The next few days passed in a blur of confusion. Adam was taken from Adrian Chopkith's office to a small, dingy cell beneath an LCIT outpost where he was interrogated for several hours by LCIT agents. He told them over and over again what had happened: he and his friends had arrived to stop Adrian from doing something horrible and to confront him over the missing Undying, only to find him dying behind his desk. After the interrogations were finished, he was tased without warning and transported to another LCIT office in the back of an armoured vehicle. LCIT agents had attached a bulky, silver collar to his neck that burned his skin. Beneath his chin the collar contained a metal pouch filled with verbena, wolfsbane, and other herbs meant to subdue Undying. He spent the rest of his time with the LCIT in a constant, dizzying stupor that muddled his senses and removed any sense of time.
Several days later, he glanced down at his watch and sniffed as his eyes filled with stinging tears, "I'm sorry, Michael. I tried to save him ... but I wasn't fast enough, again."
"That's alright Adam," the watch responded cheerily, "you'll pay him and me back when you're rotting in Hell!"
The door to his tiny cell swung open and he looked up, his head spinning. An LCIT agent stepped into the room and nodded, "get up, Mr. Peaks. Your case has been called to trial."
"Trial?" He blinked as the words tried desperately to penetrate the fog of confusion in his mind, "trial for what? Where ... who are you?"
"Come on," the agent grunted, helping him to his feet, "it's time to go."
He was led to a waiting van and ushered inside where he was grabbed roughly by two armed guards. They sat him down on a shaky bench and flanked him on either side, each of them keeping one hand on their cans of verbena spray. Time passed slowly, but soon enough the van came to a screeching halt, and it's doors were flung open. He was pulled through a secluded hallway that smelled horribly of desperation. The fluorescent lights above flickered on and off as if tired of being kept on all day. They came to a set of wooden, double doors that had words in latin etched into their faces. He was shoved through harshly, and stumbled as his shoes came into contact with the linoleum floor beyond.
Adam's eyes burned as they adjusted to the sudden increase in artificial light, and he gasped. He was in a courtroom, surrounded by rows of benches filled with Undying, werewolves, goblins, and all other manner of creatures. Another set of seats had been set off to the side, and he wondered wearily if they were for his jury. Each and every person seated there was an Undying, and they glared down at him as he was marched through the courtroom and pushed past an iron gate. LCIT agents helped him sit at a metal desk and hooked his handcuffs to a chain affixed to the bottom of the desk. He watched them listlessly; any thought of resistance had left him days ago. The LCIT agents unlocked the collar around his neck and pulled it away, leaving quickly through the iron gates separating him from the rest of the people in the courtroom. Adam felt as though he was waking from a dream, and he sucked in the clean air bereft of verbena. His eyelids lost their weight and his mind cleared, as though someone had turned on a light in his brain. He shook his head several times to clear his thoughts and stretched his aching joints. Once the stupor had vanished, the familiar feeling of panic began to set in.
He was in a courtroom, accused of murder!
He gasped and felt sick to his stomach. He was innocent, and yet he was here, surrounded by people who had already judged him to be guilty. Adam gulped and thought of what an Undying prison would be like, and then felt his heart skip a beat; what if the punishment for murder was death?! He would never see his friends again, would never see his mother again ... he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do to stop-
"Adam!" a voice hissed from right behind him, "hey, Adam! Back here!"
He turned around and saw Jake waving at him desperately from the bench situated right behind him. Sitting on either side of him were Naomi and Camilla, both looking incredibly worried.
"How ... how long was I ..." he cleared his throat, not realising just how dry it was.
"Five days," Camilla snarled, "and they refused to allow us to see you, as you're apparently a vicious murderer," she rolled her eyes and then relaxed. She gave him an unconvincing smile of confidence, "do not worry, New Blood. You are innocent, and it will be proven so. We will aid you in any way we can; everything will be alright, I promise."
"Thanks, I-" Adam was silenced when a door across the courtroom slammed against its wall, swinging uselessly on its hinges. A Nelluth clad in ill-fitting riot gear stomped through the door and growled, pointing at him aggressively, "stay seated, whelp!"
"O-okay!" He stuttered and watched as another Undying came through the door.
This one was dressed in a large, black robe with golden trim and a well-groomed, powdered wig atop his head. The judge glanced at Adam and then made his way up a set of small stairs to sit behind his bench. His three chins waggled as he took his place in the court, and he took an absorbent amount of time to put on a pair of thick, round glasses.
"All rise!" the Nelluth bailiff shouted over the murmuring of the crowd.
