Time Mends (32 page)

Of course, that proved difficult once Mrs.
Matthews straightened back up and started answering the Alphas’
questions. My mother died during childbirth, and my only knowledge
of her came from stories other people told me. Since no one is
going to say something bad about your dead mama, she was the very
definition of perfection in my head. I liked it that way, which
meant I was not at all fond of Mrs. Matthews referring to her as a
“manipulative witch who sacrificed herself for the advancement of
her people’s ungodly doctrine.”

Once Mrs. Matthews finished her account of
my life — from unholy birth to murdering a Shifter so I could steal
his essence to spiriting away the most promising of the Hagan Pack
by playing on their emotions — the Alphas turned their attention to
the members of my Pack.

“
I would like to know what
Hoplite Hagan, the young Seer Matthews, and Potential Donovan
witnessed during their time with Miss Donovan post-Change,” Stefan
said.

Mrs. Matthews sat down, and the three people
I was closest to in the whole world came forward. Talley managed to
trip on the leg of a chair as she came up, catching herself on my
shoulder. The contact was brief, but just long enough for her to
send three images through the bond - A truck. A gate. A barn.

“
Seer Matthews, let’s
begin with you.” Stefan flashed Talley a mangled smile. “Has Miss
Donovan attempted to pull information about the whereabouts of
other Shifters or how to contact the Alpha Pack?”

“
No, sir.”

“
When she Changes, can you
hear her as you can a real Shifter?”

A
real
Shifter? Could I
object?

“
Yes, sir.”

“
Are you able to See her
as you are others?”

“
Yes, sir.”

Stefan did that slight lean forward thing
again. “And, tell me, Seer Matthews, what is it you See when you
touch her?”

Talley’s fingers went to her hair, making my
stomach clench. “Well, my ability isn’t very strong. I only get a
bit of what the other person is feeling, but she was genuinely
confused and scared after her first Change. And I’ve never felt any
ill will from her at all.”

Speaking of confusion, I had a major dose of
it. Why would Talley lie about her abilities? She was like the
freaking Seer Golden Child. I couldn’t understand her subterfuge
until I heard the sigh of relief from Lizzie and saw the smirk on
True’s face. Talley wanted to stay off the other’s radar, not be
seen as a threat. I imagined how “you can call me Your Highness”
would react to finding out there was a Seer more powerful than she
was.

There was a reason I always said Talley was
the smartest person I knew.

“
Tell me,” her royal
evilness said, “would you confess to Seeing no ill will in the
devil himself if he was standing here?”

“
Excuse me?”

Sarvarna screwed up her face into a
condescending smile. “Oh, I didn’t mean it as admonishment.” And I
was in the running for the Heisman Trophy. “I was simply alluding
to your exceptionally altruistic personality. I wouldn’t doubt you
could find the good in even the most putrid of souls.”

“
I know evil when I See
it.”

Stop it! I mentally screamed at Talley.
Don’t provoke her, you crazy girl.

Sarvarna kept going as if she didn’t
register the insult. “But would you in a person you had grown
alongside your whole life? Would you recognize evil in your best
friend?”

“
Scout isn’t
evil!”

Sarvarna started to say something, but
Stefan put a hand on her knee, silencing her. “I think Seer
Matthews has told us all she can,” he said. “Hoplite Hagan, are you
prepared to testify?”

Charlie bowed his head, his eyes closed.
“With all due respect, I have forfeit my life to the accused. It is
against our custom for me to speak for or against her.”

No one seemed to know how to respond to
that. Sarvarna wrinkled her eyebrows at Stefan, and Lizzie
whispered “Is that true?” so loudly to Mischa everyone in the room
heard.

“
You are truly a noble
Shifter,” Stefan finally said. “What a better world it would be if
everyone had your knowledge of our customs and the honor to adhere
to them.”

Charlie dipped slightly lower before rising
back up to his full height.

Stefan templed his fingers together. “I
suppose that leaves you, Potential Donovan. Are you capable of
speaking without prejudice about your sister?”

