“Do you think a remnant of the giant court asked for her to be cursed? Or one of the witches? Or the elves? Gods, why must this be so complicated?” She rubs her forehead.
I stand frozen, seething. Someone used her—controlled her like a puppet and twisted her hands into a weapon. I want to rip them from this world for what they’ve done.
Mother Liana steps forward, her gaze sharp. She turns, gesturing toward the edge of the room. "Bring me a piece of quartz, I want to try to remove it.”
A guard hurries off, returning moments later with a long, pale quartz, cut smooth like a tower. It’s a stone known to draw out darkness, to force tainted blood to the surface.
Theoretically, it could pull the curse from her body.
Teo watches closely from where he stands, his expression unreadable, but I recognize that his mind is already turning. Calculating.
Liana takes the gem and steps toward Estela and Arlet. "Hold her still," she instructs.
The queen shifts, securing Arlet against her chest, while Teo stands at her back. Teo murmurs something to his wife, holding her shoulders.
Then, Liana presses the quartz stone to the tattoo, chanting something quietly.
The stone rests against her skin, unmoving, unchanging, but the crystals glittering in the walls light up.
A single, thin tendril of darkness unfurls from the mark, winding above the quartz and then vanishing.
Liana pulls back, frowning. “Damn. It is a curse mark. But it cannot be easily removed.”
Ra’Salore lets out a long breath, standing up. “All right. She is cursed, but there is also a casualty. Then let us do as the king asked and proceed with solutions.”
“Yes,” Teo agrees.
“I think we should start with the crime. She killed someone. We have not made any laws that dictate how to proceed when a council member does that,” Ra’Salore starts.
The words grind against me. I can’t be objective right now.
Fira shakes her head. “But this is a curse. You all scented dark magic. The report was that she was hissing and biting. Vann said her voice and eyes changed! If we punish her, then we would be punishing the wrong person and neglecting to castigate the one whodid this to her. You do not blame the puppet for the master’s sins.”
Ra’Salore frowns and shakes his head. “But we do not even know who that is. Her hands injured a fellow council member and killed an innocent man.”
“I was not hurt,” I growl.
“According to our law,”Ra’Salore continues, “murder is someone taking a life that was not freely given. A life stolen must be accountedfor. We all agreed that the guilty party must restore balance. So either, Arlet must offer her own life, or she must step down from the council and assume a life debt to his surviving family in whatever capacity they wish.”
Mother Liana shakes her head. “No. I agree with Fira. She did not know what she was doing. How can we impose such a harsh sentence on her?”
“How can the people trust us if we do not?” Teo interjects, breaking his silence.
Estela speaks up next. “It would be a greater disservice to everyone if we punish her without finding the person truly responsible.”
I grit my teeth. If only I had found Daniel. If only she had stayed with me over that man, maybe none of this would’ve happened. I could’ve prevented this.
"Lord Vann? You look like you have something to say," Teo says, picking up on my displeasure.
I exhale slowly, clenching my teeth. She was so private sometimes. Did she want me bringing up Daniel in front of everyone?
And yet… this is serious, and if I don’t help argue for a lighter treatment, she could wake up in prison, on the other side of the city. Alone and suffering.
"Could this have anything to do with Daniel?" I say, directing my question to Estela.
Her head snaps up, eyes narrowing. She tightens her grip on Arlet, her knuckles white where they press against the fabric of her gown.
"What do you know ofDaniel?" she spits the last word.