The past four months had dragged on, but not anymore. Now that they had a light at the end of the tunnel, the remaining time slipped away in the blink of an eye. The meeting with Pierce had been brief, and mostly consisted of Wil answering questions again. Questions they’d no doubt ask during the tribunal itself.
That night, he thought he’d be unable to sleep, but he closed his eyes and after what felt like five minutes, he was woken for the day. Wil dressed in the best suit the closet had and grabbed breakfast. He spent some time with Isom, feeding him before their time in court. To his surprise, the wampus cat’s testimony would be heard as well.
“Do not threaten anyone,” said Wil. “Not even the joking threats that make people laugh. They will hurt us both.”
Isom was too focused on his food to answer, but he got the impression of impatience and annoyance through their mental link. It was always closest when they were together, but Wil preferred to speak.
“I’m serious. Answer their questions, and make sure that everyone knows Mage Jefferson was out of control and how he violated your person and nearly killed you.”
That got Isom’s attention. After that, he listened closely, and then breakfast was over and Chinis drove them over to the Cloverton Grand Court.
“This is it, huh?” Chinis asked. He didn’t seem too fussed about being stuck in Cloverton for months. “Gonna miss that easy pay and seeing what you’ve been working on. If they decide to give you the ax, can I have your Thunderhawk?”
The ensuing good-natured bickering helped distract him, until they pulled up to the courthouse steps. Chinis stopped the car, and looked at Isom in the backseat. “Good luck, McKenzie. I’d be real sad if they punished you.”
“Me too, man.”
Isom kept close to Wil as they climbed the steps. The small crowd waiting parted for them. Largely, Wil believed, because of the wampus cat’s near permanent toothy sneer. Things were fine until they made it to security.
“Any weapons or…What the hell is that?” The security guard looked at Isom with horror. “Why isn’t it on a leash?”
“Try and leash me,” said Isom, before Wil nudged him. “Ahem. I mean, I am here to testify in court.”
The guards looked at each other. “I gotta check on this,” he said. “In the meantime, any weapons, magical instruments, narcotics, any contraband you shouldn’t have?”
Five minutes later they were through and Pierce led them through wide, open halls to an office just off their courtroom. Between the dim lighting, the brownish colors, and the magic repression field, Wil was claustrophobic and anxious before they’d even begun. Pierce poured him a glass of water.
“Relax. The more nervous you look, the worse it’s going to be,” the old man said, sitting behind the desk. He went through his briefcase and brought out his notes. “Keep your answers as short as possible and don’t let anyone bait you. Answer, do your best to sound dumb but helpful, and do not be baited.”
“Okay,” said Wil. “I can do that.”
“Can he?” Pierce pointed at Isom.
Isom sat up straight. His mouth twitched, but he said nothing. Wil projected gratitude at him for the effort.
“I guess it’ll have to do,” said Pierce, rubbing his temples. “But there’s one more thing.”
Wil didn’t need to hear that. “What?” he asked, more ready to panic than he would’ve liked.
“The president is here and will be watching over the proceedings.” Pierce pursed his lips. “That means that the tribunal might be a little more…heated, than we were expecting.”
“Can he affect the proceedings at all?” Wil asked, alarmed. After that one night drinking and chatting, Bullworth had all but told Wil that he’d crack sooner or later and give them what they wanted. Would he make things worse on Wil?
“Officially? No. Unofficially? He has allies and enemies on the board. I don’t know what game he’s playing, but if he looks like he’s supporting you, it’ll divide people. Either way, you’ll have to convince at least 4 people to vote in your favor.”
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A knock at the door made Wil’s heart jump. A head peeked in long enough to say, “They’re ready for you now.”
“Well,” said Pierce. “Are you ready?”
“Nope.” Wil downed the rest of the water and stood. “But what choice do I have?”
The first thing Wil noticed was how incredibly full the courtroom was. The head table had seven people who would judge his actions and make a ruling on him. Since he was a wizard, two grandmasters and two mages sat in judgment. He recognized Jim Rance by sight, but the other three he knew by name alone. Rance, at least, wasn’t one known for his bloodthirst.
Representing the non-magical side of things were General Haken of the Calipan army, Minister of Foreign Affairs Allan Fengar, and Speaker of Congress, Katherine Keene. They sat in an alternating pattern, with the wizards spread out and Keene sitting in the middle. She’d be the one running the show.
