“Yes. Dr. Pasko here has spent the last few years studying magical medicine. An interesting choice for a shifter.”
“I’m interested in the intersection of shifter medicine and magical medicine,” Dr. Pasko interrupted. “I want to find ways for both branches of medicine to work together. This will bring a wider range of health to both shifters and wizards.”
“Right,” Jasper said as he grimaced again. “Anyway, I knew time was of the essence for you, and the doctors in Torch Lake were arguing about whether you were strong enough to move. They couldn’t just have Dr. Pasko come to you, either. Apparently his medicinal potions don’t survive transport very well, and the Torch Lake pharmacies didn’t have all the ingredients he needed. So, long story short, I shifted into dragon form and broke you out of the Torch Lake hospital, flew you here, and begged for Dr. Pasko to help you. Which he did. And it looks like you’re going to make a full recovery so, regardless of everything else, I owe him a big debt of gratitude for that. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you.”
Julia shook her head in amazement as she processed everything. It sounded like Jasper’s quick actions really had saved her life. She hoped that he was right that he would be forgiven his “kidnapping” of her due to the emergency nature of things. She would certainly testify on his behalf. If she’d been conscious, she would have gladly told the doctors she’d take the risk of flying in a coma, if it meant her magic would be saved. She’d rather die than live without magic. She was about to open her mouth and say this to Jasper, when she realized she still didn’t even know where she was, or how far away from Torch Lake they were.
“Wait a second. Where is here? I don’t even know where I am.”
Jasper looked uncomfortable and paused for a moment before answering.
“We’re in Lost Garden.”
Julia furrowed her brow. Why did that name ring a bell? Then, suddenly, it hit her. “Lost Garden? Where the Lost Garden Clan lives.”
Jasper nodded.
“But…isn’t that your old clan? I thought you swore never to go back there. And, wait, is Dr. Pasko the doctor who…” Julia trailed off, hardly able to believe what Jasper had just told her.
“Yes,” Jasper said, calmly but with a look of great anguish on his face. “Lost Garden is where my old clan, the Lost Garden Clan, is located. I did swear I’d never come back, but, well, that was before your life and magic depended on my coming back. And Dr. Pasko here is indeed the doctor who treated me after I was injured defending Lost Garden during the Great Dark War. In some strange, ironic twist of fate, he was the only one who could save you.”
Julia was floored. No wonder there had been so much tension in the air. She looked over at Dr. Pasko, who looked so distraught and kindly that it was hard to imagine him treating Jasper as awfully as Jasper had claimed. But Jasper wouldn’t have lied. Dragons didn’t have it in them to lie. So what was going on here?
Dr. Pasko cleared his throat. “Jasper, about, uh, the treatment I gave you after the Great Dark War—”
“Yes, I know I owe you,” Jasper interrupted, his voice on edge. “And I’ll pay you, and pay you for Julia’s treatment. I hope you’re happy that you’ve gotten what you always wanted from me, after all.”
Dr. Pasko looked uncomfortable. “It’s not that, it’s just that—”
Before Dr. Pasko could finish his sentence, a loud banging sounded at the door.
“Open up, by order of the Lost Garden High Council. We’re here for Jasper Moffatt and we know he’s in here. He stands accused of treason, and anyone aiding and sheltering him will be accused as an accomplice to a traitor.”
Dr. Pasko nearly jumped out of his skin. “Jasper, I can talk to them and convince them to come back later, I’m sure. Julia has barely woken up and—”
“No,” Jasper said, standing wearily. “I might as well go face the music now. If they want to hear what I have to say for myself, then so be it.”
“I’ll come with you,” Jake said. “You’re part of my clan now, and I’m not going to let them push you around like this. It’s ridiculous after all you did for them!”
Julia felt her whole body tensing up with alarm. “Wait, what? Jasper, you can’t go to a High Council accusing you of treason! What if they condemn you and you can’t get away? I…I need you!”
