A Tale of Magic... Read online

  “My pleasure,” she said. “It’s a real shame, too. Can you imagine how exciting it would be to see one of those creatures in person?”

  Her brother did a double take. “Wait, how do you know all of this?”

  Brystal glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone. “It was in one of the history books you gave me,” she whispered. “It was such a fascinating read! I must have read it four or five times! Do you want me to stay and help you study?”

  “I wish you could,” Barrie said. “Mother will be suspicious if you don’t return to the kitchen. And she’ll be furious if she catches you helping me.”

  Brystal’s eyes twinkled as a mischievous idea popped into her head. In one swift move, she yanked all the buttons off Barrie’s robe. Before he could react, Mrs. Evergreen charged into the sitting room, as if she sensed her daughter’s mischief in the air.

  “How long does it take to sew one button?” she reprimanded. “I’ve got porridge in the pot, eggs in the pan, and rolls in the oven!”

  Brystal shrugged innocently and showed her mother the handful of buttons she had plucked.

  “Sorry, Mother,” she said. “It’s worse than we thought. He’s really nervous.”

  Mrs. Evergreen threw her hands into the air and moaned at the ceiling.

  “Barrie Evergreen, this house is not your personal tailor shop!” she scolded. “Keep your twitchy hands off your robe or I’ll tie your hands behind your back like when you were a child! Brystal, when you’re finished, go set the table in the dining room. We’re eating in ten minutes—buttons or not!”

  Mrs. Evergreen stomped back into the kitchen, muttering slurs under her breath. Brystal and Barrie covered each other’s mouths as they laughed at their mother’s dramatics. It was the first time Brystal had seen her brother smile in weeks.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” he said.

  “Your examination is more important than breakfast,” Brystal said, and began sewing the rest of the buttons. “And you don’t need your cards—I’ve practically memorized all the old schoolbooks you’ve given me. Now, I’ll name a historical act and you tell me the history behind it. All right?”

  “All right,” he agreed.

  “Good. Let’s start with the Border Act of 274.”

  “The Border Act of 274… the Border Act of 274…,” Barrie thought out loud. “Oh, I know! That was the decree that established the Protected Paths through the In-Between so the kingdoms could participate in safe trade.”

  Brystal winced at his answer. “Almost, but no,” she said gently. “The Protected Paths were established with the Protected Paths Act of 296.”

  Barrie groaned and pulled away from Brystal while she was in the middle of sewing. He paced around the sitting room and rubbed his face with his hands.

  “This is pointless!” he grumbled. “I don’t know any of this! Why do there have to be so many numbers in history?!”

  “Oh, that’s a really interesting story, actually!” Brystal happily informed him. “The Southern Kingdom developed a calendar system when the very first King Champion was crowned! It was so efficient that the other kingdoms began using the same—Oh, I’m sorry, Barrie! That was a rhetorical question, wasn’t it?”

  Her brother had dropped his arms and was staring at her in disbelief. He had meant it as a rhetorical question, but after hearing his sister’s explanation, he realized he was wrong about the invention of the calendar, too.

  “I give up!” Barrie declared. “I’m going to quit the university and become a shopkeeper! I’m going to sell rocks and sticks to small children! I won’t make much money, but at least I’ll never run out of materials!”

  Brystal was losing patience with her brother’s attitude. She grabbed his chin and held his head still so she could look him in the eye.

  “Barrie, you need to snap out of it!” she said. “All your answers are coming from the right place, but you keep putting the cart before the horse. Remember, the law is history, and history is just another story. Each of these events had a prequel and a sequel—a cause and an effect. Before you answer, put all the facts you know on an imaginary timeline. Find the contradictions, focus on what’s missing, and then fill in the blanks the best you can.”

  Barrie went quiet as he thought about his sister’s advice. Slowly but surely, the seed of positivity she had planted in him began to grow. Barrie gave Brystal a determined nod and took a deep breath like he was about to dive off a high cliff.

