Lord of the Night

Chapter 43: Defense

As I strode toward the middle of the stage, Fraschkit flashed me a tight smile. It was a smile I had seen many times before, but never with quite this much strain wrinkling the corners of her eyes. Her smile said 'you're being an idiot, my friend,' but the strain said, 'are you even my friend?'

"Remgar, what testimony would you like to provide on behalf of this Demon?"

I glanced at Isalio, now only five feet away from me. His head dropped even lower than before, black hair curtaining his expression. Almost lost in the shifting shadows, he gave a tiny shake of his head.

I turned to face the crowd. From the stage, the group appeared larger than before, and more intimidating. Icy stares; locked jaws. I spotted Zuzette's springing curls, almost hidden among taller, broader shoulders, but I could not make out her expression.

For a moment, I was tempted to seek my father's face in the back. Once upon a time, I trusted him above all others to give me comfort when I was afraid. Now, our most recent conversation rang in my ears.

You're no Guardian.

Steeling myself, I began to speak. "We all know the Morgabeast provided the Demons with the opportunity to seize power, and has since destroyed many villages. But what do we know about the way this Demon is connected to the Morgabeast? Manikbar said the deaths stopped when this Demon arrived. Without this Demon controlling the beast, everything could be much worse."

Manikbar scoffed, loud enough to cut through the murmur of the crowd, and he pushed toward the front. "He summoned the beast." He jabbed a finger at Isalio, who still had not moved. "Without him, the Guardians would still be in control of the land, and everyone would be living in peace and prosperity. Without him, none of this would have happened."

"The palace was willing to do anything to overthrow the Guardians," I said, "Including subjecting their own Prince to an unspeakable fate until he had secured their dominion. He was forced to summon the Morgabeast."

"Forced?" said Fraschkit, quietly, an edge in her voice. "Forced how? How would one force the most powerful Demon in the world to do anything?"

I both wanted and didn't want to know the answer to that question. When I didn't answer, she shifted toward Isalio.

"Why did you summon the Morgabeast, Demon? What did they do to you?"

He blew an exhale, another ripple of the inky strands hiding his face. "Does it matter?"

Fraschkit hid her reaction fast enough that most in the audience probably missed it, but I knew her well enough to recognize that tightening of her shoulders, that jerk of her head. She was unsettled.

"That's for us to decide," she said, a few seconds too late. "Just answer the question."

I stared intently at that downturned head, begging him to provide them the information that he still refused to share with me. Seconds passed, followed by a quiet sigh. Anticipation and dread mingled in my gut. Was he finally going to reveal the details of his past?

"I wasn't forced," he said.

I gritted my teeth to stop myself from cursing. What was he trying to do, anyway? It seemed no one much cared what happened to Isalio, himself included. But unfortunately, I still cared. I was startled by the heat that scorched my veins when I remembered that kiss, and by the cold horror that flooded my gut when I thought about what Danif might have done to him—and about what the Guardians might still do.

"Regardless of whether the Prince is guilty," I said, "He can help us avert a greater crisis. Legend says the Forest of Lost Beasts is awaiting a leader. If the High Prince is destroyed before the Morgabeast is, the beast could become that leader. I've been in that forest, so I can say this with confidence—if all of those beasts are unleashed on the world, no one will survive."