Chapter 22 The Trial of Blood
The stone circle was lit by a hundred torches. Their flames cast dancing shadows on the ancient stones.
Thousands of wolves gathered around the circle. No one spoke. Everyone watched in tense silence.
In the center of the circle stood three chairs made of stone. Elder Sage sat in the middle. On her left sat Elder Marcus. On her right sat an old female wolf Mara did not recognize.
"That is Elder Freya," Riven whispered. "She rules the Western Packs. She hates everyone equally."
"Wonderful," Mara muttered.
Elder Sage stood and raised her staff. "We gather tonight to judge the accused. King Darius of the Wolf Kingdom. He stands charged with murder, conspiracy, and abuse of power. How does he plead?"
King Darius was brought forward in chains. He looked smaller now. Weaker. Nothing like the monster he had been on the mountain.
"I plead guilty," he said quietly.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"You admit your crimes?" Elder Sage asked.
"I admit everything. I killed Selene. I cursed my brother. I murdered my own son." Darius's voice was flat. Empty. "I did terrible things because I was afraid. Afraid of being weak. Afraid of losing power. And in trying to keep my power, I lost everything that mattered."
"At least you finally speak the truth," Elder Marcus said.
"What good does truth do me now? I have already lost." Darius looked at Mara. "The Moon Wolf has won. A half breed slave girl has brought down the King of Wolves. If that is not justice, I do not know what is."
"I never wanted to bring you down," Mara said. "I just wanted to survive."
"And you did. While I destroyed myself." Darius laughed bitterly. "Execute me. Exile me. I do not care anymore."
Elder Sage tapped her staff. "Your fate will be decided by vote. All wolves present may cast their choice. Death or exile?"
"Wait," Brutus stood up. "Before we vote, I want to challenge the legitimacy of this trial."
"On what grounds?" Elder Marcus demanded.
"On the grounds that the evidence was obtained through dark magic. This half breed used witch magic to create false visions. None of what we saw can be trusted."
"I did not use magic!" Mara protested. "The Moon Goddess herself showed the truth!"
"So you claim. But how do we know? How do we know you did not deceive us all?" Brutus looked at the crowd. "Think about it! A slave girl suddenly becomes a powerful wolf? Suddenly tames a Shadow Wolf? Suddenly has the Moon Goddess speaking through her? It is too convenient!"
Murmurs of agreement spread through some sections of the crowd.
"He has a point," someone said.
"How do we know what is real?"
"Maybe the girl is lying!"
"SILENCE!" Elder Sage's voice boomed. "The Moon Goddess does not lie. I felt her presence. We all did."
"Or we felt what we wanted to feel," Brutus argued. "I demand proof. Real proof. Not visions. Not dreams. Real evidence that can be seen and touched."
"We have the cup," Zevran said, stepping forward. "The poisoned cup that killed Selene. It still has traces of the poison in it."
"And who is to say you did not poison it yourself?" Brutus smiled. "After all, you were accused of the crime once before."
"That is ridiculous!"
"Is it? You had motive. You had opportunity. And now suddenly you have a convenient scapegoat in King Darius." Brutus turned to the crowd. "I say the curse made Zevran mad. I say he killed Selene and now he is trying to blame others for his crime!"
The crowd erupted in shouts and arguments.
Mara felt panic rising in her chest. This was going wrong. Badly wrong.
"I can prove Zevran is innocent!" she shouted.
Everyone went quiet.
"How?" Elder Sage asked.
"Let me show you. All of you. Let me show you the truth."
"You already showed us visions. Brutus has questioned those."
"Not visions. Memories. Real memories from the day Selene died." Mara took a deep breath. "I am a Moon Wolf. I can look into the past. Into the souls of those who were there. Let me show you what really happened."
"That is impossible," Elder Freya spoke for the first time. Her voice was harsh and sharp. "No wolf has that power."
"Moon Wolves do. Elder Sage, you said I have power like a wild river. Let me use it. Let me prove the truth once and for all."
Elder Sage was quiet for a long moment. "This is dangerous. If you fail, if you cannot show us the truth, everyone here will believe you are a fraud. They will call for your death."
"I know."
"And if you succeed, if you show them something they do not want to see, they may kill you anyway."
"I know that too. But I have to try."
Elder Sage studied Mara with her blind eyes. Then she nodded. "Very well. Show us. But know this. If you use dark magic, if you try to deceive us, I will kill you myself."
"I understand."
Mara walked to the center of the stone circle. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought everyone could hear it.
Zevran moved to follow her but she shook her head. "I have to do this alone."
"Mara—"
"Trust me. Please."
He stepped back, though his face was filled with worry.
Mara closed her eyes. She reached deep inside herself, to the place where her Moon Wolf power lived.
She had never done this before. Never tried to look into the past. But the Moon Goddess had given her this power. She had to believe she could use it.
Show me, she thought. Show me what happened the day Selene died.
Power rushed through her body. It felt like lightning and water and fire all at once.
