Pandora's Box (29 page)

“How old are you, Ms. Avery? Twenty-six perhaps?”

She tipped her chin high. “That’s very sweet, but I’m thirty-one and proud of every minute of it. Well, most minutes. Certainly
the ones I spent with Riordan.”

He nodded. “Your defense of the puca is admirable. It’s obvious you feel affection for him. But he’s very good at playing
on a woman’s feelings to gain an advantage.”

“Oh, come
on
.”

A female Druid, who looked to be in her early fifties, spoke up doubtfully. “Listen, honey. At last count, your puca’s got
twenty-two hundred and change years on you. Do you know how many women he’s seduced in that time?”

Mina paused to eye Riordan uncertainly. “No, and don’t tell me. I’m feeling a little inadequate now.” And maybe . . .

Riordan had eyes only for her. “I’ve never loved another woman until you. Never.”

The female Druid looked unconvinced. “I still say if he landed back in his cornerstone, some deception had to occur, followed
by sex.”

I played you, remember? When I used Teague against you.

Shut up. You didn’t use the deception to get me into bed.

No, but it worked all the same, didn’t it?

Mina eyed the Druids resentfully. “I’m not discussing my sex life with you. Suffice to say that it was consensual. And
spectacular
.” So there.

The male Druid studied them both and sighed. “Be that as it may, there is still the original charge against the puca. The
Archdruid Akker condemned you for a crime you certainly did commit, so—”

“No, he didn’t.” Mina spoke up again.

“What did you say?” The Druid looked disapproving.

“I said, no, Riordan did
not
commit the crime your Druid buddies condemned him for two thousand years ago. Or at least, there were extenuating circumstances.
He never did get the fair trial he deserved.”

“Mina, honey, I know you want to defend me, but there’s no way you could know what really happened.”

“And why not?” She glanced discreetly at Wendy before turning her gaze to the rest of the crowd.

“I know of at least a few Druids from this Grove who don’t prize your precious Truth as highly as the Druid PR would have
us all believe. Otherwise, they’d be calling this trial as much a farce as Riordan’s last one was.” Mina watched, amazed,
as several people besides Wendy nervously averted their gazes. “More than a few? Interesting.”

Riordan looked surprised now, then turned back to Mina. “Maybe you’d better just spit it out before somebody has a coronary.”
He glanced meaningfully at one of the older Druids, who muttered heatedly about today’s youth not respecting their elders.

“All right.” She turned to the male Druid who seemed to be running the proceedings. “Look.” She squinted at what appeared
to be a nametag on his lapel and read it:
Hi, My
name is Phil, High Druid.
The High Druid was named Phil? Somehow, that just lacked panache.

Get on with it, Mina.

“Phil.” She met the Druid’s eyes. “It’s true that Riordan seduced Akker’s daughter when she was engaged to another man. But
at the time of their encounter, ” she paused, eyebrows raised for emphasis, “Riordan
didn’t know
she was engaged. And, more to the point,
he had no idea that she was
engaged to his own brother
.”

“My own brother? She was engaged to Robin?”

“Riordan didn’t deliberately impersonate his brother to seduce the girl. He just picked the wrong girl to make moves on. So,
I guess you could say he’s guilty of the seduction, but innocent of malice, deliberate betrayal and deception.” She paused
to let that sink in before continuing. “Since your Druid buddies stole Riordan’s memory of the encounter and events leading
up to it, he had no way of defending himself at his long-ago farce of a trial. So. How’s that for a miscarriage of your beloved
justice?”

Phil the High Druid stepped forward. He glanced around at his group, focusing momentarily on each of a half-dozen averted
faces, then turned back to Mina and Riordan. “How did you come by this information?”

“I’d like to know that myself, ” Riordan murmured, looking hopeful for the first time.

Mina though of Wendy—poor, weak and misguided Wendy—then turned back to Riordan before facing the High Druid. “I’m afraid
I can’t tell you.”

There came a mild rustling in the bushes behind the Druids. Reverend Maepus stepped forward. “Mina Avery speaks the truth.”
Phil the Druid frowned at him. “This is a private gathering, by invitation only. What are you doing here?”

