Forbidden (The Secret World Of Atlantis 2)

Chapter 8 - The Hearing

“Come again?” he asks, barely comprehending what I’ve just told him. I sigh heavily, there’s no time for this. Not if my family is coming to the hearing. They can’t spot me, before it begins.

“Just lend me a room, so I can change and tell me where I can hide and listen to the hearing, until it’s time for me to speak up,” I urge him. He already opens his mouth to defy me, but I don’t let him. “Now, please!” I demand, finally making him nod.

“Down the hallway, the last door on the left. Be quick, you can leave your bag there too, if you’d like. Then come back here and I’ll lead you to the courtroom. We’ll manage from there on,” he concludes, but I’m not there to listen anymore. As soon as I shut the door behind me, I undress and pull out a gown I’ve packed just for the hearing. The royal blue colour is perfect for the occasion. The dress itself is modest, but the lace details on the neckline, the bottom of the sleeves and the skirt, make it look much richer.

As I notice my reflection in the mirror, I realize I don’t just look like a Princess. I look like a Queen. I couldn’t have picked a better dress, if I wanted to be taken seriously. I take a deep breath. It’s time.

I leave the clothes and my bag at the room, closing the door behind me. As promised, the judge is waiting where I left him. He bows once again and I don’t miss the gleam in his eyes as he does so. He’s truly acting with his best intentions.

“This isn’t necessary, sir … I’m sorry I don’t believe I’ve asked for your name. How do they call you?” I ask politely. The judge straightens up and motions for me to follow him. As we start walking in the opposite direction, than where I came from, he finally speaks up.

“They call me Vasil Erinome. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess,” he declares in a friendly tone. I can’t help but turn to him with a polite smile.

“Likewise,” I respond. He returns the smile and with that our conversation is finished. I’m growing more and more nervous by every second. This is really happening. I resist the urge to pinch myself and come to a stop at the same time as Mr. Erinome. It’s a good thing he’s on my side. If he wasn’t, things would be much more difficult. I don’t think I could bribe him like the guards of the prison. I gave them bracelets, that were probably worth a lifetime of their payments. It would be hard to do the same with a wealthy judge.

I step into the Hall right after him, following him right to a heavily ornamented chair, that must be reserved for him. But right behind it, there’s a wide curtain, covering the wall from the top to the bottom. Mr. Erinome pulls it open, revealing a small space, furnished with a comfortable looking bench and a coffee table. I raise my eyebrows. Now that’s not something I expected to see. He looks kind of embarrassed. “I would appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone about this. We use this room for apprentices, that want to become judges. They listen to hearings and we study them together later. It isn’t exactly legal …” he admits, scratching his neck awkwardly.

“It’s alright. As long as I’m able to be here and listen to the hearing, I’m happy. I won’t tell anyone about this. I promise. You’ve been of great help to me,” I assure him. He looks relieved at my words.

“Thank you, Princess. Now, when you hear me call for the witness, just go through the door opposite the bench. You’ll find yourself behind another curtain. Push it away and walk through the door on your left. This way you’ll get into the courtroom without giving away your hiding space,” he explains. I nod in understanding. “Now go and hide. We only have a few more minutes, before the hearing begins,” he urges me. I do as he says, finding myself in complete darkness, once the curtain is back on its place.

I freeze in shock as I can hear people coming into the courtroom just a minute, after I’ve settled down. That was too close. It’s frustrating as I’m not able to see, who’s coming and what’s happening. I also don’t hear any voices. There’s a dead silence, that makes my insides spin and turn. I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous in my life.

I close my eyes, saying a silent prayer to the Gods. If you’re here … If you’re watching … Don’t let me screw this up. Help me save him. Please, please, please. The judge’s voice interrupts my prayer, making me open my eyes and listen. “Silence! We are going to begin,” he informs the gathered. It’s not like he had to do it. Everything was quiet already. “Is the accused present?”

“I’m here,” I can hear a familiar voice after a moment. I take a deep breath. I hate how we left things in the prison. But he’s the one, who kept asking me to leave. I shake my thoughts away. It’s no use dwelling on this. I have to help him, no matter what went down between us. He’s too important.

“His defender?” the judge calls once again. There’s a silence once again. “The defender?” Mr. Erinome calls out once again.

