“It’s for your own good,” Claire said, but she was smiling, too.
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone,” I said, heading for the door.
“It’s fine. You can stay. This isn’t terribly important; it can wait until the two of you are done,” Wess said.
“No, I need more rest anyway. Still healing, you know,” I said and used my crutches to help me out the door.
As I closed the door behind me I heard Wess say something to Claire. She laughed and I was jealous. They had each other like I once had Luke.
When I got back to my room I collapsed into sleep and that was how I spent the rest of my day and night. Moving had been irregular and tiring for me because of the energy it took to heal and the long time I’d spent in bed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Three days later I was helped into a pale pink gown to wear to the trials. Once I was ready I opened a portal and Claire, Alex, and I stepped through it to Light Land.
Ben was waiting for us on the other side when we arrived. He escorted us to the Court Room where the trials would take place.
Cece and Claire helped me into my seat that was front and center. Chairs went upwards at a slant in a half circle around the room. On the flat floor was a large chair with a bench on either side. The room was completely situated around the chair. In the middle center of the semi-circle was a rectangle that jutted out to accommodate the queen, king, and their two most trusted advisors. One of those chairs would be empty.
Claire and Alex took their seats on either side of me. We sat patiently and watched as the rest of the jury filed in around us. Once everyone was inside and seated Joseph was escorted in. The seat he would sit in was the one the room was built around. It was a special chair. It bound an Light’s magic and their Light form.
Joseph sat alone. He had no defendants to fill the benches on either side. He was on his own.
“We will now begin the trial,” I announced, “Anjosephallo has been charged of working for the Darks and showing them where the Light Shrine is.”
Claire stood beside me, “The options of punishment are death or a permanent ban to Abaddon,” she sat back down.
“The defender shall now tell of his alibi,” I said.
“I never admitted to showing the Darks the shrine. I never admitted to working for the Darks either. The only purpose for my visit at the Light Shrine was to visit Queen Leigha. I wanted to congratulate her for becoming queen,” Joseph said.
He had seemed to forget that I could summon my memories and let the whole jury see them. I snickered and waved my hand. A video-like playback of my last conversation shimmered in the air.
When it was over I said, “Proof of guilt. All who agree on the defendants guilt please stand.”
All but a few scattered people stood.
“Sit,” I commanded, “Anjosephallo is guilty. Escort him out, please.”
The room was silent except for the sound of Joseph and his guard’s footsteps as the exited the room.
“All who vote for the guilty to be put to death, please stand,” Claire said.
About half of the room stood.
“All who vote for the guilty to be banished to Abaddon, please stand.”
The remaining half stood. Claire, Alex, and I would have to decide how to punish him.
“Abaddon,” Alex whispered, “He deserves it.”
“We must all forget everything he’s done to us and our family personally. This is not punishment for those things because Lights do not count those things in the Law. He can only be punished for the things he’s been accused of,” I whispered to both of them.
“I vote for death,” Claire said decidedly.
I hesitated, “I’m not doing the same punishment for him and Marie. I don’t want to send Marie to Abaddon, either, so I say Abaddon,” I began to speak loudly again, “Anjosephallo is sentenced to wander through Abaddon forever.”
The punishments would be handed out the next day. I would only have to open the portal to Abaddon, not witness the deaths.
I sighed, “Bring Kailell out,” I said, speaking Ellie’s full name.
Ellie was escorted into the binding seat along with her defenders. The girls who had been with her the day she had threatened Allie filed into the benches on either side of her.
“We will now begin the trial. Kailell has been charged for threatening another Light, trying to contact Darks in the Light Shrine, and attempting to kill an Light princess.”
“The options of punishment are death or a permanent ban to Abaddon.”
“The defender shall now tell of her alibi.”
“Ellie was with us the night she tried to “kill” her,” one of Ellie’s minions said, jabbing a finger towards me, “Ellie never left our sides and we weren’t sleeping. We practiced hand-to-hand combat all night.”
It took more magic to summon older memories, so I had to concentrate harder. I closed my eyes and waved my hand. Mine and Ellie’s fight appeared. Once it was over it disintegrated and I opened my eyes. I was using too much magic to show the memories and not enough was going into my healing. My injuries were starting to hurt and I was tiring.
Ellie sighed, “I admit to that and threatening Alex,” Ellie held her hand up when her friends began to protest, “but you have no proof of what I was doing in the shrine that night. I was praying to Queen Leamathia that night.
Claire held the disc Ellie had tried to contact the Darks with high in the air, “Does anyone know what this is?”
A man stood up, “Those are what Darks use to keep in contact with each other.”
Heads nodded and murmurs went through the jury.
“He’s correct,” I said, silencing the conversations, “I found Ellie using this the night she tried to kill me. That’s why she attacked me.”
“You need proof,” Ellie spat and I knew she could see the exhaustion written on my face.
I closed my eyes and waved my hand. The memory was short, but every second seem to drag on as the pain and exhaustion got worse and worse. When it was over I opened, then closed my eyes back, swaying slightly although I was seated.
“Leigha, are you okay?” Claire asked.
