Page 78 of Perfectly Petite Shorts
Long story short, it was obvious those two thought I wasn’t well. Maybe they even thought I was already dead. If so, they’d almost been correct. I was still struggling to deal with how close I’d come to experiencing my mortality.
Hamish patiently went through the routine of getting Lilibeth’s name recorded as well as her credentials as a witness. Lilibeth hadn’t enlightened me regarding her plans. Honestly, I wasn’t certain I wanted to know.
Hamish began his questioning. “Lilibeth Canna, could you please explain your relationship with the decedent, Jamila Winsome?”
Lilibeth’s earlier joyful anticipation simmered. “Jamila was a good friend and extremely talented witch.”
“Then you would say you knew Jamila well.”
“Absolutely.”
Hamish clasped his hands behind his back. He’d tucked his hair into a single, loose braid. His suit was fitted to perfection and the fabric hugged his body like a lover. “And would you say you were privy to Jamila Winsome’s desires regarding her land?”
“Objection.” Vaydra stood and addressed the judge. “Council is asking the witness to speculate and is relying on mere hearsay.”
“Sustained.” Judge Lucius replied.
“Let me rephrase. Did Jamila Winsome ever directly, in her own words, express what she wanted to happen to her land?”
“She did, and it sure as shit wasn’t to be bulldozed and turned into a bunch of mortar and steel.” Lilibeth’s lips were pulled back in disgust.
Vaydra stood again. “Objection. The case currently being argued is not regarding the decedent’s wants or desires. The decedent clearly left control and legal authority of the land in question to her children. Those two children claimed their inheritance. Jamila Winsome’s will is clear, binding, and legal.”
Before Judge Lucius could reply, Hamish relented. “Counsel is and is not correct.” Hamish’s broad shoulders were relaxed as he turned his attention on Vaydra. “We do not dispute the will itself, but the definitions within it. Specifically, the definition of children. Sage and Jessup Winsome were not specifically listed within the will itself.”
“We’re her fucking kids!” Jessup jumped out of his chair so fast it flew back and slammed into the pony wall separating the spectators from the plaintiffs.
The quelling look Judge Lucius sent Jessup’s way should have been enough to cool his heels and make him sit his ass back down. If that weren’t enough, then the deliciously vicious grin Lilibeth wore should have been. As it was, only his brother’s hand on his sleeve and the brutal tug he gave did the trick.
“His words mean nothing,” Sage leaned over and hissed into his brother’s ear.
“But it’s bullshit. You know what he’s trying to do,” Jessup argued.
“And it doesn’t fucking matter,” Sage grit out. Had it notbeen for the enhanced hearing charm Hamish gave me earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to hear a word said between them.
Cool as a cucumber, Hamish blandly said, “I am not disputing your biological connection with the decedent. More’s the pity. What I am questioning is what it means to be one of Jamila Winsome’s children.”
Vaydra scoffed. “You would debate centuries of held belief?”
“Why not? Simply because a thought is old does not make it correct,” Hamish argued. Turning back to Lilibeth, Hamish asked, “You have been close to the dryad, Todrik, on many occasions. Is this correct?”
“It is,” Lilibeth answered fondly.
“And is it correct and truthful to say that the dryad, Todrik, is a product of Jamila’s magic?”
“He most certainly is. I’d know Jamila’s magical signature, and her magic runs through Todrik’s veins. It is what fueled and sustains his transformation.”
“Objection,” Vaydra said. “Is the witness an expert in magical signatures?”
Lilibeth bristled. “I’m a brownie. That makes me an expert in damn near anything magical.”
Hamish added nothing and waited for Judge Lucius to agree. “The court agrees with Lilibeth Canna’s answer.”
Vaydra sat, her face a mask of indifference. Dear Gaia, I’d hate to play poker with her.
Hamish kept his gaze on Sage and Jessup when he asked Lilibeth, “So, in your expert, brownie opinion, the dryad, Todrik, would not be who he is, the species he is, without Jamila Winsome’s magical assistance. Is that fair to say?”
“Very fair.”
