Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Seven

WALKING INTO THE COURTROOM was unrivaled of the most surreal experiences of my lifeand not only when because I was the unmatched being accused here. It just kept reminding me of Victors run, and the sen sentencent that I was instanter in his place was almost too weird to compreh complete.Entering a elbow path with a troop of hold inians makes people stareand believe me, in that location were a lot of people jam-packed in in that respectso natur onlyy, I didnt skulk or look ashamed. I walked with confidence, my head held high. Again, I had that eerie flash keystone to Victor. He too had walked in defiantly, and Id been app eithered that hardly a(prenominal)one who had committed his crimes could be bring in that instruction. Were these people opinion the alike(p) thing around me?On the dais at the front of the room sat a woman I didnt recognize. Among the Moroi, a gauge was usually a lawyer who had been ap demonstrateed to the position for the purposes of the per ceive or whatever. The trial itselfat least(prenominal) a big one same Victorshad been presided over by the queen. She had been the one to ultimately decide the final verdict. Here, the Council members would be the ones to decide if I compensate reached that stage. The trial makes it prescribed. Thats where they caput the verdict and dole out the punishment.My escort took me to the front seating of the room, past the bar that separated the primal players from the audience, and motioned me toward a spot next to a middle-aged Moroi in a rattling formal and very projecter disconsolate suit. The suit screamed, Im sorry the queen is dead, and Im going to look fashionable term viewing my grief. His hair was a pale blond, bargely laced with the first signs of silver. Somehow, he make it look good. I presumed this was Damon Tarus, my lawyer, just he didnt say a word to me.Mikhail sat beside me as well, and I was glad theyd elect him to be the one who literally didnt leave my s ide. Glancing derriere, I saw Daniella and Nathan Ivashkov sitting with other high-ranking royals and their families. Adrian had chosen not to join them. He sat farther clog, with Lissa, Christian, and Eddie. All of their faces were filled with worry.The renderan elderly, gray-hai release Moroi who looked care she could still kick asscalled the room to attention, and I twisted around to face forward again. The Council was entering, and she announced them one by one. Two sets of benches had been arranged for them, two rows of six with a thirteenth in back raised. Of course, only eleven of the spots were filled, and I tried not to scowl. Lissa should gravel been sitting there.When the Council was settled, the justness moody to face the rest of us and spoke in a voice that rang through the room. This earshot is straightway in order, in which we forget determine whether there is enough evidence toA commotion at the entrance cut her off, and the audience craned their necks t o encounter what was going on.Whats this disturbance rough? the judge demanded.One of the guardians had the door partially open and was leaning out, apparently let outing to whoever was in the hall. He ducked back into the room. The accuseds lawyer is here, Your Honor.The judge glanced at Damon and me and whence delivered a frown to the guardian. She already has a lawyer.The guardian shrugged and appeared comically helpless. If there had been a Strigoi out there, he would use up known what to do. This bizarre interruption of protocol was beyond his skill set. The judge sighed.Fine. Send whoever it is up here and lets get this settled.Abe walked in.Oh dear lord, I said out loud.I didnt have to s arctic myself for speaking out of turn because a hum of conversation immediately filled the room. My conceive was that half were in awe because they knew Abe and his reputation. The other half were probably just stunned by his appearance.He wore a gray cashmere suit, considerably lighte r than Damons grim black. Underneath it was a dress shirt that was so bright a w impinginge, it beed to glowparticularly next to the brilliant crimson silk tie he wore. former(a) spots of red were scattered about his outfita handkerchief in the pocket, ruby box links. Naturally, it was all as perfectly tailored and expensive as Damons outfit. and Abe didnt look like he was in mourning. He didnt even look like he was coming to a trial. It was more like hed been break on his way to a party. And of course, he sported his usual gold hoop earrings and trimmed black beard.The judge silenced the room with a hand motion as he strutted up to her.Ibrahim Mazur, she said, with a shake of her head. at that place were equal parts amazement and chiding in her voice. This is unexpected.Abe swept her a medieval bow. Its fill outly to see you again, Paula. You havent aged a day.We arent at a country club, Mr. Mazur, she informed him. And while here, you depart address me by my proper title. Ah. Right. He winked. My apologies, Your Honor. Turning, he glanced around until his eyes rested on me. There she is. Sorry to have delayed this. Lets get started.Damon stood up. What is this? Who are you? Im her lawyer.Abe shook his head. There must have