by Pam Uphoff
"Really. How . . . interesting. Let's call that lawyer."
Chapter Seventeen
25 Shawwal 1402 yp
"I have been in court all day. Why are you bothering me?"
"With Nighthawk?" Ebsa blinked. "Why are they in such a hurry?"
The lawyer's voice slid into sarcasm. "Because they like to conclude capital cases before Ramadan."
Ra'd, listening in, stiffened.
Ebsa frowned . . . what little religious instruction he'd had, had been Catholic . . . "The Muslims prefer to execute all their prisoners before the start of Ramadan. Is that it? They're rushing this so they can kill an eighteen years old girl before their religion would take it poorly?"
"Pretty much. No point in dragging it out, when it's so clear."
"It is not clear. I have been unable to locate the priests that witnessed the three critical truth matches."
"The Chief of Police . . . "
"Is a fucking politician, and hasn't got the sense to realize he's starting at least a major diplomatic crisis and possibly a war."
"Oh, please. The Fallen aren't going to do anything over some witch."
"Honorable Orro, that girl is the granddaughter of two of the Comet Fall Gods. She is the daughter of Xen Wolfson. She is related to the rulers of the Kingdom of the West. This is a major diplomatic crisis in the making. What is their embassy saying about this?"
"They haven't sent anyone. I think they are distancing themselves from what is, after all, a criminal matter."
"They have been informed, haven't they?
Silence.
"Haven’t they?" Ebsa gritted his teeth. "I think you'd better have someone check that."
"Boy . . . your lover killed a man. She's going to pay for that." Click.
Ebsa and Ra'd looked at each other.
Ebsa tapped in Paer's number . . . dead air.
"Does Nighthawk know that she can appeal to the One? The One will know what she did or didn't do."
Ra'd stared at him. "You trust them?"
"Yes . . . why don't you? You have the priest gene."
"Indeed, and I know they aren't very gracious about 'candidates' refusing the honor. I had to rescue, forcibly, a cousin. They figured he'd give up, after they'd castrated him. Give them retroactive permission to geld him. I don't trust them in this either." He stared into the distance. "It's her only option, isn't it."
"Yes. The formal wording is 'I appeal to the One.' She has to say that right when they read the verdict."
"Right. All we have to do is get in there."
"No. First we have to find out where 'there' is."
The police informed them that visiting hours were long past, and they might be allowed to speak to Nighthawk after the trial.
"You think tomorrow is the last day?"
"Open and shut case, kid. Now get."
The lawyer wouldn't return their call.
"Right. One of us has to get in there."
Heak and Azko were waiting outside their dorm.
"No way in hell are we going inside, but we need to know what is going on, and what we can do to help Nighthawk." Heak looked more aggressive than he'd have believed possible.
"Paer's going to Paris to talk to her father." Azko added.
"Good. Now what I need is a way to contact the Comet Fall Embassy."
"What about Disco?" Heak bit her lip. "I had to do a report on the Treaty, and informing the relevant embassy of a citizen's arrest is one of the points."
"Right. And no problems with the trans-atlantic cable would change that."
Azko unshipped his backpack. "I brought my good computer. Overkill for a simple comm number search."
Ra'd eyed the monstrous machine. "I don't suppose you could find out which courtroom Nighthawk's trial is in, could you?"
Azko flashed a smile. "No problem. Shall I get you a pass?"
Ra'd and Ebsa swapped glances. "We've um, sort of brought ourselves to the attention of a lot of people."
"Get me a pass." Heak said. "What do you need me to do?"
The Comet Fall Number was unavailable.
"Somebody is all over the system." Azko reached out and stopped Heak as she pulled out her comm. "Don't even try. They may be keeping track of who is trying to get through to the numbers they've blocked. If they haven't noticed you already, you need to stay invisible."
"You need to get into court and tell Nighthawk, if they bring a verdict of guilty, at that exact moment, she must stand up and say 'I appeal to the One.' Just that."
