Mab narrowed her eyes and studied me for a moment. “And if he does not lose?”
“Then next time I’ll know to play harder.”
Mab turned to Marcone as if he was the only other adult in the room and said, “Will you require the life of Inverno’s servant as repayment for her attempted murder?”
Lapland tensed and shot a hard look at Marcone.
He showed his teeth. “Fortunately, no one was killed. I am willing to take Inverno’s word that appropriate discipline will be levied and that there shall be no repetition of the incident.”
“I accept,” Inverno said, with a deep nod to Marcone and to Mab.
“But—” Lapland began.
Inverno’s voice dropped into a cold, harsh register that made the hairs on the back of my neck crawl. “Be still,” he snarled. “If you wish me to preserve your life.”
Lapland looked like she wanted to chew steel and spit nails. But her teeth clacked together audibly, and she bowed her head. Inverno gave her a murderous look that made me flinch a little.
Yeah, that was a functional relationship. Sheesh.
“The matter,” Mab said, “will be settled before the mortal adjudicators, with no influence or use of Power from either side used to disturb the process. Once it is settled, all parties will accept its outcome, and the matter will be forever resolved. Is this agreed upon by all parties?”
I nodded my head, and Marcone mirrored me. Then he did the same thing with Talvi Inverno.
“This, then, is my judgment,” Mab said, turning away and vanishing toward the shadows, her voice drifting out behind her. “Any who defy it will suffer my intense displeasure.” She paused and gave me a disgusted look. “Schoolteachers.”
“Tutors,” I corrected. Then hastily added, “My Queen.”
“Cease finding new ways to waste my time,” Mab said. Then she turned away, all black hair and black dress, and vanished into the shadows.
Marcone bowed his head to Mab as she left, and then said to me, “May the best argument win, I suppose, Mister Dresden.”
I traded a nod with him, and Gard and Marcone left.
“On a personal note,” Inverno said, once we were alone, “I had no knowledge of what Ms. Lapland did.” He paused, glancing at the sullen form of Tripp Gregory. “I confess, I do not understand humanity as well as I thought I did: why did you not simply allow the otso to fulfill its compulsion? It would have solved your problems neatly.”
I sighed. “Because Tripp might be a sociopathic dick. But someone like her shouldn’t be his judge and executioner.”
He sounded amused. “A civil office holder should do that instead?”
“Maybe I think that the people should be the ones to decide about the people,” I said. “Not all us Knights and lords and high and mighty types.”
Inverno stared at me for a moment and then shook his head. “Come along, darling,” he said to Ms. Lapland. “We’re going to have a very long evening.”
Lapland gave me and Tripp Gregory a last, hate-filled stare, and then followed Inverno helplessly from the warehouse.
That left just me and Tripp.
“You saved my life,” Tripp said.
I sighed. “Yeah.”
“Well. Don’t think I’m going to fucking pay you for it,” he said. “I’m getting my money.”
I stared at the guy for a minute.
Some people just can’t learn.
“You’re welcome,” I said tiredly, and turned to leave.