Chapter 4
Iris Kane strode to the front of the room, with my stake in her hand. It was twenty minutes into the trial and nothing interesting had happened so far; I'd completely spaced out.
"This is the most substantial piece of evidence we have in this investigation. This is Miss Hathaway's stake." She stated. No shit. "This has her, and hers only, fingerprints on it. She pulled out a bottle of clear liquid in it and sprayed it on my stake carefully. There was only one set of fingerprints on it, which was odd, considering that I had used that stake many times, and more than one someone's had touched it; I know for certain that at least two others had: whomevers it was before I claimed it, and the human who'd put it in the vault. So that was a bit odd. Not to mention that they weren't smudged it.
"Objection!" Abe's voice rang out through the room. "There is only one set of fingerprints on that stake. Rose has held it more than just the once. And if she had just cleaned the stake they would be smudged from the force of her hit."
"Well, why would her fingerprints be on a random person's stake?" Iris questioned.
"I don't know; maybe someone set her up."
"Miss Hathaway, do you have anything to say on this matter?" the judge asked me.
"Yes, actually, I do. I found that stake in Russia. I was being held captive by a group of Strigoi and they had humans working for them. The humans had been taking all things magical from people so they couldn't hurt the Strigoi, which means that there had to be at least three sets of fingerprints on it already. And Lissa held it when I came back to the Academy, so that's four, and there must be at least one more set on it since it was posted back to me from the Strigoi holding me captive. That's at least five people who've held it, so why is there only my fingerprints on it?"
"Who was the Strigoi holding you captive?" Iris questioned, like it was important, but I answered anyway.
"Dimitri Belikov."
"He's your former mentor, correct?" she asked. I nodded. "So what business did he have holding you in Russia?"
"I was looking for him." I stated flatly. I saw my mom's face change in my peripheral vision; she hadn't known why I was in Russia—well she knew I'd gone to hunt Strigoi, but not known why.
"Why? He was your teacher, nothing more, wasn't he?"
"Yes, but when I'd first returned to the academy, we'd both said that we'd rather die than become Strigoi." I closed my eyes, remembering. "He said that if he ever became Strigoi, he'd want someone to kill him. I was honouring his wishes." I practically growled that last part; Iris Kane was giving me a sceptical look.
"And it was nothing more than that?" she looked around the courtroom laughing. "Am I the only one who thinks that it's a bit strange for someone to go to such lengths for their teacher?" she was met by stony glares from the room. Nearly everyone here believed in me, not this stupid case.
"Miss Kane, I agree with you, but can we please get back to the matter at hand, we can address this issue at a later date." The judge spoke firmly, and Iris got back to it.
About ten minutes later the court was given a fifteen minute recess. When we came back, it would be Abe's turn to give evidence, which means actual witnesses to the stand.
But, of course, since I was the accused, I was cuffed to the chair and told not to move.
"Here in my hands, I hold our late queen's will." Abe announced, holding it up for everyone to see it.
"Would you like to read it aloud to the court?" Iris asked from the side where she was standing.
"Gladly." Abe then proceeded to read it to the court.
"My last will and testament, by Queen Tatiana Marina Ivashkov:
To start, I would like to announce that I choose Princess Vasilisa Dragomir to be my successor after I pass. This means that her guardian, Rosemarie Hathaway, would become the head of the royal guard by default as she already the Princesses guardian—that way, she will have backup, if ever needed. I had wished for this to happen under my reign, but, unfortunately, that was never possible.
I would like for my estate, and therefore, my money, to go to my great nephew, Lord Adrian Ivashkov. I loved him as my own son, as I have, unfortunately, never been able to have children.
I would like to grant Lady Natasha Ozera and Lord Christian Ozera's wishes for Moroi learning to fight and teaching defensive magic. I know they have been practising for years, and they are skilled enough to teach others. My only demand for this movement is that the Moroi aren't the ones teaching the physical combat; I would like for Rosemarie Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov to be the sole tutors of the combat side. I know the Princess would've instated them herself but I wanted the assurance of knowing the two most skilled guardians we have are teaching Moroi to fight.
