Chapter 3

The Trial

"Hey Matt." Isabel called. "Are you ready to come home? Mom just called about dinner. She wants us all to come home." She caught up with him. "Actually I think she feels a little insecure because the three of us have been missing so much lately."

"I can't go." he replied.

"What? Why not?"

"I'm going to Athens."

"You can see Dartemis any time. This is family…our family."

"I'm not going to see Dartemis. There's something else I have to do and it can't wait. I'm sorry Isabel." He quickly cut off her next objection by adding. "As soon as things have settled down I promise I'll spend every single night with Mom. But I have to do this. There was something that bothered me all along but I didn't think it mattered. Now it's really bothering me and maybe it does matter. But I can't talk about it yet so don't even ask. You should bring Neriah though. She's lonely. She's been missing her mom."

"Okay, sure"

He paced the floor a few times and she recognised that he was working up to asking her something. She guessed it would be something awkward. "If this is another Arkarian speech – "

But he didn't seem to hear her because he interrupted her to ask, "You trust Ethan right?"

She raised an incredulous eyebrow to stare at him and he looked a little sheepish. "I mean obviously you trust him, you trust him with your life. So do I. But do you trust his instinct?"

"Of course. Ethan has the best instincts of anyone I know."

"Whereas mine are probably renowned as the worst in Guard history."

"Don't exaggerate."

"I'm not. I'm not trying to. But still, before the final battle came I must have accused ninety percent of the Guard of being a traitor in some form or other and yet I still got it wrong."

"Matt everyone makes mistakes."

"No, it's not about me this time. Just, if there was one person in the whole Guard whose instincts you would trust it would be Ethan right?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it's the same for everyone else?"

She thought about it. "Yes."

"When was the first time you knew there was a traitor amongst us?"

"I was told by…" she looked momentarily uncomfortable. "By Carter actually, but I knew before that. Everyone did. After all it warns about the coming of a traitor – "

"- In the prophecy." he finished for her. "Alright, thanks Isabel. I'll see you soon." He ran out the door.

"Matt wait!" She ran after him but he had already vanished.

Without the Citadel the road to Athens was bumpier than it had been. Night had fallen by the time he arrived. He wondered if Dartemis could sense his presence. He hoped not, or at least he hoped that he remained too busy to come in search for him. He did not have time for idle conversation. And the immortal would be sure to ask awkward questions.

Lady Arabella sat on a stone bench in the courtyard. She had been crying. When she saw him approach she stood up, wiping her eyes and smiling as if nothing were wrong.

"Matt…I mean My Lord." She gave a little curtsey.

"Matt'll do. My Lord makes me feel old. And as Dart…my father likes to remind me whenever he does something I don't understand, or just don't like, 'Matthew, you are still very, very young.' May I sit down?"

"Of course."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Matt said, "I need to offer you my apologies. I was wrong to accuse you."

"You were just doing your best to protect the Guard. You were not to know."

"Nevertheless I am sorry."

They were quiet for a few moments more. Then Matt asked, "I've earned myself a new nickname over the last couple of days. Maybe you've heard it?"

"You mean Dillon's habit of calling you 'The Splendiferous Saviour.'"

Matt winced. "I hadn't heard that version yet. Actually I was referring to the name given to me by my sister. Lately she's taken to calling me 'That-Angsty-Suspicious-Paranoid-Bastard-Who-Needs-To-Get-The-Hell-Over-Himself-And-Stop-Butting-His-Long-Snout-Into-Other-People's-Business-Where-It-Doesn't-Belong.'"

This elicited a watery chuckle from Lady Arabella. Matt took her hand. "I can take a hint…well sometimes. So My Lady I'm only going to ask you this the once and then I swear I'll never speak of it again. Did you love Lorian?"

Her smile vanished."I don't see what business this of yours." Her tone was as icy as her eyelashes.

"Humour me, please."

She dipped her head. "Yes, yes I loved him. Everyone in the Guard knows it by now. Now you've asked your question. Leave me in peace."

"I didn't say I'd ask only one."

"Well perhaps I only wish to answer one."

"Give me three. Then I promise I'll leave you alone."

"Alright. Three. But you have already used up one."

He sat for a moment, then said, "You're a very kind woman Lady Arabella, we all know that. But also an observant and very intelligent one. And when I asked you about the birds you deliberately lied to me. Everyone else realised that the birds were not from the mortal world and you must have noticed that they didn't improve under your care. So my second question is this. Did you know? Did you even suspect that those birds were really Aysher and Silos?"

