Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“He was completely unmanageable!” The lemon-haired woman fluttered her hands expressively. “He wouldn’t walk on a leash, he snapped and snarled at me anytime I came near him. And then I found out that my aunt, Lady Hownow, had never even put a pain collar on him before!”
Both the judge’s eyebrows rose this time.
“Never?”
“Never.” Lady Hownow’s niece shook her head. “It turned out that she had raised him as her child and treated him the way any of us would treat a natural-born daughter.”
“Eccentric indeed,” the judge murmured.
Why, because she didn’t treat him like a slave? Like an inferior or an animal just because he wasn’t one of you? Imani wanted to shout.
Her temper had been rising as she listened to the testimony but she knew that she had to hold her tongue. Sounding off in the middle of court wouldn’t do her client any good. And speaking of that, where was her client anyway? The case had started and he still wasn’t here!
“Anyway,” the lemon-haired woman continued. “I was going to have him put down but then I decided to auction him off instead—at a troubled bodyslave auction. He was a prime specimen and I hated to waste him. I thought maybe someone else might have better luck training him than I had.”
Just like he was a valuable but vicious animal, Imani thought angrily. That’s how they see males here, I guess.
“So you auctioned him off and I take it the victim, Lady Zangelo, bought him?” Judge Thoughtgood asked.
“That is exactly what happened, your honor,” the green-haired attorney said. “Even though Lady Bittlebum, here, specifically posted a warning about the Kindred bodyslave.”
“Yes—I tried to warn her!” the lemon-haired woman who was apparently Lady Bittlebum exclaimed. “But Tanta just wouldn’t listen. She always had to have the biggest, baddest, most intractable bodyslaves and she swore she could tame this one. Oh, how I wish she had listened to me!” And she broke down into noisy sobs once more.
The green-haired Prosecutor patted her shaking shoulders absently as she continued talking to the judge.
“Six solar months ago, after acquiring and failing to tame the Nightwalker Kindred bodyslave, J’are Tanlor, Tanta Zangelo was killed in her bed on the Lunar month of Tebrulary the thirty-third at midnight. Specifically, she had her head ripped off and partially eaten,” she said blandly.
“What?” Imani exclaimed before she could stop herself.
The judge glared at her.
“Councilor, do you have something to add?”
Imani attempted to recover from the shocking statement.
“I…I’m sorry, your honor,” she said. “I just don’t believe my client could be capable of such savagery.”
Up shot the bright blue eyebrow again.
“Councilor, have you seen your client?” Judge Thoughtgood demanded.
“Well…no.” Imani cleared her throat. “Actually, I haven’t had a chance to visit with him yet because someone changed the trial date to today instead of a week from now.”
The green-haired Prosecutor spoke up.
“That request was placed by the Prosecution because your client has since killed five more people—all fellow inmates—while being held in our correctional facility here in Opulex,” she said. “We were hoping to move up his execution date before he killed anyone else.”
“What?” Imani exclaimed again.
“Oh, so you didn’t know that either? Do try to keep up, Councilor,” Judge Thoughtgood said, frowning.
“So now I need to defend him on six murder charges, not just one?” Imani asked. “I’m just trying to clarify, your honor.”
“Oh, no.” The judge shook her head, her towering hair quivering with the motion. “As the Council for the Prosecution said, your client’s other victims were fellow inmates—other males. We don’t consider their deaths worth prosecuting. But your client must still die for the vile murder of Lady Tanta Zangelo.”
“But your honor, the Prosecution hasn’t yet proved that he did, in fact, commit the murder!” Imani protested. “All they have said was that the victim’s head was ripped off and, er, eaten. What proof do they have that my client is to blame?”
“Only the fact that he was the only other person in the house with her that night—since she’d given her other servants the night off,” the Prosecutor said. “And the fact that her blood was smeared all over your client’s hands, face, and chest when he was found the next day.”
“Which appears to make him extremely guilty,” Judge Thoughtgood remarked. “And since he’s nothing but a male, I’m inclined to rule in that direction and grant the Prosecution’s request that he should be executed tomorrow morning.”
“Wait!” Imani exclaimed. Things were spinning out of control so quickly! Her client was about to be sentenced and executed and she hadn’t even had a chance to defend him yet! “Wait, please, your Honor!” she said again. “I…I haven’t even had my turn to speak yet.”
“All right then—is the Prosecution finished?” Judge Thoughtgood looked at the green-haired lawyer, who nodded.
“Yes, your honor. The Prosecution rests.”
“Very well. You may speak,” the judge said to Imani. “Now what can you possibly have to say that will change my mind about putting down a rabid animal who would kill a poor, innocent Mistress who took him in and gave him a home?”