Unless... Her gaze traveled from Adam to Vadim, and then back to the Fae king.
Adam was still talking. “I assume that Death Bringer realized he had to allow me to take his mate’s face so that he had an excuse to descend on Otherworld in all his righteous wrath. You would all be afraid of the repercussions of not carrying out his wishes, and he would have a perfect excuse to execute every one of you.”
“By God, he’s right!” shouted the Fae king. He pointed at Vadim. “I want to hear him defend himself against these inarguable truths.”
The silver bars around Vadim thinned until they resembled silken strands of silk. Ella focused all her empath ability on her mate and the cage as the Fae king stalked toward him.
“Do you deny that you murdered both your brother and your sister in cold blood?”
“Aye.”
Vadim sounded far too composed for Ella’s liking.
“You came back to finish what you started, didn’t you? This whole elaborate charade was simply to get yourself back into a position of power. Thank God Adam revealed your perfidy in time.”
“I didn’t set out to kill my siblings.”
“You were seen!” He threw a pile of parchments onto the table. “We have witnesses.”
“I was defending myself!”
“You are the strongest power in Otherworld. Why would you have to defend yourself against those who are weaker than you?”
Vadim’s chest heaved as if he’d sucked in a much-needed breath. “When they are my siblings! They wanted my power, Father. They were prepared to kill me for it. Should I have let them? Should I have let my love for them make me weak?”
“Why not? Perhaps they would’ve used your power more wisely.”
“I have a unique set of gifts. You taught me how to use them. Doesn’t the blame lie with you too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” The king picked up a handful of the pages. “All these witnesses saw you raise your hand and murder your brother. He died instantly. Your sister wasn’t so lucky and died raving and out of her mind, grieving for her lost twin.”
A muscle twitched in Vadim’s face, and for the first time Ella got a sense of the immense control he was exerting on himself. With the barriers thinned, could he sense her too?
“As I said, I didn’t intend to kill him. He gave me no choice.”
“So you admit it, then?”
“He died at my hand but only after extreme provocation. His magic was corrupt, Father. He and Nia were—”
The Fae king turned his back on his son and walked over to the high table. “I’ve heard these excuses before. You deliberately took my favorite son away from me out of spite and malice.”
Vadim briefly closed his eyes. “I did what your training taught me. I found a source of evil and destroyed it. That was my function. That was what you ordered me to do. Why should the fact that it was your son make a difference? Are you not able to see his flaws? Should those of Royal blood be above the law?”
Ella saw the answer in the Fae king’s face and held her breath as he slowly turned back to face Vadim.
“You are the only person who considers himself above the law, Death Bringer.”
“Which is why I left Otherworld. Can’t you see that?”
“Leaving death and disaster behind you? You can’t escape your destiny.”
“Why now, Father?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why force a trial now? The deaths happened many years ago, when I was only just coming into awareness of my full powers.”
“Because your foul scheme to come back to Otherworld has to be stopped. You are mated now. You might believe your powers are enhanced by your association with the Soul Sucker.”
Holy cow. She hoped no one took him up on that. Ella met Vadim’s gaze and raised her eyebrows, but he didn’t respond.
“All you’ve done, Father, is exploit my desire to protect my mate. You’ve used her against me to force my return.”
“See how he shifts the blame so easily.” The Fae king shook his head. “Why would I want this monster back? It’s quite extraordinary.”
“If I am supposedly in league with Adam, why hasn’t he given Ella her face back? He had the opportunity when we were both at his castle. Why were we both imprisoned rather than treated as honored and welcomed allies?”
“I have no knowledge of this.”
“But you were there, Father.” Vadim insisted. “Ella has your mark on her.”
Spencer beckoned at the guard. “Bring Ms. Walsh here, will you?”
“He doesn’t need to bring me anywhere. I’m quite capable of walking by myself, you know.” Ella stalked over to the high table and shrugged out of her jacket. She unbuttoned her shirt sufficiently for the Fae to see the glowing wound on her shoulder.
“You did mark her.” The Fae queen glared at her husband. “Remove it immediately.”
“But he’s using it to keep Morosov in line.” Ella ignored the Fae king’s frown. “It’s the only reason my mate allowed himself to be captured.”
“Remove it, Fergal.”
“With respect, dear wife, I’ll remove it when she leaves Otherworld. It isn’t safe to let her wander around by herself.” He glared at Spencer. “Isn’t it time for you to make a decision about this matter? It’s fairly straightforward. Death Bringer admits he killed his brother, and by extension his twin sister. Now you must pass sentence.”
“If I might make a suggestion?”
Adam stepped up beside Ella. She gave him her best death glare.
“Of course,” Spencer said.
“If this court is unable to ascertain the guilt of the accused, there is another way he can be tested.”
“And how is that?”
“In a battle to the death with me.”
Silence greeted his calm statement. Spencer was the first to recover. “I don’t understand.”
“Death Bringer came back to Otherworld not to face his accusers in this court but to fight me for stealing his mate’s face. If you hadn’t interfered, that’s where he would be right now.”
“Are you suggesting your petty conflict with my son is more important than the deaths of his siblings?” the Fae king demanded.
“No, my king. I’m saying that death by combat would be a fitting end for a creature that considers itself the strongest power in Otherworld. Wouldn’t you like to see that, sire? Your son finally overthrown, his power stripped from him and his life ended?”
The king hesitated, his gaze going between Adam and Vadim. “It isn’t my decision. It is up to the court.”
“But would you be willing to consider it?” Adam turned to the others at the table.
“I would enjoy seeing a fight to the death.” Not surprisingly, the Dark Lord’s representative looked suitably excited by the prospect of blood and mayhem. “If the court permits.”
Spencer turned to the two Fae queens, who were quietly conferring. The older woman looked up.
“We have no objection to this fight, as long as it is clear that if Death Bringer wins, all charges against him, including those regarding Nia and Ciaran, are dropped completely.”
“Hold on.” Ella said. “What about what I think? He’s my mate. Don’t I get a say in anything?”
Spencer looked down his nose at her. “I hardly think you have anything of interest to add, Ms. Walsh. This is an Otherworld matter.”
“What about Vadim? He might not want to face Adam.”
“I am more than willing to face him, Soul Sucker.” Vadim’s voice carried clearly across the room to her. “I would only ask that if I lose, your face is returned to you, and you are allowed to leave this world unharmed.”