It took her a moment to answer and he suspected at first she wouldn't reply at all. Finally she nodded. "Yes I guessed they weren't all they appeared. I even guessed at their true forms and I kept them locked up. But I swear I only did it to protect them. I was afraid for them because they were the most beautiful animals. They were pure and good and I knew that if I let them go free they would be caught up in this war again and I didn't want that. I didn't want them getting hurt. Do you understand?"

He laid a hand on her arm. "Yes I understand. It was instinct. You couldn't control it."

She stiffened a little. "Ask your third question and leave."

But he didn't ask it at once. Instead he stared off towards the Grecian landscape. After a while he spoke. "Love is a strange thing. It's so beautiful yet so painful too. If anyone ever put Neriah in danger…well I wouldn't let them put Neriah in danger. And the hardest thing about love is that if we love them we have to let them go, we have to let them fight. And it's heartbreaking to do it. Because above all we want is to protect them."

"What is your point, Matt?"

"You know, I can figure out everything the traitor did. I can even figure out how and why. But I can't figure out one thing. Because a mortal could not have touched the key, and a mortal could not have made that box, and a mortal could not have opened the rift into the Underworld without help and a mortal certainly couldn't have stolen in here and constructed a secret compartment right in the centre of the central courtyard and not woken the entire palace. So either Carter had help from the Goddess herself, which is unlikely as everyone knows Lathenia coveted the Key and was unlikely to put it anywhere where her brother could get his hands on it, or he never took the key it all. So my third question Lady. Did you hide the key?"

She stood up and he could feel fury radiating from her. But before she could begin her outburst he interrupted her. "Be careful how you answer. People have died. They may yet still die. No one believes that you betrayed the Guard but I need to know the truth."

She opened and shut her mouth but words seemed unable to form. Eventually she said, "What gave me away?"

"Rochelle's gloves. The box was made of the same indestructible, key-proof material as Rochelle's gloves, the gloves you made. I know you did it because you loved him."

"She could kill him. I knew that was always the greatest danger. But apart from her the only things that could hurt him lay in that box. Weapons to kill an immortal. I wanted to protect him. I didn't want to take the risk that one of the weapons might fall to the order."

"I know and for what it's worth I'm sorry I had to bring back these painful memories, but I had to know. Now I've got to go. Thank you My Lady."

He stood up and hurried across the courtyard. "Wait Matt." she called after him. "What's this about? What are you planning?"

He looked at her with an innocent face. "Planning My Lady? Nothing. Nothing at all."

She tried to look into his thoughts but his walls were impenetrable. She thought almost wistfully back to the boy she had met on the mountaintop only a month before who had been so open and in his own way innocent. The boy whose intentions had been so evident that she had only needed to look into his face, not his mind to realise that he was preparing to pursue his sister and his best friend into hell and beyond. There seem so little of that boy in the grave young man who stood before her now. "Matt…be careful."

With a little smile he nodded, then vanished.

This time Carter didn't rise when he entered the cell. He didn't even look around. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I need you to answer one question for me."

"Why?" He asked. "What's there to say?"

"Marcus…"

"If I deny it I'm lying. If I stay silent I'm guilty by admission. Either way you're going to execute me because you believe I betrayed you."

"You did betray us. I have no doubt of that. You showed Marduke how to enter the Citadel. You kidnapped Rochelle and tried to kill her. You betrayed us."

"Then what else do you need to know?"

"Where did you go after you left us that day?"

"To a staff meeting."

"Where did you go?"

"To a staff meet – I'm going to die a traitor and murderer. I would like at least that this shame isn't pinned to me too."

"Where did you go?"

He stood up and walked over so they were facing each other through the bars. Carter looked ill and Matt doubted he'd get any answer at all. "I ran away." The words came as a shock to Matt but some of the tension seemed to ease off Carter's face. "There. It's said. I was afraid so I ran away. Do you remember my line in the prophecy? 'A doubter cast a shadow'. That's what I am. I'm a doubter. I doubted myself. I doubted the rest of you. I doubted our ability to win. I was afraid we were all going to die. Rochelle, capable of rejoining Marduke at any moment. Arkarian, distracted lately by his love for Isabel. Shawn, still screwed up after Sera's death. Ethan, still failing to live up to his full potential after all this time. Dillon, whose head could be turned and his loyalties changed by the first pretty girl who came by. Most of all I doubted you. An inexperienced kid who barely knew what he was doing. How were you supposed to be our leader? How would we survive?