been some mistake. It took me a while to get a flight here, so I can see why you would have appointed a community lawyer to fill in.Community lawyer Damons face grew red with indignation. Im one of the most renowned lawyers among American Moroi.Renowned, community. Abe shrugged and leaned back on his heals. I dont judge. No pun intended.Mr. Mazur, interrupted the judge, are you a lawyer?Im a lot of things, PaulaYour Honor. Besides, does it matter? She only drives someone to speak for her.And she has someone, exclaimed Damon. Me.Not anymore, said Abe, his demeanor still very pleasant. He had never stopped smiling, however I thought I saw that dangerous glint in his eyes that frightened so more of his enemies. He was the picture of calm, while Damon looked like he was ready to have a seizure.Your Honor equal she said in that resounding voice of hers. Let the girl choose. She fixed her brown eyes on me. Who do you motive to speak for you?I My mouth dropped open at how abruptly the attention shifted to me. Id been ceremony the drama between the two men like a tennis match, and now the ball had hit me in the head.Rose.Startled, I turned slightly. Daniella Ivashkov had crept over in the row behind me. Rose, she whispered again, you have no idea who that Mazur man is. Oh, didnt I? You involve nothing to do with him. Damons the best. Hes not easy to get.She moved back to her seat, and I looked between my two potential lawyers faces. I understood Daniellas meaning. Adrian had talked her into acquiring Damon for me, and then she had talked Damon into actually doing it. Rejecting him would be an insult to her, and considering she was one of the few royal Moroi whod been adequate to me about Adrian, I certainly didnt want to earn her dislike. Besides, if this was some setup by royals, having one of them on my side was probably my best chance at getting off.And yet there was Abe, looking at me with that clever smile of his. He was certainly very good at getting his way, but a lot of that was by force of his presence and reputation. If there really was some absurd evidence against me, Abes attitude wouldnt be enough to make it go away. Of course, he was sly, too. The serpent. He could make the impossible happen hed certainly pulled a lot of strings for me.That did not, however, change the circumstance that he wasnt a lawyer.On the other hand, he was my father.He was my father, and although we still barely knew each other, hed bygone to great lengths to get here and saunter in with his gray suit to defend me. Was it fatherly love gone bad? Was he really all that good a lawyer? And at the end of the day, was it true that blood ran thicker than water? I didnt know. I actually didnt like that s aying. Maybe it worked for humans, but it make no sense with vampires.Anyway, Abe was staring at me intently with dark brown eyes nearly uniform to mine. Trust me, he seemed to say. that could I? Could I trust my family? I would have trusted my buzz off if she were hereand I knew she trusted Abe.I sighed and gestured toward him. Ill take him. In an undertone, I added, Dont let me down, Zmey.Abes smile grew broader as shocked exclamations filled the audience, and Damon protested in outrage. Daniella might have had to persuade him to take me on in the blood, but now this case had be find a matter of pride for him. His reputation had just been sullied by me red him up.But Id made my choice, and the exasperated judge would hear no more arguments about it. She shooed Damon away, and Abe slid into his seat. The judge began with the streamer opening speech, explaining why we were here, etc., etc. As she spoke, I leaned toward Abe.What have you gotten me into? I hissed to him.Me? What have you gotten yourself into? Couldnt I have just picked you up at the police station for underage drinking, like most fathers?I was beginning to understand why people got irritated when I made jokes in dangerous situations.My fucking futures on the line Theyre going to come out me to trial and convict meEvery trace of humor or renovate vanished from his face. His expression grew hard, deadly serious. A chill ran down my spine.That, he said in a low, like a shot voice, is something I swear to you is never, ever going to happen.The judge turned her attention back to us and the p rose winecuting lawyer, a woman called Iris Kane. Not a royal name, but she still looked pretty hard-core. Maybe that was just a lawyer thing.Before the evidence against me was laid out, the queens murder was alike described in all its grisly detail. Howd shed been found this morning in bed, a silver stake through her pith and a profound look of horror and shock on her face. Blood had been everywhere o n her nightgown, the sheets, her skin The pictures were shown to everyone in the room, triggering a variety of reactions. Gasps of surprise. More fear and panic. And some some people wept. Some of those tears were un doubtedly because of the whole terrible situation, but I speak out many cried because theyd loved or liked Tatiana. Shed been cold and stiff at times, but for the most part, her reign had been a peaceful and just one.After the pictures, they called me up. The hearing didnt run the way a normal trial did. There