AN/ Hi...long time no see... It seems like ages since I posted something here on fanfiction. I'd almost forgot how to do it haha...

I really enjoy this story and writing it is a blast, it's just that I rarely ever get time to do it. But finally here's the next chapter.

Oh and I'd like to thank everyone who's been reviewing the last chapter. Especially HiddenMckeyMouse who really got me started again.

For those few that are left (if there is anyone...) I'd like to say thank you for sticking with me and enjoy this next chapter.

WARNING! This chapter contains violence and is not for the fainthearted.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin' it.

Chapter 27

The Verdict

The people below me were getting busy. Everyone stood up and the chairs were moved into a semi-circle, creating more space in the middle of the room. A few disappeared in search for something. Jack was firmly being held in place, while the gag was put back on. He kept his eyes on the floor, not moving a muscle. There was nothing he could really do but wait.
"Make some more room over here," Finnegan instructed. Meanwhile my mind was racing. I had to do something. I had to show them Jack was innocent. If they would just listen to him…

Two of the men who left earlier returned with coils of rope. The rope had a pretty smooth structure and kind of a grayish color to it, making me figure that there were threads of silver in it.
One of the men was also carrying a big rock in his arms, which looked heavy. The rock had the same kind of rope wrapped around it, secured with tight knots. Looking up at the ceiling he seemed to locate the right place to put it down. He ended up, placing it about four or five feet in front of Jack.
The last coils of rope were given to the masked man who ordered two men to take a hold of Jack's arms. With each of them having a steady grip of the boy's limbs, pinning them against his back, the masked man brought out a key and unlocked the shackles.

The chain fell from Jack's wrists and I could see him trying to move. But with two men holding his arms in place and another pair of men holding his head down by the collar around his neck, it was impossible for him to get anywhere. The rope was quickly wrapped around his wrists forcing them to cross each other behind his back. The masked man tightened the ties as hard as possible, causing Jack's hands to turn red to make sure that it would stay in place.
Jack whimpered slightly as the last knot was fastened. When being sure that the rope was secured, the men let go of him. As soon as they did he tried to move his hands just to find the rope resticting him even more than the chackles had done.

The door that led to the stairs down to the dungeons opened and a strange wooden device was rolled in. It was about five foot tall and just as long, sitting on a platform. Two big posts held up a round beam between them, which you could rotate with a handle sitting at the end of a series of wooden wheels. On the side there were several levers. The entire thing looked like a machine that was made back in the medieval times. Judging by the look at the men pushing it forward I could tell that it was a pretty heavy thing. They brought it all the way up in front, just behind where Jack was kneeling.

The masked man pulled back on one the wooden levers, lowering the machine down to the floor with a thud. Using iron bolts he secured it to the hitching rings on the floor, making sure that it wouldn't move.

The chain that went from Jack's collar was undone from the hitching ring and he was brought up on his feet. The men led him forward to the spot where the rock was lying in the aisle. With two men still holding on to the sticks attached to the collar and one keeping a firm grip of his arm, Jack had not much choice but to stand still as the fourth man tied the end of a rope to the ties around his wrists. The rest of the rope was then tossed over one of the balks in the cealing right above Jack and brought back to the strange device where it was tied to the midsection. Finnegan rotated the the beam, using the handle. Reeling the rope in until there was no slack left.

The shackles around Jack's ankles were removed and replaced with a rope as well. Jack watched them anxiously as the knots were tied. Wavering slightly he tried to keep his balance. The masked man brought out another key and unlocked the collar, putting it away.

"Should we use the rock from the start?" the masked man wondered and eyed Jack up and down. "He seems pretty strong."

"Well, let's haul him up once and we'll find out," Finnegan answered. Jack shot him a nervous glance. The masked man nodded and went back to the 'machine' taking over the handle. A table was placed about ten feet in front of Jack where Mr Kingsley and Finnegan sat down, facing him. Evelyn and another man sat down as well. Mr Kingsly had a gravel and I realized that they were intending to continue with their 'trial'. The jury seemed to have been elected and they were now all looking at the accused one.

Jack was slightly trembling as he struggled to stay calm. His eyes were fixed on the floor and I could barely see his face.

"Jackson Brewer"

The sound of Mr Kingsley saying his name made him jump.

"You have been refusing to cooperate with us and we have therefore been forced to use extrem methods. Here is now your last chance to confess." With a small nod Mr Kingsley signaled for Ranfdalph to remove the gag from Jack's mouth.

"Now, do you have any magical powers?"

Jack looked at him, shaking his head slightly.