My final wish is for Dimitri Belikov to be fully reinstated as a dhampir and a guardian. He is a good man, and I know he will help hugely when we rebel against the Strigoi. I trust Rosemarie with my life, and if she says he is no longer Strigoi, then he is no longer Strigoi.
And, Rosemarie, I hope you succeed. I wish you well on your journey."
"It is signed by the Queen, Damon Tarus, and Rufus Ivashkov. It is dated July 27th, 2010."
"She knew she was going to die." I whispered to myself. "She knew she was being hunted—that someone wanted her dead. She knew this would all happen."
"And how you know it is genuine, Mr Mazur?" Iris asked, strolling towards him.
"Well, since it's written in the Queen's own hand, and on official documented paper."
"How do you know it's not a forgery?"
"Because it lines up with the letter she left for Rose. The handwriting's the same, and the content is similar."
It was getting weirder and weirder by the second. I took the note Ambrose had given me from the back pocket in my slacks. I looked it over again and again. She'd written this knowing something was going to happen. Something terrible has happened. That's what the letter says. She'd written it recently—Vasilisa needs her spot on the council. Then she says waste no time in fulfilling it. If she hadn't known something bad was going to happen, she wouldn't have written a letter to me saying it was urgent; she'd have just summoned me and told me.
Meanwhile, Iris and Abe were still bantering at the front. It had only really been two minutes while I had thought of all this—I'd only really been half-listening to what they had been saying at the front, before completely tuning out.
"She knew it was going to happen." I blurted out loudly, standing up. Everyone turned to look at me. "She knew something bad was going to happen."
"And how did you come to that conclusion, Miss Hathaway?"
"This letter she gave me," I said holding it out. "Think about what the will says. Now read it and tell me it doesn't make sense! Tell me it isn't true! Because it is!"
"Miss Hathaway, I think you are trying to find a way out of a very sticky situation." She spat.
"I'm not trying anything." I retorted harshly.
Iris took a step towards me. "Didn't you threaten the Queen in an open council session, Miss Hathaway?" she said icily. She had a smirk on her face—and I didn't trust it one bit. I had no idea where this was going. I kept silent, but my silence spoke legions. She knew the answer already, and she took another step as she spoke. "So how do we know you didn't forge this note?"
"Because I was given it at the end of the hearing."
"By whom?"
"By Ambrose."
"Ambrose who?" she was now standing directly in front of me, with her hands on the desk between us.
"Ambrose Kinsley." I stated flatly. She was expecting me to come out with some bullshit name—she wasn't expecting me to name the queen's secret lover. The look on her face as she glared at me was priceless.
"I call Ambrose Kinsley to the stand." She called, her voice echoing through the now silent courtroom. There was some shuffling, and then Ambrose appeared in the aisle. He walked towards the stand, and climbed up.
"Mr Kinsley," she started, "did queen Tatiana give you this letter to give to Miss Hathaway?"
"I can't be certain, since she told me specifically not to read it, but it looks to be the same one."
"When, exactly, did she give you the note to give to Miss Hathaway?"
"Two days before her murder." His voice cracked on the last word, and I saw him swallow, trying to clear the lump in his throat.
"So, July 26th, Mr Kinsley?"
"Yes."
"And why did you not pass t straight onto Miss Hathaway? Why hold onto it for three days before finally giving it to her?"
"She told me I was not to read it, or give it to Rose, unless something bad happened to her."
"You and the queen were close, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"And she trusted you, right?"
"Yes."
"And when you last saw her, did she say she thought something was going to happen?"
"No, she didn't."
"But you could've protected her somewhat. Would she have not told you, someone she trusted, that she was feeling uneasy about her personal safety?"
"I can't tell you that. Maybe she was feeling uneasy, but didn't want to mention it. Maybe she thought it was a bad hunch that would go away."
"Would you not have realised from the fact she was telling you to give Miss Hathaway a letter in case something was to happen to her. Would you not have been in the slightest bit suspicious?"
"Yes, I was, but she didn't do things for no reason. She often did things like that. So I didn't think anything of it.
