Sticks and Stones

by Alexie Aaron

  “Look at us, happy with one of our best embracing primal demon genes,” Victor said, shaking his head.

  “I’m sure Gabriel is gnashing his teeth right now,” Michael said. “Altair is there now, but I want him to stay with Mia. I will send Sariel down with the Midwest guard. I hope we don’t start a war.”

  “Soren has spies in the woods,” Victor said.

  “I’ll have Sariel cause a little distraction for their benefit,” Michael said with a smile. “Thank you for coming. In my convalescence, I’ve not kept an eye on the Martins as I should have.”

  Victor left the room. Michael called Sariel in and explained the situation. Sariel smiled thinking about possible diversions.

  “Mia is the only one I can’t protect,” Michael said. “I’m even wary of sending Altair with her. I don’t want to start a war if this is nothing but speculation on the part of a young birdman.”

  “I’ve met Seth. He’s sound. The only hole in our defense that I can see is Quazar. Not even the gargoyles can find him.”

  “I imagine he’s going to be with the extraction team. He’ll want to get his hands on Brian as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll alert the gargoyles of the possibility,” Sariel promised and left the room.

  Michael frowned. He thought when Victor arrived, he was going to ask for his help in saving Mia by walking her mind house. Was that still in process or had he failed to start the dominos falling?

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Just as the sun rose, Sariel stood on the hillside with Mia. She demonstrated how to pull power from the Blue Star. “First, you create a ball of blue energy. Then you look between the veils and bend the half-veil to the items you want to collect. Watch.”

  Mia made a small ball of energy. She accessed the half-veil and sheared the tops off the Queen Anne’s Lace. “Let the ball pull the items, and then let go.”

  It rained lacy flowers over them. “If you’re going to bring pebbles, you may want to let go sooner or you’ll get rained on.”

  Sariel tried, and soon it was raining sticks and stones a few yards from them.

  “Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me,” Mia said, jumping up and down, clapping her hands.

  ~

  Mia took care in dressing; she was aware she didn’t have the right clothes and tried to dress as conservatively as possible. Mia knew she couldn’t take a weapon with her. She took Baxter’s charm with her and copied over a few portal commands before she walked downstairs. She would hand the charm and the portal commands to Ted to use if needed. Charms like these were warded against in the birdman courtroom, so they were useless to her.

  Lazar looked up as she walked into the kitchen. “Are you ready for this masquerade? Have you practiced looking shocked for when they arrive?”

  “I am shocked,” Mia said.

  “She can still be jailed,” Altair said, walking in.

  “Thanks for reminding me. This is the second trial of consorting with a birdman outside of my marriage I’m going through. The last one involved Victor of all people. It was all lies, of course, but people’s memories are faulty.”

  “Where there’s smoke there’s fire,” Altair said.

  Mia closed her eyes. “You’re very encouraging this morning.”

  “I just want you to be aware this isn’t a cakewalk. You quit Warrior Flock and haven’t officially joined the Excelsior flock yet. But for the record, you’re not a flockless bird.”

  “Whose flock do I belong to?” she asked Altair.

  “Why the flock of Stavros of course,” Orion said from where he had been quietly standing, observing the conversation. “Your lineage goes back to the sirens of myth. These proud birdwomen protected the coast from ships hell-bent on looting our shores. You’re a credit to them and to me.”

  Ted’s heart softened for the proud little birdman who reached out to his misfit of a granddaughter with wise words and love.

  “Go kiss your children goodbye. Tell them they have an important role to play today,” Orion said.

  ~

  Altair and Orion were deep in conversation when Mia joined them on the porch.

  The beating of large wings filled the air. Four burly birdmen protecting a slighter bureaucrat, who was bearing a summons for Mia, landed. The bureaucrat approached, surprised to see Orion there. Orion held his hand out and said, “Mia Cooper Martin falls under my protection. Anything you have for her must go through me first.”

