Tracking the Bear (Blue Ridge Bears Book 1)(40)
Of all the bears assembled, Luke Elmsong was definitely the worse for wear. He looked like he’d just gotten over a severe bout of flu. The circles underneath his eyes were huge, and he looked exhausted. Lucy, standing beside him, looked almost as pale and wan.
She’d slept fitfully all night, waking often, my name always on her lips. That, at least, was comforting. She needed me as much as I needed her. And somehow, I didn’t think it was just the bear that had driven that home.
Lucy slipped her coffee cup to him discreetly, while Darren was busy setting up the generator that would allow the computers to work at all. The signal would probably be awful, and the picture delayed, but it was the best we could do. The Thing had promised speedy justice to the public, and that’s what they were going to deliver.
A half hour later, and all members of the Thing had been assembled. The lawmen stood by, mostly as a security precaution, in case Luke Elmsong attempted to run.
“The Thing for the Tri-State area of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio is called to order.” Joseph, a portly were-bear in his late seventies, was presiding. Times had certainly changed. Originally seats on the Thing were reserved for the Alpha male, and those who delegated. But of course, this man looked a lot safer than someone like Darren or I, so he was the face we showed to the public.
“We come here to decide the fate of one Luke Elmsong.” All eyes fell on Luke, who set the coffee cup on the ground. His face was unreadable. I wasn’t sure if he was too brave or too stupid to fear the outcome of the trail.
“You stand accused of murder. How do you plead?”
“Manslaughter,” Lucy protested. “Involuntary manslaughter at that. He had no idea what was happening. He’s not responsible-”
“Silence!” Joseph thundered. The picture didn’t match his words, and it took a few seconds before he looked as properly outraged. “You are not the accused, Ms. Elmsong. You will refrain from comment until the verdict has been reached.”
Lucy’s mouth snapped shut, and I could hear her teeth grinding from across the clearing where I stood with the other lawmen. She wasn’t doing him any favors by interrupting.
“Mr. Elmsong, did you kill Keith Page, yes or no?”
“Yes,” Luke said, swallowing thickly. “I killed him. I didn’t know what I was doing, but that’s no excuse. He’s still dead.”
The members of the Thing muttered amongst themselves.
After another long pause, Joseph addressed us again. “Are you dangerous, Mr. Elmsong?” Joseph asked a trifle too innocently. I resisted the urge to grind my own teeth. Joseph was a bureaucrat first, and a were-bear second. He was leading the trial with the assumption of guilt. He needed a justified killing to appease the press.
“On the nights of the full moon, I suppose,” Luke said, glancing around. “But whatever Mr. Kassower set up last night kept me caged. I haven’t killed a human being since.”
“We have been told you attacked your own sister,” Joseph continued as if Luke hadn’t spoken. “Your kin. Your fraternal twin, we’re told. Do you really believe you deserve to live? Be honest, Mr. Elmsong. Do you think someone who would have killed their own blood is safe, cage or no?”
Luke’s shoulders slumped, and Lucy’s hand tightened around his shoulder until her knuckles turned white. She was biting her lip, presumably to keep herself from hurling insults at the screen. No matter how this turned out, Lucy was going to have a hate on for Joseph Fenn.
“No,” he muttered.
More murmurs from the assembled Thing. The lawmen around me shifted restlessly. Even Darren, who’d been willing to kill Luke the moment he’d arrived, looked disquieted. None of us wanted to believe our justice system had been corrupted by human politicking.
Joseph clapped his hands together. It was a jarringly merry sound, given the circumstances. “Very well, then. I believe we have our answer, given from his own lips. Shall it be done with a blade, or a gun?”
“Wait just a minute!” Lucy protested, striding forward. If Joseph Fenn had been physically present, I was sure she would have marched right up to him and jabbed a bony finger into his chest the way she’d done to me more than once on the journey. Her face was flushed with anger, and her blue eyes flashed dangerously. “What kind of sham trial is this, huh?”
She put her face right up next to the screen and pointed the finger at it instead.
“I was told a lawbreaker was entitled to a fair trial.”
“He has been given one. By his own confession, he is guilty of taking human life.”
“You aren’t taking the circumstances into account!” she cried. “It’s not like he meant to do it. It was an accident.”
“Steel or gun, Mr. Oberlander?” Joseph asked coolly.
“No,” Lucy said firmly, taking a step back from the screens. She put her hands on her hips and did her best to stare down each member of the Thing. “No, I’m not letting you do this. The law says he’s entitled to a fair trial. To that end, I challenge his accuser to a trial by combat.”
Everyone in the clearing stared at her. I couldn’t blame her. She was easily dwarfed by all the men in attendance, including her brother. She was curvy and soft, not a hardened warrior like the rest of us. Even with her bear, how did she expect to win?
“You can’t,” Joseph finally sputtered. “You’re not entitled to that right. You’re not one of us.”