Chapter 54: Ch. 054 – (Then) It’s not a Crime

Then one day when everything had been going wonderfully for the last six months it stopped. One day after work Anda just didn’t show up. Jonathan tried not to worry of course. Sometimes they went a day without seeing each other, but never without discussion or a note that made fun of his lack of ability to read in the simplest possible words. Even though he managed to convince himself that she was fine, he was still surprised at just how much he missed her. The rest of his day seemed so empty without those few precious hours they usually spent together though. 

The next day he saw Fedon for the first time in half a year during a break. He hadn’t seen his nemesis in so long he’d almost forgot the dwarf existed until he saw the little bastard smiling at him from across the large room that the railway workers used as a break room. A shiver of fear went down his spine as a quick series of thoughts chased after each other. Jonathan’s immediate worry was that he was going to have to watch his back again before Fedon stuck a knife in it. That quickly morphed into worry that he had to worry more about Anda getting hurt than him though. 

As soon as he realized that though, his jaw dropped open at the thought that the little bastard might have already done something to her. That caused Erkom to turn around to see who he was looking at. The dwarf just laughed. “Well look who it is. Yer favorite little liar is back from his time in the mines.”

Fedon scowled briefly at that, but he said nothing before returning his gaze to his own meal, smiling. “Don’t do that.” Jonathan hissed. Provoking him will only make it worse.” 

“Nah.” Erkom said with his mouthful. “Look at him. The little brat is broken and shamed. The most he’ll ever do is rat ye out if he sees ye breaking a law. So don’t do that and everything will be just fine.” 

Jonathan nodded, acting like that answer somehow eased his mind, but Erkoms advice had only made matters worse. It was true. Fedon wouldn’t try to break his neck or hurt Anda, but all he had to do was see them together, or tell someone important that she went to his warehouse so regularly, and that would be that. Their situation was more precarious than anyone knew, because they’d managed to keep the secret together for so long. 

It was already too late though, Jonathan just didn’t put the pieces together until he found Maxom waiting for him at the end of his shift. “Come along then lad. We’ve got to have ourselves a little talk.” 

Jonathan didn’t ask what it was about. He already knew. Fedon hadn’t just gotten back. He’d only just let Jonathan know he was back, once he figured out how to cause the human more pain and heartache. That’s why she didn’t come to him last night. Because that little rat had found out and he’d told someone who cared enough to put a stop to it. There’s no way that Jonathan could know, but as he walked away with Maxom he was certain. The question now wasn’t what had happened, it was what the consequences were going to be. In the few conversations he’d had surreptitiously with Kaspov and Ekrom about women they’d both mentioned that a human and a dwarf wasn’t against the law, but it was a terrible idea, so presumably it should turn out okay, right?

Unsurprisingly Maxom led him unerringly through the city, to his least favorite building, the temple of law. On the walk there he didn’t offer an explanation, and Jonathan didn’t ask for one. The dwarf just looked at him from time to time with a look of disgust. 

The only surprise in the whole ordeal, was that this time they didn’t march him into a courtroom like before. This time he was taken in through the smaller rear entrance where they walked through a maze of offices before arriving at the right niche to do whatever terrible thing they planned to do next. 

In the office there were two other city dwarves, and a single guard casually positioned between where Maxom directed him to sit and the table where the dwarves sat down to discuss. Jonathan had intended to begin arguing his case immediately, but Maxom chimed in first, explaining, “Since the man can only barely speak the stone tongue, I’ll be speakin for him today.”

As much as he wanted to correct the dwarf, who clearly hadn’t been keeping up with his progress in learning dwarven, he realized that there might be an advantage in holding back to see what they would say if they thought he might not understand them. That proved simple enough as they quickly ignored him while he pretended to look at the floor with bored, vacant eyes.

All three dwarves were quickly introduced as they got right down to business. Besides Maxom was a wizened old magistrate who might have been the oldest dwarf that Jonathan had ever seen, and Anda’s Father, Dornan. None of the three of them looked kindly at Jonathan, but Anda’s father had murder in his eyes. After seeing that Jonathan wondered if the guard was really to restrain him from assaulting the three of them, or to prevent Dornan from ringing Jonathan’s neck. 

“We all know what this man is guilty of,” Dornan practically shouted. “I don’t know why we—”

“When a known exaggerator and falsifier has accused him of,” the magistrate corrected. 

“My daughter has confirmed it. You have her testimony!” Dornan repeated, only slightly quieter this time. “If nothing else he’s guilty of damaging her value as my property!” They all nodded in agreement at that, but Jonathan’s heart sank at that revelation. They’d already involved her. Was there anything he could do now that didn’t make things even worse for her?