Ra'd nodded. "Let me show you a technique that will make you unnoticed. Or disregarded. It won't work on a machine, but between the pass and the spell, you ought to be able to just walk quietly in." He reached out his hands. "Hear me, see this."
She took his hands. There was a long quiet stretch. Then Heak sat back with a blink. "Where did you learn that!"
Ra'd's brows drew together. "In India. Years ago."
"I . . .suppose I knew that things like that were real, not just in stupid movies."
Steady footsteps heralded a member of the campus police. Who eyed Ebsa. "It's midnight, kids. Get inside." He frowned at Ebsa. "Need an escort to your room?"
"Doubt it." Ebsa shrugged. "I think they got it out of their system."
Other than glares. He braced his desk chair under the door knob. Locks were not dependable around anyone who'd had much magical training. As he well knew. He didn't sleep well.
They shadowed Heak to the courts building, and waited for hours. Heak finally exited, crying.
"Guilty. They think she lied! They're taking her to Makkah. Immediately, they said." She wiped an arm across her face.
There was a man following her. "How did you get in there? That shouldn't have been allowed."
Ebsa and Ra'd stepped around her and faced the man. "She's upset about a friend. Who are you?" He gestured behind his back for her to leave.
"Ujmw. Director of External Relations." He folded his arms and smiled nastily.
"Really? I thought the trial was closed to spectators." Oh shit, did I just say that to the director of XR?
"I'm hardly a spectator."
"Well true, this diplomatic fiasco is going to affect your directorate. What was the reaction of the Comet Fall representative?"
"That is none of your business."
"I trust they've been informed. You know, we've got a treaty that requires that."
"You can kiss any chance of ever working for me goodbye."
"Did that a couple of days ago. So, was this miscarriage of justice your idea? Or the local idiots? When did they call you about it."
The man turned away, and stalked down the steps. A black limo pulled up and whisked him away.
"It's a nine hour flight to Paris, then fly to either Cairo or Dimashq . . . " Ra'd was clearly planning a trip.
"How are we going to pay for it?" Ebsa hated to say that, but he literally could not pay for a ticket.
A van pulled out of the side street, Police logos on it. It turned north.
"Neither the police lockup nor the airport is that direction." Ebsa felt his stomach clenching.
"The corridor. They'll have her in Makkah inside of five hours, depending on flight times. They only let official cars through the corridor."
"I wonder if Paer's guards took both cars to Paris?" Ebsa turned and started running. The Emre Street bus would let them off just two blocks from the safe house . . .
They ran those two blocks. On the bus they'd quickly realized that only the truth about the diplomacy disaster that was about to blow up in the president's face would be likely to shift any guards left behind. Ra'd ran ahead, Ebsa carried the monster computer, and arrived just ahead of Azko and Heak.
The door was open and Paer was yelling.
" . . . the car, you idiot excuse for a directorate agent!"
Two guards were looming over Paer, and looming up at Ra'd.
"Where are the other two?" Ebsa walked around the tableau. He thought he r
emembered seeing some . . . "Right, here are the key coders for the cars. What else do we need?"
"The right ID. We need one of the guards, they're implanted." Paer called.
"Hey!" One of the guards turned and jumped for Ebsa as he opened the door to the garage. "What the hell do you kids think you're doing?"
"Borrowing a car. Paer, come and see if your ID will work. You'd think since you're who might need the car . . . " Ebsa was jerked back, and managed to act all stumbly until he was in the right position to sucker punch the guard.
Another thump from the house, and Paer was bolting through the door. "Give me those." She snatched the little coded e keys from his hand and threw herself behind the wheel. The car started. Ebsa hit the garage door button, fended off a wheezing breathless guard, aiming her back into the house, then he jumped in the car and Paer peeled out.
"Right. As soon as we're in Paris, Azko, you find us some plane tickets to either Dimashq or Cairo, look for trains to Makkah from each. Get us there as quickly as possible."
"Umm, money?" Azko cradled his backpack as they screeched around a corner.
