The suspect was escorted onto the airship and dumped onto the couch. Nicholas and Cecelia, being the only people on the airship with medical training, tended to Adelaide in the royal suite.
The rest of the Falcons were in the sitting room looking on intently as Victoria sat across from the suspect. She attempted to keep her cool demur but her anger seeped through.
"State your name" Victoria said.
"Kiyan Cadalian" he said, his eyes darting around the room.
"Where have you been residing for the past month?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" he said.
"Try me" Victoria said.
Kiyan took a deep breath and said:
"I live in an underground camp for Enchanters that practise illegal magic. My mother, Brenda Cadalian runs the camp but is not an Enchanter herself. I've lived there with my sister for eight years".
Rosaline thought she misheard him. An underground black market that the AIA didn't know about? Impossible.
Victoria blinked and then said:
"It's a felony to lie to an AIA agent".
"I'm not lying" Kiyan said with complete sincerity.
"So if this underground network is real, how come it's never been found?" Victoria asked.
"Because they made sure it didn't. I don't know maybe my mum paid off a couple of officials. It doesn't matter because now you can destroy the camp for good".
Victoria fished a photograph from her pocket, the grainy one of a kid's birthday party they found in the cottage.
"Is this you?" Victoria said, sliding the photo across the table.
Kiyan stared at the image like it was a bomb set to go off any second.
"Where did get you this?" he said.
"Answer the question" Victoria raised her voice.
"Y-yes that's me with my parents and my grandparents" Kiyan said.
"Where are they now? Are they in the camp too?"
"Just my mum. The rest of my family are - are dead"
"You're not asking the right questions" Rosaline spoke up.
"We have to find out whether he is telling the truth" Victoria objected.
Cecelia came running through the living room with an expression that reminded Rosaline of a startled deer.
"It's Adelaide. She's convulsing – I don't know what to do" Cecelia's voice came out high and squeaky.
"You have to give her something to counteract the lead infection" Kiyan said.
Victoria glared at him.
"Don't give her anything until we know what's wrong with her" Victoria said walking out the sitting room.
Rosaline stood up and raced over to Kiyan.
"What did you do to Adelaide?" Rosaline shouted.
"I didn't do anything. I helped her escape" Kiyan protested.
"Why would you help her escape?" Maxwell sneered.
"Because we had a deal and I wanted to get out of that place. The Enchanters they –they aren't from their own free will. It was a horrendous place to live. I wanted no part of it"
Rosaline shook her head, unable to comprehend his words. It was as if he wasn't speaking in Concordian.
"Why Adelaide?" she said.
"My mum seemed to think Adelaide knew where the caveam was"
"What's a caveam?" Rosaline asked.
"A box which is used to hold the ingredients that is needed in order to summon a demon" Raymond answered.
"What would Addie be doing with that?" Rosaline said. "Did Erebus have anything to do with this?"
"I don't know"
"He did have something to do with it" Rosaline said "I knew it".
"I told you I don't know anything" Kiyan shouted.
Maxwell came forward with a Taser and jabbed Kiyan in the back. Rosaline cringed as he jumped and gave out a yelp of pain.
"Maxwell you can't" Rosaline protested.
"She's right. There's no need for that" Raymond said.
Maxwell narrowed his eyes.
"We need to get the truth out of him one way or another" he said. "Don't you want to know what happened to Adelaide while she was away? I highly doubt it was a tea and scone party".
Rosaline's mouth went dry. If those camps were real then hundreds of people had suffered for years with no aid, no relief, no savoir. She shivered at the thought. And Adelaide had seen it all? They had to know the truth. They had to. And trying to coax an answer out with words wasn't working.
"Go on" Rosaline said. "Get some answers out of him".
Maxwell jabbed Kiyan again, this time he held the Taser on Kiyan for longer. Kiyan howled, crashed into the table and rolled over it. He landed on floor with a thud. Maxwell pounced over to him and kicked him. Rosaline tried so hard not to wince.
"Are you ready to talk now?" Maxwell said, enunciating every word with another kick.
Kiyan's hands were tied behind his back, he could do nothing but take the beating. It felt wrong somehow. Even if he was a criminal. Still Rosaline did nothing as Maxwell threw Kiyan against the wall and began slamming his head against the floor.
Victoria walked through the room and her expression changed from deeply worried to horrified disbelief.
"What are you doing? Get away from the suspect" Victoria shrieked.
Maxwell stepped away from Kiyan who lay on the floor breathing heavily.