"I didn't want any of you to learn the truth. You see I didn't want to fulfil my role in the prophecy. I didn't want to cast a shadow over you all. You especially didn't need any more self-doubt than you were already saddled with. So I ran away. I convinced myself that you would do better if I wasn't around. I got five miles into the forestry before I realised that if I abandoned you all now and something happened to one of you, I'd never be able to forgive myself. I turned to go back, but suddenly it grew dark and the air was filled with ash. I couldn't breath and I passed out."

"And you remember nothing else?"

"There were dreams. In the early days in the cavern I used to puzzle over them. I remember hearing voices and there was this one moment when I felt intense pain all over my body, and I have a vivid recollection of seeing Rochelle's face. But apart from a couple of fragments the first thing I remember being conscious of was fighting the first of those demon.

"Look I know I'm no Isabel. I'm not able to go around giving hugs and kisses to everyone. I mightn't be the best at expressing my emotions but that doesn't mean that I don't… I cared about you all. I did. The Guard was my life. It was the only life I'd ever known. You're my friends. Hell, the Named are the only family I've got!"

"You're a very good actor." said Ethan from the doorway. "Best I've ever seen. No wonder the Tribunal trusted you."

"Steady Ethan." Arkarian had his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"But that time is past. We're not interested in your lies anymore." continued Ethan.

"What are you two doing here?" Matt hadn't counted on this. His senses had been all so focused inwards that he hadn't even noticed your arrival.

"Yes, what are you doing here Ethan?" asked Carter, though the bars.

"We've come to escort you to Athens." said Ethan. "And to protect you. There are a lot of people who'd like to take revenge for what you've done. I'm not going to allow that."

"Why not? If I really am I traitor why don't I deserve every punishment I get."

"Because I don't want you to die before you're given a fair trial and a fair conviction. Are you done with him Matt? Can we take him now?"

Matt didn't reply and Ethan started forward. It was only then that Matt reached a decision. His hand shot out and stopped his friend. "No!"

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"This is my duty."

He walked to the cell door and threw it open with a wave of his hand. He walked inside. Ethan noticed the sports bag in his hand just as Arkarian caught a wave of his turbulent thoughts.

"What are you doing?" they asked in unison.

"Passing sentence."

"What do you mean? He hasn't been before the Tribunal yet."

"Carter's betrayal was first and foremost a betrayal of the Named, and I am the leader of the Named. Therefore it is my right to pass sentence. Do either of you have a problem with that?"

"Your father won't like this." said Arkarian mildly.

"My father can take it up with me later. I am passing sentence now."

He faced Carter, who flinched slightly, as Matt's arm swung at him. But the boy only threw the sports bag at his feet. He reached out and caught Carter's chin in his hand. The man didn't struggle. The aura of power in the room was tangible.

"Marcus Carter. For betrayal of the Named and the Guardians of Time I strip you of all powers and banish you forever. Go from this place and never return. From this day forth should you be found in any place that is not fully within the confines of the mortal realms or use any power that is beyond the mortal scope, or if one of our number ever lays eyes on you again within the length of your lifetime you will be shown no mercy. Do you understand?"

Ethan will hunt me down and kill me. The stray thought slipped out from under Carter's guards, but he didn't speak a word, just nodded.

"Go then." He pointed to the door.

Carter picked up the bag and walked out. He didn't look back.

"What are you doing?" asked Ethan. "You're just letting him go! He'll rejoin the Order."

"There's no Order left to join." said Arkarian. "The Goddess is dead."

"Well he'll come after us. He'll try to take revenge. He could try to hurt Isabel or Neriah."

"I won't let him." said Matt.

"Like you didn't let Marduke hurt Rochelle!" Matt recoiled as if he'd been punched. He stood speechless. "You're an idiot. And if you think I'm going to let you re-endanger everyone because you don't have the stomach to finish it you're mistaken." He ran after Carter.

"He didn't mean it." Said Arkarian.

"Yes he did. But that's okay. He was right."

Arkarian cast a sidelong look at Matt's frown. "You do know what you're doing?"

"Yes."

"You realise that you left him his weapon?"

"I know."

Ethan ran down the passage and out through the hidden door. He had no formed plan in his head but he felt he had to go after Carter.

Carter was only part of the way down the slope, just disappearing into the woodlands. Ethan stopped at the entrance to the cave. He didn't know what he intended. To go after him and exact revenge or just to shout a threat or a warning. But Carter's expression when he turned back up the hill to look at him knocked both thought and action out of his head. He had expected to see hate written there, or fear, or even triumph. He had not expected to see utter despair.