‘A trial,’ said James, frowning heavily. ‘Why?’
‘Last night, Karl Corsi was found dead in his trailer.’ I spoke quickly, pushing my raw feelings aside. ‘All the evidence pointed to him being killed by a shadow creature. They accused Sebastian of murdering Karl and taking all his books with information on the shadow world.’
I paused, gauging their reactions. I didn’t know how close they’d been to Karl, but he was a Corsi, and clan ties were stronger than blood. James looked visibly shaken, but the others remained blank and silent, which was somehow worse.
‘Our council was deadlocked,’ I continued. ‘They couldn’t find Sebastian guilty or innocent, but because of everything that had happened, they refused to release him.’
‘That’s ridiculous,’ said Kris, crossing his thick arms. ‘If they couldn’t find him guilty—’
‘Everything was out of control,’ I said, cutting him off. ‘People were scared. There were reports of shadow creatures in the woods, and a lot of people were convinced Sebastian had called them there. The Marksmen ordered everyone to stay in our trailers, and our clan was demanding a verdict. My father had no choice but to defer to the High Council in Savannah.’
‘A convenient action,’ snarled Kris.
‘But it’s the law,’ said James. ‘Whether we like it or not. If a decision can’t be made in a kris, then it has to go before the High Court. Nicolas was only doing his job.’
Hugo studied me. ‘Why haven’t we been told?’
‘My father didn’t want other clans getting wind of what happened, especially after all the rumors of shadowen attacks and clan feuding that have been coming out of the north. He thought it would only cause panic.’
‘Karl may have worked with you, but he was from our clan,’ said Vincent from the other side of the room. His face turned as red as his hair. ‘Your family had no right to keep this from us.’
I looked away, feeling awful. ‘I know.’
‘We will mourn for Karl in our own time,’ said Hugo, addressing the others. ‘He was a Corsi, but he belonged to the Circe. They will do right by him. For now, Sebastian needs to be our focus. If we start making preparations now, we can leave before—’
‘Wait,’ I said. ‘That’s not all of it.’
I closed my eyes, forcing my thoughts to go back, to return to the last time I saw Sebastian, almost seventeen hours ago. To make myself see the old animal cage at the back of the Circe property where he’d been held. To relive the moment I’d lost him.
‘Right after the trial, Augustine showed up at the Circe.’
At the mention of the man who’d been banished from Outcast Gypsy society, the Corsis immediately bristled with hatred and fury. But, they kept silent, letting me continue.
‘Augustine is actually my uncle Adolár.’ The words burned like acid in my throat. ‘I never knew it until last night. I was too young when he left the Circe to remember him.’ I shuddered. I didn’t want to dwell on my relationship to the former Gypsy anymore than I had to. ‘Augustine told my father he was on his way to Savannah to meet with the Queen. He had somehow found out about our kris, and he offered to escort Sebastian there.’
‘So, Augustine has my brother,’ said Hugo, in a deadly tone. ‘That marimé traitor with a grudge against every clan in this kumpania, and Nicolas just lets him waltz out of the Romany camp with your guardian?’
‘It happened so fast,’ I replied, rubbing my palms together until my skin stung. ‘My father couldn’t spare a Marksmen escort, but the High Council was already expecting Sebastian. Augustine said that if he personally delivered Sebastian to the Court, he’d be able to get an audience with the Queen.’
‘Why would he think that?’ huffed Kris. ‘He’s marimé. He’s lost his Gypsy blood and every right he had under our law. It’s not like he could even get anywhere near her.’
‘Unless he had an extremely important reason,’ Hugo said, sarcasm heavy and dripping. ‘Unbelievable. Nicolas let Augustine use my brother like some kind of bargaining chip to see the Queen.’
‘My father had no choice,’ I replied, feeling caught between my family and Sebastian and sickened by the whole thing. ‘Augustine threatened to tell the other clans we were harboring a murderer. The Marksmen made Sebastian look like some merciless killer. Half the troupe already believed he was guilty. But then, when they let him out of that cage …’
I dropped off. A cold chill poured through me.
James touched my shoulder again, gentle and non-threatening. ‘What happened when they let Sebastian out?’
‘He wasn’t himself,’ I said quietly.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Hugo. He sat on the other end of the couch. I felt the tension coming off him like the heat from an engine.
‘I’ve seen what Sebastian can do.’ I paused, trying to find words to describe the change that came over him, but everything sounded wrong in my head. ‘What I mean is, I know how he can be when he’s forced to act as a guardian, when he has to protect me … or anyone else. But he’s always snapped back before. It was different this time. He was vicious, and his eyes … his eyes were just … empty.’
Like an animal’s, I’d nearly added, but stopped myself. No, he wasn’t the creature Quentin accused him of being. In that brief moment – just before he’d gone so wild – he’d asked for my forgiveness, and in his eyes, I saw the sweet, strange boy whose life had intersected with mine. He wasn’t a beast.
Something had happened to him.
Hugo’s gaze traveled to the window. It had grown dark outside, and the glass reflected the room. The corner of his mouth tightened. ‘Do you believe he killed Karl?’
‘Absolutely not!’ I leapt up, suddenly shaking with a fury that caught me off guard. ‘He would never do something like that. You’re his brother. You should know!’
‘He’s not the same kid you knew in school. He’s a gargoyle now.’
‘He’s my guardian,’ I snapped. ‘I don’t care what he looks like or where he came from. He’s still Sebastian. He has the best heart of anyone I’ve ever met, and he would never … ever …’
Hugo rubbed his eyes. ‘I’m not saying it was intentional …’
‘He didn’t murder Karl!’
I pressed my hand against my mouth. I would not cry. Not in front of them. As my fingers brushed my lips, I remembered the impulsive kiss I’d given Sebastian after the trial. How he’d stared at me, so shocked and wide-eyed with that unearthly silver gaze, that it felt like my heart was going to leap through my chest.
‘Okay,’ said Hugo, after several moments. Both his expression and his voice were softer this time. ‘I just wanted to hear it from you.’
Hugo walked to the front window, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his ripped jeans. The others watched his movements the same way people in our troupe watched my father.
‘This was Augustine’s doing, from the very beginning,’ said James. ‘He had his shadow creatures kill Karl, then he took his books.’
‘And framed Sebastian in the process,’ added Vincent.
It felt like the temperature had dropped ten degrees. ‘But why?’ I questioned. ‘My uncle … I mean, Augustine … had his own collection of shadowen books. I remember his library when I was a child. It was mostly fairy tales and stories, same as Karl’s.’
‘I think Karl had more information than we knew,’ said Hugo.
A