The judge cleared his throat, "you may all be seated!" he sat down, adjusted his robes, and then pulled a large birdcage from somewhere beneath his seat. Inside the cage was a bulbous, purple frog covered in shimmering boils. It looked out on the court with three, multi colored eyes and croaked quietly to itself. The judge leaned into his microphone and made eye contact with the strange amphibian as he cleared his throat again, "my name is Judge Ferala Corga, High Justice of the Court of Night." he waited for a few moments and then nodded at the frog. He opened his mouth again, "I am not an Undying. I am, in fact, three Goblins standing on top of one another, in a judge's robes."
He stared into the frog's eyes and waited. The frog swivelled away from him and opened its mouth wide. Adam jumped as a shriek akin to that of an injured cat gargling oatmeal erupted from the creature's throat.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Adam hissed at Jake.
"It's a Firrin," Jake replied in a whisper, "they can detect when a person is telling a lie. It works, unless the person really believes their own lies. If it goes off, it's not technically admissible in court, but juries tend to put a lot of stock in Firrins."
"Wait, if it's not admissible, why is it here-"
"Order in the court!" Judge Corga smacked his gavel against his bench, "the Court of Night is officially in session. Prosecution, approach the bench!"
"Thank you, your honour," a slim woman wearing a tailored suit entered through the iron gate and passed Adam's table without giving him so much as a passing glance.
"State your name and Family for the court," Judge Corga ordered.
"My name is Matilda Allard," Matilda announced, "of Family Balluth, representing Mr. Adrian Chopkith, deceased, former head of the Senna party."
"Thank you," Judge Corga nodded and waited for her to take a seat at a desk several feet away from Adam's, "Defence, please approach the bench."
Camilla stood and marched through the iron gates, slamming them haughty behind her. She strode towards the bench and bowed deeply before Judge Corga, "your honour. I am Camilla of Family Adarbu, representing Mr. Peaks. It is his intention to plead not guilty to the crime of murdering Adrian Chopkith, and furthermore-"
"Hold on," Judge Corga glanced down at a stack of papers and rifled through them, leaving her standing, annoyed, in the middle of the court, "ah, here it is. Let me see ... sorry, you are not eligible to represent Mr. Peaks."
"I ... what?!" Camilla gaped, "I have a degree in human law, and a degree in the Laws of Night! I am more than qualified to represent Mr. Peaks!"
"I didn't say you were unqualified," Judge Corga rolled his eyes, "I said you were not eligible. You are of the Adarbu Family. Our laws state that only those of Mr. Peaks' Family are allowed to represent him in a case such as this. You should know this, Miss ..."
"Mr. Peaks is an Umbra Aeternum," she interrupted angrily, "and as such he does not have an assigned Family."
Judge Corga glanced down at his papers again and grunted, "it says here that the autopsy came back showing Mr. Chopkith's throat was slashed by a knife, and then the wound was used for the blood magic that prevented any ability for him to heal himself. This was the work of a Durg blood ritual, so we have deemed the defendant a member of the Durg Family for the purposes of this trial. Please take a seat, Miss Camilla of the Adarbu."
"This is outrageous!" She shouted and slammed her fist against the bench, eliciting an annoyed grunt from Judge Corga, "you son of a-"
"It's fine, Camilla!" Adam stood and cried out, trying to stop her from offending the man who, quite literally, held his life in his hands. She scowled as she was shooed away by the bailiff, and Adam gulped as he addressed the judge, "your honour?"
"Yes, Mr. Peaks?"
"I'm kinda ... new to all of this Undying stuff, so this might be a dumb question," he stumbled through his words, "but do I get a court-appointed lawyer?"
Judge Corga laughed and he felt his heart drop, "court appointed lawyer? You are not on Earth, Mr. Peaks. By the laws of our people, any Durg may represent you," he stood and stretched out his arms to address the crowd, "are there any Durg present who are willing to represent Mr. Adam Peaks?"
Adam whirled around and scanned the audience. No one stood, not even the few red-eyed Durg with whom he made eye contact. They all looked away, each and every Undying remaining silent.
"Why not?!" Adam shouted, his fear replaced by outrage, "what do any of you have to lose defending me?!"
"Adam ..." Jake muttered, "they have a lot to lose. The punishment for murder is death, dude ... and if you lose, your lawyer could be exiled from the City for representing you. Representation is a form of implication down here."
Adam gaped at him, and then whirled around to stare at Camilla as she passed his table to rejoin the crowd. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, unwilling to meet his gaze.
"Very well then," Judge Corga nodded and returned to his seat, "shall we get underway? Miss Allard, your opening statements, if you please."
"Thank you, your honour," Matilda Allard bowed and then approached the bench. She smiled as she turned her attention to the jury, "Undying of all Families, I am here today to represent the deceased Adrian Chopkith. Mr. Chopkith was an accomplished politician, a philanthropist, a historian, and, above all else, a protector of our Living City. He was the head of the Senna Party, and a man with whom many had issues ... including young Adam Peaks." She gestured lazily towards Adam, as if mentioning his name was not worth her time, "but I put forth that this grizzly, gruesome murder was not entirely Mr. Peaks' fault. He is guilty of murder, but he was corrupted by another ..."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves and the jury gasped. Judge Corga prayed silently for an aspirin, picked up his gavel, and then slammed it down on the bench, "order in the court, if you please," he lowered his gavel and leaned back in his high back chair with a slight smile, clearly entertained with what was happening in his courtroom.
