Secret Lure of a Cat Demon
Lords and Courts

I looked at Zev not expecting much, I just expected him to take me to a room and tell me to wait for my trail but something told me that that was not the case. Usually, when the guard get the criminals, they do the trial straight away and its normally ends up with a 50 years service to the king and queen or death. I’d rather take the service to be straight.

The rest of the guard dispersed in various different directions to do what ever they do in their spare time when they don’t have trouble chasing me. Zev glared at them all probably thinking why the hell do I have to do it and then he turned and started walking, I obviously followed because I didn’t know what was happening. The walls were made of stone I noticed and the doors of wood. It looked all very medieval. The corridor that we walked down had a red carpet in the middle of the floor and this was nice as the stone was cold on my bare feet. It was chilly in the corridors but that was mostly because my clothes ripped and torn. Normally I try and change naked so my clothes aren’t ruined but that means I have to changed back where my clothes are so I can appear with out being seen as a freak.

The carpet matched the wall paper on the the walls. It was also red but it only covered half the wall. There seemed to be a barrier half way up. The bottom half was white and the top was red. I look at the wall as I walked and then there was a painting and as we got farther down the corridor the paintings seems to get more modern but they were all male. I frowned. I followed the dates and they did get earlier. On the one of the plagues it said:

Lord of the Guard, Master Jäger

1200-1350

Lord of the guard, 1250- 1300

I was guessing in the 1200′s they called the master of the guard the lord of the guard. It was quite interesting and I watched the pictures. Zev didn’t say anything to me while we walked up this long corridor that seemed to go on for ever. I thought that maybe the look on the inside was more deceiving then I thought.

Soon we got to the 1900′s and I recognised a couple when I had to learn the leader of the guards from 1900 onwards. There were only 10 to learn but the dates were confusing. Finally we came to a large door that also look primitive and there wasn’t any decorations on them. Next to the door there was a space with no picture. I looked at the one next to it and saw that the person looked similar to Zev but I couldn’t be sure.

“Zev? Is that your father?” I asked. He looked at me. He stopped at the doors and looked at the painting I was looking at.

“No, he was my uncle,” Zev told me. I seemed resentful.

“Do you hate him or something?” I asked him. I regretted it instantly. Zev glared at me.

“How dare you? He is family, you know nothing of how much we respect our elders. I don’t hate him. I hate what he did to me” Zev spat at me. I frowned at the last sentence. I wanted to ask why but refrained.

“Are you the Lord of the guard?” I asked him. He blinked stood up straight and nodded looking at the painting.

“Yes, my uncle chose me as his successor when I was ten and he saw how much potential I had.” he said softly. I nodded and looked at the painting, “How come you didn’t know of my uncle, you were taught about all the lords in the guard from 1900 onwards, my uncle was the best of them all.” he questioned me this time. I couldn’t help but shrug.

“I just didn’t really retain the information, I learnt it for my demon exams and then I forgot it.” I told him. He nodded and turned to door. He turned the handle and pushed it open. They creaked but when I looked inside I was astonished.

“Follow me” Zev said with no tone in his voice. I didn’t nod and I didn’t say yes, I just followed silently.

The doors closed behind me when I was safely in the room. I was finally able to see it properly. The room was round and different to the corridor out side. Opposite me there were 15 chairs and behind those chairs were 15 paintings. I guessed they were the portraits of the council members. The middle chair looked the most grand and there would sit the council leader, either side were the right and left hand people. The seats were less grand but were grand enough to make me speechless. From there on the chairs were the same. They all looked grand but much more plain then the ones in the middle. At the back there was a door which was very hidden form view.

I looked at the wall covering and it was very plain, the walls were a deep royal blue from floor to ceiling. The ceiling was much more glorious that I would have expected. It was decorated with a mural. I couldn’t make out the main story but it was so pretty with the white, yellows, blues, and greens.

“Stay in the centre, where that circle is, do not move unless they tell you and do not speak unless asked to, mouthing off will also not help your case.” I nodded at his words and I moved forward. At that point, the door at the back opened and people flooded in. everyone stood in front of their seats until the high lord of the council made his way in. But it wasn’t the high lord at all.

Up until this point, I was expecting an old man looking like the painting on the wall but instead I see a beautiful looking woman in a gorgeous looking dress walk in to seat in the middle. I looked at Zev and his face was full of astonishment. He didn’t know this was happening either. The council members must know as their faces seemed to be plain with no emotions.

“Lord of guard, step forward” the woman demanded. Her voice was strong but beautiful like the rest of her.

“Yes ma’am” Zev said when he stood next to me.

“Explain what we have here?” she said. I stared. I was a ‘what’ now?

“Katsi Torres broke code 395” Zev told her. He showed no emotion to her but she seemed to care for him deeply. She was older than him but she didn’t look older. They looked the same age and maybe Zev looked older than he was for the fact he was a very rugged looking person even though his features were perfect.

“I did not!” I protested. “What is code 395 anyway?” I asked, everyone looked at me surely surprised.

“Zev did not tell you?” the woman asked.

“No, ma’am” I told her. She seemed to glare at Zev and he glanced at me. Maybe I would get in the ditch for hat later.

