I shook my head. “He would not. Though sometimes, in human courts, if such an action was out of character, or if extenuating circumstances left him without a choice, and he took responsibility for his actions, a jury of his peers might acquit him, or the judge might impose a lesser sentence. Once he completed the sentence, he would be free.”
“This is how human authorities exact justice?” the Furies asked.
I nodded. “Yes, and this would be according to God’s will. In my faith, in the Bible I believe in, it says that all people should be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except what is given by God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. For rulers and authorities, the Bible says, are God’s avengers.”
“We do not dispute your holy book,” the Furies said.
“What if I turn myself in?” I asked. “If I allow the human authorities, the avengers appointed by God, to judge my case? Since you three are also born of God, created to preserve the natural order, would you accept their judgment?”
“We would be bound to do so,” the Furies said.
“But if what you say of the elven king is true, that he has slain the giants, we also require the testimony of the surviving giant.”
“So if I do this, if I face the justice of our courts and bring Brag’mok to you, will you agree to order the fairies to disavow their support of Brightborn and the elven legions?”
“We must confer amongst ourselves regarding your proposal before we give consent to this agreement,” the Furies said.
I nodded. The three Furies turned their backs to me. If they were speaking at all, they were doing so through some kind of inaudible speech, or perhaps on a spiritual plane. Whatever they had to deliberate took longer than I expected. I stood there, tugging at my shirt, my knees shaking, for what felt like an hour or more. It may have been much shorter than that, but my nervousness and anticipation made time slow down.
Finally, they turned around, and the Fury on the left began speaking.
“I am Allecto, unceasing in anger. I do consent.”
“I am Tisiphone, avenger of murder. I too consent,” the middle Fury declared.
“I am Megara the jealous. I agree with my sisters and consent in kind,” said the third.
“So that’s it?” I asked. “I turn myself in and bring Brag’mok back to you?”
“Our agreement will expire within a single lunar cycle,” the Furies said in unison.
“One month?” I asked. “It takes a lot longer than that for human courts to decide anything, much less a murder case.”
“These are our terms, human,” the Furies said. “Should you not return, having been judged by your courts, with the giant in one lunar cycle, we will respond to your summons with wrath.”
“What kind of wrath?” I asked.
“Many of your kind will suffer if you do not succeed, Naayak. For where we stand, there is a great fault nearby. The earth will shake with a fury never before known if you fail.”
Chapter Eleven
I knew what the Furies meant—the New Madrid fault. I’d learned growing up in Missouri that a quake in the early eighteen hundreds had been so violent that it caused the Mississippi River to run backward. If the Furies unleashed the fault on a scale like they said, one that had never before been known, I couldn’t imagine how much devastation it would cause.
I stood in the stone circle in silence after the Furies disappeared. The energies illuminating the five stones faded.
Layla, Aerin, and Elrand were still standing there, outside the circle.
Layla ran up to me and put her hand on my back.
“What happened?” Aerin asked.
“The Furies agreed to his proposal,” Elrand said.
“That’s fantastic!” Layla said. “So the fairies have broken ties with my father?”
I grunted. “Not exactly. Elrand is right, though. They did agree.”
“How did you know that?” Aerin asked her father.
“Again,” Elrand said. “The entrails portended it would be so.”
“What exactly did they agree to?” Layla asked.
“I thought the whole point was to convince them to stop backing my father?”
I nodded. “They agreed with certain terms.”
“What terms, Caspar?” Layla asked.
I shook my head. “I have to turn myself in.”
“Turn yourself in? To who, for what?” Layla asked.
“To the government. I have to face their judgment for the murder of Fred.”
“You can’t!” Layla protested. “You can’t save the world from prison, Caspar! How can you fight my father if you’re in jail?”
“How can I fight him if he still has the fairies on his side?” I asked.
“We’d find a way! You can’t do this!”
Aerin put her hand on my shoulder. “But he must.”
“Why the hell must he?” Layla asked.
“Because,” I said. “If I don’t, and if I cannot come back within a single cycle, they’ll unleash an earthquake that will completely destroy St. Louis and probably half of the Midwest.”
“Those are horrible terms with dismal odds of success. Why would you agree to that?” Layla asked.
“The consequence of destruction was a given once the Furies were evoked,” Elrand said. “That Naayak has found terms to pacify the Furies’ wrath should be considered an opportunity.”
“Going to prison,” Layla said, turning her back to us and folding her arms across her chest. “What a fantastic opportunity.”
“We don’t know that I’ll be convicted,” I said. “Two of the three Furies already agreed with my position. It was only the one who has some hang-up about murder who insisted my guilt be properly adjudicated and my sentence satisfied before she would grant her consent to the idea I proposed.”
“That’s two out of three!” Layla shouted. “Why does this one Fury have a say over the others?”
I shook my head. “They aren’t a democracy. They only agree to anything by unanimous consent.”
“Well, that’s a shitty way to do things,” Layla said. “Can you imagine if your government required unanimous decisions?”
