Three Parts Fey (13 page)

“I don’t like
to speak of it, but she lost a few months of memory after she came
home. She recovered, but never got the memory of the worst time of
her illness back.”

“Were there any
other changes at that time?”

“Dad turned
green and scaly with horns. Is that enough?”

“Thank you,
Miss Ganger. You may return to your seat.”

Benny got up
and handed him the orb on her way down. She resumed her seat with
Argyle on one side and Smith on the other.

The defense
spoke to her dad. “Mister Ganger, how is it that the soul of your
daughter came to be split into nine pieces?”

The gargoyle
handed the orb over to Harcourt. He sighed.

“I had marking
to do for my class, and I went home to finish it so I could get
back to the hospital to be with my wife and daughter. At that time,
I was teaching at two local universities and consulting at five
colleges.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Lenora was
agitated when I left. It had not been an easy birth, and Benny had
not been strong when she made it into the world. Lenora was
worried, and I left her anyway.” He flexed his hands and his face
showed his regret.

“When I came
back, she was in bed, her hands tight together and her lips white.
She said she had done what she had to, to protect our baby. Benny
was safe and her godmother would look after her if Lenora didn’t
make it. I told her she was being silly, but she was haunted. We
brought Benny home, and Lenora got better, but I always remembered
what she had said. She had kept them from finding her so Benny
would be safe.” Harcourt’s voice broke and he gather himself.

“When she was
dying, she told me what she had done. I had told her I was worried
about Benny’s slow development in the magical arts. With us as her
parents, I was expecting her to show more power at an earlier
stage. The spell for division of power explained it all. Benny
could get by on one-ninth of the power she was born with, and the
others would benefit greatly.”

The attorney
nodded. “What happened to your wife?”

“She got
cancer, and there was nothing that we could do. We had to wait
until it ran its course, and then, I was able to put demon magic to
use. Unfortunately, using the magic left the stain on my body.”

“What did you
do?”

“I used demon
venom to key her to my body and burned the cancer out of her body.
I brought her back using the control I had to spark her life, and
from there, her own magic took over. I lost my human aspect, but I
kept my love.”

“Did you resume
teaching?”

“No. Lenora and
I continued consulting as researchers, but we didn’t walk out of
the house much. Our friends came to us, and those that didn’t mind
my new appearance became regular visitors.”

Benny held
Argyle’s hand as her father was asked to show his demon aspect. The
familiar features came and went.

Harcourt was
dismissed, and Lenora was called to testify. She confirmed all of
what had already been said.

“When I first
held Benny in my arms, I was terrified of what the world would
deliver to her. I wanted her safe, but I remembered how hard it was
for me growing up. I wanted a better life for her and less power
was the way to do it, at least at the time.” Lenora sniffled. “It
was all I could think of.”

The gargoyle
nodded and seemed at a loss for words. “Thank you, Missus Ganger.
You may be seated.”

The prosecutor
looked befuddled, but the judge had a serious expression. “Court is
in recess while I assess the testimony of those here today.”

They all rose
and left, the waiting room was quiet and Benny walked over to hug
her parents. “I love you both.”

Lenora stroked
her cheek. “Thank you for understanding, Benny.”

Her dad gave
her a firm bear hug. “You did well, Benny. It is better that we get
things out in the open. Time to stop hiding.”

“One way or
another?”

“Precisely.”

They waited for
two hours until the chime rang again. When it pealed, they got up
and walked back to the courtroom.

The judge sat,
and he stared at everyone, slowly making eye contact with the
defense and the prosecution. “This decision has not been an easy
one. At this time, given the statute of limitations, there are no
charges that would be relevant to the case at hand. While the
families may pursue punitive damages, there are no criminal charges
to be laid.

“Harcourt Emile
Ganger is free to return to his home. His only crime is not
investigating the actions of his wife when they were still at the
hospital. Once the infants had left the building, there was nothing
else to be done.” The judge looked over those assembled.

“As the
prosecution granted immunity to Lenora Ganger, there are no charges
to pursue. If we were inclined to do so, the spell was cast on her
own flesh and blood out of a post-partum protective instinct and
therefore is not one that can legally be pursued. She has
recovered, and her daughter was not materially harmed by the spell,
the side effect has worn off with the death of the other women. All
has reset to the point at which fate would have had it.

“I dismiss all
culpability in this case on behalf of all the Gangers and wish them
a more serene future. Case dismissed.”

The prosecutor
nodded, and his shoulders slumped with relief. The defense attorney
smiled, and his wings opened as he stood. Her parents had paperwork
to fill out, but they would be home before dawn.

Benny let the
guys escort her out, and she braced herself for the court of public
opinion. The courthouse steps were covered with folk waiting to see
what was happening.

Jennifer was
waiting with her family, and when Benny smiled at her, she rushed
forward and hugged her. “I am so relieved.”

“Your parents
are free to sue mine if they choose to.”

“I don’t care.
The tutor you set me up with is amazing.” Jennifer mumbled it in
Benny’s ear.

“I am glad. He
knows what he is talking about.”

“We are looking
into going into business together.”

“Really?” Benny
leaned back in surprise.

Jennifer
grinned. “A coffee shop. We are thinking of naming it the Patchwork
Dragon.”

“I swear to be
there on opening day.”

“I will hold
you to it. At this point, it is a few months away. It should be up
and running just after winter holidays.”

Benny was
surprised. “Why so long?”

“I need to get
my seer’s license. A coffee shop run by a licensed seer would have
had a certain cachet, and it means I can use my talent without
going anywhere. All the magic will come to me.”