Jase’s eyes met mine, and I felt the rusty
knife he’d shoved into my back twist. “She isn’t my sister.”

I decided right then and there that Sarvarna
would die for the smug smile spreading across her face.

Never once did Jase lie during his
testimony. Instead, he gave the truthful answers of a person
willing to please. Was the late Mrs. Donovan a Thaumaturgic? He
didn’t know, but her parents did wield a great deal of power in the
human world. Was the accused’s Changes normal? They followed the
pull of the moon and caused the same amount of pain, but the speed
with which it was accomplished was shocking. Over and over again he
stated the facts in a way that suggested I might be what they
accused me of being. And over and over again my heart broke.

When the Alphas finally grew tired of using
Jase to torment me, they allowed the three of them to sit down.

“
Does anyone else wish to
speak before we make our ruling?” Stefan asked in a tone suggesting
it was the same type of rhetorical remark as the “speak now or
forever hold your peace” part of a wedding ceremony.

Toby, being Toby, ignored the implied
sentiment and stood up. “I would like to address the council, if I
may.”

“
Come forward,
Tagmatarchis Hagan.”

Toby walked forward, did the whole bow
thing, and then took a deep breath before speaking. “I offer myself
as a guardian for this girl.” He took another deep breath and his
hands shook. “I will take her under my care and my watch, alerting
the Alphas to any questionable behavior. I am willing to forfeit my
life should she harm another Shifter in any way.”

Of all the things said over the course of
the evening, it was Toby’s words, said with a tremor of nerves and
fear, that almost brought me to tears.

“
No,” Sarvarna said
without even the pretense of thinking it over. “You have shown poor
judgement where this girl has been concerned from the beginning.
Instead of turning her over to us the moment you knew of her
unnatural abilities, you gave her a territory of her own. You are
too emotionally attached to operate as a fit Pack Leader in this
regard. So, no. We will not allow her to be taken under your watch.
I do not wish to wake up dead by her hand, thank you very
much.”

“
How do you wake up dead?”
Thankfully, I muttered it softly enough Stefan had to ask, “What
was that?”

I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
When nothing but a creak came out, I did the whole throat clearing
thing again. “I was just asking if I get to speak in my
defense.”

Sarvarna flipped a strand of hair back over
her shoulder. “We really aren’t interested in anything you have to
say, Thaumaturgic.”

“
What was the point of all
this?” My voice was eerily calm considering the havoc taking place
on my insides. “To humiliate me? To break me down just to watch me
crumble?” I took a deep breath and pulled back my shoulders,
refusing to fall apart for them. “This was never a trial to see if
I was guilty or innocent. It was a show, your own freaking Hunger
Games orchestrated to prove your power while entertaining the
privileged. Well, no more. I’m done. Pass the flippin’ poisoned
berries.”

The look the Alpha Female threw my way was
normally reserved for crazy street people. “Poisoned berries? Am I
supposed to know what you’re referring to?”

Only if you’re
literate.
“Sentence me. Now.”

Sarvarna stood. After a barely perceptible
sigh, Stefan followed her. “You know,” she said, “this could have
gone differently.”

“
How?”

“
You could’ve begged.
Groveled. You could have petitioned another Pack. I’m sure the
Matthews would have found a use for you.” I shuddered at the
thought. “But no, you had to stand there as if you deserve our
mercy. You spoke as if you were not only our equal, but superior in
some way.” She slinked towards me, stopping at what would have been
just out of my reach if I had use of my hands. “You’ve shown us
your soul tonight, and it is not one that can co-exist with the
Shifters and Seers of this world. Therefore, to protect those under
my care, you are sentenced to death.”

I knew it was coming, had known it was
coming for weeks, but still my knees turned to jelly and my heart
exploded in my chest. Bob and Cory barely managed to keep me from
hitting the ground.

I wasn’t the only one having a bit of a
reaction. There was a lot of muttering and movement going on around
me, but no single voice broke through my haze of complete and utter
panic. I was completely cut off from my surroundings until someone
prodded me forward.