"No sir," he almost whispered.

"Have you ever lived before?"

"No. Please you have to believe me."

"Are you Evelyn reincarnated?"

"No. She's sitting right there." Jack nodded towards Evelyn. Her eyes slightly widened, and she inhaled sharply as everyone in the room looked at her. She quickly gathered herself though and smiled sadly.

"So typical for you to say something like that, soul of Evelyn," she retorted, and everyone was back at watching Jack again. Finnegan cracked a smile and turned to Mr Kingsley next to him.

"I believe Gabriella is right. I say we give it a taste of the strappado. It might change it's mind..."

Mr Kingsley nodded.

"So be it." He signaled.

The masked man took his position by the strange machine. Grabbing the handle, he began to turn it, reeling the rope in. The device made a clicking sound for every inch, locking it. Jack's arms were slowly being lifted upwards by the wrists. Realizing where this might go, Jack started to struggle, pulling against the rope.

"Please, I'm not Evelyn," Jack tried to reason with them, his arms being lifted so high behind his back that he was forced to bend forward. "Stop, please." He gimaced in pain as the rope continued to pull on him. His shoulders were taking a great deal of preassure as he now was standing on his toes, with his arms high above his head.

"Are you a warlock?" Mr Kingsley asked him.

"No," Jack shook his head.

Mr Kingsly gave the masked man the cue to rotate the handle one last lap. The rope was shortened once more and Jack was completely in the air. Using the strenght of his arms, Jack held his whole body weight up. He breathed heavy, his face turning red.

"Please," he groaned, the strain causing him to shake. His eyes were focusing on the floor as he struggled to cope with the pain.

"Don't lie!" Finnegan snapped, looking as if he was ready to get up from his seat, but stopped himself when he received a warning glance from Mr Kingsley.

"I'm not...lying," Jack managed to get out between heavy breaths.

Mr Kingsley sighed, looking over at the masked man. The man pulled one of the levers, releasing the coil. Jack fell instantly to the ground, collapsing on his side. He curled up, pressing his arms against his back, while catching his breath. His eyes were closed.
They gave him about a minute recover, before they'd continued.

"What did you do on the night between the 15th and the 16th of September 1788?" Mr Kingsley tried a different approach.

"Nothing," Jack said, refusing to open his eyes and look at him. "I wasn't even born yet, for cryin out loud!"

"I'm not talking about the body your hiding in Evelyn. I'm talking about you!"

"That's ridiculous!" Jack opened his eyes, clearly frustrated. "For the last time; I am NOT her! She's sitting right next to you. You've got the wrong person!"

Mr Kingsley, watched him for a moment, before he nodded. I almost thought that he believed Jack, until I heard the clicking, the handle of the wooden constuction being turned again. Jack heard it too.

"No, please!" He began to struggle violently, trying to get his hands and feet free. The slack in the rope was soon gone and Jack's arms were lifted in the air, causing him to roll over onto his stomack. "NO!"

Under loud protests from Jack, they slowly hauled him up, little by little until he was dangling freely.
Jack clenched his jaw, determind to not give in to the pain.

"Now boy, are you the soul of Evelyn reincarnated?" Mr Kingsley asked again.

"No!" Jack gasped out. "She is!"

Evelyn shook her head.

"We're runing out of time, Mr Kingsley," she said. "The moon is soon out."

"May I suggest we use the rock?" Finnegan said. Mr Kingsley studied Jack, tinking it through before nodding.

"So be it."

Jack was once again dropped to the ground. His head hit the floor as he fell and I dreaded the worst when he didn't make any attempt to move at all. Finnegan along with another man walked up to him. They moved the rock next to Jack's feet. As soon as they touched him, he sprung to life, kicking for all he was worth at them.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Finnegan put his knee over Jack's legs, using most of his body weight to hold them down while the other man started to tie the rock to the boy's ankles.

"NO, please don't," he begged again, but to no avail. Nothing that he'd say would change their minds and nothing he'd do would stop them.
"I swear, I'm just an ordinary boy. I'm just Jack!"

The clicking sound started again, and Jack's eyes filled with fear. Panicking, he fought against the ropes. His actions seemed to have no other affect then to worry everyone. If he were to break free, he'd most likely use his magical powers to destroy them; at least that's what they all believed.

They hurried to pull him up high enough for him not to be able to struggle that much. His muscles were slightly shaking as he tried to hold his body. Click by click, he was getting higher.

