Rose leaned over the sink and exhaled as water circled the drain. She wiped her face and stared into the mirror. The gnawing feeling in her stomach had yet to subside, and Rose had lost track of the amount of time she’d spent in the bathroom; she was grateful that the traffic into the bathroom was so light and she had time to herself.
“I am not convinced. It’s quite obvious you are a novice Juror in way over her head. I can see it all over your person. No, this will not do at all.” the voice said.
“Thanks. That’s so helpful.” Rose said. She ripped a napkin from the dispenser and dried her hands.
“Pointing out your inadequacies is no difficult task. Your gratitude is not necessary but I approve such deference and it will be remembered.”
“Since when do you remember anything?” Rose asked. She gripped the handle to the bathroom door, but couldn’t summon the will to pull it open.
“Since our happy little accident earlier. I’m feeling...more myself than before.” the voice said.
“Oh, joy of joys.” Rose said and rolled her eyes.
“Isn’t it?” the voice replied. The morning had been such a whirlwind, Rose hadn’t found many opportunities to converse with the voice in her head. Even if she had, the change, the slight increase in personality, was a difficult adjustment. The voice sounded more natural, too natural really, but still not quite human. Rose was faced having another entity existing within all over again, except this time in a far more uncanny way. Whatever occurred caused the voice to develop a stronger trace of a personality, which Rose found entirely unpleasant.
Rose walked back into the lobby of the Citadel and took a seat near one of the tower slits which had been converted to large glass windows; technically she was in The Tower of Iwiwyn. The capital was housed it the lone surviving tower which had formed, with several other towers, the stronghold and base of operations for the opposition during the war. With peace came the decision of a symbolic gesture to seat the new government where the bitterest fighting had occurred by the old. It was indeed a gesture, just not one with the meaning it claimed to hold. Despite being updated many years ago, the room lacked for modern features. Only a table in the middle of the room and chairs along the wall indicated any invitation for a visitor to make themselves comfortable. Even the temperature was cold. The tower had several floors of employees but the Mayor and his cabinet were beyond the receptionist’s desk and through the door into the wider area of the former fortress.
Rose considered how her first time being in the city; hadn’t been her dream realized. In the past, when Rose imagined it, she would be traipsing about town after a day of shopping, eating at restaurants and rubbing elbows with the famous. While out with friends, she would run into the dashing Tom Thumb, who would invite her out for a night cap. He’d ask her to sing a duet; she’d decline at first, of course, before belting out a tune which would bring the house down. The next day, Rose would do it all over again.
In her fantasies, Rose could sing and had a large group of friends, with no shortage of admirers and actually enjoyed shopping. She would make witty remarks, drawing attention and respect from the room. Rather than let opportunities pass by in exchange for the safe route., Rose would enjoy the recklessness that it seemed so many others were allowed. People like Victoria, who could put everything out of their mind and just focus on desire. Rose wasn’t the person, but in her dreams, being in the city would turn her into that person.
Instead, Rose found herself inside Iwiwyn, in the city, in the heart of Aesos, waiting on a meeting with the mayor. And rather than a mischievous inner spirit, Rose suffered an irksome voice inside her head. Rose fussed with the Bag of Endless Carry in the chair next to her. Enaril had lent her the bag and she threw in any nearby supplies which seemed even remotely helpful. Rose had rushed from the meeting with her bosses straight to the Citadel with only one directive: do not let anyone know this was her first case. Siobhan especially remained insistent on that point.
“It’s the greatest protection ye have.” she had said. Nobody would know the details of the appeal until Rose met with the mayor, which meant there was little they could do to prepare her. Beyond that disquieting mandate, Rose faced her plight alone; rather she wished she was alone.
“What sort of dignitary keeps his someone seeking his audience in such suspense?” the voice asked. Rose looked up at the MIRA hanging on the wall. A lengthy display of appointments for the mayor with meeting times moved up and down, changing colors between red and green. The entries were vague and often read little more than official of this or that office; except for one at the bottom which read: Miniel Magnus. This raised Rose’s eyebrow as Miniel Magnus was owner of the largest cauldron manufacturer in Aesos. If someone that prominent had been put to the bottom of the list, Rose might as well give up hope. She sighed upon seeing her own place in the list had been bumped down once again. Rose looked at the receptionist, who eventually felt Rose staring and stopped writing long enough to scowl before going back to work.
