The next day went by in a blur of tears and file reading as I poured over each word, agonizing over the choice that was set before me. Sometime in between all that, I thought about what I'd said to Thor and how out of line I'd been. I might have been right to some degree, but my anger had exaggerated it. Part of me wanted to seek him out, to apologize, but part of lacked the strength. My emotions were drained and I had nothing left to give him in the wake of this trial and the impossible task I'd been set as I again received the information, mentally taking a tally of it all as I paced incessantly around the apartment.
The Brigade's rap sheet wasn't as long as Ragnar's but theirs was more dangerous. The most recent Jotun attack had been one of three and they'd also unleashed Skoll wolves-fire creatures that had started a blaze that had destroyed almost ten thousand structures and killed nearly one hundred civilians and fire fighters until they got it under control. Those were just the ones that had involved the use of monsters. Other times they'd resorted to going in themselves with weapons and their own fanatical viewpoint. They always managed a fair bit of destruction and death before finally being stopped, at least for the time being. Ten known offenses in all and each of them had high body counts.
To ignore a lead gave them an advantage that could easily turn into a mass-casualty situation and that gave me my conclusion. I hated myself for it, but this wasn't a risk I could take. Rangar was a slimy son of a bitch according to his record, but he didn't have the resources or brains to do the same level of damage the Brigade did. Even if he spent a lifetime causing chaos, he'd never be able to achieve the same level of destruction the Brigade did in a day. I had to make the trade-off. A lesser sentence in exchange for information.
I sat down on my couch with trembling needs as hot tears beaded up in my eyes once again. The deal was simple; a charge of second degree murder and a sentence of thirty years inside plus parole. On Midgard, that sentence was over a third of someone's life. On Asgard, it was a blip on the radar. It would never be enough for Talia and her family that I could offer. Thinking of them filled me with a brutal mix of empathy and disgust. In the face of their horrible loss, I was going to blindside them.
"The hell I will," I suddenly said aloud, spine stiffening like steel. I had to give Rangar a lighter sentence but I did not have to blindside his victim's family. There was no rule in this trial that said I couldn't speak with victims families and I was going to take full advantage of it. If I was going to do this, I owed it to them to look them in the eye and tell them why the person who tore a hole in their life wasn't getting exactly what they deserved. It was what I wanted at eleven years old and never got. I'd never be able to give them justice, but I could at least provide that.
My resolve to do that stopped my tears and I got to my feet, steady and strong. Or at least, the illusion of strength. It would have to do for now. After a quick stint in the bathroom to wash my face and a bit of makeup to try and make myself look human, I was ready. I slipped on my sneakers and headed out the door with the intention of going to Sif's apartment. Given the time of day, I was sure she'd be home.
I knew calling ahead on the closed-phone system of the castle might have been a wiser move, but then she would've teleported right to me. I wanted the time, however brief to compose myself a little more before I told her what I was going to do. Wrapped in my thoughts, I headed down the stairs with a heavy and determined heart. In my haze of emotion, I wasn't paying attention and was brought back to reality as my shoulder struck another person who exclaimed loudly as they lurched backwards.
Acting purely on instinct, I reached out and grabbed their arm, steadying them as I let out several rushed apologies. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay-?"
"Watch where you're going," a cold voice said and I realized only then that it was Camila I had almost sent falling down the stairs. Of course it had to be her.
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Queen of Asgard (NaNoWriMo2018, Completed!)
FantasyLife was simpler for Suzume Hamada before she knew gods and monsters were real. The night her cousin was murdered by a frost giant was the night Suzume learned that Norse gods were not the stories she'd believed and that there were realms far beyond...