was no formal switching back of lawyers as they questioned witnesses. They each just sort of stood there and took turns claiming questions while the judge kept order. recede Hathaway, began Iris, dropping my title. What time did you return to your room last night?I dont know the exact time. I focused on her and Abe, not the sea of faces out there. Somewhere around 5 a.m., I think. Maybe 6.Was anyone with you?No, wellyes. Later. Oh, God. Here it comes. Um, Adria n Ivashkov visited me.What time did he arrive? takeed Abe.Im not sure of that either. A few hours after I got back, I guess.Abe turned his charming smile on Iris, who was rustling through some pennings. The queens murder has been pretty accurately narrowed down to between seven and eight. Rose wasnt aloneof course, we would need Mr. Ivashkov to testify to that effect.My eyes flicked briefly to the audience. Daniella looked pale. This was her nightmare Adrian getting involved. Glancing farther over, I saw that Adrian himself seemed eerily calm. I really hoped he wasnt drunk.Iris held up a sheet of paper triumphantly. We have a subscribe statement from a janitor who says Mr. Ivashkov arrived at the defendants building at approximately nine twenty.Thats pretty specific, said Abe. He sounded amused, like shed said something cute. Do you have any desk staff to confirm that?No, Iris said icily. But this is enough. The janitor remembers because he was about to take his break. bunk Hath away was alone when the murder took place. She has no alibi.Well, said Abe, at least according to some questionable facts.But no more was said about the time. The evidence was admitted into the official records, and I took a deep breath. I hadnt liked that line of questioning, but it had been expected, based on the introductory conversations Id heard via Lissa. The no-alibi thing wasnt good, but I kind of shared Abes vibe. What they had so far still didnt seem strong enough to send me to trial. Plus, they hadnt asked anything else about Adrian, which left him out of this.Next exhibit, said Iris. There was contented triumph all over her face. She knew the time thing was sketchy, but whatever was coming up, she thought it was gold.But actually, it was silver. A silver stake.So help me, she had a silver stake in a sort plastic container. It gleamed in the incandescent lightingexcept for its tip. That was dark. With blood.This is the stake used to kill the queen, declared Iris. Miss Hathaways stake.Abe actually laughed. Oh, come on. Guardians are issued stakes all the time. They have an enormous, identical supply.Iris ignored him and looked at me. Where is your stake right now?I frowned. In my room. She turned and glanced out over the crowd. Guardian rock and roll?A tall dhampir with a bushy black mustache rose from the crowd. Yes?You conducted the search of Miss Hathaways room and belongings, correct?I gaped in outrage. You searched myA sharp look from Abe silenced me.Correct, said the guardian.And did you find any silver stakes? asked Iris.No.She turned back to us, still smug, but Abe seemed to find this new randomness even more ridiculous than the last batch. That proves nothing. She could have lost the stake without realizing it.Lost it in the queens heart?Miss Kane, warned the judge.My apologies, Your Honor, said Iris smoothly. She turned to me. Miss Hathaway, is there anything special about your stake? Anything that would split up it from others?Y-yes. Can you describe that?I swallowed. I had a bad feeling about this. It has a posture etched near the top. A kind of geometric design. Guardians had engraving done sometimes. Id found this stake in Siberia and kept it. Well, actually, Dimitri had sent it to me after it had come loose from his chest.Iris walked over to the Council and held out the container so that each of them could examine it. Returning to me, she gave me my turn. Is this your pattern? Your stake?I stared. It was indeed. My mouth opened, ready to say yes, but then I caught Abes eye. Clearly, he couldnt talk directly to me, but he sent a lot of messages in that survey. The biggest one was to be careful, be sly. What would a slippery person like Abe do?It it looks similar to the design on mine, I said at last. But I cant say for sure if its the exact same one. Abes smile told me Id answered correctly.Of course you cant, Iris said, as though shed expected no better. She handed off the container to one of the court cle rks. But now that the Council has seen that the design matches her description and is almost like her stake, I would like to point out that testing has revealedshe held up more papers, victory all over her facethat her fingerprints are on it.There, it was. The big score. The hard evidence.Any other fingerprints? asked the judge.No, Your Honor. Just hers.That means nothing, said Abe with a shrug. I had a feeling that if I stood and suddenly confessed to the murder, he would still claim it was dubious evidence. Someone steals her stake and wears gloves. Her fingerprints would be on it because its hers.Thats getting kind of convoluted, dont you think? asked Iris.The evidence is still full of holes, he protested. Thats whats convoluted. How could she have gotten into the queens