- 126 -

  Damien and Drew strolled up the Mazannine to the court building. It was a gaudy spire smack in the middle of the third level of Valoria.

  A letter had arrived from D’Aeggett advising them to visit the courts offices and claim their seat in the winter court today. Damien rushed out of the door to beat the rush.

  “This city really loves folks standing in lines,” Drew whispered.

  Damien grunted in agreement. He had been in a sour mood since after breakfast and Drew had tried singing a few barroom songs to cheer him up, but that had failed.

  The sidewalk on this side of the boulevard was bisected by a gilded chain suspended on golden posts. Half was available for public foot traffic, while the other was reserved for some official purpose. The chains and posts disappeared around the curve of the tree-lined street as far as Drew could see.

  “Its the line for general admission to the courts building,” Damien replied.

  “Shouldn’t we get in line? This is the line for the registration building right?” Drew asked.

  Damien kept up his brisk pace and they soon passed a Ressian and a Dwarf who were walking the same direction on the other side of the chain.

  “Hmmpf. We don’t have time to wait around all day. We will take the court member entrance,” Damien said.

  Somehow I don’t think it will be that easy.

  Drew could see farther up block, the people in line had come to a standstill on their side of the chain. For the next three blocks he could see, nobody was moving forward.

  They passed onto the next block in another minute and the front doors of the court building came into view. It was the most decorated of the grand towers that Drew could spot any time he looked up. The towers kept watch over the city.

  It was fronted by ten steps framed by four carved pillars, each pillar represented one of the grand courts.

  Two figures stood at the foot of the steps. One, a guard in city armor. The other was obviously a mage of the fall court, with the court emblem pinned to their long yellow robes.

  When the man in yellow robes spotted their approach from the foot of the stairs he smiled and strode toward them. He maintained eye contact with Damien as he quickly sped up, by the end he was nearly running.

  “Sir!” The man called while he was still ten paces away. “Excuse me, sir!”

  “What now,” Damien said.

  The man’s face was slender and thin. His nose was short and rather pointed down and his mustache and goatee were trimmed short and waxed to points. Despite his palid demeanor a fiery passion glowed in his eyes.

  “Sir! You intend to skip the line!” He accused excitedly.

  “What? Of course not.” Damien replied a bit taken back by the man’s quiet moan.

  “Oh no no! That’s too delicious!” He rasped.

  Something is wrong with this guy.

  “Stand aside, sir,” Damien said.

  Damien stepped around the man to continue on his way. The man nearly crumpled to the ground but resisted the delicious urge.

  A few people in the line chuckled quietly, but most looked away to avoid the spectacle.

  “Sir! Please sir! You must stop!” The man said and wiped drool from his mouth as he tailed Damien.

  Damien doubled his pace, breathing hard, he rushed to the steps and stopped when he reached the city guard.

  “I’m here to register for the winter court.”

  “There is a line for court registrations sir. All new applicants, or court affiliated requests must wait in the line for admission.” The guard said.

  “Send him back! Send him alllll the way back! He skipped the line!” The man in yellow robes cried excitedly as his hand disappeared inside his billowing robes.

  He’s some kind of pervert!

  Drew averted his eyes and focused on the guard.

  “I’m already a member of the winter court. I just need to register a change of my seat,” Damien said. “There is no line for court members on official business.”

  The guard considered Damien closely.

  “What’s your name, sir?” He asked.

  “I am Damien Thornbrush, third tier of the Winter court, and I am here to take the highest seat in the winter court with the express intent of reviving the court!”

  A hush fell over all present as the guard checked a screen only they could see. The mage in yellow held his breath.

  What is going on with these people?

  “I have no official business for a Damien Thornbrush on the books today.” The guard said regretfully.

  “Oh yessssss!” The man in yellow robes cried and finally melted to the ground inside his robes.

  The guard frowned slightly as the only apology for the mage’s behavior.

  “You will have to wait in line like everyone else. Sir.”

