“Only a council member can charge the deer-woman with such a task,” Ameen said thoughtfully. “Why did you leave this out of your story, Judge?”
“I didn’t want to embarrass the council further in front of the full assembly. But I did include it in my written statement that I will leave for your deliberation.”
“Mia, we realize that these actions were taken in an alternate timeline, but the nature of a deer-woman would give her the ability to remember this incident if it had happened. I just spoke with Lorna Grainger today, and she didn’t reveal any such…”
“It wasn’t Lorna Grainger. It was a Ute woman named Sage Fire.”
Ameen, although angry at being interrupted, stopped and thought. “Tonya Toh, come forward.”
Tonya did so.
“Who was the deer-woman before Lorna?”
“Sage Fire of the Ute tribe.”
“Fetch her spirit.”
Tonya nodded and left the assembly.
“While we wait, we will hear the testimony of the witnesses. Mia, you may sit, but I may call upon you to elaborate on any missed points.”
“Yes, Ameen.”
Burt told his story, and when he had finished, he was addressed by Ameen.
“Mr. Hicks, we at the council have watched your paranormal investigations with great interest. You have done the universe a great service. You have worked with difficult people,” she stopped and eyed Mia and then continued, “and produced many a happy ending for the humans who were tormented by the earthbound spirits, and also for the trapped spirits, making it possible to send them into the light.”
“Yes, but I had help. I couldn’t do it without the difficult people.”
“Why did you make such a wish?” Ameen asked.
“As I explained, I didn’t believe in wishes. I was grateful for being part of the group around me and wished I had them with me so I could have investigated the asylum twenty years ago, when the candles were blown out. When I found myself in the past and twenty years younger, I knew something fantastic had happened, but I didn’t know why.”
“You’re the only living human who carries the memory of this alternate timeline. Why is that?”
“I don’t know.”
Mia stood up and raised her hand.
“You may speak, Mia.”
“It’s part of the caveat of the candle. I can get a copy of the spell if it pleases the council.”
“Not needed. We have researched this. Sit down.”
Mia sat.
“Mr. Hicks, in the first timeline - the one before Cid Garrett wished the change – you died.”
“Yes.”
“But you didn’t remember that when you were in the second timeline?”
“No. Not until we were brought back into this line. I wrote down my experiences. I know Mia was searching for why this had happened and who may have been behind it, so I took the time to carefully document my time. I have a copy with me if you wish to have one.”
“I do. Hand it to the torchbearer.”
Burt pulled the sheets of paper bound by a staple out from his suit pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to the torchbearer. She took it to the dais and handed it to Ameen.
She read the document before passing it on to the woman on her left.
“What is your relationship with Mia Cooper Martin?”
“I’m her boss, renter, and friend.”
“When you met Mia, she wasn’t married.”
“She was not married.”
“What was your immediate thoughts after first meeting her?”
“She was a beautiful damaged soul.”
“Damaged how?”
“She didn’t trust, she was shunned by her peers, and her parents were absent. She had a lonely traumatic childhood. I mean, who supports emancipating a fourteen-year-old? She was damaged, but she was resourceful and kind.”
“May I ask why you asked that question?” Roumain inquired.
“I wanted to find someone to support your accusation that she was nurtured negatively by this council. It just looks like she had crap parents to me.”
Mia raised her hand.
“Yes.”
“It would take books to explain how I was tortured in my youth. I can give you the broad strokes and let you decide if it was just because I had crap parents or not.”
“I don’t appreciate that tone,” Ameen said. “Go ahead and tell us all how your life was supposedly managed to make you into a bitter, manipulating assassin.”
Mia told her story. She talked about Lobo, Billy, and Yann and Neil and her unborn daughter. “Fredericka encouraged me to internalize the pain.”
When she had finished, Ameen scratched her head. She wrote some things down. “Sit. I’ll hear the testimony of Stephen Murphy now. Assembly, Stephen is a spirit supported by Mother Nature. He helps Burt Hicks with the paranormal investigations. He also has accompanied Mia on assignments outside of the group.”
Stephen walked in with his hat in his hand. He set his axe down at his feet and waited.
“Tell us about the first time you met Mia Cooper.”
“The first time or the alternate time?”
“The real time.”
“She was being bullied by the kids who had come to my farm to make mischief. I appeared and scared them off. She came back from time to time after that to visit me.”
“What was she like?”
“Frightened, cowed, lonely, sad, and kind.”
Ameen wrote something down and then said, “Stephen, you’ve heard the testimony of Judge Roumain, Burt Hicks, and Mia. Is there something they missed or an observation you have to share with us?”
“Yes. During the time created by the candle, Mia was put back into a body that still had a demon residing in it, which she had exorcised out of her in the real timeline. I could see that she constantly fought the natural instincts of the demon.”
“Natural instincts.”
“Demons can be volatile. Here was a thirty-two-year-old mind in the body of a twelve-year-old. She fought it to keep on course. Her mission was to have Burt break the candle and
