Page 119 of Until the End of Ever
The girl held Lucky's stare, then laughed.
"All right,you'reentertaining. For that alone, I'll give you a chance." A wicked grin curved her lips. "I can either let you take the scales for a day, kid, or I can remove the curse that has taken your entire family—that will take your life before you turn twenty-five, too. What will it be?"
I stared in disbelief. A curse? And a curse that wouldkillLucky, too? It wasn't fair to ask her to trade her life for Lucian's.
"The scales," Lucky immediately replied, without a single moment of hesitation.
"Hm, then I suppose that man must deserve the sacrifice." Sounding just as bored, the woman stood. "Very well. I'll have to come along to ensure they're not misused, and bring them back."
She waved, and the scales before me shrank from the size of a grown man to a small box she covered with the cape she'd been wearing moment ago. The box levitated to Lucky's hand. Almost instantly, another scale appeared right where the first set had laid.
We gaped at her, and she just shrugged. "We have spares."
The woman strutted like she was the star of a catwalk.
I hesitated, and opted to leave both the seeds and the pouch of gold by the throne, before following after her.
As she passed the two golden statues, I watch her clothes morph, still gold and white but a blend of Silver's and Lucky’s: jeans, and a boatneck cardigan.
"Daddy," she called out, "I'm taking a break."
And the next moment, darkness engulfed us.
53
LUCIAN
After the waste of space Zenya Pendros turned out to be, I had little faith in Kleos's family. But no one came to announce that my life was forfeit over the last few days. Damian brought me food, a note from Mother that I refused to read in order to manage my anxiety. I couldn’t afford to lose it here, surrounded by enemies.
Damian added his assurance that, to his knowledge, Kleos hadn’t done anything foolish, like trying to leave the safety of the underside in order to get to me. I desperately needed to hear it. She was fine. She was protected. Nothing else mattered.
“No one has seen her,” he said. “Presumably, she’s at the manor. I went a time or two, but it didn’t open up. Cassisus must have tightened security.”
And here we were. Instead of a hushed decision by the council behind closed doors, I ended up right where this all started about seven months ago: facing the entire magistrate to justify my action.
Except this time, I was innocent.
It didn't look good. I knew how the new bloods hated the founders. I'd be an example.
I scanned the crowd, frowning, confused by the missing faces. My mother and father, my aunt and brothers, were all here, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn't find my friends. Ronan, Lucky. I even expected Gideon or Silver, though not both. Someone had to watch Kleos.
This was peculiar, to say the least. Were they forbidden to come? Had anything happened? I was more concerned about them than myself at this point.
At exactly nine, right on the hour, Castor Pendros-Valmont stood. "We are convened following the death of the White Witch, a noble council member of the house of Pendros, assassinated in this very hall. Lucian Regis, you stand accused.How do you plead?"
"Sadly, not guilty," I drawled. "I would havegladlykilled the bitch given half a chance, as she attempted to enslave her own daughter in a bid to gain power, but I was home the entire time."
Castor showed no sign of surprise, while most in the stands whispered. "You stand accused of murder. We're not charging a dead woman for a crime that has not been reported.Can you prove your whereabouts between eight and ten on Monday, the seventeenth of November?"
"I'd gladly provide any proof the council requires. I was at my office that afternoon, then took the tram home, where I remained all night.Ronan Nachtigall popped by, as did my brother, Damian. Then Kleos Valesco joined me around nine, after being attacked by her mother."
I didn't mention Adrian, not wanting to pull the boy into this mess.
"We're to take the word of your family, your best friend, and your girlfriend?" Castor asked, with an unprofessional snort. "Most of whom are conveniently absent, I note."
Inconvenient for him and his goons, he meant.
"You're to look at proof. Do you have any to suggest I murdered the bitch?"
