Midlife Blues - Victoria Danann Page 0,19

I come from, lawyers like to negotiate, too. Is that true here?”

Max offered a hint of a smile. “It might be.”

“What might be offered to a creative to get the protections the phoenices need?”

“They’re vain. And competitive. They like recognition.”

I nodded, secretly liking what I’d heard. Faults can often be turned to virtues if rechanneled toward a productive purpose. “Very well. Take your places. I’ll be out shortly.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” they said in unison, more or less.

When they’d gone, I said, “Lochlan, would you say that you’re empathetic to other fae creatures. I mean, I would. I’ve seen you with your pets. You love them and care for them and would probably put yourself in harm’s way for them.”

“If you’re asking if I’m outraged by practices of hurting others, the answer is yes. If it was possible for me to experience sickness, I might say that I’m sickened by it.”

“So I have the power to direct the bureau?”

He cocked his head, sat back, and tapped his chin as he thought about his answer. “I don’t believe the question has come up before, but I don’t see why not.”

“Can I make the bureau, as an entity, an officer of the court? Like an extension of the court?”

“I might stop short of that, were I you. Your rulings might be seen as foregone conclusions if you’re that closely associated with the bureau.”

“Alright.”

“You look like a magistrate who knows what she’s going to do.”

“I know what I’m going to try. Sure hope it works. All rise,” I joked as I got to my feet, “and lead the way.”

When I was reseated at the bench and the room had grown quiet, I said, “There are two matters at hand. One is the question of how to address the damage done to the phoenix. The other is what to do to prevent future atrocities such as this.” I paused. “As to accounting for the damage done to the phoenix, what has been done can’t be undone.” I looked at Max. “Please convey the court’s profound sympathy for the wrong done to your client.

“You,” I looked directly at the pais, “are hereby directed to serve a sentence of a year and a day in community service.” A wave of collective whisper noise went up again. I saw Natasha turn to Murelli and mouth community service with a question written plainly on her face. He held up a hand in an effort to minimize her unwitting self-sabotage. “You will first undergo interspecies sensitivity training.” I turned to Max, almost as an aside. “To be arranged by the bureau.”

Other than blinking slowly, Max gave nothing away.

I turned back to Alexilia. “After you’ve received a badly needed attitude adjustment, and when the bureau is convinced of your understanding that might does not make right…” (The Once and Future King was one of my all-time favorite English lit reading assignments. I didn’t memorize it word for word, but I certainly recalled the theme.) “And when you’ve been cleared for field duty, you’ll spend the remainder of your sentence tirelessly seeking out similar incidents of wicked brutality and bringing them to the attention of the bureau so that they may be addressed and corrected. You will work within the jurisdiction of Eurys Ops and report to whomever the Bureau of Behavioral Oversight assigns as your supervisor.”

“SUPERVISOR!” Having little or no practice with self-control, Alexilia shouted a single-word statement of outrage. The concept of being accountable was, apparently, just too much for her to handle.

Murelli slapped his hand over her mouth. He knew that touching one of the Sforzas might cost him dearly, but within the blink of an eye, calculated the probability of being less detrimental to his future than allowing the pais to continue unrestrained.

I continued. “Since it’s my first day and we’re all just getting to know each other, I’m not going to extend this sentence as penalty for that outburst. But let it be known that the integrity of the court depends upon respect and decorum.” To Murelli, I said, “Am I clear?”

I knew the fae were immune to sickness, but Murelli looked ill. “Yes, Magistrate. Perfectly.”

I couldn’t tell if that was snark, but oddly, I didn’t care. I pressed on like I was on a roll.

“You will report to your supervisor on a regular basis. If, at any time during this period, I should learn that you are not fulfilling your duty, to your victim and to this court, you will be remanded to solitary confinement with