Chapter 4: Law and Prophecy

"Make your presentation to abolish the First Law, Mr. Setton," directed Lord Morehouse.

I nodded. "My presentation is fairly straight forward. As you all know, the First Law was established to help prevent the first sign of a long ago prophecy. A prophecy that told of some unknown doom, disaster or change. The Mind Magi of the time took the steps they felt necessary to help, but they could have never foreseen that anyone would willingly or unwillingly go against such a law. It was simple, to the point and difficult to argue against."

"Until Now."

"Nineteen years ago, two Mind Magi broke that law. Whether willingly or under duress, no one will ever know. As a result, I was born. The prophecy stated that the birth of a child of two Mind Magi would be the first sign to this impending doom, disaster or change and that part of the prophecy has already happened. The efforts of our fore-fathers have lasted quite some time but ultimately it has been made moot."

"I stand before you, the Mind Magi Council, as living proof of what transpired and as a living embodiment of the, now, lack of effectiveness of the First Law. There is no longer a point to having it."

I nodded to Lord Morehouse and the other Head Lords and Ladies to indicate my conclusion. Michael again suggested a short speech rather than a drawn out explanation. He had also suggested leaving out my parent's names to help soften the blow, but more importantly I had to point out that my existence was all the proof I needed to have the law abolished.

The only bit of information we did not have that could have made my petition even more profound was the rest of the Prophecy. The Mind Magi had so long worried about that first part that the rest of it had been all but forgotten. We were hopeful that Lady Arneson might have been able to get us a copy of the prophecy, as she was sympathetic to my situation, but time ran out.

Lord Morehouse and the other head Lords and Ladies sat in silence for a few minutes. If they were having mental communications, I couldn't tell by their expressions.

"Mr. Setton. You're entire petition to have the First Law abolished is based on your birth," Lord Morehouse started. "I find it rather arrogant of you to believe that your birth was what the prophecy described."

I wanted to ask if there had been any other children born of two Mind Magi recently or even previously. Any way about it, such an event would make the point of the First Law moot. However, I held back my questions.

"It is known to this council that you are unique. And that goes without saying that our collective understanding of the prophecy and its deeper meaning go beyond a simple birth."

So they did have a copy of the Prophecy. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't share it with anyone else, especially me. It might answer some questions regarding the mystery of my birth. Then again, if I was being, as Lord Morehouse put it, arrogant, then there might be nothing that would support my birth being the first sign.

Before I could request a copy of the prophecy, however, Lord Greenwood asked, "You said that these two Mind Magi broke the law either willingly or under duress. Why would you suggest they were forced to do this? You were raised and seem quite healthy. I would speculate that an effort had been made by your parents, and in turn that would suggest they were willingly breaking the First Law."

I was certain the question was presented to distract me from making my request. The Council probably knew I wanted a copy, and either didn't want me to have it or had some rule against sharing it with anyone other than the top leaders.

"I was not raised by my biological parents. I was adopted when very young." This could lead to the chance to find out who might have been involved with my parents' deaths, if any one of these leaders continued bombarding me with questions about my past.

"Many of us knew your parents. Even during the time your mother was pregnant with you. We were told that the father was a normal human. She seemed happy regarding her pregnancy. Would that not suggest she was a willing participant?" asked Lady Brooker.

"That is information I was unaware of until this moment," I replied.

"Would it have not been more effective on your part to find out more about your parents before attempting to make them appear as victims while breaking the First Law?" asked Lord Flemming.

"Yes, however..."

I was cut off by another question from Lord Hendon of House Overton. He sat at the right table next to Lord Lasarge of House Wolfgang at the end of the table. "You say you were adopted. I understood that your parents died in the South Pacific. Where were you when that happened?"

"I don't know. The family that raised me, the Settons, lived in West Virginia. At least that is where we lived after I was adopted."

I could feel Renée's anxiety running up and down my arm like a nervous horse looking to run from an oncoming storm. I was getting anxious too. With the number of different Lords and Ladies asking questions it was looking like more were involved in what happened to my parents than just one or two.

"If you were adopted in West Virginia, why did your parents leave you behind for their trip to the South Pacific?" asked Lord Mathews.