  The birdman had no option and handed Orion the summons. Orion looked it over, and he didn’t see any loopholes to get Mia out of leaving immediately with them.

  “I will go with you as long as my grandfather attends, and I’m escorted by Altair.”

  “This is most irregular!” the bureaucrat protested.

  Ted walked out. “My wife cannot fly in the company of so many males without a chaperone. I’ll not have any of your birdmen putting their hands on my wife. Do you understand?”

  The bureaucrat colored. He really had no choice but to agree. He wouldn’t be happy if one of his group had their hands on his wife either. He nodded.

  Mia turned and kissed Ted goodbye. “I’ll come back to you no matter what.”

  “I know. I love you, Mia.”

  “I love you, Ted.”

  There was a tap from one of the upper windows. Mia looked and saw her children waving. Dieter and Nanny each had a twin held so that they could see their mother. Brian and Varden waved.

  Mia waved back.

  The leader of the escort cringed inside. He was not enjoying taking the children’s mother away. He would never forget their anxious looks. The smallest boy’s eyes bore into him. He looked like he was memorizing his face. The birdman heard very clearly in his head. “You hurt her, and I’ll hunt you down when I’m older.”

  Ted watched them take off. Minutes later, Sariel, dressed as a vagabond, ran by with a sack of something thrown over his shoulder.

  Murphy was a few yards behind him, chasing him with an axe. “Bring back my gold, you scoundrel!” Murphy shouted.

  There was a mass exodus of small birds who followed the two deep into the woods. Seconds later, ten warrior angels landed and walked quickly into the house.

  Murphy and Sariel walked into the yard, leading the disappointed spies back.

  “You should have told me those were potatoes,” Murph said, patting Sariel on the back. “You take them into the kitchen. I’m going to rock for a bit.”

  Ted held the door open. He closed it after Sariel. “That was some diversion.”

  “It was Stephen’s idea. He figured out that, no matter the species, there is always an interest in gold, and the possibility of seeing a fight is impossible to resist.”

  “Now we wait,” Ted said.

  “Cid tells me you guys play the original Assassins Creed when Altair isn’t around.”

  Ted nodded. “You want to play?”

  “As long as I can play against Altair.”

  “But he’s the hero of the video game.”

  “That’s your point of view,” Sariel said.

  ~

  Angelo tried not to let his nervousness show when Mia was escorted into the courtroom. Altair was not allowed to sit next to her, but he stood where, in a flash, he could get to Mia. Orion squeezed Mia’s hand before sitting back and looking around. He nodded to the people he knew. Warrior Flock stood at the back of the room, lining the walls. Angelo’s personal guard took up the spaces to either side of this mass of shoulders and feathers.

  The guard, who had escorted Mia, now ushered Elizabeth into the courtroom and over to a chair. They secured her to it by a leg chain. Angelo reflected on how barbaric the birdmen still were. There was no consideration for the older woman’s comfort by her jailers.

  The Twelve walked in and sat beside the raised dais, which held an immense carved wooden bench with three ornate chairs behind it. These elected bird p
eople were from all over the globe. They represented the twelve districts where birdmen resided. In the past, they were made up of old rich men of pure blood. Over the last hundred years, the merchant and the warrior classes had manage to elect representatives. Just recently, two women joined the others, the celebrated retired warrior Hana Parata from Aotearoa, and businesswoman and keeper of the books Liú Bo from the Zhangjiajie Mountains. They were Mia’s peer jury.

  Soren and two other older males walked in. The assembly rose until they were seated behind the bench. Mia was struck by how eerily similar the two other members of the council looked. Their coloring was silver which spoke of great age. Their garments and jewelry testified that these men were wealthy.

  “Who are the other two?” Mia asked Orion in a whisper.

  Orion leaned over and said, “Claudius from the Royal flock and his cousin Cumhur Osman.”

  Soren rose and the assembly quieted.