  “You’re right,” he said. “I just need to relax and focus.”

  Brystal released Barrie’s chin so she could continue repairing his wardrobe while she also repaired his self-confidence.

  “Now, the Border Act of 274,” she said. “Give it another try.”

  Barrie concentrated and didn’t make a sound until he was certain he had the right answer.

  “After the Four Corners World War of 250, all four kingdoms agreed to stop fighting over land and their leaders signed the Border Act of 274. The treaty finalized the borders of each kingdom and established the In-Between zone between nations.”

  “Very good!” Brystal cheered. “What about the In-Between Neutralization Act of 283?”

  Barrie thought very carefully, and his eyes lit up when the answer came to him.

  “The In-Between Neutralization Act of 283 was an international agreement to neutralize the In-Between zone so none of the kingdoms could claim it as their territory! As a result, the In-Between was left with no authority and became a very dangerous place. Which then led to the Protected Paths Act of 296—OUCH!”

  Brystal was so proud of her brother she had accidentally poked him with her sewing needle.

  “That’s correct!” she said. “See, you have all the information you need to pass the examination! You just have to believe in yourself as much as I do.”

  Barrie blushed and color finally returned to his face.

  “Thank you, Brystal,” he said. “I’d be lost in my own head if it weren’t for you. It’s really a shame you’re… well, you know… a girl. You would have made an incredible Justice.”

  Brystal lowered her head and pretended she was still sewing the final button so he didn’t see the sadness in her eyes.

  “Oh?” she said. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

  On the contrary, it was something Brystal wanted more than her brother could ever imagine. Being a Justice would allow her to redeem and elevate people, it would provide a platform to spread hope and understanding, and it would give her the resources to make the world a better place for other girls like her. Sadly, it was highly unlikely a woman would have any role but wife and mother in the Southern Kingdom, so Brystal extinguished her ideas before they turned into hopes.

  “Maybe when you’re a High Justice, you could convince the king to let women read,” she told her brother. “That would be a great start.”

  “Maybe…,” Barrie said with a weak smile. “For now, at least you have my old books to keep you entertained. That reminds me, did you finish The Tales of Tidbit Twitch yet? I’m dying to talk to you about the ending but I don’t want to give anything away.”

  “I only had seven pages left! But then Mother caught me this morning and confiscated all my books. Could you stop by the library and see if there are any old books they’re getting rid of? I’ve already thought of a new hiding spot to keep them in.”

  “Certainly. The examination will last until late this afternoon, but I’ll stop by the library tomorrow and…” Barrie’s voice trailed off before he finished his thought. “Actually, I suppose it’ll be more difficult than it used to be. The library is next to my university, but if I get accepted into the Deputy Justice program, I’ll be working at the courthouse. It may be a week or two before I can sneak away.”

  Until this moment, Brystal had never realized how much her brother’s pending graduation was going to affect her. Barrie would no doubt pass his examination with flying colors and be put to work as a Deputy Jus
tice right away. For years to come, all his time and energy would be spent prosecuting or defending criminals at the courthouse. Supplying his little sister with books would be his last priority.

  “That’s all right,” Brystal said through a forced smile. “I’ll find something to do in the meantime. Well, all your buttons are attached. I better set the table before Mother gets upset.”

  Brystal hurried into the dining room before her brother noticed the anguish in her voice. When he said weeks, she knew it might be months or even a year before she had another book in her hands. So much time without a distraction from her mundane life would be torturous. If she wanted to keep her sanity, she would have to find something to read outside their home, and given the kingdom’s harsh punishments for female readers, Brystal would have to be clever—very clever—if she didn’t want to get caught.

  “Breakfast is ready!” Mrs. Evergreen announced. “Come and eat! Your father’s carriage will be here in fifteen minutes!”

  Brystal quickly set the dining room table before her family members arrived. Barrie brought his notecards to the table and flipped through them while they waited for the meal to begin. Brystal couldn’t tell if it was his freshly sewn buttons or his restored confidence, but Barrie was sitting much taller than when she found him on the floor. She took great pride in the physical and mental alterations she had provided.

