Strangeness and Charm

by Mike Shevdon

  Alex pushed in front of me. "I'll go," she said.

  "What?" I was flabbergasted. "What are you doing?"

  "Come on, Sparky," she called to her friend. "We have to go."

  The young man stood, and walked forward between Blackbird and I to stand beside her. He glanced down at the long blade hanging easily in Garvin's hand. "Steel," he said. "It's a great conductor."

  Alex swept her hand sideways and slapped him gently, back-handed, him in the chest. "Stop it, you can't solve everything like that."

  "You'd be dead before it happened," said Garvin.

  Sparky glanced at him, challenge in his eyes, and then at Alex, who shook her head minutely. Sparky sighed. "OK," he said. "Take me to your leader."

  I wished again that I knew where my sword was, but perhaps it was for the best. Four against one was not good odds, especially not these four.

  The Warders came forward, weapons drawn, Amber stepping between me and Alex and Fionh and Tate steered Alex and Sparky away from Blackbird and I, separating us. Something passed in a glance between Tate and Alex, and for a second I wondered what had been said between them up on the hill, but then they slid away into darkness.

  "Amber," said Garvin, "see if you can find anything of the orb, or the other items, and bring them back to the Courts. Niall, give her a hand. The court will be in session just as soon as the Lords and Ladies are assembled. You'll want to be there," he said as he turned and followed.

  Amber stayed between me and the rest of the Warders until they faded into the dark. I thought perhaps she was less comfortable with the situation than was evident from her actions, but maybe that was speculation on my part. I knew she would do her duty whatever happened.

  When they had gone, she nodded and walked up the hill to look for what was left of the orb.

  "Why didn't you do anything?" I asked Blackbird.

  "What would you have me do?" she asked.

  "I don't know, come up with some rule that you can't arrest someone who's saved the universe?" I suggested.

  "You know as well as I do, if the Courts summon you, then you're summoned," she said. "It will do them no good to run. Besides," she said, "your daughter is taking responsibility for her actions. She's growing up, Niall."

  "She is, and will continue to as long as they don't execute her and the lad she's with. You know as well as anyone what the mercy of the Courts is like."

  "The Courts are just, by their own values. We just have to make sure they make the right decision."

  "And how," I asked, "are we going to do that?"

  "I have a proposal," she said.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Alex sidled up to Blackbird under the watchful eye of Fionh. "When's Dad getting here?" she said.

  "He'll be here," Blackbird told her. "Don't fret."

  "I thought he was coming back with you," she said.

  "He had to go and see someone first. He'll be here as soon as he can."

  "There's always something more important," she said.

  Blackbird turned to face her. "Child, there is nothing in the world more important to your father than you. Believe it."

  "Then where is he?" she asked.

  "Patience," she counselled.

  Alex looked across at Sparky, standing between Tate and Amber. He grinned at her, but she could tell he was nervous. She had already played twenty questions on the subject of the Courts, their inner workings and what might happen to them. He hadn't been cheered by it.

  He'd quietly suggested that they make a break for it, until she explained that even if they escaped they would spend the rest of their lives being hunted, always looking over their shoulders. Alex'd had her fill of that, and when it came to it, so had Sparky.

  So they waited.

  When the door to the Courts opened, Alex visibly jumped. Garvin beckoned them in. "They will see you now."

  Blackbird smiled reassuringly and shepherded them through the double doors.

  "Where's Dad?" she mouthed at Blackbird.

  In response, Blackbird mouthed the word, soon.

  Garvin stood by the door until they were through. "Tate, Amber, keep watch from here." He pulled the door closed as Fionh went through.

  Alex had been in the courtroom when it was empty, and in daytime. At night with the court in session it felt entirely different. Whereas before the sunlight had streaked in through gaps in the shutters on the high windows, now the only lit area was the central design of a seven pointed star patterned into the floor, around which were arrayed seven thrones. The rest of the room was shrouded in shadow.

  Alex looked up at the inside of the dome, and was reminded somehow of the strange little church at Kilpeck where Eve retrieved the orb. The creatures carved into the stone around the door of the church were not unlike the ones portrayed in the frieze inside the dome. She thought again of their attempt to bring back unicorns and manticores. She still didn't know what a manticore was.

  "Come forward," said Kimlesh, from her seat at the end of the arc of thrones.

  Alex glanced at Blackbird and received an encouraging nod. She stepped forward onto the star that was patterned into the floor. After a moment, Sparky followed her and they stood together. Out here she felt more exposed, and the sense of a brewing storm intensified. A shrug from Sparky confirmed that it was none of his doing. Even so, a thread of power prickled across her skin.

