The fallout from the confrontation in the square was spectacular. For years, people had wondered about the heroes and their holier-than-thou ways, and now, following Moonstar's death at the hands of her father, people finally saw Mister Impossible Sentinel and his Aura League for what they truly were.
Naturally, the authorities took them to task over the murders of so many so-called villains, and as the new year was rung in, the first "hero" was sentenced to stand trial. It was none other than The Switcher, who had blood aplenty on her own hands, aside from the shot which had left Sly wide open for Absolute Zero's attack.
Hero after hero went through the courts, treated like any other criminal, and all of them were found guilty.
People the world over soon learned of the so-called "hero trials", and, one and all, public opinion agreed that Mister Impossible Sentinel and his colleagues were nothing but a bunch of self-righteous peons who believed the world was neatly divided between black and white, and good and evil. Never mind that the world was a hundred different colours in between.
At the end of April, Mister Impossible Sentinel himself faced trial, and, like all the other heroes, he was found guilty of murder. He joined his former colleagues in jail, and the matter was thus deemed closed. At least, so far as the public were concerned.
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"Well, that's the last of that," Candycane said, sighing as she relaxed in her chair. "What now?"
I shrugged. "We either carry on our works, or we give it up and go back to normal life. Getting Gilbert and his cronies shown up for who they really were was the whole reason Grandmother set us up in the first place."
Loud Sword chuckled. "And a wise old woman she was," he said. "But I have to ask the same question as Feena - what do we do now?"
"I'm not going to ask you to stay," I told them. "You can stay or move on, as you wish. But if I may be so bold as to suggest, perhaps the world still needs us."
"That it does," Crazy Coyote agreed. "I'm happy to keep on with the way things are."
Candycane and Loud Sword added their endorsements. "Good," I said. "I'll admit, I would've been sad had you chosen to move on, but I'm really glad you're choosing to stay. Now, we've cleared most of the dross. But there's going to be a few stragglers left over from the mess."
"We need to scoop them up so they don't take up the mantle of the so-called 'fallen heroes'," Candycane said. "Llian, what's the plan?"
I tapped my lips. "Simple," I said at last. "We let them dig their own grave. The world knows Gilbert and his allies for liars, so really, any hangers-on trying to invoke their old cause are going to be in for a rude shock."
"Sound," Candycane said, "but there's a glint in your eye which suggests you've got something more in mind."
I smirked. "Gilbert is in need of comfort," I said. "I'm going to offer it to him. But mark me well; I can never forgive him for what he's done. I'll let him think I've put that behind me. But I haven't, and I won't. And the day he finds out will be the day he sees me for who I really am."
"How so?" Loud Sword asked, curious.
"Gilbert always fancied Llian," I said. "I think he rather fancied both her and Eva. And he's never cottoned on to the fact they're one and the same woman. I'm going to go to him as Llian, and use my connections to ensure I'm granted conjugal rights. The end goal; I'm going to have his child. He's going to think he's being given a second chance to do the right thing. I'm going to let him believe so, right up until the moment the time is right for me to let him know just how wrong he truly is. That will be the day I birth his child, at which point I'll reveal to the world who I am. And all of Gilbert's dreams will come crashing down around his ears, and he'll know just what it's like to taste the fruits of betrayal all over again."
"It's dangerous," Candycane warned me. "A third betrayal is likely to break him."
"He deserves it!" I snapped. "After the hell he put me and my family through, as well as what he did to my most gifted recruit, he deserves to suffer!"
The silence stretched out for several minutes before Candycane spoke again. I saw the doubt in her eyes, but she said nothing of that, instead saying, "You do as you know best, Llian. We've got your back, and we'll be there for you every step of the way."
I took a deep breath. "Thank you," I said. "Feena, can I ask you to take over the recruiting and training in my place? I trust your judgement, and I know you'll be able to make the right call on anyone who seems to be a bit suspicious."
"Of course," Candycane said. "You can trust me."
"Good," I said. "Have Ivar and Cara act as your lieutenants. They'll be good to have at your right hand. I'm going to be rather... busy, for lack of a better word, and I won't have time to oversee things."
"You can count on us," Candycane assured me. "You leave the business to us, and we'll keep it going against the day you come back to take the reins."
I nodded. "Thank you," I said again.
Still, the doubts I'd first seen in Candycane's eyes were swirling around in my brain as I left, and I knew this mission carried a hefty peril.
Despite everything, I was still besotted with Gilbert, and I knew that, the moment we connected as lovers, the barriers between us would wear thin, if they didn't shatter altogether. But I knew I had the moral fibre to withstand any such temptations.
Gilbert had a lot of blood on his hands.
I wasn't going to let passion fray my determination to see him fully and finally brought to his knees as he deserved.
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