"Well, maybe you should've, Mr Kinsley. You are dismissed."
While this was happening, Abe had come to sit by me, and I had sat down. Ambrose went to sit back in his seat, and Abe rose to his feet.
"Do you have any witnesses to call to the stand, Mr Mazur?" the judge—Paula—asked.
"Yes, actually, I do. Lord Adrian Ivashkov, I call you to the stand." I heard Daniella whimper behind me. This was her worst fear: Adrian getting involved.
"Lord Ivashkov, at what time did you arrive at Rose's room on the evening of July 28th?"
"I don't know. I thought it was between seven and eight a.m., but at the hearing, the janitor said I arrived at nine twenty a.m. I'm not entirely sure, so I'll say between eight thirty and nine thirty a.m."
"And when you got there, what exactly did you do?"
"I don't think you really want to hear what I was doing with your daughter, Abe." There was a collective intake of breath from the audience watching—only my friends, Alberta, Mom, and Kirova knew.
"Oh, for Christ's sake!" I exclaimed. "It's not really that much of a shock, is it?" I motioned to my face and hair, and through the bond, I saw that Abe, standing behind me, was doing the same.
The judge banged her hammer thingy on the desk. "Quiet, please!" Abe and I turned back to Adrian.
"So, Adrian, you were doing unmentionable things with my daughter until what hour?"
"I stayed the night."
"I shouldn't have asked." He muttered to himself. "What time did you leave her room?"
"About twelve the next day. Rose had already left by the time I woke up, though."
"Do you have any questions, Your Honor?" Abe asked.
"No. You are dismissed, Lord Ivashkov." Adrian left the stand. "Miss Hathaway, would you take to the stand, please?" I got up. Iris stood below me.
"Miss Hathaway, what is your version of the night?"
"I got back to my room at five or six a.m. and Adrian turned up a few hours later."
"And these 'unmentionable' things…?"
"Are hardly unmentionable." I finished for her. "We made out for like two hours, and then went to sleep. That's it." I looked over to see Dimitri's fists clench on his legs.
"And at what time did you leave the next morning?"
"Ten p.m."
"And what did you do?"
"I went and got breakfast."
"And were you with anyone at breakfast?"
"Yes. I talked to Dimitri and one of his guardians for a few minutes. That's what I was doing when I was arrested."
"So, your teacher comes into the story yet again."
"Is there a problem with that?" I asked. She glared at me.
"I'm starting to wonder if there was something going on here. Weren't you holding his hand as you came in?"
"Yeah. That's hardly proof." Iris opened her mouth, obviously to take a snap at me, but the judge interrupted.
"Can we get back to the subject please?"
"What were you talking about?" she asked, obviously wanting to get more information on our relationship.
"His guardian asked me if I was going to the council, and Dimitri wanted to know why I'd said they probably wouldn't let me in. Does that satisfy you?" I asked, mockingly.
"Can you tell me exactly how the conversation went?"
"Objection!" Abe shouted. "That is a completely unreasonable question."
"Granted." The judge allowed.
"I have no further questions."
"Miss Hathaway, you are dismissed." I climbed down, and the judge asked one more question as I was walking back to my seat. "Any more witnesses? Mr Mazur, Miss Kane?"
When they didn't reply, she declared another recess. After that, the council would vote on the verdict…and I would find out if I dot the privilege of life.
"Court is now in session!" the hammer slammed on the desk, and everything seemed to go in slow motion from the sound.
"The council will now vote on the outcome of the trial." They were assembled at the front of the room, and I was so nervous, I was shaking. Abe saw me, and put a hand over mine as comfort. It didn't work, but I smiled at him anyway.
"You'll get out of this, no matter what the verdict." He said very seriously. That didn't calm me any. Then they started the votes.
"Badica."
"Not Guilty."
"Conta?"
"Not Guilty."
"Dashkov?"
"Guilty."
"Drozdov?"
"Guilty."
"Lazar?"
"Guilty."
"Ozera?"
"Not Guilty."
"Szelsky?"
"Guilty."
