Death in a Paradox

The Sixth Chapter

The Sixth Chapter

~~~

Augustus

"Mister Maxwelby," Professor Betlain-Saitela addressed me.

"Goodday Professor," I replied and and sat down on the cool bench outside the courtroom.

"I can assure you that we will win this case. There is far too much evidence that you are innocent. Besides, accusing a fifteen year old boy shows that a majority of the Necromancy Society lacks a brain. They just want to shift attention away from the Day of the Dead incident."

I turned my head towards her. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, you missed it. A non-magical being attempted to summon a deceased loved one. They actually succeeded. Since then, a number of low-grade periodicals have inflated the issue. Most uninformed Necromancers believe that typical humans now have the ability to perform complicated enchantments that require much skill and research."

"Oh, well, that's great," I muttered. "Society Courier and Union Gazette, I'll bet?"

The professor nodded. "The Necromancy Journal continues to publish true facts, while it's competitors attempt to gain attention with yellow journalism." I shrugged. Everyone just wants the spotlight on them.

 "You will not have to go into the court room, as you are still a minor," she tells me after about ten minutes.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." 

Professor Betlain-Saitela was called into the courtroom. I sat outside for about fifteen minutes before a woman came and asked me if I would like to go to a special room reserved for children. I went there to wait and caught up on some homework. 

"You won," Professor Betlain-Saitela told me when she entered the children's room.

"I'm really not surprised," I replied, unfazed. 

"You have a warning, Mr. Maxwelby. If you leave Doreen Necromancy Academy for an inexcusable reason through the course of this school year, you will be expelled and banned from entering any other Doreen schools."

I got ready to leave that night.

 - - -  

If there's one thing my father taught me; it's to never accuse someone of something they haven't done. You need proof.

My father owns Maxwelby Book Stores. It's one thing I really like about him. He travels around the world, looking for rare books, or maybe lost treatises, and buys them, if he needs to. His job requires a lot of travel, since he has about fifty locations around the globe. He's gone for months at a time.

He's a really great father, though. He thinks Annabella's great, knows Meredith's family, and always smells like a good book. My mom always took care of me, but it's my father I love more.

It's heartbreaking when you know he's just an illusion.

Annabella's adopted father's name was Evan Eltiise. A week after he died, my father came back and said he won't have to travel so much anymore, his business is done. 

What will Annabella think when she knows she's been betrayed, and how will she feel if she gets the news from me?

- - -

"Hey Landager!" I yelled at a guy my age. His head quickly snapped at the sound of my voice and he looked a bit freaked out.

"So, Annabella put you on watchdog duty? Make sure I don't kill myself and tell her if anything happens?"