"Thank you, your honour," Matilda nodded, "as I was saying ... while Adam Peaks is responsible for the murder of Mr. Chopkith via Durg blood ritual, he is not the only one to blame! Who can blame a fanatic for giving into the wants of their idol?" she strolled over to the jury box and leaned casually on their divider, "Adam Peaks is just that, ladies and gentlemen: a fanatic. He has been one of us for a scant few days, and yet he has met with Lord Thomas Durg multiple times, and has even been invited into the Last Lord's home! As I am sure you are all aware, Lord Durg has been an outspoken supporter of the Asal, and a well-known hater of the Senna, particularly the Senna under Mr. Chopkith's leadership. It is my belief that Lord Durg has filled young Adam Peaks' impressionable mind with anti-Senna sentiment. Such an act would, in a healthy mind, produce little effect ... but in the mind of someone as deranged as Mr. Peaks, this brainwashing has produced a vicious killer! Who other than a twisted sociopath would slit a man's throat and then use his fledgeling powers to defile that man's body?!" Matilda walked closer to her own table. She took a seat and then slammed her fist down heavily while pointing an accusatory finger directly at Adam, "I will prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Adam Peaks was so overcome by messages of hatred that he felt obligated to slay Mr. Chopkith to appease his hero and idol: Lord Thomas Durg!"
"What?!" Adam blurted out, "Lord Durg? Powers ... I don't have any powers! I-"
"SILENCE!" Judge Corga shouted, smacking his gavel, "you will be silent, Mr. Peaks."
"Sorry," Adam winced.
"Don't let it happen again," Corga scowled and then returned his attention to Matilda, "thank you for your opening statements, Ms. Allard. Please call your first witness to the stand."
"Yes, your honour," Matilda nodded, "the prosecution calls to the stand Mrs. Abigail Nansu."
"... who?" Adam raised his eyebrows and looked back at his friends. They returned his confused glance with ones of their own.
He turned his head back to the front of the courtroom and felt his heart drop into his gut as the secretary from Senna Tower entered the court from a side room. She walked slowly past Matilda and made her way to the bench. She entered the stand and took a seat while glancing nervously around the room.
"Please state your name and job for the court," Matilda demanded.
"I'm Abigail Nansu," her eyes met Adam's and she flinched, "I'm the front receptionist for Senna Tower ... where Mr. Chopkith works, I mean worked."
"Thank you," Matilda nodded, "and can you recount, for the court, what happened on the night of Adrian Chopkith's murder?"
"Yes, well ..." Abigail paused, "Mr. Peaks and his associates came into Senna Tower and demanded to speak with Mr. Chopkith. They claimed that it was urgent, and that if I didn't let them up to see him, that one," she pointed at Camilla with an angry glare, "threatened to hurt me. Then, their Cursed dog said that he smelled bad luck coming from the top of Senna tower. They screamed at me to tell them what floor Mr. Chopkith works on ... and then they ran off-"
"Can you describe how Mr. Peaks was acting for us, please?"
"Yes, of course. He was trying to be polite," Abigail frowned, "but he seemed really ... feverish, and twitchy. He was in a hurry, and he refused to listen to me!"
"After the exchange with Mr. Peaks, what happened?" Matilda nodded, making notes on a small pad of paper.
"Well, like I said, they ran off with Mr. Peaks leading the way! The human said that she was with the LCIT, but I was already reporting them to the LCIT!" Abigail shuddered, "they told me that they were sending some agents over right away, and they did!"
"Very good," Matilda smiled, "and afterwards? Can you tell me what the LCIT agents did afterwards?"
"Y-yes," Abigail shrank back in her seat, "they escorted that man," she pointed at Adam with a shaking finger, "out of the building, covered in blood. When I asked them what had happened, they told me that Mr. Chopkith had been attacked ... and that he had ... he was ..." her words caught in her throat and she shook her head, "Mr. Chopkith was d-dea ..."
"It's alright," Matilda smiled sympathetically and turned around to face the jury, "just as the LCIT reports state. Just as twelve witnesses up on the thirty-third floor of Senna Tower reported as well: Adam Peaks barged his way into Adrian Chopkith's office, before any of his companions, and murdered Adrian in cold blood!"
"WHAT?!" Adam shouted, "they were right behind me, and his throat had already been slashed! I-"
"SILENCE!" Judge Corga yelled, smacking his gavel with significant force, "Mr. Peaks, you will not speak out of turn again, or you will be held in contempt of court! Do you understand me?"