Wil, Isom, and Pierce passed by a very full audience. Most were unfamiliar, but he recognized a few faces. Thomas had come to support him, and gave Wil a quick wave before he went past the wooden gate. Isom sat upright on the floor beside him, sniffing the room and occasionally wincing at the psychic noise. Wil put a hand on the back of his neck to reassure him.
“Wilbur McKenzie?” Keene asked. At his nod, she motioned for him to sit. “You are here today on suspicion of treason, murder, and gross negligence. Over the past several months, our investigators have been hard at work sifting through hundreds of accounts of eyewitnesses. Today we’ll take your statement, and from there the final answer of what happened in Harper Valley. Do you or your defense have any preliminary statements before we begin?”
Pierce stood up. Despite being old and reserved, his voice carried well in the courtroom. “Over the course of today, you will discover that my client, master wizard Wilbur McKenzie, is innocent of these spurious claims. Wil’s actions are those of a hero. Someone who wants the best for everyone, who acts first when lives are on the line.”
“Yes,” said Minister Fengar, “let’s start with that. When you made your ill-advised trip to Faerie, did you not discover that the hostages were in no danger?”
“Sort of,” said Wil. “It’s a little more compl -- “
“Yes or no, Master McKenzie.”
It was then Wil knew exactly how this was going to go, and he wanted to be anywhere but in that courtroom. He took a deep breath and said, “Yes, they were safe.”
General Haken spoke next. “So you were lured to Faerie under false pretenses?”
Wil opened his mouth to explain, then said, “No.”
“Care to elaborate?” Keene’s gaze bore holes in him. She wore a cold smile, like she was enjoying watching him squirm.
“As far as we knew, they had been taken and were in danger. It was only later we found out it was part of an information gathering mission to determine whether or not to open diplomatic ties with us. To try again for peace after years of war.” Wil reached for water and took a sip. That felt like a decent enough answer.
“Even though half of the captured people were children? Does that strike you as the actions of someone who wants peace?” General Hakon scoffed, and a murmur went through the courtroom.
“It strikes me as the actions of a people who look human but aren’t,” said Wil as evenly as possible. “They often look like us, but they’re not us. They asked questions and kept them in better quarters than they had in Harper Valley, with food and entertainment on demand. I don’t agree with what they did, but I try to understand it and them. That’s a hallmark of diplomacy, isn’t it?”
Minister Fengar sneered. “Are you calling yourself a diplomat, Master McKenzie? With what experience?” Again, a ripple went through the audience. The Minister in particular seemed to be against him.
“Well,” said Wil, heat flooding his cheeks. “I did just negotiate a trade deal with our former enemies. Does that not qualify as experience?”
“Master McKenzie,” Speaker Keene warned.
Pierce put his hand on Wil’s shoulder. “Apologies, Madame Speaker, but I do believe my client’s question warrants due consideration. I believe the record shows that out of the four dozen fae we’ve interviewed over the course of this investigation, they all speak overwhelmingly in favor of Master McKenzie.”
“Why should we care when our enemies praise us?” General Hakon demanded.
Jim Rance cleared his throat. So far, the magical side of things had remained quiet. Now the rest of the tribunal looked his way.
“As an expert on the subject,” he said, “I can safely say it matters a lot. Out of all of the magical beings in the world, the fae were the ones Calipan and others have hurt the most. Through demons and devils we’ve had numerous deals, good and bad, and maintain a tentatively decent relationship with. Elementals are simple and alien, and don’t seem to resent when they are called upon to serve for a time.
“But the fae are the only non-human people we’ve encountered who are like us, for better or worse. We wiped them out, or so we thought. For them to be willing to consider peace and to praise a human is unusual, and does merit consideration.”
Wil nodded his way out of respect and gratitude.
“However,” Rance continued, “we can’t ignore the collateral damage. I would like to start a little closer to the beginning. I want you to tell us about the storm dragon and the leyline you altered.”
Of course. Of course that’s how it was going to be. No wonder the president was watching. Wil took a deep breath and dried to not let it affect him. They weren’t going to give him much choice, but he could still make them work for it.
“Of course, Grandmaster Rance,” Wil said respectfully. “As my previous testimonies have covered, a cursed dragon went across the country, bringing with it a terrible storm. When it arrived at Harper Valley, I…”
He’d told the story so many times now. What harm would it be to perform it one more time in front of the tribunal and the assembled audience. Maybe if he could win in the court of public opinion.