The Last of the Red Hot Vampires - By Katie MacAlister Page 0,65
cast by one of the tall stones. I wanted badly to take his hand, but wasn't comfortable with such a show of affection in front of so many hostile strangers.
"Know ye all that this hearing commences in the sovereign year one thousand fifteen in the eightieth age."
Ten-fifteen? You're older than that!
The Court calendar differs from the mortal one. It is divided into ages, each of which contains roughly fifty-six thousand millennia.
I did a swift mental calculation, pleased that the years worked out to be the approximate age of the Earth.
"Behold ye now, her most gracious of majesties, the mare Suria."
A smiling, petite blonde in a gauzy green and gold sundress emerged from the crowd, laughing at a quip someone called out. She bestowed her smile on Theo and me, taking a seat on the empty bench.
"Behold ye now, her most gracious of majesties, the mare Disin."
The mare we'd met with earlier marched out, her expression grim. She didn't look at me, simply strode over and took her seat next to the first mare.
"Behold ye now, her most gracious of majesties, the mare Irina."
The last mare took me by surprise. I was expecting another woman of younger years, but the bent-over, frail woman who hobbled from the masses was clearly in the latter years of her life...if that was possible with an immortal. She, too, settled on the bench, her milky blue eyes searching me curiously.
"This hearing does not concern your champion," Disin said, frowning at Theo.
"With respect, your grace, Portia is my Beloved." Theo stepped forward slightly, careful not to go beyond the edges of the shadow. "I cannot allow her to stand trial alone."
Around us, the crowd gasped, little whispers hissing in the air as people digested the information that Theo and I were bound by blood.
Was that the wisest thing to say? I asked, forcing myself to relax as the clouds overhead grew darker. The three mare consulted one another. It seems to me that just gave more fuel to the fire.
Theo's laugh was mirthless. Those three women are the pinnacle of power in the Court of Divine Blood. The only one who has more is the sovereign itself. There is little that escapes their attention. The fact that I am now a Dark One may not have been common knowledge, but I assure you they were aware of it the moment we stepped into the Court.
The mare ended their consultation.
"You may remain," Disin said, giving Theo a regal nod. "But you will not speak to the charges in Portia Harding's place. It is for her alone to do so."
He bowed, murmuring his thanks.
"You are charged with the destruction of the virtue Hope," the first mare said, her face somber. "How plead you, Portia Harding?"
"Not guilty." There were other words that wanted to burst out, such as a declaration that I do not kill people, not for any reason, and certainly not for anything so frivolous as the ability to control weather, but I pushed them down. I doubted if such an outburst would do good.
The silence that followed my statement hung heavily for about five seconds, then the whispers behind us began fast and furious.
The sky grew darker despite my attempts to keep my emotions in check.
Disin narrowed her eyes. "Do you refute the fact that you intend to grant exculpation to the nephilim named Theondre North, the same man to whom you are bound as a Beloved?"
Strangers be damned. I took Theo's hand, sucking in a deep breath as I tried to calm my nerves. "I do not deny that I have discussed the subject with Theo. I do deny the implication that I murdered Hope in order to bring such a thing about."
"Do you deny that just one night past, you sought the company of a demon lord?"
"We didn't seek him - "
"Do you deny that you had an audience with the demon lord, the premiere prince of Abaddon, the lord Bael?"
Several people gasped behind me. Theo's fingers tightened around mine. He wanted badly to say something but was bound to silence by the mare's order, an order that evidently covered not giving me advice as to what I should say in answer to the ridiculous charges being bandied about. "The circumstances of our visit to Bael are not of our doing. We were summoned there by Bael."
More gasping and a couple of outright cries of horror. I kept my eyes fixed on the three women in front of me, drawing strength from the touch