“Looking after my kinsman. Besides, it’s a state park. Open to the public, remember?” Dismissing the Druid, he turned to Riordan.
“Hello. We haven’t met. I’ve met Pandemina, however, who has only the nicest things to say of you. I’m sorry I haven’t come
to your aid sooner. I’ve only recently come into certain facts and learned how to use them.”

Reverend Maepus turned back to the Druids. “I’d like it noted that Duncan Forbes, Akker’s most direct descendant, declined
your invitation to attend this meeting. Repeatedly. If I were you, I’d be forced to draw a few conclusions from that, myself.
He also wouldn’t hand over a set of diaries he kept in his safety deposit box. Word of mouth reports, however, support Mina’s
suppositions.” He turned back to Riordan. “You deserve your freedom and you have any support I can lend you.”

“Thank you.” Riordan frowned at him. “But why would you do this for me? Who are you?”

“I’m a descendant of your mother’s. Your
human
mother. I speak for her family. And for you.”

“Thank you.”
A champion. One who freely chose me. And a
kinsman at that. I have one family member who believes in me.

Riordan sounded so shaken, Mina grabbed his hand and held it fiercely. There was hope. This could happen. Maybe they really
did have a chance.

His actions speaking even more clearly, Reverend Maepus approached Mina and Riordan and squeezed their joined hands. Then
he moved away to the edge of the clearing—but obviously on their side of the virtual courtroom. He was in their corner. Against
the rest of the gathering.

While they waited, the High Druid turned to his followers and motioned them closer. The Druids gathered around him, talking
softly in a weird, white-robed version of a football player huddle. It made Mina want to laugh, in a terrified, surreal sort
of way. She shifted her gaze to Riordan, wishing she could move closer to him. Hold him, just for a moment. Riordan’s gaze
never faltered. He watched only her, hopeful but still resigned to the judgment against him.

The huddle broke apart and Mina returned her attention to Phil the Druid. “Well?” She eyed them all hopefully. “You know,
besides all the other stuff, I want to add that Riordan’s really changed. He’s a grown man who’s learned from the mistakes
he did make, and he’s been great to me. My life was a wreck before he came into it. And now . . .”

She glanced at Riordan, who looked grim now. He finished her statement for her. “And now your life’s going to be wrecked again.
I am sorry about that. I love you, but I never intended for you to love me back. I’m an impossible risk.”

She gave him a crooked grin. “I know. But I couldn’t help myself.” She watched, with affection and delight, as he shook his
head. Then she turned back to the Druids. “Well? Don’t keep us hanging here. Don’t you have to vote or something?”

The High Druid nodded but seemed resigned. “We can vote, but I’m afraid it’s moot at this point. The puca is guilty. We all
know it.” Nods and murmurs from behind him only confirmed his words.

“But—”

“Guilty
as the facts stand
. Whether he knew it or not at the time, he did seduce his brother’s intended wife. Can you deny it?” He glanced from Mina
to Riordan.

Silence.

“And then there was the effectiveness of Akker’s retaliation against the puca. Unless the puca had violated his
geas
and/or the flow of karma, Akker’s efforts would have been fruitless. The puca, however, was vulnerable to them, thus confirming
his own guilt.”

“But we don’t even know—”

“
And
, ” the Druid interrupted Mina, “Riordan’s brother himself confirmed the rest. He confirmed Akker’s story and the girl’s story.
He claimed the girl wouldn’t have slept with a man other than her intended. He said Riordan must have impersonated Robin.
Otherwise, the girl would have rejected Riordan.”

“But—”

“Argue all you want, but it will all come down to puca word against puca word. Any other evidence is all hearsay, since all
the parties besides the Goodfellow brothers are dead.” The High Druid eyed them meaningfully. “And I know which puca’s side
I’d be on. It’s not the man in front of me, who can’t even remember the night anyway. Add to that a reputation of a certain
kind and . . . a moot point, as I said.”

Fighting her frustration, Mina pondered her options. Really, there weren’t any. How could she back up a story when all the
principle parties but two were long dead? And of those two, one couldn’t remember enough to defend himself, and the other
would likely hold a grudge, even if she could find him.

“However . . .” Phil looked reluctant. “Given the possibly mitigating factors you’ve raised during these proceedings, I feel
it incumbent upon me to remind you both of a loophole that exists in Riordan’s sentence. Are you aware of this? There is a
way to alleviate the puca’s circumstances. A verse detailing it was written and passed down from guardian to guardian.”

