Chapter 9
2126 Words
It was an accident!! I honestly didn’t mean for it to happen!
Chloe grabs her nose and her eyes start tearing up. The room in silence looking at me.
Judge “Your Majesty?”
He grabs his nose looking panicked when the smell hits her nose. Clamping her nose shut, making a noise no Queen should be heard making, she runs for the exit in a very un-ladylike manner. The courtroom is cleared in a manner of minutes and I am left to hang around on my own… in the stink. Clever Thomas!
Charlie’s POV
Besides the awful smell that wolfs sure as hell can clear a room! She bursts out laughing when she reaches the outside of the courtroom. Looking up and across the hall she sees Donella screaming at the top of her lungs at Chloe who almost looks green.
Billy “Finding it very funny, are you?”
Charlie “Hilarious! I only wish I had my phone on me to take a video of the Queen making a run for it!”
Billy biting his tongue not to laugh out loud with her.
Billy “Charlie! Behave yourself before you get yourself into more trouble!”
Donella sees me and walks up to me looking like a woman on a mission.
Donella “Charlie! Did you have anything to do with this?”
Charlie “How could I? Besides the fact that I’ve hardly had time to take a breath between being accused and ending up in court, nobody was allowed near the wolf!”
Donella huffing when she realizes she is in the wrong.
Donella “Well don’t think you are going to get away with it!”
She turns on her heel and walks back to her pack of lawyers.
Billy “She is really determined to have you found guilty girl.”
He looks concerned.
Charlie “Yup, I was surprised that she even set a trial date, even if she gave a ridiculous time.”
Selena’s POV
Walking into my room I drop my training gear on the way to my bath. Steam coming off the water letting me know the girls were waiting for me to come back. I didn’t take things like this into account before. The little things they did to make sure I am taken care of.
So many things I’ve taken for granted over the millennia. I climb into the hot water sinking back and resting my neck on the back of the bath. I felt energized. Excited even. Teaching the wolves new tactics had brought outsides in them that had me in stitches most of the day. They were like puppies!
Like Thomas trying to stalk and catch rabbits…
There is a soft knock on the door.
Lucille “Selena, it’s me, may I come in?”
Selena “Yes, yes, please. Do you have any news?”
I ask before she is inside the room.
Lucille “Unfortunately it is not good news. Queen Donella rules the territory.”
Selena “I hate bad news. Can’t we for once have good news and just an easy walk over opponent?”
I complain giving Lucille puppy eyes, knowing full well there is nothing that is going to make this easier. It’s pixies…
Selena “Hit me with it. Let’s get it over with.” I sigh.
Lucille “Okay, as you can guess, she has been ruler for a long time. The information we could gather shows her to be a tough Queen. Making the rules and laws up as she goes.”
Selena “What? That’s bad Lucille, how are we going to negotiate with a pixie who can’t stick to her word?”
Lucille “We are going to use her own people and her past against her. She became Queen by birthright. There was no official legal vote according to the information we have. You know how they are about following the rule of law… well, she has been breaking it from her first day.
I found a history book referring to how she took pixie dust from her people and declared the use of it without permission illegal.”
Selena “So? I declare a lot of things all the time.”
I wave my hand making water hit Lucille in her face. Wiping the drop off her cheek she doesn’t look too happy with me.
Lucille “Yes, you do. The difference is that you do not do it under the pretense that it is now law. You don’t have it written up pretending it is an official part of the law books, and most of the time none of us take you seriously.”
Hitting back for the water hitting her face. I gasp pretending to be terribly offended.
Selena “I object!!”
Lucille “To what? Don’t get sidetracked!”
She points her index finger at me. She has healed well by the looks of it. I am glad, I wouldn’t have been able to deal with a melancholy wolf if anything happened to her. What am I thinking?? I wouldn’t have been able to handle it if anything happened to her!
Lucille “Selena, Selena!!”
Selena “Sorry, what were you saying?” I grin at her.
Lucille “Did I not tell you to focus! We are dealing with a clever pixie Queen here. She has the love of your life in her prison and we need to get him out. Will you please stop daydreaming?”
Selena “Hang on, why would she have the use of dust declared illegal?”
Okay, so it takes me a minute to catch up.
Lucille “UGH! You are so frustrating sometimes! That is where our plan comes in. The King and Queen died and all we know is that it is because of the use of pixie dust. I have a feeling if we can find out what happened to them, we might have something to work with, but it won’t be easy. Negotiations won’t be possible with her. We will need to take her town hostage… You know… declare war and win it… Have you and the wolves ship-shape…”
Selena “I get it, I get it! You just do the studying and the wolves and I will do the waring… is that a word? Well, I’m making it a word now.”