I think Paer's had some evasion driving lessons!
"I'll give you numbers, as soon as I'm going straight, somewhere." Paer whipped them around another corner, swerved and hit the brakes, bumped over the gravel of the construction zone and took aim at the gate.
Workmen leaped out of the way. Dead ahead, the metal arch held a view of a cement truck pouring concrete, bored workers standing around with shovels . . . losing their bored expressions as they saw the car coming. They were scrambling for cover when the car leapt through the corridor, pancaked into wet cement, found traction. Paer wrenched the wheel, and they wallowed to the side enough to miss the cement truck, bounced over the forms and thumped down on gravel and sped away.
"Oh, I'm going to hear about that!"
"Can you get to the airport in twenty-five minutes? There's a plane to Dimashq in thirty-five . . . "
"Grab five tickets. The payment numbers are . . . "
Ebsa decided to not keep count of the number of traffic tickets Paer ought to have gotten as she set a speed record for corridor to airport transit time. No matter if it was the first; it was going to stand for a long time. Red lights run, curbs jumped, passing on the shoulder . . .
The car shrieked to a halt outside the terminal and they all bailed out and ran for the boarding area. Azko had obviously gotten everything right, as the ID scanner passed them without raising any alarms. They made it to the plane a bit late; Ra'd was blocking the door and arguing with an attendant as they panted up and pushed him with them on board.
"Thank you so much for waiting for us." Ebsa paused to block the attendant's view of Paer as she slid past, behind him and down the aisle. She was sure to be recognized, but the longer until the alarm was raised, the better. Of course the IDs . . . Their seats were scattered about but Paer was next to Azko. Ebsa paused and leaned down. "Any way you can keep us from being tracked? Especially Paer?"
Azko tried to raise a single eyebrow. Gave up and grinned. "Already taken care of."
We are in so much trouble! I can only hope that we needed to do this.
He swallowed. I hope that we get there on time and are able to help.
Whatever Azko had done, worked. There was no one waiting for them in Dimashq.
Paer huffed out her relief. "I was picturing a dozen of the Black Horse Regiment, with stunners."
"Me too." Ebsa hadn't been picturing stunners but he didn't mention that. We could get ourselves killed, doing this. I better start thinking. "Azko, get us tickets for the return trip, and add Nighthawk. At some point we may need to run away very fast."
Ra'd eyed him. "With Nighthawk."
"I hope. Surely the One will simply look at her and see the truth."
The others nodded uncertainly. Ra'd . . . was hard to read.
They took a cab to the train station. Ran for the right platform and boarded the nearly empty train an easy five minutes before it pulled out.
Chapter Eighteen
26 Shawwal 1402 yp
The train was fast . . . Ebsa wished it was faster. Dark out, it's eight hours later, here. Tomorrow is the last day of Shawwal . . . the start of Ramadan is twenty-five hours away.
"Azko, can you find a map? We can't exactly stop and ask for directions."
Ra'd was staring grimly at the floor. "We just have to be close enough to think at them. To . . . well, I don't think the Chief of Police can hide anything from them. It. Whatever. And we'll finally get the straight story from Wedge and City."
Paer nodded. "And Nighthawk . . . does the Methalformaline interfere with questioning?"
"It must not, else the chief could not have truthed her." Heak frowned. "Or is he so inexperienced he misunderstood whatever leaked around the drugs?"
"Did he truth her at all?" Ra'd's fingers drew invisible zigzags down the arm of the bench.
"Surely . . . if he's that venial, how can he dare face the One?" Paer looked worriedly at Ra'd.
Azko tilted his screen so they could see. "Here's the train station. This road at the forward end of the train runs straight to the main arena, where serious cases are held. Appeals to the One are always heard there."
"I'm starting to feel the barest start of the touch." Ra'd sat up straight. "In about fifteen minutes, we need to open up and let them see what has transpired. You will, briefly and partially, be a part of the One. So raise up your inner shields, the sort of thing you use when you telepath someone but don't want to spill all your life to them." He looked worriedly at Azko and Heak. But they were both nodding.
