The visit with Ming Wei went well enough High Sister Mya moved me to one of the second floor treatment rooms. I was shocked by the changes in Yanaba’s squire. Ming Wei no longer tried to comb her hair over the left side of her head to cover her scars. Nor did she have the painfully shy bearing from before.
No, this new version stood straight and proud. I was happy for her even if I was ashamed of the circumstances that brought about this change. While she still flinched if a man moved too suddenly around her, she wasn’t running away as she had when she first came to Balance.
A fortnight later, Mya released me from Child though she said we would continue our private meetings once a week. Since she was already coming to Balance to treat and train Ming Wei, she planned to talk to me after they were finished.
Chief Warden Little Bear and Warden Gina accompanied Ming Wei to escort me back to Balance. They both wore wide grins, and Gina carried one of my uniforms and my weapons.
“We can’t let you go out in public looking like a sailor coming off a three-day bender,” she commented.
“Thank you,” I said. “Are you also planning to braid my hair?”
“Of course,” she proclaimed. “What did I just say about a three-day bender?”
Once I was properly dressed and my hair braided and pinned up, I buckled on my sword and stowed my knives in their various sheaths. For the first time in two months, I didn’t feel totally naked.
Gina, Ming Wei and I returned to the first floor where Little Bear was speaking quietly with High Sister Mya. The priestess broke into smiles and hugged me.
“If you need anything, Anthea—” she started.
“I have a feeling you’ll know before I do.” I gave her a wry smile, and she laughed.
When we stepped outside of the Temple of Child, cool air caressed my face. The terrible heat of the summer was gone. I nodded to the warden on main door duty. She nodded back. There was no change in her body temperature. I was simply another person who passed through their doors. As Mya had said, my reservations were mine, not anyone else’s.
While my party and I walked down the main boulevard of the Temple District, the muttering from passersby started. There was no sense taking a back alley to Balance. The citizens were going to gossip regardless. It didn’t mean I had to like it though.
When we strode up the steps of Balance, Warden Ailyn stood guard at the main doors. She broke out into a huge grin. “Welcome home, Chief Justice.”
I noticed both set of doors were open. The statue of Balance Herself stared at me from her dais in the courtroom. I turned to Little Bear. “Why isn’t court being conducted this morning?”
“Justice Yanaba canceled it in lieu of a more important event.” He nodded toward the courtroom. “They were waiting on you to begin.”
Curious and more than a little concerned about Yanaba arbitrarily closing the court, I strode into the main courtroom.
And nearly jumped out of my skin when a throng of people yelled, “Welcome home, Chief Justice.”
It wasn’t just the folks from Balance. I quickly counted the different badges. Members from all twelve Temples were here, along with the people from the Healers Guild, Orrin’s peacekeepers, and Duke Marco and his family. Rounding out the group were people from the Jing embassy, including Ambassador Quan himself.
My own squire Nathan ran up to me. I half-expected a hug. Instead, he executed a perfect bow. “May I escort you to your seat, Lady Justice?”
“Why, thank you, Squire Nathan.”
He moved to my left side and extended his right elbow. With any other justice, he would have wrapped the fingers of my left hand around his elbow. But I could see, so he adjusted appropriately.
I took his arm. Waves of pride crashed into my psyche. So I took a little chance.
Nathan?
He quivered at the touch of my mind to his, but he kept his solemn pace. Yes, m’lady?
I apologize for my behavior in the garden. No assigning blame to others. No excuses to justify my behavior. No waiting to make amends when we were alone. But I still felt the need to keep this between the two of us.
I accept your apology, m’lady. Warmth flooded from him physically and emotionally. Maybe I hadn’t ruined my relationship with him after all.
We reached the chair at the head of the table my staff had set up in the courtroom, but I didn’t take the seat. One-by-one my staff came to me with their good wishes. And I threw protocol out the window and hugged them all.
* * *
The celebration died down shortly after Second Afternoon since everyone had their own duties to attend. However, I noticed Luc, Claudia, and Talbert lingering behind. I leaned over to Elizabeth seated on my right and whispered, “Is there a private conversation we need to have with the remaining seats?”
“You need to have,” she corrected. “Though Yanaba and I would like to be included.” She hesitated a moment before she added, “Can we please have no more secrets between us?”
I sighed. “All right. Squires?”
Nathan and Ming Wei ran up to my chair. “Would you escort the justices to our reception room?” I turned to Luc. “High Brother, would you and Sister Claudia please stay for a short discussion?”
At their nods, I looked at Talbert. “Would you please assist me in take a few bottles of wine into the Balance reception room?”
He grinned, the first time I ever recalled him wearing anything but a slight smile, and grabbed as many bottles as he could safely carry.
“Chief Warden?”
Little Bear snapped to attention. “Would you assist Sivan in bringing us some fresh goblets? And then join us. I need wise counsel from both of you.”
His face shifted from orange to red. “Yes, m’lady.”
I climbed to my feet. Despite it being mid-afternoon, lethargy dragged on my very bones. So I was extremely careful not to try to carry more bottles than I could handle. It would be damn near sacrilege to Vintner to waste good Pana wine.
Once we were settled in the reception, and the other seats kicked their wardens out to Gina’s great amusement though she wasn’t included either, I stood and circled the room, casting my wards. This meeting needed to be private on more levels than I could count.
