Marked For Death: A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel Becca Blake (fiction novels to read .txt) 📖

I could hide in the back of my dress. Instead, I settled for strapping my handgun to my thigh, where the folds of thick fabric would conceal it. My mundane bullets wouldn’t do anything against demons, but they’d work just fine against other humans if I needed them.

I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Jacob emerged from the bathroom wearing one of my dad’s old dress shirts. “I hope you don’t mind. Everything I own is back at my place.”

“It’s fine.” I checked the time on my phone. “Orion is probably already there by now. We should get moving.”

Word of Orion’s trial must have spread through Haygrove quickly. It seemed as though everyone in town beat us to the town hall, as we couldn’t even see the entrance through the tightly packed crowd. The eager murmurs that surrounded us as we pushed through reminded me of the excitement surrounding evaluations, the way everything in town stopped to await the results.

Except this time, they weren’t waiting to see how many of the newest group of trainees would become Arbiters. They were waiting to see if a commanding officer, one of the most respected men in Haygrove, would be declared a traitor and punished for his crimes.

None of them knew the truth behind what had happened, and they probably never would. No one questioned the Council, so they would cheer for Orion’s death if they were told it was justice.

I thought I might throw up.

We pushed our way through to the front, where a pair of the Council’s personal security guards stood in front of the doorway. They checked for our names on a list of approved attendees, then stepped aside to let us in.

Our footsteps echoed off the high ceiling of the town hall as we passed through the empty entryway. The courtroom was on the ground floor, its huge double doors right across from the entrance, though I’d never seen inside it before. The Council didn’t use it often, as far as I knew, and the few trials I’d heard of weren’t open to the public.

It surprised me to find that it looked more like a theater than a courtroom, with a stage and all. The rows of elevated seating looked like they could seat a couple hundred, though only a handful of those seats were occupied by Orion’s fellow commanding officers. I recognized a few of them. They were friends of Orion’s. Of my father’s.

What had they been told about the incident? What did they believe we’d done?

I supposed it didn’t matter. They would believe whatever the Council said.

Doing my best to ignore the stares around us, I folded my hands in my lap and looked up at the stage. The Council’s ten ornate chairs formed a half-circle around one that stood alone. Between the auditorium seating and the stage, there was something performative about all of it, like we were here to watch a high school play rather than a trial that would decide the fate of someone I cared for.

We didn’t have to wait long before the Council arrived and took their seats on the stage, facing their audience. A pair of guards walked in behind them, each holding one of Orion’s arms as they led him to the lone chair.

He stared forward, hiding whatever he was thinking behind a stoic expression. I tried to meet his gaze, to get him to look in my direction. But if he noticed me at all, he ignored me.

John Grayson, the Council’s leader, rose to begin the proceedings. “We are here today to determine the guilt of Commander Alexander Orion, leader of Unit Seven. He is accused of conspiring with rogue mages against the Arbiters of Shadow and assisting the Oathbreaker Jay Maki in his attempt to ascend and become a demon lord.”

The creaking of chairs filled the silence as he paused to catch his breath.

“He is further accused of revealing classified information regarding the existence of demon lords to his subordinates, Riley Collins and Jacob Thorne.”

I swallowed back the lump in my throat as all the commanders and Council members turned to face us. Everyone in this room knew the truth about the Arbiters of Shadow, and every single one of them accepted it.

When Leader Grayson took his seat, Marcus rose. He adjusted his glasses and read from a slip of paper. “If Commander Orion is found guilty of these charges, he shall suffer the consequences afforded to traitors and Oathbreakers. Further, should Lord Raxael require our penance, Orion shall be given to him as an apology. We can only hope that Lord Raxael will accept this offering and show us mercy.”

I gripped the arms of my chair as though it were the only thing holding me back from leaping across the courtroom. Nothing I did would make any difference. The Council would do whatever they wanted, and no one would believe a word I said. If I interfered now, we would never have our chance to get the enchantment from Ed or bring down Raxael.

Orion would have sacrificed himself for nothing.

Whatever Jacob saw on my face must have concerned him, as he rested his hand on my arm and shot me a warning glance.

I tried to wall off my emotions like I was preparing to channel magic, but even that did little to help. I couldn’t afford to lose control of myself—not here, in the middle of Haygrove’s town hall, surrounded by the entire Council and every commanding officer in town. Any hint of dark magic, even a slight glow on my hands, and I would be as good as dead.

Though the thought terrified me, it was enough to let me regain control. I had to keep my head down. It was the only way to live to fight another day.

As though Marcus sensed my inner turmoil, his eyes met mine, daring me to do something. That challenge was all I needed to right myself.

He wanted me to lose control, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Once he