Dragon's Revenge
10.

Queen Desmonda stands to address the hall, eyes red from crying. "Today is a devastating day for our clan. We lost one of our princes, my beloved son, Mino. And we're here today to seek justice for Mino's senseless murder." The Queen turns her gaze on Elodie, her eyes narrowed in anger. "This is Elodie. She's accused of conspiring to kill Mino, on behalf of our rival clan... the Aelons. We believe she was a spy working for them."

The crowd gasps in unison, shocked by Queen Desmonda's revelation. Elodie tugs at her shackles. "Please, stop this charade. I'm innocent and this is just a witch hunt."

"Enough." Queen Desmonda silences her, continuing to address the crowd. "We are Jebels and we will remind anyone who crosses us, just what we're capable of." The mob erupts in cheers. The Queen holds up her hand, hushing them. "As for the rules of the tribunal, we will begin by questioning the culprit, Elodie Aelon. Once we're satisfied with her answers, we'll then move onto further stages of the tribunal." The Queen motions to a group sitting across from her in the stone pews. "Then the public will have their chance to cast their judgement upon Elodie."

Everyone in the crowd goes wild, except for Jonah. His face is hard to read, but his eyes are sharp and focused. He's on high alert. "Questioner, you may begin."

The Queen sits back down. A sharp-eared man approaches her, his expression grave. "Elodie, I'll be running the trial. Please note, you must answer all questions."

She takes a breath and nods confidently at the questioner. A second later, Jonah's thoughts seep into hers, the connection still strong. "We'll get to the truth, but you have nothing to hide. Don't forget that."

She looks around the tribunal hall. There's only one exit and it's blocked by hundreds of Jebels in the crowd. Jonah nods at her from his seat at the tribunal table, then the questioner begins. "Start by telling us more about yourself. How did you come to be in Prince Jonah's servitude?"

"I witnessed the Black Dragon murder my parents right in front of me. I believed that dragon was part of the Jebel clan, so I snuck into your compound and into your Trials." She keeps her face impassive, refusing to take their bait.

"Next question. Are you aware of the charges brought against you?"

"Uh, yes. But you have the wrong person. Did I lie to the Jebels and hide my identify as an Aelon? Yes. And yes, I also conspired to betray the Jebels, once I figured out who my parent's murderer was. But it never went any further than that. I had nothing to do with Mino's death."

"And yet my son's charred, broken body was found near the Aelon sanctuary. Where your uncle was spotted."

She narrows her gaze at Morgan and points to him. "You should be questioning him. He knows the truth. Morgan is-"

"That's enough, Elodie. Prince Morgan isn't on trial, you are."

"Questioner, please continue." Jonah nods.

"Elodie Aelon, now that the charges against you have been spelled out, how do you respond?"

"What's the point? You already think I'm guilt, nothing I say will change that."

"If that's all, then we'll get on with it. It's time for the public to cast their judgement."

She scans the room and watches as most of the members in the pew gives her a thumbs down.

"Your lack of testimony has only furthered their conviction in your guilt."

"Now that judgment has been cast, we'll move to the next stage. Similar to recruitment, a shifter will look into your memories and determine whether you're telling the truth or not. For the purse of this part of the tribunal, a shifter has to be someone you've mindlinked with before."

Jonah stands. She feels her stomach drop as nerves take over her body. He steps closer to her and kneels before her chair. "

"Do your worst. I have nothing to hide."

"I hope for your sake that's true. Otherwise you will be sentenced to death." But then, he leans in and whispers to her, making sure no one else can hear. "I know the first time we mindlinked, you had your barriers up. I could feel them. Don't do that again, they're all watching this time. You can't hold back when we mindlink. I will need to see all of your emotions and memories." He takes her hands into his. As soon as he shifts, she feels his thoughts flood her mind. "Let me in, please." She keeps her barriers up, allowing Jonah access to only her most surface-level thoughts. "Shift, Elodie. Let me in. Otherwise you'll never see the light of day again."

She shifts, entering his mind. He also has his mental walls up and won't allow her deep into his mind. "Jonah, now that it's just you and I, do you regret turning me in? This whole mess of a situation could've been avoided if you would've just trusted me."

"Let me do my job, Elodie. If you're hiding something, I will see it. You have to trust me. All I want is the truth."

