Midlife Blues - Victoria Danann Page 0,18
mad! She’s the one who should be…”
When Keir let out a threatening roar, she immediately quieted and sat down.
Max was still as cool as if he was standing in the cheese aisle of the grocery store deciding between shaved or ground parmesan.
“Shall I repeat the question?” I asked the ombudsman.
“No, Your Honor. Since regeneration would not be quick, it might take twenty years for the pais to complete her sentence.”
“How long was the phoenix in captivity?”
“Not quite a year.”
“Very well. I’m going to consider this in private for a few minutes.” As I said this, I couldn’t help but wonder how many other women judges substituted “take under advisement” for “must pee now”.
Lochlan practically jumped to his feet. He made a motion to the bailiff, who announced, “All rise. Court is in recess for a third of an hour.”
I disappeared behind the scenes to the retreat of my chambers, Lochlan close on my heels.
When he closed the door, I said, “Well, was that a record?”
“Which part?”
“Keir being forced to spring into action to stop a potential brawl.” I scowled. “Or possibly worse.”
“Well…”
When he didn’t want to finish that sentence, I knew I wasn’t off to an exemplary beginning.
“So it was a disaster.”
“Oh. Pshaw. I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Pshaw?”
When he said nothing, I grinned. “Keir was magnificent, wasn’t he?”
“Indeed, Magistrate. The sephalian is magnificent even to those who aren’t in love with him.”
“You think I’m in love with him?”
That got a Lochlan look. Lochlan looks weren’t common because he was a diplomat through and through, but now and then one might say something that triggered a, “Come on,” expression.
“I’m going to visit the ladies’ and think about what’s to be done with Natasha.”
“Natasha?”
“Oops. Said that out loud. It’s my internal pet name for the pais.” When I reached the short hallway to my restroom, I turned back. “I don’t suppose you’d like to counsel me about what to do next.”
“Perhaps I would like that, but like or not, I cannot.”
“Against the rules?”
“Indeed.”
I cocked my head. “If all of your kind were sticklers for rules as you are, there wouldn’t be any Court Meets.”
“That might be true if there were rules governing behavior. There are rules surrounding conducting court business, but not…”
“Therein lies the problem.”
“I suspect so.”
“Has anybody ever tried to get the fae to agree to abide by some sort of code?”
He was shaking his head before I finished the question. “What would be the motivation to agree?”
“Hmmm,” I said as I turned back to the business of personal toilet.
No wonder judges so often seem crusty. Having the fate of others in your hands is not for the faint of heart.
After five minutes of deliberation, I charged out and said, “Lochlan. Please go ask the two counselors to join me here for a few minutes.”
He hesitated only slightly before saying, “Yes, Magistrate.”
I knew when he called me by my formal title, it meant that he didn’t wholeheartedly approve. It made me uneasy when Lochlan wasn’t fully on board with my schemes. My respect for his knowledge and history of the court was immense and I wished he’d take a more active role in guidance. Calling me Magistrate was akin to having me bounce off a guardrail. He wouldn’t tell me what to do, but he would leak clues about his opinion.
I sat behind my desk and waited.
In a very short time Lochlan returned with the fae equivalents of lawyers in tow.
“Please sit, gentlemen.” I motioned to the two chairs that sat in front of my monster of a desk. If furniture was a power play, I would win.
“Max. Is there something the pais might do for the phoenix, perhaps not just the individual but the species, in the way of restitution? Is there something they need?”
“To be left alone.”
“How can I assist that?”
Max looked baffled. “I… don’t know, Your Honor.”
I looked at Gote Murelli, but found nothing there but stone-faced resolve.
“Is there something that could insure that none of her kind could be captured again?” Max bent from the waist, leaning toward me with a look of intensity. The passion he obviously felt about wanting the best for his client was commendable. “Is it possible to give them some power of self-defense they don’t currently possess?” Max’s eyes widened slightly as he looked from me to Lochlan. “Could one of the fae queens be persuaded to bestow such a magic on the phoenix and her kind?”
Max’s eyes sparkled like they were lit with Yule tree lights. “Fae queens like to negotiate.”
“Where