Page 81 of Perfectly Petite Shorts
“Judge Lucius is not speaking of you,” Hamish coolly answered.
“Wait. W-what? Then…” Understanding slowly seeped in, though I was still lost as to the how and why. Lilibeth soon answered that question.
Standing to her full height, feet still planted on the defense’s tabletop, Lilibeth stared down on Sage and Jessup as she pronounced, “I invoke the right of vengeance.”
Ominous silence smothered the courtroom. There wasn’t a single gasp, as if everyone else had simply been waiting for the charge. The two brownies flanking Judge Lucius stepped down from the bench and walked toward Lilibeth. Sage and Jessup stood there, faces pale and jaws lax. I wasn’t certain if their silence was due to shock or acceptance.
Jessup’s sudden outburst of “wait just a damn minute,” made me realize it was shock. “What in the hell does that mean? What is—”
Jessup’s voice was silenced. Sage’s too as a deep violet hole opened behind them. It came forward, engulfing mybrothersbefore closing around them. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if they’d been swallowed whole. The two brownies flanking Lilibeth were gone too.
Hopping down from the desk, Lilibeth closed the distance between us. When she held out her arms, I dipped low to accept her hug. This was the brownie I knew. This was Jamila’s close friend. This was my friend.
Lilibeth’s small hands patted my back before she pulled away. Those same small hands gripped my own. Her dark brown eyes were wide when they stared up at me. “Now, don’t you worry about a thing, Todrik. Those two are no longer your responsibility; they’re mine. Jamila would understand.” With a sad shake of her head, Lilibeth said, “Even she couldn’t overlook this. Jamila… I’m sad she’s gone, but I’m glad she didn’t live long enough to see what her boys were capable of. They crossed a line when they tried to murder you. I’m afraid it’s a line there’s no coming back from.” Going up on tiptoes, Lilibeth patted my cheek before pulling away, her attention now on Hamish. “You take care of him. I’ll know if you’re slacking off.” I didn’t know if it was a threat or warning. Most likely a little of both.
“I shall do my best,” Hamish answered.
“Good. And thank your queen again for me. Her deed has not gone unnoticed by my people.”
This time, Hamish gave a slight bow. “We are honored.”
Lilibeth tutted. “Such flowery words. Fairies have always been good at flowery words.” Waving Hamish off, Lilibeth offered me another smile. “I’ll see you again on your hill soon. I’ll visit often. I know you’ll care for Jamila’s land the way she would have wanted.”
Between one blink and the next, Lilibeth was gone, and I realized I hadn’t even uttered a single thank-you.
I stood there, staring at the spot Lilibeth had stood only moments before. Hamish and Vaydra were saying their goodbyes, their words lost to the jumbled emotions tumbling through my head. By the time I came back to myself, the courtroom was empty save for Hamish and myself.
“Are you ready to leave?” Hamish asked, his palm resting on my lower back. He’d been a lot more touchy-feely since my near-death experience.
“I… What just happened? I mean, I kind of understand, but not fully.”
“What do you need clarification on?”
I rolled my eyes. I had no idea how Hamish could sound so unemotional given what just happened. Throwing out my arms, I waved toward where Sage and Jessup had been sitting not ten minutes ago. “This… Them… Lilibeth claimed the right of vengeance? What does that even mean?”
Hamish gently nudged me forward, and we made our way down the aisle and out of the courtroom. We traversed the hall and walked outside into the cool night. He led me around the courthouse to a small garden. There were two benches, bothunoccupied. He headed to the furthest one and sat, pulling me down beside him.
“Lilibeth invoked her right, as your friend and Jamila’s. It was a concession given to brownies when fairy law was put into place.” Hamish’s arm wound around the top of the bench and laid across my shoulders. I leaned into his space. I was still trying to get used to how safe and welcome his arms were.
“Why?” I was puzzled. “Just brownies?”
“In this particular case, yes. Other species have specific laws that only relate to them. Fairy law is…complicated.”
“But you enjoy it.”
“I enjoy the strategy,” Hamish confirmed. “It is a far morepeacefuloutlet for my species to exhibit their prowess.”
I scoffed but couldn’t think of much else to say. By nature, most dryads were peaceful creatures with little commercial desires. Maybe we didn’t needthings, but I was growing very fond of snuggling up to my fairy lawyer. But now that the case was finished, where did that leave us? I didn’t need to stay at Hamish’s house any longer. I could go back to Jamila’s land for good. Hamish didn’t need to protect me. If things played out the way I assumed, all of Jamila’s land would soon be mine. The fight was over. Hamish had won. The game was done. Did that mean Hamish had lost interest?
That thought gutted me and I attempted to pull away. Hamish’s tightened arm didn’t allow that. “Stay,” he softly said.
I didn’t argue. My hand found its way to Hamish’s chest. I could feel his hearts beating. Their pulse wasn’t exactly in sync. It shouldn’t have felt as harmonious as it did. Licking my suddenly dry lips, I hesitantly asked, “Will I see you again?”
Hamish went still. “Do you want to see me again?”
“I… Yes.” It was difficult to admit, toput myself out there and my heart on the chopping block, ready for the axe to fall. “I would very much like that.”
“That is fortuitous, as I plan to see you as often as possible. It would have been very awkward had you not felt the same.”
