History really did repeat itself. Once again, Ryleigh found herself standing shackled in front of King Alder. Though, come to think of it, beside her pending doom, nothing was the same.
She was in her human form, for one. No growling, no claws, no sharp teeth. Just a woman with more tragedies than years.
They were in the throne room. 'They' being Ryleigh, the royal family, Jade, and a whole bunch of people who had come to see her be put on trial. She was glad for it. If she was going down, she was going to do it in front of an audience.
Everyone was already there when she was brought in. She was surrounded by guards. Her hands were cuffed behind her back. Heavy chains hung off them, crawling all the way to her feet, connecting with the fetters around her ankles. She wasn't going anywhere, but that was okay. She was tired of running.
She was led in through the main doors. They had dragged her from the prison all the way up the hill. The entire pack had gathered on either side of the path to watch her. It wasn't every day the future queen's sister was getting charged with attempted regicide.
Either side of the entrance was packed with people. Above her head, in the gallery, more people were watching. Hundreds of heads. All these people meant Ryleigh's head was flooding with memories. Unlike Jade, she had learnt how to tune them out years ago. They hardly bothered her. Like Jade, she knew how to filter for memories that were relevant to her.
Her head shot to the right. There, in the back of the room – Austin, Julie, Sky, and Ellis. She cursed inwardly. Why had she gone to all the trouble of saying goodbye if they were just going to show up again? Austin was staring at her, his eyes red. He mourned her fate. It might have touched her, hadn't he been the one who had pushed her towards this ending in the first place. She held her step for one moment, slowing down enough to look at all four of them. She grinned and enjoyed seeing the surprise register on their faces. There was no need to be surprised. By then, they really should've known she was going to go have some fun before her light went out.
Her guards jerked on her chains and she stumbled forwards, snapping her head back. Her gaze strayed to the front of the room, to the raised platform. Alder was sitting on his throne, Corinne at his right. Standing behind him was Aaron, one arm draped across Jade's small shoulders. Jade's cheeks were stained, her eyes rimmed red.
"Why are you crying, little sister?" Ryleigh linked her.
Jade's head jerked up, her eyes settling on her.
"Don't tell me it's guilt," Ryleigh said. "If there is one thing Mother has taught us, it's to never regret your decisions. Self-doubt is your worst enemy."
Aaron turned his face towards Jade, brows creasing at seeing her so distressed. He asked her something, in a quiet tone. She replied, her eyes never wavering from Ryleigh.
"Ryleigh..." Jade's bottom lip started quivering.
"No, no, Darling. Queens don't cry. You've made your choice. You don't need me to tell you whether or not it was the right one. I mean, do I wish you had made a different one? Well, of course. But I get it. He's prettier than I am."
A few tears slipped down Jade's cheeks.
"You're taking my death harder than I am."
"You're not going to die." Jade shook her head. "I talked Alder down."
"Did you? You naughty girl. Fret not. I can get myself back on the execution schedule. Just you wait and see."
Jade's eyes widened.
Ryleigh's guards positioned her in front of the throne and all whispering voices hushed into silence.
"Kneel," one of the guards said.
Ryleigh laughed. The sound reverberated through the large space, bouncing off the walls, haunting every visitor. She spun round, driving her head hard into the guard's stomach. With a grunt, he fell.
"You kneel," Ryleigh said, her voice a hiss. The three other guards were all over her in an instant, forcing her to the floor. Her hair fell over her face, sticking out in wild directions. She looked like a madwoman. She was a madwoman.
She was on her knees, bending forwards so her forehead was almost touching the ground. Her eyes flitted up, locking on Jade. Aaron was holding her tight, but Jade didn't seem to notice it. Her gaze was transfixed on Ryleigh.
Alder rose and a collective gasp ran through the room. "Silence," he said, and the space grew so quiet Ryleigh was sure she could hear the castle's foundation sigh.
"If you want to make things right," Ryleigh linked Jade, "you could name one of your future children after me. Preferably the firstborn. Queen Ryleigh. Can you just imagine it? Best part is that Alder would have to speak my name every time he addressed his progeny. Ultimate revenge. I'll be at peace, but he sure won't."
Jade made no reply.
Alder cleared his throat. "The court is now in session."
