Chapter 498: Falsely Accused
I paced in my tiny cell, buried at the bottom of the Seat, deep under the mountain while my mind whirled and argued and fought for focus.
Pagomaris hadn't given me even a second to explain. "How could you?" She gasped as I reached for her with Grandmother's magic, wanting her to understand I had nothing to do with her beloved Ruler's death.
But Pagomaris took the touch the wrong way.
"How despicable," she hissed, hovering over the body as though I tried to take Ahbi's physical form away from her adoring aide. "Murdering your own blood and stealing her power for your own. You disgust me. Guards!" I trembled as I tried to put two words together, heart screaming "No!" while my lips opened and closed in silence even as a pair of giant demons in uniforms grabbed me and clamped stone shackles around my hands.
The moment the restraints closed over my skin my whole magical world went dark. Every bit of it. No power. Where was my power? I fought them at last, screaming wordlessly, body twisting as they carried me away, still shrieking, mind contracting as I tried to make them understand while the loss of my magic drove me to the brink.
Demons stared, some with rage, others with despair, a few with nasty smiles on their faces as I was tossed onto the elevator, sliding dangerously close to the edge. One of my feet impacted the humming shield surrounding the lift even as my mind, now overloaded with terror at the thought of falling added to everything else, completely shut down.
I woke in my cell, head pounding, mouth parched, a burning need aching in my gut and heart even as I rolled off the edge of a narrow metal plate, falling with a grunt of pain on my hands and knees for the second time on the icy stone floor.
My stomach heaved, bile exiting in a rush, though whatever I'd had for dinner was either long gone or hadn't traveled with me. And while I let my brain wander off, wondering if what I ate did cross the veil or if my demon body was totally separate, I huddled against the wall with my still-shackled hands over my knees and cried myself hoarse.
How had this happened? How had I gone from packing for school to being locked up, power blocked, accused of murdering my own grandmother? I tried to reach for Dad, rational thoughts brief and fleeting. At least part of me remained aware through the growing sense of urgency inside me and the terrible, aching emptiness of where my power used to be. Almost too aware of the horrible truth facing me.
I wasn't guilty, no way, no how. Power or no power, proving my innocence, offering evidence, had to come first. I gritted my teeth and jerked myself under some modicum of control.
No luck with Dad. No power, remember? Okay then. Gotcha. Take stock. I was alive. Wicked. Count that as a win for the home team. A little worse for wear, but intact. I scrubbed at the crusted, dark mess still coating my hands, flakes of Grandmother's blood falling from my skin to the damp floor while I shuddered continually. Stop that. Big girl panties, put them on. My head impacted the wall behind me as I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe. Dad would never believe I killed her. So stop being an idiot. And any second now, he'd be down here, breathing fire, to rescue me. So chin up, kiddo.
I'd handled worse.
Oh, but I hadn't, had I? At least back home I had those I could rely on to save me if I needed help. Here, on Demonicon, accused of killing their beloved leader, with only my father on my side-if he even was, what the hell kept him?-and every other demon out there ready to strip me of power at the first opportunity, my very limited window of salvation seemed narrow indeed.
Theridialis. Sassy's dad. Right, yeah. Buddy number two. He'd never believe it either.
I couldn't sit there anymore, shaking so hard my teeth rattled together, clearly in shock. I had to get up, start moving, if only to warm my freezing body, toes and fingertips losing feeling from the cold. Hands tucked under my arms, wishing I'd been wearing a winter coat instead of my t-shirt and pajama bottoms when I'd run headfirst into disaster. I paced in my bare feet, swearing when I got home-no way I'd even consider "if" as my mind seized on the word and wailed-I would wear the fuzzy socks Gram gave me for Christmas every day and be grateful for them.
It felt like forever since I'd woken, an age, a lifetime. Were they planning to leave me down here to starve, rot away in my own filth? I clutched at my stomach and chest as the intensity of my pain increased. Odd, it seemed to fade as I drew closer to the door and grow stronger when I turned back. Finally, something to latch onto, a little mystery to explore and keep me sane.
Yes, not my imagination or anything. I pressed my hands to the cold metal door, even reaching up on my tiptoes to wiggle my fingers out the narrow bars at the top, the only opening. Though the pressure didn't vanish, it eased enough I noticed it. But the moment I backed away, I doubled over as a spike of red-hot fire jammed me in the guts and my heart constricted.
I sank to the metal slab, tears trickling down my cheeks as the pain slowly eased, but didn't fade completely. That's where I was crouched when someone shouted on the other side of the door just before it clanged open to slam into the rock wall, ringing like a giant bell of doom.
"Sydlynn!" Dad rushed to me, gathered me into his arms. I collapsed against him, sobbing again, clutching the front of his robe as best I could with my hands shackled together, the open doorway calling me toward a golden light and freedom.
