"That's better," says the Inquisitor.
I can't believe what I'm seeing. No one comes to this woman's defense. Not even the people she came to the play with, who have all slunk back into the crowd.
I take a deep breath and step forward. "Let her go."
The Inquisitor smirks at me, a look of glee in his grey eyes. "Obstructing justice. So childish. Officer, these girls must be punished."
"I'll take them to the station, Sir," the Officer says.
"No," the Inquisitor says, shaking his finger, a sadistic grin on his face. "Punish them here."
"What?" The Officer looks dumbfounded.
The Inquisitor leans into the Officer's face and speaks quietly with a hiss. "Punish. Them. Here."
The Officer nods, his body shaking as he uses his free hand to grab the baton at his side.
The woman he still holds cries. "No, you can't do this. It's not lawful."
He raises the baton over her face, and I reach out, grabbing his hand, using just enough power to stop him. "I am Scarlett Night, an Initiate of Castle Vianney, and you will let her go."
The Inquisitor laughs. "An Initiate? I'll have you whipped for this."
I spin toward the man, rage in my voice. "Who do you think you are?"
He chuckles, unimpressed by me or anyone else.
The Officer answers my question. "He's Thane Blackthorn, a Knight of the Fifth, an Inquisitor, and a Cardinal."
Thane smiles with all the sadistic charm of a psychopath.
If Jax was here he could order Thane to stop. He outranks him. But unless I can touch him and use my powers…
I walk forward, ready to reach out and grab him, when Thane raises his hand, fire sparking from his hand and dancing around his fingers. "One more step, girl, and it is I who will punish you."
He's Zenith?
"You turn on other Zeniths, your own kind. Don't you understand what it's like for them?" I ask.
For a moment, he almost seems flustered, at a loss for words. But he recovers quickly. "They are not like me," he says. "They are weak. I am a Knight. I earned my authority."
"If that's true, then stop abusing it. Let her go," I hiss under my breath.
The Inquisitor holds my eyes and smiles as he speaks to the Officer. "Officer, deliver the punishment."
The Officer hits the women in the gut with his baton. She cries out and doubles over in pain. He holds the baton up again, ready to activate the electroshock, and I rush to grab him and stop him, regardless of the consequences, when another voice commands everyone's attention.
"Stop this!" Corinne emerges from the crowd and stands to face the Officer.
He shrugs. "I'm sorry, Miss, but I have orders—"
"And I, Princess Corinne of the House of Ravens, heir to the kingdom of Sapientia, order you to stop." She pulls of her sunglasses and glares at him with purple eyes.
"Princess?" His face lights up in recognition, and he drops to his knees.
I stand stunned, watching all this play out.
Thane sneers. "Are you sure you wish you to challenge me? I don't think I see your daddy."
Corinne turns to the Inquisitor. "I don't need him, Thane. And you know it."
Invoking her royalty gets the crowd’s attention as people use their eGlasses to capture pictures and videos of the scene unfolding. Suddenly people care.
The Inquisitor looks around and notices the same thing. "Very well." He gives a mock bow. "It shall be as you command. Farewell, my Princess."
He walks to his car, one of the new eCars on the market—very expensive—the crowd parting for him as they continue snapping pictures.
Corinne helps the beaten woman stand and stares at the Inquisition Officer. "Take this woman to Curatio Domus and tell them I sent you. Ask for Dr. Demarkus."
The Officer nods and takes charge of the woman.
"Treat her with care. I've scanned your name and rank. If any harm comes to her, I will hold you personally responsible."
Corinne leans in, whispering something to the woman, who sobs and hugs Corinne before the Officer leads her away.
The fact that Corinne made sure the woman receives medical care at the best hospital in the city impresses me.
The fact that she is royalty stuns me.
"You're a Princess?" I ask as she walks toward me.
Before she can reply, the crowds move in on us, howling for autographs and photos.
As we push through them and try to find a place in which to disappear, I'm distracted by two thoughts.
Corinne is a Princess.
And her father is coming to kill me.
CHAPTER 2
WYTT AND WITTICISMS
We scurry through the crowds and escape the invasive fan attention, finding a coffee house that boasts 'the best gourmet coffee and tea in all the kingdoms.'
I order coffee and Corinne orders tea. Once we've both had a moment to breathe, I ask again. "You're a Princess?"
She sips her tea and shrugs, a default move I can tell is her way of trying to shake off the burden of her identity. "Yeah. I try not to make a big deal out of it. I just want to be normal, you know?"
I pour several packets of sugar into my coffee before drinking it. "I get it. But that's kind of a big deal. Your father is King Varian?"
"Yes, but I didn't know he was coming here until now. My brothers aren't going to be happy. At least, Kai won't be."