The Haven High Book Series (Wattys2017)

Chapter 26

Liam magically amplified his voice over the sick beats to say, "I invoke the ancient right of Parley."

Parley ?  Wow , this guy must be binge watching the Pirates of the Caribbean on Netflix or something. What a tool. Well, if he thought that would keep him save -- big mistake.

There were a few shocked faces, but most were just confused. When Cam went to leap at Liam's throat Kyle couldn't help but wonder if Megan finally told him what Liam had done to her when he stole the deathworm, however when he saw the look in his eyes he didn't have to wonder anymore.

Lauren dove in front of him and frantically tried to hold him back, but when the others started to advance on the rest of his crew, she screamed, "STOP! and threw her arms out to the side between them building a small shield in front of her; one he knew could cover the six teens in the blink of an eye.

Then his friend waved her free hand and muttered an incantation and suddenly the room was silent except for the murmur of the confused crowd.

Lauren spoke loud enough for everyone to hear her over the commotion, "He's invoked the right of Parley; we can't hurt him or anyone in his retinue."

Cam ran a frustrated hand through his beach bum hair before he said, "Look Lauren, I understand you want to protect your brother, and believe me, I would do the same for my sisters, but your brother is a murdering psychopath who needs to be put down, so move or I'm going through you."

When he punctuated his words with a growl of frustration, Zach stepped up to stand at Lauren's side and fixed Cameron with a try it and die stare.

The next time Lauren addressed Cameron there were tears in her eyes, "Oh Cameron, she began," I'm so sorry for what happened to Megan, but this has nothing to do with family. Parley was not just written into the Pirate Codex. The pirates adopted the practice from the Fae."

When over ninety percent of the crowd still looked confused her brother began to chuckle sardonically from behind her and said, "I see even from a prison realm I received a more thorough education than my counterparts."

He made an exaggerated sad face, and said, "I blame OBAMA."

His crew laughed as if on cue but everyone else just looked at him like he had two heads, while Kyle thought welcome to crazy town, apparently Liam would be their guide.

"Let me explain for those of you too slow to keep up," he began while his crew snickered beside him," Invoking the right of Parley on the Pirata Codex was known as a right in the Code of the Pirate Brethren for centuries, it was first set down by two famous pirate captains named Morgan and Bartholomew. What humans are not aware of, however, is that these two infamous men were both Fae.

"You see," Liam paced in front of the crowd of onlookers like a professor giving a lecture, "Invoking the right of Parley isn't centuries old; it is millennia old. It has been a practice of our kind since time immemorial."

He continued to lecture them as the crowd looked on in sick fascination, "You are probably already aware, we Fae are a blood thirsty lot, and as such, war and violence is second nature to us. Hence a pact was created in ancient times -- first between the Seelie and Unseelie courts to negotiate treaties and such; then it trickled down through all the Fae, gaining such power, that invoking Parley now allows any magical person temporary protection to negotiate," he followed that word with air quotes, "without being attacked until the parley is complete.

"If I or any one of my friends gets even a scratch while we are communicating every Fae halfblood in this room will be stripped of their power."

"I know what you may be thinking." He acted out the next words melodramatically like he was putting on a play," I'm not Fae so of course those rules do not apply to me, but alas, if only that were true. You can thank your precious Merlin for including his magical brethren into the invocation during the time of King Arthur's court."