“The man has only damaged her value if anyone finds out that he’s tarnished her.” Maxom spoke up. “The informant was very clear that no one else would find out from him as long as this was dealt with finally and firmly. He swore an oath to that effect.” For a moment Jonathan was confused why Maxom would ever be speaking up in his defense. It was plain to see that even though he was supposed to be some kind of advocate for Jonathan but obvious to everyone that he would never be on the side of a human. Knowing him there had to be some kind of profit motive in it for him. 

“That’s true,” Dornan agreed grudgingly, “but the only way to ensure his silence is to kill him and yer honor, ye have already said you don’t consider a crime to have taken place here.” 

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“No crime has been committed,” the Magistrate intoned sagely, “Because no laws exist to cover such filth. A dwarf would sooner lay with a goat than with man, but there are no laws against goats because it would degrade our holy codes to include such degeneracy.” All three men nodded sagely at this, but Jonathan only just barely held himself back from objecting loudly. What was disgusting about a romance like theirs? They hadn’t even laid together - not in the way the dwarves meant it anyway. 

At almost the same moment Dornan took the words right out of his mouth. “My daughter never lay with a coldblood. She’s sworn that she’s done nothing that would make her unmarriageable. It’s only her …affections that would make her judgment and virtue questionable.”

“If he cannot be killed then he must be sent away.” The Magistrate said finally after further discussion. “There is nothing in the compact that clan Kheld signed that would forbid this, so long as his traitor’s blood is not allowed to spread. You must not kill him for the sake of your honor, but you are not responsible for sending him somewhere comfortable or safe.” Jonathan had suspected that the agreement that was made on his behalf was something like this for a long time, but he’d never heard it spelled out so clearly until now. 

“Send him to the pits then, or the deep forges in Khranskrum. If the cold blood loves trains so much, let him find out how the boilers are made!” Dornan’s tone was shockingly blood thirsty, and truthfully neither of those places sounded particularly pleasant. Was the dwarf suggesting that they send him somewhere we’re he’d die sooner rather than later?

That was confirmed moments later when Maxom said, “Ye know we can’t send him to either of those places. Deep as they are, a human’s blood would boil, and sending him somewhere he would surely meet his end is the same as killing him, legally.” They conferred on this topic further, and discussed where they could send him so that he could technically survive, but Jonathan all but tuned them out. His outrage was growing every minute as he processed what he had heard. This was it? This was their plan? They were going to send him off to a place that was technically safe, but inevitably fatal, for what? 

Up until now they’d persecuted him for breaking laws in the pursuit of doing what was right. They’d bent over backwards to enforce their perverse legal system, and now this? It was monstrous, and he just couldn’t take it anymore. 

“What we did wasn’t a crime,” he said finally in Wenlish, not wanting to let on how much he heard. 

“No?” Dornan asked, “Well it should have been. I’d swing the axe meself if it wouldn’t lower my poor girl’s bride price so much.” Even in his broken Wenlish, Dornan’s rage still came through, and Jonathan had no doubt he’d kill him if he had half a chance. 

“Leave Anda out of this,” Jonathan spat back. 

“And you leave her name out of your mouth before I gut you, giant,” her father roared back. The guard stepped in then, leveling his small halberd at Jonthan even though he hadn’t made a move. “If you’d left her out of it this wouldn’t be—”

“It’s been decided,” Maxom interrupted. “You’re leaving for the powder mills near Seagate on the first available train lad. Keep your nose clean and things might yet work out for you yet.” That was a lie though, and Jonathan knew it. Dwarves claimed honesty and integrity in all things, but by selectively telling you things that could be true, or might be true they could claim honor while telling nothing but lies. 

“I’m sure it’s a real garden spot,” Jonathan answered, not taking he eyes off the halbard pointed at him, “But what if I don’t want to go? Don’t I have rights somewhere in all these laws of yours?”

“The race of men is covered under laws of property Jonathan,” The Magistrate said finally, “Your guardian or owner decides what is best for you, and Maxom has decided that it is best for everyone if you go far from here.” 

“And what if I refuse?” Jonathan shot back, “What if I take to the streets and tell the men of the railyard or the dwarves in the bars that are always so eager to sing my story what a travesty you're inflicting without regard to the law?”

The Magistrate smiled a cold, bloodless smile then. “If we let ye do that lad… If those friends of yours found out why we were sending you away, why they would execute you themselves. Any dwarf would, because your perverse affair is unnatural, and spreading that awful tale would only hurt young Anda.”

“But I—” Jonathan tried to interrupt. 

“And that’s why we will lock you in a cell until your train is here.” The Magistrate continued. “For your own good and the good of every right thinking dwarf in the city.”

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