I opened my eyes, “Yeah, I just-,” I began, but then I passed out.
~~~~~
Someone shook me awake. I was still on the floor of the Court Room, but Claire, Alex, a few guards, and I were the only ones there; everyone else had left so the trial was over.
“We decided on Abaddon. I thought that would be your choice, so we voted for you,” Alex said.
I nodded and searing pain shot through my head.
“Lay back down,” Claire said, “Your magic caused you to pass out. You were overworking yourself. The magic was trying to heal you while you conjured up those memories and it completely drained you. It was too much for you to handle.
I closed my eyes, “I just want to get these trials over with.”
“I rescheduled Marie’s for tomorrow,” Alex said, tucking her hair behind her ears, “You’ll be able to recover a bit before so you aren’t so exhausted after.
“Okay, thanks.”
Claire bent down and helped me onto my feet and then onto my crutches. She opened a portal right there and brought me straight back to my room. She and Alex half carried, half dragged me to my bed where I fell asleep immediately. Once again I slept most of the day.
~~~~~
Around eight o’clock that night Claire brought me a tray with soup on it. When she came in I realized I hadn’t eaten at all and I was starving. I gulped down the food so fast I didn’t taste it while Claire watched me quietly.
“Is something wrong?” I asked when I was finished, pushing the tray away.
“You’ll be healed soon,” she said carefully.
“Yes, I know. And?”
“I just don’t want you to hurt yourself with this plan. I wish you’d tell me so I could help you.”
“If you find out you’ll do everything you can to stop me.”
“If you tell me, maybe I won’t. You’ll never know if you don’t try.”
“Claire, I know you and I know you’d try to stop me. There’s no avoiding it.”
“I...,” her voice cracked as she stood and turned her back to me, “I don’t want you to get hurt,” she finished and walked out.
After she left, I lie in bed for a long time thinking. I heard voices in the hallway, but I ignored them. All I could think about was how insane my plan was, but how I knew it could save Luke. I was sacrificing everything for him.
~~~~~
Claire walked out of Leigha’s room and almost ran straight into Wess. She wiped her tears away hastily when she saw him.
“Did she tell you her plan?” he asked her.
She bit her lip to hold back her tears and shook her head sadly.
“Are you okay?” Wess asked placing a gentle hand on her arm.
She started to nod, but a sob caught in her throat and she began to cry.
Wess hesitated, but pulled her against him. To his surprise she pushed him away angrily and shook her head. He watched as she turned and ran, her blonde hair swinging behind her.
He swore he heard her whisper, “I’m sorry.”
~~~~~
The next morning Claire woke me for Marie’s trial. She silently helped me into a white gown of the same design as the pink one I’d worn the day before.
The whole time she was with me she was distant and barely talked. I wondered if I’d really upset her that terribly by not telling her my plan.
We met up with Alex outside my room and she opened the portal so I didn’t have to use my magic. We came out right outside the Court Room. We entered, took our seats, and waited.
Marie was finally escorted in by herself. Although she had no defenders she held her head high like I’d taught her to. She took her seat and we began.
“We will now begin the trial,” I announced, “Almariella is accused of an attempt to kill me, the queen, and of working with the Darks.”
“The options of punishment are death or a permanent ban to Abaddon,” Claire said.
“The defender shall now tell of her alibi,” said Alex.
“I would never try to kill Leigha!” Marie protested, “She’s always been like an older sister to me and even now as she sits there and fights against me I love her. I am completely loyal to her and the rest of the Lights. I would never even think of betraying any of them. She’s part of my family along with Claire and Alex. They’re all Lights and if I ever turned against them I would punish myself severely.”
Heads nodded. People were moved by Marie’s speech because she was only a teenager.
I closed my eyes and waved my hand. The scene of Marie trying to kill me played in the air. I winced seeing it again and was thankful when it ended.
“Proof of guilt,” I said, “All who agree with the defendant’s guilt please stand.”
Only about seventy-five percent of the jury stood. The little girl factor was working well for Marie even though people knew that she was older than some of them.
“Sit,” I commanded, “Almariella is guilty. Escort her out, please.”
The guards went to Marie’s side to escort her out, but before she left she screamed out, laughing, “The Call of the Dark!
“Did she do the dance?
Did she do the dance?
Did she do the dance
With the Dark King?
Leamathia did the dance.
Leamathia did the dance.
She did the dance
With the Dark King.
Her daughter is their child.
Her daughter is their child
Because she did the dance
With the Dark King.”
Her voice was hypnotized and monotone as if she were possessed or she was a robot. Her eyes had glazed over while she said it and she stared into space. When she was done the glaze left and she refocused as she was taken out of the room.
I sat in silent shock for a few seconds after Marie had gone with my brain running a million miles a minute. Leamathia, my mother, had a daughter with some Dark king? Did that make me part Dark? Who was the Dark King anyway?.
I took a deep breath as Claire said, “All who vote the guilty be put to death please stand.”
Around eighty percent of the jury stood.
“All who vote the guilty be banished to Abaddon, please stand.”
