Chapter 19
Killer Queen
XXXXXXX
All conversation in the gallery came to a stop when Don Perdigo rose. Even Ocella ended his nonstop chatter with the small group of well-wishers who had him surrounded. It was time to begin.
As Don Perdigo warned the gallery against loud comments, cheering, jeering or disruptive behavior, Ocella again looked about the stage, searching for the source of the infernal clicking. If only he could discover it before he was called upon to testify, he would take great pleasure in stomping whatever it was as he walked across the floor.
His eyes came to rest on Sookie. She was almost pretty, sitting so demurely with her hands in her lap.
Hortensia would never have been such a wallflower.
The thought of Hortensia brought an unbidden smile to his lips. Hortensia did not go quietly to her death. She preached and railed against the injustices of Roman law until the last. She was fearless.
Ocella was still lost in thoughts of Rome gone by when he was jarred back to the present by Oliver trudging past him. Her servant. No telling what story he would tell to try and have his Mistress released. Ocella leaned up to whisper into Eric's ear. "I suppose he will give a false confession in order to offer himself in place of his Mistress?"
"He will not," Eric replied simply.
"When this is over, we will discuss the obscenity of her garb. It wasn't as clever as you might think for you to have dressed her thus. Even covered in flowers, she will die before sunrise. She is a walking funeral. I think you should bring me the sash before you kill her. We'll have it mounted and framed, so it is a proper keepsake." Ocella settled back into his chair.
Eric resisted the temptation to protest his innocence. Ermessen dressed Sookie, not him. The thought alone was enough to make him cringe. Even with Sookie's life in the balance, it hurt that his Maker thought ill of him. He would give anything to be free of those feelings. He stiffened his back and remained silent.
Every pair of eyes but one in the auditorium was fixed on Oliver as he gave his account of Alexei's death, exactly as his Mistress had instructed. His obvious discomfort and reluctance to speak were perceived to be mere loyalty, his not wishing to offer evidence against his employer. None suspected his words were false and he was enduring great emotional and even physical pain by speaking them.
Ermessen only had eyes for Appius. His movements and reactions alone held her interest. She'd watched his puzzled expression as he searched out the clicking sound, the furrow of his brow deepening with each subtle tick. She'd seen the far away expression as he stared at Sookie's dress and hadn't missed the change in his demeanor when he snapped out of his memory and realized he was looking at a woman he loathed.
Inside, she was giddy. Everything was moving briskly along just as she'd planned, as if she'd distributed copies of a carefully crafted script. On the outside, her visage never faltered from its serene nobility.
Oliver made it through his half-mumbled testimony without making direct eye contact with anyone until the end, at which point he looked pleadingly at Sookie, his eyes begging her to allow him to recant his testimony and tell the court what really happened when Alexei met is true death.
Sookie returned his look with a gentle smile. "Tomorrow you will be free. Take good care of Mina."
Oliver bowed and made his way out of the auditorium.
When he'd gone, Mina was brought in. She was a pitiful sight, near hysterics and being half dragged. When she saw Sookie, she tore free of her escorts and rushed the stage. She collapsed at her Mistress's feet and looked as though she was trying to secret herself among the folds of hydrangea print fabric.
As Mina groped for the comfort of Sookie's hand, she disturbed the blooms sewn so carefully onto the sash. Several fragile petals were broken loose. As they wafted to the floor, Ocella was sorely tempted to rescue them. He was actually half raised from his chair before he caught himself and controlled the urge. He settled back into his seat with no one, save Ermessen, having even noticed.
All attempts to question Mina were futile. At times she didn't appear to understand what was happening, and at others she seemed to be in shock and reliving the experience through little more than a series of terrified looks and gestures. Her only consistent utterance was her bloodcurdling scream. With every mention of Alexei's name, she sounded as if someone was rending her flesh. Not Ocella's raving, nor Don Perdigo's soft pleading, could elicit anything approaching a coherent story from her.
"The child is being driven mad by the loss of her Maker," the Pythoness said at last. "We will learn nothing of value from her. Return her to her caretakers. We will hear from the accused and make our judgment."
