A Barrel of Vintner - Chapter 6

Despite dealing with winter weather and paperwork related to taxes, I'm still chipping away at the next Justice novel. Things will be a mite slow writing-wise this week since tax form preparation and filing are a necessity now that we've received all of our 1099s, W-2s, etc. Or rather, I hate being in a rush the night before returns are due to the IRS because GK will invariably call me, wanting help because he does wait until the last minute.

In the meantime, here's the next chapter dedicated to all the readers who are trapped by snow, ice, and frigid temps!

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Unfortunately, when the meal was finished, I and my All the Temple leaders except Reverend Father Grey Shadow took their leave with our rough plan to investigate the powdered soma tears. More was to be discussed, and none of it would be pleasant.

Prince White Eagle had the royal guards stationed outside of the room send for the midday meal. The queen invited mine and Luc’s wardens to dine with her.

I couldn’t object. Rather, I didn’t want to object. Jonata, Long Feather, and Yar deserved the respect and honor the queen extended to them.

wardens would have to go to the home Temple of Balance. The last place in the World I wanted to be. They had survived the trip to Jing and back. I hoped Balance Herself would grant them a small mercy and spare their lives until we returned to Orrin. I was under no illusion the danger in Standora was less than it had been during our voyage to Chengzhou.

The prince and the Reverend Father asked benign questions about our experiences in Ryukyu, Jing, and O’ahu, such as the cultural differences in their Spring Rituals. The cuisine we had tried during our voyages. The trading Captain Titus had done on behalf of Duke Marco and prices.

Once the meal arrived and the door closed, Grey Shadow warded the room again. Long Feather automatically seized my plate and sampled everything before he returned it to me. Yar did the same for Luc.

To my surprise, neither the queen nor the Reverend Father said anything. The prince consort smirked, but that was all.

“I’ve spoken with Emperor Po since you left Chengzhou. You two made quite an impression on his people.” The queen sliced off a bite of kelp bass on her plate. “Why hasn’t Alara asked you to teach your lightning ability here in Issura?”

“My apologies, Your Majesty.” I inclined my head. “I knew I forgot to tell her something before we left for Jing.”

“No need to dissemble, Anthea.” Grey Shadow smiled at me. “Talbert told me of your efforts to teach the Orrin clergy. Nor do I blame the seats in Orrin for their silence on the matter. However, White Eagle and I have the same suspicions as you do about who the traitor in the capital is.”

“What about you, Your Majesty?” Luc asked the queen.

She finished chewing and swallowed. “I don’t believe a damn thing Alara tells me, any more than my mother believed her. Neither does Crown Princess Allegra. I don’t know what’s worse, a Reverend Mother of Balance who is wholly incompetent or one who is demon dealing.”

“A good Temple staff can compensate for an incompetent seat.” I poke at my own fillet. “Mine certainly did for years as Chief Justice Penelope sank into senility.”

“Anthea, is the food not to your liking?” she asked. “I can have the kitchen prepare something else.”

“It’s quite delicious, Your Majesty,” I replied.

“Or you could admit you’re tired of fish after spending most of the last six months on a ship,” White Eagle teased.

“In truth, the issues with my own Reverend Mother are killing my appetite.” I laid my fork on my plate and pushed it away. “Nor do I like the senet game I have to play because I don’t know who to trust.”

“If you feel you need to truthspell me, I willing submit to you,” Grey Shadow said.

“And I will, too,” White Eagle murmured.

“I don’t feel comfortable—” I started.

“But I want you to feel comfortable, Anthea,” the queen interjected. “You’re one of the few subjects I do trust right now. I’m in the same position as Po. When my own cousins plot to feed my subjects to the demons, I need all the help I can get. And if it means having you truthspell me, then that’s what I’ll do. Because I do need you.”

Her impassioned plea took me by surprise. I looked at each of my superiors in turn. “I can’t simply oust Reverend Mother Alara any more than you can, Your Majesty.”

“And if I don’t have all twelve Temples working together, Issura is lost.” Her gaze was intense. “Just like Jing would have been thanks to Empress Yu’s former consort, the School of Sorcery, and Po’s own idiotic cousins.

“In other words, you believe Reverend Mother Alara is behind Reverend Father Farrell’s increasingly odd behavior and his current addiction,” Luc said.

The queen nodded. “There had to be something within him to work with, so I can’t blame everything on her. But in short, yes, I believe she is encouraging his excesses so he’s distracted from whatever she is doing.”