The rest of the jury stood.
Cece turned to me, “Death. Like you said, I don’t want her with Joseph.”
“Yes, death. That’s what I hoped would win. I knew no one would chose Abaddon for someone who looked so young,” I agreed.
Claire just nodded in silent agreement.
“The guilty has been sentenced to death,” I announced, “Dismissed.”
Once everyone was gone from the trial room Claire opened a portal and we left Light Land. The second we were back at the shrine Claire disappeared and I was left wondering what I’d done wrong. I didn’t understand how my not telling her could upset her so much.
Alex walked me back to my room and helped me out of the gown and into night clothes.
“Did I upset Claire?” I asked as she pulled my legs over the edge of the bed.
“I don’t know what’s happened to her. She hasn’t talked much to anyone since she left your room last night,” Alex replied, pulling the blankets over me.
“She’s just being so distant and quiet. I wonder if it’s because I wouldn’t tell her my plan.”
Alex shook her head, “We all want to know your plan. I think it’s a bit deeper than that. You should ask her. She’ll probably talk to you.”
“I upset her. It was written all over her face. She wasn’t happy not knowing.”
Alex was asking me with her eyes what my plan was as she perched on the edge of my bed. We both knew she wasn’t going to find out, though.
“I could go with you, you know. To rescue him.”
“No, Alex, you can’t. We were talking about Claire, not my plan.”
She sighed, “Could something else have happened? Maybe with Wess, maybe they fought. She really cares about him.”
“I heard voices outside my door, but I was distracted. I don’t know what they were saying or who they were.”
“Oh, well, um...”
“There’s nothing we can piece together right now. I’ll talk to her when she brings my food, when I wake up,” I yawned, “This magic stuff is wearing me out. I’m not as tired as yesterday, though.”
“I know,” she patted my good leg and stood up, “I’ll make sure Claire comes with your food later.”
I smiled at her, “Thanks.”
“No problem. I want to know, too,” she said and closed the door behind her.
After she left I struggled to remember the voices outside my door, but I just hadn’t been paying enough attention. I scolded myself mentally because, now, to get the exact conversation I would have to use magic and I didn’t have enough strength to do that without the possibility of fainting again. I would have to ask Claire because, if it had been her and Wess, she would probably tell me. If she wouldn’t I could summon the memory later. Alex and I could be completely wrong, though, and tit could’ve been me who upset her.
I finally fell into a restless sleep filled with Marie’s haunting voice saying,
“Her daughter is their child.”
I saw her eerie, empty face, her expressionless eyes, and the almost motionless way her mouth had moved as she’d spoken. The only thing she could be compared to was a robot that could only recite one thing over and over again and that’s how she appeared in my dreams.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I woke up in a cold sweat with Marie’s robotic voice still an echo in my mind. Claire was standing in the doorway as if she were hesitating coming into my room or waiting for something. Why would she hesitate or wait? She was acting so strange.
“Claire,” I said, “Come in.”
She nodded curtly and set a tray with a bowl of soup on my lap. She turned immediately to leave.
“Claire,” she stopped walking, but didn’t turn back towards me, “What’s wrong?”
She sighed and turned around, “Last night,” she whispered with a shake of her head.
“Was it me?” My voice, like hers, was barely over a timid whisper.
“No, I...” She sighed again and her shoulders sagged, “I ran from Wess last night. I ran because I was upset, but now...now I’m afraid he hates me or thinks I hate him or thinks we never had anything. I don’t hate him, though, I love him and I can’t stand it if he’s mad at me.
“I was just so worried about you. I am so worried about you. You’re not the same without Luke. Maybe you’re just healing, but you tire too easily, you don’t do enough even for someone as badly hurt as you, and you just don’t act like you usually do. You just aren’t you. Plus, there’s that song Marie sang.
“Don’t say all those things are just you healing though, because I may not have been around as long as you, but trust me on this. I have taken care of injured Lights and I have taken care of injured humans. I’ve even taken care of Lights just like you; their healing rates were just above human, but this isn’t right. You really aren’t you. I know Lights don’t get depressed, but this is like a human case of depression. I don’t know how one person could do this to you. You weren’t even like this after Allie.”
I shook my head sadly, “Maybe I have the Light version of human depression, but it’s probably temporary. I just have so much on my plate and Luke’s gone. I...I just miss him so much. I don’t feel the same either, though. I’m sorry.”
“I just...I think I took my worry and stress and pain out on Wess, in a way, by running from him. He’s already so worried that being with me is wrong and I’m not helping. Last night I just made it seem like that. I haven’t seem him, let alone talked to him, since then.”
“If you want me to I could talk to him and try to make him understand. I’m sure he will. I think he understands that you’re stressed.”
She smiled tightly, “Really? Thank you. I really do love you, Leigha,” she laughed a bit and turned back.
I watched her leave and once she was gone I ate some of my soup. I didn’t want to go back to sleep because I knew nightmares about Marie and Luke and the “Dark King” would plague me, so I set of to find Wess.
I was wandering around the halls near the Training Hall on my crutches when I ran into Wess.