Page 56 of Against All Odds

Raya stood before me, her hands folded behind her back, her long curls falling down her back as she marveled at the room just as I did. Even with the shapeless gray robe we all seemed forced to wear here, she looked like she belonged, her beauty and the new air of serenity that hung over her no less than that of the space.

The portal closed behind us with a soft rush, like a zipper being closed.

At once, the five judges stood. Raya’s hand reached for mine, and without thinking, I wrapped my fingers around her wrist as if I would never let go. The sudden urge to bow overcame me, but instead, I glanced at Jurrian from the corner of my eye, deciding to await his example.

“Jurrian Argon. Seren Harper. Soraya Bailey.” The man in the middle, who set himself apart from the others by the golden details on his otherwise dark gray robe, spoke first. He was sturdily built, with umber skin and long brown hair with silvery streaks tied back. Like the other judges, he looked nearly human – if not for his beauty and the golden gleam in his dark eyes. “My name is Lexius, and these are Verena, Lytheria, Libritius and Veritas.” He gestured to his colleagues, who each nodded in turn – their movements too controlled, too precise to be genuinely human.

“Your honor.” Jurrian bowed his head. Raya and I followed his example.

“Are fate and karma not part of this Court?” I glanced around the room, immediately regretting my weak attempt at lightening the mood when Lexius’ eyes narrowed.

“Fate and karma are cosmic forces far beyond us,” the judge spoke sharply. “Assuming they would manifest in human-comprehensible forms for such trivial matters is honestly insulting.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, lowering my head. Too bad, because I wanted to have some serious words with them both.

Pressing his lips together, Lexius gestured to the three empty seats at the table, opposite the Court’s seats. “Sit.”

We did so without further protest. The five judges sat down as well, their movements unnaturally synchronized.

“Well, well, well.” Lexius folded his hands in front of him. He made eye contact with each of us in turn, his gaze so intense, I fought the urge to lower mine. “What a mess you both have made of your lives.”

Neither of us spoke, but under the table, Raya’s warm hand burned in mine. I gave a brief squeeze.

“So, let me brief you on what’s about to happen in today’s court hearing.” Lexius straightened his back, glancing over at his colleagues. “We will begin with a formal summarization of the charges against you. Then, we’ll allow you both the chance to explain yourselves and answer our questions, while Jurrian functions as your defender.” His eyes briefly narrowed at my mentor, who kept his head down. “Finally, we’ll proceed to your karmic judgment.”

My muscles tightened at that last sentence. I let my breath escape, unsure if I felt more or less assured with Jurrian as my celestial lawyer.

I zoned out as Lexius rolled out a parchment and started reading our crimes aloud. Abusing my ability, crossing the veil through astral projection, forming an inappropriate attachment to my assignment, and my indirect responsibility for my assignment’s death – I already knew what we were in for. Instead, I took the opportunity to examine the judges. I wasn’t entirely sure what to think of them – were they humans, celestial beings, something in between? Either way, they held an air of superiority that they each carried differently; their faces so stern, I wondered if any of them had ever laughed. Their appearances resembled earthy beauty in all its different global forms – but the two women especially took my breath away. It was hard not to stare.

My attention snapped back in when Lexius lowered the parchment, his strange amber eyes piercing into mine. “Are there any objections?” He paused. “May I alert you that dishonesty is strongly discouraged – Veritas will know, and it will weigh on your judgment.”

I followed his gaze to the judge at the far end of the table. Out of the five of them, he unnerved me the most. He sat completely still, unblinking, a statue more than a man. His pale skin had a near-grayish undertone, his red hair reached just below his shoulders, and the white and violet in his pupils matched that of the unsettling model of an iris in front of him – floating, turning, lightly glowing, its pupil a deep indigo with golden specks. Faint runes flickered along the outer ring, brightening each time the pupil passed over them. If Lexius hadn’t introduced him before, I might have believed the man was a part of the decoration.

My eyes met Jurrian’s, who shook his head – barely noticeable. I decided to listen for once.

“Very well.” Lexius sat up straighter, his eyes scanning the table. “If there are no objections, I would like to give the floor to Verena – I can practically feel her unspoken question burn the air.”

“Seren.” Hardly waiting until her colleague finished speaking, Verena turned her pointed gaze to me – I flinched underneath it. “What gave you the idea to astrally project yourself into Soraya’s dreams?”

Her voice was a melodious threat, indignation dripping from it. I wasn’t easily intimidated, but she did it with a single question. Instead of responding straight away, I took her in, trying to buy time.

She was unnervingly beautiful, with her long dark hair braided with colorful beads, her warm brown skin, her deep magenta eyes, and toned arms and shoulders underneath the unflattering gray robe that somehow still hugged her body in a way it didn’t the rest of us. If the situation were any less tense, I might’ve stopped to appreciate the sight a bit longer.

I cleared my throat, forcing myself to focus. “I became frustrated with her lack of progress.” Under the table, I wiggled my hand free from Raya’s, lowering my head to avoid her burning gaze. Where was the line between honesty and sparing Raya’s feelings? “I felt like my probmanu didn’t get through to her. She wasn’t picking up the nudges, and when she did, she…” I swallowed hard. “…misinterpreted them. It put her in dangerous situations, and I couldn’t stand it.”

“Probmanu is how Seren defines probability manipulation,” Jurrian clarified. No one responded, Lexius only slightly narrowed his eyes.

I prayed to whoever was above their rank in the celestial hierarchy that Verena would leave it at this, but of course, she didn’t. Instead, she leaned back in the chair, eyes narrowing as if they searched for my soul – and I was convinced that whatever she saw didn’t please her. “Please, elaborate,” she said coldly.

My jaw clenched. Raya’s gaze became scorching, and I knew that she would take the next part personally, no matter what it was. “She, ehm, seemed to think that with an angel on her side, she was invincible. It didn’t help her make… wise… choices.”

“I brought my dice to the club along with fifteen pills and asked the bouncer to roll the dice on whether to turn me in when he caught me,” Raya interrupted. Unlike me, she stared fearlessly into the judge’s eyes, even when her brows rose dangerously. “I didn’t know shit about angels, because no one explained anything to me. All I knew was that luck had been on my side a few times when it really shouldn’t have been, and it wrongfully convinced me I was invincible.” Her gaze briefly met mine – I must’ve been frozen, because the smile she flashed me was one of encouragement. “This is not Seren’s fault. She was trying to help me, and I kept making a mess of things.”

Emotion tightened my throat. Raya was trying to protect me while I had done nothing but blame her.

“That’s not entirely true,” I protested. “I wasn’t exactly subtle with my probmanu.”

“Can we stick to the facts, please?” Libritius leaned back into his chair, pointing his writer’s feather between Raya and me. With his pale beige skin, sharp jawline, midnight eyes with a turquoise gleam behind thick glasses, and disheveled black hair that revealed a blue sheen when he turned, he looked like something between a tortured soul and a young god. “Did you know, Seren, that Raya’s soul is linked to the underworld with a thin thread?” He paused. “And therefore, that pulling her onto your astral plane could endanger her?”