  “We’re here to look into the allegations that Mia Cooper Martin has broken her vows of marriage and has seduced Victor Ahlberg’s ward Enos Ahlberg. In doing so, she has broken the code of ethics of the Brotherhood of the Wing.”

  Murmurs of disbelief came from the back of the room.

  Mia paled and looked at Orion in shock.

  “This is a serious tribunal, and I will not put up with any disruption in this courtroom. Do I make myself clear?” Soren said.

  No one answered. Answering would be considered an interruption.

  Orion walked forward. “I request Mrs. Martin’s accuser to be made known.”

  “That would be inappropriate at this time,” Soren responded.

  “I wish then to have Enos Ahlberg come forward to testify.”

  “That’s not necessary. He is a minor,” Soren dismissed.

  “He is an adult in human years,” Orion pointed out.

  “He is a full birdman and a minor according to our culture,” Soren maintained.

  “May I ask who you have as a witness to Mrs. Martin’s crimes?”

  “We have Elizabeth who testified of her unfitness in Mia Cooper Martin’s last trial.”

  “Mrs. Martin was exonerated at that trial,” Orion reported.

  “Was she?” one of the other judges asked.

  “She was when Elizabeth confessed to breaking Mrs. Martin’s back in order to get Victor to give her a heart feather to save her from permanent paralysis. In the following tribunal, Elizabeth also was found guilty of waging a rumor campaign to disparage the honor of Victor Ahlberg, Enos’s protector. Since Enos isn’t allowed to be here, may I have Victor testify on his behalf?” Orion asked.

  “No.”

  “I beg your pardon, but I have the rules of tribunal,” Orion said, picking up the book Angelo had found. It says here that if the minor is not allowed to testify, his protector is.”

  There was a murmur, but this time it came from The Twelve.

  Soren looked over and held his tongue and set his gavel down. “I will defer to The Twelve on this matter.”

  A birdwoman who was of Chinese birth got up and walked over and examined the point of law listed in the book. She cleared her voice and proclaimed, “I am Liú Bo of the Eastern flock. Victor will be allowed to testify for his ward, Enos. Elizabeth’s testimony is not warranted. Most of us were at that trial, and Mrs. Martin was exonerated of all charges. You will have to bring forth Mrs. Martin’s accuser or close this tribunal.”

  Soren looked down at one of the other judges. The birdman didn’t say anything but pulled out a watch and looked at it and shook his head. Soren turned back. “We will produce the witness. In the meanwhile, I shall interrogate Mia Cooper Martin myself. Which is my right in the rules of tribunal.”

  Liú Bo looked at Orion, and he nodded. She returned to her seat.

  “Mia Cooper Martin, walk forward and face The Twelve when you answer your questions,” Soren directed.

  Mia did as requested.

  “Was Enos Ahlberg stationed in your home?” Soren asked.

  “He never was stationed in the home I resided in. However, for a few months during my pregnancy, he stayed in another home I own. This home I rent to Burt Hicks, a friend of the Martin family. Burt maintained rental ownership, and through his charity, Enos lived there. A few months ago, Enos gave up his room for a woman and her son who were in peril and needed the protection this home offered. My husband and I then housed Enos in quarters over the garage. When a room in our guest aerie became available, we then offered him a permanent residence there.”

  “Why didn’t you house him in your home where your husband could keep an eye on him?”

  “Why would my husband need to keep an eye on a Warrior of the flock?”

  Soren didn’t answer. “Tell me, were you ever alone with Enos?”

  “I imagine I passed him briefly in the office, hall, and aerie. But I always had a child with me or my husband or one of the PEEPs.”

  “Did you not train with him alone?”

  “I did not.”

  “You were seen alone with him training.”

  “Stephen Murphy was coaching us. Sariel was viewing us from The Balance. I was never alone with Enos Ahlberg at my home or on the grounds of my home for more than a few minutes, or training.”

  “Did you ever promise Enos anything?”

  “Yes.”

  “What?”

  “After eating a lot of dirt and bluebells while we were sparring, I promised that I was going to best him the next time.”

