Roses and Thorns

28- Alabaster

North, Eris, Tammory, all the Cloud Chasers, Hirina, Anue, and the Defenders all enter the room at once, blasting Anassa's bed out of the way, upon where a column of books topples on top of it. Anassa's eyes grow wide as she steps back, and the rest of us stay tense and ready. If an all out brawl was to break out, we would have the Princess herself on our side, despite our lack of strength in numbers, but I can only hope it won't come to that.

"Rose Eudica." Tammory mutters. "We find you guilty of conspiracy against the town, including conspiring with a murderer on the eve of his next killing-"

Eris steps past her. "Cut the formality. I want explanations and I want them now. North, I want the prisoner muzzled."

"With pleasure." North leaps forwards with muzzle in his mouth, tackling Sirius into the ground. He writhes as his chains, hissing and growling, but North is faster and has the advantage of blind fury on his side. Save for some shredded fur, he emerges over Sirius and drops the muzzle, which binds itself around Sirius's face.

He speaks through it, "This thing is really tight. Can I get a bigger size?"

"That's a silencing muzzle. He shouldn't be able to speak through that." Hirina says numbly.

"Might help that I don't have any magic, so... anyhow, Forhaga down over here. While we're stating important revelations, there's been a necromancy performed in your town, Calliope is about to die, Rose is sobbing her heart out, I'm not guilty of anything but freeloading and being criminally attractive, and the authorities need to take a good long look at themselves and-"

The muzzle ties tighter around his mouth and he gives a loud yelp.

I call, "He's not guilty. Let him go."

Tammory and Eris exchange a glance, and Eris sighs. "Rose, what is the meaning of this?"

"Alabaster killed my sister. Not Sirius."

There's a murmur of shock around the crowd, and I find myself shocked along with them. Those words just left my mouth and I know deeper than anything else at this moment that they have to be, must be true. Everything fits together too well. The time, the motive, the crystals, how familiar Calliope looked- all of it, leading up to this.

"That's an audacious claim." Anue replies.

"We found crystals near Daisy's grave, and the body is gone." Anassa pipes up. "He was out the night of the festival, though we all assumed he was just at his cabin."

"If you want proof, look at Calliope. She's about to die because her magic is splitting her apart from the inside." Asha adds. "Alabaster just wanted his daughter back."

"His daughter?"

"He and the Moonwalker who used to be a prisoner here. She didn't disappear, she was killed giving birth to a daughter who died due to the overload of magic within her. She was a crossbreed." I continue. "Daisy was the heartline reincarnation of his daughter, so when Alabaster found out... he saw an opportunity to bring her back from the dead."

"No one saw her leave," Lark says. "We may have been young when it happened, but I'm sure we all remember how the case affected him."

Nimbus joins in, "Since when has anyone with amnesia ever not been suspicious as all get out? She could very well be a necromanced. Necromancer... ed? I dunno. Bought back from beyond."

"I want to take this to Alabaster myself. Give us a fair trial, please." I beg.

Tammory opens her mouth, but Anue nods. Eris, too, consents, though there's still a wild fury in her eyes. North gets up, not bothering to rip the muzzle off, and passes me.