Taken By A Werewolf

XIX

Indy had no idea how much time had passed since Ares had left her. She had miraculously drifted off to sleep a few times, and imagined several hours had passed when she heard footsteps coming her way once again. Indy thought she couldn't feel more miserable, but when the door creaked open and Eloy approached her with his nasty smirk, she realized she could.

"Good morning sweetheart, so we meet again."

He patted her cheek.

"Well, you look like s**t," he commented happily.

Indy didn't even acknowledge his presence, let alone reward him with a reaction.

"Not so much to say anymore, huh?" he chuckled.

"Too bad we're short on time, or we might have had some fun here after all."

He started undoing the chains that held Indy up, and when he freed her, she fell to the ground, too weak to stand on her feet. Eloy knelt down next to her, threw her arm around his neck and helped her up.

"Time for your trial, sweetheart. You don't want to keep the Council waiting."

He walked her out of the cellar, holding up most of her weight. Indy stumbled next to him, her feet sometimes dragging or catching on the uneven stone floor. Everything will be over soon.

Eloy helped her up the stairs, and opened the door on top. Indy had to squint her eyes against the bright daylight she hadn't seen in a long time. They walked out of the wooden cabin and Indy was not surprised to see they were in a forest. Tall trees surrounded the cabin that seemed like it was supposed to be hidden there. They followed a small trail through the ferns and bushes. Trees became more and more sparse as they went on their way, and eventually they entered what seemed a town square. There was a crowd of people gathered around, and as if on cue, they turned to Indy and Eloy. They wore similar looks of disgust and hatred, and though Indy could understand why they would look at Eloy that way, she had no idea why everyone seemed to hate her. Ares included. The word 'misunderstanding' had crossed Indy's mind more than once, but the judgment in Ares' and now these people's eyes seemed so adamant, so certain that she almost started to believe she really had done something terrible. Fair wasn't the right adjective to describe her pending trial. Minds were already made up. Innocent until proven guilty was a joke. Indy was certain that she would end here, today. There was nothing she could do about it, and for the millionth time in that year, the thought that she should have died along with her parents flashed through her mind. Part of her had and now it was time for the rest.

Eloy pushed her in front of him, guiding her through the sea of people that parted for her like she was infectious. He made her come to a halt in front of a makeshift wooden podium. There were five throne-like wooden seats on it. A familiar knot twisted in her stomach as she saw Ares sitting in the first one. The one next to him was empty, but the center chair was occupied by a stern-looking woman in her fifties. She had sharp, blue eyes and gray streaks in her long, braided, brown hair. A younger version of that woman--the two were so similar, they simply had to be mother and daughter--sat next to her and the final chair was also empty. Indy wondered if the two people who were supposed to fill these seats had decided not to bother to show up.

Eloy pressed his hands on her shoulders, making her kneel down before the middle chair. The woman stood up and the crowd surrounding them silenced at once.

"Welcome, pack," she said lowly, but her voice somehow cut through the air and Indy was sure even the people in the back had heard her. Calling her subjects a pack made Indy shiver. Like they were a sect of crazy people. Maybe they were. She glanced at Ares, but he hadn't given her a look since she arrived here, staring blankly ahead.

"We are gathered here today for the trial of Adrienne Johnson."

Indy froze at the mention of her birth name. She hadn't been called that for a year now. She hadn't been Adrienne for a year. She was Indy now.

"She has been accused of the gathering and spreading of vital information that has led to the death of 637 of our pack members."

Whispers spread among the people behind her, but the woman on the stage silenced them all with one wave of her hand. She had the kind of authority Principal Haywood could only dream of.

The woman turned to Indy.

"We will lay out the evidence against you and then you will be given the chance to defend yourself. The Council will take a vote, and if you are deemed guilty, the death penalty will be carried out."

She glanced at Ares, who gave her a solemn nod. Was Ares going to be the one to kill her?

Indy waited for the woman to tell her what would happen if she was deemed innocent, but the possibility didn't seem to cross her mind.

"Is this clear to you?" she asked Indy.

No. "Yes."

Eloy swatted the back of her head.

"Show some respect," he hissed.

"What?" Indy asked, puzzled.

"You shall address me as Luna," the woman said. "So I will ask you again: Do you understand?"

"Yes, Luna," Indy said obediently.

"Good. Then we shall begin." She clapped her hand and the boy Indy recognized from the cellar entered the stage and presented something to the woman. She held it up for everyone to see and Indy recognized it as her mother's pendant. She gasped involuntarily. Why she still cared for the stupid jewel that had apparently caused her all this trouble was a mystery to Indy. Something glinted in Luna's eyes. It was no good.