Lucille rolls her eyes at me getting up from her chair next to my bath.
Selena “Where are you going?”
Lucille “To do studying.”
Selena “But who is going to help me get out of the tub and get dressed?”
Lucille “Oh my sweet moon goddess, you are such a brat!”
I grin, things might have changed around here, changed a lot in some ways, but I still like teasing Lucille sometimes. This is also a way I can check her strength level without offending her.
Thomas’ POV
I wake up to voices all around me. Opening one eye to see what is going on, I see that stupid Queen person who loves to hear her voice talking again. Seems they got rid of the smell while I was sleeping. Yawning I stand up, stretching I lift my tail and hear the people in the gallery gasp.
If I was in human form, I would be laughing my ass off at them. Out of nowhere Chloe comes running around from the backside of my cage with the horsewhip in her hand, pointing at me she does not look happy.
I slap my gums a couple of times and lay down again realizing the courtroom, including the old hag, had come to a standstill. Looking around at all of them I see the red-haired girl again.
Donella “Do you see your Honor! The wolf just proved my case for me. He looked straight at Charlie!”
Judge “Your Majesty, I mean no disrespect, but that proves nothing. He looked at you, Chloe, the people in the gallery, and all of it before looking at Charlie.”
The old hag looking at the judge as if trying to kill him with her stare. He moves around in his chair looking uncomfortable for a little while there. I’m guessing he has been ordered to find the accused guilty. I guess I better start listening. Maybe I can help in some way. The girl after all was innocent if they are trying to blame her for anything to do with me.
Donella “Your honor, it proves that they know each other. That was why she used the dust in front of him, without the proper permission. Also, why she probably hid him in Billy’s bar!”
Charlie “Where is your proof that we met before that day?”
The redhead jumps up from her chair and there are some more mumbles from the others in the gallery. The judge has to call for silence in court.
Judge “Do you perhaps have such evidence as requested by the prisoner?”
Charlie “The WHAT? I haven’t even been proven guilty yet! Do you all see how she has influenced the judge already? What is to stop her from turning on any of you this way?”
Judge “Now Charlie, I will not have any more outbursts from you, young lady. I simply misspoke. I meant to ask if the Queen had any evidence to prove you knew the wolf before like requested by yourself.”
I was right. This so-called Queen was trying to pin a crime on the young girl. I didn’t understand which crime and what dust they were talking about, but one thing was clear. The trial was a farce and the girl is innocent. Not caring about the fact that I would be appearing naked in front of all of them I decide to shift and defend the girl, but nothing happens.
I can’t shift. Why can’t I shift? Looking around me at the fur not changing back into human skin.
Chloe “Oh I forgot to mention that the cage is enchanted. You can’t change.”
She looks over at me smiling like the cat that got the cream! Great! Another woman controlling when I will shift! Flopping down on the bottom of the crate I sigh again. My lips making another “Frrrp” sound. This time some run for the door, Chloe dunks a bag of glittery dust over my head and the Queen has a wooden washing pin on her nose. What? I don’t always fart!
Judge “This is your first and last warning wolf! One more time and you will be left in your cell for the rest of the trial!”
He loses his temper, but the Queen does not look happy with his decision. He pays her no mind and makes further notes, looking down. Carrying on listening to her voice she is irritated further by the return of the ones who left, scared that I might fart again.
Donella “Your honor, Charlie was found in possession of a bag of dust while in the vicinity of this wolf. She had used it and there is no record that permission was granted or that she even applied!”
Blah blah blah, I stopped counting how many times she said that in just another way.
Judge “Thank your Majesty. Do you perhaps have any evidence to hand into the court?”
Donella “No, my word should be more than enough!”
Judge “Are you then finished so we may give Charlie a chance to state her side?”
He looks at the Queen over his glasses, pissing her off on the spot. She instantly turns around and sits down at the table provided for her and the entire law council, ready to make notes.
Charlie’s POV
Judge “Charlie, the floor is yours.”
Charlie “Thank you, your honor.”
I smile at him and can see he is fighting not to smile back. Climbing out of the box I walk to the stand with the old original law book exhibited in front of the courtroom.
Charlie “Your Honor, I refer to clause 1169 of the law of pixies. Ownership of dust is carried over from one generation to the next with a letter of ownership. I am currently in possession of said original letter if I may present it as evidence?”
The Queen can be heard gasping and the Judge waves me closer to show him the letter. He inspects the letter and hands it back to me.
Judge “Evidence accepted and admitted as marked item A”
- Writer
