Chapter Twenty
Allik sat on the low bench in his cell and rested back against the wall. There was a strange kind of peace in knowing his admission of guilt had been accepted and that punishment would fall on him alone. He was sorry, of course, for having let Commander Rossingham down. Andrew had clearly been disappointed when he confessed to the crimes but there had been no other option. To state his innocence would have meant a trial and Victoria would have been asked to speak. He hadn’t wanted to put her through that. She would have had to lie about what happened and he knew she possessed too much integrity to want to twist the truth.
Now, as he waited for the court to decide what his fate should be, he thought about Victoria and the life they might have had together. He’d come so close to achieving all he’d ever wanted when he took her as his mate. All along, he’d known that he didn’t really deserve a woman as strong, as beautiful as she was, but he could content himself with having had her for a short time. She’d said that she loved him and he believed her. That thought would sustain him through whatever lay ahead.
He looked up as the door slid open and Dalen stepped into the room.
“On your feet.” His tone had changed since Allik admitted to killing a human. Murder was rare amongst the Taar-Breckians and few would forgive such an act if it was perpetrated against an equal. The fact that the victim was from a weaker race only made it worse. “There’s a lady here to see you.”
As he stood and shuffled forward, his movement impeded by the chains he still wore, Allik shook his head. He’d had word that Taryn had agreed to take Victoria under his protection. Surely, he would not have brought her to this grim place to see him? He would send her away immediately.
As the woman entered the room, Allik was surprised to see that it was not his mate, but another human female. She was not as tall as Victoria. Her hair was a similar color but much shorter. Allik had only seen her in the flesh a couple of times and from a distance, but he recognized her immediately. Awkwardly dropping to one knee, he bowed his head as Caroline Rossingham walked toward him.
“Your highness,” he said reverently.
“Please get up, Allik.” With a melodious voice, she addressed him as a friend. “Neither Andrew nor I can stand bowing and scraping.” She turned and looked at Dalen. “We’d like some privacy.”
“I don’t know, your highness,” the other man said as Allik struggled to his feet and the disparity between his size and Caroline’s became glaringly obvious. “I don’t think the commander would want me to leave you alone with this monster.”
Allik’s jaw twitched at the implication that he would hurt such a delicate creature. He was amazed by how quickly opinion turned against him once people saw him as a cold-blooded killer. He was about to tell the other man exactly what he thought of him, but Caroline spoke first.
“He knows I’m here,” she said, the sweetness in her voice tinged with something edgier. “If you don’t trust his judgement, perhaps you’d like to take it up with him.”
Allik raised an eyebrow as Dalen scurried out of the room and closed the door behind him.
“He doesn’t know I’m here,” Caroline said to him with a mischievous grin as soon as the other man was gone. “I imagine he’ll reach for the paddle as soon as he finds out.”
Allik didn’t like the thought of this beautiful waif-like woman being punished on his account. He watched as Caroline stepped around him and took a seat on the bench. She shifted from side to side as though she found it a little hard on the bottom, which, he supposed, it was. Prison cells were not built for comfort.
“Why are you here, your highness?” Allik asked, affording her the courtesy due to a princess of the realm.
“Call me Caroline,” she instructed. “Your highness makes me sound so lofty but I’m still just plain old Caroline underneath it all.”
Allik nodded although there was nothing plain or old about her. “Why are you here, Caroline?” he repeated.
“To return a favor, I suppose.” She patted the bench next to her and, a little warily, Allik came to sit beside her. He was amazed that she was so trusting. When he looked into her eyes, there was no hint of fear there, only compassion. “As you know, I was put on trial recently. It seems so long ago now. So much has happened these past few months.”
Allik nodded. He knew all about her trial. The event was notorious here as an example of the High Council’s brutal methods. It had sparked off the mission to get her friends safely out of New Cambridge and settled with their allocated mates on Taar-Breck. It was Caroline Rossingham he had to thank for Victoria coming into his life.
“Anyway,” she continued, “it was the most terrifying ordeal of my life. My jailers wheeled me through the streets in a cage while an angry mob screamed insults at me. They said the most vile things.”
“That must have been terrible for your… for you, Caroline.”
“It was,” she agreed, “but a close friend gave me a moment of solace. I only caught a glimpse of her, but Victoria risked her reputation, her safety, by coming out amongst the crowds to show me that she cared. It probably sounds silly, but the kiss she blew me was one of the most precious gifts I’ve ever received.”
It didn’t sound silly to Allik. In fact, it made him swell with pride to think how truly remarkable Victoria was.
“And, so I thought I would come here and see if I could give her husband a moment of comfort,” Caroline said. “Was that a stupid thing to do?”
“No, it was very kind.” Allik said, noting that she had used the human word for mate to describe his relationship to Victoria. “Not many ladies would enter the presence of a convicted criminal.”
Caroline let out an undignified snort that reminded him of Victoria when she disagreed with something he’d said.
“I don’t believe you’re guilty of anything other than an overabundance of chivalry,” she said. “And neither does my husband, for that matter. The robbery at Jonathan Walton’s office had Victoria written all over it and until they produce his body for examination, I will never believe that she hit the guard hard enough to kill him.”
