Chapter 39 Off the Chain
thirty-nine
Off the Chain
The chime dings, and the twenty-seventh hearing is dismissed. A serene calm holds steady over my body and mind. It shouts, “What if something goes wrong!” and I reply, “Then we’ll figure it out.”
It’s liberating.
“Final hearing of the day, Rhazan Malakar.”
The chime dings and a beam of light delivers him to the center of the arena. My hands tighten on the railing and I lean forward to get a better look at him. His wings are away and he wears a clean, dark suit. His hair is half up, exposing his pointed ears.
Klepkurt leans his whole body forward. “You have served fifty-three cycles of monitored parole and one hundred cycles of imprisonment for your crimes against the peoples of the realms. Do you find yourself reformed?”
Rhazan nods. “I do.”
The spider leans back in his place at the bottom of the arena. “Jamie Ott, please speak on Mr. Malakar’s adherence to his reformation.”
A pillar of light fills the arena, and Jamie manifests next to Rhazan. Trepidation fires through my chest. It’s not possible to lie here, and she knows he broke parole. If they ask her a direct question, they will all know the truth.
“Officer Ott, Mr. Malakar’s parole officer for the past six years,” she announces.
“I have not witnessed the bulk of Mr. Malakar’s transformation, which took place during my predecessor’s time, but from what I’ve seen, he has been a diligent, respectful member of society while abiding his physical restrictions. ”
I lean forward, looking at her feet. The green glittery magic flows up to the podium and Klepkurt’s hundred eyes swivel around the information.
“Full reports are available on the IBMA Extranet,” she adds.
Klepkurt turns toward her and waves an arm. “Thank you, Officer Ott. Dismissed.”
I sigh deeply and my head swims a little.
“Is there a character witness to speak on Mr. Malakar’s behalf?” Klepkurt asks.
Apollo taps the railing in front of us. A beam of light disappears him to the bottom of the arena next to Rhazan. His watery magic surges from his feet up to Klepkurt’s podium.
“I’m Apollo Azarolla, the defendant’s brother. I have a character testimony.”
“Proceed,” the spider says.
Apollo squares his shoulders and stands a little straighter.
“Centuries span the time from when I’d last seen Rhazan.
Where once there was fear and distrust in his heart, I now see compassion, and strength.
His magic and his very life depend on pain, but he’s discovered safe, consensual ways to feed himself.
Despite his history, I’m proud of everything he’s accomplished for his future.
“And I know he is mournful of his past actions. We’ve spent many long nights discussing what he’s been through, and how every perpetration took a piece of him away. He’s been fighting ever since to earn those pieces back. I believe in him, and I hope you can, too.”
The brothers share a fond look, and my heart squeezes in my chest.
“Thank you,” Klepkurt says, dismissing Apollo.
He reappears next to us, and nerves bounce in my gut. I want to go down there. I want to support him, too, but I’ve only known him for a short time. Would my testimony matter?
“Is there anyone else to speak on Mr. Malakar’s behalf?” Klepkurt asks.
My heart pounds in my chest and my pulse thrums in my fingers gripping the railing.
Go.
Go to him.
Go for him.
“If there’s no one else—”
I tap the railing like Apollo did and materialize in a beam of light beside Rhazan. Klepkurt startles at the sight of me, and me him. He’s much larger from this angle, and holy shit is he intimidating.
“You are?” Klepkurt asks, little finger-like appendages wiggling in front of his mouth as he speaks.
“I’m…” I clear my throat. “I’m Feng Jiahui, the defendant’s…mate.”
Murmurs bubble up around the arena. Klepkurt leans forward, and if I had a need to pee right now, I most certainly would.
“Mr. Malakar, is this true?”
“It is. She is the only one in all the worlds of all the realms destined to fill the void in my soul,” he says without a single trip up or tongue-tie like me. So much confidence and assuredness.
He looks at me, his face relaxed in peaceful serenity. I breathe in that calm and take some for myself, tamping down on the jitters in my belly.
“Proceed, Ms. Feng,” Klepkurt says.
I look up at the lowest row of the audience, people who had spoken on behalf of other defendants, family members, or other people involved in the proceedings.
I’m not sure how this all works, and if I’m appealing to all of them, or just Klepkurt, but it feels wrong not to at least show them I see them.
Just like I see Rhazan.
I turn my attention back to him. While my testimony might be for them, my words are for my mate. My love.
“I know how it feels to hurt people and not want to. I know how it feels to be a sieve, unable to hold any real emotion for yourself that isn’t fear or anger. I know how it feels when those are the only two emotions that have kept you alive.
“With you, I don’t have to be afraid anymore,” I whisper, my heart battering my ribs like a caged animal. “With you, I’ve found real strength. With you, I can be at peace.”
His eyes burn brighter, and the urge to go to him, to touch him, overwhelms me. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop myself from stepping off the platform. He reaches out and I leap into his embrace.
Voices rise all around the room, but I don’t care, and neither does he. He squeezes me against his chest and I drink him in, the cinnamon earthy scent surrounding me. It feels like we haven’t seen each other in years, not days, and I’m desperate for more of him.
“Order, please,” Klepkurt says as the chime dings around the room twice.
Rhazan releases me and I wobble back to my position in the arena on noodly legs.
“I’m sorry, I was overwhelmed,” I say.
“It is obvious you care a great deal for one another,” Klepkurt says. “Does this conclude your character testimony?”
I shake my head. “When I first met Rhazan, the only thing on his mind was protecting me and my family from skreet. He spent countless hours helping me ward my café for no other reason than our safety.
“He thrives on pain, but he’s shown me nothing other than caring compassion, and I trust him completely.”
“I trust you, too,” Rhazan says, devotion thick in his words.
I smile at him, feeling his place in my chest glow with warmth.
“Thank you,” Klepkurt says, and light takes me away from him.
I’m in the stands again, looking down at Rhazan.
Sylvia puts her hand on my shoulder and whispers, “You did great.”
“Thanks,” I murmur.
The jittery nerves bloom in my stomach again and I grip the railing.
“It has been decided by this court that Rhazan Malakar be released from unmonitored parole,” Klepkurt says.
I let out a soft whimper and my eyes burn, but no tears come.
“You are free to go, and in twenty cycles, if you have not had another incident, your record will be sealed,” the spider continues.
Rhazan lifts his chin. “I won’t.”
“This proceeding is adjourned,” Klepkurt says, and the chime rings out three times.
Rhazan is beamed away and the doors on several levels open wide. We pour out into a different hall and I pull Sylvia aside.
“Where is he? Can I see him now?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I don’t know how any of this works.”
“He’ll be back in the bar soon,” Jamie says behind me.
I whirl around, profound gratitude swelling in my chest. “I’m so, so thankful for you. Thank you.”
She smiles. “You’re lucky he didn’t ask me a different question.”
“I know…”
I could only imagine what would’ve happened if she’d said he’d broken parole on the day of his hearing.
“We have one more stop,” she says, motioning for me to follow.
I want to pout, but there’s no point.
“See you soon,” Sylvia says.
I wave to them both and trail Jamie toward the exit.
“What’s this last stop?” I ask.
She glances over her shoulder. “Your reprimand from my boss.”