AN/ Hi, I'm finally getting faster at posting these chapters again :) I am so happy to be back!
Thank you for all the feedback I received for the last chapter.
This story is getting darker and darker, just to warn you... I hope you enjoy it though.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin' it
Chapter 26
The Trial
The lump in my throat grew and my chest ached from the loss of hope as I flew in and out through every door that was open, desperately trying to find a way out of the building. There were hardly any windows and the few that actually existed were closed. The main door was shut and locked and so far I hadn't found any open fireplaces or vent systems that could provide a way out for me. I constantly had o hide behind furniture and other things as people walked by.
Time was beginning to run out. It was getting dark outside and I knew that even if I got out now, I probably wouldn't be able to find Claire and bring her back here before it was too late.
Getting pretty desperate, I flew around a corner, entering yet another room. It was fairly small with almost no furniture. There hung a chandelier from the ceiling. A row of closets were placed along the northern wall and on the opposite wall hung a mirror. The room almost looked like a dressing room, making me figure that this was probably the place where they went to prepare themselves for their big assemblies.
Long curtains covered the only window and a beautiful handmade carpet lay on the floor. I didn't have time to admire it though as I noticed the blond girl looking at herself in the mirror. I quickly snuck into a closet that hadn't been fully shut.
Making my way through the robes and other pieces of clothing, I ended up in the back of it. I panted, catching my breath and hoping that she hadn't noticed me. I knew that it was very likely that I had been reflected in the mirror, and I almost got a heart attack when Evelyn suddenly began to speak.
"It's been a long time Gabriella," she said, "and yet I remember everything so clearly, like it was only yesterday…"
Realizing that she was talking to herself, I plucked up the courage and peeked outside.
"I'm sorry you couldn't stick around to see this, but that's what it's like to be mortal." She smirked. "Your interference didn't' do much, but delayed it all… and it doesn't really matter anymore. Tonight the last soul will be sacrificed and not only will I get eternal life I'll also get revenge on the Brewers and you."
She put her hands on her hips, striking a pose in front of the mirror.
"Thank you, Miss Crawford for providing me a new body. The one I used to have a couple of hundred years ago started to feel…old." She burst out laughing at her own 'joke'.
"Excuse me Miss?"
Evelyn spun around, meeting Finnegan's gaze.
"Yes?"
"The brothers are gathering," he said. "And the dagger is ready."
"Good," Evelyn smiled. "And the prisoners?"
"The boy is being prepared."
"And the bird?"
"Well, about that…" Finnegan hesitated.
"What?!" Evelyn tensed and a flash of worry showed in her eyes.
"The bird's…gone." Finnegan said, cringing slightly as Evelyn clenched her jaw. "Randolph couldn't have hung the cage properly and it fell and broke. The bird…"
"Well, what are you waiting for?! FIND IT!" Evelyn ordered, throwing her hands in the air.
"Yes, I will." Finnegan said and hurried out.
As soon as he was gone Evelyn's gaze fell to the floor and she seemed to be thinking for a moment. Then suddenly her eyes fixed on the closet I was in and she smirked. My heart skipped a beat and I hid behind some garments.
Evelyn got closer, slightly pushing the door close, as she placed her mouth against it.
"I know you're in there Kimberly," she whispered, making me shiver. "Don't worry, it's okay. You're welcome to stay here all night. You see I don't really need you…"
With that she closed the closet, trapping me inside.
In the darkness I could hear her talk.
"I've got your boy Kimberly, and by taking him, I'm gonna destroy you." a soft giggle was the last thing I heard before she walked away.
~~~Wings of Love~~~
Panicking in the pitch dark closet, I searched for a way out, but to no avail. If I could've I would've cried from hopelessness. I couldn't bear the thought of what she might do to Jack, but there was absolutely nothing that I could do to stop her.
Just as I thought that this was the way it would all end, I heard voices.
"I'll be out in a minute," a man said. "You go ahead and start. They're all waiting."
"Yes, sir," another voice answered. A voice I recognized as Finnegan's.
In the next moment the closet suddenly opened. I briefly saw the face of George Kingsley, before I took my chance and bolted. He was obviously looking for something in the closet and he jerked startled as I passed by him. He saw me, but didn't really seem to care much and I doubted that he knew who I was.
"How in the world did you get in here?" he mumbled, shaking his head before continuing to search through the closet.
