Chapter 34
Riven was barely out of sight when Trenton and Morgan approached. Elsie watched them come in slow motion. Her nerves screamed danger! and a ringing in her ears overtook all other sounds.
“Ladies, I’m calling an emergency meeting in the mediation room.” Trenton refused to look at Elsie as he spoke. “Mordane, Roz, and the other higher-ups were called to an emergency summit in Pinnacle, so I couldn’t book the room, but it’s empty, so we may as well use it.”
Heat flooded Elsie’s body as confusion knit Perrie’s brow.
“Why, what happened? Morgan, what’s going on?” the witch asked, but the sniper shook his head.
“We’ll wait until we’re all together before explaining, but we have a valid reason for it. Captain, you should leave that demon of yours in your room. Having him there will make things harder.”
“No,” Trenton disagreed, glancing at Saint. “Bring him. He’s part of this and will be addressed thoroughly.”
“Did Mutt do something wrong?” Perrie stage whispered. Morgan frowned and left her wondering.
Gravity was heavier somehow, like the earth wanted to open up and swallow her whole.
Elsie knew exactly what this meeting was about, and there was no point in trying to stop it.
Trenton was well within his rights to demand this, and if she denied him that right, he’d wait for Mordane’s return for enforcement.
The only way to handle this was head-on. She’d have to convince her entire squad that she’d been in the right when she hadn’t even been able to convince Morgan.
“Okay.” Her throat was tight. “Trisse and Banks are on the training field, I’ll go grab them. You guys find and bring the others.”
Twenty minutes later, the entirety of Elsie’s squad convened in the mediation room, a sacred, secluded place where not even Mordane had the authority to interrupt once sessions were underway.
Sometimes a squad would choose to bring in a mediator if the scope of their meeting was beyond their ability to reconcile, but usually they hashed things out themselves.
Trenton and Morgan had done her a kindness in keeping the meeting exclusive to their squad.
If a mediator overheard what they were about to discuss, they’d be required to report back to Mordane, and Elsie would face Angela’s intended fate.
As things stood, the eight members of her squad had the collective power to decide what to do going forward.
Saint growled when Grady tried to sit next to Elsie, and the big man automatically swapped seats with Banks, casting her big-eyed looks from across the room. She pointedly ignored him. This wasn’t the time for another of his attempted, heartfelt apologies.
It was the first time she’d seen Grady since his punishment and subsequent probationary period to prove he was still worthy of her squad.
He’d been sentenced to 15 lashes, but Elsie had successfully argued to reduce it to ten.
The geographer was useless to her if he was thrown on medical leave to recover.
Since then, she’d left him in Trenton’s capable hands.
In the center of the room was a circle of nine chairs, and Elsie’s squad each took their seats, serious, tight expressions on their faces. The air was heavy with tension, and nobody spoke. Instead, they stared at Trenton standing in the middle, waiting for him to start.
He was the only person Morgan had told about her actions on their tracking mission, but paranoia had Elsie wondering if they were all in on it. Several among them sent her furtive glances filled with curiosity and accusations.
Trenton cleared his throat.
“Nobody wants to be here, but we’ve all felt this day coming.
A couple of you have previously brought up the possibility of one of these sessions, but until now there were no complaints strong enough to warrant it.
” He looked Elsie dead in the eye. “Between the eight of us and Albright, we have enough evidence to back a litany of charges that would end in Captain Chantraine and her demon’s deaths in the event of a court-martial. ”
“Whoa, what?!” Perrie shot to her feet.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Steve demanded, also on his feet, his face contorted in a snarl.
Grady went pale, eyes darting between Elsie and Trenton.
“Let him speak.” Morgan sat low in his seat, arms crossed and feet sprawled out in front of him.
The pair sat back down, but the agitation remained. Elsie hoped they’d keep that energy until the end. She needed them on her side.
Saint’s hands grasped the back of her chair, and Elsie sent him the warmest, calmest vibes she could manage given the circumstances.
“Were we to decide to escalate the matter, there are eleven charges in total, each severe enough to end the captain’s career. Keep in mind Mordane’s deal with the goddess of death may be enough to spare her, but only Elsie herself is protecting the demon.”
Marley leaned forward. “As much as I hate to admit it, Mutt has been useful. We’d have had a lot more trouble with that chimera without his help.”
