Cinder sat up on her throne. Beside her, Scarlet stiffened.
A nine-year-old boy knelt before the Lunar queen, the whole of his small body trembling.
Liam Kinney cleared his throat loudly, consulting his papers. "The court recognizes one Charleson Duena, accused of unlawfully brutal manipulation of one Mademoiselle Scarlet Benoit, an Earthen captured by the forces of the late and illegitimate queen Levana. Charleson Duena, how do you plead?"
Scarlet shivered. Beside her, Wolf tightened his hold on her arm. "It's over, Scar."
Scarlet drew in a deep breath, and Wolf slipped an arm around her shoulders and snugged her tightly into his chest.
"The scum can't hurt you now."
Cinder invited Kai, Iko, Scarlet, Jacin, Winter, Thorne, Cress, Scarlet, and Wolf into her private sitting room as soon as the trials were over. A servant set a tray of drinks down onto the table, bowed deeply to Cinder, and silently withdrew.
"Did I do the right thing?" Cinder burst out as soon as the door closed. "Should I have sentenced all those Lunar aristocrats and thaumaturges to a lifetime of prison?"
"Yes," Winter said with conviction. "A thousand times yes."
"Even the nine-year-old boy… what was his name? Charles? Charleson?"
Scarlet opened her mouth, but Wolf tightened his grip on her arm. His voice was a menacing growl. "A lifetime isn't enough, Cinder. You should have put him to death."
No one spoke.
Thorne swallowed hard, and put down his unstarted drink.
Winter shuddered, and Jacin put an arm around her shoulders, holding her tight against his side. Cress pressed both hands to her mouth.
"Wolf-friend," Winter whispered. "A nine-year-old boy? Death?"
Wolf gave a bark of mingled laughter and fury. "Have you ever been glamoured by a thaumaturge or a Lunar, forced to act on whatever mad whim they dream up?"
Winter seemed to shrink into herself. Cress looked like she was going to cry. Thorne's hand, the one with the finger missing, jerked convulsively. Kai's mouth contracted. Iko's lips pursed.
None of these twitches were lost on Cinder.
"I didn't kill him," Cinder said firmly. Kai's fingers crept into her metal ones. Her tone softened a little. "Like Winter said, he's only nine. I believe he was a victim of unfortunate circumstances-"
Wolf bared his teeth, but Cinder held up a hand. "Wait a minute, Wolf. This doesn't mean he's not guilty, and that's why he's sitting in a jail cell right now. But I don't think he should be killed."
Thorne opened his mouth, and then closed it. Cinder continued.
"I'm going to let him stay in jail for a week or so, on limited rations, and then I'm going to give him to someone as a servant for a couple of years, until he's of age."
There was a moment of quiet.
"Who's he going to be servant to?" Cress whispered. Cinder sighed.
"I said he was the victim of unfortunate circumstances. I don't think that he should be entirely blamed for what he did-"
Wolf actually got up from his chair, but Scarlet dragged him back down, her own lips pressed firmly together. She looked at Cinder. "Yes, Your Highness Queen of Luna, tell us why you don't think he was responsible for what he did to me."
"Scarlet, please let me finish." There was nothing commanding in Cinder's tone, but a friend earnest with another friend. "He did horrible things to you. I know he did. And he's going to be punished. I'm going to give him as a servant to owners that I know will work him hard, and where he'll grow up not as a spoiled Lunar aristocrat, but as someone who'll have to earn his honest keep."
"There is no one on Earth or on Luna who could work him hard enough to punish him for what he did," Wolf snarled.
Cinder glanced quickly at Kai. His lips were beginning to quirk upward into a smile, which quickly ripened into a very un-Emperor-like grin.
"Actually, Wolf, I think there is."
Early the next afternoon, Liam Kinney led the way down to the Lunar laboratories, Scarlet and Wolf right behind him. They followed the guard to the room where the shells had once been kept. The door was closed and locked.
"He's being held in here," Kinney said quietly, indicating a door. "He came out of surgery about an hour ago, so he should still be sedated. We had Doctor Nandez come down here to do the operation."
"And it was successful?" Wolf asked. Kinney nodded, and Scarlet grinned widely.
"Can we see him?"
Kinney swiped his wrist across the scanner. There was a soft click, and the guard slid the door open.
The once harshly-lit room was dimmed, and the machinery stood silent and dark against the walls, unused and unneeded. Kinney put a finger to his lips and led the way down the rows of cots to the very last one, which was the only one occupied.
Goosebumps chilled Scarlet's arms. Master Charleson lay motionless on the cot; dressed not in the fine clothes she had once seen him in, but in a simple pair of white pajamas. The room was warm, so there was no need for a blanket, but a thin, pale blue one was draped over his legs and torso anyway. Kinney moved forward and carefully turned the boy's head sideways, exposing and pointing to the small slit at the base of the back of his neck.
"He won't be glamouring anyone any longer," he said quietly, letting Master Charleson's head back down onto the cot. "Dr. Nandez took one of the new prototypes of Linh Garan's device, and she implanted it into his spine. More are in progress, but the Queen wanted him to have one of the first ones. As soon as he wakes up, his Lunar gift will be completely ineffective."
Scarlet's grin returned. "When will he wake up?"
The guard considered. "I imagine the sedation will wear off in about ten minutes."
"Then we'll wait," Wolf said firmly. Kinney seemed rather surprised, but he let it go.
...
Silence reigned. Scarlet sat down on the cot beside the one her old tormentor was laying in, and Wolf sat down beside her. Kinney remained standing, impassively watching his charges.
Master Charleson stirred. He gave a soft moan as his hand groped at the base of his neck, and he winced as his fingers made contact. He opened his eyes, looking blearily around at his unfamiliar surroundings. His eyes focused on Scarlet, and an evil grin stretched over his face.
Scarlet grinned right back.
Master Charleson looked confused, and a moment later, downright puzzled.
"My- my gift," he mumbled. "What's- how-?"
"I've waited a very long time to do this," Scarlet said conversationally.
"Wha-"
"A very long time."
And Wolf grinned broadly as Scarlet bent over the cot and slapped her tormentor soundly across the face.
"And I'm sure I'll have many more chances to do that," she grinned, as Master Charleson's hand flew to his cheek, a look of shock and horror on his face. "The queen's decided to give you as a servant to Wolf and me."
At 'Wolf and me', Wolf's grin widened. His large hand twined into Scarlet's. "For quite some time."
The boy turned his head to Kinney, a look of pleading in his eye, but Kinney just looked calmly back at him, a guard on duty.
"Anyway," Scarlet said sweetly, "you'd better rest up. I'd hate for you to have to start work anything other than fresh and rested. Farm work isn't easy, you know."
And with that, she turned on her heel and left the room, Wolf following close behind her.