Chapter 4
Frieda sat across the conference room table from the digital representations of Jun Lee and Deborah Cofield. Neither of them occupied the room with her, but rather, their 3D creations came through her glasses in similarly organized spaces around the world.
Currently, Jun lived in Japan with his family, and Deborah was out on assignment in Southeastern Georgia.
This pair made for two of the more important and undecided voters in the upcoming trial for Abigail Dressler. Right now, Frieda felt fairly certain that she had six votes on her side, and that another five wouldn’t vote on her side, no matter how hard she pleaded.
She’d lobbied hard for support during these last few weeks, and now the trial loomed only a few days away. Jun and Deborah might be the last supporters she needed to solidify Abigail’s freedom.
She had two weeks left to convince at least one of them of Abigail’s trustworthiness. Aram worked just as hard to swing them to his side, but Abigail felt mostly certain that he wouldn’t manage to get both of them.
Jun, a small man in his seventies, had a balding head with leathery skin and a kind face. When younger, he’d become known for his loud boisterousness, and notorious for partying and living life to the fullest. Those years had passed him by, but he still celebrated life.
He’d always been honorable and treated Frieda in a fatherly way, having been close friends with her real father, who’d died some twenty years earlier.
For all intents and purposes, he gave a solid vote in her corner on most decisions. The problem was, he also knew about Abigail’s past. He’d been there when Arthur’s family got murdered. He’d been there when Arthur first rescued Abigail from the cult.
Jun remembered the days when she had helped Arthur work against the Council, undermining their authority to keep her alive. He’d forgiven Abigail, but it still made a sore spot between them. Obstinate in his belief that Abigail offered a threat to their security, he believed that she should have been dealt with swiftly and completely during those first days after her rescue.
He’d softened his opinion of her over time, as she proved herself, but not much. Now, he had a second chance to vote to end Abigail’s life. Frieda had to pray that, this time, he would vote differently.
Deborah, on the other hand, a quiet and withdrawn Southern woman, felt unwilling to make waves and stand up for what’s right. A Baptist, and in her forties, she had fiery red hair and a big smile full of pearly whites.
And, although incredibly smart with an agile mind, Frieda didn’t hold her in high regard. The woman seemed indecisive and weak and would vote with whichever side she felt likeliest to win.
Frieda’s job was to convince Deborah that she’d already won. Hard to do when the trial hadn’t even started.
Both wore virtual glasses to create the facsimile that they were in the same meeting place. The specs looked especially awkward on Deborah’s face.
“Thank you, both, for speaking with me.” Frieda nodded to each in turn.
“Of course,” Jun said. “I trust you’ve arrived safely in Lausanne, and your trip went well?”
“I have,” Frieda said. “The snow is packed down tight but looks beautiful.”
“Send us pictures!” Deborah said.
Frieda smiled pleasantly at her, careful not to let out a sigh of annoyance. Martha monitored this call and would take care of such a trivial detail. With important things to discuss, it proved hard to take someone like Deborah seriously.
“Of course. I’m sure you both understand the nature of this conversation?” Frieda said.
“We do.” Deborah nodded. “It deals with the upcoming trial of Abigail Dressler and her dismissal from the Order of Hunters.”
Frieda bit back her anger at the characterization. This wasn’t about Abigail’s dismissal, but about her execution, and talking about it any other way came from Aram’s propaganda. He’d attempted to mask his true intentions. Make it sound less threatening, and people won’t consider it so important.
She forced herself to nod, however, wanting to keep the conversation on track and not get into an argument with the Southern belle.
“Yes. It is about the trial.”
“These are serious accusations,” Jun said. “Do you want us to believe that they are all lies?”
Frieda had to be careful with what she said because Jun knew as well as she did that much of what had been said was true. Abigail, a firebrand, broke rules all the time. The trick lay in downplaying the minor ones and skating around anything more serious.
“Many of them are exaggerated charges, as well as some that are completely unsubstantiated,” Frieda said. “Abigail has been a member of the Order for seven years, and Arthur himself trained her. She’s one of our best.”
“She was the one who killed Arthur, was she not?” Deborah asked.
This comment felt harder to let slide. Frieda wanted nothing more than to dive through the satellite connection and strangle Deborah where she sat.