I shrugged. “Juries have to convict criminals unanimously. If even one can be convinced that I should be acquitted, we’ll be fine.”
“And the chances of that happening in one cycle of the moon?” Layla asked. “I’ve seen how your government works. It’s like the whole damn country is run by a bunch of sloths and snails.”
I snorted. “Donkeys and elephants, actually.”
“Not much better. You’re saying it’s run by jackasses and giant beasts who look big and strong but get easily frightened and end up trampling over everything.”
I shrugged. “Interesting political commentary, actually. Technically speaking, our constitution grants the accused the right to a speedy trial.”
“But one lunar cycle, Caspar?” Layla turned back toward me, her hands on her hips. “Not that speedy.”
“Perhaps we should stick to the original idea,” Aerin said. “Create a swell of public support. Do something amazing. Use your magic in a way that people can’t deny. Then, turn yourself in and dare the government to convict you.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“But your government also grants the accused the right to an impartial jury, does it not?” Aerin asked. “What if you do something so great, so amazing, that there isn’t a single person who could be found who’d be impartial?”
“I need an acquittal or a conviction with a sentence that I can serve by the time the month is over. The latter isn’t likely at all, no matter what. There isn’t any sentence for a convicted murderer that can be satisfied in a month. We need to get a good lawyer. We need to find and produce such compelling evidence that they’ll legitimately find a reason to acquit me of the crime. Which won’t be easy, considering I am guilty.”
“No, you aren’t, Caspar,�
� Layla said, shaking her head.
“Layla, I didn’t just agree to do it. I was the murder weapon. Literally. You can’t say I’m not guilty.”
“Guilt is about more than who did it, Caspar. It’s about who is responsible. The only reason you had to kill Fred was to take back a power that was yours by right, one he’d used already against me. He nearly killed me, and even then, he only did it because he was brainwashed by my father. Both Fred himself, and my father, were more responsible for Fred’s death than you.”
“Somehow, we’d have to convince a jury of that,” I said. “Which will be even harder since the second we start talking about magic powers and elves—”
“Again,” Aerin interjected. “If we bring everything out into the open and you do something to prove who you are and what you can do. Make it so public, so undeniable, that any jury will have no choice but to consider the mystical elements of the case.”
“It’s still not going to happen in a month,” Layla said, shaking her head.
“It might,” I said. “Once I start rallying the public’s support, it’ll piss off the President. I can offer to turn myself in on the condition that my trial is expedited.”
“But still, even if that’s possible, to complete it in one lunar cycle,” Layla said.
“If the President wants me to turn myself in, if he wants to silence me, he’ll have to agree to pull whatever strings he can to make it happen.”
“Naayak will be successful,” Elrand said.
Layla rolled her eyes. “Opossum intestines tell you that?”
Elrand shook his head. “I’ve seen nothing in the entrails concerning this matter beyond the invocation of the Furies. Their actions and decisions cannot be foretold. But I do believe in the prophecy. I am surprised, Princess, that it is you who lacks belief.”
“I believe in the prophecy,” Layla said. “I believe in Caspar. I just don’t trust human governments.”
“It is a foolish man,” Elrand said, “who puts his faith in princes or presidents. But how can you have faith in the ends while doubting the means? If you believe that Naayak will indeed fulfill the prophecy once all the seals are revealed, why such trepidation now?”
Layla shook her head. “Like I said before, I just don’t trust this world’s governments.”
“Do you imagine that these governments are so powerful that they might thwart an ancient prophecy?” Elrand asked.
“Of course not!” Layla said.
“Then have faith, Princess,” Elrand said.
“I have faith,” Aerin interjected with a single nod. “I believe this will work. I know it will.”
Layla narrowed her eyes. If her new celestial powers had allowed her to shoot lasers out of her eyes, she would have destroyed Aerin in that moment.
Thankfully for all of us, Layla didn’t have that ability.
Chapter Twelve
It was certainly an odd way to meet Aerin’s father. But it was better than the first time Layla introduced me to hers. At least Aerin’s dad approved of me. Sure, he was an exiled drow, not an otherworldly elven king. Earning his approval, I suppose, was a relatively low bar to clear. It wasn’t like Aerin and I were a real couple. I suppose it would be more numerically accurate to say that our trio was something of an illusion. Layla and I were the ones who were together. Aerin had joined us as a formality, even if she did have feelings for me on account of the rings that bound us.
I didn’t tell Layla that Aerin had a desire to jump my bones. Nothing good would come of that. Aerin had confided in me, and in the end, it was just a side-effect of the rings that bound us together. But the way Aerin went out of her way to touch me… When she’d caressed my hair in the car or when she put her hand on my arm or on my side. Given what it did to her, I had to wonder how hard she was resisting her desires.
The last thing I needed on my hands at the moment was relationship drama. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the notion of two insanely hot elves competing for my affections wasn’t flattering. It was good for my ego. Even if it was just on account of those damned rings and not because, as Right Said Fred once put it so eloquently, I’m too sexy.
“We need to figure out a plan,” Aerin said, sliding into the passenger seat.