Mina was dragged away clutching her tear stained face in her hands, and leaving her Mistress once again alone at center stage.
Sookie dropped her eyes and saw the pale and broken purple hortensia petals on the floor. I must be strong. I can't let this situation wilt me as though I were more delicate than the flowers sewn to my dress. Resolve stiffened her spine and when she raised her eyes, they were filled with the determination to face whatever was going to be thrown at her. Somehow, not needing to take a deep breath for fortification gave her a surge of confidence. Let them come. She was ready for them all.
As soon as the heavy wooden doors closed with Mina on the other side, Sookie stood. Her move was unexpected since she had not yet been asked to offer her testimony. Everyone in the room, even Ermessen, turned to her and stared. The floor was hers and Ocella was furious.
"There is no need for anyone else to be forced to speak," Sookie announced in a firm, steady voice. The sound of it was so confident; even she was surprised by the lack of even the slightest tremor. "The facts will not change. Mina Carter was my favorite pet and servant. Without my knowledge or consent, Alexei Romanov made her vampire. I visited him to request she be returned and he refused. As her Queen, I claimed her and Alexei still refused to let her leave with me. He threatened me with violence and I staked him. I sent him to his true death and recovered my pet. I do not regret my actions and I will not apologize for refusing to give up what is mine."
She stole my thunder! Now I have to turn opinions away from her rather than the other way around. "You bitch!" Ocella shrieked. "The rights of a Maker outweigh all others. You cannot assert rights you do not have! No Queen, especially an American Queen can come here and stake someone because they will not turn over their progeny. It is madness! Our laws and traditions forbid it! It will not be borne!"
She'd ruined everything. According to his plan, Sookie wasn't supposed to speak until after he'd given a dramatic account of the suffering she'd caused.
"Calm down, Ocella," Sookie snapped. "Your head looks like it might explode." She lifted a hand and ran her fingers along the bottom edge of her Alexandrite necklace. "We all know how fond you are of Russian things. Especially your little Russian abomination. That's what all this is about, isn't it? I wonder if you'd be so put out if I'd staked your Norseman instead of your Romanov?"
Ocella broke eye contact first. "Do you hear her?!" he screeched to Don Perdigo and the Pythoness. "She offends with every word from her lips! I demand your decision! Condemn her now and let us be rid of her!"
"Everyone take their seats," Don Perdigo replied in a calm manner. "The Pythoness and I will consider the evidence we have heard this evening and render our decision." He returned to his chair and began a quiet conversation with the Pythoness as the hum of gallery gossip began.
Sookie didn't look at Ocella again. She sat, hands in her lap, twisting her little charm as she faced forward looking out at her audience. Had she swayed their opinion? She wasn't sure. From their expressions, it appeared they might be fifty-fifty on her side, but it didn't matter at this point. What was done was done. All that mattered now was the judgment of the court. Eric seemed to think Pythoness favored her, but she had no idea about Don Perdigo, and she couldn't help but wonder who would break the tie if they had differing opinions about what should be done?
XXXXXXX
After what seemed to be a ridiculously short time; no more than ten minutes, if that long, Don Perdigo stood, slowly taking a wide, sweeping look around the gallery as he did. As his gaze came to rest on Sookie, he offered a courtly bow before speaking. "Would you be good enough to stand, Your Majesty?"
Sookie released her grip on the charm and stood at once. For one of the few times ever, she was truly grateful for being a telepath. She mentally reached out and invaded the minds of the few humans and other creatures in the room. Somehow focusing on the reaction to hearing her death sentence seemed much more tolerable than actually listening to it herself.
Ocella's eyes danced with excitement and anticipation. The moment he'd been waiting for was arriving.
Eric was on the edge of imploding. Nothing remained of him but an ever-tightening bundle of raw nerves, pulsating with pain and fury. He was going to be sick, or slaughter something, or begin screaming obscenities, maybe all at once. Or perhaps he would just faint. He'd never fainted before. This was as good a time as any to have a new experience.
