Errant, Volume One by L. K. Fleet & K. R. Collins & Felicia Davin & Valentine Wheeler

Author:L. K. Fleet & K. R. Collins & Felicia Davin & Valentine Wheeler [Fleet, L. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-14T23:00:00+00:00

3

Aspen led the way into the magistrate’s office. She stopped in the anteroom in front of the imposing desk where the magistrate’s assistant sat, causing Charm, Audacity, Rex, and Rectitude to crowd around her. There was hardly space for all of them. A precarious stack of books brushed Aspen’s arm.

The magistrate’s assistant, walled in by stacks of books and paper, flicked her gaze from Aspen to the tied wrists of the two men. There was a nameplate on her desk that read Wisdom Morton Bard, which was a relief, because Aspen remembered how quickly she’d responded to Magistrate Napier’s called-out demand for a deed to a nearby farm, but not her name.

Anyone who could find a single document that fast in all this mess was to be feared and respected.

“Can I help you?” Wisdom asked, setting down her quill. She was as ink-stained as the last time they’d seen her. She had black hair to match her ink stains, olive skin bronzed from the sun, and was surprisingly fit for someone who presumably shuffled paper all day.

Around her neck hung the same pendant she’d been wearing last time, a white crescent and a Moon glyph signifying woman. A few people in the Traveling Harstead Players wore similar pendants. Aspen envied them the joy and community they’d found in their transformations.

Wisdom tapped her fingers, clicking her nails against a small open space on the desk that she probably kept clear for the sole purpose of making that impatient sound.

Embarrassed, Aspen shifted her weight. The wood floor creaked. She said, “These men were fighting in one of the outlying farms. Trying to kill each other. A property dispute. It seemed like the sort of thing you’d want to sort out.”

“There’s a system, you know,” Wisdom said. “You can’t just wander in here. If you want a trial, we have a schedule with appointments.”

“You’d rather she let them kill each other?” Charm kept her voice light. She inclined her body toward Wisdom, a subtle change in posture that spoke volumes. You and I, we’re friends.

Aspen was agile, but she could never make her body do that. She couldn’t suddenly command the room—not unless she unsheathed her sword. Charm could do it with her eyelashes.

Wisdom remained cool and unimpressed, which put her in the elite ranks as far as Aspen was concerned. Most people melted.

“We have constables who can intervene,” she said. “Magistrate Napier is a very busy woman. She’s fully booked for the day.”

“I’m sure she’ll see us.” Charm’s smile lit her face. The warm gold fabric of her bodice made her skin look even more glowingly brown. She was beautiful as always, but in this moment, it wasn’t a beauty for seducing or conquering. There was a sweetness and a softness to her attitude that resembled nothing in Aspen’s experience of Charm, but still rang true. The road dust in the folds of her skirt became part of her plea. Look how far I came to see you. You wouldn’t turn me away now, would you? “The Magistrate knows us, remember? We helped with those bandits last week.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.