Free Chasing Xaris by Samantha Bennett

during your trial.”
    “Trial? What trial?”
    “It’s considered an act of trespassing for any foreigner to come to our island. You must be tried in our court.” She placed a strong hand on my arm and pulled me off of the bed, toward the door. “Follow me. Now.”
    My legs obeyed, carrying me into the hall and down the staircase. Fighting an Aletheian seemed pointless. Still, I knew I should try. I was headed to trial, an actual trial. Re-runs of Winnie’s legal thrillers played through my mind. And then, images of a dark cell…
    I swallowed. I so needed to run. But Delphina was already stopping before a set of double doors.
    “Through here,” she said, opening one of the wooden doors. On the other side waited a packed room full of people, at least three hundred, who were all staring at me.
    I froze, but Delphina pulled me into the giant ballroom. It looked like the setting for one of Gran’s old-time movies—only way more Mediterranean. Columns protruded from the stucco walls, stretching from the tile floor to the vaulted ceiling.
    Taking my arm, Delphina led me through the throng of people. Most of the older Aletheians glowered at me, like they wanted to stone me on the spot. They all wore their hair in long braids. Everyone else looked mostly shocked, and a little shy even. I searched for Ari but couldn’t find him in the crowd.
    My stomach churned. Oh no. What if he was away surfing, or shark slaying, or something? I hadn’t even considered that.
    Delphina stopped walking, and I saw a raised podium directly in front of me.
    Ari. He stood on the podium with a handful of others.
    Relief flooded me. I had never been so thrilled to see his long hair and solemn face.
    I thought of Delphina’s warning but pushed it away. I didn’t understand why she wanted to keep my friendship with Ari a secret. Our friendship had to be the one thing that would save me. Once Ari explained who I was, everyone would quit treating me like a criminal.
    “Stay here,” Delphina ordered. She released my arm and marched up the stairs, joining the others on the platform.
    I studied Ari. He was shirtless like all the Aletheian men and wore white pants, accenting his tanned torso. He held a spear in his right hand and stared at the podium’s wooden floor. I waited for him to glance my way, but he didn’t.
    “So this is the foreigner,” said a woman from the podium. She had long white braids and luminous dark eyes.
    “Yes, this is Chandler Bloom,” Delphina said.
    “It would be in our island’s best interest if we executed her,” a man with silver-black braids said.
    The blood drained from my face.
    “Seriously?” I asked. The death sentence for trespassing?
    Delphina gave me a curt nod. “Let me explain our court. We are two of the oldest families on the island.” She gestured to the woman with the white braids. “This is my mother, Helena daughter of Heraclius. Together, we are the heads of the Chronis family.”
    That was nice and everything, but I wasn’t really in the mood for introductions. Were these people seriously going to kill me?
    Delphina nodded to the other three people on the platform. “They are heads of the Galanis family. Prytanis son of Alexandros, is father to Ariston and Nikandros. Together, the Chronis and Galanis families act as officials on behalf of our people.”
    Ariston.
    I peered at him, but he wouldn’t look at me. Fantastic. These people wanted to kill me, and the one guy I knew was ignoring me.
    “You don’t belong here, girl,” Prytanis said, his gray eyes like stones. He opened his palm to reveal Santiago’s xaris.
    My eyes flew to Delphina. She’d totally betrayed me. Not that she owed me anything.
    “This intruder violated our shore with stolen xaris,” Prytanis announced. His eyes were so cold and so gray. Just like his son’s. “She is a parabatis ,” he added.
    The crowd burst into shouts.
    “Let her defend herself, Father,” Ari said, banging his spear to be heard.