“Come on, let’s sit and have breakfast,” Noire says with a pleasant smile.
I follow them to the dining table and we sit down. A couple of minutes later, two maids come out from the kitchen and set the breakfast table. Everything smells delicious, and it looks even better than it smells.
I can’t eat just yet.
“What are you going to do with Jax?” I glance between Vera and Noire.
“He must face the consequences of his crime,” Vera says, not looking at me. “That’s the law and tradition. He assassinated the Ezkai General.”
“I know. I understand that. I’m not saying he shouldn’t,” I say. “But this is Jax we’re talking about. Does anything he did to help us win the trials so far count? Or the fact that he only executed him, and we know who ordered it?”
Vera looks up, her gaze sharp as a dagger.
From my leather jacket, I pull out the journal I snatched from Daegel’s home office. I slide it towards Vera. She looks at it with a frown.
“I found this hidden in Daegel’s place,” I say. “Looks like some sort of a log. I can’t make sense of it, but maybe you can.”
Vera opens it then and scans a couple of pages. Her eyebrows hike all the way to her hairline, and she pushes the journal towards Noire. The Taaslord flips through a couple of pages and then glances at Vera.
Some sort of wordless communication passes between them before Noire closes the journal and they turn to me.
I bite the inside of my cheek. “Is this useful at all?”
“It’s beyond valuable, Ezkai Phoenix,” Noire says and grins.
My shoulders sag with relief.
“What is it?”
“It’s a log of Caligos movements,” Vera says. “Daegel kept track of rival families, where and what they’ve done. I assume it’s a normal practice, to ensure they have something in case they need to blackmail their rivals.”
“Thank you for retrieving this, Ezkai Phoenix,” the Taaslord says. “With these logs, we can work to resolve some of the mysteries and finally put a certain Ezkai Caligos on trial.”
“I’m glad it’s useful,” I say. “Now, back to Jax.”
“He is a criminal,” Vera says slowly.
“He is. But so am I. And so are you,” I say, lifting my chin. “Have you forgotten all we have done in these last couple of months? We have stolen from Uringi, and we have found loopholes in the trial rules to help me win.”
Vera opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out.
She knows I’m right.
“So, when we’re talking about Jax’s crimes, let’s not hide behind the bullshit of serving justice as law-abiding citizens. You want retribution for your lover’s death. That’s what it’s truly about, isn’t it?”
Vera purses her lips.
“Fine,” she finally admits, stabbing a piece of cucumber with her fork. “I don’t care about the law. I want him to suffer for what he did to Kitajo.”
I can understand the desire for vengeance.
It’s a language I’m fluent in.
“It’s fair,” I say. “Seeking revenge is an isolating and desolate path. You sure you want to pursue this?”
Our gazes lock, and we stare at each other for a long while.
“One is not able to change one’s past. But one is always capable of changing one’s future,” Noire says lightheartedly. We both look at him. He’s cutting into a piece of pink roasted beet with a small smile dancing on his lips. “Let’s put Vera’s personal desires for revenge aside for now. The law is the law, Phoenix. As the future Ezkai General, you must accept that. Jax needs to answer for his actions, even if he was only a pawn.”
