Chapter Thirteen

Among those who stood in the crowd were Philippa, Odelia, and Clarice. Maddox looked at me from the platform with barely concealed surprise. He was probably wondering what the nervous wreck of a tutor was doing here yelling at everyone.

“Stop,” I said, panting with my hands on my knees. “The nymph is innocent!”

Cicero, the emissary with greying hair and a severe grimace, stepped forward from the platform. “And what caused you to have this conclusion?

My only proof was what Nezira had told me. How could I prove the mere words of a nymph? Would people believe me on the pretense of what Nezira said?

Then it hit me. Of they wouldn’t believe me. I wasn’t supposed to be capable of talking to nymphs in the first place!

But I had come all this way—I wasn’t going to back down now. So I improvised.

“She was forced to sing,” I told him as I walked through the crowd, which parted like I was plagued with an infectious disease. “Didn’t you see the chains that bound her feet at the banquet? It wasn’t her fault!” Nezira’s expression was that of surprise as she caught my gaze. She never expected me to go this far. Heck, never expected me to go this far. “You can’t kill her simply because she was forced into a decision in which she had no control over. It’s wrong. Aria is a just and merciful kingdom that had an equally just king!”

The crowd came to a stunned silence—whether it was from what I said or my horrid appearance, I didn’t know. I caught Titus’ gaze, but quickly looked away. Odelia left her position next to the platform and stalked over to me. “Ms. Brackenbury, you have no place to say that,” she said with a ferocity that would have scared me had I not been too exhausted to feel fear. Odelia grabbed my arm. “Leave at once. This nymph assisted in the murder of one of the royal family members.”

I yanked my arm out of her grasp and stared at her shocked face in defiance. “No, I have a place to say this. It’s perfectly obvious that the dryad is innocent.” I looked at Cicero, who narrowed his eyes at me. “What would you do if you were forced into a situation where you would be killed immediately if you didn’t do what you were told?” I glanced at the citizens surrounding me, clutching my hands to keep them from shaking. “Aria is better than this. We don’t send innocents to unjust deaths, whether they are human or not. Do you have such prejudice against magical creatures that you would sentence creature to death?” I couldn’t believe the words escaping my mouth. I knew I would regret this false mask of bravery in the future.

Sweat beaded upon my brow as Cicero frowned at me. He had been down in the prison—he was the one who had spearheaded the nymph’s execution. But he was only Odelia’s emissary. What business did he have in ordering the guards around? I saw his hands clench into tightly balled fists. “Ms. Brackenbury, I know how you feel—”

“No,” I interrupted him. “You don’t. None of you do.” I knew what he was going to say, but I would not stand for rejection. If I had to be imprisoned, then so be it. I would not let Nezira die without trying to save her. “This nymph is innocent. Your Majesty.” I turned to Philippa, knowing that I was putting her into a difficult position. I would apologize to her later. That is, if my nervous system didn’t implode on itself before I got the chance to speak with her. “You told me that the nymph’s fate had not yet been decided. What brought about this sudden change?”

Philippa’s expression was conflicted. She put a hand to her forehead as she spoke, “Lannie, I… We decided this shortly afterward. The council came to an agreement that immediate action must be taken.”

I knew that I was on the losing side. Aria had a natural prejudice against magical creatures—they were the cause of the previous king’s death, after all. But I had to try.

“Why?” I challenged. “Isn’t the jester far more dangerous? He actually tried to Titus. And almost succeeded. And you all know what happened with the jester’s assistant and Fallon.” The crowd began to murmur as I continued, “This nymph was into the situation. You saw the shackles on her ankles when she walked into that banquet hall. It’s because she is a slave.” I looked specifically at the Royals and Cicero. “You cannot kill her under this pretense.”

Titus stepped forward. Although he had been silent until now, he spoke with a confidence that I admired. “I think we should investigate the situation more,” he said, glancing at me, “and see if what Lannie says is true. I agree that it would not be right if the nymph were executed under false terms.”

Cicero’s face turned every shade of red imaginable before he sighed defeat. He turned and bowed his head to Philippa. “What do you say, Your Majesty?”

A veil of silence covered the crowd. The queen paused a long moment in clear hesitation. I held my breath, waiting anxiously for her decision. Finally, she nodded, and I released my breath before I passed out. “Let it be done.” Philippa turned to the Captain of the Guard. “Maddox, return the nymph to her cell. Lannie,” she said to me with a firm look, “come with me.”

Despite the feeling that everyone was ready to murder me, a small feeling of triumph overtook me as Nezira was freed from the guillotine.

But when she looked at me, her look was not filled with gratitude.

It was filled with anger.

                                                ————————

“I can’t believe you told my mother off like that!” Clarice whispered excitedly as we walked behind Philippa. "She looked SO angry when you yanked your arm away."

Now that I had done my heroic act of lunacy, I kept asking myself,

“Clarice,” Philippa said over her shoulder, “I never asked you to accompany us. You too, Titus.”

I glanced behind me to see Titus trailing after us. I snorted. It was just like him to be so far in the background as to not be noticeable.

“Please, Philippa,” Clarice whined. “I won’t do any harm! I just want to hear the whole story of what happened to Lannie.” She turned to me with sudden curiosity. “What happen to you, Lannie?” she asked, looking pointedly at the blood and dirt that caked my clothing.

I sighed in exasperation. The only thing clean about me was my mother’s pendant tucked firmly within my tousled blonde bun. There was no way they would believe me if I told them the truth. Besides, I was too exhausted from the nymph-freeing experience; I wouldn’t be able to tell them even if I wanted to. Instead, I just said, “Long story.”

“Wow, if you’re speaking in sentence fragments, then you really must be tired,” the red-haired girl remarked in amusement.

I glared at her. Clarice grinned happily, but it vanished when Titus joined us. “I’d like to say something, Mother, if I may,” he said.

Philippa raised her hand in silent approval for him to continue.

“Why do you think the nymph is innocent?” Titus asked me, eyeing at me with genuine interest.

There was no avoiding it now, even if I was exhausted. But that was a question I didn’t want to answer. What would they think if I said I could talk to nymphs? The day I first traveled to the castle staggered across my memory. “Because of the shackles, of course. I met her earlier in the Lower Quarter. She was in the possession of a slave trader.”