Page 68 of Feathered Thief

“You turned themallinto foxes?” Euzebia looked thunderstruck.

“I did. They still yammer and fight a lot but it’s easier to ignore now.” Bogumil suddenly threw back his hood to reveal a beaming smile. “Guess who was asked to lead the meeting tonight! I’m officially on the council now!”

“Good job,” Kazik said, and meant it. “You worked hard at your assignment, and in the end it all worked out. Congratulations!”

Euzebia rose from the bench, stepped forward, gripped Bogumil’s face, kissed him on both cheeks, then patted one. “You truly did save the day. Excellent work.”

He straightened, squaring his shoulders, and his pale face turned scarlet. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“We’re just heading inside to eat. Would you like to join us?” Euzebia asked him with a smile.

“Yes, ma’am.” He looked dazzled.

“Mama, would you mind if I?—”

“Oh! Helena! Certainly, you must go and find her,” Euzebia interrupted. “I’ll dine this evening with my fellow Council Mage.” She claimed Bogumil’s arm. “You must know your way around this castle far better than I do.”

Bogumil stopped short. “Um . . . I just this moment returned the rest of Princess Helena’s memories. I, uh, hope you two are very happy together.”

Then the blushing, starry-eyed mage led Kazik’s mother back into the castle, and Kazik went in search of his intended bride.

He found her in the throne room with her head on her father’s shoulder, their hands clasped, a heart-warming scene. “May I interrupt?” he asked, tapping the doorframe.

Helena leaped up and ran into his arms. “You’re no interruption. I was just going to hunt you down.”

He held her close, and any worries that may have shown up during her absence vanished. “Your Majesty!” He approached the settee and dropped to one knee. “Your servant.”

King Ryszard quickly took his hand and embraced him. “Thank you, my boy, for all you’ve done for my Helena. None of us could possibly have expected events to unfold as they did, but all is turning out well. Although with some heartache.” The king’s eyes held genuine sympathy.

Kazik nodded. “My father brought this upon himself and his family. My mother did her best to influence him for good, but he made his own choices. I must thank you again for your patience with me as your student all those years. You taught me far more than academic lessons.”

The king smiled. “I hear you made good use of the bathhouse and the chapel while the rest of us slept. Helena also tells me you’ve been learning to play the pipe organ. I expect a concert soon.”

“Then I do hope your expectations are very low, sir. And I apologize for breaking into the bathhouse while I searched for Helena. I didn’t know its history.”

King Ryszard shook his head. “I should have reopened it long ago. A man can easily lose himself in regret and self-pity, which helps no one. My long nap seems to have opened my eyes to what is truly important in life.”

He paused, glanced at his daughter, who wore a bright smile while she waited—her gaze fixed on the young man—then gave Kazik a knowing look. “Perhaps my long nap has also given me a distaste for formalities and waiting. So, my son, do you, by any chance, have a pertinent request to ask of me?”

Kazik gulped, looked into the king’s twinkling eyes, and said, “Your Majesty, I dearly love your daughter. My life at present is disrupted, but I gratefully accept this opportunity to request Princess Helena’s hand in marriage.”

“Having known you through most of your childhood, Prince Kazimierz, I believe I shall be quite safe in honoring your request to marry my daughter. You have my blessing, and may you both be even happier than your hearts can imagine.”

That evening, for the first time in centuries, the World Magic Council convened. Madame Euzebia expressly requested Kazik, Helena, and King Ryszard to attend as witnesses, along with Geoffroi and Solara. Unlike ordinary trials, the process moved quickly. Everyone involved in the five-year Wroclaw curse gave witness to events, and any lie was quickly exposed. Well past midnight, the Council unanimously agreed on a verdict.

The wizened archduke repeatedly claimed to be above such a foul fray, but Bogumil’s magic prevented him from lying about his intentions and deeds. He was compelled to confess his many crimes and his plans to rule the entire land area known as Wroclaw. The same was true of his son, the Grand Duke Warin Lisiewicz. Unable to lie, they condemned themselves. Several of the archduke’s many daughters and granddaughters also gave unrepentant testimony that revealed new layers to the corrupt intentions of Wroclaw’s leaders.

All adults involved in the plot were convicted of treason and abuse of power, and several much worse crimes, leaving only the sentences to be set. The younger children had already been distributed to Council-approved family members abroad.

“I intend to visit them,” Kazik whispered in Helena’s ear. “They’ll need love and encouragement like we had to help us make wise choices.”

“Please bring me with you! I would love to meet your little cousins.”

It was Geoffroi who suggested a sentence that suited the crime: “Why not release them into the pocket world where the grand duke imprisoned me? Nearly endless grassland and forest, and there’s easily enough small prey to support them all. Probably too good of a life for these villains, but maybe someday, if their hearts change, they will return to their human forms.” He paused, then snorted. “Grace is real, and one never knows about humans or fay.”

Helena nodded. “Offering opportunity for hearts to change is both just and gracious. The choice is always theirs.”

And so, the sentence was set. The pocket world of blue skies, forest, and grassy hills would remain in the custody of the World Magic Council at their headquarters, the location of which was a mystery to all but council members.

---