Once the court chamber was empty and Anna had been returned to her secure cell, Jefferson suggested that The Thirteen take a short break before returning to the chamber to discuss the decision. When they reconvened an hour later, the curved table had been rearranged to form a circular table that was more conducive to a group discussion.
“We’ve heard all the testimonies. We’ve listened to the revelation about the blood groups. Are we agreed that we have sufficient information to allow us to reach a fair and balanced verdict?” began Jefferson formally.
“We do,” replied the others in unison.
“Thank you. In view of the blood group complication, are we in agreement that our sister Anna should not be put to death?”
This time there were some rumblings of disagreement.
Stefan was the first to speak, “The bloodlines add a new dimension to this trial. I think Meryn should be afforded more time once this is concluded to research our blood ancestry in greater detail but, from the evidence we have heard so far, I am not in favour of the death penalty for Anna.”
“I agree,” said Michael, his Southern drawl slower than ever as he chose his words. “We need to preserve the bloodline.”
“But if we imprison Anna for the rest of her days, she’s not going to be doing anything to support the preservation of that bloodline,” observed Trine. “She’ll not be allowed to create more of us. She’ll simply fester in a cell. Why not just put her to death now?”
“Death’s too easy for her,” muttered Hannah sourly. “She’s a monster!”
None of them disagreed.
“Are we agreed that Anna is guilty of all the charges brought against her?” asked Jefferson, looking round the table for consent.
“No,” said Meryn, much to everyone’s surprise.
“Explain,” instructed Jefferson, intrigued to hear which charge Meryn thought Anna was innocent of.
“This is where I wish we had adopted the Scottish legal system and could draw on “not proven” as a verdict,” sighed Meryn. “I am of the opinion that Anna is guilty of all but one of the charges. I don’t believe she is guilty of forcing Jeremiah into our vampire way of life.”
“You don’t?” exclaimed Miguel and Manuela together.
“I don’t. I heard my son’s testimony. She gave him a choice. He might be guilty of making a poor choice, but I don’t believe Anna forced him into his transformation entirely against his will.”
“That’s a rather charitable train of thought, Meryn,” observed Jefferson. “But I disagree entirely. The years of hell she subjected your son to are a crime in themselves.”
“Are they?” challenged Meryn sharply. “Did any of you actually hear him complain about the choice he made when it was offered to him?”
“No. He didn’t complain. Not once,” agreed Trine. “If he was angry about the transformation, Jem had plenty of opportunity to kill Anna, but he didn’t. He adapted to life as a vampire.”
“Let’s take a vote,” suggested Jefferson. “If you think Anna is innocent of the charge relating to Jeremiah, raise your hand.”
When he counted, there were eight raised hands.
“By a majority of three, Anna is cleared of the charges relating to unlawfully transforming Jeremiah into a vampire,” concluded Jefferson. “For consistency, raise your hand if you find Anna guilty of all remaining charges.”
All twelve hands were raised this time.
“Thank you. Raise your hand if you are in favour of sentencing Anna to death.”
Four hands were raised when Jefferson counted.
“So, we are agreed by a majority vote that Anna will be spared the death penalty,” he stated. “Now we need to agree how best to imprison her securely.”
“We could incarcerate her here,” commented Meryn calmly. “That would allow easy access to observe her and run more detailed blood analysis.”
“Or we could return her to my tower in Italy,” added Alessandro.
“I’d feel safer if she were kept below ground,” said Stefan. “I still suspect that we haven’t fully discovered the extent of our sister’s powers. She relies heavily on moonlight. Let’s keep her away from the sun and the moon.”
“I agree,” nodded Meryn.
“Is there not too much magic here to imprison her safely?” asked Jai. “You are correct. We do not know her full power. She needs to be kept where she can’t draw strength from the magic in the air around us.”
“A valid point, Jai,” agreed Jefferson. “Do we have any locations that are free from magic and secure enough to contain her?”
“We need to place wards around wherever we imprison her,” commented Jean-Claude. “Can we bind her so that cannot draw on the magic around her?”
“Yes, she will need to be bound. The strongest way to do that is to bind her to one of us but that’s not practical,” replied Meryn.
“Meryn’s right,” nodded Jefferson. “So, we need an underground location that we can seal with strong wards.” He paused, “Stefan, are there any empty cells in Level Zero?”
“There are two.”
“Excellent,” stated Jefferson. “I propose that we imprison Anna here in Level Zero. Raise your hand if you agree.”
Six hands were raised.
“A split vote,” he observed. “It would appear that I have the casting vote here. I vote that we incarcerate Anna in Level Zero indefinitely.”
“It will be done,” agreed Stefan plainly. “The guards will need a few hours to prepare her cell and to strengthen the wards.”
“Fair. I want her down there by moon rise.”
“It will be done,” agreed Stefan.
“Thank you,” replied Jefferson. “Let’s reconvene in the chamber in thirty minutes to deliver the verdict.”
Alone in his chamber, Jem lay on the bed going over his testimony. Had he missed anything? Did he cast the dark angel in too negative a light? Could he have chosen his words more carefully? Had he really finally admitted what he’d known deep inside for years that he loved her?”