The guards eased up on Ryleigh and she straightened her back. She was still sitting on the floor, and the guards were still standing so close she was pretty sure she was inhaling the air they expelled.
"We are gathered here today to fell a judgment in the case of inmate 643217, by name of Ryleigh, a member of the Shadow Walker pack. The charges she is brought up on are trespassing, breaking and entering, assault, and attempted regicide. How do you plead?"
One of the guards grabbed her hair and jerked her head back, forcing her to look at the king. A slow smile curved her lips. "O, I plead guilty to all of it. I charge you with mass murder. How do you plead, Your Highness?"
A thrill slithered through the crowd. Alder blinked, his face growing a shade paler. Anger flashed in his eyes.
"I am not the one on trial today."
"Perhaps you should be."
One of the guards drove the back of his spear deep into her ribs and she groaned, collapsing onto the floor. It was an odd sight. Since her ankles and hands were connected to each other, she was lying stretched backwards, like a half moon.
"Enough," Alder said, and the guards stepped back. "Raise her to her feet."
It took two guards to upright her, but after that she managed to stand on her own. She tipped her head back, sticking her chin out.
"You have pled guilty," Alder said.
"Yes, but you've forgotten a charge," Ryleigh said. The guards shot forward again, ready to knock her back down, but Alder raised a hand, stopping them in their tracks. "I'm a Shadow Walker. That's a crime too, right? Or have you changed it now that you're son's mate turns out to be one? If not, you should probably chain her too. Will you not put my little sister on trial beside me?"
Alder inhaled slowly. "Jade is not on trial. Nor will she be."
"That's a bit hypocritical, isn't it? But then I guess with a mass murderer as judge, that should hardly be a surprise. By all means, proceed. I have pled guilty. That's where you left off."
"This isn't funny, Ryleigh," Jade linked. "I've talked him down from the death sentence. Don't tell me you were serious when you said you were going to reverse it."
"Dead serious, little sister. I'm not going back to prison."
She raised her brows at the king. "Was that it? Are you not going to give me my sentence?"
"If you would stop interrupting me, perhaps I would get the chance to."
Ryleigh smiled, inclining her head. "Why, apologies. I didn't mean to be rude. Proceed, please. Not a peep from me."
Alder's gaze flitted around the room. "By law, regicide or any attempt of it, is punishable by death. However, your sister has been so kind as to plead on your behalf. It is for her benefit and her benefit only that I am willing to offer you fifteen years in prison instead."
Fifteen years. She'd be forty by the time she got out. One month had made her lose the will to live. What was fifteen years going to do?
"Is this where I'm supposed to fall to my knees and thank you for your mercy?" Ryleigh said. "I know I said I'd be quiet, but we all know I'm a liar. Do I get any last words?"
"Could we stop you if we tried?" Alder asked.
"Well, if you knock me out, maybe. I've prepared a little monologue, if you don't mind. Now, I can tell you want to say no, which is probably a good call. However, I've had quite a lot of time to read lately. You know, recovering from all the silver you've pumped into my poor veins and all that. As it turns out, there's also a clause in the law that says every prisoner has the right to speak at their trial. Now, I know you like to pick which laws to uphold and which to ignore, but I would appreciate if you would uphold this one."
Apart from a corner of Alder's mouth twitching, and the slight lavender hue slipping over his eyes, he was perfectly calm. He nodded his head ever so slightly. "Very well. Proceed."
Ryleigh grinned. "Thank you. If you don't mind – I know it's not proper etiquette to turn my back on a king, but it is the audience I want to address." She shot Jade a last meaningful glance, then spun around. Hundreds of faces stared her down. Tension was visible on every single one of them. When the dead spoke, people listened.
"I will serve fifteen years in prison for attempted murder," she said. She regretted not having free reign of her hands. She longed to make dramatic movements to emphasise her words. Now she would just have to drive the point home through sheer rhetoric. "Let me ask you something. You have all come to watch the prince's mate's sister be judged fairly. Don't you agree I've been judged fairly? Well, let me ask you: who judges the judge?"
