Equinox (Book One of the Firebird Chronicles) WATTY AWARD HIDDEN GEM WINNER 2015

Chapter Forty Three: Swan Dive

A/N: FINAL CHAPTER!! Image found on Pinterest, art by Karol Bak. Beautifully sums up how I feel the scene in this chapter appears!

The guards hauled me out, and the wind rushed me, causing my legs to give way. Embarrassed, I tried to pick myself off the rough floor, but my bindings limited my movement severely. I wobbled, requiring the guards to grab my skin again to steady me. Then, I saw where I was.

We weren't on a platform; we were on a spiked ledge, jutting out over the edge of the island. The spike itself held a viewing area, on which a comfortable array of benches and chairs held a group of important people. Officials and such, I imagined, until I caught sight of Reia.

She was dressed regally, in robes of mourning black and a shawl of black feathers to hide her golden ones. Her hair was bright in the morning sunlight, a golden glimmer of curls that outshone even the large, golden crown atop her head, dripping diamonds along her temples and on her glabella. 

Her mouth was perfectly posed in an expression of sorrow, her lips large and painted red. Her high cheekbones was blushed with rouge, contrasting sharply to her pale white face and big, green eyes. Next to her, like a loyal dog, sat the Commander.

He looked much more suited to mourning, with his dark hair framing his perfectly dark eyes. Daedoran's beady eyes glinted in mirth when he caught sight of me, struggling to stand. A haphazard grin spread along his face, and I watched him slide an inch closer to Reia, as if to show off his high standing. His own shirt was black but half open, making him look more like an escort than a man attending an execution. His wings, though silver, were nowhere near as beautiful as Fabian's, I noticed with my own smirk. His smile faded, and he looked at me in contempt.

The guards saluted to their princess. Was she their Queen already, or did I have to die for that to happen? I didn't get time to think. Reia's lapdog stood and gestured me to stand before them. Daedoran happily forced me to my knees, addressing what could only be the crowds below. A strange headpiece was fitted beneath his horns, circling his ear and extending towards his mouth. When he spoke, his voice boomed.

'Ladies and gentlemen of the Diamond City!' he called, and I realised that he was about to make a speech. 'We have gathered here to witness the trial of a traitor who murdered your king at his own party last night!'

Had it only been last night? 

'This girl is supposed to be a Candidate for the throne, and in her greed, she slew the King and turned upon his daughter, but was vanquished and captured!'

No I didn't! I wanted to protest. Reia made me! She created an illusion, an illusion to make me kill the king, fearing for my sister's life!

How was I ever going to explain that? Then again, I knew already that the justice system of Angelica was crude. There was no way this trial would end with me walking free; the juror's panel appeared to be all of Reia's close informants. All of their eyes flitted from me, to the drop below, and back to their Queen, occasionally glancing at the Commander. Would they even consider me innocent? 

'The sentence for crimes against the crown in Angelica is death,' Daedoran droned on. I shivered, head still craning so that I didn't bow to the people in front of me. I would die with my head raised, I was determined of it.

'This Candidate shows no regard for Angelica, or its customs. She attempted to assassinate its one true Queen, Freya Dulcina, who has been preparing to rule all of her life.'

The Commander froze in his speech. Reia-- no, Freya-- had risen, indicating she wanted to speak. Her own earpiece was looped towards her mouth. She strode past me without even looking at me.