“The demons excel in giving humans exactly what they think they want,” I said softly. “But humans often don’t know the cost of their desires or ignore the ramifications.”

“Even so,” the queen replied. “However, neither Farrell or Alara carry any trace of having used demon magic.”

“That doesn’t mean they aren’t demon dealing.” A shiver ran through me. “Samael DiRoy used a human grimoire to summon demons, but he didn’t use demon magic. He commanded them to do his bidding. It’s entirely possibly both Reverend Mother Alara and Reverend Father Farrell could be doing the same.”

“What are you most worried about, Anthea,” Grey Shadow asked.

‘Other than getting my throat slit in my sleep at my home Temple?”

He nodded.

“That we’ve already lost this war,” I murmured. “We just don’t know it yet.”

##

The queen and the prince consort had very few other questions about our journey to Jing and back. Mainly, they wanted clarification of things Po had glossed over. They asked if I’d tried teaching my lightning ability to anyone else with talent in Orrin, besides vetted clergy. I pointed out I had to be careful who I approached. Grey Shadow offered to discreetly send clergy and registered talents he screened down to Orrin for training, which I agreed to.

He reminded me of High Brother Talbert. Not in looks or demeanor, but in their quiet, steady confidence of doing what was necessary to protect Issura and its citizens. Grey Shadow also insisted on us joining him for the midday meal tomorrow along with his team investigating the concentrated soma tears.

The queen and her husband insisted our little party take one of the royal carriages back to the harbor to collect our things and give Captain Titus leave to return to Orrin. As I expected before we arrived, Titus was reluctant to abandon us in Standora, even though the queen had placed her flagship, the Mars Regina, at our disposal once the investigation was completed.

Therefore, Titus, his second mate, and I had a spirited conversation in the cabin that had been our home for most of the last six months while Luc and the wardens collected our things. From the smell of the cabin after being in the palace, we also needed baths and a laundress.

“Chief Justice, the duke gave me very explicit instructions to return you, High Brother Luc, and your wardens home, come storm, pirates, or demons,” the captain forced out from between his clenched jaws.

“Not to mention, how are the Mars Regina’s crew going to react if skinwalkers or demons attack their ship?” Second Mate Little Squirrel protested. “We have more experience.”

“Queen Chiara outranks Duke Marco, and I’m sure the Regina’s captain and crew would act with the same courage you all have,” I smiled at them both. “May I ask a few favors from you?”

“I can’t talk you two out of whatever the queen talked you into, can I?” Titus crossed his arms.

“The queen has commanded us to assist in a project,” I replied. “That is all either I or High Brother Luc can say, Captain.”

Titus grunted. “I just pray to the Twelve Duke Marco has me truthspelled before he beheads me himself.”

Luc chuckled. “I’d be more worried about what Lady Katarina will do if I were you.”

“What are these favors?” Titus finally asked.

“Would you deliver messages to Justice Yanaba, Chief Warden Little Bear, Duke Marco, High Brother Talbert, and Magistrate DiCook?” I turned to Luc. “Did you want to send a message to acting High Brother Jeremy?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Captain, you do realize we are entrusting you to deliver these messages personally?”

Titus smiled. “I would have done so without you having to ask me. We can get underway with the late afternoon tide.”

“Thank you.” I embraced Titus. “For everything.”

“Both of you and your wardens didn’t become part of our crew,” he murmured in my ear. “You became part of our family.”

We released our holds. Little Squirrel grabbed me in a tight hug while Titus and Luc grasped each other’s forearms. The captain and second officer repeated the same gestures with our wardens.

“Give me half a candlemark, Captain,” I said. “And I ask that the crew is gathered on the deck so we may say our goodbyes to them as well.”

Titus nodded, and he and Little Squirrel departed, closing the cabin door behind them.

I dug my stamp set and remaining parchment from one of my bags. Luc sat beside me at the cabin’s table. I stamped out my messages while Luc sealed each message with wax and my personal sigil. He borrowed my stylus and ink and wrote the name of each recipient so Titus would know who got each note. In between dealing with my correspondence, Luc wrote his own letter to Jeremy. I would have to wait and extend my felicitations to the rest of my friends and acquaintances when we returned to Orrin ourselves.

In the meantime, our wardens double-checked to make sure we had all our belongings. I replaced my stamp set in my bag and withdrew the gold pieces Po gave me plus those Luc and I had set aside for the original plan of docking in Orrin.

The Twelve had watched over the crew of the Mars Tranquilus during our entire voyage. Both the emperor and I wanted to give them small tokens of appreciation. However, gold could never replace their bravery and fortitude in our mad dashes across the Peaceful Sea.