“The chimera is part of the trouble,” Grady mumbled, refusing to look in Elsie’s direction. She scoffed audibly, and his cheeks reddened. How could he pretend to have feelings for her while taking an active part in their planned accusatory session?
Trenton took out a piece of paper, and Elsie’s stomach dropped. At some point, they’d begun documenting her actions.
“The lesser offenses include refusing orders, insubordination, espionage, reckless endangerment of humans and squad mates, and falsifying documentation including mission reports,” Trenton read off.
“Those are the lesser offenses? Captain, what have you been up to?” Banks asked.
“The more serious charges are aiding and abetting the escape of a deserter sentenced to death, aiding and abetting the escape of a demon, desertion, fraternization with a demon, and demon sympathizing,” Trenton finished.
He’d stuck to the facts, but the anger in his voice and movements felt like being repeatedly struck by a battering ram.
The silence that fell when he finished was so electrically charged that a single spark would cause an explosion.
Perrie opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again, the shock and hurt on her face reflecting the emotions of several comrades.
Steve stared at Elsie in horror, but Trisse, Banks and Marley stewed in their personal outrage.
“I did not invite Albright to give his witness testimony for obvious reasons. We need to conduct an internal review and come to a decision on our plan of action before choosing whether to involve people from outside our squad,” Trenton said.
Elsie’s heart thundered in her ears. He’d just given them an out, if they chose to take it.
If their loyalties to her were still strong enough, they would judge her themselves.
It was within a squad’s right, since their chosen punishment could sometimes be even more severe than what a court-martial would hand out.
But in many cases, an internal review ended quietly for all involved.
“Morgan, please tell them what you witnessed on your latest mission.” Trenton took his seat.
Morgan stood, throwing an apologetic look in Perrie’s direction before choosing a spot on the tiled floor to stare at as he spoke. He told them everything, from Elsie allowing Riven to join a classified mission to the moment she’d let Angela go.
“I’ve been in denial these past couple of years, willing to overlook the peculiarities of her behavior since Mutt’s arrival.” He looked Elsie in the eye. “I stood up for you, even when you weren’t around. I trusted you.”
His gaze fell on Saint, and any softness on his face evaporated.
“When I insisted we fulfill our duty and complete our mission, the captain restrained me in order to prevent me from carrying out our target’s sentence.
We’re all aware that she’s physically stronger than the rest of us, and she used that to her advantage. ”
Morgan’s jaw worked, and he steepled his hands. “Our captain finally crossed the line. I was adamant with the rest of you that she wouldn’t, but she did. Elsie used Mutt against me.”
“What do you mean?” Marley demanded, her head whipping to the demon so fast it was a miracle she hadn’t given herself whiplash.
“Mutt pinned me to the ground and held me there for half an hour, giving the woman and the demon time to escape. During that time, the captain fabricated the woman’s burial.”
Morgan had just thrown a spark into a room thick with toxic tension. Tempers exploded.
“You let that demon put his hands on Morgan?!” Marley bellowed.
Each person shouted over everyone else, demanding the opportunity to be heard. Elsie stared at her hands, letting their anger slam against her, accepting their rage without internalizing it. She hadn’t done anything wrong according to her personal morals, and she’d stand by it.
Saint let out a long, loud growl and all eyes turned toward him. “The truth seer is not being entirely honest.”
“What?” Morgan barked.
Saint leaned over Elsie, eyes narrowed. “She didn’t ask anything of me. I stopped you from killing that woman of my own free will.”
“As if that’s any better?” Trisse reached for the weapon he’d left at the door, settling for glowering at the demon.
More pandemonium. Saint settled back into place, and Elsie pinched the bridge of her nose while they argued about whether or not what Saint had told them was actually worse.
“She isn’t even trying to control him anymore,” Banks seethed.
Eventually Trenton returned to the center and mean-mugged the squad until they settled down. “Hold your energy for now, you’ll have your chance to speak,” he reminded them. “Grady, it’s your turn.”
“Should he be allowed to speak after what he’s done?” Perrie sniffed. “How can we trust that Grady’s testimony is impartial? He may sway in the captain’s favor if he still has feelings for her, or he’ll sway too far in the other direction if he holds a grudge after his punishment.”