Page 66 of I Am the Wild
Speak of the devil, Dracula enters the courtroom and everyone falls silent as he makes his way to us, his black cape flowing behind him like a macabre wedding train.
"Cutting it rather close, aren't you?" Liam hisses, as Dracula takes a seat at our table.
"I am here. That is what matters."
"Where have you been? We could have used your help in preparing your defense," Sebastian says.
Dracula glares at the Night brother. "I had business to attend. I trust you made do in my absence."
A very tiny woman comes out of what looks like a hole in one of the walls. She's so small she could fit in the palm of my hand. She must use some kind of magic to amplify her voice, because when she talks, it fills the whole room.
"Hear ye, hear ye. Judge Dath’Racul residing. Court is in session in the matter of the Otherworld vs. Vlad Dracule on two counts of murder, two counts of unlawful draining of blood, and two counts of violating the Non-Violent Vampire Act."
With that, there is a great whooshing sound and the air around us is whipped into a frenzy as a huge red dragon descends from the sky and into the chamber, wings spanning the length of the space as he lands upon the platform, his giant claws digging into the stone as he does.
I gasp and clutch at Sebastian's arm. It's one thing to imagine a dragon, it's quite another to see one up close and in person. His scales shimmer like gemstones and his large ebony eyes scan the courtroom.
"Rise," the dragon says with a deep, thunderous voice, a puff of fire spurting from his nose.
We rise, my legs still wobbly from being in the presence of an actual freaking dragon!
"Who stands for the defendant?" the dragon asks.
"The Night Firm," Derek says.
The judge nods his giant head. "And who stands for the Otherworld?"
"The Van Helsings," one of the women says. "Moira, Anna and Able."
"Very well, begin with your opening arguments."
The Van Helsing woman steps forward, and the tiny woman who is now seated at the side of the dragon waves her hand and an iridescent cloud appears above us. When the prosecutor speaks, her voice is also amplified.
"Your Greatness, we intend to show that Vlad Dracule, also known as Dracula, has a history of violent and bloody crimes against others. That he was abusive to his wife, and when he found out she was having an affair, he killed her and her child in a most brutal fashion."
Derek stiffens and the brothers look at each other.
Dracula's eyes narrow. His nails scrape at the stone bench, leaving grooves in their wake.
I lean in toward the Count, speaking softly. "They’ll need proof of an affair. Otherwise, it’s just speculation.”
He nods. His hands clenched.
Moira calls her first witness. "We call Lilith to the stand," she says.
The courtroom door opens and Lilith walks in like a celebrity on the red carpet. Her dress is white silk and has a long train that trails behind her. She looks like a bride, innocent and virginal. Dracula stiffens, his eyes glued to her.
Liam hisses. "I thought she wasn’t going to testify for them?"
Lilith catches my gaze and winks, and I put a steadying hand on Liam's arm. "I don't think she is," I whisper.
Lilith takes the stand and the tiny woman next to the dragon brings a giant book for Lilith to swear on.
"Who is that woman, and what is that book?" I whisper to Sebastian.
"She is a gnome and is the right hand of Judge Dath’Racul. And the book is an ancient book of magic that is said to hold the secrets of the dead. Everyone swears on it when testifying."
"What is your relationship to the defendant?" Moira asks Lilith.