No, fainting wouldn't do. He had to keep his wits about him and an eye on Ocella. At this point, if Ocella varied at all from what was expected of him, all hope for Sookie would be lost.
Don Perdigo's words rang clearly through the auditorium. "Queen Sookie, by your own admission, you have committed an offense against our laws which cannot be ignored by your fellow vampires. You have intentionally caused the true death of a vampire who had committed no unlawful act against you.
The penalty for your actions has long established precedent in both our laws and our traditions. It is two-fold and must be carried out before the next rising of the sun. The punishment for your crime is true death."
Though few in attendance required breathing, there was a collective gasp throughout the gallery, followed by an eerie silence as the witnesses waited for Don Perdigo to speak again. Everyone knew what it had to be, yet hearing the death sentence pronounced for the pretty young American Queen was still shocking.
"In keeping with tradition, the right of being the ultimate arbiter of your sentence lies with Appius Livius, our esteemed guest from Italy and Maker of the vampire Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov." Don Perdigo turned to Ocella.
"Appius Livius, please stand."
Triumph spread across Appius's face as he complied with Don Perdigo's request. Despite his best efforts to appear grave and somber, the edged of his mouth twitched as a grin fought to overtake his lips.
Don Perdigo continued. "Do you wish to exercise your rights in this matter and accept the irrevocable responsibility for naming the executioner and method of execution to be administered?"
"I do," Ocella replied. He looked at Sookie and was profoundly disappointed and annoyed to find she was not looking back at him. She didn't appear to be at all interested in the proceedings. She was staring off into the audience as if one of the stunned onlookers was doing something demanding more of her attention than her own execution.
"I name my remaining progeny, my Norseman, Eric, to avenge the death of his brother by tearing the heart from this murderous creature and staking it in his hand."
Eric's eyes closed as he felt the weight of the situation begin to lighten and shift.
"He's going to make her husband kill her!"
The thought flashing through the head of a human companion of one of the gallery vampires shoved Sookie's attention back to the stage. Eric's eyes were closed. Is that good or bad? She looked to Don Perdigo, but his countenance revealed nothing. She couldn't bring herself to even glance at Ocella. She had a sudden urge to run, though she knew it would accomplish nothing. She wouldn't make it off the stage, let alone out of the auditorium.
The Pythoness made a small gesture to Don Perdigo and he leaned in close to her. "My fellow judge has a question for the convicted," he announced as he assisted her to her feet.
"You have been convicted of a grievous act and you have not proclaimed your innocence. Since the dawn of civilization it has been the right of those judged guilty to confess before meeting their doom. Shall we summon you a priest?"
Sookie stared into the ancient blind eyes, wishing she could enter the mind behind them. A priest? "I have already confessed," she sputtered.
"Indeed?" The Pythoness replied. "To whom have you made your confession? It must be entered into the record."
"I have confessed to the only person who matters," Sookie replied, holding her head high and speaking so all could hear. "To my husband, my lover, and my King. I have confessed to Eric Northman."
There was another gasp, not as loud this time, and followed not by silence, but a spattering of low whispers.
Ocella began to laugh.
Everyone else on the stage was quiet and the whispers in the gallery grew until Pythoness raised a frail hand. When the chatter died, the ancient Pythoness spoke, and surprised almost everyone in the room.
"In what can only be described as a demonstration of tremendous generosity, Appius Livius has bestowed amnesty on the convicted. Queen Sookie, you are free to go."
The sudden release from the stress of the moment impacted Eric much more than he'd expected and threatened to drop him to his knees, but he tightened his grip on Ocella's chair back and managed to remain upright.
Ocella's shriek shook the very walls of the medieval building. "WHAT?!"
His entire body was trembling with his rage and his eyes stretched open so wide they appeared as if they might bulge from their sockets and roll away.
Ermessen was already on her feet and heading for the stage stairs near Eric and Ocella. She moved with the patiently determined purpose of a lioness stalking her prey, yet such grace and fluidity few had cause to notice her progress.
"The law is clear," Pythoness said. "Once they are made before witnesses, your choices are irrevocable. Thus far, your actions portray you in a beneficent light. That perception is the only thing within your power to change at this point. I would ask you to consider this before you react any further."
