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I knew he was nervous, and worried things would not go our way. He worried that he would need to become the daemon that they feared him to be.
Without looking at him, I reached out with my aura, and caressed his, as he had done for me countless times before. Just like when I had touched him at the table, I felt him jump slightly. After a moment, he tentatively allowed his aura to caress mine back.
“Come,” Mr. Abbey said, “Traditionally, the sponsors of the vote sit here, next to the Sorcerer General. We filed in after Mr. Abbey, who was dressed smartly in his usual three-piece tweed suit. I once again wished someone had told me this would have been a formal occasion. I felt silly in my sweater and lambskin pants.
Mr. Abbey, Patricia, and Meredith settled in on the left of what I could only describe as the judge's bench. Amon, Conrad, and I filed into the pews on the right of the towering bench where I assumed that the Sorcerer General sat.
My suspicions were confirmed as the long slender wooden door behind the Sorcerer’s bench opened and Sofia billowed in, a pleated thick grey robe fastened over her chic outfit. The sunglasses she had been wearing in the chalet were absent.
“All rise.” She said to the empty room. I looked around, confused. She picked up her gavel and slammed it down on the sound block. “The Board is now in session.” I gasped as the courtroom burst into life, Witches, Wizards, Shamans, and Spell casters suddenly filled the curved tiered benches of the audience. Magick folk of every shape, size and color appeared in the room. The tables before them displayed the flag of the country they hailed from.
Before Meredith and Mr. Abbey, and myself, tiny Canadian flags appeared. Before Conrad and Patricia, small Jamaican flags. As Amon’s flag materialized before him, the audience of the court quieted. I leaned over to look. It was an ouroboros, a depiction of a serpent eating its own tail.
‘Is that the flag for the Court of Pride?’
Amon shook his head so minutely; I knew only I would notice.
‘No. It is the magick folk’s symbol for the Dominion of Sin.’ He sounded annoyed. ‘It is meant to represent the cyclical nature of sin itself.’ Looking at the symbols of justice that surrounded us, I understood his annoyance. The ouroboros wouldn’t win us any friends here.
25
“Honored members of the Board,” Sofia began. “We gather here today to address a matter of great importance to our magickal community. As we begin this session, I would like to call upon the forces of the earth, nature and the great powers that guide us, that we know and worship in many forms.
“May the Keeper of the Elements, the Protector of Balance and Harmony, the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone, bless our proceedings with fairness and impartiality.
"I call upon the ancestors of our people, those who have gone before us and who have left us their wisdom and knowledge. May they guide us in our decision making, and may they be honored by the actions we take here today.
"Lastly, I ask that the spirits of nature, the guardians of our land and our home, bless this courtroom and all those who enter it with protection and harmony.
"May all these entities guide us in our quest for justice and truth, so that we may come to a decision that is fair and just for all."
“Here, here!” Came the collective agreement from the audience in response to Sofia’s opening ceremony.
“I call forward the Honorable Patricia Brown, and the Honorable Walter Abbey, lead representatives of our people, hailing from Canada and Jamaica. Together, they have aligned to request the deliverance of a forgotten vote. Those who agree to the parameters of the forgotten vote say aye, or forever hold your peace.”
Several magick folk stood to leave. The rest agreed with a synonymous ‘Aye’. Conrad leaned in and whispered to me,
“Nuh everybody agree with di forgotten vote. Dem worry dat a corrupt person could mess wit der minds and erase more dan di vote.” I nodded my head at this. If I was being honest, I might have had the same reservations, if I was on the receiving end of the forgetting spell that everyone would be conceding too at the end of this session.
Patricia spoke next. Despite her weakened physical state, her voice was strong and filled with power as she addressed The Board. I marveled at her, and several of the audience members shifted forward in their seats to hear her speak. She was clearly well liked and respected here.
“Sorcerer General mi Patricia Brown. Mi have been called forward tuh represent Di Origin’s dawta and di Prince of Pride in dis matta. Howeva mi would like to respectfully request permission tuh defer mi representation duties to Conrad Brown.
“Conrad bi a trained and skilled apprentice. He qualified tuh handle di case on behalf of di Origin’s dawta and di Prince of Pride. Mi confident dat Conrad have di necessary knowledge an skills tuh represent di vote wid di same care an attention as me would.”
Conrad stiffened next to me, and I could tell that he hadn’t been expecting Patricia to nominate him to come forward on her behalf. I squeezed his hand and smiled at him encouragingly.
“You’ve got this.” I whispered. Amon dipped his head to Conrad in agreement.
The Board all waited expectantly, for the Sorcerer General to speak.
“Walter Abbey, do you concur?” She asked. Mr. Abbey smiled sagely, leaning back into his seat.
“Yes. I concur. I stand by, ready to assist Conrad Brown if necessary.” The silence that followed was deafening. Conrad seemed frozen in his seat. I nudged him with my knee.
“Conrad Brown. You have been called to represent the sponsors of this vote, do you accept?” As if being pulled from a deep state of shock, Conrad suddenly came to life.
“Yes, Sorcerer General. Mi accept.” He said. I watched as he gathered himself before me. I was reminded of the night he faced off with Marcus, the fire mage. The control he exhibited seemed to pull from nowhere. He was suddenly calm, composed. I realized, he had burrowed into himself and found his own personal state or Eriene.
