Half of Ruby

Chapter 7

"Order! ORDER! Order in the court, please! ORDER!" 

The judge waved his hands through the air, under-baked white puffs bouncing frantically. Astaria swept down into her seat, right next to Ruby. 

"Where were you?" asked Ruby quietly. 

"Catching up," came the curt response. 

"With whom?" 

Astaria stared down at Ruby. "None of your business." 

"Sure—when is anything ever my business?" muttered Ruby, turning away from her mother. She quickly swiped at her eyes as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks again. Don't let anybody see you cry. You've cried enough today. 

In the silence the ensued between Ruby and Astaria, the judge managed to rein in the crowd's attention. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. 

"The jury has made its decision," squeaked the judge. "An unanimous vote." 

Ruby sucked in a breath. They're going to kill Jinx. No, no, no, no...please, no....

They couldn't kill him. How could they? No, not Jinx, anybody but Jinx—

But the Giantess Queen's face, with her cheekbones as though chiseled from wood and her lips from gold, already spoke the verdict. 

The jury had to prevent a war. They had to save hundreds, thousands, millions of Fae by executing one traitor. But Ruby couldn't let them do that. She just couldn't. 

Jinx's eyes flashed up at Ruby, whose breath escaped her lips again. Those eyes...those cool blue pools overflowing with ambition and passion and desire....

Those eyes were the only ones Ruby could ever relate to. She remembered the first time that gaze had captivated her own, many, many months ago. 

Ruby shivered as she strode out of the Square. The rain thundered down from the endlessly swollen gray skies, drenching her clothes, soaking her hair and skin despite the meager protection her cloak offered.

With a surprisingly sudden twinge of annoyance, Ruby remembered how Lina had kept pestering her for herbs. Why did the baker even need so much medicine? Was one of her family members sick? If so, why didn't she just tell Ruby, or, better yet, take that sick family member to a doctor? Lina had to have more money than Ruby and her mother....

With a start, Ruby looked up. 

She was lost. 

Somehow, the depths of the alleyways had swallowed her up, trapping her deep within its tangled labyrinth of roiling puddles of water and the mud sloping over her boots. 

Ruby blinked rapidly. No, no, I can't be lost—

She quickly backtracked, racing through the alleyways. She couldn't be lost at night! 

But the faster she ran, the more intricate the alleyways became, knotting her up in their depths. Panic arose in Ruby's throat, thick and suffocating. 

She was lost. At night. 

These houses were dark—windows ominously shaded and black. No light save for the clouded moon's illuminated the alleyway. 

"No, no, no, no," whispered Ruby, sinking to the side of one of the buildings. What could she do? Wait out the night here? Her mother would be driven mad by her disappearance. Could she knock on one of the doors? No, these apartments, with their dismembered shutters and broken walls, spoke of anything but helpfulness.