Athyra POV

The perverted scumbag was dead. His body has fallen over the front of the stand, leaving a crumbled mess on the floor. I would never hear him call me ‘dragonette’ again, and I was all too happy about it. Nefrisse screamed at his messy remains bleeding out on the ground. I recognized this style of assassination. The killer had used a heavy metal stone about the size of my fingertip in a slingshot. The shot was made from the arches along the ceiling, which meant this was a professional hit. Council guards were quick to tame the courtroom's audience, and I wondered what the council would do now. Surely, this will delay my trial further.

Giant Jonah shouted for everyone to reconvene at the guild’s mess hall. There goes my hope that the trial shot would end. This whole thing was so embarrassing with Kryzhany here. Why did my dragon representative have him? Now, he knows I failed at our bet. It won't be long until he drags me back to Parlay Passage where I will have to serve him for a freaking decade. This was supposed to be easy for me. I was so confident leaving our nest that I made a bet on it. Dragons aren't servants, Kryzhany will ensure that was exactly what I became.

My magic and my pride were crawling through my body like pins and needles, trying to free itself in rage. Stupid body entrapment spell. Damn, Waller. This guy's spells were strong. How did I miss him when we spent time at the guild? It didn't make any sense where Myrra hid this guy away. Waller pulled from the courtroom with Eriz following behind us. We made our way to the guild hall where Waller locked me up in the guild master’s suite again.

Eriz was in total shock after seeing Talan dead on the ground. I don't think he realizes what this means for him and his Aunt Nefrisse. He was speechless as just stood by the door, waiting for someone to come tell us what to do. I glanced down at his obsidian cuff, wondering if it might just fall off since Talan was no longer breathing. If it could just fall off his wrist right now, I think Eriz would breathe normally.

“The scum bag is dead, Eriz.” I wanted to be sure Eriz knew what he witnessed was real. “He can't order you around anymore.”

Eriz licked his lips before turning to hug me. The light of the window cast shadows upon us as we just stood there embraced. “It doesn't feel real.”

“Talan is dead. I don't know who ended him, but he can't get to you or Nefrisse.” I whispered as I stepped out of his arms. His cheeks were wet from tears. “Happy tears?”

“Tears of relief.” He responded.

A knock at the door cut the moment of peace short. Waller escorted me to the mess hall where the council sat at a table on a makeshift stage. Katar was seated in a chair in front of the stage. The audience was smaller now as they sat at the tables toward the back of the room. The mess hall was warmer and brighter because of the big window, which made this trial a little less cold. How did Myrra set this up so fast? Did she know she would need a backup location for the trial?

“We will now resume,” Marta Black announced. “Katar Valaris, tell us what happened on your date with Ms. Eshwyn.”

Katar stood from his chair. He looked ragged and perhaps humbled as he looked up at the council. His clothes weren't nearly as neat and stylish as the last time I saw him. His nub of an arm was bandaged and hidden under a jacket. The sad part of this moment was I felt no sympathy for the man who insulted me. It was his words that finally made the dam of my emotions burst. I was free from the stress when I felt my wings glide along the breeze that night.

Katar loosely explained how I tricked him into a date to get information on people who had stayed in Pine Row recently. He caught onto the rise before showing up to the day, and he tried to teach me a lesson with his arrogance. I got mad and shifted. I ripped his arm when he finally told me that the people I was looking for were headed West.

Stolen novel; please report.

It took all of my effort not to speak or punch that elf boy square in the face. Come to think of it, he seemed less powerful now. Was it the arm that I took from him that made him seem weaker? I am not sure a lost pound of flesh would affect the mana in his body that much. It was weird. There was such a difference that I looked back at his mom to see how different it was compared to hers. The volume of mana in her was immensely more than Katar although they had been evenly matched before. It was odd.

“Who was Ms. Eshwyn looking for, Katar?” Farah Galin asked him.

“My uncle's traveling companions. She told me that they had a magical item that her employer was interested in.” Katar said.

“That tracks with Ms. Eshwyn’s testimony and the housekeeper’s,” Carter Wells concluded.

“So, you proved my sister isn't a liar. Now what?” Kryzhany acted bored with everything.

