“We could, we could. But, now hear me out, if sex outside in January was phenomenal, imagine what it would be like outside in, say, June? We could have sex all day outside in June. All night too! Something to consider.”
“Your sister is going to love all this hypothetical sex we are having all over her property right now. I better watch my step so I don’t lose my job.”
For the next couple hours, they laid in bed, just talking. There was no more discussion of the grand escape or the impending uncertainty of the tribunal. It was just a girlfriend and boyfriend shooting the breeze in bed, like any normal couple would on a Saturday afternoon.
When it was time to leave, Mirabelle made sure to encourage Rowan to spend some time with Matthew.
“He’s been so lonely,” she complained. “I wish someone would just go to sit with him.”
“Oh, of course!” Rowan answered, bright-eyed. “I did not realize he wished for companionship.” The pretty young Elf then nearly ran through the halls into Matthew’s room. Under normal circumstances, Mirabelle wouldn’t want a hot little otherworldly creature in her boyfriend’s bedroom, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Mirabelle went back to Pine and Cherry’s house to review her papers one last time. She was beginning to feel nervous, and public speaking had never been her strong suit, but she knew this was her only feasible option at the moment. She and Matthew didn’t have a month to wallow in the Elven realm trying to figure out a plan.
She blew past Pine and went straight to her room to look over the notes again. She tried to practice certain phrases to sound professional, but Mirabelle assumed once it started, her decorum would fly out the window. A soft knock on the door interrupted her review.
“Come in,” Mirabelle answered, stuffing her notes into her backpack. Pine peeked past the doorframe.
“I don’t want to bother you, but did you request a tribunal this evening?”
“I did. It starts at sundown. I would love to have both you and Cherry there to support me, if that’s possible.” Pine looked very uncomfortable.
“I wish you had discussed this with us before making such a rash decision.”
“I need to make my case again. I couldn’t wait months until it was appropriate. I needed to do it today.”
“You’ve put Cherry and I in a terrible position. We could be accused of harboring a disturber.”
“I thought the triumvirate requested you house me during my stay?” Mirabelle tidied up her room, hoping she would never return to it. “It would be odd for them to punish you for following orders.”
“You don’t understand. They could view you as radicalized whilst under our care.”
“Pine, I’m sorry. But here’s the thing: you guys have a pretty terrible government. I know the idea of the triumvirate is supposed to work because there is a division of power and it worked for Rome for a while. But remember, the Roman Empire was much more successful when it switched over to the singular ruler, with the support of a senate. Then you at least know if there’s a psycho running the country.”
“It is illegal to speak ill of the triumvirate,” Pine said, taken aback.
“I’m sure it is. I wish I had brought you a history book on the social struggles of overthrowing an unjust government, but all I brought was a botany book.” She fished the book out and handed it over to Pine. “I hope you like it. It’s about all the plants we grow in our realm. You could probably give it as a gift to the triumvirate if you needed to.”
“Thank you for the gift. And I am truly sorry, but I need you to leave right this instant.”
“Are you throwing me out?” She wasn’t really surprised, but it was a little inconvenient. She would have to wander the streets for an hour now.
“I must. If I explain to the triumvirate that you were turned onto the streets as soon as we knew of your deception, they might take pity on us. I have to protect my wife.”
“It’s cool. I’ll leave.” Mirabelle grabbed her bag and walked out of the room. “Seriously, though. Go to your city library and try to find something by Karl Marx or Rosa Luxemburg or Fredrich Engels. It’ll open your eyes.”
About a block away from their house, she realized she had forgotten her broom under the bed.
“Damn it!” She swore under her breath. She turned on her heels back to the house, and knocked on the door. No answer.
“Pine!” She called, “I forgot something in my room. It will take me two seconds to get it.” Still nothing. She banged on the door again.
“Come on! Please?” Nope. He wasn’t going to let her in.
What an asshole.
