“That’s Lorelei Jones. She owns a tiki place on a pier overlooking the river, near Pickman’s Slip. She speaks for the merfolk community.”
“I thought mermaids were fish from the waist down,” I said, waving a hand at my own lady bits.
“Only when they’re in water,” Hexe explained. “When they’re on land, they have legs. But they have to be careful not to dry out. If they’re out of water too long they start to mummify, just like a worm on a hot sidewalk. Not a pretty sight.”
As Seamus O’Fae entered the chamber the cameras in the gallery began to click and whirr. The leprechaun did not look up at the reporters, but I could tell by the satisfied smile on his face that he knew they were there. He joined his fellow GoBOO members at the table, although he had to use a booster seat to see over its top.
“Seamus represents the brownie, pixie, troll, and dwarvish communities, as well as the leprechauns. Rumor has it he’s bucking for Lash’s job.”
The final member of the GoBOO to enter the room was the mayor of Golgotham, who looked no different than he had on Hexe’s ancient television, except now I could tell that the braided ponytail looped about his neck and shoulders like a living stole was periwinkle blue. Despite his eccentrically long hair, he wore an impeccably tailored, extremely conservative dark suit.
“Why’s he dressed like a banker?” I whispered.
“Because he’s the president of Midas National, the largest bank in Golgotham,” Hexe replied. “He’s been mayor since the 1970s, and is a big promoter of tourism. The riot has been a huge black eye for his policies.”
I glanced over at the bench across the aisle and saw Captain Horn of the PTU, tricked out in his full-dress uniform. Seated next to him was a Kymeran woman, also in uniform, whose curly flame-colored hair cascaded past her shoulders. It wasn’t until she turned to speak to Horn that I recognized Lieutenant Vivi. It was the first time I’d seen her minus a riot helmet.
Tuli, a clipboard under one arm, stepped into the well before the council table and announced in a voice that echoed throughout the chamber: “Hear ye, hear ye! The special inquest by the council of the Golgotham Business Owners Organization in regard to the ‘Golgotham Riot’ is now in session. The GoBOO has appointed the right honorable Skua as its querent in the matter.”
“Bloody abdabs!” Hexe grimaced. “This might get ugly.”
“Why?” I whispered.
“Skua’s an expert projectionist, and no friend to humans, but that’s not the ugly part—”
“Silence in the chamber!” Mayor Lash barked from his perch. “That includes you, Serenity.”
“The council first calls Hexe for questioning.”
Hexe sighed and squeezed my hand before getting up and taking his place in the witness box. The GoBOO’s querent, Skua, was a slender Kymeran woman slightly younger than Lady Syra, dressed in a conservative pantsuit. Her short, asymmetrically cut powder blue hair and deep green eyes gave her an intense, hawklike appearance.
“Before we begin, I would like to thank you for appearing before the council on such short notice, Serenity,” Skua said, slightly bowing her head in ritual acknowledgment
“It is my duty as a citizen of Golgotham,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Were you at the Two-Headed Calf the night before last, during the so-called riot?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Are you willing and able to testify to what you experienced that night?”
“Yes, I am.”
Skua motioned to Tuli, who stepped forward and handed her a scrying crystal the size of a large grapefruit, wrapped in a black velvet cloth. She cradled the crystal in her joined hands and held it out toward Hexe.
“Breathe, so that the truth shall be seen,” she intoned solemnly.
Hexe leaned forward, closed his eyes, and exhaled onto the crystal, turning its surface cloudy. Instantly, images began to coalesce within the sphere, taking on life and movement. Skua turned to face the council table and raised her hands above her head, her eyes rolling back so that they showed only whites. The lights within the chamber dimmed, like those of a movie theater, as life-sized holographic projections of the images flickering about inside the scrying crystal blinked into existence in the air above her head.
I gasped in surprise to find a three-dimensional version of myself hovering six feet off the floor, drinking a tankard of barley wine. Not only was I replicated, but so was the entire interior of the Calf, right down to the smallest detail. Like the pasts I’d glimpsed in Hexe’s own collection of scrying crystals, the image was in black and white and lacked sound. I searched the phantom crowd swirling about in midair for a sign of Hexe, before realizing I was seeing everything from his point of view.