White light exploded from her, filling the stone circle. Everyone gasped.
The light formed shapes. Images. Memories.
Suddenly, everyone could see it. The wedding day ten years ago.
They saw Selene in her beautiful white dress, smiling and happy. They saw Zevran standing at the altar, looking nervous and excited.
They saw Prince Ronan in the shadows, holding a cup.
The images moved forward like a story. Ronan approached Selene before the ceremony.
"My future sister," Ronan said in the memory. "I brought you wine to celebrate."
"Thank you, Prince Ronan." Selene took the cup and drank.
"To family," Ronan said. But his smile was cold.
Selene walked to the altar. The ceremony began. And then, halfway through the vows, she started to choke.
She fell to the ground, gasping. Zevran caught her, screaming for help.
"No! Selene! Stay with me!"
But she was already dying. The poison worked fast.
Her last words were, "I love you."
Then she was gone.
The memory shifted. Now they saw Ronan speaking to King Darius in private.
"It is done," Ronan said. "Selene is dead. And everyone believes Zevran did it."
"Good," Darius said. "The Elders will curse him. And with Zevran cursed, my throne is secure. Your throne is secure."
"What if someone finds out the truth?"
"No one will. We made sure of that." Darius smiled. "Now Zevran will suffer forever. And we will rule in peace."
Father and son laughed together.
The memory ended. The white light faded.
Mara collapsed to her knees, exhausted. Using that much power had drained her completely.
The stone circle was silent. No one moved. No one spoke.
They had all seen it. The truth. Undeniable and clear.
Brutus was pale. "That... that cannot be real."
"It is real," Elder Sage said quietly. "I felt the truth in those memories. They were not created. They were witnessed."
"But how?"
"Because she is the Moon Wolf. And the Moon Goddess gave her the power to reveal truth." Elder Sage turned to King Darius. "You have been judged. Not by us. But by your own actions. What say you now?"
Darius was crying. "I am a monster. I deserve death."
"Yes. You do." Elder Sage raised her staff. "All those in favor of death, howl once."
Three thousand wolves howled. The sound shook the ground.
"All those in favor of exile, howl twice."
Maybe fifty wolves howled twice.
"The decision is made. King Darius, you are sentenced to death. The execution will happen at dawn." Elder Sage looked at the crowd. "Does anyone challenge this decision?"
No one spoke.
"Then it is final." Elder Sage tapped her staff. "Take him away."
Guards dragged Darius out of the stone circle. He did not fight. He just went quietly.
Zevran ran to Mara and helped her stand. "Are you alright?"
"Tired. So tired."
"You did it. You proved the truth."
"We did it. Together."
The crowd began to disperse, talking in low voices. The trial was over.
But Mara knew this was just the beginning.
"Mara!" A voice called her name.
She turned to see Alpha Kira approaching with a group of wolves.
"That was incredible," Kira said. "I have never seen anything like that. You truly are blessed."
"Thank you."
"I want to pledge my support officially. The Eastern Packs stand with you. Whatever comes next, we will fight beside you."
One by one, other alphas approached. Offering support. Pledging loyalty.
By the time the sun started to rise, Mara had the backing of twenty different packs.
But she also had enemies. Brutus and his supporters glared at her from across the circle. They did not challenge her openly. But their hatred was clear.
"This is not over," Brutus said loudly. "The Moon Wolf may have won tonight. But there are still many who do not accept her. Many who believe she is an abomination. This fight is far from finished."
He walked away with his wolves following.
"He is going to be a problem," Riven said.
"He is already a problem," Luna agreed. "We need to watch him."
Elder Sage approached Mara. "You have done well tonight, Moon Wolf. You have proven yourself to many. But Brutus is right about one thing. This is not over."
"I know."
"War is coming. Brutus will join with King Darius's other allies. They will not accept your authority." Elder Sage touched Mara's face gently. "You will have to fight. Many will die. Are you prepared for that?"
"No," Mara said honestly. "But I will do what I have to do."
"That is all any of us can do." Elder Sage smiled sadly. "The Moon Goddess chose you for a reason. Trust in that. Trust in yourself."
The old wolf walked away, leaving Mara standing in the stone circle as the sun rose.
Around her, wolves were preparing for the execution. Building a platform. Gathering wood.
At dawn, King Darius would die. And with his death, everything would change.
"Come on," Zevran said softly. "You need rest before the execution."
They walked back to their camp. But as they did, Mara saw her again.
Morgana. The first Shadow Wolf.
She was standing at the edge of the forest, watching. When she caught Mara's eye, she smiled and held up three fingers.
Three days.
Then she vanished like smoke.
"What was that about?" Zevran asked.
"I do not know," Mara lied. "Probably nothing."
But it was not nothing. Morgana was giving her a deadline.
Three days to make a decision.
Accept her help or face the Shadow King alone.
Mara pushed the thought away. She would worry about Morgana later.
Right now, she had an execution to witness.
And a war to prepare for.