  "Well come," said Kimlesh. "Alexandre, you have returned to us in unexpected circumstances."

  "Yeah, well," she said. "Shit happens."

  There was a sound that might have been a hiss behind her. Someone had drawn a weapon – a reminder perhaps that manners were required. She was well aware that this was a dangerous game, but she was done with arse-kissing. She wasn't here to beg.

  "And this is…?" Kimlesh said.

  "This is my friend," Alex said. "Lords and Ladies, this is Sparky. Sparky, meet the Lords and Ladies of the High Court of the Feyre."

  Sparky looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Pleased to meet you," he mumbled.

  Mellion leaned forward, his silver chain glinting as his dark eyes focused on Sparky, who shifted uncomfortably under his inhuman gaze.

  "You would do well to remember where you are," said Lord Krane, who lounged in the throne at the centre of the group.

  Alex met his gaze unflinching. "Yeah," she said. "And you would do well to remember that there still is a where, and a when, which there wouldn't be except for us."

  "You have a high opinion of yourself," said Teoth, folding his arms, "which conveniently neglects to account that you are at least partially responsible for the events that transpired."

  "We didn't know what she was going to do," said Alex.

  "Then perhaps," said Barthia, "you should be more careful with whom you associate."

  "She would have found someone else," said Alex. "It wasn't us she needed, just three people who were stupid and naive enough to follow along."

  "Then you acknowledge your culpability," said Yonna. When she received a blank look, she tried again. "You accept the blame for your part."

  "I 'spose," said Alex.

  "That in itself is enough," said Krane.

  "If she'd found someone else," Alex said, "we wouldn't be having this conversation. You and everyone else wouldn't exist. From what she said, we'd have never existed." She shrugged, "I don't understand that bit."

  Teoth leant forward. "An unravelling of causality. Interesting."

  "We've heard enough," said Krane. "Let's not complicate the issue."

  "There is still the matter of our promise," said Kimlesh.

  "What promise?" asked Alex.

  Yonna spoke. "We promised your father that you would have a place in the courts, if you came into your power."

  "That's hardly relevant now," said Krane.

  "A promise is a promise," said Kimlesh. "Would you have me break my word?"

  "What about me?" said Sparky.

  Kimlesh shook her head. "There was no such promi
se regarding you, my child."

  "I'm not a child," said Sparky, "and I'm not yours."

  Alex thought a little of her defiance had rubbed off on him, which was not necessarily a good thing.

  "The ruling of the High Court takes precedence over a single court in matters that affect us all," said Krane. "There is no doubt in my mind that this affects all of us. Indeed, it could be said to affect everyone and everything."

  "Quite," said Teoth.

  "That may be so," said Yonna, "but all of us promised that Alex could have her place. A promise of the High Court takes higher precedence still."

  "It won't help her," said Barthia. "She may take her place or not as she pleases, but her fate is still a matter for the High Court."

  "I don't want your place," said Alex. There was a silence in which Alex could hear her own heart beat.

  "Be careful what you say, child," said Kimlesh. "You do not know the consequences…"

  "I don't want a place because of some promise that you made my dad," Alex said. "Sparky and I, we did some things, but none of them were that bad."

  "There is the matter of Fellstamp," said Garvin from the darkness behind them. "He has not woken."

  "That is not a matter for the High Court," said Yonna.

  "He serves the High Court," said Garvin, a note of challenge in his voice, "and deserves your protection and favour."

  "Garvin has a point," said Krane.

  Kimlesh ignored Krane. "The Warders place themselves in danger," she said. "We acknowledge their service, but we cannot demand blood price for every slight, no matter how grievous."

  "The Warders serve only the High Court, Lady. Can we not rely on the Court's protection in return?"

  "You have our protection and confidence, Garvin, as you well know, but injuries happen. We have every hope and confidence that Fellstamp will recover and rejoin your ranks."

  "And if he doesn't?" said Garvin.

  "Then we will hear your petition at that time," said Yonna.

  "This does not resolve the issue before us," said Barthia.

  "We are not here to consider the injury done to Fellstamp, but to consider the fate of these two, who have transgressed but also given good service."

  "Only through a desire to save their own skin," said Krane.

  "Can you support that statement?" asked Yonna.

  Krane waved a hand. "I am merely stating the obvious."

  "Then we agree, it is insupportable," she said.

  "Not insupportable," said Teoth, "just difficult to verify."

  "Are we allowing conjecture, now?" she asked Teoth.

  Teoth folded his arms, refusing to be drawn to comment.