The events unfolded before the council as they had happened in real life, while the GoBOO took notes and occasionally murmured to one another. When the college student, Jared, grabbed Tullamore the leprechaun, I noticed Seamus O’Fae scowl and his face grow beet red. However, when Tullamore turned his tormentor into a pig, causing Jared to run hither and yon in terror, each and every one of the GoBOO laughed. They laughed even harder when Tullamore hopped on the transformed boy’s back and rode him out onto the street. I shifted about uncomfortably and glanced up at the gallery. None of the reporters seemed the least bit amused. As we got to the part where Oddo levitated Jared’s hapless roommate and accidentally sent him flying through the front window of the bar, I saw the mayor frown.
“Querent Skua—please halt the testimony.”
The images above Skua’s head abruptly froze, as if she’d hit the PAUSE button on a DVD player.
“Who is that juggler, Serenity?” Mayor Lash asked sharply.
“I can answer that, Your Honor,” Lieutenant Vivi said, getting to her feet. “He’s an unruly by the name of Oddo. Tends to get munted and involved in pissing contests. I’ve busted him on public magic more than once.”
“I want him arrested and charged with sorcerous assault. Is that understood?”
“Your Honor,” Hexe protested, “I can give you my word that Oddo didn’t mean to harm anyone. It was an accident.”
“Be that as it may,” the mayor replied, “it does not change the fact that a Kymeran used magic against a human of his own volition, not as a go-between. You know the laws about that. And as for it being an accident, he’ll have his own chance to testify—provided his memory isn’t blurred. You may resume the testimony, Skua.”
I wondered what Mayor Lash meant by “blurred,” until we got to the part in Hexe’s own playback where he was struck in the head. Suddenly the images fell out of focus, rendering faces fuzzy and indistinct, as if seen through a fog, and remained that way all the way up to the initial confrontation between the PTU and the NYPD, when Skal threw the fireball. In fact, the only way I could identify Skal at all was because I was there when he cast the spell.
Suddenly, without warning, Skua dropped the scrying crystal onto the floor, where it shattered into a thousand tiny fragments. “Please forgive me, Your Honor,” she said in chagrin. “I lost my grip.”
“It’s perfectly understandable during the course of such lengthy testimony,” Mayor Lash replied. “You may start again with a fresh crystal, if you like.”
“No, Your Honor. I believe we’ve seen enough from this witness,” she replied quickly. “You may stand down, Hexe.”
He exited the witness booth to a flurry of noise from the gallery as the reporters utilized the lull to hurry off and file their stories. When he resumed his seat beside me, I leaned over and asked why Skua hadn’t asked him to identify the person who threw the fireball, but all he did was shake his head.
Tuli stepped forward again and read from his clipboard: “The council calls the human known as ‘Tate’ to testify.”
As I started to stand up, Hexe leaned in close and whispered: “Just answer their questions. Don’t volunteer any further information.”
As Skua approached the witness box to question me, I caught the d
istinct odor of hemlock and wormwood. I had been living among Kymerans long enough to realize that the scents they exuded were subtle clues as to their personalities, and Skua’s was telling me that she was far more dangerous than she seemed.
“Thank you for appearing before the council today, Ms. Eresby.” Although her tone was pleasant, her smile did not extend to her eyes, which remained as cold and hard as emeralds. “Would you please state your full legal name for the record?”
“Timothea Alda Talmadge Eresby,” I replied, trying not to grimace. I really hate my given name, especially when I have to say the whole ungainly megilla out loud. It’s like being forced to unroll a particularly hideous rug foisted on you by your family.
“Are you a resident of Golgotham, Ms. Eresby?”
“Please, call me Tate.” I said with a smile.
“Are you a resident of Golgotham, Ms. Eresby?” Skua repeated sharply. So much for trying to be friendly.