Suddenly he was aware that someone was scrying his mind. The touch was faint, but it was there. Over the years, he had learned to keep the “barriers” up to prevent unwanted intrusions, but he could definitely feel someone probing around. Then he heard it. A faint voice from far away, saying simply, “Help me.”
Anna! It had to be her.
Common sense told him to reinforce his barriers; his heart told him to listen more closely.
“Son of Perran, help me.”
This time the voice was cleared. As he’d been taught, Jem stilled his mind and focused his thoughts on an inanimate mundane object, in this case the doorknob, to prevent the intruder getting past his barriers.
“Please help me.”
A knock at the door startled him back to reality.
“Enter,” he called, trying to sound calmer than he felt.
One of the court officials entered, “It’s time to return to court for the verdict, sire.”
All thoughts of the voice in his mind were momentarily forgotten as he followed the court official along the now familiar passageways to the courtroom. Without a second thought, Jem returned to his usual seat to await the arrival of The Thirteen.
The courtroom fell silent as The Thirteen entered the chamber and took their seats at the table, now returned to its elongated curved shape. In front of Jem, Anna stood still and silent, bound by fresh binds cast by Alessandro.
“I’d like to thank you all for your patience,” began Jefferson warmly. “This trial was always destined to be lengthy and complex, but I don’t think any of us appreciated just how lengthy it would prove to be.” He paused. “Some of you may be surprised by how swiftly we’ve reached a unanimous verdict. For all bar one of the charges against our sister Anna the verdict was clear, having heard the testimonies.”
He paused again to gather his thoughts before continuing, “Anna, daughter of Tristan, The Thirteen find you guilty of all charges bar one. We find you not guilty of the charges in relation to Jeremiah. The Thirteen have agreed that Jeremiah fully understood the choice you gave him prior to the initial failed partial transformation.”
Much to his surprise, Jem found himself breathing a sigh of relief at the verdict.
“Anna, The Thirteen sentence you to a lifetime confined to Level Zero here in the castle. You will be taken from this chamber direct to your cell. You are forbidden from hunting. You are forbidden from practicing magic. You will be bound in your cell to always be truthful. Magic wards will defend your cell. Those wards will alert The Thirteen if you attempt to tamper with them.” He signalled to Alessandro and two of the senior officials to come forward. “Gentlemen, please escort Anna to Level Zero.”
A knock at her chamber door startled Trine as she was packing her things in preparation for returning to her normal suite of rooms.
“Enter,” she called brightly.
If she was surprised to see Jefferson enter the room, she did her best to disguise it.
“Apologies for the intrusion, Trine,” he said warmly. “I’m leaving tonight and wanted to offer my congratulations before I left.”
“You know?”
Jefferson smiled and nodded, “I do and in the interests of protecting us all, including your unborn child, I chose to turn a blind eye to your condition. This babe is the first in hopefully a long line of new purebloods and needed protection. To your credit, you and Meryn did a fine job of concealing the presence of a fourteenth pure blood round the table. There was no need though.” He smiled, “I had already cast a protective enchantment over you that prevented the others from sensing your delicate condition.”
“You could find yourself before the Court of the Elders if anyone were to find out,” commented Trine with a smile.
“I think Stefan would have ensured I had a fair hearing,” laughed Jefferson, reaching out to embrace her. “This pregnancy won’t be easy, my dear. Please follow Meryn’s guidance. If anyone can see you and the babe safely through this, it is Meryn. She supported my wife through both her pregnancies a long time ago.”
“Thanks, Jefferson.”
“No need to thank me, my dear,” he assured her. “Till next time.”
“Till next time,” she echoed as he left the room, leaving the door ajar.
Several hours later, Jem stood alone on the castle ramparts, gazing out across the mountains towards the full moon. It was a crystal-clear night. After so long seated in the underground court chambers, he was relishing the fresh air that was filling his lungs and the brush of the breeze against his skin. Once Anna had been taken away, the seal had been broken on the court and witnesses were all free to leave. Many had already departed, keen to return to their homes. He had returned to the chambers he shared with Trine to await her return.
Two stars that appeared to be shining brighter than the others caught his eye. Silently, he wondered which ones they were.
“Hey,” the familiar voice startled him.
He glanced round to find Trine standing beside him.
“Hey,” repeated Jem, slipping his hand into hers.
“Oh, it’s good to breathe fresh air,” sighed Trine. “I’ve missed it more than I’ve missed hunting.”
“Same,” he replied. “Hopefully it’ll soon be our salty beach air we’re enjoying.”
“Hopefully,” agreed the ice maiden resting her hand on her gently swollen stomach. “A few more days.”
“Why not tomorrow?”
“Meryn wants to teach me how to cope with my pregnancy,” she explained. “Vampire babies are rare. Vampire pregnancies are complicated. It’s not like a human pregnancy. The risks are higher.”
“It’ll be fine,” he promised her softly.
“I hope so,” she said with a smile.
Pointing to the full moon, Trine said, “Did you know that this full moon is the Pink Moon?”
Jem shook his head.
“I think it’s a good omen,” she continued. “A good omen for our daughter.”
Coral McCallum 