“Code 395 is the breach of the demon existence. All demons know to never lets our secret out or to be seen when we change.” The right hand man said. My mouth formed an O realising that they were accusing me of changing publicly and telling someone and showing them that our race exists.

“I haven’t done anything of the sort” I told them. The woman looked at me.

“You know we have guard members everywhere in every town and city?” she asked me. I nodded. Everyone knew that. I was very conscious of the fact that I lived where I lived and that the guard lived that the street from me. I made sure I changed in my room and trotted around my room or I went out the woods and changed deep in a clearing.

“He reported seeing a woman change into a panther in your area. You are the only Panther” she stated. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I lived by my self at 24. My younger sister visited me every now and then and we would ran together but sometimes she went out by her self. When she went out by her self she would be very reckless, she has always been like that.

“I have a reckless younger sister my lady, it could have been her. Our community is very tight and also full of curiosity, I know that she came home and told me she felt like she was getting followed maybe as she ran home in her cat form the person following her saw her change as she would have just found a place to quickly change.” I explained trying to not get my sister in trouble. “The same could have happened to me as well my lady, I know I have been followed a couple of times but I strolled deep into the woods and tried to lose them before I could change.” my explanation seemed lame but it was the only thing that popped into my head.

“That may have been the case but you should have reported it. This way you would have saved your self. Ignoring the fact that she might have been seen has put you in trouble, you both in trouble.” she explained to me. It then occurred that she intended to bring my sister in.

“Please, ma’am, my sister thinks I reported it. If she finds out I didn’t she will be upset, if you are going to sentence anyone, sentence me”

“An attitude but responsible. Young lady do you know the punishment for the violation of code 395?” she asked me. I shook my head, totally unaware that I was going to find out my fate for something I did or didn’t do. “For this sentence to passed as guilty, you will be executed by tomorrow morning, for to not be passed as guilty but as a warning, time in the guard, and then to be passed as not guilty would to be let free.” Some part of me hoped that the woman would pass me as not guilty but I knew I wouldn’t get off that easily.

“I am unaware of the fact that I have changed in front of someone and my sister being reckless and living in the country does not have to worry about such things. If I am to take her punishment then make it easy, I do not wish to die for something I have not done. I regret not reporting it but when my sister left I started having someone follow me and I was wrapped up in losing them all the time.” I rambled. I hoped it would save my case.

The woman looked at me and so did the council. They were studying me and watching me for an ounce of a lie. They wouldn’t find it. I was a very truthful little cat and we don’t usually lie. I was surprised that Zev had not talked at all, and he had not said about me running in the first place.

“We will go away and we will deliberate your sentence, please wait here.” I nodded and I saw Zev nod slightly.

I didn’t say anything to Zev as I didn’t know what to say, I wanted to have a go for him not sticking up for me but as I didn’t know him and he didn’t know the case very well, so he couldn’t. I also wanted to ask about the woman, he seemed pretty surprised by her arrival.

It wasn’t long before everyone returned. They all sat besides the woman. She waited me for Zev and I to return to the centre of the room before she spoke.

“You will be glad to know that I have passed your sentence.” I blinked. Okay, elaborate please! “We discussed your reasons and we believe you did not know some one watched as you changed but as you didn’t report anything you are not being cautious enough and so someone found out. For that you are guilty.” My jaw dropped. “But you have a warning, you will not be killed but trained by Zev to become part of his patrol. You will serve for as long as you want but the minimum after your training will be 10 years. And depending on how long your training is will depend on how long you stay.” I glanced at Zev. He didn’t say anything. Was he allowed?

“Can we object?” I questioned. Zev looked at me then.

“Are you an idiot?” he whispered. “You don’t object to the council, or to her” I looked at Zev.

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“You don’t have a choice, you have to, that is your punishment, its better then spending your life in the guard.”

“It’s worse than dying! I would get killed before I listened to you.” I muttered

“I can make that possible” he said baring his teeth at me. I growled back at him showing I wasn’t afraid.

“Stop it both of you, we have our reason for this arrangement. You will have to suck it up and get on with it.” the woman boomed. I instantly turned my back to Zev. I was not going to talk to him. “Zev, show her to her room, your training will start when you both wake.” she then left. Zev sighed and turned from the council. I followed reluctantly. We were silent. We went half way down the corridor until we got to a painting an Zev touched it and it opened like a door. I gaped astonished.

We walked in and it shut behind me, the corridor was lit with fire lights.

“Don’t stare at something so simple. In a place like this, these passages are needed.” he said. I didn’t say anything, I just looked at the floor. Zev started walking again and I followed. I didn’t look up unless it was to look which way he turned. I didn’t say anything either, I felt young and stupid. Sure I was 24 but Zev made me feel useless.

We soon walked out into another corridor with more paintings but there were more doors. Zev walked down the corridor and soon stopped at a door.

“This is your room, mine is two doors down to your left. If you need me come find me”

“I’m not 4, you know”

“Unfortunately, you’d make it farther at 4 years old than at 24 years old.” I glared at him, pushing past to get into my room. I slammed the door and leant against it. Why me? I thought, I didn’t deserve this. I didn’t take notice of the room or if I had clothes or toiletries I just collapsed on the bed with tears welling in my eyes. I hadn’t heard Zev walk off and so hopefully he was listening to my weeping.

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