Jasper’s eyes softened as he turned to look at her. “I promise I’ll be alright,” he said, and then his voice turned husky. “I need you, too. I’ll be back for you soon, but now that you’re in stable condition, this nuisance needs to be dealt with. Try to rest, and don’t worry about me. I’m a dragon. They don’t scare me.”
Jasper leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, which sent a rush of tingling warmth through her whole body. Jake raised an eyebrow when he saw the kiss, but he said nothing. In the next moment, before Julia could gather her thoughts enough to say anything else, both Jasper and Jake rushed out the front door to face the insistent High Council messengers.
Dr. Pasko seemed just as shell shocked. “Why those…those bastards!” he exclaimed, then clapped his hand over his mouth and glanced at Julia. “Pardon my language, ma’am.”
Julia waved off his apology. She wasn’t sure whether his “bastards” comment had been directed at the High Council messengers, or at Jasper and Jake. And she wasn’t sure how much she could trust Dr. Pasko. After all, he was the one who had screwed Jasper over after the Great Dark War.
But Julia didn’t have much of a choice right now. It was either trust Dr. Pasko or be stuck here while Jasper was standing trial for treason. If Jasper was facing such serious accusations, Julia wanted to be there. So she looked at Dr. Pasko, and in the firmest voice she could muster up she said, “I need to go to Jasper’s trial. Can you take me there?”
Dr. Pasko hesitated for a moment, and Julia thought he was going to refuse. But then he nodded. “I want to see this, too. I shouldn’t let you out of this house since you just woke up from a coma, but you’re recovering quickly, and this is a serious trial. If you’re feeling up to it, I’ll take you.”
“Then let’s go,” Julia said, forcing herself to stand up despite the pain. “Jasper needs me.”
Dr. Pasko only grunted in reply. Julia wasn’t sure what he meant by that grunt, and she didn’t care. All she cared about was getting to Jasper. He’d saved her life and her magic, and she’d be damned if she let anyone convict him of treason and get away with it.
She was going to go add her voice to the others that were speaking up for her man.
Her man. She rolled those two words over in her mind and smiled, despite the pain and stress that filled her. If they managed to get through this and get back home, she was going to make sure he knew that she definitely wanted a second date. And a third and a fourth and, well, she wouldn’t mind a future full of more time with Jasper. He had saved her magic, and shown her that she didn’t have to choose between romance and a career. She didn’t have to choose between a life of love and a life of purpose. With Jasper, she could have both.
“I’m coming for you,” she whispered as she climbed into Dr. Pasko’s sleek black luxury car. And if it comes down to it, I’ll fight for you. I’m one of the best wizards around at advanced magical defense techniques, and I still have my magic, damn it.
She hoped a fight wouldn’t be necessary, but if it was, she’d win it. No one was going to mess with the love of her life. Not even the entire High Council of Lost Garden.
Chapter Thirteen
Jasper felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the weight of every eye in Lost Garden on him as he approached the High Council’s bench. Word had quickly spread that the great Jasper Moffatt was back in town. Jasper had learned from Jake that the doctors in Torch Lake had called Lost Garden in a frenzy when they realized that Jasper had gotten away with Julia. They’d had good intentions of helping Julia, but all they’d done was set off a firestorm that had caused problems for Jasper. The town of Lost Garden, it seemed, did
not appreciate the fact that it’s most famous dragon had left.
Never mind the fact that Jasper had been repaid with contempt after saving the whole town. Never mind the fact that no one followed the ancient laws of treason anymore. In ancient times, leaving your clan made you a traitor, regardless of the reason you’d left. Today, shifters and wizards frequently moved around, and no one thought anything of it. But the High Council here was embarrassed by the loss of Jasper Moffatt, and they seemed to think that making an “example” of him would heal their wounded pride.
Jasper would never move back here. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to be thrown in prison for treason, when the High Council themselves were the ones who so boorishly drove him away. He’d only agreed to come to this mockery of a trial for the chance to speak his mind in front of all the citizens of Lost Garden. He knew it was probably pointless. Most of the citizens here had probably been brainwashed by the High Council into thinking Jasper was an evil, ungrateful dragon. But if even one person here heard the truth, then it would be worth it. Heck, it’d be worth it just for the chance to give the High Councilors a piece of his mind. Jasper was itching for a fight.
