For the rest of his time in Cloverton, Wil would wonder how the hell he had managed to gather up the courage to perform. When they returned to the courtroom, the tribunal waited for him with harsh, unreadable faces. Knowing hours more of this awaited him hurt, made worse when they spoke.
“Kind of you to join us, Master McKenzie,” said Speaker Keene. “Are you ready to continue or do you perhaps need a few more minutes?”
Pierce forced a laugh and said, “Unnecessary, Madame Speaker. We’re ready.” He motioned for Wil to sit down, but he remained standing.
“I would like to make a statement,” Wil said, the words sounding as if they came from another person. “You’ve asked a lot of questions, but not once have I gotten a chance to speak for myself.”
“If you don’t care for how we do things,” said General Haken, “then you’re free to file a complaint after. Otherwise, sit down.”
“Actually,” Jim Rance said, clearing his throat. “I for one would love to hear what Master McKenzie has to say for himself.” He made eye contact with Wil and nodded. He knew, or at least suspected, what was coming. His sly smile said it all.
“We’ll finish the hearing with it,” said Minister Fengar, waving the wizard off.
“Or we can put it to a vote,” said Rance. “All in favor of letting Master McKenzie speak?” He raised his hand and so did the other wizards on the tribunal.
The glare Keene sent their way made Wil want to turn tail and run, but Jim Rance smiled and bowed his head mockingly. Keene sighed. “You have the floor, Master McKenzie.”
“Thank you,” he said, throat suddenly dry. He gave in to his instinct and guzzled water first, to the muffled laughter of some of the audience. Pierce looked either irritated or disappointed in him, but Wil couldn’t blame him. He cleared his throat and began.
“Over the past few hours, you’ve picked apart every decision I’ve made, and questioned who I am. I get it, that’s your job, and you need to find the truth. But the truth is, this entire hearing is a sham.”
Oh gods, he was committed. A gasp ran through the room, and Speaker Keene’s face twisted into restrained rage. He pushed forward before she could say something.
“There has been months now, months, of investigating and picking apart every single second of my story, and it always comes back to the same points. I went off to another world without telling anyone. I invited the fae to Harper Valley. I killed Mage Hugo Jefferson when he went rogue. And I brokered the peace this country is currently enjoying. Worst of all, I am withholding information.
“Out of those charges, the only one that has legs is my decision to go to Faerie in the first place and make a deal I wasn’t authorized to make. If you want to punish me for those decisions, there’s nothing I can do to stop you. But for you to act like saving lives is wrong is something I will never accept.”
“Master McKenzie,” Minister Fengar started, but Wil spoke louder.
“It was never about me saving lives, or doing things without permission. It all comes back down to the information I haven’t shared. This entire sham of a hearing is to pressure me and make me desperate for whatever deal you offer me.”
More than anything, Wil wished he could turn around and get some support from Thomas, but his eyes darted to each of the seven members of the tribunal. Unsurprisingly, half of them were pissed. Jim Rance and a couple of his people, however, looked intrigued. Rance himself had his hands folded together, with his chin resting on them.
“That’s enough,” said Keene. “You’ve spoken for yourself, and --” Her lips continued to move, but no sound came out. Wil blinked. That hadn’t been him.
“Thank you, Katherine,” said Rance. “Your dedication to law, order, and the truth is exemplary, but I think it’s time to hear this young man out. If I’m not mistaken, he has yet to make his point.”
“Jim, you can’t be serious,” General Haken growled.
“I am. We could put it to another vote if you’d like.” He smiled innocently. Haken looked away, hate on his face. “No? Then please, Master McKenzie, continue. I for one am fascinated at this angle of self defense you’ve chosen. Tread carefully.”
That was it. He was right. Thomas had been right. This was a sham. Which meant that this was Wil’s chance to present an offer of his own. He swallowed hard. He looked to Pierce, who shook his head. The meaning was clear: you’re on your own, kid.