Chapter 10
Clad in jeans, a sweatshirt, and hiking boots, Mirabelle was the most underdressed being in attendance. Both men and women turned up in their most delicate robes, showing off silks and lace. She looked for Cherry, Pine, and Chestnut, just to have someone to stand next to, but none of the Elves she knew were present. A few Elves reintroduced themselves from their initial meeting, but she was too nervous to pay much attention to the majority of them.
“Hello, witch,” a haunted voice said behind her. She spun around and came face-to-face with Linden and Yew, the creepy priestess and priest twins.
“Oh, hello.” Their dark skin had an unearthly gray tone to it that she didn’t remember from the first time they met. “How are you?” She followed up, unsure how she was supposed to talk to these two.
“Curious,” Linden spoke first. “We are very interested to hear the case you will argue today.”
“This triumvirate has been… unconventional at best. It may have taken an outsider to notice what has been -” Yew was cut off from speaking when a coughing fit overtook him. His sister grasped onto his arm, steadying her twin.
“Are you all right?” Mirabelle was genuinely concerned. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve revealing a streak of blood. “Holy shit. You need to go to a doctor, or rather, a healer.”
“We are the foremost healers in the realm,” Linden snapped.
“My sister does not mean to be so harsh. We usually can look into an Elf and see the exact cause of any malady, and the cure as well.”
“But this is something invisible to our eyes.” Linden continued.
“Could it be something from another realm? In the human realm coughing up blood can be a lot of different things, cancer, tuberculosis, I think pneumonia, ugh, I should have brought a medical encyclopedia.”
“We haven’t had a traveler in sometime, so it is unlikely it did not grow here.” Yew exhaled. “I am going to find a place to sit. Best wishes to you.”
With her brother gone, Linden grabbed onto Mirabelle’s hand and pulled her into a corner.
“My brother has been poisoned, there is no other explanation. I cannot heal him and he cannot heal himself. This is a dark magic, and I believe the triumvirate to be responsible-” She stopped talking and plastered a blank stare on her face. Spruce had arrived and was greeting some of the higher-ranking Elves in the doorway. A dazed Willow was close behind him.
“Linden, you don’t look well either. You’re very pale.”
“Ah yes. Thank you for your contribution, witch.” And walked away.
Poisoning? Anxiety crept up into Mirabelle’s chest. This was getting very serious. And perhaps deadly. She needed to get out of this realm as quickly as possible.
Now that Spruce and Willow were here, they only needed to wait for Birch to arrive. During the first tribunal, all three had arrived together, and Mirabelle thought it was odd Birch didn’t enter with her paramour.
After waiting a full hour after sundown, Birch finally came through the doors, acting like she was on time. While she may have thought this would throw Mirabelle off her game, it had only succeeded in pissing her off so much she was no longer nervous, only angry.
“Thank you for joining us, esteemed member of the triumvirate,” Mirabelle began, loudly, bringing the room to silence. “Why don’t you sit with your colleagues, and w
e’ll get this show on the road.” Birch scowled, placed her hand on her long sword and walked to the front of the room, sitting in her chair.
“As I am sure everyone in this room is aware, I came through a portal from the Human Realm with a warlock three days ago. Searching only for a spell or ritual to close the portal, Matthew and I believed we would be treated well in this realm. You see, in the Human Realm, witches have nothing but good things to say about the Elves. How mistaken we have been.” The crowd erupted into whispers.
“Matthew has been unlawfully imprisoned, while I have been thrown out onto the streets. While this should shock all of you, I am sure it doesn’t. What the triumvirate is unaware of is the research I have been doing on their ruling trio since I have arrived, and the interesting things I have witness while innocently walking the halls in Birch’s home.” The color drained from Birch and Spruce’s faces.
“Imprison this witch.” Birch yelled, pointing at Mirabelle. She stepped back in defense, ready to run.
