Rebel Heat (27 page)

“How much farther?” Lyrik asked.

“To the night the Shadow Maze was liberated.”

Lyrik grasped the armrests of his chair, both his thumbs tapping impatiently. “We’re all well acquainted with those events.”

“Two things happened that night that directly pertain to my defense.”

“Get to the point or this is going to take considerably longer than an hour.”

It was only taking so long because Lyrik kept interrupting him. Morgan crossed her legs and then uncrossed them, all the while fighting the impulse to climb down from the gallery and shake the overlord.

“I’ll do my best, sir.” Nazerel sounded almost sincere. “On the night in question, Varrik and Lor, along with two females and forty-six Shadow Assassins were teleported onto a Rodyte ship. Everyone was rescued and the Shadow Maze was liberated, but one important question remains. Who commissioned the capture of the Shadow Assassins and for what purpose?”

“The Rodyte captain was interrogated at length,” Lyrik responded. “He claims that he was hired by the Crown Stirate, but Quinten denies any involvement in the incident whatsoever.”

“Stirate Quinten was telling the truth. He had nothing to do with the acquisition, but he was nearly sure he knew who had made the arrangements in his name.”

“Sevrin, his niece?” the overlord didn’t sound surprised. “We had similar suspicions but we were unable to confirm which of the two had been guilty.”

Conversational exchanges like this weren’t allowed in an American courtroom, but this wasn’t America. Apparently, Ontarian tribunals were less encumbered by rigid procedures.

The image in front of the panel changed as Nazerel moved on. “This is a copy of the correspondence between Stirate Quinton and General Garin Nox. For the sake of transparency, I’ll note that General Nox is also my cousin.”

Lyrik nodded. “We’re all aware of the relationship. Continue.”

“When Stirate Quinton’s usual sources failed to verify who had arranged the mass kidnapping, he remembered that a member of the Nox family had become a Shadow Assassin. He contacted General Nox and asked if the Nox family had remained in contact with that family member.”

Lyrik stroked his beard thoughtfully as he asked, “The Nox family member was your father, Elder South?”

“Correct.”

“And had they remained in contact?” Something in the overlord’s expression made Morgan wonder if he already knew the answer and was trying to catch Nazerel in a lie. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

“The Nox family had corresponded with my father and later with me. Unlike the majority of the Shadow Assassins, I had freedom to come and go as I pleased. I made frequent trips to Rodymia and spent time with all three of my cousins.”

“Was your father aware if these visits?” Lor asked.

“He encouraged them.”

“What did the striate want your cousin to do?” Lyrik brought the conversation back on track.

“He wanted the general to recruit a spy from within the ranks of the Shadow Assassins. If Sevrin had attempted to capture fifty Shadow Assassins—as the striate believed—then it stood to reason that she would try again.”

The panel grew silent as they scrolled through the entire correspondence which went on for several screens. “The participants use codenames,” Elias pointed out. “Do you have anything proving that this conversation took place between General Nox and Stirate Quinton?”

The image changed again. “This is an official statement from Stirate Quinton confirming that I am an operative in the employ of the Rodyte Empire. It also confirms that my assignment was to investigate Sevrin’s interest in genetic transmutation in general and the Shadow Assassins in particular.” He paused, giving them a moment to read the statement.

“When and how did you connect with Sevrin?” Lyrik wanted to know.

“She contacted me through a messenger until she was convinced that I was a rebellious malcontent who would be easy to manipulate.”

“She had no idea about your connection to the Nox family?” A flush crept up along Lor’s throat and deepened across his cheeks. His painstakingly constructed case was disintegrating right before his eyes and he didn’t like it one bit.

Nazerel shook his head. “If she knew, she never mentioned it to me. She knew I was the alpha hunter from Tribe South and that the other alphas would listen to what I had to say. She didn’t seem to care about anything else.”

Lor scooted to the edge of his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the information was taking. “You would have us believe that it was an elaborate ploy? You only went along with Sevrin’s evil plans because you were trying to catch her in the act?”

“I was operating undercover, which meant I was forced to make certain decisions.”

“Like how many humans to sacrifice while you attempted to complete your mission?” Lor’s voice rose with each word until he was shouting.

Lyrik reached over and placed his hand on the younger man’s arm, silently signaling him to calm down.

“I created a rift between Sevrin and myself, knowing it would give me a reason to disobey her orders. No one under my command harmed any female, human or otherwise. Team South members were never allowed to hunt.”

The overlord looked at Lor, clearly shocked by the claim. “Is this true?”

“It depends on your definition of the word hunt.” The overlord didn’t want him to shout, so Lor snarled instead. “Nazerel stalked Tori and Angie. He followed Angie to another state. And the only reason she wasn’t captured was because one of my Mystics was there to protect her.”

Nazerel actually chuckled, which enraged Lor even more. “Either I was playing a role or I am the most incompetent hunter in the universe. I used so many excuses not to capture females that Sevrin was starting to wonder if I preferred the company of men.”

“There were numerous times you could have ended the pretense before more victims were taken.” Though his voice remained even, anger lifted Lor nearly out of his chair. “Do you place no value on human lives?”

“Shortly after you raided the Team North house, I felt that I had gathered enough information to make a case against Sevrin stick. She is a princess after all. She would not have been easy to prosecute on Rodymia.”

“No, Rodytes tend to find more direct means of dealing with dissidents,” Lyrik muttered.

“As do some Ontarians. Isn’t that what you did with Pern Keire?” Nazerel shot back. “Many on Rodymia would like to know how their crown stirate died.”

The overlord shot to his feet and stalked to the edge of the dais. “Are you threatening me, boy?”