“Relax,” Martha’s voice said through the speakers. Her voice sounded soothing. “Take a moment.”
“There were underlying circumstances outside anyone’s control,” Frieda said through gritted teeth. “The Council’s inaction put Arthur into the situation that cost him his life, and we can see from hindsight that the decisions we made in the matter proved sorely inadequate for the events that transpired.”
Deborah frowned. “We had no way to know something like that would happen.”
“If you had listened—”
“These events have passed.” Jun held up his hand and spoke softly. “What’s done is done, and it isn’t worth regretting our mistakes. All we can do is look forward.”
Frieda took a deep breath. “Agreed. Abigail risked her life to save the people of Raven’s Peak.”
“And disobeyed direct orders at the same time,” Deborah said. “An order you gave her.”
“Her disobedience saved us from murdering thousands of innocents,” Jun said, this time directing his statements at Deborah. “I, for one, feel grateful not to have that blood on my hands.”
Deborah cast him a glance, and then nodded. She admitted, “True. We do owe Abigail for her quick decisions in Raven’s Peak.”
“Yet, these other accusations cannot be dismissed so lightly.” Jun turned back to Frieda.
“Many of the accusations stem from unverifiable sources,” Frieda said.
“Delaphene claims Abigail made a deal with her,” Jun said.
Frieda had expected this because the rumor flew all through the Council. Though true, she didn’t feel terribly concerned with it because no one else could prove it. Delaphene made for a loose cannon, and if Aram tried to use her as a witness, it could backfire in his face.
“You would trust the word of a demon and notorious liar?”
“What reason could she have to lie?”
“What reason would she have to tell the truth?” Frieda asked. “Other than discrediting one of our own and sowing dissent in our ranks.”
“I admit, it is only hearsay,” Jun said. “Not verifiable.”
“So, I trust you won’t give it much weight in the coming trial?”
“None,” Deborah said. “Delaphene’s tried things like this before. I, for one, won’t take her seriously.”
“Nor I,” Jun said. “Such an accusation, without verification, is useless.”
“Good,” Frieda said. “I’m glad that is settled.”
“Do you have anything else you wish to discuss?” Jun asked. “More accusations you wish to dispel before the trial?”
Frieda fell silent for a moment, pondering her best approach to deal with the situation. She had other things she could bring up to discuss, but felt unsure if it would be her best move.
For example, Abigail had gone to see Sara and communicated with the young girl. That made a much more serious crime than speaking with Delaphene or many of the others because it was verifiable and in direct disobedience of an order from the Council.
However, no one talked about it, so it didn’t seem that word of the communication had made it past Frieda’s reports. To bring it up now could turn it into a topic of discussion in the trial, and Frieda might inadvertently doom Abigail.
However, not bringing it up here, and then having Aram raise it during the trial, would prove devastating as well. If she warned them that such a transgression had occurred, she might be able to smooth things over and convince them that it wasn’t nearly as big a deal as it seemed. After all, Sara was safe, and Abigail had helped her by healing the scar on her forehead.
Still, it would be a gamble.
Frieda elected not to bring it up. Not yet, at least. If it became a rumor, she would contact them again and face the problem head on. For now, she would hope that it didn’t show up.
She took another tack in the conversation instead by addressing the elephant in the room, “You know what it will mean if Aram is successful in discrediting Abigail, correct?”
The other two Council members exchanged a glance.
“Abigail will be put to death,” Jun said. “She knows too much about the structure and membership of the Council.”
“I assure you,” Deborah said. “That we do not take our responsibility in this matter lightly.”
“It’s been hundreds of years since such a decision got passed down,” Frieda said. “And, in that case, it was clear betrayal from one of our own. Abigail would never betray us, and though she acts selfishly and makes mistakes, she is loyal.”
“What is loyalty apart from following orders?” Deborah asked. “Her job isn’t to question or second guess our decisions. Her job is to protect us.”
“And she will continue to do so,” Frieda said. “Arthur sacrificed everything to protect Abigail and keep her safe.”
“She isn’t Arthur.” A hint of coldness crept into Deborah’s tone. “If memory serves, Abigail had already gotten slated for execution once before in her life.”
