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“You make a compelling case.” She said finally, and my racing thoughts screeched to a halt.
“You have reminded me, Conrad, of a younger version of myself.” She allowed a small smile to touch her perfectly lip sticked mouth. “Someone who hoped for a brighter future, where all people could live in peace and harmony. I, like many others, have come to suffer from prejudices.” She turned to face Amon.
“I have heard many stories of you, Prince Amon, none of which have been pleasant. So, you must forgive me for being wary. We are not in the business of handing powerful artifacts over to daemons who have several hundred years of murder and torture assigned to their names.”
Amon did not smile, or smirk, but he nodded his head minutely.
“As unpleasant as I’m sure you found those stories to be, I assure you, it caused me greater distress to have to take the action that ultimately led to them being shared as tales.” He said darkly. I reached under the table to rest my hand on his thigh, and he jumped slightly in surprise. He glanced at me, his face softening at my expression.
I couldn’t imagine the male next to me, who had been so kind and patient as I mourned, forcing himself to kill or hurt someone who did not deserve it. Knowing that he had been ordered to do such things for hundreds of years, against his will, made me feel as if my heart would break into pieces.
“Understood, Prince Amon.” Sofia turned to Patricia, “Are you aligned with the daemon’s request to put forward a forgotten vote?”
“Yea. Mi aligned,” she dipped her head wisely, smiling at Conrad, pride shining in her eyes.
Sofia turned to Mr. Abbey. “And you? Are you aligned with the daemon’s request to put forward a forgotten vote.” Mr. Abbey nodded his head as well.
“Yes. I am aligned.”
“Then it is done. I approve your request for an expedited forgotten vote. The Board will meet at sunset in La Cima della Giustizia.
‘The summit of Justice.’ Amon translated into my mind.
I supposed we would see about that.
24
La Cima della Giustizia was an imposing and grand courtroom located high in the Dolomites.
Sofia suggested we rest before the vote, considering the time difference, but I don’t think any of us felt like sleeping. Patricia dozed on and off in her chair, but she refused to be taken to a bed, much to Conrad’s dismay.
We were so close to The Lens, but if we did not come out in favor of this vote, we would need to consider much more extreme measures. Ones that I did not want to entertain, considering how much Amon had already been through.
I knew that if this vote did not go through, it would not stop him from taking The Lens from them. I also knew that he did not want to do that, not if he didn’t have too. The minutes seemed to crawl by, until finally, it was time for us to head to the summit.
Much like we had back in Muir, Amon and I divided up the task of shadow walking our friends to La Cima della Giustizia. I took Mr. Abbey and Meredith again while Amon took Conrad and Patricia. Sofia politely refused our offer to take her as well and informed us she would find her own way.
Amon pressed the image of La Cima della Giustizia into my mind, to show my shadows as we got ready to leave.
“How do you know what all of these places look like?” I asked.
“I have lived for a very long time, Raven. I have been to many of these places several times before.” He smiled at me wryly. I blushed. I guess he was right. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around how long he had been alive.
The building he showed me was constructed of rough-hewn grey stone, emulating the rugged peaks of the surrounding mountains. My eager shadows took us there with very little effort, and we materialized at the top of a long winding staircase, before a large set of heavy wooden doors that stood nearly eleven feet high.
The doors were carved with ancient depictions of the scales of justice, a blindfold, and a sword.
“Do we knock?” I asked, craning my head back to look at the set of doors before us. Before Mr. Abbey could answer, they began to open, swinging inwards. I felt, more than I saw, Amon, Conrad and Patricia materialize behind us on the landing, as the doors pulled apart.
Inside, the space resembled a courtroom. The ceiling was high, and the walls were lined with large gothic windows that offered breathtaking views of the mountains around us. In between the windows, there were three large velvet tapestries, each one featuring one of the symbols that had been on the doors before we entered.
“Those are the scales of justice, which represent balance and fairness in decision making,” Mr. Abbey explained to me, pointing to the first tapestry. “That is the blindfold, which symbolizes impartiality and the idea that justice should be blind to a person's social status, race, or any other prejudices. And finally, the sword, which represents the power of the law to enforce and defend the rights of its people.”
Based on the uphill battle our earlier conversation had been with Sofia, I hoped the rest of the board was more in tune with the symbolism they surrounded themselves with in this courtroom.
Amon came up to stand beside me as I took in the majesty of the room before us.
“It would seem we are early.” He commented, his tone bored. However, I was beginning to understand the various masks that he wore.