Home.
"Dad." I gasped for air, caught my breath, slapped myself mentally. "Dad, I didn't kill Grandmother. You have to believe me."
"Of course I believe you," he whispered. Spun with a snarl of rage. "Why is her power blocked?"
One of the Guards wavered before shrugging. "Orders, my lord."
Dad froze, face turning to stone. The Guard's face suddenly flushed as he fell to his knees.
"Forgive me, Ruler," he choked as his body lifted from the ground, grasped in a fist of amber magic before crashing to the floor with a horrible crunching sound.
"That's the last time you'll make that mistake," Dad growled as I clung to him, all the while wondering what he'd become. A crack of magic, so loud I let out a meep of fear, shattered the stone holding my hands together-
-here, we're here, are you all right? We're here with you now.
My powers, vampire, Sidhe, demon, calling for me, catching in mid-cry, embracing me even as Dad embraced me, flooding me with their magic while I hugged myself inside the circle of my father's arms and rocked in relief, more tears leaking down my cheeks.
Damned tears.
"Syd." Dad let me go, took my hands in his, flinching at the flecks of blood I'd failed to remove. "You need to let me in so I can see what happened."
Yes, yes of course. I threw my defenses wide, opening to him completely. I was sure in my need for him to find what he was looking for I showed him a few things I'd be embarrassed my dad knew about later. But, for the moment, there could be nothing between us.
I was there again, in the basement at home, Dad beside me as he followed me through memory.
She called you? Dad felt the magic as I reached for the pool of it hovering over the pentagram. Was pulled through it again. He fell with me on the polished floor, looked around when I did. Crawled to Ahbi. Looked at my bloody hands. Heard her last whispered words, saw the transfer of magic as she told me to avenge her and watched, face cold and dark, as the magic of Demonicon rose in a rush and thundered away.
To you? Had to be. He felt so powerful now, more powerful than ever. Like his mother had been.
To me. He waited, finally showing some emotion when Ahbi's personal power left her and entered me, my struggle to rise and follow the pressure I now felt inside.
Syd, Dad sent. Oh, Syd. How could she?
A tear tracked down his cheek as together in the memory we bent to kiss Ahbi's forehead just before Pagomaris stormed in.
Ameline did this, Dad, I sent as we surfaced. "She even told me she planned it." I stammered my way through telling him about the email, words choked around a throat so tight I thought I'd lose my ability to speak any moment. "This is all my fault."
"But how did she cross?" Dad shook his head. "If it was Ameline, she needed a demon form to enter, Syd."
"She found a way." I was certain of it. There was no other explanation, not after what Ahbi told me about witch magic. "She's obsessed with becoming maji."
"I have to leave you." Dad stood, face hardening, but sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Until you've been cleared by a tribunal, I can't release you. As much as I know you're innocent."
What the...? No. Freaking. Way.
"Dad!" I stood, went after him as my energy wrapped around me, Ahbi's magic driving me toward the door. "What did you mean, how could she? What did Grandmother do to me?"
"Just stay put," he said. "I'll convene the tribunal immediately. You'll be out of here and on your way home in no time. Trust me, cupcake." His fingers stroked my cheek. "I'm sorry, but there's so much more to this than you know. I have no options."
The door clanged shut behind him with such finality I simply stood there, trembling, waiting for him to come back. He had to come back. He couldn't just abandon me like this.
Could he?
My pacing recommenced while a new argument started up.
Let's just leave. Shaylee had found her voice. She chose to speak so rarely I almost jumped when she piped up. This is a terrible circumstance. We have enough collective power to open the veil and go home.
She was right, we did. My demon roared her protest.
We have to stay. She hadn't spoken to me since we'd come together again the night we put the Wild Hunt to bed, and I found I'd missed her voice. Only now it was tinged with another's. With Ahbi's. We have an oath to fulfill.
I didn't swear any oath, I snapped at her. Ahbi asked, but I didn't say anything. Did I? My panicked mind went back through the conversation, stumbling over Ahbi's dying words. But I was sure I was right.
It appears that doesn't matter, my vampire said in her calm and gentle voice. From what I understand of the pressure you're now under-with you thanks to our association-the geas Ahbi Sanghamitra placed on you was done without you needing to consent.
So that's what Dad meant. Leave it to Ahbi to saddle me with some revenge oath. She should have trusted me to kill Ameline anyway. That was my plan, after all.
No need for demonic death pacts.
We have to leave. My demon paced in my head. The evil one will escape us. She can't escape us.
Got that one, loud and clear, I sent. Let me guess, since I'm not entirely new to this rodeo: if we don't fulfill this oath?
We will die, my demon sent.
Craptastic.
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