“Now, we hear from the victims.” Marta Black was quick to keep Kryzhany from interrupting the proceedings any further.

The next two hours were boring as I all got out and I listened to a bunch of adventurers whine about the destruction they faced when trying to engage me in battle. I heard sob stories from kids, wives, husbands, friends, and guild masters. It took my total focus to keep from reacting poorly. I needed everyone to believe I wasn't proud of the destruction I caused, even though I was very proud. All I did was deflect attacks that night until I squared off with Rory. Dragon versus wolf.

“So, Mr. Polly Wog, have you witnessed the battle between the dragon and the wolf familiar?” Carter Wells questioned the dwarven man from the Wizard’s Guild. The same man that helped handle the scumbag earlier.

“My party and I arrived after Ms. Eshwyn had frozen herself and the wolf in a giant ice block.” Polly Wog answered.

“Tell us what happened after you arrived,” Carter Wells prompted the man to continue.

“Well, my party consisted of myself, Master Renaldy, Prince Silas Haleston, the prince’s guard, Braxton, and a woman named Analee. We came across a simian beast named Emera when we arrived at the giant ice block.” Polly Wog began.

Mylor Anifya looked uncomfortable at the mention of the elf guy. Guess I messed with elf royalty too. Oh well. Mr. Fancy Elf had a stick up his crack the whole day that I knew he existed. Although, depending on what this Polly guy says I could be making my punishment worse with royalty involved.

“The simian woman claimed the wolf as her familiar and requested we help her free the creature,” Polly Wog shifted his stance as the whole council watched him. “Prince Halestone vouched for her, having run into her a few days before that. The whole party was uncomfortable with the simian woman commanding us, but Master Renaldy allowed it because he wanted the dragon at any cost.” Polly Wog explained the aftermath of the ice block breaking and finding Master Renaldy and Analee dead before returning to the Wizard’s Guild.

“What became of Prince Halestone?” Mylor Anifya implored Polly Wog for answers.

“Most of my party died at the hands of beasts, Sir Anifya. I came to see justice for them. But if you must know, Prince Halestone headed home after the Evergreen Forest disaster.” Polly Wog answered grimly.

The mess hall was silent. Mylor Anifya grumbled.

Titan Mordue of the Northern Mountains, a white tiger shifter of the beast folk began laughing. “Perhaps, we should disregard Mr. Wog’s testimony. The whole thing is laughable.” He chuckled some more. “A simian beast having a familiar is impossible.”

“Impossible? Not really.” I cut in. This would be the only way to keep my word to Myrra. “Unlikely, more like it. I battled the wolf. It was real. It came to the monkey girl’s rescue. As far as I can tell, that thing was a familiar for her.”

Titan Mordue growled at me.

Farah Galin slammed her fist on the table. “We have heard enough. We came here to hear what transpired during Ms. Eshwyn’s unfortunate rampage. That has been done. Now, we shall retire and deliberate.”

“There’s not much to deliberate, Farah. It’s rather clear Ms. Eshwyn did hurt others during her dragon tantrum. The only thing we need to discuss is a punishment for her careless and rash actions.” Marta Black encouraged. “We need only an hour to discuss. I am sure Kryzhany will hurry us along. We can finish this business before dinner.”

The audience mumbled. No one in this courtroom liked what Marta Black was saying. Mylor Anifya was off in his world muttering curses under his breath. Titan Mordue was glaring at me, clearly pissed at my words. Jonah Gigas and Farah Galin appeared neutral. Carter Wells seemed on edge, and Grand Fairy Flora was amused just watching it all unfold. Kryzhany kept his eyes on me, and I was certain he had words for me.

The next hour and a half were a blur. The council retired to deliberate. They called in Eriz, Myrra, Waller, and even Elias Wulfric! I never spoke to that man, but I suppose he was a key player in the story that was told today. My life was being decided behind closed doors, and the anger of losing control over everything once more was bubbling under my skin. If it wasn’t for Waller’s damn spell, I’d be soaring through the skies by now. Everything I faced now was in the name of friendship, but I wonder if it would be worth it all in the end.