“Don’t you dare!” Yew called out. “We will uphold our laws and wait until the tribunal has been concluded before throwing down judgment!” The guards stopped coming towards Mirabelle, looking at each other in confusion. Spruce laid his hand on Birch’s arm.
“Let her continue. She is a confused Traveler. There’s nothing she can say to devalue our leadership.” Birch sat. Spruce whispered something in her ear, and was met with a nod.
“While I will not confirm or deny who has said certain things to me, I have gained much of my information from Elves who have sought me out to voice their concerns with the current triumvirate.” She took a deep breath. “To begin, after a bit of digging, I found that in similar cases, Elves will almost always send a traveler in need of transport, back to his or her home realm, immediately. There has never been a tribunal over closing a portal. This information alone should be enough to send Matthew and I home, but with this particular triumvirate, it seems I need more.”
“To begin with, the character of all three members of the triumvirate can be called into question. I will begin with Willow, who by far has the least amount of offenses.” Willow’s mouth slowly dropped open, as if to protest, but just stayed in that position, her eyes still glazed over. “Willow Skokie had no previous experience in anything other than attending parties. Her name is a powerful one, but she has done nothing for the realm since taking power. Look at her! She’s high as a kite. I don’t know what kind of drugs you have available, but she’s on them. Which if they’re legal, isn’t a problem, but I wouldn’t want someone with impaired judgement in charge of my domestic affairs.”
“Next, we have Spruce Greely. He’s a Dark Elf! I mean, I’m all for inclusion and shit, but he is one of your greatest foes. The Dark Elves practice magic outside of healing… how could you elect someone like that? He might be practicing other magics right now! Also, he gained your favor by betraying his own people. There is no loyalty in men like that. He would betray all of you, given the chance. I think it is not by chance that a reformed Dark Elf and a Light Elf claiming to have lost her family to Dark Elves are now running your city. Open your eyes! This is what a corrupt regime looks like!” She was going off script and needed to return to facts.
“This is all well and lovely to hear,” Spruce cut in, “but you are not saying anything our people are not aware of. Yes, Willow is young and did not have much experience when she began her term, but she has grown wonderfully while on the job. I hardly think someone from outside our realm can attest to the mental state and capacities of an Elf. We have trusted outsiders in the past, and it has caused our people nothing but problems. If you plan to list off the common knowledge of our backgrounds, I can tell you that there is no need. We have been open with our people from the start.”
“No!” Mirabelle almost yelled. “I will finish. You have imprisoned my boyfriend and kept me trapped by association in this godforsaken realm and you are seriously fucking things up for us at home right now. I will say my damn piece.” The audience remained quiet, which she took as interest in what she had to say.
“Continuing. Birch Silben. You were the person that found us, sword drawn, racing towards two unarmed Travelers. I’ve had time to wonder how you found us. We were walking towards the city, but had seen no one. Not a single Elf. Once I got to the city, I assumed there would be lookout towers capable of seeing as far as we were, but there are not. Now, perhaps you have very competent spies sweeping the countryside at all times, but I would be less surprised if you had some sort of magical boundary set up that we crossed. Your history was the most interesting of the entire triumvirate: family murdered by Dark Elves living in the wilderness. For some who was raised in the woods, you certainly have expensive taste now.” Birch rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“You joined the guard very young. Very young. You may have just been ambitious, you may have lied about your age, you may an ulterior motive. Within the first years of your ascending power, Bristle, a high ranking general, perhaps the Elf that should have been elected to the triumvirate, is killed in a riding accident, beyond the healer’s ability. An Elf who has been riding for hundreds of years, is thrown from a horse?” The room was so silent Mirabelle could hear her own heart beating furiously against her chest. Birch’s face had slowly turned to stone, her jaw clenched. She looked like she wanted to dive across the room to throttle Mirabelle.