Rose watched her leg bounce and felt a quiver in her stomach. She looked at the meeting list then back to the receptionist. “I hope this isn’t counting in the appeal time frame. Maybe I should say it’s urgent.”
“Demand an audience at this moment under penalty of the extermination of that woman’s entire lineage. In fact, I don’t like how she looks at us. Make an example of her for the next gatekeeper.” the voice said.
“I’m not going to do any of that. I’m going to go outside and get some air.” Rose replied. Her shoes clacked against the glossy floor as she took the short walk to the large iron doors at the front of the building.
Rose squinted as the sun continued to shine low and in her direction. Despite the circumstances of her visit, and the long wait, Rose could not help but be impressed with the city. Just the area in front of the building was almost as lively as the largest town in her province during the Festival of the Frog. The crowd was a blend of visiting sight seers and focused workers cutting through the chaos on the way to their next appointment. The amusement of a sight such a far cry from what Rose was used to raised her spirits just a bit. She cleared off a spot on the steps and sat, content to just people watch.
“Excuse me miss.” someone said above her. Rose looked up. A troll in a City Watch uniform stared down at her. Rose was more skeptical than worried as this particular officer’s uniform was torn and faded in spots. Her alarm was raised by the sight of a few jagged holes torn in the midsection. Like most trolls he was tall and had sallow green skin; the uniform strained against his figure. He smiled and revealed crooked, sharp teeth. “I’m afraidified you’re not allowed to loiter at this here fine establishment. I’m going to have to levy a robsutulizing fine.” Rose frowned.
“I’m not loitering. I have an appointment.” she said.
“Be that as that may be. I cannot abideify this transgressioning against city law.” The troll rubbed his chin. “Now we’re talking at least...say three hundred gaeld.” The troll said.
“Look, officer...”
“Melvin.”
“Oh...well Officer Melvin, I’m not paying you anything. I don’t think you’re really City Watch.” Rose said. She stood up. She was two steps higher than the troll but barely equaled his height.
“Well those who ain’t paying get severified punishment.” The troll said. He squared his shoulders and cracked his knuckles.
“Wait a Gorgon’s minute.” someone else yelled. Rose turned her head slightly and saw a second troll approach. He looked identical to first, down to the wispy blonde hair; his was just longer and he wore an ill fitting suit. The troll stood next to Rose. “Don’t go around causing trouble for this nice young lady, she’s prettier than a moon rabbit at harvest.” he said and snapped his suspenders. Rose wrinkled her nose and took a step away from him.
“This so called nice young lady has committed a crime of most heinousness.” the troll in the City Watch said.
“Sitting on the steps?” Rose asked. The second troll turned to Rose.
“I’ll handle this smoother than a sewer fish.” he said and winked. “I will pay her fine.”
“A most graciousfied gesture.” City Watch troll said.
“You got a deal like a Griffon at sundown.” the second troll said. He looked back at Rose. “Don’t worry about paying me back, just give me two hundred and we’ll be even.” Rose shook her head.
“Come on. You two are clearly twins or at least in cahoots. And this scam doesn’t even make sense. Why would I give you money if you’re supposedly paying the fine for me?” Rose said. She pointed at the Troll in the City Watch outfit. “At least make the fine bigger and then your brother comes up short by two hundred so we’re combining efforts.” Rose threw her hands up. The Trolls looked at each other. The second troll bobbed his head as he considered the feedback.
“We’ll take that under advisementfication.” the City Watch Troll said.
“I may be new here, but I’m not stupid. Go bother someone else.” Rose said. She took tried to further back and stumbled over the step.
“Who said we were leaving?” the second troll took a large step towards Rose. “You hear that? Poor girl said she’s new’s in town. That’s more precious than a silver wolf in the sea.”
“And it seems like you haven’t gotten a proper welcome.” the City Watch Troll said. He advanced on Rose from the other side. “What a travestifying situation. We should show her how the city takes in new folk.” He looked over his shoulder, then pulled out a knife. The blade was long with jagged end teeth which protruded from both sides.