Silence rolled across the hall, tense and electric. Morgan couldn’t move, couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Had Nazerel just accused the overlord of murder or was this a horrifying dream?

Nazerel cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders. “I retract the question and apologize for my disrespect.”

Lyrik glared at him for a moment longer then slowly returned to his seat.

“If you had enough evidence to prosecute Sevrin after the Team North raid,” Lor digressed. “Why didn’t you make your move?”

“That’s when I learned about the new lab. The facility was reported to be state-of-the-art, allowing anyone to step in and carry on even if I arrested Sevrin. I knew I couldn’t reveal my true purpose until the lab had been located.”

Lor couldn’t argue with that. It was the same reason he’d remained on Earth for so long.

The device in Nazerel’s hand must have vibrated or made a subtle noise. He flipped it over and looked at the display on the opposite side from the trigger. “My witness is ready to testify.”

“Your witness?” Lor’s smile was tinged with mockery. “Don’t you mean your first witness?”

“I only have one.” He said it with such certainty that it implied he only
needed
one.

“Proceed,” the overlord urged.

The document projection blinked out and a holographic image of Garin Nox materialized in its place. Even from the back the man looked intimidating with his broad shoulders and aggressive stance.

“Good evening, gentlemen.” He inclined his head to complete the greeting, voice deep and authoritative. “I’m General Garin Nox and I’d like to verify that Nazerel, First Son of South, has been in my employ for most of the past year. He was working undercover at the request of Stirate Quinton for the purpose of investigating his niece, Sevrin Keire. Therefore, any misconduct on the part of Nazerel must be reported to me and will be dealt with through proper
Rodyte
channels.”

“That is unacceptable,” Lor snapped, his voice growing loud again. “Nazerel, like all Shadow Assassins, is half Ontarian. He is not immune to Ontarian laws. Besides, diplomatic immunity can only be established if the ambassador, or agent, is working with the permission of the Ontarian Joint Council. I assure you High Queen Charlotte knew nothing about any of this.”

“I understand that,” Garin assured, “but you’re forgetting that this mission took place on Earth.”

Elias perked up at that. “Our taskforce knew nothing about this either.”

“Perhaps not, but your government did.” Garin paused for a moment as if to let the implication sink in. “Nazerel has a statement issued by a top official with Homeland Security confirming that the mission was authorized.”

Elias looked at Morgan, his what-the-hell expression unmistakable. She offered him a shaky smile, knowing the uncomfortable revelations had just begun. They’d been duped, used, manipulated by the very government to which they had both dedicated their lives. It was depressing, and humiliating.

“Do you have any questions for me?” Garin asked after a long pause. “My schedule, as always, is hectic.”

“I think we have a much clearer picture of the situation,” the overlord admitted with obvious reluctance.

“Then I expect this to be resolved as quickly as possible. You have detained my agent for nearly two lunar cycles already and that is ridiculous.”

“I understand your concern for your
cousin
and I’ll do my best to resolve this quickly.” Not even General Nox could browbeat the overlord.

“Hold on,” Lor suddenly came back to life. “This might explain Nazerel’s activities on Earth, but it doesn’t change his original sentence. He is a member of the Ontarian military who deserted his position. That in itself is a serious crime.”

“To join a foreign military, a citizen of Rodymia must first relinquish their citizenship.” Garin’s voice ground out each word. He was obviously losing patience with the tribunal. “Nazerel’s citizenship is still intact, which makes his enlistment null and void, not to mention against interstellar laws that prohibit the pressed service of unwilling participants. Any other questions can be submitted in writing.” Garin ended the transmission.

“We will take a short recess.” Lyrik motioned the other two toward the antechamber without further explanation.

“What does that mean?” Morgan turned to Echo, feeling exasperated and utterly helpless. “Is this good or bad?”

Nazerel was led back to the defendant’s box and allowed to sit.

“If everything Nazerel said is true, it’s very good. Lyrik will com Mother and verify that there is nothing more he can do to detain Nazerel.”

The casual “Mother” made Morgan smile. She’d been so wrapped up in the trial she’d forgotten that Echo’s parents were the two most powerful people on Ontariese, the high queen and head master of the Mystics. “And what will your mother tell him?”

“If the documents are genuine, Lyrik will have no choice but to dismiss the charges and let Nazerel go. In situations like this, it’s unfortunate that the defense doesn’t present their case first.”

Hope surged through Morgan firmly lodging in her heart.
It’s almost over, my love.
I swear, it’s almost over.

Nazerel had severed their link before they left the
Undaunted
, but something made him turn and look at her. She stood and gripped the railing, no longer unable to sit still.

He mouthed the words “I love you” then turned back around.

Nearly an hour elapsed before the panel returned. All three of the men were grim faced, but none more so than Lor. Morgan wasn’t sure why he felt that Nazerel’s exoneration was some sort of personal affront, but his resentment was obvious.

“We’ve confirmed your claims and authorizations through independent channels and it appears that we have a massive misunderstanding.” Lyrik’s professional mask was firmly in place, so Morgan couldn’t tell if he was frustrated or relieved by the outcome.

“Before you pass judgment,” Nazerel interjected. “I have one other thing I would like to say.”

“I’m about to dismiss all charges. What more could you possibly need to say?”

“I have one final document that I’d like you to consider. It doesn’t directly pertain to my situation, but it is closely connected.”

Lyrik rubbed his forehead as he said, “This entire proceeding has been irregular, so I’ll allow it.”

Nazerel triggered the last image and moved to stand beside it. “This is an official offer of political asylum to any member of the Shadow Assassins. The same document has been transmitted to each member of the Joint Council. Stirate Quinton will extend Rodyte citizenship to any former Shadow Assassin who transfers to the Rodyte military and then completes his original sentence without incident.”