unravel the misguided efforts of those who threaten not only the light threads of our work, but the very sands of time!” A seriously huge knot formed in my stomach when he turned his attention to me.
“ Master Weaver Joey, do you understand the charges being brought against you this day in this instance of time?” Torvin’s voice was commanding, and reverberated painfully in my head. I was absently aware of the tears that began to course down my cheeks. This was not what was supposed to happen! I turned to look up at the faces of those seated on the stage. A woman, maybe my age wearing an elaborate powdered wig, adorned with sparkling crystals sat fanning herself and glaring at me. Her pink satin gown had a low cut bodice, revealing more of her pale bust line than I ever would on a hot summer day. She reminded me of a cross between a cupcake and Marie Antoinette. The older woman seated next to her looked like a grandmother straight out of the 1950s, and the last one looked like a cross between an Amazon warrior and a pin-up girl. Her chiseled arms were covered in intricate tattoos, but they did little to take away from the sultry curves poured into her black leather cat suit. Her legs were crossed at the knee and her expression exuded obvious disdain. None of them looked like they liked me. The men weren’t much better. One looked like a cross between a troll and a miner from the old west. His clothing was tattered and his umber beard rested neatly upon his over-sized belly. To his right sat a scrawny little bald man wearing the ugliest plaid pants I’d ever seen. The last man was…Kess.
His hair was longer now but I’d recognize him anywhere. I blinked hard several times to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. I wasn’t having a nightmare; he was right there in that seat starring back at me with those chocolate eyes. I focused on the familiar tattoos on his arms, the rough stubble on his chin, the complexities of his bone structure. Whatever I was facing now was not going to be good. I’d walked willingly into the flames this time, and seeing him sitting there was as overwhelming as seeing Kalan seated on his throne. I felt like somebody had just punched me in the gut. Nothing was making any sense. What in the Sam hell was he doing here? Torvin’s voice boomed at me again, yanking me from my distraction. “I’ll ask that once more, do you understand the charges?”
I brushed a tear from my cheek and cleared my throat. “No, I most definitely do not understand the charges! I came here for your help! I was told that you were knowledgeable, and that you could help me. Time has been playing tricks on me, but I’ve done nothing wrong!” My voice came out in a quaver, but I was glad it hadn’t cracked. Whatever this was, I wasn’t about to show them any more weakness than I already had. I turned to Kalan, “I don’t understand any of this. What are you doing? Why did you bring me here?” He turned his head and ignored me completely. I looked from him to Kess for some sort of indication of what was going on, but Kess had shifted his attention elsewhere. I was sure it was on purpose.
“ Very well. We will begin with a history of events, you will then hear the charges against you, and you will be sentenced accordingly,” said Torvin, in a dismissive tone. He waved his hand to summons warrior lady, who stood with a hand-held computer device that she began to read from —“In a time of great turmoil within Era, Queen Genessa was kidnapped while vacationing as a child from our kingdom. She was then manipulated by a dark weaver to give her powers to a mortal. That plebeian mortal extended the gift to you, his granddaughter, Josephine May Akers. Shortly thereafter, her majesty’s son, Prince Kalan was trapped in a state of death by a dark weaver. It was only through the cunning skills of our Prince that these efforts
“ Master Weaver Joey, do you understand the charges being brought against you this day in this instance of time?” Torvin’s voice was commanding, and reverberated painfully in my head. I was absently aware of the tears that began to course down my cheeks. This was not what was supposed to happen! I turned to look up at the faces of those seated on the stage. A woman, maybe my age wearing an elaborate powdered wig, adorned with sparkling crystals sat fanning herself and glaring at me. Her pink satin gown had a low cut bodice, revealing more of her pale bust line than I ever would on a hot summer day. She reminded me of a cross between a cupcake and Marie Antoinette. The older woman seated next to her looked like a grandmother straight out of the 1950s, and the last one looked like a cross between an Amazon warrior and a pin-up girl. Her chiseled arms were covered in intricate tattoos, but they did little to take away from the sultry curves poured into her black leather cat suit. Her legs were crossed at the knee and her expression exuded obvious disdain. None of them looked like they liked me. The men weren’t much better. One looked like a cross between a troll and a miner from the old west. His clothing was tattered and his umber beard rested neatly upon his over-sized belly. To his right sat a scrawny little bald man wearing the ugliest plaid pants I’d ever seen. The last man was…Kess.
His hair was longer now but I’d recognize him anywhere. I blinked hard several times to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. I wasn’t having a nightmare; he was right there in that seat starring back at me with those chocolate eyes. I focused on the familiar tattoos on his arms, the rough stubble on his chin, the complexities of his bone structure. Whatever I was facing now was not going to be good. I’d walked willingly into the flames this time, and seeing him sitting there was as overwhelming as seeing Kalan seated on his throne. I felt like somebody had just punched me in the gut. Nothing was making any sense. What in the Sam hell was he doing here? Torvin’s voice boomed at me again, yanking me from my distraction. “I’ll ask that once more, do you understand the charges?”
I brushed a tear from my cheek and cleared my throat. “No, I most definitely do not understand the charges! I came here for your help! I was told that you were knowledgeable, and that you could help me. Time has been playing tricks on me, but I’ve done nothing wrong!” My voice came out in a quaver, but I was glad it hadn’t cracked. Whatever this was, I wasn’t about to show them any more weakness than I already had. I turned to Kalan, “I don’t understand any of this. What are you doing? Why did you bring me here?” He turned his head and ignored me completely. I looked from him to Kess for some sort of indication of what was going on, but Kess had shifted his attention elsewhere. I was sure it was on purpose.
“ Very well. We will begin with a history of events, you will then hear the charges against you, and you will be sentenced accordingly,” said Torvin, in a dismissive tone. He waved his hand to summons warrior lady, who stood with a hand-held computer device that she began to read from —“In a time of great turmoil within Era, Queen Genessa was kidnapped while vacationing as a child from our kingdom. She was then manipulated by a dark weaver to give her powers to a mortal. That plebeian mortal extended the gift to you, his granddaughter, Josephine May Akers. Shortly thereafter, her majesty’s son, Prince Kalan was trapped in a state of death by a dark weaver. It was only through the cunning skills of our Prince that these efforts
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