Rose’s breathing grew shallow and she heard the sound of her heartbeat thrashing in her ears. She felt the presence of the other troll standing behind her as the City Watch troll lunged forward. Rose closed her eyes bracing for impact, but felt nothing.
“Excuse me, officer. I would like to report a crime I witnessed earlier, a very savage assault.” Rose heard a familiar voice say in the darkness. She slowly lifted her eyelids and saw the troll with the knife held back by a hand on his shoulder. Rose opened her eyes fully. The troll’s face was furious as the man who had stolen her badge gripped him tightly.
“Then find someone else.” City Watch troll sneered and yanked his shoulder free. “I’m busy.” The second troll walked around Rose and stood near his brother.
“It was a brutal beating.” the main said. “Neither victim survived.” He pushed past the trolls and stood in front of Rose. “I’d be willing to give you first hand account if that helps you take this seriously.” The man set his jaw and stared, unflinching, at the Trolls. The second Troll pulled back hair on the top of his head and revealed a horn.
“You understand what this means? It means I’ll gut you and skin you like a fresh caught Longma all before he kills you.” the troll motioned towards this brother. The man peaked over his shoulder to look at Rose then moved to unbutton the top buttons of his shirt.
“Do you understand what this means?” he asked. His position in front of Rose meant she couldn’t see what he had shown the Trolls, but she did see them exchanged nervous glances. “Walk away right now, or never again.” The Troll who had pointed out his horn backed up. He looked at the man, to Rose, then back at the man. Rose saw his body tense. He took a step forward but was blocked by the arm of the City Watch Troll. They looked at each other, then walked backwards down the stairs. Their eyes were trained on the man until they disappeared into the crowd.
“What...” Rose asked, her voice shaky.
“That’s what I love about this place. Never dull.” the man said. He walked up the stairs and into the Citadel.
“What just happened?” Rose’s mind reeled and she felt giddy relief.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“I don’t know...but I liked it. If that’s what your job involves, I might be amenable to returning. Let’s go follow the dangerous man!”
Rose ran into the building after her anonymous rescuer and found him chatting with the receptionist.
“Sir.” The receptionist said, her voice unable to contain her annoyance. “The mayor will see you when it’s time for your appointment, if he can fit you in his schedule. Until then, sit down.”
“Sir?” he asked. “Ouch. Shelia, you’ve been bumping back my appointments long enough I should at least earn a last name.” he said. Shelia stared at him and the man put his hands up, then strolled away from the desk.
“What was that? Who are you? What are you doing here?” Rose demanded as he took a seat.
“Concerned citizen looking to assist our dedicated civil servants. Second question, see the first answer, and I’m here, the same as you, I’d imagine: the appeal.” he replied. Rose sighed as a slow smile spread across her face. She had been a bundle of nerves since the incident occurred and it had only gotten worse the closer the appointment came. Hearing the office had sent her a partner made Rose feel as if light had finally started to shine through the darkness. She also welcomed the news that the man who had been skulking around the building wasn’t a strange creep, just a strange coworker.
“Are you here in an official capacity?” Rose asked.
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.” he said. Rose let out a breath.
“Do you think you could start things off until I get a feel for it, or would that make it too obvious this is my first case?” she asked. A small grin formed on the man's face.
“You’re probably going to have to do the talking.” He said.
“I hate to admit it, but I feel a little like I’m drowning. I know I could do it if I wasn’t going in totally blind with no prep time.” Rose said.
The man arched an eyebrow. “I’m sure you’ve got at least a lean one way or the other in terms of the evidence.” Rose looked back at Shelia then leaned closer.
“I tried to skim the original decision and try to put something together from that, but without seeing the appeal, this interview is just stabs in the dark.” Rose slumped in her chair. The man nodded.
“Actually, after meeting, I’m confident this appeal is going to go smoothly.” he said. Rose wanted to ask how she could borrow some that certainty, but the door to Mayor’s office opened and caught their attention. “There’s the important meeting that kept bumping us back.” the man said. Rose watched a Centaur talking to someone through the doorway. He wore a long, flowing black robe and held a thick briefcase in one hand. “Probably up for a promotion. Must not have any appeals on his record.” the man whispered.
