“Your Majesty,” Alexei protested. “He’s just splitting hairs. Yes, technically he wasn’t the one controlling the kraken, but surely that doesn’t matter since he was the one behind the whole thing.”
The king tugged on his beard. “You know how the laws of the Otherworld work as well as any, Black Rider. His actions were despicable, yes, but if he was able to trick someone else into doing his dirty work for him, he has not, as you say, technically broken Our rules. We can forbid him to return to the other side in future, but for what he has done, there will be no other repercussions.”
Alexei started to argue, something which would undoubtedly have gotten him into considerable trouble, but Beka put a hand on his arm to stop him and winked reassuringly.
“I assume, however, that there will be some form of penalty for threatening a Baba Yaga and injuring her Chudo-Yudo?” she said in a deceptively mild voice.
Hayreddin’s ruddy face turned pale as the queen turned her basilisk stare on him. She had, in fact, been known to turn people to stone, often for much smaller offenses than the one he had just been accused of.
“Is this true?” the queen asked in a tone so frosty, the small blossoms under her chair all withered and died. “Did you dare to interfere with one of Our Baba Yagas and her faithful companion?”
“I was just trying to reclaim the treasure that belonged to me,” he said, chin held stubbornly in the air, and wisps of smoke eddying about his head in silent witness to his already evident annoyance. “They should have minded their own business.”
“They were minding My business,” the queen reminded him. “As the Baba Yagas are tasked with answering the calls of those in need and keeping the balance of nature. Having a kraken loose in the ocean is most certainly not my idea of balance.”
“It was only temporary,” Hayreddin said sullenly. “If they had just left me alone, I would have finished collecting my treasure and been back in my cave with no one the wiser. As it is, I was only threatening to hurt the Baba Yaga. I would never have done it.”
“And me, Hayreddin?” Chewie stepped closer so the queen and king could get a good look at his injuries. “Did you mean to harm me, or are these wounds simply accidents as well?” He limped on three paws and blood still ran sluggishly from a cut above one furry eyebrow, the injuries incurred in his dragon form transferred to his canine one.
Alexei had to choke back a laugh. And they called him dramatic. The truth was, Chewie could have used a tiny dose of the Water of Life and Death he still carried safely in a small cask around his neck and it would have healed his wounds instantly. He and Beka had clearly known that Hayreddin might get away with his other crimes and made sure they had proof of even worse transgressions to show the queen. He had never loved them more. It paid to have clever friends.
The queen looked from Chewie to Hayreddin, her gaze darkening to the purple of a horizon just before a storm. “Did you do this?” she asked in a voice that echoed with power.
Hayreddin dropped his eyes, but Koshei stepped forward to break the silence he had kept up until that moment.
“He did, Your Majesty, and I can bear witness to it,” Koshei said, bowing gracefully. “Had I not arrived when I did, in answer to Beka’s request for assistance, her Chudo-Yudo would most assuredly have died at the hands of this ill-mannered oaf. He gives dragons a bad name, and I am ashamed to be of the same race.”
“I have heard enough,” the queen said, rising from her seat. “You are found guilty of crimes against the crown, Hayreddin, and We will enjoy coming up with an appropriate punishment.” The surrounding courtiers applauded, enjoying the entertainment, but Alexei just felt a deep sense of satisfaction that the man who had kidnapped and hurt Bethany would pay for what he had done.
“First, since this debacle was caused by your pursuit of treasure, all your existing treasure shall be confiscated. It is forfeit, and will be dispersed to others.”
Hayreddin let out an anguished cry, but he clearly knew better than to voice a protest.
“Might I make a suggestion, Your Majesty?” Beka said.
The queen nodded her head regally.
“Such treasure is of little real value here in the Otherworld,” Beka said. “Unless you are a dragon or one of the other races that cares about having gems and gold simply for the sake of having them. But back on the other side of the doorway, they are worth a great deal. As Alexei told you, there were a number of fishermen - folk who work hard to make an honest living to feed their families - who suffered from Hayreddin’s actions. Perhaps I could take some of the treasure back with me and use it to establish a fund to compensate those men and women for the losses they suffered?”
The queen returned to her seat, sinking back down with a graceful flurry of skirts. “A very wise proposition,” she said, looking at Beka thoughtfully. “You have truly grown into your position in the last year, despite the unusual challenges you faced. We are aware that your mentor, whose name We no longer speak, may have led you to believe that you were unsuitable to be a Baba Yaga. We would like to say, in case there is still any doubt in your mind, that We believe that you are, in fact, eminently qualified. We shall do as you propose.”
Beka turned a becoming pink and gave a deep curtsy, despite the fact that she was still wearing jeans. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I can’t tell you how much that means to me, coming from you.”
“No need,” the queen said, waving one languid hand. “We are aware.”
Alexei chuckled, which had the unfortunate effect of drawing the queen’s attention to him instead.
“And what of you, our faithful Rider? Have you no requests of Us in this matter? Nothing for these,” she gave a delicate cough, “friends of which you speak?”
Now it was Alexei’s turn to blush, something most would have guessed he was incapable of doing. He dug his hand into one pocket and pulled out a dozen large gold coins. He’d scooped them up off the deck when he’d gone back for the talisman. Hell, they were just going to go down with the ship anyway.
“I had thought I’d give her - I mean them - these coins, which were part of Hayreddin’s lost treasure. The kraken brought them up right before Beka sent it back to the deep. Bethany, that is, my friend, isn’t very good about taking help from anyone, but I thought she might use the money from these to help her father.”
“Bethany was kidnapped by Hayreddin, and fought quite valiantly,” Beka said.
“She set his boat on fire,” Chewie added with a wide doggy grin.
“Did she?” the king said with a chuckle. “She sounds quite remarkable.”
“She is,” Alexei said. “Quite remarkable.” He hoped he wasn’t blushing again.