"I was trying to get the truth" Maxwell said.
"That is not how we do things in the AIA" Victoria said, her face set into a scowl, her hands on her hips. "We don't torture people into a confession. Now you've jeopardised the whole mission".
Victoria turned to Rosaline.
"Why didn't you stop him?" she cried.
"I did it for Addie" Rosaline protested. "We don't know what Adelaide has been through. She might not even wake up. The state she's in now – his people did that to her. How many more people are suffering right now as we speak?"
Victoria looked taken aback.
"Take him through to the engine room. No one talks to him until we reach HQ" Victoria finally said.
A week or so later, Adelaide was recovering in hospital. It was the first time Rosaline and Victoria were allowed to see her and they would have to ask her about the camp and about Kiyan. Kiyan who had been put in an isolation jail and no one was allowed to question him or charge him because he could claim he was tortured into a confession. Everyone had to wait for what Adelaide would have to say.
Rosaline and Victoria walked into Adelaide's room, which was sterile white and smelled like all hospitals did – like bleach.
Adelaide looked so small lying unconscious on that bed, hooked up to so many machines. When she opened her eyes, she smiled weakly at Rosaline.
"Hey" she whispered.
"How are you feeling?" Rosaline asked.
"I've been better" Adelaide grimaced. "Then again I've been worse".
"What happened? Are the camps real?" Rosaline couldn't help but blurt out.
"Oh, it's real alright. It was an awful place – I couldn't even begin to describe it" Adelaide said.
"Well you're out now" Victoria said. "And once we find that place we while tear it to the ground".
"Good" Adelaide said and then broke off coughing.
"Did they poison you?" Victoria asked.
Rosaline held her breath, almost not wanting to know the answer.
"Yes but that's not the reason I was ill" Adelaide said. "I was shot with a lead arrow".
Rosaline felt her anger rise.
"Did Kiyan shot you?"
Adelaide's eyebrows scrunched up.
"Kiyan? No Kiyan helped me escape that awful place"
"He helped you" Rosaline exclaimed.
Rosaline felt a twinge of guilt. So he had been telling the truth. And she'd let him be tortured. Rosaline's eyes met Victoria's.
"What's happened?" Adelaide said. "Have you arrested Kiyan?"
"We had to" Victoria said. "He's in jail just now, he'll probably be executed for his participation in those camps".
"That's hardly fair" Adelaide exclaimed, attempting to sit up. "It's not like he had a choice"
"Perhaps he'll be shown leniency for helping you" Victoria said.
"Perhaps no one has to find out" Adelaide said.
Rosaline gasped.
"He has a little sister" Adelaide said. "She's a sweet thing. And Kiyan is the only person she really has. I'd never sleep at night knowing that he was executed and I could've stopped it".
Victoria looked like she contemplating it for a moment. Then she said.
"You're asking an awful lot. I mean what if we get found out and it looks like we're covering for a criminal?"
"Please, I know you don't want an innocent person to go to prison" Adelaide said.
"What are we supposed to do?" Victoria said. "He's already in jail just now and the officials already know he has something to do with the camps".
"Say that it was a misunderstanding. He is an Enchanter who helped me escape. One of the oppressed not the oppressor" Adelaide said.
Rosaline stared at Adelaide. Did she know what she was saying? Did she understand the consequences of being found out?
"Adelaide I don't think you've thought this through" Victoria said slowly.
"Unless you have a better idea be my guest. If not then lie to the authorities and make sure no harm comes to Kiyan" Adelaide said.
Rosaline shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Victoria took a deep breath and said:
"Okay, we'll cover for him. If that's what you think is best" Victoria said.
Rosaline thought she didn't hear Victoria correctly. They were going along with Adelaide's drug-induced crazy plan?
"Thank you" Adelaide said.
"You just get some rest" Victoria said.
Victoria walked out of the room with Rosaline tagging behind.
"So what now? We just let Kiyan go free?" Rosaline asked.
"I don't trust him" Victoria said.
"I know, but it's what Adelaide wants"
"She's not thinking straight. I think she may have developed a condition in which the victim starts to sympathise with their captor" Victoria said.
"So what do we do? We can't just go along with what's she's saying if she's ill" Rosaline replied.
"We don't know if there's anything wrong with her. We have to give her the benefit of the doubt and we can't risk upsetting her. If that means lying to the AIA. Then so be it" Victoria said firmly.
Rosaline chewed her lip. There was definitely something amiss here. She just couldn't figure out what it was.