Luna of Rogues

Part 59 - Justice

This time there was no silence. The crowd erupted in a roar of applause comparable to a stadium full of Welshmen watching England lose at rugby. Except the rogues weren't cheering for defeat, they were cheering for a display of skill. And if I was feeling especially big-headed, they may have been cheering for me.

The next few minutes were blur of disbelief. Leo appeared to mess up my fur with a hug. Rhys and his father had some sort of wrestling match for the sake of regaining a little of their lost pride. And for the first time in my life, I felt like the king of the castle. The Llewellyn boys were stronger than me and had better instincts for fighting, but now I knew I could beat them, if only because I wanted it more.

What I remember clearest about the time after that fight, was when I spoke to Rhodric after we had shifted and got dressed. He wrapped me in a warm hug and then backed away to grin at me from a safe distance.

"You've come a long way," Rhodric said. "I still remember the headstrong teenager who thought she could do patrol blindfold."

"We did do patrol blindfold," Rhys protested.

"As I recall, you jumped off a cliff and Skye broke a leg."

"True," I admitted. "But we did chase off half a dozen trespassers. We got the job done in the end."

"Ah, to be young," Rhodric sighed. "When the ends always justify the means and it feels like nothing can harm you. It's a pity we all have to grow up."

"Growing up always seems like a great idea until you do it," I agreed.

"Well, either way, I'm proud of you both. You know you're raising kids right when they turn around and kick your ass," Rhodric said seriously. He added a wink, and suddenly all my triumph drained away.

He had done it flawlessly: the surprise, the pride, the grudging smile. It was too flawless. Had he let me win?

Had. he. let. me. win?

Of-bloody-course he had.

Rhodric read all of that on my face. If I had harboured any doubts, they would have been chased away when his eyes narrowed in irritation. He hadn't wanted me to know, had he? Bastard.

"Uh, thanks, I guess," I replied.

"Skye!" Ollie was calling me. "The prisoners have been waiting in the courtyard for an hour. I approve of some combat training as much as the next guy, but we've had seven escape attempts already. Two of them almost worked."

"So chain them to the pillars," I said. "I'm coming anyway."

I looked back at Rhodric, raising an eyebrow. Annoyed as I was, I liked having him present at the hearings, even if he did nothing but make snarky remarks. He was like a walking, talking textbook about how to handle rogues. Today, he shook his head.

"I'm meeting Vik Lloyd for a drink," Rhodric said lazily. "Don't have too much fun without me."

The courtyard was packed, as it always was on court days. Hmm ... courtyard. I'd never noticed that before. Rows of witnesses and victims took up the right side, while the left was a mess of guards struggling to contain their prisoners.

The idea of chaining prisoners to the pillars got me thinking about the time I had been chained to a pillar. On the off chance that it was still there, I took a slight detour to examine the base of a particularly familiar spur of rock. My message to Leo was jaded and weatherworn, but it remained clear against the dark stone.

We can protect her.

With the benefit of hindsight, I now knew I had been talking about myself. Ah, irony.