  -

  Damien and Drew crossed the street to the final block. They had spent hours in the line.

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  The waiting was worse for the fact they had brought the mage in yellow robes with them.

  “Shame! Shame upon this fool! This fool thought he could skip the line!” The mage in yellow told everyone around them for the hundredth time.

  The walk of shame down brought them down the mezzanine to the end of the line, which had grown much longer than it was when they had passed it earlier.

  “Finally.” Damien said once he could see the front doors again. “It has been a whole day this morning already.”

  Damien pulled his small stool back out and took a seat.

  “I’d say we have another hour or so at this pace,” Drew said.

  “This is why I left the city,” Damien said. “Their foolish rules.”

  “Seems fair to me.” Drew said earning a scoff from his friend.

  A carriage clattered past them towards the registration building. Everyone watched the ornate carriage roll by. Pure white curtains blocked any view of the passengers inside.

  “There you go, another one skipping the line!” Damien gruffed pointing out the carriage to the robed man. “Go on get to work!”

  The man seemed torn. Standing and tattling on Damien every few minutes was a delectable treat. And on the other hand, the chance to make someone get out if their carriage and wait in line was a rare pleasure he couldn’t pass up.

  “Dont start slacking off now young man!“ Damien shouted.

  The robed man squealed and took off sprinting after the carriage before the old enchanter could say anything else.

  The pervert caught up to the carriage within the block and began to hail the driver.

  “Halt! Driver!” He called excitedly.

  The driver ignored him and drove on. The robed mage was left squirming in the road a moment before he rushed to the steps.

  “Who do you think it is?” Drew asked.

  “Some unlucky fool,” Damien said and looked back at the hundreds of people waiting in line behind them. “The line is even longer now.”

  Drew tried to hide his face and was grateful he didn’t have any lips to betray a smile.

  The carriage door opened and a familiar freezing mist billowed out over the marble steps.

  “You cannot skip the line!” The robed mage said as Seraphina adjusted her coat.

  “Madam. There is a line for court registrations. All new applicants, or court affiliated requests must wait in the line for their turn.” The Guard said, barely holding back a yawn.

  “I am here on official Court business.” Seraphina said. “I am here to take the highest seat in the winter court with the express intent of reviving the court.”

  Seraphina turned her nose up at the mage squirming under his robes.

  “Send her to the line! Alllll the way to the-“

  A court clerk burst through the doors at the top if the stairs and called out sharply.

  “Guard! Let the lady Frostwind through! Her regency has an appointment!”

  Seraphina strode past the dumbstruck guard without a second of consideration.

  The robed man may as well have been made of wax, the way he melted silently.

  “Could we have made an appointment too?” Drew asked.

  As soon as we can clear up this seat business then Damien can get my registration approved. James said that would be the first step to getting protection against that monster bird.

  Damien didn’t answer. He pulled his crunchy snacks out of his pocket and kept his opinions to himself for another hour. He didn’t say anything until they finally reached the steps and passed the robed man.

  “Serves you right for taking pleasure in other decent people’s embarrassment,” Damien said.

  “You might try finding a new hobby.” Drew said solemnly.

  -

  The inside of the building was somehow equally boring and opulent. The room was dark wood, pale marble, and plush red velvet rope.

  It would make any bank manager drool back on earth. Compared to the fantastic boulevard outside it is terribly mundane.

  The most remarkable feature of the room were three large bells. They adorned the wall behind the clerk’s desks. One was gold, one silver, and once copper.

  “Next!”

  Damien and Drew approached one of the five business counters. They were called up by a lovely woman in a crisp white blouse. An elf or half-elf based on her longer than average ears.

  ”Hand on the identification plate.” She said mechanically.

  Damien placed his palm on the enchanted plate embedded into the table.

  “Damien Thornbrush, of the Winter Court. I am here to register for the highest available seat in the winter court, announcing himself.” Damien said.

  “Do you have any cause to contest the highest seat?” The clerk asked.

