It was far from the worst of the media storm. Specials and news segments about Ethan’s vigilantism had been all that was broadcasted for the last three weeks.The Annual Arcaneawas having a field day with all of this, the prince turned superhero. It was nice they were gaining entertainment from our suffering.
Stefan was the only person I could be real with. “If he loses this trial, I’m gonna—”
“Don’t. Wait for the right moment.”
Stefan’s tone said he’d fight along with me if shit didn’t go our way. I gave him a brisk nod. Crystals or not, Stefan would hurt people if he had to. He was Ethan’s best friend. If I could count on anyone, it was him.
“I’ll remain calm, to give the appearance we’re in control,” I told him. “But I’m not promising anything if he’s sentenced to death.”
Stefan’s tone was dark. “Neither am I.”
We took a carriage down to the courthouse. Riding the rocky road down the mountain trail into Dolinska was painful, and made my already sore muscles ache. But I steeled myself and endured it. Even once the carriage wheels hit the cobblestone, I couldn’t relax. I wouldn’t until Ethan was safe.
We got to the courthouse around seven. At this point, it was an hour before the trial, and time slowed, freezing like an icicle. I looked through the carriage window as it came to a stop, and my stomach dropped into a pit. The Dolinska City courthouse was a huge building made of black stone. It loomed overhead several stories, a spiraling black tower with a guard house at the very top, underneath a turret that had to be centuries old. According to Stefan, the tower had once been used to hold prisoners of the crown, before it was converted into a trial room. More people had been sentenced to death than set free under its shadowy gloom. I nearly slipped on the icy streets when I stepped out of the carriage. A million cameras were shoved in my face.
“It’s Emmaline Sosna!”
“Emma, look over here!”
“Miss Sosna, what do you have to say about your mate’s case?”
Theo and Stefan shielded me from the cameras as best they could, and we ran up the stairs and inside the courthouse. I kept my eyes directed at the cobblestone and didn’t answer any questions. Inside, the tower was just as depressing as out— candles provided the only light, and water was seeping down the stone walls.
Gods. Was I attending a trial for my mate, or Mary, Queen of Scots? The place hadn’t been updated since the Middle Ages.
But at least the press couldn’t get in here without a pass, and they wouldn’t be allowed to enter the courtroom until thirty minutes before the trial began.
Vara and Arthur were waiting for me, along with my mother. Arthur swept me into a hug the moment he saw me. “How are you holding up?”
I wanted to break down and sob in his arms. My brother’s embrace felt so safe and welcoming.
But I knew my mother would make a fuss, so I said, “I’m fine, Arty. Just ready to get this over with.”
“Things will work out, Emma. I promise,” Mom said.
I sure hoped so. Vara kept staring at the floor. Delmare caught her quizzical expression, and asked, “What’s up?”
Vara lifted her gaze to me. “I didn’t want to upset you on the day of Ethan’s trial. But there’s something you should know. My boss was executed the day after the video of Gabby was broadcasted. She’s dead, and now, Elijah’s sent soldiers to the news station. They’re screening everything before we publish it.”
My stomach dropped. Nearly a year ago, we’d recorded a video of Gabby doing dark magic, in a ceremony to appease Droga, the evil god. Only a few weeks ago, Gabby had set monsters loose on the city, in an attack she blamed on the Black Claw. It was another one of her efforts to look like the hero once she “saved” the city, but people had died for it— thousands of children among them.
To stop her, and force her to send the monsters back to where they came, we had to broadcast the video to the public. It’d created such a scandal Gabby couldn’t handle both messes at once, and the monsters had retreated from Dolinska at Gabby’s command. Vara had been the one to do it throughThe Annual Arcanea’schannels, and no one had discovered it was her. Yet even back then, I knew in my gut Gabby and Elijah would make the news media pay for it.
“But your boss wasn’t responsible for that video. She wasn’t even in the building that night,” Odette protested.
“I know. But the king needed someone to blame for the broadcast,” Vara said softly. “He wanted to make sure our reporters knew not to show anything that went against the monarchy again.”
Another death I was responsible for. If Ethan’s life wasn’t on the line, I’d feel remorseful.
I felt nothing.
“At least you didn’t get caught for it,” Arthur said, putting his arm around Vara. “You said she was a shitty boss, anyway.”
Vara’s eye twitched. “And yet she didn’t deserve to die.”
I knew Vara had to feel guilty that her boss died for a crime she’d committed against the crown. But that couldn’t be helped now, and I needed all the friends around me I could get.
“Emma.” A comforting voice made my insides warm. Lord Lucien had arrived at the trial. He must’ve slipped out of the Circle meeting to see me. He extended his arms to me, and I gave him a hug.