“Yes, I am. I reside at Fifty Golden Hill Street. I’ve lived there for the last three months, give or take a week.”
“You are human, are you not?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Do you possess what is commonly referred to as ‘psychic powers,’ such as clairvoyance, telepathy, psychokinesis, or the like?”
“No, I do not.”
This bit of information was greeted with a murmur of surprise from not only the audience but some of the GoBOO members as well. Humans with “gifts” living in Golgotham were one thing, but a garden-variety human dwelling among them was something else altogether. I wished I could look over my shoulder at Hexe, but I didn’t dare do so.
“I see . . . ,” Skua muttered, her gaze growing even harder and colder than before. “And what is your occupation?”
“I’m an artist. I work in metal.”
“Ah.” Skua nodded her head, as if I had confirmed a suspicion. “And were you present at the Two-Headed Calf the night of the riot?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Do you recall the events that immediately followed what we have just viewed?”
“Vividly.”
“A simple yes or no will do, Ms. Eresby.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Are you willing and able to testify to what you experienced?”
“I am.”
“Very well.” Skua motioned to Tuli, who stepped forward and handed her a slightly smaller scrying crystal. She turned back to face me, holding out the crystal as if offering me a bite of a very shiny apple.
“Breathe, so that we may see the truth.”
I leaned forward and exhaled upon the crystal. Within seconds it was filled with a swirling mist upon which tiny black-and-white images flickered. As Skua raised the crystal over her head, the well of the council chamber was filled by a monochrome mob and a burning police truck.
The eerie part wasn’t seeing my memories projected like a holographic laser show, but the fact that it was absolutely silent. Angry faces contorted as Kymerans and humans alike screamed, shouted, and cursed, but not a sound was made.
Suddenly a wall of phantom smoke filled the air as the NYPD team fired its tear gas canisters into the crowd. As the smoke spread, the memory began to blur and run, like a chalk drawing on a sidewalk caught in the rain. Before it dissolved completely, however, the council was able to see Lieutenant Vivi wrap Lieutenant Trieux in ectoplasm, followed by the NYPD team turning its weaponry on the PTU.
Captain Horn quickly got to his feet. “I think we have seen enough testimony to prove to the council that the PTU is not at fault in this matter. Lieutenant Vivi’s actions were in the public good.”
“I agree, Captain,” Mayor Lash said. “You may end the testimony, Querent.”
Skua lowered the crystal and as suddenly as it appeared, the rioting mob disappeared. I was relieved that my testimony had been cut short, as something told me the sight of the next Witch King being menaced by an armed policeman, no matter how blurry, would do little to ease tensions between the City of New York and Golgotham. I vacated the witness box and returned to my seat. Hexe smiled and patted my hand.
“You did great,” he whispered.
“I’m just glad it’s over.”
“It is obvious from the testimony that the NYPD acted rashly,” Chiron said. “They placed not only Golgothamites in danger, but their own kind as well. The blame for the riot lies squarely on their shoulders.”
As the other members of the council nodded their heads and murmured in agreement, Hexe got to his feet. “I would like to say something, if I may, Your Honor.”
“Of course, Serenity,” Mayor Lash replied.
As Hexe prepared to speak, I looked past him and saw Skua sitting in a nearby pew, staring at him with open trepidation.
“While the NYPD’s actions were indeed unwise, you cannot argue they were unprovoked. Believe me—the reporters who just poured out of the gallery won’t leave that out of the articles they’re filing. Lieutenant Trieux and his men had no business being here, but that doesn’t change the fact that sorcery was used against them, in violation of the treaty. You cannot simply blame it all on the NYPD.”
“Hexe is right,” Giles Gruff said, adjusting his monocle. “The humans will not take our grievances seriously if we do nothing to address this. Tullamore changing a drunk into a pig is one thing, but hurling hellfire at New York City policemen is something else entirely. I shudder to think what would have happened if that fireball had struck one of their officers!”