"Please…" he whimpered as his feet were lifted from the ground once more. Sweat was beading on his forehead and sliding down his temples. The slack in the rope attaching the rock to his ankles disappeared and as they continued to pull him up the rock was slowly being lifted off the ground. The extra weight it added caused Jack to groan in agony.

I found myself shaking, fearing that the unnatural position his arms were held in would not only cause him pain, but also severely damaging his body. I couldn't bear to watch it, but at the same time my eyes were glued to him afraid of what might happen if I looked away. The pained look on his face will haunt me forever.

They finally came to a stop, Jack being so high up towards the ceiling that his knuckles slightly brushed against the wooden balk from which he hanged. He panted loudly, the pain starting to get to him.

The rock was several feet above the ground, adding to the tension through Jack's body.

"Are you guilty of practicing dark magic?" Mr. Kingsley tried again, but didn't get any answer. It was as if Jack wasn't able to hear him through the pain. His eyes were again locked at the ground and he didn't seem to notice anything going on around him.

Mr. Kingsley nodded, exchanging a glance with the masked man. The man pulled the lever only to quickly pull it back again. This resulted in Jack being dropped two feet before coming to a sudden stop. The intensity of the tug it caused was enough to literally rip Jack's arms off.

You could hear the sickening sound as his shoulder snapped, before a deafening scream left Jack's throat. I felt as if I was about to throw up, seeing the strange angle of his left shoulder and I quickly looked away. Jack continued to scream at the top of his lungs at the excruciating pain.

With another pull of the lever he was sent to the ground again. He let out another cry and started to squirm franticly, his whole face contorting in pain. I noticed Mr. Brewer get up from his seat. He looked worried and scared. Even though he wasn't the best father, this seemed to be too barbaric even for him. For a brief moment I thought that he was about to do something, but receiving a glare from Finnegan he slowly sat back down.

My heart sank. Was there no one who would stop this?
I threw another glance at Jack. He'd rolled over to his side, his left shoulder off the ground. He was panting hard and shaking. I wished that I could do something, but it seemed hopeless.

After having received a moment to catch his breath Jack was being questioned once more.

"I didn't do anything," Jack managed to say. His eyes were beginning to water, as he started to realize it was hopeless to try and convince them.

"What were you doing here on Wednesday?" Gregory Kingsley wondered.

Jack didn't answer, concentrating on breathing.

"Jackson Brewer, you were caught snooping around at our office. What were you looking for?" Kingsley tried again.

"I don't know," Jack said quietly, inhaling a sharp breath and closing his eyes, the pain starting to become unbearable. "Answers, I guess…"

"Answers? To what may I ask?"

"I… I don't know. I just…please." Jack was getting exhausted and he was having trouble thinking straight.

"You had your bird with you. Why?"

"Cause' I was trying to help. I wanted to…"

"…To fulfill the curse and become immortal," Finnegan finished for him.

"No,"

"This is actually starting to become a bit ridiculous Jackson," Mr Kingsley said. "Just answer the next question with a simple yes and this will be over and done with. Do you possess magical powers?"

Jack looked him straight in the eyes and answered truthfully.

"No,"

With that Kingsley eyed the masked man who started to slowly turn the handle again. A tear left Jack's eye as he heard the clicking sound.

"Please no, oh please! You have to believe me! I'm telling the truth! Plea- AAAH!" He cried out as the rope started to pull on his arms, his dislocated shoulder hurting beyond anything he'd ever felt before. "STOP PLEASE!"

His cries were ignored and as his arms had reached a certain angle and his upper body began to lift from the ground, it all became too much. Jack screamed louder than ever before, making my legs collapse underneath me.

"I DID IT!" he shouted out. He was almost instantly let down again, landing on his stomach. Turning sideways, he brought his knees up towards his chest and started to sob. "I did everything you said I did... Just stop…"

Finnegan looked very pleased and Evelyn seemed relieved. Mr. Brewer covered his face with his hands, before suddenly standing up and walking away. There was a moment of awkward silence as they all watched him leave. The only thing that could be heard was Jack's ever so soft and quiet sobs.

Mr. Kingsley straightened his back.

"Thank you Jackson. You just saved us a lot of time." His voice was calm as he raised it slightly for everyone to hear. "I trust you all heard what he just said. The confession of a century…"

Applause filled the room. Jack looked up towards the ceiling.

"I'm sorry," he said. I was sure he wasn't able to see me, but he must've felt my presence and I knew that he was apologizing to me. He had stopped fighting, knowing that there was nothing he could win. "I'm sorry…" He turned his gaze to the floor again, ashamed of having let them defeat him.