“Not long after, two generals are executed - executed! - for treason. Tell me, Willow, before that, when was the last time anyone in the Aldris guard had been executed?” Willow didn’t answer, her mind still in whatever fog it was permanently stuck in. “I did a bit of research; three hundred years ago, one low-ranking official in the Aldris guard was executed for attempting to murder her general. I read up about the two executed generals: they were found guilty of conspiring against the triumvirate. What a bullshit charge. Your triumvirate is murdering people.”
“Those claims are completely exaggerated. Again, it is public knowledge that Bristle died in a riding accident, and the trial of the generals was open to the public. The evidence against them was overwhelming. You are grasping, Traveler Witch. You are not giving the public any new information.” Spruce smiled, his arms crossed against his chest.
“Let Matthew go, allow us to pass through the portal, and I will stop here.” She stated evenly. She wanted to give them one last chance to let them go without getting into an all-out battle of words.
“You have accused me of some of the worst crimes an Elf can commit. Why would I ever let you go?” Birch said, motioning to the guards. “You will be joining the warlock momentarily.”
“What is the one fundamental rule of the triumvirate? In terms of their relationships with one another?” In an instant, Birch and Spruce were on their feet. Even Willow looked like her brain was beginning to process something. “No personal relationships? Correct?” She turned to Linden. “Am I incorrect in asserting that?”
“You are correct.” Linden moved forward, standing next to Mirabelle, waving the guards further away. “Let her finish.”
“I was housed within Birch’s walls for a few hours. So, I knew where it was, had a basic idea of the layout of the home. I returned yesterday afternoon to speak with her, really to plead with her to release Matthew and let us return to our home realm. That is all I have ever wanted. I never wanted to enter some sort of political intrigue that I now find myself trapped in.”
“Stop her,” Birch said through gritted teeth. She started to look to the doors, her eyes darting around the room.
“Finish, Mirabelle,” Linden pleaded.
“I knocked on the door, it was unlocked. I walked into the home; I know I probably should have waited until someone invited me in, but I was desperate. I began wandering the halls; I could hear someone upstairs. I followed the voices and found,” she took a deep breath, “Birch and Spruce entangled in a lovers’ embrace, Willow inebriated next to them.” The crowd erupted in conversation and gasps. Linden slinked h
er arm around Mirabelle’s waist.
“Stay by me,” She hissed. “The guards will try to take you now.”
“I WILL MURDER HER!” Birch’s voice rang out over the crowds, silencing everyone for a moment. Mirabelle looked up at the very angry, definitely lethal Elf running towards her, and then, the room started shaking.
Chapter 11
Mirabelle fell to the ground from the shaking. A loud explosion went off in the distance. Linden grabbed onto her, the two crouching close to the ground.
“Do you have earthquakes here?” Mirabelle yelled over the commotion.
“We are under attack!” Someone screamed. Attack? Mirabelle had to get out of the hall. They were sitting ducks trapped in here. She needed to get to Matthew. Fuck, she didn’t have her broom! A million thoughts raced through her head, vying for her attention, before she forced herself to stop, focus, and save herself.
The Elves were all grasping onto one another, some crying out. Mirabelle shrugged off Linden’s hold.
“I need to get to Matthew. Try to get everyone out of here. Whoever or whatever is out there will trap you in here. Good luck.” She ran towards the wall. There were long thin windows reaching from three feet off the floor to ceiling. They were all still intact, but she spied a chair, picked it up and threw it as hard as she could at the glass. It shattered. She picked up the chair, and dragged it to the empty pane. Shards of glass stuck up from the bottom. She stood on the chair and slipped her sweatshirt over her hands. Mirabelle punched out the glass, then pulled herself up through the window. She fell ungracefully to the ground outside, but jumped up immediately. Her left hand was cut, but not too deeply. She searched it for a minute, pulled out a stray piece of glass, then looked around to get her bearings. She needed to get Matthew and her broom. She was about a half-mile from Pine and Cherry’s house. The prison was another mile past that. She would stop and get her broom, then break Matthew out of prison. With a deep breath, she took off running.
The Traveler Witch (Sister Witches Book 2) Page 8