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An hour later the Wing-Liege turned to me and I snapped back to attention. Compared to Hyto, he looked positively old. I was ready to drop—I was exhausted and could barely think. He smiled, his lips pulling back in a feral grin.
“You bear our lengthy discourse with grace, Camille, wife of Iampaatar. We thank you for this—I know you must be weary. But the formalities are done and I would now read the charges against Hyto. If you have any to add, please, feel free after I am finished.” And then he stood and I forced myself to shake out of it and pay attention.
The Wing-Liege moved around the dais till he was standing in front of Hyto, who was being held upright by two guards.
“Hyto, you were cast out of the Dragon Reaches on pain of death. You were sent forth to mend your ways. You were recently caught attempting to murder Vishana, she who denied you, but we gave you one last chance and allowed you your life. For that breach alone, we should have put you to death. But your sins are long and numerous.”
Hyto started to speak, but the Wing-Liege raised his hand and a crackle of lightning played over his lips. Hyto let out a shriek and closed his mouth.
“You kidnapped the wife of Lord Iampaatar. You abused her, raped her, beat her, and forced your collar around her neck. The penalties for those crimes: death. You attacked your son and would have killed him if you could. The penalty for that crime: death. You have lost any lenience we might have given you. You have lost the right to speak in your own behalf.”
He turned back to the Council. “Lady Vishana has given the first right of punishment to her daughter-in-law. Does this meet with your approval?”
The other dragons whispered among themselves. One stood, pushing his chair back. “It does, Your Lordship.”
The Wing-Liege turned to me. “Lady Camille Sepharial te Maria D’Artigo, wife of Lord Iampaatar, you have the first right of punishment. Name Hyto’s method of death, or if you wish to strike the final blow yourself, that is within your right.”
I gulped. They were giving me the choice of how Hyto would die? Even offering me the chance to kill him myself?
Feeling awkward and thrust into the spotlight, I walked up to my enemy and stared him in the face. I’d killed before, and been glad to see some of them die. But this was Smoky’s father, and I’d be ordering his death in cold blood.
Hyto gazed down at me, the sneer still on his face. “Do you have the courage to order my death? You’d better, girl, because if you don’t, I’ll be back. I’ll be after you until the day I die. I’ll kill everyone you love. I’ll destroy everything you hold dear. I’ll rip you to bits, first through your emotions and then by your body. You are my she-devil and I will not rest until I’ve driven you so far into oblivion that you can never reach daylight.”
He meant what he said. If they locked him up, he’d find a way out. His hatred would sustain him. There was no choice—Hyto had to die. And my responsibility included ordering his death. Vishana would, if I couldn’t bring myself to, or Smoky, but this was my battle. Hyto had injured me and it was my duty to claim punishment.
I turned to the waiting dragons—now my people as much as the Fae or the humans. I had married into a powerful clan, and they weren’t squeamish. I couldn’t afford to be weak in their eyes . . . nor in my own.
I turned back to Hyto. “I will not raise my own hand to you—I will never sully myself by touching you again. But I claim your death—for Lady Vishana, for Lord Iampaatar, and for myself. I claim your death through a quick, clean bolt of lightning.” I would not lower myself to his level. As much as I’d wanted to torture him—to make him scream the way he’d made me scream, I would not become what he had become—a sadist.
The Wing-Liege motioned for me to look at him. “Is this your will? That Hyto die by lightning?”
“It is.” I glanced over at Smoky and Vishana, and they both gave me long smiles, nodding their approval. Apparently, I’d passed yet another test.
“Then I pronounce sentence. Hyto, you will die by lightning. Now, here, before another day passes.” Apparently dragons didn’t wait around once they’d made decisions.
Two poles were brought to the center of the pavilion and placed in holes in the floor to hold them upright. Hyto’s arms and legs were fastened with manacles, spreading them wide. His hair moved wildly, but where Vishana had severed the long thick strand, blood had crusted over. I suddenly understood—their hair was part of their bodies. It had a life of its own because it wasn’t just dead keratin.
Hyto said nothing—not another word. He simply grinned his sickly smile, watching me the entire time as they lashed him to the poles. The dragons on the tiers were murmuring, but I got no sense that they were enjoying this. It wasn’t some Roman arena, or goblin death match. This was justice, and they were witnesses to it being carried out.
I looked up to find Smoky and his mother standing by my side. Smoky took my hand and I suddenly felt horrible. I’d just sentenced his father to die. But he gazed down at me and squeezed my fingers.
“It’s all right,” he leaned down to whisper. “This was long coming, and not your fault. You simply got caught in the crossfire.”
“My son is correct.” Vishana leaned down on my other side. “Blame not yourself, Camille. Hyto brought this on himself. He taught me a lot about what not to do—how not to be.” She smiled gently and reached out to cup my chin. “You are lovely . . . granted, at first, I would have rather Iampaatar married a dragon—but that matters no longer. You are family. You will bring your sisters here to meet my children.”
I swallowed. That was going to be one hell of a dinner party. “You know my sister Delilah is in love with a half shadow dragon.” I blurted it out before I realized what I was saying.
Vishana laughed. “Yes, remember? We met. And he seems a refined gentleman. The coming years should prove interesting.”
And then the chimes rang. The Wing-Liege motioned for us to stand quiet. He turned to Hyto and held out his hands, palms up. A hush descended on the hall.
“To walk freely in the halls of the Dragon Reaches means to abide by its rules. You have broken your vows. You have dishonored the halls. You have dishonored your race. You have dishonored your name. You have cast yourself out by your actions. You are cursed to wander the abyss, barred from the Shining Stars forever. You will walk in limbo, your spirit forever bound to wander between the worlds. Your name will be stricken from the Halls of Records and you will be expunged from the History, placed among the exiles. Hyto, you are no more the son of your father. You are no more the father of your sons and daughters. You are denied on all sides. You are no longer of the hive. You are alone. You were pronounced pariah. Now you are pronounced cast to oblivion.”
And then, with a single gesture, a bolt of lightning struck out from his palm, forking over Hyto like a net, sparking and glowing as it seared into his body. Hyto began to scream as smoke rose from his robes and his hair caught fire. Still the lightning played across him, until his pale skin was black with crust. And then the wind gusted through, as the lightning stopped, and he crumpled to ashes, and the wild breeze caught him up and swept him away, out of the Dragon Reaches, into the softly falling snow.
At that moment, my collar loosened and fell to the floor. I was free.
After that, it was a blur of voices and meetings, of the Wing-Liege declaring that everything from Smoky’s grandfather would pass to him. And then of Smoky speaking up, convincing them we needed to go home, and of Vishana handing me a wrapped gift, whispering that it was a temporary wedding gift and a better one would follow.
