Page 39 of Veiled Justice
Chapter 20
On the drive over, Krieg confirmed that he’d spoken to Helga’s friend Katrin. She’d denied any knowledge of Helga’s movements but confirmed that Helga had been dating Einar without her parents’ knowledge. He didn’t think she was lying, but if we came to a dead end I’d speak to her myself just to make sure – not because I was a control freak.
We rolled up to the elaborate iron gates, which had been flung open to accept guests. As good as her word, Louisa had left our names at the door and we were let inside without question.
All the hours of primping and beautifying herself had paid off and Louisa looked Hollywood-ready as she played hostess from an honest-to-goodness throne. Around her a cluster of young women were paying homage, hoping for some sign of grace and favour.
It was only 8.30pm and the party was in full swing; I guessed this crowd didn’t go in for arriving fashionably late. Louisa hadn’t been kidding about the event having some extra pizazz. Platters of canapes were floating amongst the guests supposedly unaided, though I spotted the wizards standing along the tent walls who were controlling the dishes with some exemplary use of the IR. One of them had to be only a level three at best because he wassweating visibly and keeping his eyes trained on the silver platter at all times.
In the centre of the room, remarkable ice sculptures were being made and controlled by water elementals. At first sight the sculptures appeared to be of human wizards, but as I looked closer I saw creatures – ogres, dryads, centaurs, trolls kneeling at their feet. Anger ripped through me; this wasn’tart, it was a political statement celebrating the subjugation of the creature elements of the Other realm. The urge to stride over and smash it was overwhelming.
‘Steady,’ Krieg murmured.
‘How can you bear it?’ The words burst out of me.
‘I’m used to it.’ He tipped up my chin so I was looking into his eyes. ‘But I find myself grateful for your rage.’
‘It’s not right,’ I snarled.
‘Much of the world isn’t right. In some places women still can’t vote. Some can’t own land, others can’t control their own bodies. Injustice is rife.’
‘That doesn’t mean we have to accept it!’ I hissed back.
‘No, we don’t. But we start small and we start local – and we make a damned difference.’
‘How?’ I demanded and gestured around me. ‘Thisis our locality.’
He smiled grimly. ‘And we’re going to turn their world upside down and inside out.’
‘We can’t affect change like that overnight!’
‘You’re right. Sustainable change takes time. I have that. And I have the will to do it, too.’
Whatever else I might have said was cut off as I spied a cage in the corner of one room. Inside it was a chimera, a tri-beast with three heads; she had a lion’s head in the centre, a goat’s to the left and a snake’s to the right. She also had sharpened cloven hooves and a goat-like body with a lethal scaled tail. As I watched, she roared an angry purple fire that didn’t extend beyond the bars of the cage. It was obviously a magical as well as a metal one. I ground my teeth.
‘Later,’ Krieg counselled calmly.
I looked around for something to calm me down and spotted the maid who’d fainted dead away at the sight of Krieg. ‘Stay here,’ I ordered Krieg and moved off to talk to her.
‘Where is Mr Carnforth?’ I asked bluntly.
She blinked her large doe-like eyes at me. ‘He’s indisposed.’
‘What does that mean? Has he got the shits?’
She flushed. ‘He’s elderly, infirm. He stays inside the main house these days.’
I frowned. Louisa had definitely implied we were being invited to annoy her father. Why had she invited us if he wasn’t even going to be here? What was the point of a ‘fuck you’ that he didn’t know about?
‘Where did the chimera come from?’ I asked.
The maid shrugged. ‘Miss Carnforth has many friends in high places.’
‘Did she arrange the gala?’
‘Absolutely. She oversaw every decision.’
Then why had she been acting like this was all her father’swork? To keep up with the competition with Quintos? I smiled. ‘Thank you. You’ve been helpful. What’s your name?’
