11. Barrett #2
Voices echoed through the grand hall, the attendees shouting over each other.
I barely made out curses thrown my way, the demands for my death.
The guards at my back stood at attention, their hands resting atop the hilts of their swords.
I lifted my gaze to The Council, eight heads sitting side by side in their chairs.
One chair—the one Father would have taken— was left empty.
The king stared down at me from where he sat, donning the immortal crown made of shadow-stained dimós branches, adorned with starlight imprisoned in gemstones.
Damien Archonis, a living legend for what he had done for our kingdom in the near four hundred years since he’d been crowned after his parent’s assassination.
His eyes were cold, unreadable... tired.
I’d seen him a few times before but had never been introduced.
“The witness may step forth,” a voice called, and I flexed my hands, hating the icy touch of the warded iron shackling my wrists—how it snuffed out my magic that wanted nothing more than to watch him burn.
Atticus stepped forward, avoiding my glare.
Jude’s father and Kyrios of House Leukós, Hestis, spoke from where he sat at the end, his short silver hair swept back from his face. I watched, unable to speak against him, to share of his personal ties to Elias and whatever deal they had formed over the binding of Calliope to his son.
“Atticus Stratos,” Hestis said, his cold gaze sliding to my uncle, “you are here to testify as to what occurred the night Elias and his family were murdered. Do you swear to speak true?”
“I do,” Atticus said.
Hestis dipped his head to him briefly. “Share your knowledge.”
“Your Majesty, Kyrios of The Council,” Atticus said, his head swiveling as he looked to each and every one of them. “I stand before you to beg justice be swiftly dealt for the murder of my brother, Elias Stratos, his bonded, Cassia Stratos, and their daughter, Calliope Stratos. ”
I stiffened.
“I implore you to share what happened three nights ago with the rest of the congregation,” the Kyrios of House Latros said, her head held high as her hands lay folded against her cream healer robes.
My stomach turned as I imagined all the different ways Atticus could spin this to his benefit, the lies he would weave.
“I was summoned by Elias that night when Calliope disappeared before her binding. She had agreed to be bound to Jude Galanis to form a union between our houses.”
My skin heated despite the wards, anger flaring deep in my chest, and I ground my teeth together. I wanted to protest, wanted to correct the lies he was already laying out, but Jissena’s warning flitted across my mind.
You must be calm. Don’t let your anger get the better of you. If you’re calm and show them you aren’t the dangerous person he will paint you out to be, you will stand a better chance.
“He worried for her safety, as did I,” he said, and I bristled as I remembered how cruelly he had smiled as he set his men on us, when he watched as they slit Vesa’s throat in front of Calliope. Her screams haunted my thoughts in every moment since, and I feared they would forever.
“We searched for her, only to find she had abandoned the village, fleeing her oath,” Atticus said, his face solemn, as if he was saddened, and my gut twisted.
Gods, he was twisting the truth far worse than I could have imagined, painting her as a deserter, an oath breaker. She had never agreed to be bound, instead forced by Father. She hadn’t been given a choice.
He continued. “We encountered a warrior of the order, Vesa Lanis.”
For a moment, I almost wondered if I had imagined Lord Damien stiffen, a flicker of something passing across his face as his brows pinched together.
“We only wanted to talk, to bring her back to safety,” Atticus said. “She was crazed, and it wasn’t until she attacked one of my men that we realized she was using Aethersbane to render them powerless.”
White hot fury shattered my thoughts like blistering wyvern’s breath.
My chest heaved as I wrestled down the urge to strangle him, forcing myself to listen to this monster tell one lie after another, allowing it to stoke the slumbering flame until I could unleash it in a full untethered blaze to burn him alive in the most agonizing way.
I could still hear Vesa’s cry of pain as the arrow—laced with the Aethersbane he had used—pierced her shoulder, rendering her powerless.
No. They couldn’t believe this.
“A warrior of The Order attacked a member of the aristocracy?” the Kyrios of House Aíma said, his brows furrowing.
Atticus nodded. “We tried to reason with her, but the moment she took out one of my men, we knew she wouldn’t listen to reason.”
