WINDOWS: A BROKEN FAIRY TALE

by Bramble, Casey

  Guards stood silently along the walls in their finest military regalia, medals glittering under the light of the huge chandelier. A small group of Valentria’s most influential people stood together, many of whom Sarah recognized as customers. Felicity, Rebekah and Amanda sat in plush chairs near their mother with heads bowed. Judge Emma Lockwood and her brother, Stephen, were at a table in the center of the room. Behind them, perched imperiously upon her intricate throne, lording over all was Duchess Elspeth Chandlish. Unlike her previous visit to this chamber when everyone was laughing and joking, Sarah could feel a pall in the room that was almost physical.

  “Hey Sis!” Raven shouted, raising her shackled hands in greeting. Sarah realized the gravity of the situation they found themselves in when Bekah turned her eyes away from Raven.

  Elspeth addressed the audience, her voice deeper and more commanding than Sarah remembered. “The trial will now commence.”

  For a moment, nobody dared breathe until Judge Lockwood broke the stony silence, “Lady Branwyen Chandlish and Ms. Sarah Petty, you stand accused of betraying Valentria secrets to our enemies. How do you plead?”

  Sarah wanted to vomit. How could she be accused of betraying secrets when she didn’t know anything? There had to be some mistake; some horrible mistake that would be cleared up very soon.

  Having decided long ago that being implicated for something she didn’t do was a lot less worrisome than, say, hiding the fact she was a vassal for a demon that would kill everyone in the world for kicks, Raven grinned. “Not guilty.”

  Standing in the center of the room, Sarah felt every eye uncomfortably measuring her but noticed that Raven was remarkably nonplused. Of course, she considered, given Raven’s general attitude of ambivalence it was entirely possible she just thought this would be a fun diversion. With a great effort Sarah managed to choke out, “Not guilty, your honor.”

  Elspeth watched the two defendants with a cold, calculating stare. She knew they would declare their innocence, the guilty always did, but an admission of guilt would have been easier on everyone. This was particularly hard on Rebekah, who was sniffling. Deciding to give Branwyen and Sarah one more chance to escape the hangman’s noose, Elspeth spoke again, but with a softer voice, meant to make the prisoners feel more at ease.

  “Branwyen, Sarah,” she cajoled, “if you admit to the charges, I will guarantee leniency in the sentencing. Persist in denying the obvious and you will be dealt with in the harshest possible manner. Be warned that you were named by a Protectorate saboteur.” Elspeth paused to let her words sink in. “I ask you again; how do you plead?”

  Sarah didn’t know what to say, but Raven, who never suffered that affliction, repeated their innocence, more forcefully than last time. Elspeth nodded her head, the woman’s stoic visage impossible to read. “Very well. Lance,” Lady Chandlish motioned towards a guard who had been hidden by a pillar, “please repeat to the court what you told me yesterday.”

  The guard mumbled something unintelligible. Stephen told him to speak louder and the man cleared his throat. “Last Monday night I was in Augusta to visit my cousin, Lucy Webster, and her family. While there I went to one of the local pubs and I saw Richard DeGuire speaking with a man.”

  Judge Lockwood scribbled on a piece of paper and asked Lance to describe the woman. “He was large, but wearing a hat so I couldn’t see his face.”

  “Was there anything else? Something more detailed?” Stephen asked, his eyes narrowing with distaste as they traveled over the two girls on trial.

  “Yes sir. As I walked by, I overheard Richard say ‘Branwyen’.” Elspeth interrupted to ask if he were certain.

  “Your Grace, I am. It’s not a very common name.”

  Elspeth posed another question. “Did you happen to overhear the conversation that Richard and this man were having, Lance?”

  The guard shook under the stern gaze. “I wondered why Richard would be talking about Lady Branwyen so I stayed just close enough to hear them without being recognized. The man said, ‘The plan is in motion. Are your men ready?’”

  Lance glanced around nervously, as if about to drop a bombshell. “Then Richard said, ‘You will be rewarded for your help. Soon, Valentria will belong to the both of you.”

  Right after Lance finished, Raven demanded to know how he could hear the conversation but not see the mystery man’s face.

