The words seemed to linger in the chamber long after the High Chancellor had spoken.
"...or was it obtained through the influence of a Dark Magian?"
Silence settled like dust.
Then Seraphine Velos rose.
Not hurriedly.
Not dramatically.
She simply stood.
The movement alone commanded the room.
She buttoned her charcoal jacket with practiced precision before stepping into the centre of the chamber.
"My Lords of the Council."
Her voice was smooth enough to calm a riot.
"I appear today on behalf of Mr. Jordan Elias Files."
She inclined her head respectfully.
"My client has already admitted to loving Miss Night Carter."
A murmur swept through the spectators.
"I will not insult this Council by attempting to deny what has been openly confessed."
She paused.
"But affection..."
Her eyes drifted toward me.
"...and consent are not always the same thing."
I felt Percy's shoulders stiffen beside me.
Seraphine continued.
"The question before this Council is not whether a relationship existed."
She turned toward the seven councillors.
"The question is whether that relationship was freely chosen."
She walked slowly across the polished floor.
"Miss Carter is no ordinary human."
Another pause.
"She is a Dark Magian."
The title echoed through the chamber.
"One whose own professors have repeatedly testified possesses uncommon psychic abilities."
She lifted a slim folder.
"Psychometry."
Another page.
"Dream projection."
Another.
"Empathic influence."
She looked up.
"The ability to affect the emotions of those around her."
I frowned.
That wasn't true.
Percy immediately rose.
"Objection."
The Chancellor nodded.
"State your grounds."
"There is no recognised academic literature establishing emotional manipulation as an ability possessed by Dark Magians."
Seraphine smiled politely.
"I said affect, Counsel."
She emphasized the word carefully.
"Not control."
Percy hesitated.
Technically...
She was correct.
The Chancellor looked between them.
"Overruled."
Seraphine inclined her head.
"Thank you."
She resumed pacing.
"My client is nineteen years old"
She glanced toward Jordan.
"Successful."
"Wealthy."
"Internationally recognised."
"A decorated Alpha."
The gallery nodded almost unconsciously
.
"He has never before violated Article Nine."
She turned slowly.
"Never."
She allowed that word to settle.
"No rumours."
"No accusations."
"No prior relationships with humans."
Her eyes rested on me.
"Until Miss Carter arrived."
The room became still.
"What changed?"
She spread her hands.
"A disciplined Alpha."
"A celebrated musician."
"A man trusted by this very Council."
She looked toward Jordan almost sympathetically.
"And within months..."
Her gaze returned to me.
"...he abandons centuries of tradition."
She let the implication hang.
"Is that truly love?"
She looked toward the councillors.
"Or is it influence?"
A ripple moved through the gallery.
Someone whispered,
"She's right..."
Another answered,
"Dark Magians are strange."
I clenched my fists.
Seraphine heard them too.
She pressed her advantage.
"We know Dark Magians enter dreams."
My stomach dropped.
"We know they experience visions."
She turned.
"We know they perceive memories by touch."
She lowered her voice.
"What we do not know..."
She looked directly into my eyes.
"...is where those gifts end."
A dangerous silence followed.
She opened another document.
"I submit that reasonable doubt exists regarding Mr. Files' capacity to freely consent."
Percy's jaw tightened.
Seraphine continued without mercy.
"My client is the victim."
The words exploded through the chamber.
Gasps erupted everywhere.
Jordan's head snapped toward her.
For the first time since entering the hall...
He looked genuinely shocked.
Seraphine didn't acknowledge him.
"My client encountered a foreign Dark Magian."
She spoke with relentless calm.
"Within months he became emotionally attached."
"Within months he violated sacred law."
"Within months he risked execution."
She closed the folder.
"My Lords..."
Her voice softened.
"Does that sound like the behaviour of a rational Alpha?"
She turned gracefully toward Jordan.
"Or does it resemble a man whose judgment has been clouded?"
Jordan stared at her.
She met his gaze only briefly.
There was regret there.
Almost imperceptible.
Then it vanished.
She faced the Council once more.
"The defence submits that Mr. Files should not be punished for becoming the victim of abilities no citizen of this Colony fully understands."
She bowed.
"I rest my opening submission."
The chamber erupted.
Students shouted.
Reporters scribbled furiously.
The courtroom artists' charcoal raced across their pages.
I could hear my name whispered from every direction.
"Witch."
"Enchantress."
"Dark Magian."
"Seducer."
I stood frozen.
Beside me, Percy slowly rose to his feet.
He adjusted the cuffs of his coat.
Then, without looking at me, he whispered just loudly enough for me to hear,
"Good."
Good?
He picked up Viviette Tom's folded note from the table beside him.
He hadn't opened it yet.
Now...
He finally broke the wax seal.