“I know.” She didn’t look at Riordan. She couldn’t.

“So you know exactly what you can do for him?”

“Yes. I found some help and translated the verse.” Glancing at Reverend Maepus, who bowed his head, Mina bit her lip. She
pulled her backpack off, dropped it to the ground and opened it. She withdrew the cornerstone and turned to Riordan.

Riordan’s gaze was drawn, irresistibly, to the cornerstone. “So you know. And the Druid knows. What is this loophole?”

“I found the letter from Gladys, ” Mina offered reluctantly. “It filled in a few important blanks for me. Remember the part
about a human sacrifice?”

“You don’t mean—”

“Yes. And no. You see the human thatmust be sacrificed to free you from the stone . . . is
you
, Riordan.
Your human half.
”

Riordan considered her words. “What exactly does this mean?”

“Remember how you believed the letter Gladys sent me contained the means to eliminate you for good? Well, that was a warped
view of things. Not exactly the whole story. You see, it’s not the puca that would be eliminated but . . .” And here she broke
off, unable to continue.

The High Druid took pity on Mina and finished the explanation. “Basically, there are two choices here. You can return to the
cornerstone, disembodied and basically continuing the same fragmented existence, going from guardian to guardian after each
marries or dies. Or. After a certain amount of, er, ceremony, you could . . .
forfeit
. . . your human life and regain your freedom and other powers. Should you choose freedom, you will be and feel spiritually
whole, but you will no longer be able to hold a human form. It’s gone from you. The human side your mother bequeathed you
would no longer be reborn into another body.”

“But that fragmented feeling would be gone?” Riordan asked quietly.

The Druid nodded.

“And what of Teague?” Mina asked hesitantly.

“He and Riordan are one and the same. He would continue his existence spiritually joined with Riordan. It’s what his soul
has sought since birth. They are one.” The Druid paused.

“There’s more, though. Isn’t there?” Riordan spoke with quiet certainty. “Let’s have it.”

“I’m afraid so. You would be forever forbidden all contact with past victims. This would include any descendants of Akker
and his daughter. Which would include . . .” He turned his gaze to Mina.

Riordan looked horrified. “I couldn’t see Mina? Ever?”

“No contact of the minds, the spirits or the bodies. Separate forever. Mina would return to her own life. Alone.”

Riordan continued to stare at Mina, who was having a hell of a time holding it together now. It would break her heart, over
and over again, to be separated forever from Riordan. At the same time, she couldn’t bear to see him caged any longer. He
was so much more than the BobGoblin. He could have everything else back, all that was taken from him, if only he sacrificed
their relationship. She was willing to sacrifice it for him.

But Riordan was already shaking his head. He looked, if anything, more resolute than before. “If those are my two choices,
I choose the cornerstone. We’ll resume my former sentence.”

“But—”

“Mina. I swore I’d never abandon you, come what may. And I will not.”

“But Riordan, I never meant for you to sacrifice everything to keep that promise.”

“Ah, Mina mine. You think I’m being self-sacrificing. But I am not. I can willingly give anything else up. Anything else but
you. Freedom is nothing but a cage if I’m forbidden the one and only thing I want. That’s you. Unless you don’t want me?”

She choked back a sob but couldn’t lie. Not about this. “That’s not it. God, you know that’s not it. But—”

“Would you be better off without me in your life? Would you rather go it alone? Without me? If you decide that you would,
either now or later, you could always . . .
marry
. . . and I would just move on to my next guardian. I will not be a burden to you. And I will not break my promise.
I will not leave you.
”

Those words cracked her heart, just as they had the first time he’d spoken them to her.

I will not abandon you.

And he would not. She knew he stood by his promise. She closed her eyes, remembering the emptiness of her life just before
he’d filled it with himself and his love. It was almost more than she could stand to contemplate going back to that old emptiness.

“You know I don’t want to be without you.” She licked her lips. “But I could do it. I
would
do it. You can’t go back to that rock. Think, Riordan. In fifty or sixty years, I’ll be gone anyway. That’s all the time we’d
have together—just a blink of an eye for someone like you. And you could spend the better part of an eternity afterward, caged
inside that rock. I can’t condemn you to that. Heck, I could be hit by a truck tomorrow.”