  Lance stammered and hastily apologized. “His face was shadowed by the hat he wore. I didn’t dare get any closer on the chance I might be recognized. I didn’t think it would be a good idea for a Valentria soldier to be caught spying on the Leader of the Protectorate.”

  Judge Lockwood wrote some more on her paper as Elspeth told Lance he could sit down. Turning her steely gaze back to the defendants, she asked where they were the night in question.

  Raven figured that telling them she had been locked in a magical cell while a mythological demon ran around controlling her body was probably not the best thing to admit, so she lied. “Liz asked us to go to a play but we were tired from working. We just went to bed. Besides, how was I supposed to be in Augusta when Liz talked to me in the store right after we closed?”

  Elspeth smiled with her lips but the eyes maintained their icy veneer. “I believe you have a familiar, do you not? A large, black dragon unless I’m mistaken.”

  “Yeah, you’ve met Bryson.” Sarah looked over at Raven, and saw what looked to be concern cloud the green eyes. Everyone else in the room seemed to have missed it.

  “A large, black dragon was seen leaving Valentria shortly after sunset that day. It was reported to have returned sometime after midnight.”

  Sarah almost blurted everything out right then. If someone had seen where Bryson landed, then treachery was the least of the charges they would be facing. She was not happy to see that Raven looked almost like she was enjoying herself again.

  “Sometimes Bryson likes to roam around. I sent him back to his world when I woke up the next morning.”

  Judge Lockwood raised her voice. “Lady Branwyen, we know for a fact you were not in your shop on Monday night.”

  “And how exactly do you know that, Your Honor?” Raven curtsied with a giggle.

  “Because I was there at 8 p.m. sharp.” Stephen snarled, half rising out of his seat.

  Elspeth stared at Sarah. ”Ms. Petty,” There was venom dripping from the words, “do you care to tell me why you failed to answer Stephen when he knocked at your door?”

  Sarah stammered, trying to think quickly. “I suppose I didn’t hear him.”

  Stephen slammed a hand down on the desk. “I was inside your apartment, Ms. Petty. You were not asleep and you were not there.”

  “Hey, why do you have a key to our apartment?” Raven acted offended and Sarah wondered why, of all things, that part was what she got upset about.

  “As a subsidiary of Chandlish International, we have full access to your premises, Branwyen. Or did you not read that in the fine print?” Elspeth could sense victory. “Now, where were you when Stephen went to find you?”

  Raven beamed, “I forgot that we went to get something to eat.”

  Not buying that explanation at all, Elspeth fired another question at Raven. “Tell me again how it was you managed to break into and rescue Sarah from a Protectorate prison.”

  “We went in uncontested. It was a trap, which Felicity told you as well.”

  Elspeth asked her eldest daughter for her version. Felicity rose slowly and when she spoke her voice cracked. Her eyes, filled with apprehension, darted between her mother and sister. “We got in with no trouble and then two guards stopped us from getting out. They said it was a trap with Sarah as bait.”

  “And how did the three of you escape?” Judge Lockwood asked.

  Felicity gave Raven a worried look before answering. “Raven cast some sort of spell. I had my eyes closed the entire time.”

  “So you didn’t see the spell Branwyen used?” Stephen demanded.

  “No. My eye
s were closed though I could hear Raven talking to someone. It sounded terrible. I… I was too afraid to look.”

  Elspeth looked intrigued by this new information. “Do you know who it was she was speaking to?”

  “No. I had my hand over my ears. I heard muffled talking but nothing distinct.”

  Elspeth told Liz to sit and turned her attention back to the co-defendants. “Do you mind telling this court which spell you used that could make another witch keep her eyes shut and who exactly you were talking to?”

  Raven was already growing bored with this charade so she decided that it would be fun to watch what happened if she told them the truth. “Necromancy.”

  She wasn’t disappointed. With a single word, the upper caste of Valentria became a seething mass of hysteria. What had been a low drone erupted into a calamitous uproar. Bellows of outrage rained down upon the accused. Books, pens, whatever was available flew towards Raven and Sarah. Men and women alike stood, furiously shaking their fist. A few tried pushing past the guards only to be rebuffed. There were shouts to forget the trial and execute Raven right then.