They share a look. "I'm sorry, but I still don't trust you."

In her mind, Jonah releases a mental sigh of disappointment. He breaks the link and shakes his head, stepping away and turns to the questioner. "The mental probe into Elodie's mind was inconclusive. We should move onto the next stage of the tribunal."

The questioner offers her a glass of water, giving her a few moments to catch her breath. She gulps it down, keeping her gaze locked on Jonah. He watches her, unable to look anywhere else. "We're almost done here, right?"

"I'm sorry, but we're not."

"He's right, it's time for the next stage. The test of the Dragon Lords, my personal favorite." Morgan grins.

The questioner grabs her chains and guides her past the tribunal. Morgan stares at her with pure, unadulterated rage. They enter another section of the tribunal hall, where a large dragon egg rests at an altar, along with candles and scrolls.

"In this test, you'll place your hands on the dragon egg and channel all your energy into it. If it glows, that means the spirits of the Dragon Lords have declared you innocent. But if the egg stays as it is, then the Dragon Lords have deemed you unworthy of innocence."

"Did I hear you correctly? Did you say an egg will be deciding my fate?"

"A dragon egg channeling the spirits of our High Lords. You will have some respect for it."

"You're stalling, Elodie. Place your hands over the egg, now."

She walks up to the egg, holding her hands just over it. "Can we just cut to the chase?"

"Elodie?"

"What? I know I'm innocent and it's time for you to make up your minds already and a silly egg isn't going to cut it. There's no such things as honkey spirits, or the magic of deceased Dragon Lords."

"An insult to our Lords. I see you test us, but very well. On your head, so be it." The questioner guides her back to the tribunal hall, chaining her back to the chair. He scribbles his notes down on his scroll, then clears his throat. "We have reached the last portion of the trial."

"Elodie, are there any final remarks you'd like to make, or any questions you'd like to ask?" Jonah says.

"This is your last chance to say something for yourself before.... either receiving freedom from the tribunal, or.... a death sentence."

She steps toward the row of tribunal members and addresses them once again. "I won't go down without a fight. Don't say that I didn't warn you, but I won't let a guilty verdict kill me."

The questioner is about to read the verdict when Morgan stops him. "And what about me? Elodie has blamed me this entire time. Don't I get to defend myself?"

Morgan is goading her, which flames her even further, but Jonah speaks before she can. "This is not your trial. We're here to determine Elodie's fate. Now if there's ever a formal accusation against you, then you'll have your turn on the floor." Jonah shoots her a look as he says the word 'formal'.

Morgan interrupts her thoughts, grabbing her shackles and yanking them forward. "This woman here is a dirty Aelon. Are we going to believe her filthy lies?" Jonah instinctively moves to help Elodie, but Morgan unleashes his talons and grips her neck tightly. "Don't come any closer, or I will rip out her throat."

He stops in his tracks and holds up his hands. "Easy now. Don't hurt Elodie. If you want to be heard, then I'll listen."

"That's all I want, brother." Jonah takes a step back and Morgan eases his grip on her, turning to plead his case. But without warning, she elbows him in the side. Caught off guard, he stumbles back and releases his grip on her, so she can rush toward Jonah. "You little wench. Get back here." Morgan grabs her chains and yanks them hard, causing her to fly backward. She lands on the ground with a thump, the wind knocked out of her. He rushes to her, but Jonah is already on his feet. They collide and fists start flying. Jonah pins Morgan down and starts wailing on him. Morgan fights back and is about to get the upper hand when someone interrupts.

"Enough!" The Queen's deafening roar silences everyone in the room. Morgan and Jonah pull apart. "I will not let you make a mockery of these tribunals. We have rules and they will be followed. We will continue." The Queen nods at a guard to drag Morgan back to his seat, while Elodie stumbles into Jonah's arms.

As he brings her back to her seat, he speaks low, so only she can hear him. "There's still time to accuse Morgan. You have to do it now, before it's too late."

She shakes her head. "I don't think there's anything for me to say. Let's just end this, once and for all."

The tribunal convenes for a few moments, but just as they appear to reach a decision, the double doors of the tribunal bang open. A bloodied, disheveled Maria rushes in. "Help..... I need your help." She points at Morgan and announces to everyone. "Morgan tried to kill me."

As the words leave her lips, all hell breaks loose.