“
Where are we going?” I
asked… Travis? Yes, Travis was the person with one hand around my
upper arm and the other pushing on my lower back.

“
This ain’t the US penal
system, sweetheart. We follow through with our sentences rather
quickly.”

“
What? Now? You’re going
to kill me now?” Fresh panic flooded my mouth with a metallic tang.
“I don’t get to say goodbye?”

His eyes, which I once found mildly
attractive, reflected nothing. “Nope, but they’re letting your
boyfriend go along for the show since he has that life debt and
all. He can’t be executed in your stead, but it does allow him to
be with you when you die.”

Oh God. Charlie was going to have to witness
this? “No, I don’t want him there.” He would break for real this
time.

“
Sorry, cupcake. Your
opinion no longer matters.”

In the end it was Travis, Hashim, Mandla,
Stefan, Sarvarna, Bob, and Charlie who walked with me out into the
moonless summer night. Rocco and Cory stayed behind to “protect the
Seers”.

The path we took led up from the lake into
acres upon acres of untamed forest. There was only enough room for
two people to walk side by side, so we created a bizarre parade. I
was trapped in the middle with Travis at my side, his fingers
leaving bruises on my arm. The other two higher ranking Shifters
sandwiched us, Mandla in front and Hashim close on our heels. Bob
and Sarvarna brought up the rear while Charlie and Stefan led the
way. Pieces of their conversation floated back to me. From what I
could catch, Stefan was offering Charlie a spot in the Alpha
Pack.

When the path finally stopped in a freshly
made clearing I thought perhaps it was some elaborate and unfunny
practical joke.

“
That’s a guillotine,” I
said eyeing the blade swinging ever so slightly above the wooden
base. Where did someone buy a giant blade like that?

“
Always so clever,”
Sarvarna said from the tree line.

“
Always so bitchy,” I
replied. A slap jerked my head back, but it was worth it,
especially since I knew Mandla would have a sore hand from the
impact with my teeth. Plus, it snapped me out of my fog.

“
You know…” I paused to
spit blood out of my mouth. “This whole executing a witch thing?
You’re doing it wrong. There should be a stake and fire. Or maybe
some rope and a deep river. You could have even pressed me with
heavy rocks and still been keeping with tradition, but a
guillotine? That screams more French Revolution than Salem Witch
Trials.”

A sneer doesn’t look good on anyone, but
when someone of Sarvarna’s unquestionable beauty tries one on they
manage to transform from the most attractive person in the room to
the most beastly. “I can’t wait to watch your head roll.”

“
Which is why you will
not.” Stefan stepped between us, his back to me. “You’re going back
to be with the others.”

“
Noooo!”
Sarvarna managed to turn the word into about
fifteen syllables. The look she gave Stefan was one of a teenager
to her father instead of a woman to her husband. “I want to watch
her die.”

“
Absolutely not. Life is
sacred. No matter her crimes, Harper deserves to leave this world
with dignity.” When she opened her mouth to say something, probably
about my dignity or lack thereof, he stopped her by raising his
hand. “You’re not degrading her final moments.” There was no doubt
that was the final word on the matter. “Bob, please escort her back
to the others.”

The Shifter didn’t looked thrilled at the
idea of herding his queen back through the forest, but he followed
orders, even when Sarvarna pulled out of his grasp, announcing she
could walk just fine on her own. We all stood around and watched
them leave, no one moving or saying anything until they were long
gone. Stefan was the first to break the silence.

“
I am sorry,” he said, and
for some reason I believed him. “She is still young and does not
understand the tragedy of a life ended. It is a kind of innocence I
want her to keep a while longer.”

While I didn’t doubt his regret for the
pre-death cat fight, I wasn’t so sure of Sarvarna’s innocence. My
knowledge of tragedy and loss began on the day I was born, but I
would bet good money I was more innocent than the chick who seduced
a man at least twice her age. That slanky bitch possessed a wicked
soul.