"Be seated," Aryn said, as soon as Lissa sat down. "Bring forth the prisoners," Aryn added after the Council took their seats.
Laral and Clover were led inside by Gavin and Tony. Both wore cuffs, Toff saw, and figured those were to subdue them if it became necessary. Toff didn't expect both boys' mothers to come, but Drake and Drew brought them in as well. Hyacinth, Clover's mother and Storm, Laral's mother—both Full Fae, appeared angry as they walked in with the Falchani. Seats were provided for them near the dais. Laral and Clover sat at the edge of the dais, closely guarded by Gavin and Tony.
Several members of the Council questioned Laral and Clover, after Aryn instructed both prisoners to speak the truth inside the Council Chamber. Toff was shocked by the revealed information. Both said that their parents had spoken of Toff in derogatory terms, and when Gren came along and whispered to them that Toff had to die, they thought it was only right. Roff placed his hand on Toff's shoulder and didn't remove it while Nissa clasped Toff's hand in hers and didn't let go.
"So, you, not fully understanding what or who Toff was, or why he was there in your village, took it upon yourselves to get rid of him, is that correct?" Flavio, senior member of the Council, was now questioning Clover.
"Yes, but Gren threatened us there at the end, saying he'd see that we were stripped of our power and banished if we didn't do what he said. We didn't want to stab Toff with the knives or perform the nut-cracking chant. Gren forced us." Clover was nearly in tears. He'd never thought that breaking the laws would have him standing before an old vampire with more than banishment and a stripping of his power at stake. Clover knew he'd attempted murder, and his life hung in the balance. He should have paid more attention to the whisperings regarding Haldis and Sark's punishments.
Laral's questioning went much the same. His story echoed that of Clover.
Toff was called after that. Roff flew him to the dais, and Toff sat in the chair vacated by Clover and Laral.
"Young one, you will only speak the truth inside the Council Chamber," Aryn's words held power of some sort—Toff could feel it. He nodded to the old vampire.
Toff did his best not to be frightened, but he was questioned long by several members of the Council. At one point, water was brought to him before the questions began again. Muted growling came when he described how he was bullied by the other children. He didn’t want to tell the names he'd been called, but was compelled to do so. He wanted to weep and couldn't—he could only sit there, answer questions and tremble.
Toff honey, it's all right. Somehow, the Queen's words came into his mind and he didn't know how that could be. He swallowed hard and went on. Finally, they were done with him and Roff appeared to return him to his seat. Nissa was brought down by her father. She squeezed Toff's hand before Shadow Grey folded her out of their box and down to the lower floor for questioning.
Roff now sat next to Toff and had a comforting arm around his shoulders while Toff watched Nissa answer questions. She talked about her treatment, not just by Gren, Laral and Clover, but by Mother Fern and the others. Toff was surprised at Nissa's indignation at her treatment on his behalf.
"So, you were chastised for coming late to dinner, after this Fern woman forced you to perform extra duties?" Flavio asked.
"Yes. I could tell that none of them liked Toff or appreciated what he did for them. Corent was kind, as was Father Willow when he asked me to help feed hay to his milk cows. None of the others were—I felt as if they thought I—he—was much less than they."
"Yet the female—Redbird—wanted him for her own when the kidnapping initially occurred," Flavio now addressed the Council.
"Flavio, the ones answerable to those charges are not present." The Queen was now standing. Toff thought she didn't look comfortable.
"My apologies, my Queen," Flavio said quietly. "I have no further questions." Flavio returned to his seat.
"We will now take a vote regarding guilt or innocence of the charges," Aurelius stood and made the announcement. "Place your vote on the comp-vids located beside your seats. The votes will be tallied during a brief recess. A disposition will be discussed after that. Please return in half an hour."
"Young ones, we must see to your Lady Mother," Roff lifted Toff in his arms quickly and swooped down to the floor below. Drake and Drew appeared to bring Ry, Tory and Trik down, while Shadow brought Nissa.
"That's Uncle Winkler," Tory said softly to Trik as they watched the tall, dark-haired man help Queen Lissa from her seat.
"This way," Drake and Drew cleared a path through the wide chamber door. The moment they turned a corner to go down a lengthy hall, someone folded all of them to Lissa's library.
Trik watched as Karzac, Lissa's Refizani healer mate, had his hands on the Queen as soon as Winkler set her on a comfortable sofa. "What's happening?" He was concerned for the Queen as well, and it was only beginning to sink in that he was one of her children, now. Morwin had given him a copy of the papers, naming Lissa as his adoptive mother and Shadow Grey his adoptive father.
