“Simon’s mother, Tillie.”
That seemed to rob her of her breath. Kestra only lowered her eyes, and in a voice almost too soft to hear, she whispered, “Guilty.”
I had entered this trial thinking that I was prepared for anything for which I might be accused and had believed that I had defended myself well.
Until this moment.
Gabe had brought Simon’s mother into this trial, and suddenly I no longer cared to fight. Maybe while under the influence of so much corruption, I had dismissed her death, but now, my senses had returned to me every whisper of heartache that I had carried since the moment I’d first understood the danger she was in. What was the point of defending myself now, when he had opened this festering wound, one almost beyond my ability to bear? If this was Gabe’s route to my conviction, then maybe he was right.
“You admit your guilt, then,” Gabe said.
“She tried to save my mother.” Simon stepped forward, almost directly in front of me but addressing the judges. “I was there. I stopped her from entering my mother’s home. She fought me and begged me to let her go, but we couldn’t lose the Infidante.” Then his eyes settled on Gabe. “Kestra fought to save you too, once you
entered that same home. That’s when she finally got her way. Did you know that, Gabe, that she sacrificed herself to save you?”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Gabe look at me, but I kept my head down.
Simon continued. “The consequences of what she did led to Lord Endrick crushing her heart. She needed magic to survive it, something that would never have been necessary had she selfishly kept her place while you were killed that night.”
Gabe went silent for some time after that. I needed the silence too, to gather my own emotions. Was it possible that Simon no longer blamed me for his mother’s death? Could I hope for that?
Finally, in a quieter voice, Gabe said, “Whether she wanted the magic or not, and whether it is fair or not, she has become corrupted. Like any infection, if it is not healed, it is fatal. In Kestra’s case, it could be fatal to all of us here as well.”
I looked over at him. Nothing in this trial was more important than making him understand this single issue. “The corruption is gone. All magic I once had, that I’ve ever had, is gone.”
“Impossible!” Gabe crossed in front of me, his expression leaving no doubt that he believed I was lying. “Loelle assured us that she investigated every hope for pulling magic from you and none of them would work without killing you.”
“It is not impossible.” I held up my bound arms. “Do you think I would accept this if with a breath of magic I could pull my hands apart and set myself free?”
“Can you prove the magic is gone?” Gabe asked.
From the far end of the room, I saw a person push forward, his head cloaked, but he lowered the hood once he reached the front of the crowd.
I had already recognized him. “Father!” His face was bruised and his expression was strained, but he was here and alive. That alone gave me hope and a joy beyond anything I could have imagined, even given my circumstances.
Darrow smiled at me, as if to say everything would be all right. Somehow, despite the rumbling pit in my stomach and the persistent throbbing in my head, I believed him. I believed my father.
Standing beside Simon, Darrow addressed the judges directly. “Loelle was always correct. Magic cannot be taken from a person without killing them. That’s what happened to Kestra on that dueling platform. She was dead when I found her, but she had left behind a means with which I could start her heart beating again.”
“Through magic,” Gabe said.
“The magic was used on her,” Darrow said. “It didn’t come from within her.”
“How do we know that?” Gabe turned back to me. “Kestra, none of us here, myself included, wants to pronounce you guilty of anything, I swear that. But if there is still magic within you, then corruption will follow. Can you prove that it is gone?”
A hush fell over the crowd. If I lost the trial, this would be the reason why. But I would not bow down to this fight.
“Prove that you wanted a fair trial,” I replied, feeling my temper begin to burn. To the judges, I added, “Prove that your decision wasn’t already made long before this trial began, that you came here with every intention of giving me a chance at freedom. If you cannot prove these simple things, then how dare you vote against me?”
“They are not on trial,” Gabe said. “Please, Kestra, there must be some way to assure us the corruption is gone. Give us that proof, and I will call for a vote right now.”
“How can I prove what is not?” I asked. “Can I prove that I have never seen a falling star? Never danced in the moonlight? Can I prove what is not in my mind, not in my heart?”
“Then how can we set you free?” Gabe shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kestra, I really am.”
“I can prove it.” Darrow pulled a confused-looking Harlyn forward from the audience and spoke to her. “Shoot me with your disk bow. Somewhere that might be fatal if I am not given the strength to heal.”
I stood, shouting, “Father, no!”