Solstice Souls

Seeking Judgement

Muffled cheers erupted from the onlookers. Wei Ying's dull silver eyes turned tiredly towards the young jade who stood there in puzzlement. He watched as Lan Xichen took a stance in front of his little brother and felt relieved that someone was there to protect the man who had saved him. Madam Yu was cunning. A fact he knew all too well.

"What are you suggesting, Madam Yu? There's no proof that Wangji did anything to Lady Sanren."

"Not yet." she said with a sneer. "But all the evidence points to him thus far. So I propose that Hanguang-jun remain here, locked under our custody, until Lady Sanren wakes. That is, if she wakes."

Gasps could be heard in place of the earlier cheers. Lan Xichen turned to his little brother. Lan Wangji's face held confusion. He looked at his sibling with pleading eyes and Wei Ying could not help but weep for the helpless jade.

How did things get to this point? Why was Madam Yu trying to lock Lan Wangji up for something he may or may not have done? The pain in Wei Ying's side was spreading into his chest and back, bringing stars to his darkening vision. He clamped his eyes shut and tried to breathe but that only made things worse.

"Wei Wuxian." Jiang Cheng whispered.

"A-Xian." Yanli's soft voice murmured.

Wei Ying could feel both siblings holding him tighter as his legs began giving way.

"Wei Wuxian. Do you feel that is sufficient compensation for what Lan Wangji has done to your mother?" Madam Yu asked him, her voice harsh and conniving.

When the Wei heir failed to answer her, she walked over and pinched his chin between her finger and thumb. She raised his sinking head and looked between him and the young man in white. She leaned closer. So close that Wei Ying could smell the scent that brought a chill to his bones he thought he would never feel again.

"Wei Wuxian, you can't let the Lan's get away with murder." she said in a low voice. "They have probably just killed your mother and now they want to claim victory for the hunt and raid your treasury. Your father is grief stricken and may never recover from the loss of his beloved wife. All because the great Hanguang-jun thinks he's above everyone else. That he's better than everyone else. That his clan is more righteous than everyone else. He wants all of the Wei Clan dead, including you. And his first kill was your innocent mother."

Wei Ying could feel his anger rising like bile in his throat with every word Madam Yu sung to him. He knew he was being manipulated but his feverish mind took hold of each accusation and pulled it closer to his heart. Her accusations burned through his doubt and dissolved his compassion until there was nothing left but hatred for the men in white standing across from him. Especially for the one staring at him with pale golden eyes. The one he once believed was his equal. The one whom he thought he once loved.

"Take him." Wei Ying ordered with coldness, his silver eyes tinged with red.

"No!" Lan Xichen shouted.

His response was so un-Lan that everyone in the room turned their eyes towards the clearly panicking older jade. Lan Xichen approached Madam Yu who now stood in front of a weakening Wei Ying.

"I will not allow you to take Wangji into custody. There is no proof and Lady Sanren may still recover from her injuries. Your judgement is unfair and we will not abide by it."

Madam Yu stared back at the First Jade with disgust in her eyes. She walked around Lan Xichen like a tigress assessing her prey. Zidian crackled on her finger as she considered her next move.

Wei Ying watched her, praying this would end soon. He was suffering from his injury and his fever and kept shaking his head to remain conscious and alert.

"Fine." The Purple Spider said with a flick of her wrist. "If you don't like my decision, then we'll ask someone whom you can't disagree with. Baoshen Sanren will settle this dispute once and for all."

Wei Ying's head snapped up.

Baoshen Sanren? His grandmother?

Why? What was Madam Yu up to? And where was his father? Shouldn't he be here? Shouldn't he be making the decision about Hanguang-jun's punishment?

Everything was happening so fast. He wanted to yell STOP! When he looked at Lan Wangji, his heart did not know whether to rage or weep. So many emotions consumed and confused him. They were like an inescapable riptide sweeping him away, drowning him within an abyss of hopelessness.

As Wei Ying's fever swallowed his consciousness, the secret dancer thought he saw Lan Wangji make a move towards him. A smile graced his bloodless lips as he fell limp into the Jiang sibling's embrace. Silver eyes that longed for golden ones slowly closed.

The last thing Wei Ying remembered was the sound of a voice calling his name and the smell of sandalwood.