Layla sighed and rolled her eyes. It was her turn to sit in the back, now that I was fit to drive. I looked at Layla in the rearview mirror. She pursed her lips and turned her eyes away.
I shook my head. Why was she acting like this? What choice did I really have with the Furies? I had to offer something. All things considered, it wasn’t the worst thing I could have offered. I couldn’t think of any other way to convince Tisiphone, “avenger of murder,” to change her vote. Would Layla have preferred I let the Furies unleash an earthquake on the city without trying to appease them?
I fixed my eyes forward. Aerin was right. We needed a plan. I’d talk to Layla about it later. She clearly wasn’t in the mood to express her feelings at the moment, and if she did, she wouldn’t be honest about what she felt. Not in front of Aerin.
“Thinking of another healing service?” I asked.
Aerin shook her head. “If we do that, people will know where you’re at. Not just the elves. The government would probably show up at St. Ensley’s to stop you.”
I gripped the steering wheel. “I think I still have clergy credentials at all the local hospitals.”
“Clergy credentials?” Aerin asked.
I shrugged. “For some hospitals, you have to be approved and added to a list. For others, if you just sign your name on a sheet and say you’re a minister, they’ll let you in to visit patients. Pretty incredible. If I’m wearing a clerical collar, I can pretty much go anywhere I want in a hospital, and no one will think twice about it.”
Aerin cocked her head. “That doesn’t sound safe.”
I nodded. “I’ve often wondered that, too. I mean, anyone can pick up a clergy shirt at the local clerical supply.”
“That’s a thing?” Aerin asked. “I mean, I’ve heard of military supply stores.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, there are a couple places in town. There’s a Catholic Supply store on Chippewa and a Lutheran one at their publishing house on Jefferson.”
“So pretty much anyone can just walk into one of those places and buy a collar?” Aerin asked.
I nodded. “Well, Jag bought ordination credentials from the internet. So, yeah. Come to think of it, you can buy clergy shirts and pretty much anything you’d want if you’d like to dress up a like real-life minister online.”
“And if you’re wearing one of those shirts, you can just walk in and go wherever you want in a hospital?” Aerin asked.
I nodded. “Most people can go just about anywhere in a hospital, even without a clergy shirt. But with the collar, hell, I’ve walked right into the ICU, and no one has questioned me. I can get into the mental health ward fairly easily. They don’t even frisk me like they might some of the other visitors. I’ve walked right into the maternity ward, to the nursery and everything, at a few of the hospitals, and no one even asked me my name.”
“That’s frightening as hell!” Aerin protested.
I nodded. “I agree. Most of the hospitals will at least check your identification if you are going onto a floor where there are children. But when you’re wearing that shirt and collar, it’s not hard to get through. Show them a driver’s license, and combined with the collar, you can get in pretty much anywhere. It’s not totally insecure. They do have security cameras everywhere.”
“Still,” Aerin said. “I’m just surprised wearing a collar like that gets you such a pass.”
I chuckled, reached into my pocket, and pulled out my driver’s license.
“You wore that collar for your driver’s license photo?” Aerin asked.
I nodded. “I think that’s the last time I wore it. I hate those shirts. But I’ve gotten out of several speeding tickets because of it.”
Aerin laughed out loud. “Seriously?”
“So lame!” Aerin protested, laughing.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m always, like, ‘bless you, my child,’ as the officer smiles at me before walking back to his car.”
“So, what are you thinking?” Aerin asked. “Just go from hospital to hospital and heal people?”
I shrugged. “Why not? They won’t know where I’m coming from. By the time people hear about it happening and the doctors confirm the healings, I’ll be on to the next one.”
“Still risky,” Layla piped up, breaking her silence. “The fairies will still sense it if you do magic. You’ll have to move from place to place pretty quickly. Keep them chasing your tail.”
“Good point,” I said. “I’d say I’d fly from place to place, but we need someone filming this stuff and broadcasting it.”
“You flew with me before,” Aerin said. “When we escaped the forest.”
“Like Superman and Lois-fucking-Lane,” Layla quipped.
I raised my eyebrow as I glanced in the mirror. “First, I don’t think that’s Lois’ middle name. Second, It’s not like we’d be taking a romantic trip across Metropolis, Layla. What’s the problem? Did you stick a corn cob up your—”
“Stop talking, Caspar,” Layla said. “I didn’t do anything of the sort, and you know it.”
“You’re welcome to fly with him instead,” Aerin said. “If you’d prefer?”
“Ideally,” I said. “Someone would take the Eclipse. Not that I’m thrilled about allowing someone else to drive my car. But you know, desperate times and whatnot. It would be helpful if someone would go ahead to the next hospital and find someone who needs to be healed. We can give whoever is doing that one of my clergy shirts. Text me a room number and a name, then go to the next. I’ll fly with one of you, and you can live-stream the healing. Hopefully, if we get our timing down, whoever is scouting the next hospital will have a good name and room number elsewhere waiting for us by the time we finish.”
Junkyard Dogma (The Elven Prophecy Book 4) Page 7
