A Walk to Greater Worlds: Aeriel Trilogy #3

Chapter 36

Simani came in through the back door, the same one through which the judges had entered. She was accompanied by a uniformed nurse on one side, a Hunter on the other. Her left arm was in a sling and she was limping slightly, but Ruban supposed that was to be expected. It'd only been six days since she was released from the hospital.

The nurse helped her get onto the witness stand and take her seat. The Hunter stood a few steps away, alert, his gaze fixed on Ashwin.

The Aeriel wasn't looking at Simani, however. Instead, he stared unblinkingly at the front doorway. Ruban turned his head, following Ashwin's gaze.

He frowned.

At the doorway stood Dhriti Pathak – the senior secretary of defence – dressed as if she was going to attend a gala.

What could she possibly be doing here?

Before Ruban could contemplate the issue any further, a cheer went up around him.

Confused, he turned around. Only to realize that the entire gallery was cheering for Simani.

He glanced at his partner, and she seemed as confused as he was. Not to mention stiff and uncomfortable. She wasn't the type to seek attention at the best of times; and she'd certainly seen better times.

Still, this was the first time she'd made a public appearance since that disastrous Hunt in Central Ragah. And there was a significant period when many believed she wouldn't make it out of the hospital. The risk had been very real. And the media had spared no effort to further sensationalize it, to grab as many eyeballs as possible.

It made sense that the people were happy to see her again, alive and in (relatively) good health.

The cheering continued until the head judge was forced to call the court back to order.

Once things had calmed down, and Simani had been properly sworn in, the prosecuting attorney rose from his seat and approached her. He was a balding, middle-aged man with a bulbous nose, but his aura was captivating.

He asked a few preliminary questions, before plunging straight into the crux of the matter.

"During your last Hunt – at Central Ragah's Komini Fair – did Prince Shwaan attack you?"

"I don't know," said Simani candidly. "I didn't see him do so."

The attorney dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Let me rephrase that question. Were you struck by the prince's energy-shell?"

"Yes, I was. To the best of my knowledge."

At this, the gallery erupted in a buzz of excited murmurs. The reporters in the row in front of Ruban typed more furiously than ever, before huddling together for a brief discussion.

"Do you believe it was his intention to kill you, with that shell?"

The defence table objected to that line of questioning, on account of it being a call for speculation. The objection was sustained, much to the frustration of the gallery.

Undeterred, the prosecutor plowed ahead. "Have you ever felt threatened by Prince Shwaan over the course of your acquaintance with him? Both before and after you learned of his true identity."

For a moment, Simani remained silent. It was a tricky question, which was why it'd been asked.

To say she'd never felt threatened by Ashwin, even after learning he was an Aeriel, would seem...suspicious, at best. But, on the other hand, feeling threatened by an Aeriel was simply a natural reaction. It wouldn't necessarily prove that the Aeriel in question meant her any harm.