bedchamber? How could she have gotten through the guards?Well, mused Iris, those would be questions best explored in trial, but considering Miss Hathaways extensive record of shift into and out of places, as we ll as the countless other disciplinary marks she has, I dont doubt she could have found any number of ways to get inside.You have no proof, said Abe. No theory.We dont need it, said Iris. Not at this point. We have more than enough to go to trial, dont we? I mean, we havent even gotten to the part where countless witnesses heard Miss Hathaway report the queen shed regret establishing the recent guardian law. I can find the transcript if you likenot to mention reports of other expressive commentary Miss Hathaway made in public.A memory came back to me, of standing immaterial with Daniella while I rantedwith others watchingabout how the queen couldnt buy me off with an assignment. Not a good decision on my part. Neither was busting in on the Death Watch or complaining about the queen being worth value when Lissa had been captured. Id given Iris a lot of material.Oh yes, Iris continued. We also have accounts of the queen declaring her extreme disapproval of Miss Hathaways involvemen t with Adrian Ivashkov, particularly when the two ran off to elope. I opened my mouth at that, but Abe silenced me. There are countless other records of Her Majesty and Miss Hathaway sparring in public. Would you like me to find those papers too, or are we able to vote on a trial now?This was directed at the judge. I had no legal background, but the evidence was pretty damning. I would have said that there was definitely reason to consider me a murder suspect, exceptYour Honor? I asked. I think shed been about to give her declaration. Can I say something?The judge thought about it, then shrugged. I see no reason not to. Were collecting all the evidence there is.Oh, me freelancing was not in Abes plan at all. He strode to the stand, hoping to stop me with his wise counsel, but he wasnt riotous enough.Okay, I said, hoping I sounded reasonable and wasnt going to lose my temper. Youve put up a lot of peculiar stuff here. I can see that. Abe looked pained. It was not an expression Id s een on him before. He didnt lose contain of situations very often. But thats the thing. Its too suspicious. If I were going to murder someone, I wouldnt be that stupid. Do you think Id leave my stake stuck in her chest? Do you think I wouldnt wear gloves? Come on. Thats insulting. If Im as crafty as you claim my record says I am, then why would I do it this way? I mean, seriously? If I did it, itd be a lot better. Youd never even peg me as a suspect. This is all really kind of an insult to my intelligence.Rose began Abe, a dangerous tune in his tone. I kept going.All this evidence youve got is so painfully obvious. Hell, whoever set this up might as well have painted an arrow straight to meand someone did set me up, but you guys are too stupid to even consider that. The volume of my voice was rising, and I consciously brought it back to normal levels. You want an easy answer. A quick answer. And you peculiarly want someone with no connections, no caterful family to protect them I hesitated there, unsure how to classify Abe. Because thats how it always is. Thats how it was with that age law. No one was able to stand up for the dhampirs either because this goddamned system wont allow it.It occurred to me then that I had strayed pretty far off the radicaland was making myself look more guilty by slamming the age law. I reined myself back in.Um, anyway, Your Honor what Im nerve-wracking to say is that this evidence shouldnt be enough to accuse me or send me to trial. I wouldnt plan a murder this badly. convey you, Miss Hathaway, said the judge. That was very informative. You may take your seat now while the Council votes.Abe and I returned to our bench. What in the world were you thinking? he whispered.I was telling it like it is. I was reason myself.I wouldnt go that far. Youre no lawyer.I gave him a sidelong look. Neither are you, old man.The judge asked the Council to vote on whether they believed there was enough evidence to make me a viable suspect and send me to trial. They did. Eleven hands went up. Just like that, it was over.Through the bond, I felt Lissas alarm. As Abe and I rose to leave, I looked out in the audience, which was starting to disband and buzzing with talk over what would happen now. Her light green eyes were wide, her face unusually pale. Beside her, Adrian too looked distressed, but as he stared at me, I could see love and determination radiating. And in the back, behind both of themDimitri.I hadnt even known he was here. His eyes were on me too, dark and endless. Only I couldnt read what he was feeling. His face betrayed nothing, but there was something in his eyes something intense and intimidating. The image of him ready to take down that group of guardians flashed through my mind, and something told me that if I asked, he would do it again. He would fight his way to me through this courtroom and do everything in his power to rescue me from it.A brushing of my hand distracted me from him. Abe and I had sta rted to exit, but the aisle ahead of us was packed with