When we exited our cabin, Titus and his crew shocked me by standing at attention.

I cleared my throat. “Emperor Po and Empress Shi Hua as well as High Brother Luc and I extend our gratitude to all of you for risking your lives and your spirits on this mission. Whether you realized it or not, you performed a great service to the Queendom of Issura and the Jing Empire, and you helped bring us a step closer to defeating the demons once and for all. These are a very small token. Our true appreciation for your courage cannot be measured.”

Most of the crew turned orange in embarrassment at my words, but a few remained golden with pride in their accomplishment. I presented each member of the crew with two gold pieces and bowed to them. When I finished, a cheer filled the air.

I couldn’t blame them. We were all alive and home when the odds had been sorely against us.

However, I couldn’t escape my next challenge, and I wished with all my heart to stay aboard this ship and sail home with it.

Don't Get Political They Said

Ohio Resistance by Bob Seay

Don't get political they said. I would lose readers.

But when ICE agents are executing American citizens in the streets, I can no longer be silent.

The Second American Civil War has started. I stand with the people who believe kindness and empathy are virtues.

I do not stand with anyone who believes the Constitution only applies to certain, privileged people. I do not stand with assholes who think it's okay for children to be kidnapped. Assholes who think it's okay for elderly people to be dragged from their homes naked in subzero weather. Assholes who think shooting unarmed people in the face or back at point blank range is acceptable.

If you have a problem with my views, then leave my website. Do not buy my books. My stories won't please you one iota.

You see, I've heard too many stories from and about my uncles who fought for the Allies during World War II. Funny how the stories are so similar. Children taken from their families. Old men forced to endure the cold in little or no clothing during the winter. Innocent people shot in the streets for whatever reason the fascist wanted. Or for no reason at all.

If it quacks like a fascist, fosters fear like a fascist, kills like a fascist, then it's a fucking fascist.

And I stand against them.

 

P.S. Author Bob Seay created resistance logos for each state based on Minnesota's resistance logo using their state bird, the loon. He gave permission for personal use of the logos. Please give him credit if you use one.  

Status Update - January 2025

The new year has has launched another series of life rolls. But not all of them are bad!

A Barrel of Vintner is going to be longer than I anticipated as I wrap up a bunch of story threads from the entire Justice series in these last three books.

On the other side, the Justice cover artist had her first grandchild last week! Yes, the e-book/front cover has been completed for some time, but she can't create the full paperback cover until my formatter completes the interior. And my formatter can't do the interior until I finish writing the story.

Which leads to my next delay. My cover artist will be flying to see her new grandbaby and staying to help the new parents for a little while. As soon as I know how things will shake out, I'll inform you of the revised release date.

I hope everyone survived Winter Storm Fern!

A Barrel of Vintner - Chapter 5

Here's another little taste of the next Justice novel, A Barrel of Vintner!

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Gorge rose in the back of my throat. “Queen Teodora was assassinated?”

“Yes,” Queen Chiara bit out. “But this news is not to leave this room, Chief Justice.”

I understood her reasoning. Panic and chaos could ensue if Teodora’s murder became common knowledge, just like Emperor Chengwu’s assassination had caused in Jing. Including accusing the heir to the throne of incompetence or outright malfeasance in the late queen’s care. I didn’t blame Chiara for wanting time to find the true culprit in her mother’s demise.

“Whoever cooked the concentrated soma tears had additional goals besides the death of Teodora,” White Eagle said.

My attention shot to the prince. “That cutpurse outside of the Bay Market?”

He nodded. “Older youths and adults quickly become addicted. They’re buying or bartering for the drug from someone.”

“But a truthspell—” Luc stared at the royal couple.

“There’s a subtle spell on the powder, similar to a healing spell to keep the heart beating,” Reverend Mother Brigid said. “When a truthspell is laid on a person who has been taking this drug, it speeds up the heart rate to the point the heart literally rips itself apart.”

“We think someone took the recipe from the locked collection of our Temple,” Reverend Father Ninumu murmured.

“We have a recipe for a lethal soma powder?” I exclaimed.

A wry smile crossed his face. “Any medicinal herb can have detrimental effects if too much is taken or for the wrong reasons. Concentrated soma tears were used in previous centuries to sedate patients with grievous injuries so the healers can treat them.” He sighed. “Or to ease the passing of those who could not be healed.”