“Where is Vesa?” Lord Damien asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows atop his knees, lacing his fingers together.
“She wouldn’t come quietly, tried to kill more of my men when we approached her. Unfortunately, she was killed in the process.” He pressed his hand to his chest. “I wouldn’t force my men to allow her to kill them. They defended themselves.”
Lies. Fucking lies!
Vesa’s face flashed in my mind, her eyes wide, lips parted as she tried and failed to breathe as he’d slit her throat, the scent of her blood filling my nose, as fresh as it had been that night.
“We brought Calliope back,” Atticus continued. “She was hysterical, not herself.”
“And how did all of this lead to Barrett’s involvement?” the Kyrios of House Dendron asked.
“He has always had anger issues—constantly fought with Elias, causing problems for him, getting into trouble during his training for The Order,” Atticus explained, and my vision went red.
“Elias voiced his concerns to me regularly. How could someone with such a short temper and dangerous tendencies take his position as Kyrios of House Stoicheion? Barrett would be a terrible fit as Kyrios, so he placed his faith in Calliope’s union with Jude.
Though Calliope was not born with the gifts of the elements, he hoped she might produce a wielder who could lead as Kyrios in his stead. ”
My fists shook in the shackles.
“When Barrett learned of this, he went into a rage, accusing Elias, Cassia, and Calliope of plotting to steal his inheritance behind his back,” Atticus said.
“Elias tried to reason with him, but Barrett attacked him before he could defend himself, and that was when his fire magic spun out of control. He killed not only Cassia and Calliope, but several of my guards as well.”
Hestis, the Kyrios of House Leukós, rested his chin against his hand, his assessing gaze passing over me.
I held his stare, silently calling him out on his bullshit, for he likely knew the truth of that night.
He averted his eyes nervously before looking at Atticus.
“The flame of the Stratos family is powerful. It’s a miracle you escaped. ”
“I barely made it out with my life; suffered severe burns,” Atticus said, feigning a look of fear. “Thankfully, I was able to reach a healer.”
“He’s too dangerous!” a voice shouted, and I twisted to look at the crowd of onlookers occupying the rows of seats that curved around the room high above us.
“Someone who could kill their own family can’t be trusted!”
“Kinslayer!”
I struggled to breathe as the entire room turned on me. No. They had been turned against me before I even set foot in this place.
“Is there anything more you have to share?” Lord Damien asked.
“There is nothing more, Your Majesty,” Atticus said, bowing his head. “Only the request that you serve him with a punishment suited for a murder such as this.”
The Kyrios all turned to me, I looked into each of their eyes, finding nothing but pure contempt. Damien rubbed his hand over his jaw .
“Were any remains recovered from the Stratos house?” Damien asked, looking to the other Kyrioses.
The Kyrios of House Leukos shook his head. “The power of the flames was too great. Not even bones remained.”
Damien’s gaze returned to Atticus, his brows pinched together. “And Vesa’s remains?”
Atticus shook his head, feigning a look of regret that boiled my blood. “I did not have the manpower to bring her back with us. And sadly, I don’t remember where in the forest we had found them.”
Damien let out a sigh and slouched back in his chair. “Vesa was a powerful warrior. I never took her for a deserter.”
“I was just as surprised,” Atticus said, his voice pained. “It’s a shame to lose any warrior, let alone one with such promise. I was in disbelief when I learned they had fled the village.”
Hestis looked at Damien. “I sent guards to search for Vesa’s remains, but they couldn’t locate her. Darklings likely dragged her body off to devour her.”
“Shall we continue?” the Kyrios of House Nous asked, and Damien’s attention flickered to me briefly before he nodded.
“The accused has relinquished his right to speak to a representative,” the Kyrios of House Leukós announced, and my heart faltered.
Relinquished? No. Jissena had told me I wouldn’t be allowed to...
Jissena emerged from the doorway behind me, her eyes downcast, hands folded in front of her. The crowd fell into a sea of murmurs and whispers.
“Jissena Stratos,” Hestis said, looking down at her. She lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “You stand before us to speak on Barrett’s behalf?”