“Appointment: Juror.” Shelia yelled. The man looked around the room, turning his head in an overly dramatic fashion.
“Anybody? Is that...?” he said and pointed at himself. Sheila extended to him a rude gesture. The man leaned over to Rose. “Must mean you.” he whispered. She stood up and looked back, the man gave her a thumbs up sign. Rose took a deep breath.
----------------------------------------
Rose watched Mayor Van Winkle sit at his desk and silently read, then sign papers at an impressive rate. Her anxiety had turned to annoyance as the mayor completed his fourth task before so much as a greeting. Unsure what to do, Rose tried to look around the office and in an obvious fashion with the hope it would garner the Mayor’s attention; he continued to pay her no mind.
Matching the bare bones accommodations of Iwiwyn, Mayor Van Winkle’s office offered no illusions that a guest’s presence was welcome. The walls were plain covered and aside from one large placed oddly far from the corner, there were no decorations to be found. The only personal affect was an old photo on a shelf behind the Mayor. The windows were set high, likely a hold over from the rooms military days, and offered only lighting; no scenery beyond the clouds. The room smelled of cologne and parchment.
Rose noted the office did have one defining feature: several clocks hung on every wall and above the door. They were all set to different times and varied so wildly, Rose was unable to get a baring on what location each was supposed to represent. Among the exotic clocks, one stood out: the clock was directly opposite the Mayor and larger than the rest. It was gold and had no numbers or symbols, and the hands were translucent.
On the Mayor’s desk were several piles of papers and scrolls. Based on the frenzied pace, Rose would have expected the office to be a sloppy, chaotic, storm of files, folder and forms. Instead, everything was incredibly well organized, to the point it managed to impress Rose; who had been far from untidy during her time in Academy. Book cases dedicated to paper filled the room out, and even the waste disposal was orderly.
“Mr. Mayor, if I may-” The mayor held up one finger while he continued to look down and skim through a pile of papers catching Rose off guard.
“I will break that finger and every other part of his impertinent body.” the voice said. Normally Rose defaulted to the opposite stance the voice took, but this time she stood fully in agreement. Rose cleared her throat. And then did it again, louder.
“Make a strong statement.” the voice said. Rose stood up.
“Mr. Mayor, I understand and appreciate you’re very busy, but I insist we commence with our business.” Rose said. She tried to strike a balance between firm and professional, but came off more as a poorly practiced declaration.
“I said make a strong statement, not a verbal tickle.” the voice said. Mayor Van Winkle stopped writing and looked at Rose. He leaned back in his chair and motioned for her to continue. Rose quickly returned to her seat.
Rose had been shocked upon first seeing the Mayor, he didn’t look much older. His slicked back blonde hair with shaved sides didn’t add any years to his appearance. He unbuttoned his navy jacket as he waited for Rose to continue and revealed a matching vest.
“I’m here to get a greater understanding of the appeal resolution you have filed with the Juror’s Office.” she said. She cleared her throat. “My name is Rose Juror and uh...” Rose paused. “Sorry. I am Rose and my designation is Juror number nine. I will be the Juror assigned to assessing and verifying the parameters of your in case in order to make a determination as a Juror whether or not to refer the legal case for additional court proceedings for further adjudication. Filing and appeal represents the opportunity to-”
“You can stop speaking right there.” Mayor Van Winkle said. He pulled back his sleeve to reveal three watches on his wrist. “I’m trying to salvage what is already a waste of five precious minutes on my schedule. Realistically, this gets thirty more seconds and it’s not going to be spent with whatever that was.”
“Every part. Broken. Twice.” the voice said.
“The only thing I require from you is your signature. Anything else, along with your continued presence, is entirely unnecessary. Considering they sent what is obviously the weakest Juror on the roster, I would have thought your office understood and accepted that fact.”
“Mayor Van Winkle-”
“I would prefer you sign several appeals while you’re already here to avoid any more pointless meetings. Just do so quietly and somewhere else.”
“I’m here because you requested a Juror.” Rose said, her teeth gritted. “It is your belief that the court’s decision was incorrect. My job is to verify if your evidence would substantially alter the case and make a decision based on my findings, not to provide your desired outcome.” Rose said. She clenched her fists in her lap and felt heat rushing through her body. Mayor Van Winkle leaned forward and tented his hands.