  To Sarah, none of it seemed real. She saw Chad Longman, a customer who had visited their store numerous times, so enraged that spittle flew from his mouth. A pocketbook just missed her head. Terrified beyond words she cringed against the onslaught.

  Raven remained frighteningly calm.

  Finally order was restored, despite a few random calls for Raven’s head. Elspeth was visibly shaken. “You dare stand inside my throne room and tell us that you used forbidden magic while breaking a direct order. You have gone to far Branwyen Chandlish. You are aware of the punishment for this crime?”

  “Death, the same one as the crime of treachery.” Raven shrugged her shoulders.

  The silence that followed was all the more ominous for the excitement a moment ago.

  After a long moment, Emma spoke. Her voice was firm and crisp. “Sarah Petty, this court finds sufficient evidence to try you for conspiracy to commit treason.” Sarah hung her head at the words, not knowing how to protest her innocence but Judge Lockwood wasn’t finished. “Lady Branwyen Chandlish, this court finds sufficient evidence to try you for conspiracy to commit treason. For the crime of using forbidden magic, this court finds you guilty. The trial is set for tomorrow at noon.”

  Rebekah screamed, the unexpected cry startling everyone. “Branwyen, how could you? Don’t we mean anything to you at all?” Rebekah collapsed, wails of sorrow turning the attention of the court to her. Raven, for once, remained silent.

  In the confusion nobody noticed Brian slipping through a side door. Once he was safely out of hearing range he pulled a small crystal from his jacket pocket and whispered into it. Almost immediately the face of Richard DeGuire appeared in the cragged gem.

  “Your plan worked even better than expected, sir.” Brian said with a smile. “Raven and Sarah are going to be tried tomorrow.”

  Richard asked in a hollow voice if Brian were certain they couldn’t escape.

  “I made sure that Raven’s shackles were a pair of her own design that negates magic power.”

  “A witch trapped by her own spells. There’s a certain poetic justice in that. Are you certain you are alright with your sister-in-law and her little friend dying?”

  “Sacrifices must be made, sir.” Brian answered, tilting his head slightly.

  “There’s no reason to be so formal Brian, after all today is a day of celebration. Now we can begin the next step in our plan to help ease the world into its new age. Keep me informed.”

  Brian Thompson smiled and once more bowed his head to the crystal before shoving it back into his jacket.

  Sarah sat alone in darkness, trying desperately to come up with some final defense for tomorrow, before they were tried. The lawyer assigned to their defense suggested, based on the amount of evidence gathered, throwing themselves on the mercy of the court. Sarah doubted if there were any mercies to be found there.

  Knowing she would need her wits tomorrow, Sarah tried to rest. Sleep, when it came, was fitful. She dozed off only to jerk moments later, certain that she heard a key in the cell door, signaling her last day. Twice now she had been imprisoned, falsely accused of a crime she couldn’t possibly have committed. This time her only hope for salvation was asleep in the cell across the hall, snoring gently.

  Not for the first time Sarah wondered if Raven was really dense or if she had no concept of fear. In the short time they’d known each other, Raven had jumped off an airship, been blown up by her sister, broke into a Protectorate prison and been stabbed at least twice by Sarah’s count. What made matters worse was that Raven’s seeming disregard for her own existence extended to everyone unlucky enough to find themselves in her general vicinity. Sarah’s life had been in danger more often than was comfortable for someone who just wanted to be a blacksmith, and it terrified her. Raven just walked head first into the monster’s lair, grinning from ear to ear. She didn’t know whether to admire the possibly insane redhead or be annoyed.

