Page 48 of Perfectly Petite Shorts (Perfect Pixie)

Sage squirmed. The muscles on his neck bulged, and his knuckles whitened where he gripped the table.

Painful, undecipherable grunts escaped his throat.

Lilibeth’s grin widened, scrunching her eyes.

“Ah, ah, ah.” She waggled a small finger in front of Sage’s face.

“You’re trying to lie. See how painful that is?

I should have warned you, but silly me thought maybe you’d tell the truth for once in your pathetic life.

Similar to fairies, every brownie has a special affinity.

Mine happens to be a bit more specialized than most. You lost the ability to so freely lie as soon as our gazes connected.

Lying now is not only incredibly painful, but potentially deadly.

Speak the truth and your pain will ease. ”

Sage still struggled, his fingers scrabbling at his neck as if he were choking. Jessup couldn’t stand, but he swiveled so I could see his horrified face. “You’re killing him,” he shouted.

“He’s killing himself,” Lilibeth calmly answered.

Unsatisfied, Jessup turned to the judge. “Do something! She’s killing my brother.”

Judge Lucius appeared unaffected. The brownie witnesses flanking him even less so. “Your lawyer has yet to object to Lilibeth’s actions.”

Jessup pounded on the tabletop. “Object, damn you!”

“I am not inclined to do so,” Vaydra dispassionately answered.

I choked on my disbelief as insane laughter threatened to erupt. As I’d thought earlier, one didn’t piss off a fairy. Hamish turned my direction. Maybe others wouldn’t have been able to tell, but I could read the amused satisfaction glinting in his deep green eyes and softening his facial muscles.

A scream tore its way out of Sage’s mouth and was soon followed by Jessup’s aghast, “He’s bleeding. Dear God. It’s running out of his eyes and nose.” Jessup tried to stand again but he couldn’t. It was like an invisible boulder was sitting on his lap.

“Tell me the truth,” Lilibeth ordered, her gaze still firmly focused on her prey. I hadn’t seen her blink once. “Why doesn’t it matter what this court decides?”

Another agonized wail erupted from Sage’s throat before he finally blurted, “Dead.”

Lilibeth cocked her head to the side. “Who’s dead?”

“D-dryad. Todrik. Dead, or soon will be.”

“Oh?” Lilibeth said while Jessup muttered a heartfelt “shit.”

“How do you know this?” Lilibeth pressed.

Sage viciously shook his head, but Lilibeth didn’t relent and he finally conceded. “Poison.”

“Explain,” Lilibeth ordered.

“T-Todrik. Poisoned him.”

“Who poisoned Todrik? Be clear.”

“J-Jessup.”

Jessup tried to stand again, and when that failed, he screamed, “He’s lying!”

“He’s not,” Lilibeth answered. “But he’s not telling the complete truth either. Speak up, Sage. Who poisoned Todrik? Jessup was one, but that’s not all. ”

“M-me. Jessup and me.” Sage’s body slumped, and he gulped in heaving breaths of air with that admission.

Lilibeth allowed Sage a moment to reoxygenate his body before she asked, “How did you poison him? Before you answer, remember how much you enjoy being able to breath, Sage.”

I could hear the sneer in Sage’s voice as he answered, “We poisoned the soil. Dryads have to sink their roots into the soil they were born into or they die. Jessup and I poisoned the soil. If he’s not dead yet, that damn dryad will be soon.

” The sneer turned into satisfied hatred.

The shiver that consumed me this time was completely different than the last one.

“Fucking hell,” Jessup murmured, scrubbing his hand over his face and slumping into his chair. “We’re fucked.”

Sage turned to his brother while viciously wiping at the drying blood streaking his cheeks.

“Maybe we are, but Todrik is even more fucked. We taught that dryad not to mess with us. He’s as good as dead, and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do about it.

” Sage’s head snapped up and his shoulders straightened. “Todrik won’t get the land either.”

“I would not be so certain about that.” Hamish’s tone was cool, his demeanor calm as he turned to me and indicated I should come to him.

Standing on shaky legs, I made my way toward the front of the courtroom.

All eyes were on me, including Sage and Jessup’s.

Their confusion was obvious. That confusion turned to shock and then rage when Hamish told me to drop the charmed glamour, revealing that I wasn’t nearly as deceased as they’d presumed.

“W-what?” Sage’s mouth momentarily hung with laxity. His simmering rage tightened those muscles and snapped his jaw shut with an audible clack. “What trickery is this?”

Straightening from her previously crouched position, Lilibeth clapped her hands, her smile wide and not nearly as frightening as before.

