Page 49 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part One

“Well…”

“Exactly. By the way, the Rita Rules site rocks. They must’ve sent you somebody with decent manners.”

“Yes. She’s very nice. And, speaking of that, she’ll be here in an hour, so I need to clean up.”

“Is this the bum’s rush?”

“That’s no bum you’re talking about. That’s my daughter.”

“Message received.”

“Let me know how you get Cole back on a plane. Oh, are you going to the Vampire Ball?”

“John David is throwing another party.” She pursed her lips. “So like him.”

“Why don’t you like John David? And does that mean you weren’t invited? Please accept my ‘oops’. I really thought you’d be included. I mean, how much does it elevate party status to have the king and queen of Irish fae in the house?”

“No worries. I probably would’ve declined anyway.”

“You would not.”

“Well, it’s a moot point, isn’t it? Let me save some face.”

“Okay. Subject closed.” I rubbed the Starbucks paper cup between my fingers. “Thanks for the coffee. If you deliver every day, you don’t have to knock.”

She smiled. “You know, I’ve heard that it’s pretty common for dumpers to show up just when the dumpee feels like she’s settled and moved on. Kind of like revisiting the scene of the crime. Or maybe like you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

It rankled that my daughter thought of me as the dumpee, but it was true. I had been. “I’m sure I was just a couple of days away from showing him the curb when he set all this in motion.”

“Right,” she said sarcastically. “But don’t get me wrong. I, more than anyone, have reason to be glad things worked out the way they did.” She absentmindedly ran a loving hand over her growing bump.

“Unless you want to explain that to your father, wear a thick oversized sweater.

She looked down. “Good suggestion.” Looking back up with the kind of bright smile that moms love to see, she said, “See ya,” and was gone.

“Do you like being magistrate?” Blaes asked.

Did I like it?It was a question I’d never asked myself. “Why, yes, I believe I do. At least I like it when I know for sure I’ve nailed the judgment. The burden of responsibility can be brutal, because I feel like I have to be fair and just.”

“I think most would agree you are that. Even if some don’t fare as well as others, deep down they know they brought that on themselves.”

“Naturally there are a lot of perks that go along with the job. Longer life than I would’ve expected. A peek at other worlds my kind suspect may exist but speak of either in whispers or ridicule. I love working with the court clerk, Lochlan Jois, the bailiff, and the enforcer. It’s an amazing team.”

“Of course, your friendship with the queens is celebrated as a coup on your behalf.”

“It is one of the best things that’s come from my term. Having the queens get to know, like, and respect each other, and the court, goes a long way toward peace, order, and civilization.”

“Civilization,” she repeated. “Is that a goal?”

“Absolutely. In my view, it’s the path to a better life for everybody. There’s a human legend about a fictional king from long ago. Though he was someone’s dream, he is a part of our mythos. One of the things he’s often quoted for saying is this. Might for right. Not might is right.”

She seemed to be absorbing the words and trying to make sense of my quote. “I believe I understand. Rita Rules will have good grist for discussion until our next session.”

“By the way, why didn’t you bring Gizella?”

“She’s actually going through the process of becoming licensed to counsel in your court. As you know, since it’s your creation,” she chuckled, “it’s both time-consuming and difficult.”

“If it was easy, anybody would do it.”

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