In one of the many rooms in Pellethia’s castle, Saxum was tied to a chair placed at the edge of the room, away from the table with three chairs, two of which were placed facing the third one. He would mind-link someone but the oleander and allicin cuffs weren’t allowing him to do that.
Servants came to ask if he wanted water from time to time, and he declined every single time. He didn’t want to drink something that could contain poison.
The doors finally opened again, and Pellethia and Octavia walked in this time, bringing a man that Saxum didn’t see on the battlefield. Lucianne, Xandar, Christian and Greg took their seats at the opposite side of the room facing Saxum.
Pellethia and Octavia sat at the table and gestured to the single chair as P
Maddock explained, “You have, but you may not have known what you were reading about. The courts didn’t call the victims ‘hybrids’. Because they were merely infants, almost no description was given about them to protect their identities and families. Cases like Re V, Re Q...”Pellethia asked in disbelief, “Those were hybrid cases? From the way the ambiguous way the judgments were written, it sounded as if the victims were children who were victimized and subsequently killed for being…different, like being homosexuals.”Maddock nodded. “That was the whole intention - to mislead future generations.”“My father ordered this?” Pellethia asked in dismay.
Those who were found and brought back from Neptune’s warehouse were now placed in a guarded apartment building near the castle. They were given food, clothing, medical checkups, and therapy if they wanted it. Toys had also been donated by civilians of the empire to the hybrid children.Lucianne, Xandar, Christian and Annie made regular trips to visit the families with Pellethia, Octavia, Rafael and Amber, to see if the families needed anything that they could provide. Even Maddock and the other ministers came along a few times.A few of the families began asking whether they could return to the lycan kingdom to visit families and show their parents their pups. Xandar and Lucianne immediately granted such requests and even gave the families a few dates where a jet would be sent to come pick them up.
The administrative hybrids and those who fought at Bordure weren’t given as much freedom or luxury as those who weren’t involved in executing the plan. The administrators who were left after Chong’s death were Saxum, Regina, Gerella, Rudolpho and Zepine. Regina was placed on house arrest since she had Michael to care for. Gerella was confined to her apartment as well, escaping dungeons because she warned the empress and consort about the Bordure attack. The other three were kept in the dungeons until trial. Unlike the other prisoners, they weren’t allowed to leave their cells for meals or walks. It was a safety precaution taken to avoid starting prison riots. On a trip that Lucianne dreaded, Deputy Chief Laurent and Officer Laila escorted Kate when they boarded Xandar’s jet with the queen to leave for the empire. Once they landed
Toby visited Gerella twice a day, getting to know her and making sure that she had everything she needed to make the experience less tormenting. She constantly assured him that she was fine, and always looked forward to his visits. He learned that her mother died giving birth to her, and her father subsequently passed on from the grief and heartbreak. He learned that she liked children and had a favorite - Isla. He also learned that she was fluent in proditor code. What was it used for? Help some of those who left the empire transmit messages to their families or close friends, if both sides were still on good terms even after the separation. The main translator was a proditor who stayed in the Forest of Oderem for a few years before sneaking back into the empire, living in one of the most remote parts under a new alias. His years as a proditor enabled him to read the code, and he made a go
When Toby visited Gerella in prison for the first time, his leg fidgetted as he prayed that he wouldn’t see that she had been battered or anything like that. The empress and consort assured him many times that Gerella was going to be safe, and that the prison guards always had things under control so violence and bullying seldom happened behind those walls.He was waiting for her in the private visitation room for two painful minutes before Gerella entered with the policewoman, who then took off the keratin and silver cuffs that bound her wrists while reminding her about the usual procedure and the two hours that she was allowed. Gerella was dressed in the teal green uniform that everyone else wore, her hair up in a ponytail, and Toby sighed in relief that she still looked perfect.Gerella’s brows arched in confusio
Gerella’s smile grew in cheekiness when she explained, “They think it’s the authorities’ fault that we left the hideout. Since you’re part of the authorities, they hate you.”Toby argued in a whisper, “Ella, that’s not fair. The vigils went in first. I’m NOT a vigil. Hate on them. And besides, you guys left BEFORE any of us saw any of you.”She replied with a playful smile, “I know.”“Didn’t you tell them?” Toby asked in dismay.“Not at first. I do like to listen to everything someone says before I say anything. It gives me a good picture of what they know and where they stand in things.”
Xandar was in bed scrolling through his phone when he read the news from the empire. Many were awed and even touched by the level of commitment that the kingdom offered to their Imperial Majesties, vigils and governing body during the cooperation. They were grateful to Greg because he tracked down the triplets and brought back the abducted vampires before killing the scientists and destroying their lab. When he was reported to be ‘the only royal family member who is, at present, single’, some women from the empire even boldly expressed their interest to ‘meet’ the duke. Xandar took a screenshot of that part of the article and sent it to Greg, and he didn’t expect the reply that came seconds later with only four words, “I hate you, cousin” along with the middle-finger emoji. Xandar chuckled to himself as he continued reading.
In the meeting room, everyone brought their notes along with their own copies of Iridessa’s theses as they took their places around the table. Toby was walking to his own seat when he muttered a complaint as he walked past Lucianne, “I swear, I’ve never seen that many words in a single document in my entire life.” Lucianne merely scoffed softly in amusement, whereas Xandar saw the need to respond, “It’s a thesis with research taken from all species, Toby.” “Wrong. It’s TWO theses, Xandar.” Lucianne covered her mouth to swallow the chuckles when Xandar continued, “Exactly, so what did you expect?” Shamelessly, Toby declared, “I expected more graphs and charts, preferably with color.”