By the time she was crossing the gate of the capital city of the Solaris Empire, horns were heralding her arrival. Vhalla was certain it was in warning, she knew guards were being called for her arrest. This only forced her to ride faster into the city.
Men and women blurred together, but no one stopped her. Vhalla saw bold black pennons bearing the silver wing displayed, like she had seen in the Crossroads. She wondered if the soldiers who had returned home from the war had kept the mantra that the winds of the Windwalker were lucky.
Vhalla was nearly standing in her saddle now. Her heart racing as she sped through the streets. She was over halfway to her chosen destination when a guard made a dash to try to stop her.
Tim sped up and stopped, blocking the man’s progress to Vhalla. “Go on!” she called.
Wind picked up the mountainside behind her as Vhalla crossed under an archway to her final destination. Her gamble had paid off, and she pulled hard on her reins, stopping the horse with a whinny and a loud clamor of hooves before the sunlit stage. A long row of guards were positioned before the stage, blocking the path between her and the Imperial family.
Emperor Solaris stood center. Baldair and his mother stood back and to his left, a Northern girl hovering half a step away. Guilt surged through Vhalla at the sight of Baldair. She wondered if Jax’s body was ever found or if the Knights of Jadar had hidden it. She’d have to tell the prince the fate of his loyal guard herself, but now was not that time. Vhalla’s eyes swept to the Emperor’s right.
There he was.
He looked nothing like the haggard man she’d dreamt about. His hair was not only styled, but it had been cut as well to taper neatly at the nape of his neck. His face seemed less gaunt, though there were still dark circles beneath his eyes. Vhalla suppressed insane laughter. He wore the same coat as when they had first met.
“Emperor Solaris!” Vhalla shouted, using her magic to amplify her voice so the mass of commoners could hear her. “I have come for my justice.”
The Emperor’s eye twitched slightly at her getting in the first word. “For your justice?”
“The Knights of Jadar have laid false accusations against my name.” Vhalla sat tall in her saddle. “As a Lady of the Court, I demand a fair trial before the Mother to prove my innocence.”
Just as the Emperor was about to speak, a man entered the stage, followed by several others. Vhalla’s eyes narrowed slightly as the Head of Senate stepped into the sun. He regarded her with equal disdain, and Vhalla seriously weighed the options of freedom and justice versus the satisfaction of killing him on the spot.
“Senators,” she addressed those who had just arrived. “I have come to prove my innocence.”
“Guards, arrest this woman!” A Western man stepped forward, casting his finger toward her. “She is a slayer of lords and ladies! A wind witch!”
The guards glanced between the Emperor and the senator, seeking confirmation of orders.
“Arrest her!” the man raged.
“If she has accusations of murder against her, then she is to be taken into custody,” Egmun finally spoke. “Fetch irons.”
Vhalla shook her head, laughing softly to herself. A hush fell over the people as they strained to hear the reason for her strange reaction. Vhalla reached into her saddle bag.
“If it is irons you desire to put on me,” she said as she straightened, “then make sure they are stronger than the ones the Knights of Jadar shackled me in!” Vhalla threw the crystal cuffs, propelling them with the wind to the feet of the Senators.
Chaos erupted.
“Lies!” the Western senator raged.
“Citizens of the Empire,” Vhalla cried. “I am not your enemy. I have never been your enemy.”
“Order!” the Emperor boomed.
Every man, woman, and child focused on Vhalla with avid attention.
“On the Night of Fire and Wind, I fought to save you.” Her heart was beating so hard it hurt, so hard she could choke on it. “I went to the North in good faith of the Empire, as punishment for crimes I did not truly commit. I fought against the Knights of Jadar when they sought to bring down our army on the march. They were behind an attack that nearly caused the death of our future sovereign.”
Murmurs erupted.
“Lies! She lies!” The Western Senator’s face was red with rage.
“Enough, Lady Yarl!” the Emperor called. His words went unheeded again.
“I fought for your Empire, and when the Emperor saw fit to grant me my freedom for my service, others sought to chain me.” Vhalla jerked her head in the direction of the Western senator. “Yes!” she screamed. “Yes, I killed those men at the Crossroads because they sought the tainted powers within the Crystal Caverns!”
The crowd was worked to a near fever-pitch.
“They sought to bring a new war upon the Empire.” Vhalla met the Emperor’s eyes. “Once more I have defended the Empire, and my reward is to be more chains?”
“Justice for the Windwalker!” a woman screamed.
“Justice for the Hero of the North!” another cried.
The Sunlit Stage filled with their demands.
“Are you going to let her spout these lies?” Her ears picked up the strained words of the Western senator.
Those upon the stage were quickly losing their control of the situation as the crowd slipped into anarchy. Wind howled through the archways, howled for her justice. Vhalla met the Emperor’s eyes with a level stare and waited.
Fire arced across the sky. The crowd was silenced as they shied away from the wave of heat. Aldrik had taken a step forward.
He stared down at her, and Vhalla met his gaze as an equal—for the world to see. What was to become of them now?
“It seems a trial is not necessary.” His voice filled the square. It filled the cavernous volume of her chest as two perfectly dark eyes met hers.
“My prince!” Egmun was aghast alongside the Western Senator.
“Senators, you exist so that the will of the people may be channeled to my father and to me.” Aldrik motioned to the masses that were growing by the second. “The people have spoken.”
“But a trial—”
“Is not needed for one who is so clearly innocent.” The crown prince pointed to the crystal-laden irons. “Unless you have an alternate explanation for those?”
The Western fumed in silence.
“She is a Lady of the Court.” Aldrik shifted his focus back on her. Everyone could’ve screamed at once, and Vhalla was certain she’d somehow still hear the frantic pulse in his neck as he stared at her once more. “She was given her freedom by the Emperor. And I, as the future Emperor, will pardon her for any crimes that were committed in her own defense against the Western madmen who call themselves the Knights of Jadar.”
The crowd did scream then. It was deafening, but her ears were already ringing; they were echoing Aldrik’s words so loudly that Vhalla felt the resonance of his voice in her bones.
The prince’s eyes soaked in her form for one moment longer before he turned, starting alone for the palace. The rest of his family followed behind him. Vhalla caught the Emperor’s eyes only briefly, but long enough to see the cautionary stare.
Swinging her leg over, she dismounted gracefully. Vhalla grabbed the saddlebag with the axe, holding it tight against her as the crowd amassed to welcome her back. She didn’t want their false smiles and misplaced praise. It had suited her when she needed their love to cement her freedom, but she knew better than to take it to heart. The people would just as easily shift against her once more if Vhalla wasn’t careful to keep the wind blowing her way.