“Let’s put it this way, my dear.” Reverend Mother Sxa’min chuckled softly. “I have the wasting disease, I’m in a great deal of pain, and I wouldn’t touch that shit.”

“I’m sorry—” I started.

She held up a palm. “Stop right there, Anthea. I don’t need or want your sympathy. I get enough crap from my own people.” She eyed High Sister Imala before she turned back to me. “And Love has already held its vote. Imala will officially take over my duties full-time after the Summer Solstice.” Another chuckle shook the Reverend Mother’s thin frame. “Unless Death comes to visit me prior to then.”

“No platitudes, Reverend Mother.” I inclined my head. “You honor Issura with your service.”

“That sounds like a platitude to me, young lady,” she teased.

“Would you prefer I throw you on a funeral pyre after this meeting?” I asked politely.

Reverend Mother Sxa’min cackled until she coughed into a handkerchief. I didn’t miss the dark pink stains of her sputum on the cotton. I doubted anyone else missed the blood either.

When she recovered from her fit, she smiled at me. “Too bad you aren’t the Reverend Mother of Balance. Convocations would have been much more entertaining.”

“Can we get back to our real problem, ladies?” White Eagle didn’t sound annoyed. In fact, he almost sounded relieved at our teasing.

“I beg forgiveness, Your Highness.” I inclined my head. “Please continue.”

“So far, the problem has been limited to two duchies,” the prince said. “However, the shipment Vintner and Thief intercepted was headed for Orrin.” I tensed, and Luc shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“We haven’t spoken to anyone in Orrin since we arrived in Chengzhou.” I shook my head. “I didn’t realize I depended too much on Empress Shi Hua for distance speaking. Is Orrin in trouble?”

“Don’t worry. Talbert and Ben have been working closely with the Healers Guild since the poison oil incident the winter before last,” Grey Shadow said. “But this powder did appear in Gilwas a little over three months ago. Unfortunately, they shipped it out to towns and villages in the duchy before anyone realized something was wrong. And then, Bohem Puyuik experienced an outbreak of catarrh shortly after they received their shipment.”

Grief flowed from everyone in the room. Pain powder was also used to reduce fever as well as muscle aches and other pains. The disease would have produced both.

“Did anyone in the city survive?” Luc murmured.

“Some hunters and loggers up in the surrounding mountains weren’t exposed when the carrier of the disease arrived in the city,” the queen said. “When they went to Bohem Puyuik for the Spring Rituals, they sent a messenger to Gilwas, and they did what they could for the living they found until more healers could reach them. Only about a quarter of the Bohem Puyuik population remains, and half of those are severely addicted to the concentrated tears.”

“I don’t understand what you need from us, Your Majesty,” I said. “An investigation into the assassination of a national leader should be led by the chief justice in charge of criminal prosecutions at the very least if not the Reverend Mother herself. Has something happened to Chief Justice Oriana? Or Reverend Mother Alara?”

Grey Shadow leaned his elbows on the table and clasped his hands. His attention on Luc and me was intense.

“Neither of you are fools, Anthea,” he said. “You both know of the problems within your own home Temples.”

“Unfortunately,” Luc said dryly.

As far as we know, neither Oriana or Alara are addicted the powdered soma,” Grey Shadow said. “However, Farrell is.”

“Does he refuse treatment from the Healers Guild and Child?” Luc asked softly. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have been sympathetic to his own Reverend Father. But after the loss of his unborn son, Luc sank into a deep melancholy and drank spirits in excess. Nor would he listen to me when I pointed out the toll it was taking on him. It took his own Temple personnel in Orrin rebelling to get him to seek help for his emotional pain. He handed the vial back to Brigid.

“He refuses to admit he is addicted to the substance,” Imala said. “He issues contradictory orders, berates everyone at Light regardless of rank, and last week, he had a warden lashed to the edge of death for making the mistake of stopping him from raping a civilian.”

“Why wasn’t Farrell brought up on charges for either assault?” I growled.

“Alara dismissed the complaint,” Grey Shadow said. “Just like she dismissed the concentrated tears as a mistake of Vintner, claiming Brigid is trying to cover for her own people who erred in preparing the pain powder.”

I stared back at him for a long time before I said, “Are you asking us to remove our own Temple leaders from office?”

“When was the last time you spoke with Melanippe?” he said.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and released it before I looked at Grey Shadow again. “You found her body?”

“No,” he said. “Wildling believes she never left the Balance home Temple.”

“Then what is it you expect us to do, Your Majesty?” Luc asked.