  "The girl has said that she declines an offer of a place in the Courts," said Krane, "and the boy never earned one. We are here to consider the matter of disposition. Come, this is hardly complex. Are they more dangerous alive or dead? While admittedly they played a part in preventing calamity, they also came perilously close to precipitating the end of the everything. The two do not bear comparison."

  Mellion gestured, using one brown hand to separate two imaginary parts, one from the other.

  "I think what Lord Mellion means, is that one happened," said Yonna, "and the other did not."

  "You are splitting whiskers," said Teoth.

  "She is stating truth," said Barthia. "One is fact, the other is extrapolation."

  "You know what I think," said Alex, in a voice that cut across the argument.

  They stopped arguing and turned their attention on her.

  "I think," she said, "that you have no idea what you're talking about. You're all sitting here pontificating about something when you weren't there. You don't know what happened, or why? Do you?"

  "We have a thorough report from Garvin," said Barthia.

  Alex gave a bitter laugh. "What? The same Garvin that stayed down the bottom of the hill out of sight? That Garvin? He doesn't know what happened," she turned. "Do you?"

  "I have reported as I witnessed," said Garvin.

  "Just say no," said Alex. "It's easier to understand."

  "While it's clear you played a significant role…" said Garvin.

  Alex ignored him, turning back to the array of faces at the edge of the darkness. "You take a half-seen story from someone who's already said that he wants revenge for the injury to Fellstamp," said Alex,"which conveniently neglects to account for the fact that Fellstamp and Fionh attacked us. Fellstamp was holding a knife to my friend's throat," she said. "Did you forget to mention that as well, Garvin?"

  "Is that true, Garvin?" asked Kimlesh.

  "The Warders were doing their job," he replied.

  "So he was, then," said Yonna.

  Krane cut across them, "The issue here is not whether Garvin's testimony is accurate. The child has already admitted her part in what happened. This is not in dispute. Rather, we are here to decide what must be done and I think that, at least, is clear."

  "But you still don't know…" said Alex.

  "Enough!" bellowed Barthia, in a voice which even quieted Alex. "Krane is right, the issue is clear. We must decide."

  From the back of the room, a small disturbance was developing. The main doors opened onto the corridor. Alex turned to see her father entering behind her, initially with relief, but then with confusion. Beyond him, a number of disreputable looking people were being held back by Tate and Amber, filling the corridor beyond them. Even Garvin was taken aback, until he stepped forward, long blade drawn.

  "What is the meaning of this?" Garvin demanded.

  • • • •

  As I entered the court, I wondered for a moment whether Garvin would lose it and precipitate a bloodbath. I was relying on him to be his usual dispassionate self, but it was clear that I'd hit a nerve. His face was flushed and I thought I saw the reflection of light from the long blade quivering with contained rage.

  "Lords, Ladies," I said quickly, "I beg your indulgence and your consideration."

  "Warder Dogstar," said Kimlesh. "Please explain yourself. Who are these people?"

  "And what are they doing in Court?" asked Garvin.

  I turned briefly to Garvin. "You asked for them," I said. "You said they were all to be brought before the court – without exception."

  His face registered surprise, then anger.

  I turned quickly back to the High Court. "If I may explain?"

  "I wish you would," said Teoth.

  "These," I said, "are the children of mixed blood, those that some call mongrels and others call half-breeds. Each of them has been through a great deal, not least because they were imprisoned and subjected to experiments at the research facility at Porton Down. They are the children of both humanity and the Feyre."

  "Get these people out of here," said Krane to Garvin.

  "Wait," said Kimlesh. "I would like to hear what Dogstar has to say."

  "And I," said Yonna.

  "Are we in danger?" said Barthia.

  "I will vouch for their conduct," I said. "I have persuaded them to come before you to hear your deliberations on their fate, not one by one, case by case, but first-hand as a group of people who share a common cause and a common heritage."

  "This is preposterous," said Krane. "How can we deliberate their fate when they are standing there watching us?" he asked.

  "How can you deliberate their fate without seeing them?" asked Kimlesh. "Come forward, all of you, into the light, if you will."

  They filed into the court around Alex and Sparky, until they were arrayed in a semi-circle that echoed the thrones before them.

  "Have you a speaker?" asked Kimlesh.

  There was muttering between them and I caught Andy's eye. He stepped forward. "I'll speak, if you'll let me?" There was a general muttering of assent.

  "What is your name?" asked Kimlesh.

  "Andy – Andy Warner, from Southwark."

  "And what are your sympathies, Andy of Southwark?" she asked.

  "My sympathies?" he said.
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  "What are the aspects of your power?" she asked. "What elements call to you?"

  "I don't know what you mean," he said. "I keep bees. Is that what you want?"