“Over the course of the last year, I became the second person to alter a leyline. The first died horribly as the land he was on exploded, leaving nothing behind but his shoes and hat. Which makes me the first person to successfully do it. It ripped, and is even now pouring magic wildly into the area, changing the landscape and wildlife, and making magic in the area more potent.
“I believe that it can be done better than that. I believe I know how to replicate it and improve on it. But I’m not just going to give out this knowledge for free, nor will I be pushed around or bullied.”
You tell them! Isom’s tail lashed behind him as he watched the proceedings. They’re as interested as they are angry.
“If leylines can be torn, they can be changed. If they can be changed, they can be harnessed. And if we do, then we’ll leave Illianto and Albetosia in the dust, magically.”
“That’s a lot of ifs, McKenzie,” said Rance. “What is it you’re offering?”
“I’m offering to do the legwork,” Wil said, pausing to take a breath. “I’ll find out how it works, and when I know it can be replicated, I’ll share what I learn. In return I get the patent for it, funding for my research, and an assistant to help as well. In return, we stop pretending I’m on trial for anything other than theater. You will have your world changing discovery, and I will get the credit. Most importantly, you people leave me alone.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Speaker Keene looked over at Jim, who stroked his short beard thoughtfully. He smirked, and apparently that was answer enough. The Speaker sighed and said, “Your manners and respect aside, you’ve given us something to deliberate over. We’ll return in an hour.”
Back in Pierce’s temporary office, the old man read Wil the riot act. “You fool! What were you thinking, challenging them like that? You could be held in contempt, or have them use this as an excuse to punish you!”
Wil backed up, shocked but not surprised by the anger. He held up his hands. “Isom told me -- “
“Oh, the telepathic cat who shouldn’t be allowed in this court told you.” Pierce pinched the bridge of his nose. “I worked on this case for months to try to help you. And now you threw it away for what?”
Isom growled. Pierce held still, but Wil waved the cat off. “I didn’t throw anything away. I meant everything I said. This is a sham, and it was done to pressure me. How many people from Harper Valley did they interview? How many fae?”
“Dozens of each,” Pierce answered, looking down. “They have the full story, and are checking yours for holes.”
“Yeah, right. Thank you for all your effort, Mr. Pierce,” said Wil, heart thudding heavily in his chest. “But I think this is the only way out.”
Pierce frowned, collected his things, and headed for the door. “I’ll be back to escort you back when they return, but other than that…I hope you know what you’re doing, son. Your life's on the line.” He left, only to be replaced by Thomas again.
“That was…incredible!” He went up to Wil and pulled him into a one armed hug with a lot of backslapping. “Did you see the looks on their faces? They did not like being called out like that. I think you made your point well and didn’t rub their noses in it too much. Well done, Wil!”
“Pierce didn’t seem to think so,” Wil chuckled.
Isom growled, “He wasn’t on your side. His thoughts betrayed him at the end. It wasn’t supposed to go this way. He was herding you, leading you to the kill.”
Wil grimaced. That was the last thing he needed to hear, but it was out of Pierce’s hands. It was out of his hands too. He had to hope his offer would be accepted. “Man, I could use a drink and a meal.”
“When they accept your deal and exonerate you, dinner’s on me,” said Thomas. “It’s the least I can do for the wizard I like, admire, and want to help out. Maybe not as an assistant. I prefer the term partner, but details can wait.”
Wil laughed and collapsed into the closest seat. He let out a fluttering breath and forced himself to relax. “You heard that and want the position, huh? I can’t promise anything. I’ve never been involved in this kind of in depth research before, though of course I was trained in it. Whoever ends up as my assistant is likely going to be responsible for a lot of record keeping while I do the fun stuff.”