  “Certainly not,” Damien said quickly.

  “Alright then.” She looked down at a tablet keyed to her mama signature.

  “I do have you on record in the winter court, we will bring this motion up to the council for consideration in the next open meeting. You will be notified of the council’s decision.”

  “What time is the meeting?” Drew asked.

  We waited all morning already, if we wait a bit longer we could wrap this up today.

  The clerk was unfazed by his interruption and reached for her tablet to find the answer.

  “No. No. I cant wait for the next council meeting,” Damien said.

  The clerk put the tablet down and waited patiently.

  “When is it?” Drew asked again.

  The clerk checked the page on her tablet before answering.

  “Why it should be about five weeks away.” She said matter of factly. “Unless they forego it again.”

  “Politicians are the same everywhere,” Drew grumbled.

  “How long has it been since their last council meeting?” Damien asked carefully.

  “Why they just forwent a meeting a tenday ago.” The clerk said scrolling back through the tablet.

  “And before they forewent that one?” Damien asked.

  “And before then, it was twice more they forewent.”

  Do they ever have the meeting?

  “Fantastic! I request a certificate of urgency.” Damien declared.

  The clerk looked up sharply.

  “You are serious,” She said. “Yes I can see you are.”

  She carefully locked her tablet and stamp in their respective drawers and set her shoulders back.

  “We ring the bell damn you! We have an urgent matter!” She bellowed into the room at the top of her lungs.

  Drawers clattered around the room. Clerks closed up their desks and patrons cheered.

  “What is happening?” Drew asked.

  Damien held a hand to his brow, failing to hold back a grimace.

  “It will be a trial of urgency,” he said. “An obnoxious spectacle I’m sure.”

  Their clerk rolled up her starched white sleeves and approached the large golden bell. It was hung in the center of the three bells, as tall as a garnt in its alcove behind the business counter.

  Chanting grew from a murmur, bolder and louder as more of the building’s occupants joined in.

  “A trial, a trial, a trial! To test his claim to urgency! A test, a test, a test! They try their hand urgently!” They chanted.

  Their clerk let her hair down from her tight bun atop of her head and whipped it around to loosen it up.

  “Damien Thornbrush, uncontested second seat of the Winter Court demands Urgency! A trial will be held immediately in accordance with the book of exceptions!”

  A heavy silence struck those gathered in the room. A large Orc entered through a door from the back offices. He was covered head to toe in a black cassock leaving only his pinched face exposed. He dragged a long wooden mallet into the room behind him.

  Do we have to fight him? He’s not as big as a Drake, we could take him.

  The large Orc kept a steady pace and moved smoothly across the room to the golden bell.

  The scrape of the mallet could be heard clearly in the silence.

  “The Bell of Exceptions will be rung!” The large Orc cried in a high-pitched shrill voice that made Drew flinch. “The name: Damien Thornbrush has been recorded in the book of exceptions!”

  The Orc passed the mallet to their clerk and she raised it high over her head with both hands.

  “So it was written so shall it be! The trial of urgency has begun!” She intoned.

  She turned and rang the golden bell once. Drew felt the reverberations in his bones.

  A trial of urgency between Damien Thornbrush, and the Council of Courts is commencing. The trial will be Flamingo Nussen, three catches of five loses. Each court may present participants to the trial for the next 38 seconds.

  The clerk handed the mallet back to the waiting Orc.

  “Who defends the courts? Who deems to participate in the trial of urgency?” The shrill Orc called to the room.

  “I! For the Summer court!”

  “I! For the fall Court!”

  Voices joined raised hands as people came forward claiming allegiance to one court or another, eager to obstruct Damien’s claim of urgency.

  But the winter court is dead, who will help us? What is this trial?

  “I will participate on behalf of the winter court!” Drew shouted in favor of the winter court.

  A familiar elf stepped out of the head clerks office.

  “I will support the winter court!” Seraphina Frostwind claimed in the last seconds for participants to acknowledge the trial.