.
“Me?” I frowned. “In what way?”
“In the ‘pesky and annoying little sister’ way,” Scott replied.
Of course, both Riley and Scott thought this was the funniest thing ever. I did not. It was the middle of the night, although I wasn’t quite sure what time it was. I’d given up on checking the clock hours ago after deciding that Father Time must be fast-forwarding the moments spent with my family.
Our parents had come and went most of the day, as well as Grace and Chris, Riley’s dad. The only constants had been Riley and I. I absolutely refused to leave Scott and, of course, Riley was guarding him. Not that he needed to. I felt sure Scott would uphold his promise to stay inside.
I’d been so lonely and friendless during first my childhood, then my work schedule and I felt so close to the people surrounding me. I didn’t want to let them go but didn’t want to appear needy. I was also afraid of opening myself to them and being betrayed and hurt.
The boys rubbed at their eyes and I stifled a yawn. We had an unspoken agreement; we’d spent the night awake to maximise our time together. A few times, Riley had left the room and waited right out the door. He told us he needed to stretch his legs but Scott and I both knew he was giving us family time.
Riley was niw seated on a chair, his feet propped up on the bed while Scott and I were stretched out on the mattress.
“You know, Scott,” Riley said, his arms crossed over his chest, “now that I’m relaxed and not trying to rack my brain, I think I actually do recall seeing you all those years ago.”
Scott shook his head sadly, “I don’t remember much at all. I think that I went through much more than a child was capable of dealing with and I might have blocked out parts of my childhood. My first big memory leap, the first time I clearly remember was when Silas told me he was going to be killed by that RM I later drained. I didn’t even know the man’s name.”
We were quiet for a moment, sombre as we lost ourselves in our thoughts. Then, Scott said, “The one thing I do remember and that stands out for me was the loneliness. It never seemed to end.”
“I second that emotion,” I said gravely, remembering my endless lonely nights.
“Here, here,” Riley said quietly. “I never wanted to bring anyone home to my father. He wasn’t in a good place in his mind back then and I didn’t want to bring my exuberant friends home.” He stared out in nothingness. “None of them understood my reticence and couldn’t begin to comprehend my father and eventually, they just stopped hanging out with me.” He looked up, met my eyes. “It was those days that I really began to miss the little girl who used to follow me around.”
I smiled, wishing I could remember being the little girl, following the little boy he’d been, around.
“You may have been lonely,” Scott said, “But at least you have a shared past, shared memory. You had a childhood and a life.”
“Drama queen,” I said. Startled, Scott looked up then laughed at the grin on my face. “What’s important is to make the most of what we have here and now.” I turned to Riley. “Any ideas about the outcome of tomorrow?”
None of us had asked the question out loud. Considering his role as guardian, Riley would be the one to know anything.
He seemed to weigh his words carefully as he said, “I honestly don’t know what the outcome will be. As Gaspar said, the law is clear and the murders are punishable by death.” Riley flinched at his own words. “But these are irregular circumstances and Scott played a big part in saving one of the only remaining Royal Magical families. That will weigh in their decision.”
Frustrated with the lack of a real answer, I opened my mouth but Riley cut me off and said softly, “Shanna, keep in mind that you weren’t here when this all happened. Your parents took off with you to avoid losing another child and to save their blood line. The rest of us had to deal with our own grief at the loss of our family and friends. I was young at the time it all started but I remember my mother. Some children don’t have that same opportunity.”That closed my mouth for sure. Riley dropped his feet to the ground and reached over to touch my bare leg. His touch warmed me almost as much as his kind eyes did. “I just want you to keep all that in mind. The council reacted strongly because of all the emotion this situation caused, and with reason. Give them the night to think it over. There’s nothing else we can do but wait.”
“I understand,” I said quietly. And I did, really. That didn’t mean that I liked it. Whether my brother lived or died depended on a bunch of old people who might or might not hold a grudge. Please don’t let them hold a grudge, I thought as I fought the panic threatening to overcome me. Impulsively, I reached over and took my brother’s gloved hand in mine. He hadn’t said much during the last few moments but his eyes said it all.
Scott wasn’t sure whether he should live or die. It was as plain and simple as that. He took complete responsibility for his acts and was ready to pay for them. On the other hand, he had just found his family. His heart wanted him to live. His mind wanted to die.
His tormented green eyes told me that and so much more.
I decided to change the subject before I broke down, gathered my family with me, and made a mad dash for the outdoors. “Was Dad right? You’ve lived on earth, like we did?”
The ghost of a smile appeared on Scott’s lips. “Yeah, we did. I didn’t like it much; it’s very different from Rydon. Too busy, too noisy, way too many people.”
“Not where we lived,” I pointed out.
“That was one beautiful spot you guys found.”
“Secluded,” I said.
“Which was the point, I assume,” Riley said. “Where did you live there, Scott? Close to Shanna?”
“Yes and no. We moved around a lot so the trackers couldn’t find us after we’d done a kill.”
“Speaking of trackers, how come you guys ended up with Baldy and Blondie?”
Scott’s eyes widened. “Who?”
Riley chuckled. “You’ll realise fast enough that she makes up her own names. She’s currently referring to Randy and Mace.”
“Also known as shark bait,” I added.
“Oh. Right. Well, Silas met them in a bar, here in Rydon. They were both extremely drunk and trying to pick up women. They were bragging about being RM’s but when asked to do something simple like light a candle or pour some water, they had two completely different reactions. Randy dropped to the floor and started crying, saying that he was only a tracker, born of an RM and a tracker. Mace, instead got angry and said that he should have been born an RM, not a low life tracker.”
“That sounds familiar,” Riley muttered.
“I bet that pulled at Silas’s heart strings.”
“After some time, he got them to search out the RM’s, then he’d bring me to drain them.”
“They’ve been loyal to him and that’s how Silas repays them? By sending them to the sharks?” I was flabbergasted.
“Yes, well, they weren’t the best trackers ever. They’d made several mistakes over the years.” Scott noticed my raised eyebrows and said hurriedly, “I’m not defending Silas, I’m just telling you how he justified his acts.”
“Question,” Riley said, leaning forward again, “did you have any idea you were an RM yourself?”
Scott sat up, pulling his hand from mine and cracking his knuckles. “Not in the sense you mean. I didn’t even know what an RM was, per se. I just knew that Silas wanted me to know; that they were evil and dangerous. We didn’t have anyone in our entourage, besides Mace and Randy occasionally, and I didn’t know that I was special, unique. We were all different; they were two types of trackers, Silas was a portal and I was a drainer. Silas told me that my special abilities were all tied together. I was gullible as a child, but somehow, I felt it was more than that. More than simply being a drainer. I’m not sure my mind ever made the leap between being unique, and being the very thing I was taught to kill.”
“Guys?” Riley said.
Scott and I both looked up to find Riley bathed with the light of the rising sun. With all this talk, we hadn’t noticed that the darkness was fading, bowing out gracefully to the big ball of fire slowly rising over the landscape. My breath caught on a fleeting thought, would this be Scott’s last sunrise?
lol