Ocella stepped toward her, his fists in tight balls at his sides.
Sookie took an instinctive half-step forward, as if to stand between the tiny ancient and the approaching soldier. Her sash swayed with her movement, causing the sewn on blooms to flutter.
Always too brave, came the unbidden thought to Ocella's mind. Hortensia never has known when to fall back and leave the fight to those who know the way of the sword. He stared at the purple blossoms, momentarily frozen by his memories.
He glanced up into Sookie's face and was immediately brought back to the present situation. "You!" he snarled.
Sookie clasped her hands together and began twisting the roof of the little house so quickly it was in danger of coming apart.
Ocella's eyes darted to Sookie's squirming fingers. "It was you!"
"Accusations are unnecessary," Pythoness said, her voice taking on the condescending tone of someone who has given up all pretense of trying to make another see what is perfectly plain to her. "The Queen has confessed and her account has been corroborated. There is no question it was her. Take your seat so we can close the proceedings." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and released a small groan, as if the effort caused her discomfort. "Will King Eric come forth to be questioned?"
Eric came forward in an instant.
"This American bitch is NOT Hortensia!" Ocella wailed. "Not if you covered her in gardens of flowers! Eric, sit down!"
Despite his overwhelming desire to crush Ocella's skull, Eric helplessly stepped back toward his chair.
"Appius," Pythoness began. "Despite your charitable decision to have her life spared, I feel certain even Queen Sookie is in no humor to discuss gardening at present. There are more pressing matters at hand. Kindly retake your seat."
"Why do you keep saying I have spared the murderer's life?!" Ocella demanded. "She staked my Alexei! She is to be executed! The Norseman is going to rip out her dead heart! Everyone present heard me claim my rights! Even you cannot deny me!"
Ermessen was on the stage now. She touched Eric's shoulder as she passed him.
The reassuring gesture did much to lessen his anxiety. Ermessen was true to her word. She would step up and provide what Eric could not. Ocella could rail and make demands until the end of time, but Sookie would not suffer by his hand while Ermessen lived. She paused only a few feet behind Ocella.
"Deny you?" Pythoness questioned. "This court has offered you every accommodation and courtesy. As you so aptly pointed out, everyone present heard and saw you being offered your rights, and you claimed them. There are no secrets here. The gallery overflows with witnesses who can attest to every letter of the law being administered." She faced Ocella as if her eyes could see every contortion of his expression. "Every letter," she reiterated. "King Eric, did the prisoner make her confession to you?"
Eric stood, but did not attempt to approach. "She did," he answered.
"And do you believe she gave you a truthful and complete accounting of her crimes?"
"I do."
"And as her priest, have you offered her your forgiveness?"
Ocella's bemusement turned to incredulous anger. "Her priest? What contrived lunacy is this?"
"In my eyes, she is forgiven all," Eric replied to Pythoness, ignoring Ocella's complaint.
"The law is clear," the ancient said, returning her sightless stare to Ocella. "A malefactor must never be executed by their confessor. The two roles must be maintained as separate and mutually exclusive, regardless of circumstance."
"But a proper confessor must be a priest!" Ocella ranted. "Eric is no priest! He is a warrior! A killer! Confessing to him means nothing!"
"Enough, sir!" came an emphatic deep voice from near the doors at the back of the auditorium. A male vampire stood and shrugged from beneath a hooded cape. "I am unfamiliar with you or the particulars of this proceeding, but when your insults extend to me, I will not suffer them in silence."
The hint of a knowing smile tilted the lip of the ancient oracle.
Sookie thought the vampire looked familiar, but she could not readily place him.
"Who the hell are you?" Ocella shouted. "I have directed no insult at you. You are unknown to me."
In a flash, the vampire was standing at center stage, his cape swirling about him. "By refuting Eric Northman's status as a legally ordained minister, you call into question the validity of my own marriage, since he was the officiate."