Queen Chiara was silent for a long moment. “I want you to meet with High Brother Liam and feel him out. He’ll be the key for a vote of no confidence within Light.”

She considered her next words carefully. “I don’t want to interfere in the operations of any of the Temples.” She glanced at me. “Especially after the stunt Ogusuku pulled with you, Anthea. But I need to know if you plan to take any of the offers for a transfer Reverend Mother Hózhó, Reverend Mother Fumiko, and Reverend Mother Xiang offered you.”

An uneasy feeling crawled up my spine. How had the queen found out about the offers?

“I hadn’t planned on it, Your Majesty. Nor am I taking the offer presented by Reverend Mother Hoku of the Sea Peoples. If you are concerned about me leaving Issura, I assure you I have no plans to do so. Unless you have need of me to take one of the offers?”

Chiara and White Eagle exchanged smiles.

“As I said to you, my queen. Dutiful to a fault,” he murmured.

She exhaled deeply. “There’s a traitor within Balance.”

“Yes,” I admitted. “But I haven’t discovered their identity.”

“Yet,” Luc added.

“But you have your suspicions,” Grey Shadow said.

“That’s all I have at the moment, Reverend Father,” I replied. “Suspicions aren’t enough for a conviction. Nor can I start truthspelling my sisters without causing more problems than Issura already has.”

“But you have a talent for ferreting out the truth by other means,” the queen said. “I know I cannot command you in this matter without directly contradicting Alara’s orders, but I would appreciate you and Luc staying in the capital while you assist the other Temples in the investigation of the cooking and distribution of the concentrated soma tears.”

“And discover who made sure they placed the concentrated soma tears in the container Queen Teodora used for her nightly pain powder,” I stated. “Even so.” Queen Chiara nodded.

“I assume the entire palace was searched and any alleged pain powder was confiscated and tested, and Queen Teodora’s supply was the only tainted medication in the palace,” Luc said.

“Yes,” Brigid replied.

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, we need to let our colleagues in Orrin know we’ve been delayed in the capital, even if we can’t tell them why,” I said.

“Have any messages you need to send go through me,” Grey Shadow said. “Talbert will make sure they are delivered to your people.”

Luc and I exchanged looks. When a leader of the Temple avoided using the regular courier system in the queendom, things were bad indeed.

A Barrel of Vintner - Chapter 4

Yesterday was rather soothing. When I woke up around three in the afternoon, Mother Nature delivered a steady snow. The so-called experts said it would only be a dusting, but we had three inches by the time DH took out the pups for their final constitutional last night.

There's something inherently peaceful in that muffled whiteness. Mother Nature placing a new canvas on her easel in preparation for spring colors. And like her, I find creating during a snowfall inspirational.

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Our carriages rolled through the Temple District and climbed the steep hill to the royal palace. The street zigzagged to make it easier on the horses and other beasts of burden. After I gave myself my peculiar sight, I watched my fellow novices from the other eleven Temples run up and down this very road while I was confined to my quarters. As part of my punishment after I was allowed to attend lessons again, I was ordered to join the sighted novices in their exercise.

Because of the sharp rise in altitude of the hill, the walls surrounding the royal estate sat well below the palace itself. It was the first time I visited the royal home since I’d left Standora to ride circuit in the eastern half of the Duchy of Orrin. From here, the queen and her advisors could see the entire Bay of Standora. Even for me, the view was quite spectacular as I climbed out of the prince consort’s carriage.

The hills surrounding the bay rose sharply from the water. Reinforced terraces kept the buildings, parks, and gardens from sliding into the frigid waters below. With the coming of spring, caravels had resumed their travels through the narrow passage of the bay to the Peaceful Sea while sailboats and ferries crisscrossed to the opposing sides of the bay. The smaller watercraft allowed people and goods to continue their land journeys north, south, and east by foot or animal. On tiny White Island near the entrance to bay, a combined watchtower and lighthouse rose in a slim golden column against the purple-blue of the water.

“Chief Justice?” the prince consort said.

I turned to him and inclined my head. “My apologies, Your Highness. I haven’t seen the view from here in a long time.”

“You may gaze at the sights afterward.” He smiled, amused at my distraction. “The queen awaits.”

“Of course.” I followed him and Luc up the steps and through the main doors of the palace. Our wardens followed close behind. I hoped the prince hadn’t been too rough with them. My actions often took them by surprise, so I couldn’t fault them for not reacting until I was a block away from the royal carriages. I hoped the prince hadn’t given them a tongue-lashing for my actions.

