Black Court Novels & Stories

Nandini on her other side, Lakshmi and Alec too. While Davin sat several seats behind. The judge…a stern woman in her sixties entered the courtroom and everyone stood. “Be seated,” she said after taking the bench. The court clerk read the case number and charges. “State of Georgia versus Roman Blackwood. Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, firearm enhancement.” Roman stood when called. The judge looked at him now. “Mr Blackwood, how do you plead?” Roman lifted his head slightly. “Not guilty, Your Honour.”

*Bruno* The courtroom felt like an ice-sealed tomb—stone and shadow breathing with a cold so precise it could slice flesh from bone. The long, hollow windows sweated a chill that crept across the air like invisible talons, gripping tighter with each passing moment. Only two figures stood illuminated in the dying candlelight. Like fire and ice. Sir Bruno versus the Black Knight.

I nod, though my palms are damp, and my hands are trembling but I’m here for me and for my mother. The bailiff announces the judge’s entrance, and everyone rises. The moment feels surreal, like I’ve stepped into someone else’s life, someone braver, someone stronger. When we sit again, my heart is pounding so hard I’m sure Victoria can hear it from across the room. The judge adjusts his glasses and scans the room. “This court acknowledges the case of Blackthorne versus Blackthorne,” he says evenly. “Let us proceed.” Victoria’s lawyer stands first. He’s older. Smooth. The kind of man who sounds reasonable even when he’s lying.

He heard his father resorted with frustration in his voice. “Dear, you shouldn’t be here. Go back to your room.” His mother hurriedly whispered when she noticed him listening to their conversation. “Wait, did you just say men in black?” Hyde resorted when he came back to his senses. His companion didn’t speak but answered him with a mere nod. “Oh, and one more thing, she also said that one of them has some kind of black bird tattoo on the neck.” Hyde was stunned when he heard about the tattoo. He’s certain, that the deceased man was one of them—or just a scapegoat.

"Call out the captains. We claim the docks tonight. And anyone who stands in our way…" His eyes drifted off to nowhere, "We stain the waters red." The men rose, a dark tide unspooling at his words. Harrison Blackwood was a billionaire. He was a king of the underground, tempered in blood and bound in fear. And in that moment, it was sure—he'd burn the world to ashes and dust first before he'd allow it to die.

The words the Priestess had taught me rose to my lips, ancient and powerful: "By blood and bone, by moon and stone, I call to you across the void. Lucious Blackthorne, son of Kieran and Raven, brother of my heart, hear my voice. The light within you cannot be extinguished, the truth of your blood cannot be denied. Show me where you are held, that I may bring you home."

They were in for a long, disappointing night. The Altar of Binding was in the exact center of the throne room, a monolith of black, porous stone that had been carved before the city existed. It didn't just sit on the floor; it seemed to grow out of it, a jagged tooth of rock that hummed with a low, vibrating frequency. The entire Court had gathered, a sea of pale faces and expensive, dark silks. The silence was heavier than usual, a suffocating blanket of anticipation.

It just wasn't the whole truth. She nodded, apparently satisfied, and returned to reviewing our presentation. I looked out the tinted car window. The closer we got, the harder my heart pounded. Seven years. I'd spent seven years convincing myself I was over Ethan Blackwood. Now, in less than ten minutes, I'd know whether that was true. The sleek glass tower came into view. Blackwood Enterprises. It looked exactly as I remembered. Elegant. Powerful. Untouchable. Just like the man who owned it.

Below the terrace, the grand courtyard of the Blackwood estate had been transformed into a sea of absolute silver. Three full battalions of the elite vanguard stood in rigid, flawless formations, their polished breastplates and raised spears catching the first golden rays of the morning sun. In the dead center of the courtyard stood the gallows—a massive, skeletal structure of dark oak, its thick hemp noose swaying gently in the freezing mountain wind.

the leader of their council said. There was so much hatred in the way he spoke to me, and I wondered what he was talking about. "What did you find out?" I asked him. " You possessed a dark lunar magic and this has brought about some kind of darkness to our pack, we do not accept that kind of magic here and anyone who brings such to us will be punished" he said. It sounded like some lame joke, I am never with such kind of magic, what has this got to do with me?