16 - Abby POV
1314 Words
Darkness...
That is what I noticed first when we all entered the room. The room was only lit by two things - candles that were in their wall holders and one single ray of sun light that illuminated the centre of the room where one solitary chair sat.
That, I am guessing, was for the accused.
The Council seats then formed in three tiered semi-circle around them. The middle of the semi-circle was missing, only housing one large chair in the centre which was imposing compared to the rest.
Each seat had a plaque in front of it so you could see who was sitting where. Made it easier for me to work out who was who.
By the looks of it, the front tier held all of the werewolf Elders. Probably as they seemed to make up the majority of the Council.
The middle tier was for the Wiccan and Vampire leaders who were representing their respective Covens.
The back and final tier was empty- this was apparently reserved for the Dragon Lords, but they hardly showed up due to their long hibernation.
"This is where we will sit." Colt ushers me into one of the pews of the public viewing gallery, nodding his head towards the people on the other side before coming in behind me.
We siddle up next to an older couple. There was also a younger couple behind them who I would say were their daughter and son-in-law; the two women just looked too much alike for that to be a coincidence.
"Alpha Thaddius, Luna Kailey, a pleasure as always." Colt shakes their hands as we get seated. He was about to introduce me before the bang of a gavel rang out through the room, silencing everyone present.
"Court is in session." The Prime Minister's voice booms across the room, making me shrink slightly in my seat. "Bring out the first accused."
A chilling scream floods the room as one of the side doors is opened. A man was being hauled in by two very large, muscular guards as he thrashed in their grip. His efforts lead to him being slammed against the chair and chains tightened around his wrists and ankles. I couldn't help but shudder at his pleas of desperation.
"PLEASE! SPARE ME! I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!" He pleads as he frantically tries to escape from his captivity.
"Entering a Dragon's lair is by no means nothing." A woman, who by the looks of her plaque was Elder Kendra of Scotland, holds up her hand to silence the man.
"You are lucky that Dadianus didn't wake up and that the local Wiccan Coven found you when they did." Elder Harper of Ireland smirked as he looked down upon the man, who was now trembling in his seat.
"I-I-I didn't! I was placed there!" They all looked at him skeptically.
"Name the person who placed you there then?" The vampire representative, Florence, picks at her teeth, clearly bored with this already.
"It was a witch! She put me there!" He shouts at them. His chains straining as he tries to get out of his chair.
"Does she have a name?" Octavius asks.
"I don't know it."
"Then why did she put you there?" He didn't answer.
The questions go on as they try and ascertain more information, but the man grew quieter and quieter.
"He's hiding something." The female voice whispers to her parents, leaning forward as she does. The nod in agreement before the lady, who I believed Colt called Luna Kailey, leans her head towards me, maintaining her eyes to the trial in front of her.
"You're new." She states but keeps her voice low; her accent an instant indicator that she was from Ireland. I nod to her, trying to keep my focus on the trial but flickering between that and her. "My first time." I respond.
"I'm glad Colt has finally found his mate." She smiles at me. "You are human, too. How are you finding things?"
"Well, I'm glad not all of it is what you see in horror movies." She snickers at my comment. "Hollywood - always making things overdramatic."
"Take it you met a feral then?" Now Alpha Thaddius was getting involved, his Irish accent ringing through; guessing these two are from the Irish packs. "You said not all of the things from horror movies - those movies typically portray ferals."
"I met two - one was the Blood Moon Beta, Alexis. The other..." and I point my finger towards Colt, who hadn't being paying attention to our conversation so, when he glanced to his side, was now wondering why Alpha Thaddius and Luna Kailey were now staring at him wide eyed.
"What?" He was confused as he looked between the three of us. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and pat before turning back towards the others.
"You will have to tell us that story when this ends." Thaddius gestures back towards the trial before we all get resettled in our seats.
"Mr. Dawes, do you have anything further you wish to say?" The Prime Minister leans forward and stares down at him. The low lighting only partly lighting her face so she had this menacing aura about her.
"I'm innocent! I didn't put myself in a Dragon's lair! It was against my will!" His voice shakes as he shrinks into his chair; it squeaks as he does.
"Be that as it may, you have failed to provide any evidence to back up your claim." The Council all turn towards the centre, whispers and nods from each member before Prime Minister Grecan turns back towards the accused.
"By the laws set by the Dragon Lords, you have trespassed on sacred grounds and therefore will be dealt with by the Dragon Lords."
"NO! THEY ARE BRUTAL AND BARBARIC! THEY WILL KILL ME!" He tries to shoot to his feet in protest but, due to the chains, he pulls the chair to the floor along with him.
"Then you better hope they don't wake up soon then." The Prime Minister retorts. "Until one of them does, you will be held here in our cells." She slams her gavel down as she dismisses him.
He pleads for mercy as he is hauled out by the guards.
"Why are the Council letting the Dragon Lords deal with him?" I lean my head towards Colt. A twinge of pity for the man forms in my heart as he disappears from view.
"Dragons are extremely territorial and possessive." Colt leans in. The room was being reset for the next trial, so small murmurs were filling the empty space. "It is due to their hibernation. The Council agreed to let the Dragon Lords deal with trespassers as long as the Council put in measures to help protect their lands whilst they slept. It is why the Wales and Scotland packs are located with Dragon lairs on their borders."
I nod my head. That book on Supernaturals would really come in handy right about now.
The gavel goes down again to silence the room. "Bring in the next accused."
I freeze as the door opens. My eyes lock as they saw me, shuffling into the room. Their features hagged but their expression was fierce as they held my gaze. Colt growled at them and put a protective arm around me, pulling me close to his side as I tucked my head into his shoulder.
Gabe... was all that crossed my mind.
"He looks happy to see you. Friend of yours?" The woman behind me tapped me on my shoulder as Gabe is chained down to the seat.
"Sadly, a former friend." It also came out as a whimper as my emotions started to take a hold, even with Colt trying to reassure me.
"The trial of the people vs Gabe Reid will now begin."
- Writer