If he had, Jonata would be sure to mention it later in private. The normally quiet warden had become quite vocal during our mission to Jing and back. What I’d taken for shyness had been her studying the relationships within Balance before speaking out. But I had no doubts about her loyalty. After the fiasco with my birth mother at Love, I had to truthspell everyone at Balance, including poor Jonata after she arrived to replace Aglaia. My newest warden had responded with grace instead of resentment.

The oddness of the palace atmosphere intruded on my musings. Even with the tall windows pulling light inside from every direction around the hilltop palace, a darkness cloaked the place and the people. The staff murmured in hushed tones, and only spoke when they must. There was none of the gaiety I remembered under Queen Teodora’s reign. Nor did this uneasy quiet feel like grief.

While Queen Chiara was slightly more serious than her mother prior to Teodora’s death, the somber mood didn’t match our new queen’s usual passion either. We had many talks while Queen Chiara and the prince consort sorted out the timeline and the post-fight analysis of the Battle of Tandor. A suspicion murmured in the back of my mind that the solemnity in the palace and the extra grieving banners were connected.

Luc and I followed Prince White Eagle across the palace’s great hall. I wished I could borrow Luc’s sight for a moment to see the details on the tapestries that lined the walls. They described the history of the Chumash people and the coming of the Toscans and Britons to help rebuild after the demons' devastating attack centuries ago. But viewing them for the first time in my life was not to be.

At least, not at the moment with the prince consort’s swift strides.

The prince led us through a door on the right side of the great hall and down another corridor to a receiving room. I’d never been past the public area of the fortress before. The private area’s décor was nearly as austere as that of a Temple of Balance.

A simple large round wooden table sat in the middle of the room. A huge iron chandelier hung over the table, but no alabaster Light globes currently sat on the sockets meant for them. Windows on the southern wall overlooked the central courtyard where the staff worked. Generally, there was laughter. People entertained each other with stories and songs while they went about their tasks. The relative quiet was very odd when the majority of folks down there were Chumash.

Having grown up in Issura, I thought of myself more Chumash than Diné, even though I had no Chumash blood as far as I knew. If I did, it would have come from my maternal grandfather’s line, and Kam was rather sure the majority of his ancestors were Britons from the diaspora with the exception of his own maternal grandmother who was Toscan. He claimed to get his love of fine cooking from her.

To my great relief, neither Reverend Mother Alara of Balance nor Reverend Father Farrell of Light were present in the room when we entered. However, Reverend Father Grey Shadow of Thief was already seated, along with Reverend Mother Sxa’min of Love and High Sister Imala, the projected favorite to replace the leader of their Temple, Reverend Father Ninumu of Knowledge, and Reverend Mother Brigid of Vintner. And of course, their chief wardens. Prince White Eagle quickly made the introductions. No sooner had Luc and I taken our seats the prince indicated next to him when the door opened once again.

Queen Chiara swept into the room. Unlike the gowns her mother preferred, she wore a cotton tunic and leggings along with sturdy boots. The wardens stood at attention as did the two royal guards. The rest of us rose to our feet and bowed. What I didn’t expect was the gigantic dog at the queen’s side. It was easily the size of a small pony. Except…

I cocked my head at the subtle sensation of intelligence in the huge beast’s eyes. A Wildling, I realized. His talent was just underneath obvious perception.

“Sit down,” the queen commanded. “We have too much to discuss to waste the time on frivolity and egos. My love, if you would?”

I half-expected the Temple leaders to be taken aback by the queen’s cavalier attitude. Instead, all of them broke out in grins. Even Luc smirked a bit. We all resumed our seats while the prince warded the room.

When he finished and sat next to his wife, Queen Chiara addressed me.

“Anthea, I don’t get into Temple business—” Her statement elicited chuckles from everyone at the table but me. Even the Wildling laughed like a dog, with his tongue lolling out of the side of his muzzle. “—why didn’t you file formal charges against Ogusuku?”

I shrugged. “It was unnecessary. His true goal was to undermine Reverend Mother Fumiko. When I accidentally fell into a demon hole in Naha, it gave him ammunition to use against her.”

“I wouldn’t worry about Ogusuku, Your Majesty,” Reverend Father Grey Shadow murmured. “With the outcry on Anthea’s behalf, Thief has removed him from office.”

His tone sent a chill down my spine. Ogusuku wasn’t just removed as Ryukyu’s Reverend Father of Thief. He was dead, his ashes scattered Balance knew where.

