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Worse.Her mind fluttered to Pampei and what the Lyra family had done to him, making exile feel like the best option. The idea of Henry’s image and peace of mind ruined at the hands of his family hurt her heart so much, but she tried not to let it consume her.
Logic. Think with logic. Think like Henry.
“Where’s Martin?” she asked.
“He’s missing. He went missing the moment news broke out of Henry’s capture. I had Maddox check and make sure. It felt like an important thing to monitor those closest to you during the recent events.”
“Good. Keep monitoring. I can’t be sure if he’s involved or not. But Gunther finding out…”
“Some people are resourceful,” Ruby reminded her. “Especially Gunther, who lives on lies and manipulation. Maybe he searched for the secret while you guys were preoccupied with your task.”
Or with sex, or with fighting, or with trying to discover each other. She refused to feel guilty for that, not regretting that things had taken a turn between the two of them and Henry had become one of the most important people in her life. Pearl stayed silent, aching for him—needing him longer in her life, and giving up easily wasn’t an option. But she couldn’t go about it in her usual way, understanding she was going to face someone powerful and influential and couldn’t make the same mistakes that Pampei did.
“I have to get out of here,” Pearl announced after a while, perking up Ruby.
“I thought you would never ask. I was about to tell you that the guards should be roving soon…”
“No, don’t break me out,” Pearl cut in, shaking her head. “At least, not yet.”
Ruby gawked at her. “Are you insane?”
“I might just be, but not the kind of insanity you’re thinking of.” Pearl smirked. “It’s more a madly-in-love kind of thing.”
Ruby frowned. “Madly in love won’t save you now.”
“Yes, but it might save the person I love. And he needs it more than I do now.” Pearl squeezed her sister’s hand once more. “Ruby, I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Can you please be my errand girl and do as I say for the next few days?”
Chapter 14
“Mr. Lyra, could you introduce yourself to us and tell us your stand in this trial?”
Henry heard the words, but something had been off with his mind when the combined energy thrown at him during the house confrontation had locked up his giant. In turn, it locked up his warlock side, too, until he had no access to his magic. But the worst part was that his human side had also become involved, and while he could move, he couldn’t seem to talk or do much else—and to every outsider present, it looked like he was in a daze, and not himself at all.
Gunther solidified that with an apologetic grunt and a pitying look in his direction. “I shall introduce him for you, dear Council, as my brother here seems to have lost his…senses after his giant’s disastrous appearance.”
The man proceeded to do just that, emphasizing Henry’s position in the Lyra family and the Council, then boasting his accomplishments over the years to prove that Henry wasn’t an ordinary warlock. But all the boasting did nothing to ease Henry’s nerves or fury, not when he knew the truth behind Gunther’s pleasant face, and why this was being done: so that Henry’s fall would be even more disastrous. To his dismay, there was nothing he could do, as no words came out of his mouth and the rest of him were in chains. He couldn’t even turn his body much, but he could see the rest of the Council members and his family out of the corner of his eye.
Bad news. Bad idea.
What kind of magic had they used to disarm him like this? And where in heavens was Pearl and what had they done to her?
The possibilities were endless, and none of them relieved him. All he felt was fear for her condition, doubling when Gunther proceeded to lay down lie after lie in an apologetic manner—as if the man was devastated to be doing this to his brother. The rage inside Henry intensified, but with nowhere to go, its buildup only caused him harm. He felt his body weakening and his mind slacking off, then found himself fighting to keep himself alert..
“Do you still have the truth room with you?” John asked at some point, remaining neutral on the matter.
Henry heard Gunther speak in a low, concerned tone.
“Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the very man standing before you when he was in his giant form—a form he can’t control, posing a danger to our society. But we do have witnesses, including my kin, who wish no harm on him but value morality and the truth more. Shall we begin questioning them?”
Jake was the first to step on the platform and detail the punch Henry threw at him, with evidence to match. Pearl’s involvement was detailed, too, except it was twisted to make it seem like she had flirted with Jake to make Henry jealous, egging him on until Henry snapped. Gunther was next in line, accusing Henry of threatening him, detailing again how Pearl had encouraged Henry to do so. Every Lyra statement painted Henry further into a bad light, but it was the sprinkle of Pearl’s involvement here and there that made it easier to conclude that she would have resorted to a magical curse in the end. Then Verity came to the stand and spoke in a hushed tone.
“Henry has stopped coming to our family dinners and he’s never missed one before. I didn’t think much of it, but I should have. It was much later when we found out that he was mingling with the bad crowd, too, like Ozak Mallory. We also found out that he recently visited Pampei Magoo, and you all know what that man is capable of.”
The rest of the court became hushed, unable to deny the impact of her statement. A murmur rippled over the crowd until John had to tell them to be quiet, but even Ursula was reasoning with him.