All reason left Ocella's mind and face; it was as if the world was suddenly turned on its side and all logic and sense had been taken away. "What do I care if Eric amuses himself playing at being a matchmaker? He has an execution to carry out!"
"He cannot be her executioner if he is her confessor," the vampire countered. "I know him to be a minister, sir. If he has heard her confession, he cannot execute her. Our laws forbid it."
"OUR laws?" Ocella demanded. "Who are you? By what authority do you interrupt this trial?"
"My name is Bartlett Crowe, if you must know. Like Eric, I am a King in America. Indiana, my realm is called. In his capacity as an ordained minister, Eric Northman officiated over the joining of my life and my kingdom with that of the King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington. If you require verification of my claim, I refer you to the ancient and honored Pythoness. She was present at my wedding in Rhodes." Bartlett turned to Pythoness and bowed low. "It is an honor to be in your presence again," he said solemnly.
"Would that our meeting was not in such tumultuous conditions," she said with a slight chuckle.
"How can you laugh?" Ocella's voice was cracking under the strain. "What about the execution? I will choose another executioner."
"Appius Livius!" she snapped back at him. "You were not asked to select an honor guard. You claimed your right to choose an executioner. One executioner. Either you were mistaken in your choice, or I was mistaken in my interpretation of the generosity of your choice. In either case, the choice was made and now it cannot be unmade. You chose Eric Northman, but he is an ordained minister of the Church of the Loving Spirit and he is her confessor. Therefore it is impossible for him to be her executioner, regardless of your ill-made choice. If she cannot be executed, she must be released. That is the law. It has always been the law. There is nothing you or I or anyone else in this room can do to alter the facts.
If confessors followed granting absolution with personally carrying out the execution, no one would ever willingly confess.
For future reference, you may wish to keep yourself apprised of your progeny's activities, in order to maintain a better informed, if not closer relationship with them. For the time being, I would recommend you demonstrate a bit of grace in coping with your decisions."
The exertion of reprimanding Ocella seemed to take a toll on her. Her frame wavered under her slight weight. Bartlett came to her aid on one side and Sookie stepped toward her other.
The moment Sookie moved, Ocella cracked. "I'll do it myself!" he cried, lunging toward her, fingers extended like gnarled claws, ready to shred the flesh concealing her heart.
The player on stage who few had noticed until now, made her move. Ermessen withdrew the carved mangrove stake from a narrow pocket hidden in the folds of her skirts. She leapt and descended on Ocella with a ferocity few had ever witnessed from her.
Eric watched her with admiration and gratitude. Even as the sharp pain of his Maker being staked ran through him, he smiled.
As Ermessen landed on Ocella's back, Sookie, the Pythoness and Bartlett dodged out of their way. Seconds later Ocella was dead, Ermessen was stepping back from her kill and Eric was on one knee clutching his stomach.
"Eric!" Sookie cried, forgetting decorum and running to his side. When she was within arms reach, he grabbed her and pulled her to him.
Few in the gallery could decide where their stares should be focused, so they ended up bobbing their heads from one direction to another, catching only short glimpses of the players before moving on to gape at someone else.
The low murmuring of the crowd was growing and the Pythoness decided to speak while she could still be heard above the din. She stepped out of Bartlett's protective grip and announced, "The trial is over. Please clear the gallery."
There were questions on the lips of many, but no one dared defy the instructions of an ancient. The audience left, taking their confusion and curiosity with them.
XXXXXXX
"I think we can all agree, Her Majesty, the Queen of Spain was wise to act so decisively where Appius Livius was concerned," Don Perdigo said with a nod to Ermessen.
"I grew weary of his histrionics," Ermessen replied with a grin. "Tolerating his bombasts and incessant complaints was difficult enough. Surely he can't have expected me to sit idly by as he attacked visiting royalty … even if she is a convicted murderess."
"Convicted, yes, but is she truly guilty?" Don Perdigo wondered aloud.
"It doesn't matter," Sookie said, not taking her eyes off Eric or releasing her hold on him. "It's over now."
"Eric, my friend, you chose well. She is indeed worthy of the crown you fought to give her. My own Saaset could learn from her."