“Good. If there
is anything I can do, let me know.”

“I will. Thanks
for this new start. Good luck with your own.” Jennifer winked and
let her go.

Freddy came up
and hugged her as they walked down to the sidewalk. The thud of
hoof beats rang through the parking lot. They got on their steeds
and took off for home. Folk may have been staring, but nothing was
thrown. It was hard to hate the Wild Hunt. They were such beautiful
horses.

A gallop
through the wilds outside of town was just what she needed. When
they got to the meadow, she was feeling soft satisfaction in the
events of the night and far less panic.

News reports
went over the bits of the case that were recorded and reported, as
well as images of all of the Gangers were spread across the news
and websites.

Benny spent
time with her family, greeting old friends at the big house and
introducing them to her new partners. Family came by, friends,
acquaintances and a few curious folk who managed to work their way
through the wards at the end of the street.

The new
portions of their family also came by. The lions arrived and
enjoyed a backyard barbeque as well as space to run around in
whatever form they chose.

The vampires
came with their own food and spent time socialising with the
Gangers.

When the fey
arrived, it was a party. Magic flared, enchantments spun and it was
an experiment in who could make the most indecent-decent outfit.
The combinations got peculiar.

As Tremble’s
sister pulled her aside, Benny knew what was coming.

“When are you
going to have a wedding?”

“We are trying
for the next full moon, but we might have to wait until we can find
a way to make it legal. My parents are in full research mode.”

She laughed, a
light, lilting sound. “So, we are not the only eager parties?”

“Nope. Anyone
who isn’t in our party wants to know when we are getting married,
and we have to wait for legal matters to catch up. We need a
blood-bound dispensation, but for now, we are bonded and know
it.”

“True enough.
Well, you are an interesting sister-in-law. I have never felt so
much magic in such a small package.”

Benny had come
to grips with being short next to the other races. It was the most
human thing about her.

“Does he really
ride a member of the Wild Hunt?” His sister’s tone was sly.

“Sure. Did you
want to meet one?”

And so, the
rest of Benny’s night turned into arranging pony rides for elegant
fey. It was not what she had expected, but it was something to kill
time.

Arranging
weddings with more than four distinct traditions was going to take
some time. Lenora threw herself into it and into the new requests
for both her and Harcourt to lecture at a number of nearby
schools.

The lawsuits
were also pending for using the babies as camouflage, but they
could ask for what they wanted. If the families didn’t have a
history of financial success before the soul split, they would have
to deduct all of the wages earned since their deceased daughters
had begun working.

It was the same
for the other young women. The pattern of success was a stain for
those suing. Benny made money in a very specific way, and if her
counterparts made money in the same method, their earnings belonged
to her.

It was way too
complicated.

Benny just
wanted to get back to work, but they had to wait for the call. She
hoped like hell that the call came soon.

Planning a wild
wedding and defending a lawsuit at the same time was bizarre, and
she desperately wanted a small sliver of normal back.
Pretty
please.

The assembled XIA
commanders and councillors kept their eyes fixed on the group.

In uniform,
with her new badge highly polished, Benny stood with her partners
and waited to find out what would happen next. Their little
gathering had already had a number of job offers, consulting for a
variety of species in regards to law enforcement and investigation,
but they had all agreed that if they could, they would remain with
the XIA.

The chairman of
the meeting folded his hands in front of him. “Agents Smith,
Tremble, Argyle and Ganger, this council has come to a decision
regarding your continued employment by this agency.”

Benny felt the
tension fill her partners, and she mentally confessed to her own.
They had not been asked for their opinion so—for once—Benny didn’t
offer it.

“While the
circumstances of Agent Ganger’s bloodline are unusual, they do
provide us with an opportunity that the XIA has never had
before.”

Benny could
feel Argyle perk up. His attention was well and fully captured. The
other two were wary. She was willing to hear what was being
offered.

“Since all
charges against you and your family have been dropped as time
served and there is still a bit of public unrest with your demon
status, we have worked out an alternative.”

A female
councillor cleared her throat. “We are in need of a liaison to
travel to cities and towns where new creatures are not being
welcomed or are committing offenses. We need a gathering that can
look human, go in and do what is necessary to secure the
peace.”

Benny blinked.
“You want us...to look human?”

The councillor
smiled. “We are aware that you can manage it and have managed it.
The sharing of characteristics that you and your companions can
engage in is on the record.”

Benny wrinkled
her nose. “Fair enough. May we discuss this for a moment?”

The council
nodded and the woman said, “Of course.”

Benny consulted
her partners for a moment. They must have seemed strange to the
watchers, but a heated debate raged across their joined thoughts.
When they had a consensus, Argyle spoke.

“We agree to
the arrangement on principle, but we will need to see a document
outlining our available courses of action. It will be held in
confidence, but we wish to have the backing of this council when we
act against the laws of a local area.”

The serious
folk looked at each other, and the councillor cleared her throat.
“That is what we were attempting to tell you. While we will be able
to offer you protection once you have entered the XIA territories,
we are not welcome everywhere, and in those areas, you will have to
protect yourselves. With that stipulation, will you consider this a
new branch for investigations?”

Tremble eased
forward. “When would we commence our new branch of
investigations?”

The captain
leaned down and heaved up a box of files. “Each of these files
contains a person or persons in a settlement who is hiding who they
are from a town or family that would persecute or destroy them. The
extra-naturals need to be removed, rescued or arrested, and the
locals are not able to manage it. If you accept this arrangement,
you begin immediately.”

After another
silent consultation, Benny smiled, “Show us the contract and let’s
get this started.”