  There was laughter from the Warriors.

  “Order,” Soren said.

  “Was Enos Ahlberg taken from your home?”

  “Yes. When I was suspended from Warrior Flock for endangering myself when I rushed in to protect the children of the preschool.”

  The Twelve looked at each other. Liú Bo stood up to be acknowledged.

  “Yes?” Soren said.

  “We don’t have that information. Why weren’t we supplied with that information? Respectfully, we have found many irregularities in this tribunal. Where is your witness?”

  Soren was rattled. He looked down at Mia. “I’m finished with my questions, but I reserve the right to follow up with you.”

  “I understand.”

  “Is there anything you would like to say to this assembly or the council?” Soren asked.

  “Yes, I would like to address The Twelve and Warrior Flock,” Mia said.

  Orion held up the book. “It is allowed in the rules of the tribunal.”

  Soren sat down and waved his hand as if in defeat.

  Mia turned around. “For those who do not know me, I’m Mia Cooper Martin of the House of Stavros, lately of Warrior Flock. I fought beside Warrior Flock in the war of the frost giants. I was trained by Victor Ahlberg and Nicholai. When they trained me, there was never any impropriety in my being alone with them. And I was still considered a minor according to the ancient rules of the Brotherhood of the Wing. Enos approached me to help keep him fit so he could return to the flock after protecting my family for six months. I agreed, and we asked my battle partner Stephen Murphy, who many of you know, to chaperone because Enos and I are very competitive.”

  There was a nodding of heads from the Warriors.

  “We trained like this for two mornings. The second morning, we amped up the sparring and both of us damaged the other, not irrevocably, but enough that my son was concerned and called for Nicholai’s help. My son isn’t yet three,” Mia explained. “Enos and I weren’t mad at each other, and when I came to heal him, Nicholai was there and chastised me for my actions. I was the elder and responsible. Later, while I was in a meeting, I received a note that notified me of my suspension. I thought at the time it was for training unsupervised. I thought it was unjust and planned on discussing it with Nicholai. Evidently, you shouldn’t have a ghost be your coach.”

  Liú Bo asked, “Was the suspension for unauthorized training?”

  “No. I
t was for entering the preschool earlier in the week and putting myself in jeopardy. When my supervisor Victor Ahlberg arrived, he, Enos and I evacuated the children. He then instructed me to leave the school. I left. I obeyed orders. If I was suspended for this, I would say it was also unjust. Later, when I expressed my disapproval, I lost my temper, something of which I am not proud. I was reminded of my suspension and I quit. I was informed that Enos would be recalled and Nanny Berta too. I later found out that she wasn’t under Warrior Flock’s control, and she stayed with me.”

  “So Enos was not in your home after that,” Liú Bo confirmed.

  “I didn’t see him again until I was asked to go on an Excelsior mission with him to the Porcupine Mountains. After we were outfitted by Angelo Michaels, we flew to Nicholai’s home to take on more supplies. From there, we flew directly to the wilderness area and walked our way into the interior in search of lost schoolboys. We passed a dragon and three patrols of angels on our way there. I don’t think we ever did get to Lake Superior. I could see it from the lookout. For your records, I have never participated in a mating spiral with Enos Ahlberg. I did participate in the first half of the spiral with Victor, Nicholai, and with Angelo Michaels. It was this practiced maneuver that turned the tide of the battle, in many people’s opinion.”

  Warrior Flock stomped a foot in agreement.

  “I do care for Enos. He has become part of my family. I see him as a brother-in-arms and part of my family. I was upset he was ordered away from our home. I do understand he is enjoying a new placement, and I hope he will be able to visit us when he next has leave.”

  “You were visibly shocked when the charges were read to you. Why was that?” Liú Bo questioned.

  “I had been warned that I would have to appear before a council in reference to my activities at the preschool. The summons I received was to testify on my behalf regarding the Big Bear Preschool rescue. I came here with the intent of explaining myself.”