Free Taunt by Claire Farrell Page B

breath. “It was nice to
meet you, Ava.”
    I didn’t have
time to wonder at her words because the Guardians let me out. To my
surprise, they took me in the opposite direction from the one I’d
arrived and led me upward into an ordinary looking building
interior. I inhaled deeply, the fresh air a welcome
relief.
    The Guardians
pushed me into a small room that held only a table and two chairs.
I waited for a long time, my mind going into overdrive now that I
was away from the suffocating cell. I tried to open the door, but
it was locked from the outside. I could hear some heartbeats close
by so I knew I was still guarded. Maybe they thought I could
actually find my way out of the maze of identical
hallways.
    I tried to use my
other senses again, but it was like my abilities were smothered by
some kind of heavy magic. It didn’t smell like Eddie’s magic, but
it clung to my skin, leaving a clammy sensation. The spirit hadn’t
come near me since the Guardians had taken me, and I had to wonder
if something was stopping it.
    I hadn’t eaten in
a while, so I could only blame my hunger on the sudden burst of
happiness I felt when the door opened, and Eddie walked into the
room bearing coffee, food, and painkillers.
    “ Are
you sure about this?” I asked after he had redressed my bandage,
tutting the entire time at the bad job I’d done. I held up a small
green pill warily. It stank.
    “ Just
take it. It’s strong, so it’ll last a few days. By then you should
be fine. The wound is healing nicely, although not as well as it
might.”
    I ignored the
hint about blood and swallowed the tablet obediently, wrinkling my
nose at the taste. He handed over the food and still warm
coffee.
    “ Thanks,” I said after I devoured everything he set in front of
me.
    “ You
shouldn’t eat their food,” he warned.
    “ Yeah,
got that. So, why are you here? Why am I here?”
    “ From
what I can gather, your existence has been brought to the attention
of the Council. Gideon has made some accusations, and the Guardians
took you in for an immediate trial. I’ve been with the Council for
hours discussing this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I
realised how tired he looked. “I’m speaking for you at the trial,
and I’ve persuaded them to give you a pre-trial hearing. We need
time to counter the accusations, and the hearing will give us a
chance to find out exactly what the vampires are up to.”
    When I raised an
eyebrow, he placed his palms on the table. “I know we aren’t always
on the best of terms, Ava. But this time, you need me. They trust
me; they’ll at least listen to me before making their
decision.”
    “ Decision on what?” I felt like I had missed something
huge.
    “ Whatever it is you’re being accused of. I have an idea, but
we’ll see at the hearing. You would probably have been charged by
now if it wasn’t for me.”
    He looked like I
should be jumping for joy. Instead, I felt like I’d been thrown
into a cesspit. Every single time I thought I was over the worst,
something even worse happened. Eddie was my only link to the
outside world and, for that, I supposed I had to be
grateful.
    “ Um,
thanks, I guess. For helping me with whatever the hell is going on.
So, what, you people have actual trials?”
    Eddie frowned.
“More like ‘us’ people now, Ava. We are civilised. Really.
We have laws and courts, different from humans, of course. Our kind
could never be tried by humans. It wouldn’t work. We have a system
and, if you know how to play that system, you’ll do
fine.”
    I sighed. There
was never a straight path to the end. “So what now? What happens?
What do I do? Should I try running?”
    He shook his head
vehemently, his face paling. “Never try to run from the Council,
Ava. You’ll never know a moment’s peace again. Let’s just see what
happens first. In a few days, you’ll make your first appearance.
I’ll try to get some time to figure out how Gideon plans on playing
this