She spun around on her feet again, facing Alder. "Do you know, Your Highness, how many you killed fourteen years ago? Do you have a tally? Because I have one, if you're interested. Six hundred and forty-seven." She shot a look over her shoulder, then glanced up to bore her gaze into everyone on the gallery. "Think with me for a moment, if you would. We've just established this court judges fairly. Fifteen years for attempted regicide is reasonable. Kind, even, considering I could have gotten the death sentence instead. So I will serve fifteen years for attempting to murder one. Now, tell me, Your Highness. What will you serve for successfully murdering six hundred and forty-seven?"
Once again, she turned. In the back, between all the unfamiliar faces, she saw Austin. His presence gave her no comfort. "Math has never been my strong suit. Maybe that's because someone burned down my school when I was eleven. Still, I know enough to understand that six hundred and forty seven times fifteen does not equal nothing. Fifteen years for me, none for your beloved king. Is that fair?" She shrugged one shoulder, a smile playing on her lips. "I've been known to have skewed morals, so I'm probably not the right person to judge fairness. So pray, judge for me. Is that fair?"
She inserted a long pause there, letting her words sink in. During that pregnant silence, she turned back to Alder, who was staring down at her from his raised platform with clenched fists trembling at his sides.
"You are a fool, Your Highness," she said. "Has anyone ever told you that? I would have been satisfied killing just you. My father is going to kill everyone – and that includes you, Jade. Because you're one of them now."
Jade stood as frozen – wide, red eyes fixed on Ryleigh. "Please stop," she linked.
Ryleigh didn't respond. She lifted her gaze back to Alder. "My father is going to kill you. But mind you, it won't be a quick death. You'll be the last to go. And when you are standing among the corpses of everyone you love; when you see your mate, your child, your family, broken and bleeding on the floor – then you will remember this exact moment, and you will think, 'If only I had let her kill me'. But then it will be too late."
One last time, she faced the audience. Or rather, she faced the one man in the audience who had ever made her feel anything other than miserable. It had only been a few weeks, but it felt like a lifetime ago that his touch had felt like home. Now she knew better. Her one true home had been burnt to the ground fourteen years ago, and she'd been a vagrant ever since.
"I will escape," she said. "Ask anyone. In fact, ask my ex-mate. He knows better than most. How often have I escaped your clutches? Two times? Three? I hardly recall." She found his gaze. In that ocean of people, she found his hazel eyes, and they made her feel nothing. But it was a draining kind of nothing. A kind of nothing that made you want to feel something.
She shook her head and swivelled round to the king. "I've escaped before and I will again. Do you think I won't? How much are you willing to bet? If you lock me up, I will escape and I will finish what I started. Mark my words. To my dying breath, I will never stop trying to escape. And even if, despite my bragging, I won't succeed, I will get out in fifteen years and the first thing I will do is rip you apart with my bare claws. That, Your Highness, is a promise. If you let me live, I will kill you, and there will not be a soul in this world who is going to be able to stop me then."
Murmurs rose up from the crowd. Corinne rose from her throne. Jade held onto Aaron as though her legs no longer sufficed to keep her standing. The prince stared at her in stunned shock, and right then – setting fire to her entire existence – Ryleigh felt more alive than ever.
"So put me down," she said. "Put me down like the dog everyone here thinks I am. Because if you don't, I swear to the Goddess that I will come for you."
She lapsed into silence, and no one else spoke. Her head tipped up.
"O, I have done, Your Highness. You may speak now."
A slow breath escaped him. "You are asking to be executed?"
"No. I am merely presenting you with a choice. You, or me. One of us is going to die. You may choose whom." She smiled. "Whichever is more fair."
"Ryleigh, please." Jade's voice broke and judging by the shock on her face, she realised only then that she had spoken the words aloud.
Alder shot a glance over his shoulder to look at Jade. There was something apologetic in his gaze. A sort of I tried, but this really is beyond my control. He turned back to Ryleigh, settling his stern gaze on her. There was no longer any sympathy there.
"By the power vested in me by the Goddess and my good people, I, King Alder, sixty-second alpha king of Andior, hereby sentence you, Ryleigh, of the Shadow Walker pack, to death. Your execution will be carried out at dawn."
[End of book 2]
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A/N: Did I end on a cliffhanger? Yes. Yes, I did. Were these a few of the most depressing chapters I have ever written? Yes. Yes, they were. Am I really excited for book 3? Yes. Yes, I am. I hope to see you there ;)
Thank you for reading!