“Is Reverend Father Biming to be removed as well?” I asked. Surely, Shi Hua would have said something in our weekly talks if he’d been fatally reprimanded by his fellow Reverend Fathers of Thief.

“Should he be?” Grey Shadow’s right eyebrow rose.

I consider my next words carefully since a man’s fate hung on them. “Biming’s purpose has always been to protect Emperor Po. And frankly, no one had ever come back from a demon hole, so I would have had the same suspicions he did. However, he backed off his accusations after I was initially truthspelled. Ogusuku did not. Plus, Reverend Mother Xiang also asked if I was sure I didn’t want to file charges. As I told her, if I weren’t on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the queen of Issura, I would consider it. But Queen Teodora ordered me to get Emperor Po home safely for his coronation. Queen Chiara didn’t countermand that order. To my mind, his safety and that of Empress Shi Hua took precedence over any slight against me.”

I turned to the queen. “Or am I incorrect?”

The corners of the queen’s mouth curved. “You really should have been in Thief.”

“That would not be a good idea, Your Majesty,” I said. “Thief requires subtlety, and I’m about as subtle as a bull in heat.”

The Temple leaders and the prince roared with laughter. Luc, the royal guards, and the wardens snickered. My statement even drew a real smile from the queen.

“We’ll discuss matters regarding Jing later, Anthea.” Queen Chiara sobered. “We have a new problem.”

“The spate of deaths after the loss of your mother.”

“Including my mother.” The queen turned to Reverend Mother Brigid. “Do you have a sample from the shipment you confiscated?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The Reverend Mother pulled a glass vial from a pocket inside her robes. “Whatever you do, Anthea, Luc, please don’t pull out the cork.” She handed the vial to Luc.

I laid a hand on his shoulder and examined the contents through his eyes and my own odd sight before I looked at the Reverend Mother. “I don’t understand. It looks like pain powder.”

“That’s what civilians thought when they took a dose.” Her eyes shimmered with yellow tears. “It’s concentrated soma tears boiled down to a powder form. Only a few grains will kill a child under five winters, elderly adults, or those already in ill health.”

Fury flowed from Queen Chira. “Queen Teodora took a small amount of pain powder every night to ease her joint pain enough to sleep. But with her weak heart, the concentrated tears killed my mother before any of us knew what was happening.”

A Barrel of Vintner - Chapter 3

I'm closing in on 50K words, or approximately the halfway point of A Barrel of Vintner. A lot happens in these last three novel in the Justice series, so they all may be as long as A Cup of Conflict. Here's another tidbit to brighten your weekend!

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When I unfroze the cutpurse from my time bubble, I realized the man was younger than I originally thought. His body shook as if he were in the first throes of a seizure. His color faded to a dull, pale green. Not the grey-green of a skinwalker, but as if he was terrible ill and on the verge of death.

“Please, Justice, behead me now,” he cried. “I can’t endure this agony anymore.”

Before I could answer, Prince White Eagle ordered him taken to the Balance gaol to await trial and to contact him at the palace when the justice assigned to his case needed witness statements. The peacekeepers trussed up the cutpurse and dragged him away to Balance as he wept bitterly, still begging for me to take his head.

I had seen all manner of reactions when a suspect faced the possibility of execution, but I’d never in my thirty-two winters heard one beg for death like this man did.

“Back to the royal carriage,” the prince ordered. Long Feather fell into step on my right while the prince strode on my left. The royal guards marched in front and behind me as they escorted us back to where I’d leapt out of the royal carriage. Obviously, the prince wasn’t taking a chance of me running off on my own again.

“How is the civilian that damned cutpurse attacked?” I asked.

“One of the mounted guards has ridden to the Healers Guild house the next street over,” the prince bit out. “And don’t change the subject, Anthea. What the demon were you thinking?”

“That a woman was attacked and robbed in broad daylight on a street too close to the palace,” I snapped. “No idiot is so bold with an automatic death sentence.” I forced myself to breathe deeply and evenly in order to calm my rapidly beating heart. “Is it correct to connect this man’s actions with what you wish to discuss at the palace?”

“Yes.” The prince’s single word closed any further discussion of the matter.

I swallowed hard. The last thing I needed was to make any enemy of the queen’s husband. But my gut said something else was going on besides the cutpurse’s strange behavior. Whatever it was, the prince wasn’t going to discuss it in public. I wished I had the opportunity to truthspell the cutpurse before the peacekeepers hauled him to Balance. Had he attacked the woman because the terrible pain he claimed he was suffering?