Was it bad that his original thought had been Bram? Gods, if they took his deal, he could go home and conduct his research there. He could examine that broken leyline more closely and dedicate himself to unraveling its secrets. And Darlene…His heart ached. She must’ve hated him by now, being stuck in Cloverton this long with no way to get word to her. Wil would enjoy every second of making it up to her, if she’d let him.
“Funny enough, that’s my specialty,” said Thomas, undeterred. “I find things out and write them down for the benefit of the team. C’mon Wil, you can’t seriously be thinking you’d go without me. Not after the last few months!”
Isom did his obnoxious, growling laughter and looked at Wil but didn’t say anything, not even mentally. For the first time since that night Isom had called Thomas a predator, Wil gave real consideration to the words. Was it possible he was just playing the long game this entire time? That would take way too much dedication.
“Hey, I asked a few times but I never got an answer,” said Wil. “Why were you at Marlowe Manor for that long? You left for a few weeks here and there, but you were there almost the entire time.”
Thomas laughed, looking down. “You caught me. I lingered there, befriending you so I can be a part of this grand discovery. Well caught, McKenzie. Is that a deal breaker?”
“Be honest,” said Wil.
The divination wizard rolled his eyes and took the other seat. “I am. I’ve made no bones about the fact that I want in on this, and I had some spare time. But it wasn’t only out of selfishness. You were stuck here, and you needed a friend. And to be honest? I needed a break from Ferrovani. I’ve been doing research for him while here, but I want more than he’s willing to give. There’s no getting in the way of genius. I’ll only ever be an assistant with him. I’d rather be a partner.”
Wil took some time to think about it. Thomas was right, he’d been open about his interest from the start. And over the course of a third of a year, they’d spent a lot of time together. Before Wil had started talking to other wizards at the Manor, Thomas had been the only one to give him the time of day. It couldn’t have just been a long con.
“The thing is, I’m going to be playing this as close to the chest as I can,” said Wil. “I want to accept your help, and I probably will. But like you said, it has to be on my terms. I need to make sure that I’m in control of my project, and of whatever information I give them.”
Thomas nodded along. “Very true. I respect that, and I will leave you with one last argument in my favor, if I may.”
“You may.”
He smiled, and spread his hands. “I have experience. I know what goes into starting a project like this, managing the funding, and requisitioning the supplies you need for it. Not only that, but once you successfully replicate or improve upon your original blunder, what are you going to do with it?”
Wil fell silent. Those were all salient points, and he liked Thomas, but his gut told him to be careful. “We’ll see how it goes,” said Wil. “I’ll definitely take any help you give me, but I’ve got a really great group waiting at home for me. I think you’d be a great addition to our team, if you’re willing to join on my terms.”
Thomas clapped his hands together and bowed his head in acknowledgement. “Perfectly understood. I want to discover new things, lend my expertise, and be able to put my name on it along with others. In the meantime, want to play cards?”
The hour turned into two before they were called back in. The three non-magical judges looked like they’d tasted something terrible. Wil tried not to look too excited as he joined Pierce back at the table.
Speaker Keene cleared her throat. “After much deliberation, this council has decided to accept your offer. In order to prove you’re neither a reckless child or a willing agent of the fae, you will show us proof that your story is correct by replicating it. To that end, you will receive funding, manpower, and access to any materials you need, shipped in from Manifee City.”
Wil grinned and looked back to Thomas.
“However,” Keene’s icy voice made every hair stand on end. “There is a condition to this offer. You will provide regular reports back to Cloverton, and you have three months to accomplish this. If you succeed, we’ll consider your research as time served for your policy violations, insubordination, and questionable decisions. If you fail, someone will take over and you’ll be right back here.”
Three months. That was hardly any time at all, when it came to major experiments. It took him nearly all four months to perfect the Thunderhawk, and that was under Thomas’ guidance. In that time he’d learned almost as much as he had during his time at the academy, and this was new territory. But…it wasn’t like he had much of a choice.
“I accept,” said Wil. “Give me three months, and I’ll change the world.”