I was completely abject. I was furious with the men for what they'd done. I was devastated, having to watch Jack go through this much pain and I was so angry with myself for ever dragging him into all of this. My heart was filled with so many emotions that it literally felt like it would explode. If only I could do something. Anything…

I swallowed pass the lump in my throat. I'd never been so scared in my life and I wonder briefly if I would survive this without getting a heart attack.

Things were just about to get worse though, much worse…

Mr Kingsley and the order hadn't paid much attention to what Jack was saying, believing that he was apologizing for doing magic.

"I hereby declare you Jackson Brewer guilty of hosting the most vicious witch of all time; Evelyn. You are thereby guilty of the deaths of the following; George Colby, Elisabeth Hallowell, Fredric Kennedy, Ulrika Jakobsdotter, Annie MacKay, Rachel Byers, David Brewer and Irene Norton, who were all killed on the 15th of September 1788. Further more you are also declared guilty of the attempted murder of Mason Brooks yesterday and the curse that's been suffocating Danielle Brewer for years…"

Jack swallowed hard but remained silent as tears kept falling from his eyes. He had quit fighting and it didn't seem as if he heard what Mr Kingsley was saying, as his empty gaze just starred out at nothing.

"I hereby sentence you Jackson Brewer and Evelyn to death!" Mr Kingsley declared as the gravel hit the table. Right there my world fell apart. I wanted to scream, to cry, but it was as if everything in my body had quit working. Frozen to the spot, I felt a sickening feeling fill my gut. A hand wrapped itself around my heart and squeezed it so tight that I was sure it would stop working.

My eyes flickered desperately around the room. They couldn't execute him. Someone's gotta realize that it's all a mistake. Someone had to…

Jack didn't make any resistance as the gag was replaced into his mouth. Finnegan and another man grabbed a hold of his limp body and began to move him. He cried out instantly as pain shot through his shoulder. Squirming in their hold he desperately tried to escape the agony. When there was no release to be found he panicked and his muffled cries became ear piercing screams that the gag did little to suppress.

As they dragged him closer to the altar up front I realized that they were going to do it right away. My insides turned with such force that I almost threw up. I couldn't stand it any longer. I was literally shaking from head to toe as I watched them lifting him up on the altar. Placing him on his back he was forced to lie on his arms, adding to the pressure on his injured shoulder. The pain seemed to leave him numb and it was as he was drifting away. His eyes starting to loose focus and he didn't seem aware of the ropes being wrapped over his arms and legs, securing him to the table he was laying on.

For a moment I thought that he was about to loose consciousness but the fresh tears that fell from his eyes and slid down his temples told me that he was still awake. His cries had died out and the silence that followed was even worse. Never in my life had I experienced such fear and devastation that were filling me, down to the very last cell.

The men took a stand next to the altar as Mr Kingsley along with Evelyn joined them. The witch walked around Jack like a lion circling its prey until she came to a stop on the other side of him, facing the crowed. With a slightly smug smile she looked down at the boy. Finally her moment had come.

"Oh Gabriella, only she knows the weakness that within me grows…" Mr Kingsley quoted. "Indeed only she can bring the monstrous soul down. Gabriella is present here today. Through her descendant she has resurrected and she will bring an end to the darkness that has haunted Seaford for centuries!"

The room filled with cheer.

"This is truly a historic day!" Mr Kingsley announced. "Bring forth the dagger!"

Another masked man entered holding a red velvet pillow on which a sharp dagger with a blade black as coal lay. The sight of it caused another painful shock of realization to hit me. What had I done?
Why did I bring him into all this?

Jack didn't deserve this. He was a good guy and probably the best friend I'd ever had… Right there, on the beam up in the ceiling I finally admitted to myself that I loved him for real. I'd do anything for him. If it'd been possible I'd gladly taken his place, sparing him from all this suffering.

Below me Evelyn received the dagger. Holding it tightly in her right hand, she traced lightly her fingers over Jack's chest as if trying to find the right spot.

They couldn't take him away from me. I refused to allow it…

I didn't even think at that moment when Evelyn gave him that wicked glance as she raised the dagger in the air. I'd already jumped off the beam. Pressing my wings tightly against my body I dove through the air with the speed of lightning. Just before I'd reach my target, I moved my legs out in front of me, spreading my claws.

"STOP IT RIGHT THERE!" someone yelled just as I pierced the eyes of the witch.

Evelyn screamed, dropping the dagger to the floor before hitting me away from her face. I was catapulted straight down onto the floor and the world around me turned completely black…

So that's that. Sorry about another cliffy... Hopefully I wont leave your hanging that long this time.

/MJ