“If this is some ploy to gain leverage, just cut to the chase and I’ll to skip to the part where I inform you I can make a lot of trouble for your office.” Mayor Van Winkle said. “Obviously you’re some ineffectual Juror who thought she could make a name for herself coming here to play hardball.” Rose started to speak but Mayor Van Winkle cut her off. “Allow me to disabuse you of that notion expeditiously. I will do whatever must be done to rip out the rot which chokes this government. There is no tool I will not use and no block I will not demolish to achieve that end. Juror or not.”
Rose bit at her cheek and felt a tightening in her chest. Her face contorted into a dark scowl. She reached into her bag and dropped a large binder full of papers right onto the desk with a loud thump.
“I found success in academy being very resolute myself; particularly when it came to taking notes and following procedures to the letter. So if you wish push me, I will go through the entire process line by painstaking line until I extract what I need from you. The clock on the appeal doesn’t start until the second I step foot out of this office, which means I have all the time in the world. Do you? You can do this either the hard way or my way. Your choice.” Rose shouted. Mayor Van Winkle looked at her, his eyes narrowed and his lips pressed together tight. He opened a drawer and pulled out a folder then threw it across the desk onto the binder.
“Aesos v Ulrich. A Judge who’s known for bouts of leniency when facing certain names in the court room, convicted an Alchemist of Uxoricide.” Mayor Van Winkle paused. “Killing his wife.” He pressed a button on one of his watches. Rose sat up attentively, but could feel the tension dissipate and her temperature lower.
“Even I have to admit, I’m impressed. I didn’t think you had it in you. If I had a body, I’d get goosebumps.” the voice said.
“What is the evidence...” Rose looked at her binder. “Explain in your own words what is in dispute?” Rose asked.
“The murderer so-called was unlucky enough to be married to a woman who happened to be in a triarchy over the largest and oldest company in Aesos. A family to whom Judge Teebald owes for much of his station.”
“I can’t re-litigate the case.” Rose reminded him.
“Then don’t. Just understand how likely it is that the Judge who cleared well off parties of interest without trial, might have misruled on purpose.”
“What I need to understand is the context of the...evidence you submitted.” Rose replied. She wished he would just restate the appeal already. Mayor Van Winkle nodded at the folder and Rose flipped it open. The top sheet of paper was a photograph. “A receipt?” Rose asked.
“He was found disoriented at the crime scene in one of those extravagant hotels you can only enter through select portals around the city.” Mayor Van Winkle said. Rose frowned.
“This seems to do the opposite of prove an appeal. This places him at the hotel. There’s even and employee signature and time stamp of his arrival and no leave.” she said.
“He was found by the family’s security team, not City Watch, who also provided the interview of hotel employees.” Mayor Van Winkle said. “That and a clearly biased Judge means a fraudulent verdict.”
“That’s all speculation.” Rose said. “This receipt was submitted during the trial by the prosecution.”
“I can speculate all I want, it’s your job to get hard evidence.” Mayor Van Winkle replied. “That’s not the one used in the trial. It’s a photo of the original receipt submitted into evidence.”
“How did the appealant come to possess this?” Rose asked.
“Not at liberty to discuss.” Mayor Van Winkle said.
“You do realize a man you claim as innocent of a crime is hanging in the balance? How can you be so aloof?”
“Aloof?” Mayor Van Winkle stood up. “I am nothing but focused on the outcome. Which can tip the scales very much in my favor.” He walked over to the shelf holding the old picture. “You’re obviously young. I, however, am far older than I look. I remember life before the war and how things felt right; all the promise in the world. Decades on, I was elected me as a last chance to keep that promise alive.” He turned around to face Rose. “This is far more than just one man, one Judge, one Juror.” Mayor Van Winkle leaned forward. “This is everything. Is he innocent? Probably. In which case I hope you’re better at your job than you appear. But I will go through every criminal with a song and a sob story to win my war.” Silence settled over the room until the watches on Mayor Van Winkle’s began to chime. He pointed towards the door and began pouring over the papers on his desk again.
As Rose walked out of the room, she heard Sheila’s voice come over the intercom.