"Do you recognize this?" she asked Indy point blank.

"Yes," she answered, "Luna."

"Can you describe what it is?"

Indy cleared her throat.

"It is my mother's pendant necklace."

Luna didn't seem satisfied with that answer.

"And what else can you say about it?" she insisted.

Indy thought for a moment. "It is partly made from sterling silver, and partly made from labradorite."

Luna looked at her expectantly, so Indy continued.

"It is the last thing I have that belonged to her, so it means a lot to me."

"That's all?" Luna asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I suppose," Indy said. Eloy dug his nails into her arm.

"Luna," she hurriedly added. Eloy loosened his grip again.

"Well, then, do you care to tell us why you were wearing it last Saturday?"

Indy wondered why the woman cared, but she didn't think she could deny her an answer, so she spoke honestly.

"Sometimes when I miss her, I wear it to have her close to my heart."

Indy cast her eyes down at the grass.

"And what about its function?" Luna asked now.

She didn't quite know what to say to that.

"I didn't realize a necklace could have a function," Indy answered.

"Really?" she asked incredulously. She held the pendant in both her hands as if she was going to rip it apart, and Indy tried to stand up, only to be shoved down again by Eloy.

"Please, don't break it!" she begged with a sob. Somehow, the thought of her mother's pendant breaking hurt her as much as her impending death.

Luna scrunched her eyebrows, and for a second, confusion flashed across her face. She was quick to mask it. Ares had probably learned a thing or two from her.

She separated the pendant in half with a short, cold click. Indy gasped in shock, not controlling the few stray tears that now rolled freely over her cheeks. These people already didn't think much of her, so she didn't even bother to wipe them away.

"Indiana," a familiar, coarse voice called for her attention. She looked up into Ares' eyes that were void of any emotion. He nodded towards Luna, who still held the two pieces of the necklace in front of her, and Indy could now see that the silver part had separated from the labradorite crescent, and that a small, metallic piece was sticking out of the stone.

"It's not broken," Indy stated, both relieved and surprised.

"No it is not. Yet." Luna looked at her with ice-cold eyes.

"This flashdrive contains secret information about our pack. From patrol schedules, to maps and blueprints and many other things that have caused our downfall. We would like to know how you obtained this information."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Luna. It was my mom's necklace. She gave it to me. She probably didn't know it was a secret flashdrive. She's had it for such a long time."

Luna shook her head.

"Your mother must have put the information on the drive, because it has been uploaded on August 3, 2021."

"She didn't have anything to do with this," Indy claimed, "she and my dad were university professors, they didn't do anything wrong. They have never even been here."

"So you know where you are, then?" she asked.

"No," Indy said hesitantly. "Luna."

"You should be more careful, Adrienne, for you might be the one to get caught in your web of lies."

Indy almost wanted to roll her eyes at Luna. Almost. She was just a little too terrified.

"Can we wrap this up?" the younger woman sitting next to Luna asked in a bored tone.

"Some of us actually have a life."

She looked Indy up and down with a sneer on her face.

"Others have it for not much longer."

Indy felt the color draining from her face. She knew there was no coming out of this madness, but she was nervous and came to the conclusion that maybe she did want to live a little longer after all. Damn instincts.

Luna cleared her throat.

"It has become clear that the accused is familiar with the object that has caused the death of 637 pack members. It is, however, unclear how the accused obtained the information on said object. It is undeniable that the accused is an accomplice in the crime and therefore I deem Adrienne Johnson guilty of the charges made against her."

Luna looked her straight in the eye and Indy felt shivers down her spine. She swallowed hard. Luna turned to her younger clone, who stood up from her chair.

"She's guilty and deserves to die."

The girl lacked the diplomacy her mother had mastered, but at least she kept it short.

Luna turned to Ares. He didn't stand up.

"Ares?" she urged him.

He looked at Indy, somewhat compassionate, or maybe she was imagining things again. He shrugged at Luna.

"You have two votes in favor of her death, so the choice is already made."

Indy couldn't believe he actually tried to get out of this. He was the one who kidn*pped her. He was the one who brought her here. He had called her many things, and now, when it actually came to it, he wouldn't say it? He wouldn't call her guilty in front of his... whatever this was? Indy had no idea why it made her so bitter. She blamed him and his stupidly perfect face for all of this.

"I'm dying to hear your opinion on the matter, Ares," Indy snapped.

"Interesting choice of words," he replied drily.

He stood up from his chair.

"But if you must know..."