Acting Out (18 page)

Korian held Jessica’s limp hand in his and pressed it to his
lips reverently. It had been the longest minutes of his life as he had run
after the hovering medi-bed on its way to the medical ward. His only thought
had been getting his
thalia
there as quickly as possible. She was
deathly pale and covered in her life’s blood from the wound on her throat and
down her chest. Ax’Sandre R’Varsel, who had attended the conference, was
summoned from the dining hall and she met him in the ward as the medi-beds were
delivered with both Jessica and Mahoney. Knowing that his love would be most distressed
about the fate of her beloved companion, he had insisted they bring the animal,
as well, and placed an emergency call for the veterinarian to come to the
compound to treat the little heroine.

Mahoney was the first to recover. After scanning the contents
of the syringe, it took only moments for the Medical Officer to program the
corrective treatment device to reverse its effects, and the female warrior
awoke within only moments more. After her confusion wore off, she was seized
with both panic at seeing her friend lying injured, and fury at herself for
failing to protect the sister of her heart. It took her lifemate pulling her
into his arms to calm her, and the female warrior shed rare tears of remorse as
her mother-in-law worked feverishly over Jessica in order to contain the
bleeding. After the scan was completed, Ax’Sandre reported to Korian that the
assassin’s blade had nicked her carotid artery; hence the amount of blood that
was spilled, but otherwise, the cut was shallow and easily repaired. She
assured the worried king that both Jessica and the baby were just fine and she
would recover within a day after the corrective treatment restored her blood
count.

Korian ran his knuckle over her pale cheek, and bent to
place a kiss on her forehead. Now that he was convinced that his
thalia
was in good hands, he left Mahoney and two trusted warriors in the medical ward
to watch over his sleeping lover, and motioned for Mikael to follow him. The
immediate danger to her life had passed, and he was seized with a white-hot
fury that would not be denied. As he strode down the corridor, he met Deedoe
halfway.

“Delegate Deedoe, gather the Council members and convene in
the meeting chamber immediately. Say nothing of what has transpired until I
arrive. I will join you there within the hour,” he snapped as she trotted with
him to keep up with his long strides.

“Korian! What of Jessica MacGregor and the warrior Mahoney?
How do they fare?” she begged him for information.

Korian paused only long enough to answer, “Jessica has
sustained a grievous injury, but the medical officer has assured me that she
and the babe will recover quickly. Warrior Mahoney has awakened and stands
guard over her future queen once more.”

Deedoe exhaled heavily in relief and took off at a fast clip
to follow his orders. Before he could deal with the Council and the assassin,
he had T’Kalan business to deal with first. Korian and his captain took the
lift down to the lower levels and strode toward the holding cells where he knew
he would find his prey.  Korian placed his hand on the sensor and barely waited
for the door panels to slide open before he drew his sword and stalked toward
the T’Kalan female sitting in a chair with Zandar’s big palm clamped on her
shoulder to keep her in place.

Korian’s face was like a thundercloud as he brought the
sharp point of his sword to a rest against the graceful column of her throat.
Her ice pink eyes widened in shock and he could hear her swallow thickly before
she blustered, “King Korian! What is the meaning of this? How dare you send
your slavering
vlarneks
to accost me in such a way?”

Korian felt a tremor of rage go through him, yet his sword
hand remained steady. “How dare
I,
Rox’Ana Ful’Tera? Even now, with your
king ready to run you through with his sword, you still sit in defiance of the
law of T’Kala? It is not I that dares too much, traitorous bitch,” he spat.

Fear was visible on her face, but still she floundered for
control. “I have no idea what you speak of, Korian Ak’Falin. I demand you
release me this instant!”

Korian reluctantly dropped his sword and took a step back
before he lost what little control was left to him and sliced her open from
neck to stern. He took a deep breath and released it slowly before nodding to
Captain Mikael R’Varsel. The warrior captain’s bearded face was a mask of fury
as he snarled, “Rox’Ana Ful’Tera, you are accused of treason against the royal
crown for conspiring to procure and hire an assassin named Nan-Yo of Mamaxon to
murder the Warrior King Korian Ak’Falin. You are further accused of approaching
said assassin this night and entreating her to murder in cold blood the human
Jessica MacGregor who carries the royal heir to the throne in her womb. How do
you answer these charges?”