people, bringing us to a halt. The touch against my hand was a small piece of paper shoved between my fingers. Glancing over, I saw Ambrose was sitting near the aisle, staring straight ahead. I wanted to ask what was going on, but some instinct kept me silent. Seeing as the line still wasnt moving, I hastily opened the paper, keeping it out of Abes sight.The paper was tiny, its elegant cursive almost impossible to read.Rose,If youre nurture this, then something terrible has happened. You probably hate me, and I dont blame you. I can only ask that you trust that what I did with the age decree was better for your people than what others had planned. There are some Moroi who want to force all dhampirs into service, whether they want it or not, by using compulsion. The age decree has slowed that faction down.However, I write to you with a secret you must put right, and it is a secret you must share with as few as possible. Vasilis a needs her spot on the Council, and it can be done. She is not the last Dragomir. some other lives, the illegitimate child of Eric Dragomir. I know nothing else, but if you can find this son or daughter, you will give Vasilisa the power she deserves. No matter your faults and dangerous temperament, you are the only one I feel can take on this task. Waste no time in fulfilling it.Tatiana IvashkovI stared at the piece of paper, its writing swirling before me, but its message burning into my mind. She is not the last Dragomir. Another lives.If that was true, if Lissa had a half-brother or half-sister it would change everything. She would get a vote on the Council. She would no longer be alone. If it was true. If this was from Tatiana. Anyone could sign her name to a piece of paper. It didnt make it real. Still, I shivered, troubled at the thought of getting a letter from a dead woman. If I allowed myself to see the ghosts around us, would Tatiana be there, restless and unforgiving? I couldnt bring myself to let down my walls and look. Not yet. There had to be other answers. Ambrose had given me the note. I needed to ask him except we were moving down the aisle again. A guardian nudged me along.Whats that? asked Abe, always alarum and suspicious.I hastily folded the note back up. Nothing.The look he gave me told me he didnt believe that at all. I wondered if I should tell him. It is a secret you must share with as few as possible. If he was one of the few, this wasnt the place. I tried to distract him from it and shake the dumbstruck look that must have been on my face. This note was a big problembut not quite as big as the one immediately facing me.You told me I wouldnt go to trial, I said to Abe. My earlier annoyance returned. I took a big chance with youIt wasnt a big chance. Tarus couldnt have got you out of this either.Abes easy attitude about all this infuriated me further. Are you saying you knew this hearing was a lost cause from the beginning? It was what Mikhail had said too. How nice to have such faith from everyone.This hearing wasnt important, Abe said evasively. What happens next is.And what is that exactly?He gave me that dark, sly gaze again. Nothing you need to worry about yet.One of the guardians put his hand on my arm, telling me I needed to move. I resisted his pull and leaned toward Abe.The hell I dont This is my life were talking about, I exclaimed. I knew what would come next. Imprisonment until the trial. And then more imprisonment if I was convicted. This is serious I dont want to go to trial I dont want to spend the rest of my life in a place like Tarasov.The guard tugged harder, pushing us forward, and Abe fixed me with a piercing gaze that made my blood run cold.You will not go to trial. You will not go to prison, he hissed, out of the guards hearing. I wont allow it. Do you understand?I shook my head, confused over so much and not knowing what to do about any of it. Even you have your limits, old man.His smil e returned. Youd be surprised. Besides, they dont even send royal traitors to prison, Rose. Everyone knows that.I scoffed. Are you insane? Of course they do. What else do you think they do with traitors? Set them free and tell them not to do it again?No, said Abe, just before he turned away. They execute traitors. galore(postnominal) thanks to all the friends and family who have lent their considerable support to me as I worked on this, especially my amazing and patient husband. I know I couldnt get through this without you Special thanks also to my pal Jen Ligot and her eagle eyes.On the publishing side, Im always grateful for the hard work of my agent Jim McCarthy, as well as everyone else at Dystel & Goderich Literary Managementincluding Lauren Abramo, who helps spread Vampire Academy around the world. Thank you also to the gang at Penguin BooksJessica Rothenberg, Ben Schrank, Casey McIntyre, and so many otherswho work a lot of magic for this series. My publishers outside the U.S . are also doing wonderful things for getting the word out about Rose, and Im constantly amazed to see the growing international response. Thank you so much for all you do.A last shout-out to my readers, whose continued devotion still overwhelms me. Thank you for reading and loving these characters as much as I do.