I wanted to say they did it to protect me because they knew they were being pursued, but instead I told them what had been originally told me. "I was told they were going on vacation and left me with friends while they were gone."

Lord Flemming dropped his eyes and shook his head. The impression I got from him was that he thought me unprepared for this and nothing more than an irksome fly in his soup. I had doubts he was involved with my parents.

Most of the rest continued to stare at me while either adjusting their seats or completely motionless. It felt like Lord Greenwood stared the most intently. He had a stoic, poker face that I would never want to see on the other side of a card game. Not that I played cards.

"Why would your parents leave on vacation shortly after your birth? Most parents spend the next few months staying home with a new infant," said Lord Hendon.

I wasn't sure what he was getting at. I shrugged and said, "I don't know. That is something I would have liked to ask them, but seeing as they're dead, I doubt I'll get an answer."

"That is enough," said Lord Morehouse. He looked around at the other Lords and Ladies. "It is obvious that Mr. Setton does not know anything of the mind sets of his parents. Further questions about his parents will not gain us any more answers."

Then he looked at me. "Mr. Setton, it was known to this council at the time that your parents had willingly broken the First Law. Why they did it when everyone else was perfectly capable of refraining from taking the chance, none of us know. Some have speculated that it was merely love and the consequences of such. Others believed a more insidious reason. The steps your parents took to escape justice and hide the evidence of their crime suggested that they were not victims in some plot or that the pregnancy was an accident. As it has been attested here and at previous council meetings, it was known that your mother was happy with her pregnancy, suggesting that she was a willing participant. When we learned who the real father was, they had gone on the run. We tracked them down and instead of turning themselves over for justice, they fought. I am sure Michael has told you about the efficiency of our Dragons and the reasons we choose the particular Mind Magi who receive that title. Fighting them was a mistake on your parent's parts. Had they come quietly they would have been Banished and allowed to live out their lives together."

I stood there for a moment taking in what had been said. My parents had me either because of love or some insidious reason? Love I didn't have a problem believing, but what insidious reason? They couldn't have wanted to see the disaster that the prophecy described, could they?

Before I could offer a rebuttal though, Lord Morehouse continued. "Furthermore, I believe I have an entirely different reason for keeping the First Law. You describe your talents as continually growing and evolving even months after you first discovered them. It is true that some Mind Magi will have gradually evolving talents, but nothing like what you have described. Reports as to the nature of your abilities and your remarkable range of different talents also disturb me. Your parents were known to be able to seduce and control, but you, Mr. Setton, have also developed abilities beyond this. Taking into consideration that no other child has been born of two Mind Magi, we cannot confirm what we believe to be correct without further studies. However, if children of two Mind Magi are as wide-ranged and powerful as is reported of you, then it may be best to not allow other Mind Magi to conceive children with one another."

I didn't know what to say to that. If his theory was correct, there would be a lot more Mind Magi running around with abilities that could be far more dangerous or uncontrollable. I spent a lot of time coming to terms with what I would have to live with and how to control it. Not everyone would be so lucky.

"And finally, having pointed out the possibility that such children would be the norm for such conceptions, there is the Second Law that must be considered. Many disturbing reports have come to our attention that originated from your place of business and home. These reports deal directly with the Second Law and your blatant disregard for it."

I almost blurted out, "Blatant disregard?!?" but held myself in check. I wanted to know which situations they were referring to that were considered so heinous.

"What have you to say to this?" Lord Morehouse asked.

Great! Just what I didn't need. They wanted me to defend myself without knowing what they knew. Well, two could play that game. "I'm not sure what situation you're referring to." If he wanted to be vague, then so could I.

Lord Morehouse opened a file folder. I wasn't sure what all it contained, but it looked like it had a lot of information. "Let us start with a certain event at the Parks at Arlington Mall. You were seen walking through the corridors inducing sexual responses in just about every female around you." He looked up at me. "Do you care to explain this?"

I didn't roll my eyes. I didn't blush. I really didn't respond physically in any way. After staring back at Lord Morehouse for a moment I asked, "When your talents first manifested, how much control did you have over them? For that matter, did you really even know what was going on?"