“Just a bit of witchcraft. A simple glamour charm. Todrik didn’t need much to fool the two of you,” she added with disgust. “Jamila would be so disappointed in her sons.”

Sage opened his mouth, ready to say something undoubtedly foolish and horrid. Vaydra stopped him cold. “I would refrain from speaking whatever is on the tip of your tongue.”

“You should heed your lawyer’s advice,” Judge Lucius stated while rising.

“Much that has been revealed is beyond the scope of the current case being argued here today. As for the dryad, Todrik’s status, it is the judgment of this court that he is indeed to be counted as one of Jamila Winsome’s children.

Therefore, Todrik is just as entitled to his mother’s land as are Jamila’s biological children.

” Judge Lucius slammed his gavel and then tucked his hands into the wide sleeves of his robe.

Joy erupted deep in my soul. It wasn’t just the land. Somewhere along the line, being named one of Jamila’s children had become just as important as the earth itself.

“This is bullshit,” Sage grumbled. Jessup held his silence, but his narrowed eyes, thinned lips, and hateful stare spoke more than words.

Vampires didn’t need to breathe. Some still did.

Some even sighed. Judge Lucius did neither.

His black-as-night eyes drifted from Hamish to Vaydra, and finally settled on Lilibeth.

“Jamila Winsome’s land will be divided three ways.

” My heart sank, my earlier joy harshly tempered.

“In the event of one of the inheritors’ death, each division of land shall then be passed on to the surviving inheritors, which I presume shall become necessary in the near future. ”

I gasped. “But I’m not dying.” I turned to Hamish. “Queen Silvidia healed me and the land. She—”

“Judge Lucius is not speaking of you,” Hamish coolly answered.

“Wait. W-what? Then…” Understanding slowly seeped in, th ough I was still lost as to the how and why. Lilibeth soon answered that question.

Standing to her full height, feet still planted on the defense’s tabletop, Lilibeth stared down on Sage and Jessup as she pronounced, “I invoke the right of vengeance.”

Ominous silence smothered the courtroom.

There wasn’t a single gasp, as if everyone else had simply been waiting for the charge.

The two brownies flanking Judge Lucius stepped down from the bench and walked toward Lilibeth.

Sage and Jessup stood there, faces pale and jaws lax.

I wasn’t certain if their silence was due to shock or acceptance.

Jessup’s sudden outburst of “wait just a damn minute,” made me realize it was shock. “What in the hell does that mean? What is—”

Jessup’s voice was silenced. Sage’s too as a deep violet hole opened behind them. It came forward, engulfing my brothers before closing around them. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if they’d been swallowed whole. The two brownies flanking Lilibeth were gone too.

Hopping down from the desk, Lilibeth closed the distance between us. When she held out her arms, I dipped low to accept her hug. This was the brownie I knew. This was Jamila’s close friend. This was my friend.

Lilibeth’s small hands patted my back before she pulled away.

Those same small hands gripped my own. Her dark brown eyes were wide when they stared up at me.

“Now, don’t you worry about a thing, Todrik.

Those two are no longer your responsibility; they’re mine.

Jamila would understand.” With a sad shake of her head, Lilibeth said, “Even she couldn’t overlook this.

Jamila… I’m sad she’s gone, but I’m glad she didn’t live long enough to see what her boys were capable of.

They crossed a line when they tried to murder you.

I’m afraid it’s a line there’s no coming back from.

” Going up on tiptoes, Lilibeth patted my cheek before pulling away, her attention no w on Hamish.

“You take care of him. I’ll know if you’re slacking off.

” I didn’t know if it was a threat or warning. Most likely a little of both.

“I shall do my best,” Hamish answered.

“Good. And thank your queen again for me. Her deed has not gone unnoticed by my people.”

This time, Hamish gave a slight bow. “We are honored.”

Lilibeth tutted. “Such flowery words. Fairies have always been good at flowery words.” Waving Hamish off, Lilibeth offered me another smile. “I’ll see you again on your hill soon. I’ll visit often. I know you’ll care for Jamila’s land the way she would have wanted.”

Between one blink and the next, Lilibeth was gone, and I realized I hadn’t even uttered a single thank-you.

I stood there, staring at the spot Lilibeth had stood only moments before. Hamish and Vaydra were saying their goodbyes, their words lost to the jumbled emotions tumbling through my head. By the time I came back to myself, the courtroom was empty save for Hamish and myself.

“Are you ready to leave?” Hamish asked, his palm resting on my lower back. He’d been a lot more touchy-feely since my near-death experience.

“I… What just happened? I mean, I kind of understand, but not fully.”

“What do you need clarification on?”