Li followed Grady out of the basement and out of the house into the light. It was mid morning and Li blinked his eyes against the brightness of the Spring sun. He looked around. The square was full as he had expected. He scanned the faces and found the two that mattered. Zen was standing grim faced beside Shauna who was stroking his arm consolingly. They both looked pale. It looked like they had not slept much either last night.

Grady led him to the plinth that was used for judgements. Li could only remember four times in his life that Grady had sat in that chair. The enormity of what had happened and what was to come swept over him again. His head started buzz and a sense of unreality surrounded him. It felt like everything was happening to someone else and that he was just a witness to it all. Li spied the Sidhe who had been helping him ina swirl of dust at the edge of the crowd and wondered If this was what it felt to be like that sprite. Present but unaffected. There but not a part of his surroundings.

Grady called for attention and Li's eyes swept back to him.

“Can the victim step forward.” His voice was deep and resonant. The voice of the Brehon. There would be justice here today. There might even be mercy. But all trace of his normal jovial self was gone. When Grady spoke like this all listened and all obeyed.

There was shuffle from the crowd and Simon and his father pushed through. The crowd milled around bend them. The O’Keeffes were not well liked but clearly Li was in the wrong here. So while the crowds did not line up behind the two it certainly did not spurn them.

“Name you accusation and your price.” Grady Spike the traditional words. It was up to Simon and his father to show how they had been wronged and then claim the appropriate punishment.

“This boy consorts with the Dark Court.” Said Simon’s father. “He did wreck fire upon his own brother’s workshop just two days past. And when my lad did try to thwart him from more wrongdoing he set upon him and rip’d the eye from his head.” Simmons Father pushed his son around so everyone could see the blood stained bandage that wrapped half his head. Another supported his arms and he walked hunched over, the bandages around hsi ribs showing clearly under his shirt.

Simon found he could not look at the boy. His revulsion over what he had done was to great. He felt tears in his eyes and strove to keep them from falling. He could not cry in front of the whole village.

“This attack was unprovoked and stems from the evil in the child and of all his family” continued Simon. Mutters and jeers rose up from the crowd but a grim look from Grady silenced them. “We demand the blood price for the loss of an eye. Twelve hides of land and ten head of cattle. Such is the law and such we will get. That or the child will admit that he and his family have been led astray by the evil of the wild court. If they renounce the help of the sidhe and never more seek their aid, if they renounce the heresies of their parents then we will be at peace.”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

A shocked silence descended on the crowd. The blood price was an ancient tradition that was joked about but never used in these times. Something from the stories, not for the everyday. And yet it had been spoken. Spoken in front of the Brehon. And it was the traditional law of the land. Li turned to stare at Grady and his stomach dropped as he saw the man sitting with eyes closed and fists clenched, frustration etched deep in his face.

A moment or two passed and then Grady turned to Li. “And what do you say boy. What could have caused you to do such a thing. To blind a boy. Surely some malign force caused it. Say it clear boy, some spirit took you”.

Li stared at Grady. He knew the man didn't believe any spirit had had a hand in this. He knew that Simon had tormented Li for years. Simon might not have deserved what happened but he had been the one to spark the tinder on this fire. And yet Grady was all but commanding Simon to say it was the spirits. Forcing his bother to stop using the spirits help would be like lopping of his arm. His craft, his life, his passion would be horribly maimed. How could Li do that? Worse yet how could he spit on the memories of his parents by saying such a thing.

“No. No it wasn't, Brehon. This boy has made my life a hell for years. I regret he lost his eye but there was justice there too. It was Simon who burnt my brother’s shop. Simon who laughed about it afterwards and Simon who started the fight. I'm sorry he was hurt adn I went to far but this came from his actions.”

Grady closed his eyes, his face greying. “No Li. It is I who am sorry. Simon was with me the whole of the day of the fire. There is no way he could have caused it. No. Now admit it as the spirits so we can out this behind us all. Please, lad.”

“No. I wont dishonour my parent’s memory”.

Grady nodded once, twice and then stiffly got to his feet. “Then here the ruling of the Brehon. A blood price has been sought and no defence has been given.” Grady shot a look at Zen who was staring blank eyed back. “The family having no way to pay such a price the boy Li will be considered banished. He will have two hours to gather what items he may and leave this place, never to return unless he may pay the debt against him.

A shocked gasp rippled throughout the crowd but Simon’s father pushed forward. “No. No. No I say. That is not the law. I will have my price or I will have his head”

“Be quiet you old fool” said Grady and he stood tall, every inch the law in this place. “I have made my ruling.”

Simon’s father sucked in a breath and then moved back into the cored, Simon trailing behind him. The cored opened wide to let them pass and Li exchanged one brief look with Simon. He seemed less somehow. Smaller. And he cringed away from what he saw in Li’s eyes, skittering along after his father.

Grady looked over at Zen. “Take him and go. Josh and his family will no doubt be checking to see he is gone. Make sure that he is.” He turned to look back at Li and seemed abut to say something but then sighed and and stumped back to his home.

Loud conversation broke out amongst the crowd as the Brehon left. Li could feel many eyes on him. But he felt himself disengaging from his surroundings once again. This could not be real, this could not have happened. He would have to leave. He would have to turn his aback on everything. He would miss the wedding. He would have to leave his brother. How could he live alone? He had always wanted to travel. To see far away places. But that had been something for the future. Some far away time. Not now. And not forever. He felt Zen’s arm enfold him.

“Come on Li. We haven't got much time”