I flew out off the room and caught up with Finnegan who was on his way to the Great Hall. Being careful not to be seen, I kept my distance.
The Great Hall was full of people and I quickly flew up towards the high ceiling, hiding on top of one of the wooden balks that went across the room.
The seats were all taken, except for the four up front which I guessed were reserved for someone important. Every man in the room was dressed in black and they were all completely quiet. All that could be heard was the footsteps of Finnegan who slowly walked up the aisle and all the way up to the platform up front. There he turned around and looked out at all the men. I felt another shiver down my back, the atmosphere being down right creepy.
"Brothers of the Fireguard, we have gathered here today to honor the victims of the Witch." Finnegan started to speak. "It's the anniversary as you all know. Our most important gathering of the whole year. The ninth moon will rise tonight." He paused slightly, before holding up a finger for emphasis. "But this night is something more; it's even greater than that. This night marks the 225th anniversary, and the ninth generation is truly here to bring an end to the terror of the Witch!"
Applause filled the room and Finnegan got even more excited as he gestured to the painting hanging in front.
"Gabriella's descendant is walking among us. Let me present her great, great, great, great, great, great granddaughter Kimberly Crawford!"
The doors from where we entered opened again and the girl entered. Everyone in the room watched her as she walked up to Finnegan, believing she was their savior.
She waved and smiled at the crowd.
"Thank you for inviting me," she said. "This is a special night indeed. This is the night I'm gonna fulfill my destiny and the curse will no longer be."
She received applause and I frowned. If only they knew…
Evelyn sat down on one of the empty chairs, looking disturbingly smug. I was trying to come up with some kind of idea, but things kept happening beneath me and I could do nothing, but watch.
"Miss Crawford is not only our guest. She is an important witness against the accused, yes, but she is also here to really put a stop to the hundreds of year long curse that has haunted this town and its citizens.
Now, let me introduce our trustworthy leader Gregory Kingsley!"
Mr Kingsley made his entrance and took over from Finnegan who went to sit next to Evelyn.
"Thank you Finnegan," Kingsley began. "For this evening, we have finally tracked down the soul that couldn't be killed. The soul that was left in the burning flames is here and it's going to be judged." He looked at the empty chair next to Finnegan and wrinkled his forehead.
"Where's Mr Dayton?"
"I don't know sir. He should be on his way." Finnegan answered.
"Well, we can't delay. Most of us are here, so let's begin!" Mr Kingsley announced.
"Bring forth the accused!"
Everyone's attention turned to the door to the right. A man with one of those creepy black masks came out. Holding on to a chain that ran over his right shoulder, he was obviously pulling something along. Two more men appeared right after, wearing the same kind of masks. They were each holding on to one long stick or staff, not too unlike the boo-staffs we used at the dojo. Holding by the end of the staffs, they too seemed to pull something along. Even though I was expecting it, the sight of Jack made my legs give away underneath me.
His hands and feet were still chained like before and he was still gagged. The collar had been replaced with another one. This one was also made of iron, but it had loops, like small hitching rings attached to it. In the ring upfront was the chain the man was pulling on fastened. The wooden staffs were fastened on either side of the collar, keeping the men on a safe distance from him, while at the same time letting them have full control over him. And last but not least, a fourth member of the brotherhood was walking, holding a spear against Jack's back.
They treated him like he was some kind of man-eating monster, which wasn't far from their beliefs.
Jack seemed to be okay though, at least physically as he was brought forward. He was scared, of course and his wide eyes darted around the room.
They stopped in front of the alter. Turning Jack so that he was facing the crowd, they forced him to his knees, pulling him down by the collar. The first man fastened the chain to a small, iron hitching ring in the floor, making sure that Jack wouldn't be able to get up and leave. He then joined the rest of the crowd. The man behind Jack, put the spear down and went up to stand very close to the boy, while the other two still kept a firm grip of the staffs connected to either side of the collar.
I noticed a man in the crowd shifting in his seat as if he didn't wanna be there. It was hard to see his face from where I sat, but I could tell from the way he moved and his posture, that it was Mr Brewer. I briefly wondered how he could live with himself, letting them do this to his son.
Jack was looking down, too scared to make eye contact with anyone.