“I’m defending myself,” Eros speaks, making me stiffen. I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this. Why is he doing this? Why didn’t he look for help?

“The prosecutor?” the judge speaks once again. I sigh. I’ve never been to a hearing before. Exactly how many people is he going to call, before we actually begin?

“Present,” I hear another familiar voice declare. But this one makes the blood freeze in my veins. Not only did my father take Eros from the Academy to have him possibly convicted to a death sentence, but he’s also called himself a prosecutor just for this case? I have to grip the seat of the bench hard to prevent myself from storming out there.

“Very well. Let’s begin. Prosecutor, what are you accusing Prince Callisto of?” the judge asks. I sigh, this is going to take a while. There’s a dramatic silence, my father’s slow footsteps the only sound cutting through it. As he comes to a stop, he finally speaks up.

“Prince Callisto tried to murder my daughter, Crown Princess Arya Delfina Io of Dairelis,” he declares, saying Eros’s name like it’s poisonous. “He’s waited out the full moon, until he turned into a Dark one, draining her of blood. He did this, so he could have an excuse, that he wasn’t in control of himself,” he proceeds. There’s a silence once again. Come on Eros, say something! You’re supposed to be defending yourself!

“Does the accused have a defense prepared?” the judge asks, directing the question and Eros. I focus, trying to reach his mind and tell him that I’m here. That he needs to fight. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to reach him. Or does he have a shield around his mind once again?

“I didn’t hurt Arya intentionally,” he reveals so silently, that I’m barely able to understand, what he’s saying. I bite my lip. It isn’t much of a defense, but it is a start. Why didn’t he demand his own defender? This isn’t fair! He’s just a teenager, for the love of Olympus!

“Is this all you have to say, Prince Callisto?” the judge asks, not sounding very pleased with how things are going. The feeling is mutual, Mr. Erinome. As there’s no answer, I can hear the judge sighing heavily. “Prosecutor, do you wish to continue?”

“Yes. I have some questions to ask the accused,” father announces in a tone, that I don’t like one bit. In the next moment, Eros is asked to swear to the Gods to be telling the truth and the truth only. Then my father begins his interrogation. “How were you able to escape being locked up during the full moon?”

“I didn’t show up at the Amphitheatre at the time I was supposed to. I flew to the top of it and hid, once they began searching the island for me,” Eros admits. I clench my jaw. Hearing this … It just makes me hurt more. But not for me. For him.

“Did you hide with the intention to hurt my daughter?” father grits through his teeth. There’s a sickening silence. Everyone is waiting for the answer impatiently.

“No. I would never,” the poor boy answers, his voice sounding so broken. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. It’s killing me inside.

“Don’t lie to me!” my father snaps suddenly.

“No raising voices, prosecutor, or your request for questioning is going to be denied this instance!” the judge warns him. The interrogation is a rather peaceful encounter after that, but my nerves are already getting the best of me.

“Why did you stay outside during the full moon then?” the King continues. But he’s met with silence. I freeze up. Is it possible, that Eros was actually out to get me? I feel mad at myself immediately. How can I even think of something like that? He would never do that! “Well? Did you drink my daughter’s blood or not?” father continues.

“I did,” Eros answers through gritted teeth, clearly upset with the questions. Oh Gods, please don’t let him burst out and ruin any chance of saving him from doom.

“That’s more than enough proof to me, that you were out to get her,” my father answers in an equally annoyed tone. “I have no more questions!” he then declaims, and I can hear him walking back to his seat.

“Very well. It’s time to call for the witness of the case. Perhaps they’ll be able to put some more insight into this,” the judge implies, and I bolt up immediately. This is my cue. Before I exit my hiding place, I can hear murmuring of the public. It sounds like there isn’t so little people in there. And they have no idea what’s coming.

As I close the door, I can’t hear anything happening in the courtroom. Not until I open the curtain in front of it and walk through the entrance to the hall. I can hear my father’s enraged voice as soon as I open the door. “Who’s the witness?!” I walk forward, watching contentedly as the whole courtroom falls silent. There’s a crowd of nobles, all gaping at me, including my family members. I then turn to my father, answering his question with a smirk.

“I am,” I speak up, making his face fall.