“She didn’t hit him,” Allik said firmly. “I did. Victoria is the victim in all of this.”
“I doubt it.” Caroline wrinkled up her pretty nose. “And I know she wouldn’t thank you for painting her as such.”
There was a brief moment of silence between them, in which Allik was sure he had angered Caroline. Then, suddenly, she slapped her hands down on her knees. “But, anyway, we don’t have very much time. They’ll be here to take you in for sentencing in a moment so tell me, what message would you like me to give to Victoria?”
Allik tried to think of flowery words but nothing came to him.
“Tell her I love her,” he said. “Tell her to find happiness.”
Caroline smiled and got to her feet. “Short and sweet,” she said. “I can remember that.”
She reached out and touched his face, caressing him softly. It was a kind gesture, almost maternal, but Allik wished she hadn’t done it. He wanted the touch of Victoria’s hand to be the last good thing he felt. Seeming to realize she had done the wrong thing, Caroline lowered her eyes and sighed. Without another word, she turned and walked from the room. It was mere moments later that the door opened again and both of his guards came in.
“They’re ready for you now,” Dalen said. “Let’s go.”
* * *
Victoria was about ready to tear her hair out. It was just her luck to have encountered a man who was, to her recollection, the first Taar-Breckian she’d met who didn’t speak her language. A typically intimidating brute, the guard stood in front of her, blocking the route she needed to follow. He refused to budge and her manic series of hand gestures seemed only to antagonize him. For all she knew, they were considered rude in Taar-Breck. The guard looked as though he was ready to drag her off to a dungeon somewhere in the depths of this imposing fortress of white stone.
“Rossingham,” she said for the tenth time. “I need to see Commander Rossingham.”
All she got in return was a blank stare. Nothing seemed to be getting through this man’s thick skull. It was so frustrating, she could cry. She had driven over here at breakneck speed, talked her way past the guards at the gates and negotiated a labyrinth of corridors only to be prevented from going any farther by a man who couldn’t understand a word she was saying. It was her own fault, of course. She should have made some effort to learn a few basic phrases. Just as she was about to give up and try to find another way in, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.
“Vicky.”
She turned around to see Caroline Rossingham rushing toward her. It was all Victoria could do to stay on her feet as the other woman threw herself into her arms.
“It’s good to see you,” Caroline said.
“And you, Caro. Can you help me? I need to get to the courtroom.”
“You’re just in time,” Caroline told her. “They went back in a few moments ago.”
For Caroline, the guard stepped aside immediately. The two women hurried along several corridors. Victoria was grateful for Caroline’s guidance because she knew she would never have found her way through this maze alone. Soon they reached a set of massive doors, guarded by two warriors. Victoria stopped and bent over, putting her hands on her knees. Her heart was racing and she needed a moment to compose herself. She realized she had no idea what lay beyond those doors. Commander Rossingham would be there, of course, and perhaps some other Taar-Breckians. She supposed there would be members of the High Council as well. They were the ones who had laid the charges and so it was only right that they would be there to see justice done. She dreaded the thought of facing those odious old men, even if it was likely that they would only be there on a video link.
“Are you alright?” Caroline asked.
“Yes, I’m just a bit…”
“Scared?” Caroline supplied for her. “There’s no need to be. Andrew already knows it was you who hit the guard and stole the money. He’ll give you a fair hearing if you explain what happened.”
“He knows it was me?”
“Yes, he could tell that Allik was lying and there’s only one reason he would do that. He wanted to protect you,” Caroline replied. “He’s a good man. I chose well for you.”
Yes, Victoria had to admit, Caroline had found her a good match. She might have wanted to throttle her friend at first but now she could see why she’d chosen Allik for her. He might be a bit overbearing at times, but he was trying to treat her as a person with a mind of her own. She knew he was constantly working against his own dominant nature to let her do things other men would not allow.
“Have you seen Allik?” Victoria needed to know.
“I spoke to him,” Caroline replied. “He told me to tell you that he loves you, to be happy. You know, Vicky, if you don’t want to go in there, I won’t judge you for it. Allik’s made his choice and from what I could see, he’s at peace with it.”
Of course he was. Allik was honorable to the core and would happily take the blame to protect someone he believed to be weaker. The thing was, she was stronger than even she had realized. She couldn’t allow him to take on the burden for her. She stepped forward and Caroline put a hand on her arm to stay her for a moment.
“Before you go in there, you need to know that they’ve put chains and a collar on Allik.” Caroline flinched as outrage flashed across Victoria’s face. “It wasn’t my husband’s doing. He would have let Allik stand on his honor.”
Victoria nodded. She couldn’t bear the thought of her proud warrior shacked like a common criminal, but she knew how the High Council operated. They enjoyed belittling people. She stepped forward and the other woman stopped her once more.
“The Preservation of Civil Society Act of 2317, Article 6, Subsection 181,” Caroline said. “Remember that. It may be useful.”
Victoria repeated the information back to Caroline. She wasn’t sure what part of the act that governed every aspect of their lives on Earth it pertained to, but trusted it was relevant. Caroline gestured to one of the Taar-Breckian guards and he immediately opened the door for her. She took a deep breath. This was it. The defining moment of her life. She was about to show everyone the type of woman she was. Could she really go through with it?