The noblewoman’s face blanched and sweat began to roll down
her face. “I am not guilty of these charges! This is an outrageous travesty of
justice, and I will not stand for it! You have no proof of any such thing, and
you seek only to pin this on me in order to silence your loudest detractor!”

Korian did not deign to reply to the hysterical woman, and
only nodded at Zandar Nic’Omar. The hulking warrior stepped over to the
vidscreen on the wall and began to tap a code into the system. Within seconds,
the screen was filled with the deleted transmissions from Rox’Ana’s private
server. One by one, he touched the pertinent communications that showed her
outgoing calls to the assassin where she detailed the job she wanted done, what
price she would pay, and where she would send the credits.

The noblewoman’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly as the
incriminating evidence was displayed for all in the room to see. Korian finally
stepped back forward and his voice was hard and cold when he said, “As Warrior
King of T’Kala, I find you guilty of all charges through the gathered evidence
and recorded confession of Nan-Yo of Mamaxon. I hereby sentence you to permanent
exile and lifetime incarceration within the confines of the prison camps on the
planet Calfaxis.” He paused to enjoy the shock and horror reflected on her
face. “Should you choose to appeal your sentence with the Council of the Great
Alliance, that right is yours. However, I would think very carefully before
doing that, Rox’Ana Ful’Tera. While T’Kala does not employ the death sentence,
the Council does, and they will not soon forget the embarrassment and shame you
have brought upon the Mamaxon delegate with your actions.”

Tears began to streak down the broken woman’s face. “Wait!
Please, I beg your mercy on behalf of my child. I am all that she has left of
family. Do not take me away from her!”

Korian felt his temper snap and he lowered his face to
within an inch of hers and snarled, “Shall I show her the same mercy you
granted to my child? Should I hire a killer to murder her as she sleeps nestled
in her bed? Do not speak to me of mercy when my future lifemate lies in the
medical ward recovering from your assassin’s blade. It is only because she and
the babe will yet live that I have not severed your conniving head from your
body.”

Rox’Ana covered her face and broke down into noisy wails,
but Korian was done with her. Turning to Zandar, he ordered, “Escort the
prisoner to the holding cells in P’Hartha until such time as the transport from
Calfaxis can arrive to retrieve her.”

Zandar clenched his fist to his heart and nodded sharply.
“My pleasure, King Korian. May the stars protect and bless you and the future
queen, and the young you have conceived.”

Korian returned the salute before spinning on his heel to
exit the room with Mikael hot on his heels. As they made their way back up in
the lift, Mikael said, “How do you know that Nan-Yo confessed as to her
employer?”

Korian rubbed his face wearily and replied, “Before she lost
consciousness, Jessica told me that Nan-Yo named Rox’Ana Ful’Tera as her
employer. I am not proud to admit this, but I have Jessica’s room under
surveillance. I confess that I used to watch her as she slept so sweetly in her
bed, but I ceased monitoring it after our big fight when she left the compound
for your home.”

Mikael shrugged his shoulders with indifference. “I did much
the same thing when Katsuko was aboard the ship. I am of the opinion that
falling in love turns warriors into pubescent younglings with no sense of what
is right or wrong. Ah, well. In this case, it has turned out to be for the
best. Let us present this evidence of the crime to the Council and await their
judgement.”

“I concur. Contact Commander Andreus and have him bring
Nan-Yo to the meeting chamber at once. I am curious as to how she will play
this out,” Korian ordered.

Mikael gave the command via the communications panel in the
lift, and they departed to make their way to the meeting room where the five
members of the Council awaited them. When the two warriors strode into the
room, the delegates stood to their feet.

“What is the meaning of this, King Korian?” Nidoba demanded,
his black eyes flashing. “It is a poor host that interrupts his guests during a
meal without explanation.”

Korian’s jaw clenched and he lost his grip on his control.
“And it is a poor guest that allows his new wife to nearly kill his host’s
intended lifemate and unborn child. I would caution you to silence, Nidoba of
Mamaxon, until you have all the facts laid out before you.”