When I reached my chair, I remained standing. “First, I need to make amends. High Brother Luc, Sister Claudia, I sincerely apologize. My jealousy over the two of you doing your duty has no place in our world. I never wanted to see anything happen to your son.”
I swallowed the lump of shame at the back of my throat. “Chief Justice Elizabeth, Justice Yanaba, you tried to warn me of the path I was taking, and I didn’t listen. I apologize for allowing my arrogance to get in the way of all of our duties.
“And to all of you, thank you for believing I could possibly be redeemed. I pray to the Twelve I can live up to your regard.” I grabbed the arms of my chair and shakily sat down.
“You were set up, Anthea.” Talbert poured wine for Elizabeth and himself before he passed the bottle to Claudia. “The renegades manipulated both Gerd and you.”
When Luc started to protest, Talbert held up his hands. “I’m not saying Gerd is totally innocent by any means.” He lowered his hands. “My concern is what is happening Standora.” He looked at me. “I’ve already shared my concerns with Elizabeth and Yanaba.”
“Reverend Mother Alara,” I murmured. Her siding with the renegades was the only way her recent actions made sense.
“I have to agree with him.” Yanaba’s disgust and frustration beat against my mind. “She made a point of having me present at the alleged destruction of that blasted grimoire. And yet, Gerd brought the same damn tome into Orrin?”
“We cannot voice these things outside of this room or a convocation,” Elizabeth said.
“Unfortunately, I’ve had plenty time to think about what happened.” I took a sip of wine. After two months of only water, I truly appreciated the small things at my own Temple. “The demons are using the renegades to study us. Learn how to manipulate us. After nearly a thousand years, they haven’t been able to defeat us in straight battles, though the Twelve know it has been close at times. So the demons are taking the lessons they’ve learned from the Assassins Guild about how humans work mentally and emotionally and applying them to us.”
Talbert nodded. “That is my Reverend Father’s assessment as well. However, I believe we’ve cleaned out any problems within the Orrin Temples.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Remember how we were truthspelling each other in Tandor prior to the siege,” Luc said.
I nodded. “I take it you did the same here in Orrin.”
“Everyone from the clergy to the cooks.” Claudia glanced at the others before she added, “Love did the same thing after you arrested Gerd.”
“Balance help me,” I murmured. “Things seemed so simple last winter.”
“We’ve been truthspelling the duke’s employees and everyone at Government House,” Luc said. “But we’re doing it on Marco and DiCook’s authority.”
“Several of the guilds have asked for us to interrogate their members about their allegiance as well,” Yanaba added. “But there’s nothing legally we can do about the general populace or the uncooperative guilds.”
“There’s only one problem with your interrogations.” I leaned my right elbow on the table and rested my chin on my fist. “There may be a sub personality inside a person’s mind they don’t know about.”
“Like High Brother Aduba to infiltrate the renegades in Tandor?” Luc said.
“Yes.” I sighed. “I’m wondering if they didn’t do something similar to Peacekeeper Dante or Barbora the seamstress.” I looked at Talbert. “Any suggestions, High Brother?”
“I think we’ve done everything we can for now.” He tapped the side of his goblet. Something else bothered him, but I had too much to catch up on to worry about his unknown statement yet.
I turned to Sivan. “Where are Cat and Dog? The only thing Mya would tell me is that they were recovering.” More guilt tore at me. The two street children had been my eyes and ears until Gerd took control of their minds.
“Govind and his wife have taken them in,” Sivan said. “One good thing out of all this mess is that the street children are starting to trust the Temple of Mother again. It’s slow progress, and they refuse to talk to the three priestesses remaining from Bianca’s rule—”
“The fact that Leocadia’s making any progress is good news.” I lifted my goblet in the direction of the Temple of Mother and took another sip.
“I also owe much to you and Little Bear,” I continued. “First, you had to deal with the chaos of having a senile chief justice, and then the chaos of a demon mad chief justice.” Little Bear opened his mouth, but I waved my right hand. “No, you two kept this Temple going. Yanaba will have her hands full with her babe soon, and Elizabeth will be transferring to the new Duchy of Anacapa. Unfortunately, that means you’ve dealt with the Reverend Mother more than I have. I want your suggestions on how best we move forward.”
“Very carefully?” Little Bear added a wry smile. The rest of the assembly laughed except for Sivan.
“You do realize we are talking treason here, Chief Justice?” she said.
“I know.” I shrugged. “In for a copper, in for a crown. I just wish I knew how to broach the issue with the queen that didn’t find all our heads at the wrong end of a sword.”
“There’s one additional matter you should be aware of.” Talbert rubbed his chin, which was never a good sign. “The crown princess has requested to be informed of your recovery through my Reverend Father.”
I straightened. “Why?”
“The Duke of Standora wishes to speak with you in person and privately.” Talbert shrugged. “Forgive me, Anthea, but that was all I was told. I sent the message yesterday when Mya informed us she believed you were ready to resume your seat.”
I sat back in my chair. Balance take me. What could Crown Princess Chiara or her husband possibly want with me?
Unless the Reverend Mother had decided to take a more direct approach to get me out of the way.
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