Once Upon a Midnight: Wanted

Chapter Twenty-Three

Though she didn't sleep very well, morning came much too early for Aeryn. It felt as if she'd only just fallen asleep when the sound of footsteps startled her awake.

"I hope you two have thought about my offer." Came Casper's voice.

Aeryn sat up, her hip aching from laying on the hard ground. She noticed Claudia already standing next to her, and then shot to her feet when she noticed Kristinna was nowhere to be found. "Where's Kris?"

"Kris is exactly where she needs to be." Casper shot a glare at Aeryn. "Now answer my question. Have you decided on whether or not you wish to join her?"

"We will agree to your terms." Claudia spoke shockingly calmly considering the current situation. She took a step toward Casper, unable, or unwilling, to mask the hatred in her eyes. "But I can assure you, you will regret it."

Casper didn't bother to respond to her statement. He gestured in the air and the door to their cage was opened, the two Shifters walking in. One grabbed Claudia while the other latched onto Aeryn's arm, the grip painfully tight.

They began being led out of the cage, and once they reached the entrance, Aeryn began to be led to the left while Claudia was taken to the right.

"Hey! Where are you--"

"We are watching the show from a special seat. Worry not Aeryn." Casper said, though his words brought her very little comfort.

She remained quiet was she was taken down the hall and finally to a small area overlooking what looked to be a grand hall.

Off to the side of her, on another walled in platform, stood a group of five people. There was an elderly lady who looked to be a Rahktar standing directly in front of them. Behind her was a taller, very large man. He had wild eyes and was flexing his hands, on which Aeryn could see short but very sharp claws.Aeryn assumed he was a Shifter but couldn't tell exactly what he was.

Beside him was also a tall, but not as tall as him woman. She was beautiful, and slender. She wore a very bored expression, and once again Aeryn couldn't tell what she was. She didn't look like either Shifter or Rahktar, but something else.

On the other side of the Shifter was who Aeryn could only assume was Claudia and Casper's father. He was tall like the twins, with their white hair and golden eyes. He wore a hardened expression on his face, and Aeryn could see the resemblance between him and Casper.

Behind those three was someone who didn't seem as if he fit into the Council at all. He was considerably smaller than the three, and seemed a lot more timid. He didn't seem as if he wanted to be here at all, and kept darting his eyes around the room.

A movement across from Aeryn drew her attention away from the Council. She saw Casper watching her, a smirk on her face, and then Claudia standing next to him. She didn't look at worried or frightened as Aeryn felt, instead kept a straight face the entire time. She'd been changed into a fitted, floor length black dress, and her hair was twisted into a bun atop her head.

They briefly shared eye contact before she looked away again, probably so she wouldn't draw attention from the council.

Aeryn looked at Casper again who, once he saw he had her attention, gestured with his head toward the ground.

It was the first time Aeryn noticed the bottom half of the room. The walls were all lined with seats, and those seats seemed to be filled with every citizen of Jyn.

Were all executions such public displays?

After examining the room her eyes fell to the center, where she saw Kristianna standing with chains on her wrists and ankles. She looked extremely calm for the situation she was in.

Aeryn felt her heart stop when the big Shifter stood and walked forward, and a hush fell over the room. She forced her eyes to go from Kristianna to the man.

"Kristianna DeLacroix. You are being accused of harboring and aiding a human, and treason against the Council. Such crimes are punishable by death. Before that, however, I'll turn it over to Councilwoman Adelhaid."

"Thank you, Councilman Eadric." Despite her small and frail seeming form, Adelhaid moved very quickly. She waited for a moment before clicking her tongue. "I have been a Councilmember for well, longer than I care to admit. And it always saddens me when we have to execute someone for a crime such as this."

Aeryn had a hard time believing Adelhaid's words, but the onlookers offered a polite applause.

"Kristianna DeLecroix. It seems as if just yesterday we were standing here at your parents trial, for the exact same thing. Fitting, that the child should take the same route as her parents. You would expect the child to have learned from their mistakes, and not take the same road."

"I am proud to die the same way my parents did. For doing what's right."

"Yes. I am sure you are. Councilman Eadric?"

Adelhaid moved back to her seat as Eadric moved back to the front. He held up a hand and Aeryn's eyes fell back to Kristianna, where she noticed a line of five men standing just a few feet away from Kristianna with guns in their hands.

"Ready."

Her heart sank into her stomach, and Aeryn could feel her chest constrict, making it hard to breathe.

"Aim."

Kristianna looked up at Aeryn, offering her a gentle smile. Aeryn's vision blurred as tears filled her eyes, but she didn't make a move to brush them away.

"Fire!"

There was a loud bang, and Kristianna crumpled to the ground. Aeryn felt a gasp tear from her throat, the tears now falling freely down her cheeks.

She looked across to where Claudia and Casper had been standing. Claudia was gone, but Casper still stood there, a smirk on his face. He held up a hand as if waving at her.

There was a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and then everything went black.

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~~ This is the end! Ahh! Even though I haven't been writing on Wattpad for that long I've been working on this book forever. Please keep in mind that this is a first draft and even though the initial story is complete, it's in no way completely done (I don't know if it ever will be, haha). Thank you guys for reading/commenting/favoriting and sharing! Means the world to me!~~