"Y-yessir," he fell back into his seat, his shoulders low.
"Ms. Allard, please continue."
"Thank you, your honour," Matilda smirked, "and Mr. Peaks' outburst leads to my next point. Ms. Nansu, you say that the LCIT officers arrested Mr. Peaks, and that he was covered in blood, correct?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Your honour, the prosecution would like to draw the jury's attention to exhibit C-dash-One," Matilda announced, pulling out a piece of paper from her briefcase, "the LCIT coroner's report summary. It states the following: Mr. Adrian Chopkith was pronounced dead at the scene, killed by a combination knife wound to the throat and Durg Blood Curse. Mr. Chopkith had been dead for only a few minutes, and the wound he suffered was deemed to be recent. It is the opinion of this coroner that Mr. Chopkith was slashed and cursed mere moments before the LCIT arrived on the scene." She stopped reading, slammed the report onto her table and pointed at Adam, "moments before the LCIT arrived! Mr. Peaks' fingerprints were found on the blade, and Mr. Chopkith had just been attacked. Mrs. Nansu describes Mr. Peaks as feverish and in a hurry ... and he was reported as having entered the office before anyone else, and was found hunched over Mr. Chopkith's corpse, covered in his blood! That is all I need, thank you, Mrs. Nansu."
Matilda bowed and then smirked in Adam's direction. He felt anger boiling in his belly, but managed to keep it contained. Judge Corga nodded lazily and then pointed a large finger at Adam, "Mr. Peaks, would you like to cross-examine this witness?"
"I, er, what?" Adam gulped, "I've n-never-"
"While there are none willing to defend you, you do have the right to defend yourself," Judge Corga interrupted with a slight roll of his eyes, "would you like to cross-examine Mrs. Nansu?"
"I, er ..." he felt his ears burning and the acrid sting of tears in his eyes. Panic overcame him, and he sputtered, his tongue feeling as though it was made of lead. He floundered for several moments before Judge Corga waved a hand through the air.
"Very well," he stated plainly, "since you are unable or unwilling to represent yourself, and seeing as you have no council or representation, we will move onto the next witness-"
"Excuse me? Do I have the right courtroom?"
The entire courtroom spun around to stare in the direction of the large double doors at the back of the court. Thomas Durg and Jovith stood in their frame, the former squinting towards the bench as if searching for something. His eyes landed squarely on Adam and he smiled, "ah, good, and only after having to check three other rooms! Jovith, if you will."
"Yes, my Lord," Jovith grabbed Thomas' crimson cloak and removed it with grace, allowing him to walk away in the dark suit he was wearing beneath it.
The Undying in the court's audience all fell to one knee, bowing before one of their Last Lords. Matilda gaped at Thomas with wide eyes, and Judge Corga bowed deeply without rising from his seat. Adam felt his heart leap as Thomas got closer, his panic dissipating.
"Hello, Adam," Thomas smiled and then turned his attention towards Judge Corga, "your honour, I am Last Lord Thomas Durg, of Family Durg."
"Yes, my Lord!" Judge Corga sat up straight and nodded fervently, "to what do I owe this honour, sir?"
"I am Adam Peaks' Durg representative," he replied simply as he rested his bejewelled hand upon Adam's table.
"WHAT?!" Matilda shook her head incredulously, "that ... that's not ... your honour, a great deal of my case delves into Mr. Peaks' obsession with Lord Durg! This is a conflict of interest, and I object to it!"
"Do not worry, Ms. Allard," Thomas smiled warmly, "if you are worried about painting me in a bad light whilst I am in the same room, fear not; I will try my utmost to not take offence." Several lighthearted chuckles emerged from the crowd, and she flushed in embarrassment. Thomas grinned despite the cold bite in his voice, "besides, if your intention is to show that my connection to young Adam here is the reason for his alleged crime, would you not benefit from my being here?"
She blinked and adjusted her suit jacket, "yes, well, I-"
"Or perhaps ..." Thomas's eyes glinted like a wolf that had just spotted an injured deer cowering in the woods, "you are concerned that your case is not as air-tight as you would have led the jury to believe when you had no opponent?"
Matilda stared at him with her mouth open wide, and Judge Corga sighed, "Ms. Allard, can you think of any legal reason that Lord Durg cannot represent Mr. Peaks?"
"I ... no," Matilda scowled as she conceded.
"Very well then," Judge Corga nodded at Adam, "Mr. Peaks, do you accept Lord Durg as your Durg representative?"
"YES!" Adam shouted and then blushed, "sorry, yes, please."
"Excellent!" Thomas fixed his eyes upon Abigail Nansu and cracked his knuckles, "shall we begin?"
Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter, I really appreciate it!
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