He glanced around at the crowd, looking for any friendly faces, but there were none here. Right after they arrived at the courthouse, Jake had said he needed to make a phone call and disappeared. Jasper hadn’t seen him since, and he felt rather annoyed. He knew that, as People’s Governor of Torch Lake, Jake was a busy man. Still, what was so urgent that it couldn’t wait until after Jasper’s trial for treason?
Jasper let out a sigh, and let it go. It would have been nice to have Jake here, but he would manage on his own. A hush fell over the crowd as the Head Councilor of the Lost Garden High Council rose and cleared his throat.
“Jasper Moffatt, you are here today under accusations of desertion of the Lost Garden Clan. You left the clan without permission from the High Council, which constitutes treason under the longstanding Lost Garden Criminal Code.”
“Longstanding because it’s ancient and outdated. No one follows that rule anymore,” Jasper said, folding his arms across his chest.
The Head Councilor glared at him. “This clan still follows that law. And since you were part of this clan, you are subject to its rules and laws. You are allowed to make a case for yourself, and you are allowed to call witnesses before we pass judgment on you. I can’t imagine who would stick up for you, though.”
Jasper rolled his eyes. “I don’t need anyone to stick up for me. I can stick up for myself, and that’s what I’m here to do. I’m tired of my name being dragged through the mud. Everywhere else in the world, I’m hailed as a hero. Every other wizard and shifter clan in the world recognizes that what I did for all of you showed courage and loyalty. I saved this entire clan from utter destruction. We had no warriors, and I became the warrior you all needed. No one in this room would be standing here today if I hadn’t driven back the dark wizards and evil shifters when they attacked during the Great Dark War.”
“You may have saved the clan, but then you deserted us! You refused to join our army, and you refused to pay for the life-saving services of Dr. Pasko, the finest clan doctor in town. You left in disgrace. You left as a traitor!”
“I left because the clan I had joined was a peace-loving clan. I never wanted to be a soldier. This clan called itself a pacifist clan, then abruptly changed after the war.”
“We’re allowed to make changes to the clan’s mission and purpose,” the Head Councilor sniffed.
“Then you shouldn’t be surprised when people want to leave. All I came here to say is that I saved your lives, and you never thanked me. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I tried to make payment arrangements with Dr. Pasko and he refused. It’s unbelievable how much he charged me, anyway, when he would have also been dead if not for me. But all of that is old news, now. I tried to serve this clan, and this clan turned its back on me. I’ve found a new clan now. A clan where hard work and loyalty is actually appreciated. And I wanted to say, loud and clear so that all can hear: there is a better way. If anyone in this room is secretly feeling unappreciated or like your values don’t line up with the crooked values of the Lost Garden High Council, then just know there is a better way. Come to Torch Lake, where we welcome every upstanding shifter and wizard and the unique talents they bring.”
“Enough!” bellowed the Head Councilor in anger. “The lies you are speaking are doing nothing to help your case. All you’ve done is prove in front of everyone that you are indeed a traitor.”
“I speak only the truth,” Jasper said in a loud, confident voice. His heart was pounding in his chest. He had a feeling that this was going to turn into a huge fight, which wasn’t exactly what he wanted. He didn’t want innocent people to get hurt, but he did want to clear his name. He did want the people of Lost Garden to see that they didn’t have to put up with a High Council who dealt in lies and fear mongering.
The Head Councilor snorted at him. “If you speak the truth, then I suppose you won’t have any trouble calling witnesses forward for yourself? And don’t try to call forward your cronies from Torch Lake to lie on your behalf. You know the rules. Only citizens of Lost Garden may speak on behalf of someone accused of treason.”
Jasper knew the rules well, and had never intended to make an attempt to call Jake forward as a witness. He did wonder, though, where the heck Jake was. He couldn’t possibly still be on the phone, could he? Didn’t he realize this trial was kind of important? Jasper might need back up help to fight this crowd very soon.
