Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Now, Commander Torus might not have done things the way we humans would have,” she said. “He didn’t call the police to arrest Zachary Wyndham and he didn’t call a lawyer to sue him. Instead, he went into Rage because the woman he loved was in danger and he took action to avenge her.
“But I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that we should all be enraged by the way Molly Byrne has been treated by Zachary Wyndham.” Her eyes flashed as she pointed at Molly’s ex-Mate. “He’s a cruel, abusive man who used his wealth and fame to torment an innocent woman. He ruined her life! He drove her out of her chosen profession and he also ruined her relationship with her deeply religious family. She felt she had nothing left to live for because he had taken everything away from her!”
The jury murmured again and there were more unfriendly looks thrown in the direction of Molly’s ex-Mate.
“And that is why I’m not asking for a specific monetary settlement here,” Councilor Paige went on. “What I’m asking is that you look into your hearts and decide who deserves to be compensated for the events that took place. Are you going to award Zachary Wyndham—who’s already a multi-millionaire—with more money? Or are you going to find in favor of Molly and Torus—the woman that Zachary Wyndham wronged and the Kindred warrior who avenged her?
“As I said, I’m not asking for any specific dollar amount. I’d like you to come up with your own idea of what the last five years of pain, humiliation, and suffering are worth to Molly. And remember that you’re sending a message to the world here—a message about how women ought to be treated—either with cruelty and abuse or love and respect. Thank you.”
Torus thought it was an excellent summation. He could see why Lizabeth Paige was the head of the Mother Ship’s legal team. He nodded at her and she nodded back as she came to sit beside him and Molly.
The judge instructed the jury to deliberate.
“We’re going to release you for a Dinner break now,” she told them. “I know it’s been a long day but I’d like to get this wrapped up if we can. I’ll ask you to deliberate for an hour after you finish eating. If you find you can’t come to a conclusion, we can always reconvene tomorrow. The rest of the court is free to go. Councilors, you will be informed when the jury reaches a verdict.”
Finally, they could leave. Torus rose, stretching his legs—it had been a long day. But at the moment, he was more worried about Molly than the jury’s verdict. He sensed that he had truly made a huge mistake by revealing what he had seen in his dreams of her.
But I took an oath to tell the truth, he tried to argue with himself.
Doesn’t matter. You hurt her—you knew she didn’t want you to know what her ex-Mate did to her. You saw it in her mind more than once, a little voice in the back of his head answered. You never should have spoken of it, no matter how angry you were.
His Rage was gone now—replaced by anxiety. He couldn’t hear anything at all from her. He wondered what she’d done with her TET device. He wanted to ask, but there were too many people around them.
They walked out together but Molly still didn’t say a word to him. Torus tried putting an arm around her again, but she didn’t react. She just looked straight ahead as they walked down the steps of the courthouse and past the protestors.
“Well, this is where I leave you,” Councilor Paige said, turning to them once they were well past the crowd. “I’ll call when the jury reaches a verdict. But I’m fairly confident they’re going to be on our side.”
“I hope you’re right. And thank you for defending me,” Torus said, since Molly was still mute.
“Oh, yes—thank you,” she said, speaking at last.
“You’re welcome. Listen, don’t go too far, all right? I have a feeling we’ll get a verdict tonight. So just have something to eat and hang around Richmond if you don’t mind. We can meet back here at the courthouse if the jury comes back with a judgment,” Councilor Paige said.
“Understood. We won’t go far.” Torus nodded.
“Good. Enjoy your Last Meal,” she said, using the Kindred term for Dinner. “I’d stay and eat with you but I haven’t seen my husband, Lone, all day. He and our twins are here waiting in a shuttle, so I’m going to spend a little time with them.”
“Of course. We hope you enjoy the time with your family,” Torus said, speaking for both of them, since Molly had seemingly gone mute again.
“Thank you, I will.” Councilor Paige nodded and then turned and walked briskly away.