"Tarus?"
"Not Guilty."
"Voda?
"Not Guilty."
"Zeklos?"
"Guilty."
"Ivashkov?"
The whole world froze in that one moment. It was five to five. Fifty-fifty. This vote will either save my life, or end it.
"Guilty."
The whole world froze for just one second, and then: "I announce that Rosemarie Hathaway is guilty of High Treason: Murder of the Queen." The sound of her hammer echoed through the room.
"NO!"
His voice came from not far behind me, and as he broke the tension, I lost my composure. I started to cry, Lissa started to cry…he broke down completely; crying into his hands on the floor with his sisters hovering over him, trying to get him to stand so he could go.
The guardians came up on either side of me, lifting me and they started to drag me out of the courtroom, and then I heard one simple sound from behind me.
"No."
I was listening to Rihanna as I was writing this chapter and I found two sons I think go really well with the chapter.
Wait your Turn
It's just the way
The game is played
It's best if you just
Wait your turn
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
I pitch with a grenade
Swing away if you're
Feeling brave
There's so much power
In my name
If you pop off in your seat
Steady
I'm gonna do the wave
I'm such a
Such a lady
You don't have to be
So afraid
Cause I got room
Up on my team
You can play
But hold up
It's just the way
The game is played
It's best if you just
Wait your turn
It's getting crowded
Over here
But babe
The wait is ova
Sometimes it takes
A thousand tries
To win
The wait is ova
Fumble
Don't you fumble
That's a flag on the play
Babe if you don't wanna
Then you don't have to wait
But together
We gon' be taking over
It's just the way
The game is played
It's best if you just
Wait your turn
So you don't wanna wait
I hate to hear
That's such a shame
'Cos if you play it sideways
Ain't no timeout in my game
They you already underway
I know you want to win
And you wish
I would let you in
Get in line over here
You can play
But hold up
It's just the way
The game is played
It's best if you just
Wait your turn
It's getting crowded
Over here
But babe
The wait is ova
Sometimes it takes
A thousand tries
To win
The wait is ova
Fumble
Don't you fumble
That's a flag on the play
Babe if you don't wanna
Then you don't have to wait
But together
We gon' be taking over
It's just the way
The game is played
It's best if you just
Wait your turn
Baby put the work in
Like a champion
But the crowd is screaming
With their hands way up
Couldn't be with no one else
You're the only way
I win
Baby got the whole world
Standing up
Damn I'm glad I picked ya
Took a chance on love
Baby love
The time is now
And now
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
(just wait your turn)
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
(just wait your turn)
It's getting crowded
Over here
But babe
The wait is ova
Sometimes it takes
A thousand tries
To win
The wait is ova
Fumble
Don't you fumble
That's a flag on the play
Babe if you don't wanna
Then you don't have to wait
But together
We gon' be taking over
It's just the way
The game is played
It's best if you just
Wait your turn
Just wait your turn
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
The wait is ova
Russian Roulette
Take a breath, take it deep
Calm yourself, he says to me
If you play, you play for keeps
Take the gun, and count to three
I'm sweating now, moving slow
No time to think, my turn to go
[Chorus:]
And you can see my heart, beating
You can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving
I know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (trigger x4)
[Verse 2:]
Say a prayer, to yourself
He says close your eyes,
Sometimes it helps
And then I get, a scary thought
That he's here, means he's never lost
[Chorus:]
And you can see my heart, beating
Oh you can see it through my chest
And I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
[Verse 3:]
As my life flashes before my eyes
I'm wondering will I, ever see another sunrise?
So many won't get the chance to say goodbye
But it's too late to pick up the value of my life
[Chorus:]
And you can see my heart, beating
Oh oh you can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
And you can see my heart, beating
Oh you can see it through my chest
I I I'm terrified but I'm not leaving (no, no)
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
So what do you think of this? I've been trying to come up with ideas for it for about a month now, and I know you've all wanted to see it for ages, but I wanted it to be perfect. There is a bit in the middle that I found quite hard to write, so that's not very good, but I think the rest is pretty good. R&R. Thank you :D