Jasper turned around, presumably to see whether anyone would stand up for him. Really, he was trying to see whether he could spot Jake in the crowd. But his friend was nowhere to be seen. Jasper took a moment to let his eyes pass over the massive crowd. Most of the faces did not look friendly. Quite a few pairs of angry eyes stared back at him. A few people looked more curious than antagonistic, at least. And one or two looked hopeful. Was it possible he had inspired a few people here that they didn’t have to live under such a crooked High Council? Then coming to this courthouse today had been worth it.
Jasper’s eyes landed on the dragon shifters who had been part of the wizard guard the night before, and he was surprised to see they were smiling at him. They were in human form now instead of dragon form, but he recognized them by their eyes. He wondered if he could convince them to leave and come to Torch Lake with him. It must be hard for a dragon to live in a town like this. Lost Garden seemed to have become steadily more corrupt since Jasper left several years ago. Jasper smiled back at the dragons. Maybe he could count on them to help if fighting broke out. He apparently couldn’t count on Jake, since the man was still nowhere to be seen.
“I will speak for him.”
Jasper nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden, unexpected voice. He looked to see where it came from, and gaped in shock. The voice belonged to Dr. Pasko, who was standing in the back of the room next to Julia. Jasper wasn’t sure what Dr. Pasko had been thinking, allowing Julia to come out here in her condition. This place was liable to erupt into violent fighting at any moment. And he definitely wasn’t sure what Dr. Pasko was thinking, offering to speak up for Jasper. Was this a trick? Dr. Pasko and Jasper seemed to have reached an uneasy truce last night for Julia’s sake, but that didn’t mean that Dr. Pasko had anything good to say about Jasper. There was still a lot of bad blood between them.
Or was there?
Dr. Pasko was walking toward the front of the public courtroom now, and a hush fell over the crowd as he came up the center aisle. Even the High Councilors all seemed at a loss for words.
“Your honors,” Dr. Pasko said as he came to stand beside Jasper. “I don’t think it’s any secret that for many, many years, I considered Jasper Moffatt my biggest enemy.”
Jasper tensed up at these words, and he saw the High Councilors break into smiles. They were all anticipating an angry tirade from Dr. Pasko now. This wasn’t Dr. Pasko speaking up for Jasper. It was D
r. Pasko having one more chance to publicly rant about Jasper. And the High Council seemed happy to give him that chance.
But then Dr. Pasko looked at Jasper and gave him a sad smile. There was so much meaning in the smile, and Jasper found himself confused. Was Dr. Pasko his enemy? Or was he actually here to stick up for him? Jasper held his breath as he waited for the answer to that question.
“I’m here today to publicly apologize to Jasper Moffatt for treating him like an enemy for so long. The fact is, Jasper is telling the complete truth. He did save our town, singlehandedly. I’d be dead now if not for him, as would most of you. The rest of you wouldn’t be here in Lost Garden, because there would be no Lost Garden. There’d be no Lost Garden Clan. It would have been completely destroyed by evil. And how did we repay Jasper for his selfless sacrifice?”
“Enough!” the Head Councilor shouted. “These are all lies.”
But Dr. Pasko wasn’t backing down. And Jasper could tell that, despite how much Jasper thought he disliked Dr. Pasko, the rest of the town seemed to respect the man. They were listening to what the doctor had to say, and what he was saying sounded like it was actually going to all be in Jasper’s favor. Jasper could hardly believe it as he stood there and listened to Dr. Pasko continue.
“I myself am ashamed of what I did to Jasper. When he couldn’t pay for medical services, I greedily took him to court. He offered to work with me and pay via a payment plan, but I was on a quest to smear his name in the mud. I don’t know what came over me to act that way. Jasper didn’t deserve it. I should have given him the services for free in the first place, considering all he did for this town. But I was younger and blinded my own selfish nature. Since that time, I’ve seen this city grow more and more evil. Jasper saved us from dark magic, but he could not save us from ourselves.”
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