“Mayor Van Winkle, I apologize, Mr. Fox is barging past security.” Rose watched Mayor Van Winkle sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose.
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Rose watched building pass by from her seat on the train as she waited for Siobhan to call her back. After her meeting, Rose had hoped to run into the other Juror and bring them both up to speed, but he was gone when she returned to Iwiwyn and she hadn’t been able to reach Siobhan.
“Somebody rose to the occasion today.” the voice said.
“Since when do you make puns?” Rose replied and couldn’t help herself but smirk. She always avoided self congratulatory thinking, but right now, she was proud of herself.
“Make what?” the voice asked.
“It was wild. He just...he made me so mad I just didn’t even think, I just went with it. The binder is empty. I made for notes during training. I bluffed everything. I didn’t even think about being wrong.” Rose said. Her MIRA beeped.
“Replacement.” Jack said as she answered. Rose felt her heart drop. She had been hoping to brag a little to Siobhan, not have to deal with Jack’s bad attitude again. “I think I’ve found a loop hole to get you out of this case.”
“Oh?” Rose watched him look at something to his side.
“Catch is you can’t start investigating. Once your badge activates, the door is closed. Steer clear of anything related to the case and get back to the office. Jack out.” The call ended. Rose was almost impressed by Jack’s ability to ruin any bright spots in the day, even from a distance. Rose looked at the folder in her bag. She bit her lip and pulled it out.
She was unsure what would count as working on the case so Rose stuck to notes from the previous decision. As scant as his explanation had been, the Mayor had told the story correctly; Dr. Ulrich had been found at the scene and didn’t even deny checking into the hotel. Other than a long protestation of innocence there was little by way of a defense. Begrudgingly, Rose also admitted the Mayor had been right about Judge Teebald; he had quickly dismissed more than one person of interest without so much as a single line of questioning. Rose flipped back to the image of the receipt and wondered what it was supposed to possibly prove.
Her MIRA beeped and Rose jumped in her seat as her concentration broke. She answered hoping to hear from Siobhan but it was just a message from VICTORIA about going out for drinks. Rose sighed and confirmed her attendance; she was trying to be more social after all. Rose put her MIRA away and did a double take. She grabbed her MIRA and looked around before making a call.
“Obsidian Resort Concierge. May I help you?” a man with a dry voice answered.
“Yes, hi. I have a reservation but business is putting on the other side of the city. Can I get a list of portal locations in my area?” Rose said. She tried to put on her best aristocratic voice; her leg bounced as she waited in silence to see if it worked.
“I’m afraid for security and safety you are only allowed arrive via the destination from your reservation. All our portal locations are in partnership with high end taverns and include complementary beverages during your wait. It should all be listed on your invoice.” the Concierge said in a flat tone.
“Right. I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“As a friendly reminder, if you are not at your spot during your reservation time, you will have a wait of at least an hour before the Spellhop finishes their route and can retrieve you.”
“They won’t send another before then?” Rose asked. The Concierge sighed.
“There is only one on duty at all times as referenced in your reservation acknowledgment. Do you need to make alternate arrangements?”
“No. That will be all. Thank you.” Rose said.
----------------------------------------
“Sorry I couldn’t give ye an actual call. We’re absolutely buried here, hence why we couldn’t send someone to tag along.” Siobhan’s voice came from Rose’s MIRA. Wind kicked up as Rose cleared her screen of another alert from Jack attempting to reach her. “The spell I sent enchants your MIRA to view a little peak through time and watch the trial as it happened. I’ve also attached a dossier to help identify of all the attorneys involved and their staff. Be careful with this lot, some unsavory characters attached. Good luck.” The voice recording stopped. Rose felt her nostrils flare and jaw clench as she paused the trial on screen. She had stopped on an image of the of court room and her MIRA had tagged everyone in the shot. Standing among the attorneys with an annotation which read, Tristan Fox, was the man Rose had run into at the Juror’s office and the Citadel.
Victoria’s face appeared on the screen and Rose tapped it to answer the call.
“Hello? Yeah, I’m sorry I’m going have to cancel tonight.” Rose said. She scanned the address on the receipt which had been used in the trial, then looked up at an abandoned building. Rose adjusted her badge. “I’m on a case.”