A HENRY STORY 2: Trials Of The Fallen Prince

XLV. Dawning

Gregor aimed the small flashlight from Mrs. Cormaci down at the churning moat, which lay two hundred feet below where he was standing, leaning on the parapet that enclosed the Fount Keep's grounds. Contrary to his hopes, he didn't feel much better out here either. All he could think about was how he was supposed to explain his absence of more than four days to his family, and he couldn't come up with a single believable excuse that didn't involve outright deception.

"There you are," came a voice from behind, and Gregor turned to see Howard making his way over. His hair was tousled, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.

"What did they say?" Suddenly, a surge of dread engulfed Gregor. In his mind, he saw the burly guards who had restrained Dalia after her elaborate confession. He recalled Luxa pushing past the adults to slip into the central hall, as well as Howard and Stellovet, whom their parents had attempted to send away. I'd rather be taken captive again—Stellovet's furious declaration surfaced in his mind, along with her father's outraged yet concerned gaze.

Gregor had been the first to leave, unable to stand the charged atmosphere of the trial they had chosen to commence right away for longer than ten minutes. Instead, he had gone to check on Hera, who had struggled to make it here and had to be carried by Thanatos for the final stretch. Despite the uproar sparked by Dalia's confession, no one had made any effort to dispute Hera's and her pups' right to stay.

"You will not believe this."

Gregor's spirits dropped at once. Despite the seemingly discouraging words, he caught a glimmer in Howard's tired eyes. "Stellovet . . . she was truly remarkable. I have never witnessed her advocate for something so passionately . . . or even openly disagree with our parents. She . . ."

"She won the trial," it sounded from behind Howard, and Gregor peeked around him to spot the Death Rider strolling toward them. "I have to say, Howard, I underestimated your sister."

"As much as it shames me . . . so did I."

Gregor twitched. "What did she do?" He recalled the sight of Stellovet standing beside Dalia—frail yet resilient, with her braid on the verge of falling apart. Her parents had looked at her in a way that suggested they had never seen her so unkempt and disheveled . . . Not that she had been concerned about it.

"She ignited a fire under York's and Susannah's asses." The Death Rider grinned, and Howard threw him a glare. Toward Gregor, he continued: "When Dalia stated that she was willing to accept any punishment, Stellovet proposed that the punishment should be none. It caused quite a stir."

"But . . . they didn't really agree to that, did they?"

"She's been permitted to stay!" Another voice called out from the entrance, and Gregor spotted Luxa rushing out toward them, trailed somewhat awkwardly by a young guard with a clunky helmet and a second, considerably older guard who struggled to keep up.

"Not so fast, Your Highness!" he called, but Luxa only laughed.

"They would not have without you," said Howard to Luxa, then gave the guard an apologetic smile. Gregor looked back and forth between the two and suddenly regretted having left so early.

"Well, it was a sensible suggestion," said Luxa, clearly pleased with herself. When Gregor gave her a look of confusion, she elaborated: "Stellovet and Howard made it clear that they wouldn't stand by her being executed. When no one else could come up with a suitable punishment, I asked if Stellovet would vouch for her. You should have seen York's face when she promptly agreed! So, instead of imprisoning her, I proposed placing her under house arrest here. It would be a shame for Stellovet to lose such an intelligent educator, wouldn't it? Besides, she's not known to be violent or dangerous."