The male had a folder with parchment inside. He opened it up, and a quick peek at it told me it held all of my identifying information that’d just been cataloged about me.
The female gazed at me with a shrewd expression. “Do you know why you’re here?”
Her harsh tone made me flinch. “I think so. I was at the palace with the prince when my former guardian accused him of being the Dark Raider.”
“And is he?”
I started again, slightly taken aback by her direct approach. “No, of course not.”
Shehmmed. “I’m Junior Justice Seewald, and this is Junior Justice Archmae. Before we continue, I must verify that you know it’s a great offense to lie to the courts. Do you understand?”
My unease grew. “Yes.” I paused. “Do I need a magistrate for this questioning?”
She arched an eyebrow and cocked her head. “I don’t know, do you? Magistrates are only needed if one’s guilty. Are you guilty?”
Flustered, I ran a hand through my hair. “No. Of course not. I just don’t fully understand what’s going on here or why these accusations are being made.”
She offered a pacifying smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s easy. Your guardian has accused our crown prince of being the Dark Raider. Such an accusation would have been easy to dismiss except for the fact that your guardian was locked within the palace and he’s also been missing from Faewood Kingdom with the belief that the Dark Raider abducted him. Your guardian’s claimed that our prince, masquerading in your kingdom as the Dark Raider, took both you and your guardian against your will. He’s claiming that the prince has held both of you hostage.” Her eyebrows rose.
From her expression, I couldn’t tell if she believed any of that or if she felt it was as preposterous as it sounded. Or maybe she was waiting for me to say something.
Deciding to play innocent, I scoffed. “That’s absurd. Prince Adariansavedme from the Dark Raider.”
“So the Dark Raider did, in fact, abduct you?”
“He did, many weeks ago, after I’d done three callings for the Faewood king.”
Junior Justice Archmae vigorously began to scribble on his parchment. I tried to catch a glimpse of his notes, but he angled the folder upward so I couldn’t see.
Junior Justice Seewald inclined her head. “King Paevin also stated that you were supposedly rescued by our crown prince, stating that’s what you told him, yet I have no proof that such a rescue occurred. Tell me more about that. Where were you saved? How did the prince do it? What happened? What did the prince say to the Dark Raider? Did he speak to him directly? Or was everything communicated another way?” She leaned forward. “And let me remind you, any lies told will be held against you.”
I glanced around the room, wondering if they had the authority to force a truth potion into me. I swallowed the lump in my throat. If it came to that, I would insist on a magistrate before consuming anything. Although, as a slave to my former guardian and now the prince, I didn’t fully understand my rights. Or if I even had rights. For all I knew, I would be forced to consume anything they demanded.
Licking my lips, I took a deep breath. “To be honest, I don’t remember much of it. The Dark Raider commanded me with Mistvale magic. He has Mistvale magic. Did you know that?”
She pursed her lips but simply said, “Go on.”
“The Dark Raider abducted me not far from my guardian’s estate in Faewood after I did three callings for King Paevin.” I recited the events of that night to her, being entirely truthful. There was no reason not to be.
She listened attentively, and Junior Justice Archmae took diligent notes of everything I shared.
When I finished replaying that night, she arched an eyebrow. “And he said he took you because he wanted you to find someone for him using your lorafin magic?”
I nodded, and she told me to continue explaining my abduction, going through each day, but when I got to the part about what had occurred in Lemos, I began to pick my words more carefully.
Junior Justice Seewald perked up. “So the Dark Raider captured you again in Lemos, along with your guardian,afteryour guardian found you at the Lemosilly Inn?”
I nodded. “That’s correct.”
“Why would the Dark Raider do that?”
“He knew that he couldn’t access my lorafin magic without my guardian. He needed my guardian and his adapter to do so.”
“What adaptor?”
I took another deep breath, knowing that I also needed to be honest about this. “It was a device used to control my magic. I used to wear a collar that suppressed my abilities, but it’s since been taken off.”
“Who took it off?”
