Into the Wild Dark

CHAPTER 38 - SUNNY

Ch. 38: Sunny's Trial

September 14 | Night

I thought I was dreaming. Dreams were a pleasant aspect of being human. One minute I was standing in an unfamiliar part of the Ashivant house. I knew it by the antique furniture. The next, the scene shifted, and I gazed around a domed limestone arena with curving white walls and arched doors and windows letting in white light. A tiered stadium encircled the floor where I remained in place, but there was no audience. I blinked in amazement as my mentor took shape before me.

"Wallace..." I looked down. "I, uh... I didn't make it."

"I know, Sunny." He didn't sound angry.

When I looked up, Mal and Jack were there, sitting at a table that had not changed with the scenery. They did not seem fazed by the glorious whiteness of the room. They did not seem to see what I saw. I tried to speak to them, but the words would not come out. I tugged at the collar of the robe I wore. My mentor was in his familiar blue AngelGuard uniform.

"They can't interact with you," Wallace explained, "but they are here to provide moral support. This is the Court of Immortals. You're here to be judged, my friend." At that, he lifted into the air and spread luminous wings. Suddenly, where his limpid brown eyes had been, a foggy white light filled his sockets. He was majestic and terrifying. Jack hitched in a breath the moment the channel connected. I trembled.

"I am the Oracle," Wallace spoke with divine authority. "On the charge of Failure to Retain Your Wings, how do you plead?"

"Guilty," I whispered.

"Objection! The defendant hasn't had the opportunity to confer with legal counsel." Mal half-rose, but Jack reached over to grip her hand.

"Overruled," said the Oracle.

"But you—"

"Malka," Jack said shakily, "I think they played us. Wallace said that Sunny needed a good defense, not a good defense attorney."

"So, we're here to watch him get slaughtered?" she cried.

"On the charge," the Oracle spoke over them, "of Failure to Protect Your Ward, how do you plead?"

"Guilty," I said.

"Bullshit!" Jack thrust forward. "That's bullshit, and you know it! I'm right here. I was his ward, and I'm alive and well. How can you let him plead guilty to something obviously not true?"

"Sustained. Why do you plead guilty, Sunny?" the Oracle asked.

In a flash, my thoughts were illuminated with every choice I had made in my life. The lines branched out like lightning, connecting each action to the next. I saw my mistakes and my successes. I saw the opportunities I had missed, the choices I could have made that would have led to a happier ending. I saw the reality of the situation. There was no one to blame for my failures, and no justification for my shortcomings.

"Because." My shoulders burned with shame as I slumped, tears welling in the corners of my eyes. I covered my face. Under the archangel's interrogation, I could only speak the truth. Semantics and mind games were useless. "I failed to steer Jack away from seeking revenge."

"But I called them off! I called the hitmen off!" Jack shouted.

Mal held him back. "We can't let them put us out of the courtroom," she cautioned. The pain in his voice wrenched at my heart. I wished I could tell him it wasn't his fault; however, I couldn't console him. He had made his choices, as I had made mine, but larger forces were at play in his life. It was me who should've known better than to lose my wings.