“Even knowing they would be furious with you for killing one of their own, even believing they were still dangerous and perhaps even still trying to hurt you, you turned yourself in to face trial before us today,” Nascha pointed out. “Why?”
“Because…” I hesitated. I didn’t want to give them this. It was personal. But I knew there was no way out of the question that wouldn’t make me seem disingenuous. “Because Bade deserved to get justice for his death. Even though I know he only died because I had to kill him to defend myself, he deserves the trialwhere I tell the truth of what happened. And his loved ones deserve that closure.”
I fought the urge to glance toward Luca at the surge of gratitude I felt rush through me at my words.
“Like I said, he was my friend,” I reminded them. “I don’t hate him for what he did. He thought he had to, but I had to defend myself too. He understood that in the end.”
“When you say he understood that–what is this?”
Nascha interrupted her own question with a demand for explanation that shot straight past me to the horde of people now pushing aside the Guardians at my back.
“The Tribunal’s justice is not justice,” a familiar voice rang out.
I spun around to face the crowd as Harrison’s face emerged above the rest, his expression contorted in anger as he shoved against one of the Guardians holding him back. My heart bottomed out. What was he thinking? In desperation, I turned back toward the wall where the First Ring families stood.
Luca,I called across the void.
I’m on it,he vowed.
I watched him turn and stride through the First Ringers craning their necks to get a view of the commotion happening behind me and lost him in the crowd. Turning back to Harrison straining to get past the Guardians, I noticed he wasn’t alone. Warren and Maurice were both at his side. Along with Dahlia, two boys I remembered from his band, and a girl with bouncing brown hair I thought might have been Adrian’s friend. This was not good.
“Get them out of here,” Raghnall commanded.
Several of the Guardians converged on the spot Harrison was trying to break through but that only left a hole further down the line for other angry lower ringers to spill into the space before the twelfth.
The Matriarch and Patriarchs were on their feet now. Their Heirs came to defend them or, in Milo’s case, to help Nascha stand while Pax stood before them in defense. The Guardians were too few and the rebels too many. They broke through the lines easily enough and came to stand before the Tribunal, pointing their fingers at the gathered might of the First Ring and screaming about hypocrisy and the gods. I was surrounded, without a weapon, alone.
I turned to find the Guardians weren’t the only ones holding Harrison back now. Luca had reached him. He had a hand on his chest, holding him back, and was speaking quietly, calmly, but Harrison wasn’t listening. I could tell by the fire behind his eyes which remained firmly on me. There was nothing that was going to stop him from getting to me, from going through with whatever insane plan he’d concocted to halt these proceedings. When I read the words on his lips as he spoke them to Luca a moment later, I knew I was right:get away from me.
The Tribunal was being escorted away now. The Guardians had given up on pushing the crowd back and were focused on getting the leaders of the First Ring to safety.
“You dare stand in judgment of anyone accused of murder after beheading a boy in front of dozens of witnesses, in front of his own mother?” Harrison shouted above the crowd, directly at Cosmo’s retreating back. “Your justice is a joke and we will stand for no more of your trials down here on the Deck.”
Luca turned to me, eyes pleading. Realizing I was now unguarded, I stepped off the platform and made my way toward them.
“What are you doing?” I hissed when I reached them.
Harrison’s gaze shot down to me and I didn’t imagine the relief there.
“Saving you,” he snapped back.
“I didn’t need saving.”
“Do you know what the sentence for being found guilty of murder is, Olympia? Immediate execution. If you think I’m going to stand here and watch someone I lo–”
He stopped himself, jolting as that word nearly left his body. My lips parted in shock at what he’d almost said, what he might have actually meant.
“Harrison,” I started, voice softer than I’d intended, but I didn’t get a chance to say anything more.
The remaining Guardians had managed to rally enough to realize they were missing someone and began to converge on my location, hands already on their weapons. Some of the lower ringers were pushing them back, getting in their face and accusing them of all manner of corruption, but they remained dedicated to their task, marching forward regardless of who fell into their path. I whirled back to face Harrison just as the first one reached for me.
“Tell me you didn’t join them,” I demanded in a rush before turning to the others beside him.
Warren stood beside his wife, frowning at me like he wished he’d been asked to stand up for someone worthier. Maurice was quiet and simmering with rage beside the two boys from Harrison’s band and the girl who’d been friends with Adrian. He looked like he wanted to rip my head off himself. I imagined that had everything to do with my admitting to Cosmo’s accusation of attempting to kill his sister. Still, I spoke to them as well.
“Tell me you didn’talljoin them,” I was begging, really, pleading with them to see reason, shaking my head at the very idea of their insanity.
Two hands clasped my arms and pulled me back, hard. I winced in pain but kept talking, turning my attention back to Harrison as I did.