Eric looked up. "I had no question."
"Are you alright?" Ermessen asked. "I will have to send for more guards if you intend to go mad from Maker loss."
Eric shot her a killer grin. "Being rid of my Maker is a pain I welcome gratefully. I will bear it with no difficulty. Thank you."
"The pleasure was mine," she countered with a smile of her own. "All of your things have been returned to the villa when you both feel up to moving."
Eric placed a hand under Sookie's chin and tilted her face up to face him. "Shall we? We are both free to go."
"With you? I'm always ready to go with you." Sookie beamed as she spoke. "Just one quick thing." She turned to the Pythoness. "The ceremony you mentioned, the Maker transfer, I want to be Mina's Maker. Can you do it, please?"
The ancient smiled her crooked smile. "A Transuma Caerimonia? It is a simple ceremony, and one I would be pleased to perform for you. Go now. Come back tomorrow evening and bring Mina with you. We will see it done."
"Before everyone is gone, there is one other matter which needs to be addressed."
Bartlett Crowe was standing near the doors at the back of the auditorium. He was not alone. "The man who brought me here wishes to make a request."
He had to lean on Sookie for a moment, but Eric stood. "We are in your debt, Bartlett. Please come forward with your companion so he may be heard."
"Thank you, Eric, but I can be heard from here, if you can listen from there." The man pushed back the cowl of his cape.
"Grandfather?!" Sookie cried.
"The Brigant," the Pythoness whispered.
"My realm appears to be awash in faeries of late," Ermessen said in a tone expressing something very near disgust.
"A condition I hope you will allow me to rectify, Your Majesty," Niall said to Ermessen with an elegant bow, though he came no closer.
"What do you propose?" the Pythoness asked from her chair. "Arranging for King Bartlett's appearance here this evening is surely sufficient for us to hear any request you may have. Your scent is well masked. You need not fear approaching."
"One need not be fearful to act with caution, my wise friend," Niall said in such an affable tone, it was necessary to see his smile to know it was there. "If it does not offend, I shall maintain my position here."
"As you wish. Please, speak."
Niall made individual eye contact with each vampire in attendance before speaking, to make it clear he was addressing the collective and the response he would expect would need to be one agreed upon by the group.
"There were lately three vampire abductions in this region. As I believe you are all aware, these abductions were carried out at the behest of a faerie by the name of Aednat, who believes herself a competitor for my position.
Two of the abductees suffered greatly at the hands of two of Aednat's followers. As I understand it, the vampire Alexei, who was in turn killed by my great-granddaughter, Queen Sookie, killed these two faeries.
Since your vengeance against the two directly responsible for your suffering has already been satisfied by the deceased Alexei, I ask that I be permitted to take custody of Aednat and her remaining followers, along with my commitment to see them confined within the land of the fae for the remainder of her life."
Don Perdigo rose to address Niall. "Under usual conditions this would be an acceptable proposal. However, is it not the case that Aednat was previously a prisoner under your supervision, and she escaped your care to bring these troubles on us?"
"Your information is partially correct, Don Perdigo. Aednat herself was never actually convicted of any wrongdoing. Her husband was an attempted usurper. He was killed during his attempted insurrection. Aednat was spared prosecution in exchange for her vow not to seek revenge or follow in her husband's footsteps.
Clearly she has broken her vow and she will not receive leniency again. She will be dealt with, with sufficient severity to guarantee her confinement and to make her an example for any others who may harbor similar thoughts."
Again, it was Don Perdigo who spoke up. "If there are no objections, my Saaset was among the captives, but she is not present here. Though decision is within my rights to make, I would wish to hear her thoughts first."
"And Sookie may want to try and talk to Mina about it," Eric added.
"I'm not sure how much good it would do," Sookie whispered.
"Of course," Niall said. "Tomorrow night then, after the transfer ceremony; will that allow you enough time for your discussions?"
"We will reach a consensus, and have an answer for you by then," Pythoness assured before standing. "If someone will call for my bearers, I will retire for the evening. You have been given a great gift, Sookie. I look forward to seeing what you do with it."