  Their older brother, Brooks, was the first to join Brystal and Barrie in the dining room. He was tall, muscular, had perfectly straight hair, and always looked like he had somewhere better to be—especially when he was with his family. Brooks had graduated from the university and gone into the Deputy Justice program two years earlier, and like all the other Deputies, he wore a gray-and-black-checkered robe and a slightly taller black hat than Barrie’s.

  Instead of greeting his siblings, Brooks grunted and rolled his eyes when he saw Barrie flipping through his notecards.

  “Are you still studying?” he sneered.

  “Is there something wrong with studying?” Barrie shot back.

  “Only the way you do it,” Brooks ridiculed him. “Really, brother, if it takes this long for information to sink in, perhaps you should pursue another profession? I hear the Fortworths are in the market for a new stable boy.”

  Brooks took a seat across from his brother and put his feet on the table, inches away from Barrie’s notecards.

  “How interesting. I heard the Fortworths are also in the market for a new son-in-law since their daughter declined your proposal,” Barrie replied. “Twice, the rumor goes.”

  Brystal couldn’t stop a laugh from surfacing. Brooks mocked his sister’s laughter with a crude imitation and then squinted at Barrie while he plotted his next insult.

  “In all honesty, I hope you pass your examination today,” he said.

  “You do?” Brystal asked with suspicious eyes. “Well, that’s out of character.”

  “Yes, I do,” Brooks snapped. “I look forward to going head-to-head with Barrie in a courtroom—I’m bored with humiliating him at home.”

  Brooks and Barrie glared at each other with the complicated hatred only brothers could have. Fortunately, their exchange was interrupted before it became more heated.

  Justice Evergreen entered the dining room with a stack of parchment under his arm and a quill between his fingers. He was an imposing man with a thick white beard. After a long career of judging others, several deep lines had formed across his forehead. Like all the Justices in the Southern Kingdom, Justice Evergreen wore a black robe that flowed from his shoulders to his toes and a tall black hat that forced him to duck through doorways. His eyes were the exact shade of blue as his daughter’s, and they even shared the same astigmatism—which was greatly beneficial to Brystal. Unbeknownst to her father, whenever the Justice discarded an old pair of reading glasses, his daughter got a new pair.

  Upon his arrival, the Evergreen children rose and respectfully stood by their chairs. It was custom to rise for a Justice while attending the courthouse, but Justice Evergreen expected it from his family at all times.

  “Good morning, Father,” the Evergreens said together.

  “You may be seated,” Justice Evergreen permitted, without looking any of his children in the eye. He took his seat at the head of the table and immediately buried his nose in his paperwork, as if nothing else in the world existed.

  Mrs. Evergreen appeared with a pot of porridge, a large bowl of scrambled eggs, and a hot tray of rolls. Brystal helped her mother serve breakfast, and once the men’s plates were full, the women filled their own and sat down.

  “What’s this rubbish?” Brooks asked, and poked the food with a fork.

  “Eggs and oats,” Mrs. Evergreen said. “It’s Barrie’s favorite.”

  Brooks moaned as if he found the meal offensive. “I should have known,” he scoffed. “Barrie has the same taste as a sow.”

  “Sorry it isn’t your favorite, Brooks,” Barrie said. “Perhaps Mother can make cream of kitten and infant tears for you tomorrow.”

  “Dear Lord, these boys will be the death of me!” Mrs. Evergreen said, and looked to the ceiling in distress. “Would it kill either of you to take a day off from this nonsense? Especially on a morning as important as this? Once Barrie passes his examination, the two of you are going to be working together for a very long time. It would do you both some good if you learned to be civil.”

  In many ways, Brystal was thankful she didn’t have the opportunity to become a Justice; it spared her from the nightmare of working with Brooks at the courthouse. He was very popular among the other Deputy Justices, and Brystal worried how Brooks would use his connections to sabotage Barrie. Ever since his younger brother was born, Brooks had seen Barrie as a threat of some kind, as if only one Evergreen son was allowed to succeed.

