Does he realize that?
Probably not, and if he did, he’d never acknowledge it.
Ellery had told me about how he’d pissed himself at the sight of a gargoyle, but he’d recovered from that episode. He’d never show such weakness again.
When he stopped before us, he sneered as his gaze shifted to Ellery before returning to me. I loathed him looking at her, but there was nothing he could do to hurt her anymore.
He didn’t speak, but I hadn’t expected him to. He was here to face his fate and couldn’t avoid it.
The gargoyles released his arms and stepped to the side. They remained close enough that he couldn’t break free and open a portal.
“Veni, the former Duke of Locksley, you’re here to answer for the crimes you committed against the amsirah of this realm,” I stated in a loud, clear voice. When a cheer went through the room, I waited until it died down before continuing. “What do you say in your defense?”
The duke’s head swiveled as he looked at the amsirah gathered around the tables; then he snickered. “Are these the men and women who will judge me?”
“We are,” a man from Seacrest proudly stated.
“And this will be a fair trial?”
“It will.”
“Then why are you starting it with a lie? You’ve already found me guilty of crimes I never committed.”
I glanced at the list of charges leveled against Veni. “Did you not conspire with King Ivan to torture and torment innocent amsirah?”
“Do you consider yourself innocent? Or her?” He flicked a hate-filled glance at Ellery. “She stole from many amsirah. Will she be judged for her crimes?”
Ellery’s shoulders went back, and her lips flattened into a thin line. She stared at the duke but didn’t speak.
“She already has,” a woman interjected. “We all did what was necessary to survive you and your kind, including her. Ellery helped us when no one else would.”
“I was only doing what was necessary to survive too,” the duke stated.
Jeers of laughter and snorts of derisiveness accompanied his words. “You were doing what it took to break us!” a man accused. “Every new tax was leveled unfairly against us.”
“And you will judge that too?” Veni inquired. “Those taxes paid for your protection.”
“Those taxes trapped us here!” another accused.
Veni shrugged. “Are you not safe here?”
“Not while you and Ivan ruled us!” someone shouted.
“We have a right to our freedom!” a woman cried.
“So do I,” the duke said flatly.
When the antagonism in the room ratcheted up and shouts bounced off the walls, I lifted my hands to settle everyone down. It took some time before they calmed again.
“We’ve agreed that he has a right to speak,” I stated. “We will hear what he has to say before deciding his fate.” I focused on the duke again. “Say what you wish to say.”
“I haven’t done anything illegal; if you kill me, you’ll be the ones committing a crime,” he said.
“Didn’t you conspire to try to take the throne from Ivan?” I asked. “Didn’t you align with Leo’s daughter with the intention of using her to help you gain the throne? She’s dead, by the way.”
“No big loss.” A murmur of amazement went through the crowd, but his words didn’t surprise me. “I have a right to marry who I choose, just as you do.”
“That’s not what you told me when you first learned of Ellery.”