“If you ask me, it’s what they deserve for breaking the treaty and coming unannounced and uninvited into our territory,” Seamus O’Fae growled. “I have it on good authority that one of the humans at the Calf is the son of a New York City alderman, who tweeted his old man when things started to heat up. The alderman called in a favor with Lieutenant Trieux’s commander, who thought ‘extricating’ a bunch of young college students to keep’em from being turned into toads and whatnot would make for a nice feather in his cap. I’d like to see ye muckrakers report that shite in yer papers!” he shouted, waving a tiny fist at the remaining journalists seated in the gallery.
“Calm down, Seamus,” Lorelei Jones said, laying a webbed hand on the leprechaun’s green-clad shoulder. “Getting angry hasn’t solved anything yet.”
“Serenity, do you know who is responsible for slinging that hellfire at the police?” Mayor Lash asked.
“I do not, Your Honor,” Hexe lied. “As you could tell from my testimony, the blow to my head made it difficult for me to focus my attention.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, the Malandanti actually served a useful purpose in our community,” Bjorn Cowpen said with a sigh. “Doesn’t matter if they’re human or not, I don’t like troublemakers in my club, and I certainly don’t like it when they’re wandering the streets. The Malandanti were a big factor in keeping the unrulies in line on Duivel Street. Now they’re starting to get out of hand. I’ve had a noticeable uptick at my joints since Boss Marz and his croggies were hustled off to the Tombs.”
“Come, now, Bjorn!” Giles Gruff said, clucking his tongue in disapproval. “You might as well praise the Nazis for keeping the trains on time, or the Witch Finders for giving free manicures.”
“Thank you, Councilman Gruff, for making that point,” Captain Horn said. “While I understand your fears, Councilman Cowpen, let’s not go overboard by romanticizing a bunch of murderous thugs.”
“Well, this seems as good a time as any to adjourn for lunch,” Mayor Lash decreed with a rap of his gavel. “The witnesses are free to leave.”
As the GoBOO council members and the other members of the audience filed out of the chamber, I could no longer restrain my curiosity. “Why did you lie to the council about Skal?” I whispered.
“The worst Oddo has to worry about for his part in the riot is a year or two in the Tombs with mittens on his hands. Tullamore will probably have to surrender his pot of gold to Jared and cobble shoes for the disadvantaged as community service. But
what Skal did violates the treaty. The GoBOO could very well take his magic from him as a peace offering to the city.”
“You mean—cut off his fingers?” The very idea made me shiver in disgust. “Do they still do that?”
“In special cases, where it’s warranted, yes,” Hexe said grimly. “They could take his entire left hand, if they wanted to. Skal is a bigoted fool, but he’s just a kid. Something like that would destroy not only him but his mother as well.”
“His mom?”
“Skua.”
“So that’s why she dropped the scrying crystal during your testimony.”
Hexe shrugged. “Whether she did so by accident or design, who can say? It is highly likely she knew nothing of her son’s involvement in the riot and only recognized him at the last moment, despite the blurriness of the image. But she did recognize him—that much I’m certain of. It would ruin her career, no question about it. I won’t be party to that, if I can avoid it. Everyone deserves at least one chance—this is Skal’s.”
Without warning, I kissed Hexe on the cheek. He blushed and rubbed the side of his face. “What was that for?” he asked with a laugh.
“For being a sweet, wonderful guy, even to people who don’t deserve it,” I replied.
As we turned to go, a feminine voice called out from behind us. “Hexe! Ms. Eresby! A word, if I may.”
It was the mermaid, Lorelei Jones, who had descended from the council table to join us. As she drew closer, I could see that her skin had the same texture as that of a dolphin and that she had gill slits on either side of her throat. I was afraid she might smell like a fish market, but was pleasantly surprised by the aroma of sea spray and kelp, with just a touch of driftwood, that accompanied her.
Hexe smiled broadly as he shook her webbed hand. “Lorelei! Good to see you again! You look as beautiful as ever.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere!” she laughed with a voice like water bubbling from a deep spring. “I just wanted to tell you thank you for bringing some common sense to today’s hearing. Between Seamus and Bjorn, there’s precious little to be found right now.”
Left Hand Magic Page 10