“That happened years ago,” Frieda said. “And that decision got revoked.”
“Out of fear and respect for Arthur.”
“Arthur saved all of our lives on countless occasions,” Frieda said. “He protected our families and did everything we ever asked of him, bar one decision to save the life of a little girl. All I ask is that Abigail be given the same opportunity to prove herself that we gave Arthur.”
They all stayed silent for a long moment, and then Jun met Frieda’s gaze. “I will take your words under advisement. I cannot speak for Deborah, but I owe Arthur and Abigail many debts. I fear, however, that her actions may be shown to be inexcusable, and if the evidence borne against her is incontrovertible, I will have no choice but to side with Aram.”
“The evidence won’t be,” Frieda said. “I can promise you that.”
“Then, I pray for her sake that you are right,” Jun said. “I would greatly appreciate having a clean conscience at the end of this trial.”
“That’s all I ask,” Frieda said.
He nodded at her and said his goodbyes, and then he terminated the connection. His image flickered out of existence, leaving only an empty chair in the conference room.
Frieda turned to Deborah. “What do you say? Will you vote to absolve Abigail of these crimes and give her a second chance?”
Deborah stayed silent for a long minute, staring at Frieda and pursing her lips. By the time she spoke, Frieda already knew that she’d lost her vote. “I fear you all made a grave error all those years ago,” Deborah said. “In allowing Abigail to live. This would be considerably easier if you’d dealt with her as a child when the Council ordered it, and if I were a member the first time, things would have been handled considerably better.”
And then she, too, terminated the connection before Frieda had time to respond. Frieda let out a growl, alone in the conference room once more, and tossed the digital glasses onto the table. They skidded and bounced to the center. She pushed her chair back and climbed to her feet, wanting to hit something.
A moment later, the door opened. Martha padded silently into the room carrying a tray of tea. The assistant set the tray on the conference table and collected the glasses, sliding them into her pocket.
Frieda took a cup and poured a small amount of the hot liquid, hands trembling in frustration. She took a sip, and then set the cup back onto the tray.
“What am I supposed to do?” Frieda asked. “The Council is full of cowards and liars, and I’m supposed to convince them that Abigail proves no threat.”
“She did capture and make a deal with Delaphene,” Martha said in soft tones. “And torture, if you believe what the demon says.”
Frieda frowned. She felt furious with Abigail, not only for kidnapping a demon but doing it behind her back. She was forced to find out from the Hunters weeks later what Abigail had done when they found Delaphene raving in Arthur’s cabin in the woods.
Worse, if Delaphene was to be believed, then Abigail had treated and bargained with her—an executable offense on its own. Very few members of the Council, and certainly no Hunters, had permission to converse with demons.
Luckily, Frieda could dismiss those charges by pointing out the manipulative nature of demons. Delaphene wasn’t to be trusted, and no one would give her testimony any weight. It could even hurt Aram if he tried to push too hard because the Council stood firmly against ever dealing with demons, even in a case like this.
“Thirteen votes,” she said. “I need one more.”
“We will get it,” Martha said. “Do you think Jun or Deborah will side with us?”
“We have to convince Jun. Aram got to Deborah already, and I don’t like the idea of her having the swing vote. Are there any others we initially dismissed that I could reach out to?”
“You could entreat Victor,” Martha said.
Frieda hated the idea. She’d known Victor for a long time, and he was a strong advocate for revoking her command over the Hunters. He wanted to have them serve the Council directly, and didn’t like her having any autonomy with how she used her soldiers.
Still, he wasn’t a friend of Aram’s either. Maybe she could promise him some future favor to get him on her side. Frieda would even relinquish some control if it would win him to her side.
It had to be worth the attempt if nothing else.
“Try to contact him,” Frieda said. “And set up a meeting.”
“Of course.”
“Let’s just pray—” Frieda said. “—that nothing else comes up in the trial. Did you find anything else about what evidence Aram intends to use?”
“Only Delaphene and the disobeying of your orders,” Martha said. “He hasn’t given a notion about anything else.”
Frieda nodded. “Let’s just hope that’s all there is. With any luck, all of this will be behind us in a month or two.”