  The girl whose sanity was in question snorted and sat up, blinking stupidly in the dark. She tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes but banged her chin on the manacles around her wrist. The sharp pain woke her fully and she remembered where she was. Carefully Raven stood and searchingly ran her fingers over the stones on the left side of the room. She found it after a heart-stopping moment, a smooth surface undetectable by sight but easily noticeable when touched. Raven used the edge of her cuffs to smash the orb, trying to make as little noise as possible; she didn’t want to have to kill someone for just doing their job. After a second’s pause to make sure she wasn’t heard, she reached into the small opening, cautiously avoiding the shards of glass. Grinning in the darkness she pulled out a large metal key and quickly fit it into the shackles. There was no way these shackles could’ve kept her chained if she didn’t want to be, but it wouldn’t do to let the spy know how powerful she really was. Besides, letting everyone wonder how she had gotten a key would make things more confusing and that could help in the escape. The cuffs sprung open and Raven was free. With a small jerk of her fingers, the prison door unlocked and she stepped into the hallway.

  Immediately two guards jumped to their feet. One drew his sword and advanced on the unconcerned Raven. The other ran for a red button on the wall. Raven calmly reached out both of her hands and clenched them tightly into fist. Hands of stone grew from the floor, ensnaring the two men who struggled mightily to escape, but to no avail.

  Before the men could shout, Raven cast a quick spell to take away their voices. Now the only question was if she wanted to leave quietly, with as little destruction as possible, or have some fun.

  “Hey, Lil’bit,” Raven decided to ask someone else’s opinion, “When we escape do you want dramatic and death defying, or do you want boring and safe.”

  Sarah thought she’d heard something and walked cautiously to the door of her cell. Looking through the small window she saw Raven standing there looking like a child faced with a mountain of presents. Sarah tried to say something but her voice was still lost. Raven smacked herself on the forehead and groaned before remedying the problem.

  It took Sarah’s stunned mind a second to realize her voice was back. “Let’s get out of here quietly, please.”

  Raven’s shoulders slumped. After being stuck in that cell for hours, she really wanted to make something explode. Acting like her birthday had been forgotten, Raven opened Sarah’s cell. “Are you sure?” She pleaded, “We could make it the stuff they write poetry about.”

  Sarah shook her head as Raven turned back to the desk. She saw the redhead grab a pen and quickly jot down a note before turning to the two guards.

  “Chad, Clay, you two alright?”

  The men nodded.

  “Those rocks aren’t too tight, are they?”

  The men shook their heads.

  Raven waved good-bye and slipped into a dark hallway followed by Sarah. Twenty minutes later Elspeth
would be standing in front of the guards, fuming and reading the letter Branwyen had left behind.

  Dear Elspeth,

  Don’t be to upset with them; they tried their best. I’ll see y’all

  when this fiasco is over. Say bye to Sis for me.

  Love, Raven

  CHAPTER 22: THE ESCAPE

  Raven led them through a labyrinth of tunnels Sarah never knew existed. At one point she could hear guards through the wall they were hiding behind but that was as close as they came to being stopped. Eventually Raven slid open a small panel and the two fugitives stepped into the dark kitchen.

  “We’ll go out through the service entrance.” Raven whispered. Sarah’s didn’t answer, fear having stolen her voice more completely than Bekah’s spell. They angled around the tables, feeling their way slowly.

  Two guards had been posted at the door and turned as it opened. Raven moved fast but one cried loudly, his voice ringing in the dark. Both men were unconscious before they hit the ground. Raven looked peeved as lights flared in the castle windows. “I wanted to wait until we were further away.” She fussed, stepping over the guards, “But I think it’s best if we put a lot of distance between us and here quickly as possible.”

  Raven’s familiar, a silent mass of darkness hidden in shadows, lumbered into the yard. The morning sun peeked over the mountains as the two girls climbed onto Bryson’s back and flew away from the castle.

  “Pack some clothes in a hurry.” Raven barked briskly as Bryson landed heavily on the shop’s roof. Already sirens could be heard in the distance.

  “What about Snuffles?” Sarah asked, sliding from the dragon’s neck.

  Raven cursed. She had forgotten about the damned prairie-thumper and there wasn’t a lot of time. “Put him in his cage, we’ll take him to Beverly’s.” They rushed through the roof’s door.

  Sarah raced to find Snuffles and grab her clothes but Raven headed down to the shop. Quickly she grabbed some inscribing tools and the new sword she had Sarah make for her. Then she tore up the stairs and snatched an already packed duffle bag out of her closet.