Day In Court

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Wait, what?"

"Someone alerted Cat to the existence of the twins and the fact that they're minors. She may be ruthless, but Cat won't kill a couple of kids without a very good reason. She wants them captured, and if possible, rehabilitated."

"And the rest of the family?"

"If they don't get back below the Mason-Dixon line immediately, they'll be killed on sight. She's pretty furious they dared to enter the five boroughs, and a show of force may be necessary."

"So she's going to kill them off? Great. That solves that problem."

"Does it bother you, Zanna?"

"Nope. In fact, she can have Aunt Josephine whenever she wants. I've got her wrapped up in a neat little package in my shop's safe room right now."

"Who else is here?"

"Geneva and Elliot are in town..." Zanna hesitated.

"What is it, Zanna?" Wes asked.

She sighed. It was time to make an official decision, but she wasn't sure she was ready. What if she was wrong? She wasn't good at trusting people.

"Oliver's here," she said, "but I think he's on our side. He walked away from the warlocks a couple of years ago. He says he came here to protect me, and to help Maddie."

"Do you believe him?" Wes asked.

"I think I'm starting to... Geneva definitely used her ice magick against him... But they could have staged that to make it look like they're enemies."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a little paranoid?"

"I'm a warlock, Wes. Warlocks betray. It's our specialty. So forgive me if I'm reluctant to trust the cousin I haven't seen since I was four years old."

"Fair enough. After all, Oliver showed remarkable power over the years. If he betrays you, he's a serious threat. I'll see what I can find out about why he left."

"Thanks, Wes... And if I see the twins again, I'll call you."

Zanna hung up. As far as she was concerned, she'd done everything she needed to do, so she returned to focusing on working in the shop.

+++

After a long day and night, Maddie was finally home resting. She quickly fell into an unusual dream.

She found herself back at the courthouse. It seemed to be empty, but a single white feather floated down from the ceiling. It moved forward through the air as if a breeze was somehow guiding it. Maddie began to follow the feather.

She walked through several corridors of the building until she reached a courtroom at the end of a long hall. The feather floated to the ground and slipped beneath the door.

Sensing it was important, Maddie opened the door. Inside, she discovered a large statue of a blindfolded woman holding the scales of justice. It made her smile. For some reason, Maddie felt incredibly at home there.

Suddenly, the feather floated toward the center of the courtroom, right into the judge's seat. Light filled the courtroom as the feather suddenly transformed into a winged woman. Her arms were spread in front of her wings, expanding as far as they could go. Everything about her was perfectly balanced.

She had dark skin and eyes. The white feather had tucked itself into her long black hair. She was absolutely stunning, and felt oddly familiar to Maddie.

"You're Ma'at," she said after a moment. "The Egyptian Goddess of Justice and Order."

"Yes, Maddie," the Goddess replied with a patient smile. "You visited one of my temples today. I thought it only appropriate we meet properly."