“I do,” she said, and something chilled in my bones at the expression on Atticus’ face. There was no hint of surprise, none of the anger or fear I expected.
Damien lifted his hand, and the room went quiet. “As the bonded of Atticus, what qualifies you to speak on Barrett’s behalf? Is there not a conflict of interest on your part?”
“Cassia was my best friend. I’ve known Barrett and his sister since they were young. I knew Barrett couldn’t have done what he did maliciously,” she said, raising her hand to her heart before she reached into her pocket and pulled forth the piece of parchment I had signed.
“He asked for me to speak on his behalf for fear he would not be able to say the right things.”
Damien narrowed his eyes as he rested back in his seat. “You may speak.”
Jissena nodded. “I visited Barrett yesterday to speak with him. He confided in me his testimony, confessing to his crimes.”
I stopped breathing. “What?”
She took a step forward. “He admitted to what occurred, that he had lost his temper and had lost control of his magic. It was an accident that they died.”
“You expect us to believe it merely an accident?” someone shouted from the seats high above.
Atticus turned to her, his brows furrowing .
Jissena looked around. “He is young, his magic still new. He was barely a month into his training and has been struggling to maintain control of his magic. The flame Stoicheion is notoriously difficult to control when one’s emotions are so out of balance.”
No. This wasn’t happening.
“Liar...” I muttered, taking a step toward her.
“He admits to his guilt, asking that The Council grant him mercy,” she said.
“You liar,” I said, stepping forward, “Fucking lia ? —”
My words cut short, my lips clamping shut. I fought to speak, but something was stopping me. The guards grabbed hold of me, pulling me back.
The room erupted, shouts echoing off the walls, some of the Kyrios rising to their feet as the guards forced me to the ground, the stone bruising my chin.
I growled, my muffled words unable to breach my lips as I fought their hold.
“You relinquished your right to speak,” the guard said, and I stiffened at the familiar voice. I twisted to look at the guard over my shoulder. The lower half of his face was masked, darkened gray eyes peering down at me with a horrifying delight, but I recognized his voice immediately.
She won’t be getting far—not with Aethersbane in her system.
It was him. The bowman who had fired the poisoned arrow. He had been there that night.
No! This couldn’t be fucking happening.
I wrestled against their hold, but my body rose against my will, all control taken by the Nous user at my back. Jissena stumbled away from me, fear flashing across her face as she met my furious gaze.
I’d fucking gut her for this, for tainting Calliope and Vesa’s memory, for twisting the truth and lying to me.
“His actions were his own,” Atticus argued, and Jissena turned to him.
“You understand fully how difficult it is to master the flame,” she said, placing her hand over her heart.
He seemed to consider it a moment, the phony bastard.
The Kyrios of House Latros shifted in her seat. “We cannot expect someone who is so prone to losing control of their magic to just wander the streets, endangering our people.”
“I do not ask that he go free, but that we grant him mercy for a grave accident.”
Atticus rubbed his jaw. “It would be a shame to lose such talent. Perhaps some mercy would be kind. Maybe he can be rehabilitated and be of use to The Order one day.”
The Kyrios of House Aíma arched a brow at her. “Truly, you would beg mercy for a male who could do such a thing to his own flesh and blood?”
“I beg mercy for a young male who has lost everything in a moment of misplaced anger,” she said, and I couldn’t fathom what their plan could possibly be. “Enough life has been lost. ”
The Kyrios looked amongst each other, some leaning in to whisper with one another.
“You have a kind heart,” Hestis said, rising from his seat, and the room went silent.
“We have come to an agreement, then?” He looked between the Kyrios, who all nodded their heads.
“Barrett Stratos. As you have been cooperative to this point and admitted to your crimes, you shall not be sentenced to death but shall live out the remainder of your life in the dungeons.”
I screamed against my sealed lips. This couldn’t be happening.
Hestis looked down at me with disgust. “May you contemplate the lives you took.”
Lucia’s eyes searched mine, something more real than I had seen in so long lingering within them.
I wasn’t sure why, but I finally allowed the wall to crack. “Jissena tricked me.”