"I've got the peskiest little sister in all creation. I'm used to that." Heak looked determined.
"Yeah, and the Team merge made me learn how to hold it hard." Azko closed up his comp. "I can hear something, like a crowd in the distance."
"That is the One. It will get worse."
Ebsa looked at him. "Did you grow up here?"
"No, al Riyadh. I've been here three times in the last four years. I hate it."
Ebsa shut his inner self, and opened his outer shields. The babbling was getting louder, as they rushed toward it. He thought about that last meeting in the library. That was not the behavior of a woman who has just killed someone.
:: As if you would know. ::
He thought about the lawyer, about the avoidance of answering some questions.
:: Ask the Chief of Police which priests witnessed the truthing. Ask what her blood level of Methalformaline was. What is it now? Can you see what she did? What the circumstances were? Was she pulled in? Then she was justified to fight him, to kill him. Did she just toss him near the front door, or did she push him down the stairs? What do Wdge and Icty say? ::
The rushing voices pushed him away.
He started over.
And over.
Ra'd's strong voice joined in. Keeping it simple. :: I don't feel the Chief of Police. Where is he. ::
Indifference.
:: Wgde and Icty. Why are they not here? ::
:: The judge has come, and explained the case. :: A vague visualization of logic points, evidence presented, not experienced vicariously through a truth match.
:: That is not sufficient. ::
:: I do not feel Nighthawk. Remove her drugs. Summon the witnesses and the Chief of Police. ::
Paer then. :: Why are they not here? Do they fear what you would see in their minds? In their memories? Bring them here. ::
The train slid into the station, and they walked out, headed down the main road.
:: Ask the judge . . . Judge, you hear me. Which priests witnessed the Truthing? ::
:: I do not know. ::
:: Call your office. Have the statement examined. Summon the Priests. ::
Stubborn resistance. Ra'd bolted forward, and they all ran after him.
:: This could start a war. A disastrous one. ::
:: We are stronger than the descendants of Those Left Behind
. There are only a few hundred well enough trained to be dangerous. We will defeat them and be supreme across the dimensions. :: A strong voice, more individual.
:: We have studied them. We'll either eliminate them or isolate them. :: Another voice.
:: We should do that anyway. We should stay away from them, away from Earth.::
"I think that's the philosophers." Azko said it aloud, panting. "Brute Aggression, Cautious Aggression, and Isolationist. Brute being the old one, still with an absolute majority, but it's razor thin."
"And those are the politics we're dealing with, the political unrest we've got, that Dad is riding and trying to figure out how to steer." Paer's voice trailed off as she spotted the crowd ahead.
Ebsa slowed as the uniforms registered. Ecclesiastical guards. Armed. About fifty of them. Their officer stepped out in front. "You are not permitted to enter."
Ra'd started dropping his shields. And glowed. Shown hard and bright, painfully bright. Straightforward, honest, angry and frightened. Disciplined. Determined. Strong!
"Step Aside. Now."
Ebsa shook himself, sidestepped, kept going. The guards were focused on Ra'd.
Paer stepped up to Ra'd's far side. "We are here to prevent a serious miscarriage of justice."
Ebsa kept going, closing up, shielding hard. Not thinking, just stepping away from the confrontation. Going sideways, going around. Up against the side of this "arena."
And slipping casually behind the guards.
Trying to ignore the glow that seemed to be forcing obedience from the guards, backing them up. Ra'd was walking through them.
Ebsa reached the doorway and backed through, turned to see what was happening.
Nothing.
:: Where is Nighthawk? :: He ran down an aisle descending between rows of seats
:: Guilty. ::
::What do you mean, Guilty? So what are you doing? :: He fought down panic. :: Are you insane? :: There was a crowd to the right, another entrance.
:: What are you doing! There is no evidence and considerable doubt. :: he threw himself into the crowd, wiggled through them. Burst through the side arch.