Dawn arrived carrying the chill of uncertainty. The great hall was packed with nobles, advisors, and guards. Tension hung in the air like an unseen blade.
I stood at the center, flanked by Selene and Kaelis, my mother presiding over the dais. The echo of the Khorvash whispered in my mind, hungry and relentless:
"They've already decided. This isn't a trial—it's an execution. Let me take control, and no one will ever raise their voice against you again."
I forced myself not to listen.
Lirae spoke with solemn authority, though the tremor in her eyes betrayed her fear.—We are gathered to decide the fate of Nyx Veyra Nocthra, accused of unleashing a Khorvash… and carrying its corruption within.
A counselor in crimson robes was the first to rise.—We all saw it! Her eyes, her shadows— the creature itself spoke through her. What more proof do we need that she's no longer herself?
A wave of murmurs rippled through the hall.
Kaelis stepped forward, voice firm and steady.—I won't deny what happened. I witnessed it too. But if Nyx can still choose, if she's still fighting that influence, then there's a chance to save her—and we must take it.
Selene, gripping my hand tightly, spoke next.—She's not a weapon or a curse. She's a person—our betrothed. If you lock her away like a beast, you're proving she was never part of this clan to begin with.
The hall erupted in shouts. Some demanded I be confined forever in the Obsidian Crypts; others called for my immediate execution. My heartbeat thundered in my chest, and the shadows beneath my feet trembled in response to my fear.
Then—the doors burst open. Every head turned.
Eris stood there, covered in dust, clutching a bundle of parchment. The guards moved to stop her, but Lirae raised a hand, halting them.
—Wait! —Eris shouted, striding toward the center—. This trial is corrupt. Nyx isn't the only one touched by darkness. Someone inside this court wants her dead!
A heavy silence fell.
Eris unfurled the parchments across the central table. Seals, contracts, and payment ledgers spilled open for all to see.—Here's the proof. The Red Crows, a guild of mercenaries who hunt hybrids and cursed bloodlines, were hired to assassinate her. And the gold came from— —she threw one paper to the floor— House Mourneth.
The name hit like lightning. Gasps tore through the hall. Some nobles staggered back; others stared in disbelief.
Kaelis's brow furrowed.—…The Mourneths control the weapons trade in the capital.
Lirae rose at once, fury flashing in her eyes.—Traitors, within our own court!
Chaos exploded. Some demanded the Mourneths be seized at once; others shouted over them, trying to turn suspicion back toward me.
And in the midst of it all, the Khorvash's laughter rippled through my mind.
"See? They don't need monsters from the abyss. They already devour themselves."
And for the first time… I wondered if the real danger wasn't within me—but all around me.