Mr Kingsley stood up while giving the masked man standing behind Jack a nod, approving the removal of Jack's gag. As it fell Jack turned his face away, refusing to look up.
"Please state your full name," Mr Kingsley ordered.
Jack remained silent.
"Your name," Mr Kingsley repeated. When still not getting any response, the masked man grabbed a handful of Jack's hair, pulling his head up.
Jack grimaced in pain and answered quickly, having learnt the hard way that in situations like this you'd better do as you're told.
"Jack…" he stuttered. "Jackson Brewer."
"Are you the son of Christian Brewer, who is an heir to the Brewer family?"
"Yes,"
"For how long have you lived in Seaford?"
"For about a year." The masked man let go of Jack's hair when the boy seemed to be willing to cooperate.
"Jackson Brewer – at least that's what you like to call yourself… You have been accused for performing witchcraft. Do you deny?"
"Yes, of course," Jack answered truthfully. He sounded worried though, the fear he was experiencing shining through. The Order seemed to take his lack of confidence as a sign that he was lying.
"People have seen you doing magic. They have-"
"What?! I've never-" A hand slapped over Jack's mouth, the man behind him once again having stepped in.
"Don't interrupt," Mr Kingsley warned. "Let's hear our witness out, shall we? Miss Crawford?"
Evelyn stood up where everyone could see her.
"Well, I've been living here in Seaford my whole life, but ever since that boy moved in, strange things have been happening. Things have disappeared, people have been hurt and so on…
I clenched my jaw. She was telling them lies which they all believed.
"The last week he's been accompanied by a bird. A wild bird he says." Evelyn gave Jack a glance, enjoying the way his eyes were filling with worry. "But he talks to it, demands it to do things for him."
A small gasp was heard from a few of the brothers.
"That's not the worst part though." Evelyn continued. "On Thursday it all escalated. Jack here was given a ride to school by his father. I know this because I was there. I saw it happen. All of a sudden this boy," she pointed strait at Jack, while raising her voice. "or should I call him monster mouthed words while locking eyes with a boy named Mason Brooks! Yes, that's right people! He was casting a spell on that poor boy, urging him to walk strait out in front of the car!"
The crowd gasped.
"What do you have to say about this?" Mr Kingsley asked Jack who was let to speak again.
Jack looked unsure, weighing his words.
"That's not what happened at all," he said silently, shaking his head. "I never-"
"Do you deny talking o a bird?"
"No, but-"
"Do you deny getting a ride to school Thursday morning?"
"No, I-"
"So you were in that car?"
"Yes, but-"
"And you urged poor Mason Brooks out in front of the car?"
"No I DIDN'T!" Jack started to sound really upset and his eyes had begun to water. "Why would I do such a thing?"
"Well, you tell me," Mr Kingsley said.
Realizing that it wouldn't be much use to try and convince the man Jack's eyes flickered from face to face, desperately trying to find someone who would take his side. It hurt, knowing that the only one in the room believing him was a useless sparrow.
"Please," Jack pleaded, looking back a Mr Kingsley. "I didn't have anything to do with it. I swear."
"Ha, that's amusing," Evelyn said, suppressing a laughter. "Poor boy tries to play innocent. You did it because you needed one more soul to complete the spell. The spell that you started over two hundred years ago! That's right I can see right through you! You may have hidden in a boy's body -clever as you are, but THIS," She looked smugly out on the crowd while pointing at Jack, "THIS here is no other than the witch herself! THIS IS EVELYN!"
What did she say?!
The room was instantly filled with worried voices, mumbling to each other.
"WHAT?!" Jack exclaimed. "YOU'RE THE FREAKIN' WI-" Again he was silenced. He fought back, shaking his head and trying to get rid of the hand over his mouth, with very little success.
"SILENCE!" Mr Kingsley ordered, and everyone became quiet.
"Thank you Miss Crawford. You may sit down."
Evelyn went back to her seat. Jack gave her a glare, which she answered with a smirk.
"Yes this is what we all believe." Mr Kingsley continued. "However, we must have clear evidence or a confession before we can do anything."
"Excuse me sir," Finnegan spoke. "If I may?"
Mr Kingsley gave him a nod.
"So Miss Crawford here says one thing..." Finnegan stood up. "...and the boy says another. It's word against word. So how do we know who is right?" he made a pause, making sure that he had everyone's attention.
