Chapter 23 #2
Laurie stepped forward. “We are all gathered here today to render the punishment earned by Robert James and Rayvon Price. Having been found guilty of serious crimes both in the human world and here in ours, it has been determined that the punishment should not only be swift, but made to fit the crime. Having deprived one man of his life, it is the decision of the court that they be deprived of theirs. And just as each of their other victims will go through life imprisoned by the memories of what was done to them, so they also must be.” Laurie stepped back.
Alan Chang stepped forward. “The decision was therefore made to not allow them release through death, but rather an eternity spent having to reflect on their deeds. Some of their victims may never be able to move past the emotional and physical damage these men inflicted upon them, and so these men will be unable to escape the consequences.” He then also stepped back.
The Seelie King stepped forward. “Dungeons and barred cells are not escape proof and rely on unsympathetic guards. While we would hope that no one would be sympathetic, nor would anyone be bribable, we could never be one hundred percent sure that it could never, ever happen. We owe it to their victims to make sure they serve their full sentence, and so we find ourselves here, in this garden. We call upon the magic of the Veil itself to administer the punishment, and to ensure they never escape.” King Ashwood raised his scepter and tapped the ground.
The Fae guards let go of their prisoners' arms and stepped well back.
The air about the two men became hazy. Soon they were enshrouded in an impenetrable mist. At the same moment, a mist arose encircling the area of garden in which the assemblage was gathered.
A silence fell, so final that it was a true absence of all sound.
Slowly, the mist began to clear, first along the edges of the garden, revealing tall hedges and a tall double garden gate made of wood.
Sounds began to trickle back into their awareness, first the sound of their own breathing, then the rustling of the blades of grass and leaves of nearby trees in a softly blowing breeze, then the startled call of a bird.
Last to clear was the mist about the two prisoners.
A collective gasp went up from several throats. R.W. was unsure if his voice had uttered one of them as his whole body felt momentarily paralyzed by what was revealed. Jared was the first to actually speak.
“They're...they're statues!”
King Ashland turned towards Jared and gave a curt nod.
R.W. shivered. As a kid, he'd been scared witless after reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and reading the scene with the courtyard statues. “It's like the book,” he heard his voice rasp.
King Ashland sighed. “Open one portal into a wardrobe and never hear the end of it...”
R.W. stared in disbelief. No way am I going to even ask about that. Just- no way.
“You mean it's real?” Jared blurted out.
The Seelie King gave Jared a faint smile.
“The portal, yes, the lion business, no.The statue thing...well...” he gestured towards the two new statues.
“Don't worry. They are not dead. In fact, they are fully aware of all that goes on around them. They will remain here until the Veil itself is no more.”
Steve placed a reassuring arm about Jared. The hedge and gate means you won't have to look upon them unless you so wish.”
Jared turned to look towards the house to look at the windows. Where there had been windows giving a view over this part of the garden, now there was unbroken wall. The Veil had indeed thought of everything. Everything except-
“It's a shame the other victims and their families won't get closure knowing they were caught and punished,” James said.
Except for that, R.W. agreed ruefully.
King Ashland inclined his head in acknowledgement.
“Sadly, this is true. Unless fate brings them here, we cannot risk letting them know. All we can do is try to help them from behind the scenes, and that we shall do to the best of our collective ability. And now, let us adjourn.” With that, he raised his scepter once more, and opened a portal that the Fae and attending vampires left through.
James, R.W. and the wolves left through the garden gate and made their way to main house's dining room.
Dinner was a sombre affair, not even discussion of the upcoming wedding and impending birth lightening the mood.
R.W. was glad when they all turned in for the night.
As he closed his eyes to sleep, he tried very hard to not think of the two men, imprisoned within stone and left self aware. He wasn't very successful and morning was long in coming.
R.W. felt an immense sense of relief. The two men had been caught and would never hurt anyone again, he'd left the creeptastic world of woo woo behind, and he'd gotten to the bottom of gut instincts regarding the Changs and their building. Plus, he'd gotten James back.
Sort of. R.W. sighed. Not like we'll be partners anymore.
He said he's probably gonna take that job with the Changs, being some sorta go-between law enforcement agencies and the pack.
And they asked me to consider being a man on the inside,to help keep their secrets, or joining James and working it from that angle while helping them police themselves.Are they kidding me?
R.W. gave himself a mental shake.
And what was with that Laurie guy? I understand he's a vampire. Christ, talk about freaky and heejeebie fuckin' scary. He seemed nice enough though, but the way he kept starin'. Like I was a steak and he was starving.
He shivered.
Well, here I am, back at my own apartment. Normal life to resume for the evening in three...two...one...
He parked his car, pressed the 'lock' button on his fob, and jingled his keys as he walked towards his door.
Yep, just me, a cold brew, a pizza, and some Netflix.
He placed the key in his lock, already thinking about the toppings he would order and debating whether or not he wanted extra cheese.
I could do some extra reps at the gym to make it up, he mused. He opened his door, placing one foot over the threshold.
“Sorry to interrupt your evening.”
He froze, then quickly cast a glance over his shoulder. The voice had been familiar but he'd never thought to hear it again any time soon.
“We need to talk.”
Laurie.
R.W. licked his lips. “About what?”
Laurie's gaze locked onto R.W.'s lips. With a sinking feeling, R.W. suddenly had a very good idea about the proposed topic.
“Oh,” he croaked.
Laurie smiled and lifted his gaze to meet R.W.'s. “Surprised me too.”