Chapter 15
Jay
Rewind
In most cities, magical law enforcement is centered on the Guarda. Like all such institutions, it is hidden from the human public, folded neatly into the world they’re meant not to see.
Jay has driven down this street more times than he can count.
He’d idled at these lights, cursed the traffic, glanced at the courthouse steps without ever really seeing what stood just beyond them.
Nashville’s Guarda sits near city hall, and despite its centuries-long history, it looks as modern as any building around it.
Today, Jay notices it because he has an appointment inside.
When Jay and Leo park the Lexus, Jay spots Antonio Costas and his new partner, Blair Shepard, standing outside on the sidewalk, deep in conversation.
Neither lawyer looks stressed, and it could be that their excellent “courtroom faces” are already in play, or there really is nothing to be worried about.
Somehow, he thinks it’s the former rather than the latter.
“Jay, Leo. You remember Blair Shepard?” Antonio greets them, landing an affectionate pat on both their shoulders. Antonio’s ability to treasure his family, no matter the situation, has always been something Jay has admired and continues to try to emulate with his own family.
“Ms. Shepard. Thank you for being here today,” Jay offers her his hand.
“My pleasure, Mr. Rhodes.” Blair Shepard is tall and broad-shouldered, built like someone who learned early how to hold her ground. Her hair is pulled back in a high ponytail, practical and severe, but her smile is sunny and welcoming.
She is human, a skilled magic-user snapped up by Antonio’s law firm the moment they realized Rosie was magical, and she wears her formidable court experience as easily as she does her power.
What makes her invaluable, though, is not just her knowledge of magical law, but that she belongs to a Were pack.
Blair lives in the narrow space where the two cultures overlap, and she knows exactly how to navigate it.
“How are our friends?” Leo asks.
Antonio buttons his suit coat, neat and unhurried. “Quite well. The Guarda is following every law to the letter.”
Jay exhales, tension easing just enough to matter. Whatever else this day brings, Ignatius, Nimue, and Elysia are not being treated like criminals.
“We should head in,” Antonio continues. “The inquiry will begin in a few minutes. They allowed one consultation when we arrived, but there will be no more before the hearing.”
“What do you mean? You’re their counsel. They have rights.” Jay doesn’t like the idea that he won’t have eyes on the trio before they’re standing in front of a judge.
Blair shakes her head. “Magical rights are a little different. They haven’t been charged with anything yet. So, as far as the Guarda maintains, they’re being held for their protection.”
“Protection against what? Who?” Leo asks. They’re mounting the steps to the front doors, and Blair stops them before Leo can get the door.
“Wait. Anything we say within these walls may be overheard and used as part of an inquiry, so let’s keep questions or sidebars until after we leave.” She points to a sign posted discreetly on the door.
“Do we know how this happened?” Jay suspects they’re in this mess because of the pack, but he wants to hear that Dahlia Kirwan’s contact reported their entry.
“They’re adhering to every statute, but they’re not forthcoming about how they heard about your friends.”
“Dad, how much trouble are we in?”
“That’s going to depend on who oversees the preliminary hearing today. Blair?”
“We can document our numerous requests to have your visitors here, which is certainly in our favor, but I believe we will have to play our full hand here.”
“Are you prepared to do that, Jay? It’s a huge responsibility.” Antonio’s question is moot because the deed is already done, but Jay doesn’t hesitate.
The pack has discussed it already, circling the idea until it felt less like a risk and more like an opportunity.
He knows what this choice will bring with it: the reshaping of their pack, the way their lives will widen to make room.
But they’re his people. That’s the simple truth of it.
If this is what keeps them safe and together, then he welcomes the change with open arms. He only wishes he’d thought of it first.
“I am,” Jay says. “And Ignatius, Elysia, and Nimue?”
Blair’s smile is small but genuine. “They know it’s likely that it’ll be the court’s business rather than just ours. Ignatius is rather…”
“Enthusiastic?” Leo offers with an indulgent smile.
“Exactly that,” Blair agrees. “They understand what it means.”
Jay exhales, something in his chest easing at last. “Then we’re ready,” he says.
The lobby is large and more stately than the modern exterior would imply. As if the high-rise and glass windows outside are an illusion that evolves with time, but the true essence of magic remains unchanged for decades.
A wave of pressure passes over them when they clear the second set of glass doors, but unlike Were or human courthouses, there are no metal detectors or security guards with guns. There is a single receptionist who nods at them, but she turns back to her computer without stopping them.