  “I apologize, Mother,” Brooks said with a phony smile. “And you’re right—I should be helping Barrie get ready for his examination. Let me share some of the questions that nearly stumped me during my examination—questions I guarantee he won’t see coming. For example, what is the difference between the punishment for trespassing on private property and the punishment for trespassing on royal property?”

  Barrie beamed with confidence. Clearly, he was much more prepared for his examination than Brooks had been for his own.

  “The punishment for trespassing on private property is three years in prison and the punishment for trespassing on royal property is fifty,” Barrie said. “And the serving Justice decides whether hard labor should be added.”

  “I’m afraid that’s wrong,” Brooks said. “It’s five years for private property and sixty years for royal property.”

  For a moment Brystal thought she had misheard Brooks. She knew for a fact that Barrie’s answer was correct—she could even visualize the exact page of the law book where she had read it. Barrie looked just as confused as his sister. He turned to Justice Evergreen, hoping his father would correct his brother’s claim, but the Justice never glanced up from his paperwork.

  “I’ll give you another one,” Brooks said. “In what year was the death penalty changed from drawing-and-quartering to beheading?”

  “Good heavens, Brooks! Some of us are eating!” Mrs. Evergreen scolded.

  “That was… that was…,” Barrie mumbled as he tried to recall. “That was the year 567!”

  “Wroooong again,” Brooks sang. “The first public beheading wasn’t until 568. Oh dear, you’re not very good at this game.”

  Barrie started second-guessing himself, and his confidence faded with his posture. Brystal cleared her throat to get Barrie’s attention, hoping to expose Brooks’s charade with a telling look, but Barrie didn’t hear her.

  “Let’s try something simple,” Brooks said. “Can you name the four pieces of evidence a prosecutor needs to charge a suspect with murder?”

  “That’s easy!” Barrie replied. “A body, a motive, a witness, and… and…”

  Brooks was enjoying watching his bro
ther struggle. “You’re already way off, so let’s try another one,” he said. “How many Justices does it take to appeal the ruling of another Justice?”

  “What are you talking about?” Barrie asked. “Justices can’t appeal!”

  “Once again, wrong.” Brooks screeched like a crow. “I can’t believe how unprepared you are—especially given the amount of time you’ve been studying. If I were you, I would pray the examiner is out sick.”

  All the color drained from Barrie’s face, his eyes grew large, and he gripped his notecards so firmly they started to bend. He looked as hopeless and scared as he had when Brystal found him in the sitting room. Every brick of self-esteem she had laid was now being demolished for Brooks’s amusement. She couldn’t take another moment of his cruel game.

  “Don’t listen to him, Barrie!” she shouted, and the room went silent. “Brooks is asking you trick questions on purpose! First, the punishment for trespassing on private property is three years in prison and the punishment for trespassing on royal property is fifty—it’s only five and sixty years if the property is damaged! Second, the first public beheading was in 568, but the law changed in 567, like you said! Third, there aren’t four elements needed to charge a suspect with murder, there are only three—and you named them all! And fourth, Justices can’t appeal the ruling of another Justice, only a High Justice can overturn a—”

  “BRYSTAL LYNN EVERGREEN!”

  For the first time all morning, Justice Evergreen found a reason to look up from his paperwork. His face turned bright red, veins bulged out of his neck, and he roared so loudly all the dishes on the table rattled.

  “How dare you reprimand your brother! Who do you think you are?”

  It took Brystal a few seconds to find her voice. “B-b-but, Father, Brooks isn’t telling the truth!” she stuttered. “I—I—I just don’t want Barrie to fail his—”

  “I don’t care if Brooks said the sky was purple, it is not a young woman’s place to correct a man! If Barrie isn’t smart enough to know he’s being fooled, then he has no business being a Deputy Justice!”