A slow smile spread across his face as I stood up. "I think one of the things I admire most about you is the way you face life head-on. It's refreshing to find a woman who doesn't play games."
"Hey now." I poked him in the chest, then smoothed over the spot with the palm of my hand. "Men play just as many games as women do."
"True, but we aren't the masters of manipulation that you women are."
I gave a faux sigh, opening the door as I did so. "Spoken like a man raised in the dark ages. Can you take me to the Court of Divine Blood?"
The retort that perched on the edge of Theo's mind faded away in his surprise. "You want to go to the Court?"
"I do." I took his hand as we walked down the hall toward the stairs, a secret part of me thrilling to the sensation of his thumb brushing the top of my hand. "It's time we take charge of this situation, Theo, and I mean to do just that. I'm going to see whoever is in charge, and have a little discussion about this whole trial thing. And while we're there, we can find out what it will take to get you a pardon."
"You think it will be just that easy?" he asked, amusement rich in his voice and face.
"Of course it won't be easy. But we can at least approach the problem in a logical manner, and that means learning enough to have a sound understanding of what sorts of solutions are reasonable. Thus, to Court we go."
Theo's lips twitched.
"We are smart people, Theo," I said as we marched down the stairs, pausing so he could don a long overcoat and a hat he'd bought off the pub owner. "We both have perfectly good brains, you have knowledge of the Court, and I have…well, I know physics, which I'm not quite certain how it will benefit us, but I am confident that we'll figure it all out."
Theo's laughter trailed behind him as we dashed out to his car.
It failed to reassure me.
Chapter 12
"You've got to be kidding."
"You're not impressed?"
I made a face and considered the white stone building. "On the contrary, I'm always impressed by castles. This one is particularly nice. It has a nice view of the ocean, and it's not falling down like lots of the castles Sarah has dragged me to see."
"But?"
"Portland Castle isn't really my idea of heaven," I said, waving a hand that I hoped would express all the emotions I was having difficulty verbalizing. "I know, I know, the Court isn't heaven, but it's similar, and well, this just isn't my idea of what heaven should look like!"
Theo laughed and took my hand, leading me in through the entrance, on the tail end of a group of tourists. "Would it help if I told you that the Court itself isn't in the castle?"
"Then why—"
"One of the portals is contained here. This way."
Heedless of the tour group, which was heading for the Tudor kitchens, Theo turned left and walked down a short hallway to a thick wooden door bearing a sign that read PRIVATE.
"You'll have to forgive my curiosity, but what was life like when this castle was new?" I asked as we entered a small, dark room, no doubt an administrative office. I shivered a little at a draft that seemed to be centered at the doorway.
"Dirty. Everyone had lice and diseases. And it smelled. Here we are. See this?" Theo pointed at a small niche in the outer wall of the room. It was probably intended to hold a candle or lamp. "Press the far left side, and the entrance to the portal should be revealed."
A dull rumbling noise had me turning around in surprise. The wall on the far side slid back about three feet, leaving an opening through which it was possible to enter. "Good gravy, don't tell me this castle has a secret passageway?"
"No doubt several. It was built by Henry VIII. He had a partiality to secret passageways. Left at the fork, then straight on."
The passageway was lit with soft lights, for which I was grateful considering the uneven floor. I proceeded down the narrow passage, obediently taking the left branch when the passage split into two. "What happens if you come here when someone is in the office?"
"Doesn't happen. That room is unoccupied, just made to look like an office in case someone stumbles upon it."
"Haven't the castle people noticed it?"
"I'm sure they have, but the room is warded so that they think nothing of it. All portals are created in such a way. They are visible to mortals, but made so that unless you know what the portal is, no memory of it will remain."
"That's a handy trick," I said, pushing back the skeptical thought that such a thing was impossible. "Is there anything else I should know other than what you told me on the drive here?"
"Through that misty blue doorway," Theo directed.
I stopped before the twirly bluish lights that evidently served as a portal to the Court. Despite several mental lectures, my stomach continued to churn unpleasantly.
"I told you—I've only been to the Court once, for a petition that failed. Non-members are seldom allowed in, and then only on Court business. I can't imagine they'd deny you and your champion entrance since you're undergoing the trials, but politeness will count heavily on your side."
"I'm always polite. Except to Sarah, but she's my oldest friend, so plain speaking is allowed," I said, taking a deep breath to calm my stomach. Theo must have felt my nerves, because he put his hands on my shoulders, giving them a supportive squeeze.
If you prefer, you can leave the talking to me. I might not be a member of the Court, but I'm more comfortable with the members than you are.
No, it's OK. I can do this. You're sure they won't separate us?
I won't let them.
I was comforted both by the warmth of his hands on my shoulders and by the smile that brushed my mind. With another deep breath, I pushed through the bluish haze, and entered the Court of the Divine Blood.
"OK, now I'm impressed. I can't even begin to imagine the equations it would take to explain the time and space of the Court." I stopped on the cobblestoned corner of what appeared to be a pleasant European village circa the early eighteenth century. Ahead of us was a town square complete with well. Several people in modern dress were sitting on the broad wooden lip of the well, chatting. More people strolled through the square, some carrying briefcases, others walking in small groups, a few popping in and out of the half-timbered, Tudor-style buildings that lined the square. Someone whizzed past us on a bicycle, the rider chiming happily on a bike bell that warned of his approach. An orange cat sat in a pool of sunlight, licking her paws. Three dogs chased a small, laughing child. Overhead, birds sang elaborate songs in the trees that lined the square. Above it all, tall spires of various buildings could be seen over the blue-tile roofs capping the stone and wood structures that surrounded the square. It was idyllic, pleasant, and completely mind-boggling when you considered that it was all located in a small English castle.
"As with most elements of the Court, it's best if you just accept it and not try to figure it out," Theo said, consulting a signpost with several narrow arrows on it.
"I've never been one for blind faith," I reminded him, smiling as a hummingbird flitted toward me, pausing in front of my face to give me a thorough look before flying off. "Don't get me wrong, this is really lovely, but it's not very heavenly, is it?"
Theo looked amused. "What were you expecting? Fluffy white clouds and choirs of angels playing the harp?"
A young woman walked by carrying a tray of pies. They smelled…well, heavenly. I sniffed the air appreciably. "Maybe nothing quite so trite. So the Court is made up of a town?"
"Yes. Or a palazzo, or cathedral, or forest. The one time I was here, it resembled a desert, complete with snakes and scorpions. It all depends on the whim of the sovereign."