Once again, the crowd fell silent as the assembled Grigori watched Griffin move into the arena. From the look on his face, this was a surprise to him, too. He took up position beside me and faced Drenson.
‘We are going to ask Violet three questions. They will be answered in full and Griffin will read the sincerity in her response and in turn, deliver its truth to the Assembly.’
This was not good. Griffin could see truth if it was there and could only deliver it in full if it was in fact truth. There was no way around this and depending on what questions they asked we were now in trouble.
‘Do you both understand?’
‘I do,’ Griffin said.
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘Violet Eden, are you aware of the ranking of your angel maker?’
I looked between Drenson and Josephine. Both carried that arrogant air of superiority. The rest of the Assembly members watched on curiously.
Griffin kept his expression passive, emotionless, playing his part.
‘Yes,’ I answered.
There were a few murmurs but most people remained silent.
Griffin turned to the Assembly. ‘This is her truth.’
The Assembly members waited for Adele to nod first before proceeding to do the same. I wondered how her power differed from Griffin’s. Perhaps it didn’t and they were making Griffin do this for another reason.
‘Violet Eden, were you involved in a relationship with the exile, Phoenix, son of Lilith, that led to an event where he healed you of injuries, thereby forming a connection between the two of you, which he can manipulate to control your survival?’
I didn’t know where this was going. I swallowed nervously.
‘Yes.’
Griffin’s mouth thinned into a straight line. ‘This is her truth.’
The Assembly nodded.
Final question.
‘Violet Eden, is it true that you gave the Grigori Scripture over to Phoenix, son of Lilith, after he threatened to hurt your human friend, Stephanie Morris, thereby endangering the lives of all Grigori in order to ensure her safety?’
Shit.
I couldn’t apologise for that. I now had an idea where this was going, but I couldn’t show remorse for those decisions.
‘Yes,’ I said, standing tall.
Griffin turned to the Assembly. ‘This is her truth. Though I must add, this is also my truth as this choice was made together and without regret.’
‘Mine, too,’ Lincoln said, stepping out of the crowd.
Griffin turned to Lincoln and then looked back at the Assembly. ‘This is our truth.’
The considering eyes of the nine Assembly members watched the exchange and finally nodded in acceptance of Griffin’s word.
Drenson cleared his throat. ‘The testing is complete. We will cast our votes.’
Rainer stood first. ‘Pass,’ she said, not holding back her smile.
Wil stood beside her. ‘Pass,’ he said.
They were the only two votes I was confident about. I held my breath.
Valerie stood. I suspected where her vote would be going. She wouldn’t have liked my cheap trick against Decima. ‘Fail,’ she said.
Hakon stood. ‘Fail,’ he said, supporting his partner.
Seth stood. ‘Pass.’
Decima stood. ‘Pass.’
I kept my expression neutral even if I did feel it was already a victory in itself to have their votes. Somehow their approval counted for more than a simple ruling.
Adele was on her feet next. She looked at me for a moment and then to Drenson. She pursed her lips. ‘Fail.’
Drenson glanced at Josephine, who clearly had every intention of saving her vote for last. It was clear, then, who was really in control, because Drenson stood.
‘Fail,’ he said, his voice ringing out into the arena.
You could have heard a pin drop as Josephine slowly rose from her seat and moved forward so she was in clear view of the entire room.
‘Violet, you have fought well, there is no doubt. Decima is undefeated and while she remains that way, you have shown your various skills and willingness to use them. Not a soul in this room could deny that, in time, your fighting skills may one day only be matched by those of your own partner.’
Did she just compliment me?
‘But being Grigori is about more than being able to fight. Grigori must be able to put the greater good first and above all else. It is clear to see that you are willing to put the people you care about first, above yourself, above all others. But what, then, for everyone else, Violet? I fear the day that your choices will come at a great expense to the rest of the world.’ Josephine worked the crowd, casting her gaze around the room and nodding at several important members of the Academy. Her words were building anticipation to her vote. The worst thing was, even though I hated her, even though I knew she was doing this for her own agenda … she was right.
‘On top of that we cannot ignore an anonymous accusation that has been made against you, one that you have done nothing to dissuade us from here today.’
What the …?