The other delegates erupted into excited babble, but Nidoba’s
slate blue skin had paled to cerulean as he collapsed into his seat. The door
panel opened behind the king, and Commander Andreus entered the room with
Nan-Yo bound at the wrists and supported between himself and another warrior.
Her injuries had been field-dressed, but not healed, and she was a ruined wreck
of blood and spilled food.

Before he could speak a word, the Sinepaxan assassin cried
out, “Nidoba, my husband! Help me! I have been attacked and almost killed by
the human guest of the king. I only asked for her help when I spilled my plate
on my gown, and she lured me to her rooms in order to kill me!”

Deedoe, her emerald green eyes swirling with glowing power,
slammed her hand down on the sturdy wooden conference table and yelled, “She
lies! I was there when they were found in Jessica MacGregor’s room. Nan-Yo held
a sword to the human’s throat and threatened her life.”

Lor-Yan, the Sinepaxan delegate, was trembling with rage.
“What say you to that, Nan-Yo Ic Vani? The word of a Phargannan, especially a
delegate to the Council, has condemned you. Criminals have been convicted for
less by their word.”

Korian held his hand up to gain the attention of everyone in
the room. “It is time I tell the tale of this night to all. I ask each of you
to hold your peace until such time as I have finished my explanation and
provided my evidence.”

When each member of the Council agreed to his terms, Korian,
with help from Mikael, explained how Rox’Ana Ful’Tera had used her connections
within the Alliance to make contact with the discontent Nan-Yo and hatched a
plan to assassinate the king. They used the vidscreen to display the deleted
transmissions from the noblewoman’s private account to show her culpability.
Deedoe interrupted to explain how she had unwittingly given the noblewoman the
surprise news of Korian’s heir during the banquet, and how she had warned
Korian that the woman was up to no good. From there, it was as simple as
playing the surveillance footage from Jessica’s rooms. Korian’s moods swung
from fear, to relief, to pride, and back to fear again as the footage played
out. When the recording was done playing, the room was as silent as a tomb.

“I have already passed judgement on Rox’Ana Ful’Tera for her
part in commissioning this crime. However, since the accused is the lifemate of
a Council member and a native citizen of another, I defer to your judgement in
this matter. I am confident that the Council will see justice done for the harm
that was inflicted upon my intended lifemate and the unborn king or queen of
T’Kala,” Korian announced as he met each of their eyes in turn.

Very slowly, as if he had aged twenty years within the
previous twenty minutes, Nidoba of Mamaxon stood to his feet until he towered
over every occupant of the room. His deep, sonorous voice called out, “Nan-Yo
Ic Vani, you are accused by this Council of conspiring to commit murder upon
the king of a Council ally, attempted murder of his intended lifemate and
unborn child, and assault with a deadly a weapon. By your actions, you have
further conspired to cause irreparable harm to the diplomatic relations between
the planets protected under the Great Alliance and have caused immeasurable
embarrassment and disrespect to your home planet of Sinepax and the planet of
Mamaxon through your marriage to its Council delegate.” When his wife refused
to reply and only thrust her chin in the air, Nidoba turned to his peers.
“Delegates of the Council appointed by the Great Alliance, how do you find the
accused?”

Deedoe was the first to reply with a fervent shout of
“Guilty of all charges!” Lor-Yan of Sinepax refused to look directly at her
countryman, and declared, “Guilty of all charges.” Uthor of Harani and Manex of
Lugia-A echoed their sentiments until it was down to only Nidoba. With one
final, searching look at his new lifemate’s face, he pronounced, “By unanimous
vote of the Council, we find you, Nan-Yo Ic Vani, guilty on all charges.”

“No!” she screamed, her eyes wild with hatred. “All of you
will pay with your lives! You, Nidoba, will suffer for what you have done to
me.”

As if she no longer existed in his eyes, Nidoba calmly
turned to Korian and said, “The Council has found the accused guilty of her
crimes. As the injured party in this situation, we defer to your judgement on
sentencing.”