“They’re expecting us.” Blair leads them down a long hall with several closed doors.
Room 108’s door is wide open, and two tables are facing each other on either side of a low desk.
Behind the one closest to the door are two rows of chairs.
Ninety degrees to Jay’s right is an elevated desk in front of the American and Guarda Flags.
In the center is a plaque in Latin with the motto “Qui Potentiam Tenet, Bonum Servet.”
The moment Jay reads it, a whispered voice sounds in his head, as if The Plain wants those who bother to read it to know they are in a place where the tenets of good are upheld.
Let the one who holds power serve the good.
“Leo and Jay, you both sit here beside me,” Antonio says. “Blair and the others will sit there at the desk. The magistrate will sit there, and the GASP representative will sit across from us, over there.”
There’s a twinkle in Antonio’s eye as he rubs his hands together. “This is a first for me, boys. It’s like seeing behind the curtain, you know? And Blair is the best of the best. Try not to worry.”
If his father-in-law says not to worry, then Jay is going to try not to worry, with try being the operative word.
Leo presses his shoulder in close as his father leaves to have a word with Blair. “It’s a good plan, Jaybird. Trust the process.”
Antonio had never steered them wrong before, and of course, he has a vested interest in having this go off without a hitch, but it’s a lot of responsibility for people who trusted him to keep them safe.
He wants to say so out loud just to help relieve some of the pressure in his chest, but he’s taken Blair’s caution to heart.
The side door opens, and a guard ushers Ignatius, Nimue, and Elysia out. Ignatius’s hair is even more of a crazy mess than usual, and they look tired. He hopes they’d been given the same warning Blair had offered—otherwise, this was going to be harder than they expected.
Ignatius waves, a big smile on his face, like they’d planned to meet for coffee at Common Grounds instead of over the legal bench.
Nimue’s chuckle and Elysia’s sigh can be heard across the short space.
They shuffle into the chairs beside Blair, and it’s difficult for Jay not to cross the short distance and pat his friends’ shoulders or offer a word of encouragement.
Antonio slips into his seat beside Leo. “Won’t be long now. Magic-users take time management very seriously.” The words are hardly out of his mouth before the side door opens, admitting a short, grey-haired woman who could be as young as seventy or as old as a hundred. Jay would bet on the latter.
“All rise, the honorable Meredith Lee presiding.”
They all rise, and once the judge is seated, she speaks again. “Be seated. Let it be known that from this moment onward, every word spoken in this courtroom will be recorded and used as evidence as required. If you consent, say yes.”
“Yes,” everyone says, and when Leo elbows Jay in the side, he does the same.
“Counsel Greg Henderson for the State of Tennessee, speak.”
“Thank you, Your Honor. We are here to address the presence of Ignatius Parvolio, Elysia Noctis, and Nimue Wyrd of Florida, in Nashville, Tennessee, without travel authority. All three are master-level practitioners and bound by the Interstate Covenant’s mandate to declare cross-border travel.”
“I see.” Judge Lee frowns. “Counsel Shepard?”
Blair stands. “Thank you, Your Honor. Alpha Rhodes has submitted numerous requests for visitation. I have included copies for your reference. We would like it noted that they have not been declined.”
“They have not been approved either, I see.” Judge Lee raises her white eyebrow and pages through the numerous documents on her desk.
“No, Your Honor.”
“And yet here they are. There are protocols for a reason, Ms. Shepard.” After a moment, she fans the applications out on her desk. “Why have you filed the request more than once? I count eight separate requests.”
“Yes, Your Honor. It is unusual for the request to take more than forty-eight hours.”
“Hmm, you’re right. This is sixteen days. Mr. Henderson, what say you?”
“Your Honor, there is a backlog at the cross-border travel office.” It’s so clearly a lie that Jay can see his eye twitch from across the room. Antonio huffs out a snort beside him.
“Sixteen days?” Judge Lee frowns. “I would like to see the current turnaround logs on my desk this afternoon.”
“Yes, Your Honor.” The prosecutor looks uncomfortable, as his lie will no doubt get him in trouble. “It doesn’t change the law. The defendants are here without authorization.”
“Do not tell me my job, Counsel.” Judge Lee stacks the papers and folds her hands. “But you are correct. What do you have to say, Ms. Shepard?”