"What if we had yet another witness? That would clear our confusion, right? Mr Brewer will you please stand up?"
Everyone in the room, including me and Jack turned to Mr Brewer who rose. Finnegan smiled satisfied.
"Mr Brewer you were at the scene. You were driving that car."
"Yes,"
"Did this boy curse Mason Brooks?"
Mr Brewer glanced at Jack who looked back at him with despise and disappointment. His father was about to betray him and he hated him for it.
"No sir," Mr Brewer answered to everyone's surprise.
"But you did hit Mason with your car,"
"Yes, I did, but I didn't see Jackson even looking at the boy before the crash. None of us saw him coming before it was too late."
Evelyn gave Mr Brewer a glare. Jack and I were somewhat relieved and I could see hope returning to Jack's expression.
Even though Finnegan was slightly taken aback he still had a trick up his sleeve.
"Mr Brewer, I do understand that such a traumatic experience is hard to retell the right way. One simply does not remember all the details." He turned to the crowd again. "Evelyn was a strong witch. Her soul was close to immortal, that's why she's been able to live until this day. But, according to our research her soul would need someone else to nurse from. As she's been living in the boy she has been needing to drain energy from someone else's life. Over years, she's slowly been sucking it out...
"Do you know, Mr Brewer someone close to you who's health been failing? Someone who's slowly dying in front of your eyes?"
There was another pause as Finnegan let the meaning of his words sink in.
"How's your wife, Brewer?"
Realizing defeat, Mr Brewer just nodded and sat down.
"For those of you who do not know, Mrs Brewer has been sick from a mysterious illness for years and no one seems to be able to find a cure! But who does know how to cure a CURSE?!"
Finnegan got more and more excited as he went along.
"I'm telling you that we can end it all today! LET'S DESTROY THE SOUL THAT HAS HAUNTED SEAFORD FOR CENTURIES!"
With that they all started to cheer. Jack panicked and struggled to get free.
"ORDER!" Mr Kingsley shouted, silencing the crowd. "Thank you Finnegan. Let's hear what the accused has to say about this."
The man released his hold of Jack who was terrified and didn't seem to know what to say.
"Let's hear boy, or should I say Evelyn," Mr Kingsley said, causing the men to laugh.
"I... I didn't do it," Jack said.
"So you deny it?"
"Yes, I'm innocent. Please, you've gotta believe me. You've got the wrong person. It's her over- Aaah!"
Once again he wasn't allowed to finish. But this time it was Finnegan who had walked up behind him. Having used the handle of the spear that had been used earlier to 'motivate' Jack to keep walking, Finnegan had hit him right across his back. The two men standing on either side of him holding the staffs, forced him forward by the collar. Jack's nose was only inches away from touching the floor. Being held in the cramped position, Jack began to feel claustrophobic and he fought to sit back up. The men wouldn't let him though, keeping him in place.
"Let me rephrase that," Mr Kingsley continued. "Are you a warlock?"
"No!" Jack answered frustrated, trying to get his hands free.
"Wrong answer!"
SMACK!
Finnagan gave Jack another go with the spear across his back.
"Are you a warlock?"
"NO, I AM NOT!" Jack hissed through gritted teeth, before receiving another hit. A faint cry was heard from him.
"Are you a warlock?"
"NO!" Jack exclaimed. He was panting, trying to deal with the pain that was spreading across his back. "Evelyn is here like you said, but she's sitting right there!" he managed to get out. An awkward silence filled the place. People looked at persons in front, not knowing what to think until Finnegan started to laugh with sarcasm.
"That is ridiculous!" he said and turned to his leader. "Mr Kingsley, we're not getting anywhere like this. May I suggest we move on to the Strappado?"
"Is that really necessary?" It was Mr Brewer who spoke. He looked worried. Mr Kingsley seemed to think it through before he announced;
"Prepare for the Strappado."
I was a bit unsure what was going to happen, but judging by the way Mr Brewer swallowed hard and how Finnegan and Evelyn both gave Jack a smug look, I had a bad feeling about it...
That was all for now guys. Next chapter will probably take a little longer, unless I get at least ten reviews, then I'm gonna update within a week... (so don't review ;P or I'll have to work my butt off... haha)
Well do as you please. I always enjoy reading your comments and if I get enough I'll put in a little extra effort to post asap.
See you around
/MJ