Even if his affliction couldn’t be cured by a master, no Healers Guild member of sound mind would allow a patient to suffer. They’d use pain powder or soma tears if it were the wasting disease.

We reached the intersection as a Healers Guild wagon stopped next to the injured woman. Jonata had tended to her wound while Luc consoled her companion. Someone had collected the rolls and surviving melons and placed them into the fallen women’s baskets. They sat near her companion’s feet.

Yar tied the guild horses to the closest hitching rail. The berda journeyperson and their male apprentice ignored the prince and me as they jumped down, their supply bags in hand, as rushed to their patient. Jonata rose and stepped out of their way, but the injured woman cried out and reached for my warden.

“Stay,” the healer journeyperson ordered. “Keep her calm.”

Jonata crouched by the woman’s head and kept her soothing tone as she stroked the woman’s face and described the beauty of the Sea Peoples’ islands to distract the woman from her pain. The prince waited rather impatiently until the journeyperson said it was time to load the victim into their wagon.

After the healers drove off with the woman, her companion, and their baskets of goods to their guild house, the prince ordered our group back into their respective carriages. He seized my left upper arm to emphasize his command.

As much as I hated being handled in such a manner, I didn’t resist. Looking back at my actions, I realized I’d forgotten everything I learned during my time in Jing. Standora was not my city, and I’d left the prince consort vulnerable to a secondary attack. However, I needed to wait until White Eagle calmed before I offered any apology or amends. The man’s temper wasn’t easy to rouse, but when it was, he was notorious across the queendom for the violence he could inflict.

Once Luc and I were seated, the prince climbed in and glared at me while one of his guards closed the door. I endeavored to keep my expression neutral as I return the prince’s gaze. From Luc’s glances, perhaps I wasn’t as successful as I believed. The prince relaxed a tiny bit once the carriage was moving once again.

“Anthea, you must learn that the entire world does not rest of your shoulders,” he finally said.

“The emperor and empress of Jing have said as much,” I replied. “And all of you are correct, but this was a minor thing—”

But it wasn’t the prince who delivered the expected lecture.

“I can’t follow you into a fight like I used to,” Luc bit out. “And how many Balance wardens must die before you learn to think before you act?”

“Long Feather and Jonata are alive after our six-month journey to Chengzhou and back,” I grumbled.

“Reverend Father Biming lost one of his wardens saving Jonata,” Luc snapped. “Face facts. The whole reason you chose them to accompany you was because they are the youngest and most impressionable of the Orrin Balance squad. They go along with all your mad schemes—”

“I didn’t release one of my wardens from his vows in the middle of our mission—” I started.

“Stop it! Both of you!” The prince rubbed his temples. “I swear you two bicker worse than an elderly married couple.”

“We beg your forgiveness, Your Highness,” Luc murmured. “The last six months have been rather trying.”

I said nothing and settled for glaring at him.

“And I thought many people exaggerated Anthea’s penchant for seeking death until I witnessed it for myself,” the prince replied.

I sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to cool my temper. “I am not trying to get myself killed, Your Highness. The cutpurse would have disappeared into the city if I allowed him to escape. He could have done worse than stab an innocent person running her morning errands.”

“Anthea.” The prince shook his head. “What if he’d been an assassin luring you to your death?”

I opened my mouth to answer before it struck me the prince was correct. I had a breather over the last six months because Po and Shi Hua were the Assassins Guild’s primary targets. Now, that Po sat on Jing’s Dragon Throne and Shi Hua was pregnant with his son, they had plenty of extra protection. Worse, I gave neither of my wardens the opportunity to join me in the chase.

“I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness,” I finally said. “I had the luxury of not being in Issura over the last half year. I allowed my awareness of the true situation to pause for that time period.”

The prince grunted. “That’s the closest to a real apology I’ve heard from you. But you need to remember that the first half of the Skoloti prophecy was fulfilled when Emperor Bao Quan Po took the Jing throne. The second half has yet to be. According to Balance Herself, we have over twenty more years of this war. If you’re the key to the final battle, we have to keep you alive until then. So, no more running off like a disobedient child.”

I bristled at his description of me, but mainly because I hated to admit he was correct. “I hear your words, Your Highness. I will…endeavor to restrain myself in the future.”

“Very well then.” He smiled. “If you fail to do so from now on, I assure you the queen will confine you in the palace dungeon.”

He may be jesting, but I had no doubt Queen Chiara would do exactly that.

Happy New Year!

Here's to a much quieter and prosperous 2026 to us all!