"Mom's pregnant," Ry said quietly at Trik's side. "She shouldn't have been in there that long without somebody seeing to her."
"Don't worry, Trikleer, the Queen loves you already, I think." One of the tall, blue Larentii knelt beside Trik's chair. "When she was human, she was unable to bear children, so you and the others are like gifts to her." Trik stared at the Larentii in shock. No one had ever thought of his existence as anything other than an annoyance. Yet the Queen thought of him as a gift? "Young one, we will come soon and work on your leg and foot," the Larentii went on. "How is the hand? Is it becoming easier to work?"
"Yes," Trik almost stuttered his answer. He flexed the hand and moved the fingers for the Larentii to see. He could hold things now and he didn't lose his grip if those things weighed more than a few ounces."Very good. You will be standing and running with these others in no time." The Larentii patted Trik's shoulder and stood, moving toward the Queen.
"Toff, I was so scared," Nissa put her arms around Toff's neck and hugged him—hard. Toff's arms were about Nissa's waist and he was hugging her back.
"You sounded so calm and clear," Toff whispered. "I was the mess."
"No," Nissa murmured. "Ry and Tory were nodding at all your words. And I think Mom is really proud of you."
"I will be coming to the rest of the meeting, I do not care how awkward it looks," Karzac snapped. "These young ones do not have to return unless they wish to. In the meantime, feed them something—they are all hungry as birds," Karzac added.
That's how they were all served a quick meal inside the Queen's Library. Tory was happy, his stomach had been growling for an hour.
"Do you want to go back?" Nissa nudged Toff's elbow.
"I do and I don't," he sighed.
"Come on, you know you'll be asking us what happened afterward if you don't," Ry coaxed.
"But what if something awful happens?" Nissa frowned.
"Nissa, those two could have gone to an adult and said what was happening. Yet they didn't," Trik was happy to hold half a sandwich in a hand that couldn't, only a few weeks before. "What might they have done if Gren had been successful? Now, Gren has associated himself with something even worse."
"What? How do you know that?" Ry hissed.
"I listen," Trik replied. "I've always listened. I knew things at Belancour Manor, even when I wasn't included in conversations. People said things, thinking I wasn't within hearing distance or wouldn't understand."
"They'll send them to Evensun," Tory sounded positive as they were settled into their box seats later, when the Council reconvened. The half hour had been stretched to an hour so Karzac could see to the Queen. The healer now had a seat not far from the dais in case Lissa needed assistance.
"I agree—their crime wasn't that different from Haldis and Sark's," Ry nodded. Toff and Nissa hadn't stopped holding hands, once they'd arrived inside the Council chamber. Trik, too, was quite shocked when Nissa took his hand as well. Shadow and Roff claimed the seats behind the children, just as before.
"All rise for the Queen," Aryn said once more, and Lissa walked in and sat behind her desk. The Council members reclaimed their seats.
"The tally of the votes is thus," Aurelius read from his handheld comp-vid, "Guilty, by a unanimous vote, of attempted murder upon Toff the comesula and upon Princess Nissa Beth Grey. Now, we will decide the punishment."
"If these two were adults, the punishment would be death," Casimir, a vampire from old Earth rose and spoke. "But as they are not adults and were easily led astray, I suggest they be sent to Evensun."
"I realize that I was outvoted last time, but I would like to offer a sentence to Harifa Edus instead," Queen Lissa spoke firmly from her seat on the dais.
"Lady Queen, we know of your feelings in this matter, and we would like to spare you if we could. But I cannot in good conscience vote for a lighter sentence than Evensun," another vampire named Montrose rose and spoke. "Let us take the vote now, as we did the last time. When the vote goes one way or the other, then this will be settled and we can turn to other matters. The parents will have the option of going with their children if that is their desire."
"Very well," the Queen sounded exhausted to Trik's ears.
Nissa squeezed Trik and Toff's hands tightly as the votes were submitted by comp-vid. Aurelius announced the results.
"Three hundred two votes for Evensun, eight for Harifa Edus and two abstentions," Aurelius pronounced the sentence. Clover shouted, even as his mother stood and attempted to cast Fae magic at the Queen.
* * *
"You should know that the Council chamber is spelled against any kind of magic," Erland Morphis, Ry's father, hissed at Hyacinth, Clover's mother. The meeting had been extended due to Hyacinth's attempt to hurl a spell at the Queen. She would now face charges of her own.