116 The Women from Virant au Rouge

Tyr and Macha rode through the streets making their way to the courthouse. She wanted to find out what the final verdict would be. This part of the city had tall marble buildings and many bronze sculptures of important people who helped to develop Marseille. It was busy here and people ran around delivering legal documents and requests.

Macha looked around, impressed by the structures. This area had such a different feel to it than the laid-back commerce areas she usually frequented.

As she looked about she noticed a satyr forcing a young boy against a wall in an alley. She slowed her mount. The satyr slapped the child and began to choke him. She then witnessed him pull the boy's pants down and begin to rape-the boy. Macha's body froze for a second, flashes of Jarnvid pushing her down onto his desk entered her memory.

The cheetah mount beside Tyr slowed to a halt, and he looked to his side. Macha's gaze was fixed to an ally in the distance. He looked in the direction she stared and saw a satyr raping a young boy. He spurred his mount, about to help, but a group of transvestites rushed towards the alley to aid the boy.

Macha snapped out of her nightmare and propelled her mount forward to help the boy. She would not let the satyr get away with this. Even if he was a slave, to do something like that in broad daylight was terrible. She thought that there had to be some law against that.

Tyr's mount headed her off. "Wait," he commanded.

"Get out of the way!" she roared at him. No one deserved to be raped, and she needed to help. It hurt her that he refused to lend the child his strength.

Tyr shook his head. He then pointed to the scene that was unfolding, "Look." He already knew the satyr did not stand a chance.

The group that went after the satyr was well known in the city. They were the rowdy group from Virant au Rouge, a notorious transvestite club in the sketchier part of town. The workers did not have the gentlest customers, so they all learned how to fight well.

A man and four women surrounded the satyr. The small-framed man grabbed the satyr's horns and pulled him back. He threw the rapist into the crowd of women. Bending down on his knees, he pulled the crying boy's pants up and led the child out of the alley. What was about to happen was something a child should not have to witness.

As the good-looking man left, he said in a sultry voice, "Get 'im girls."

The satyr fell into the group and the women pushed him down onto the cobbled floor. They held him down and waited for the child to leave.

Once the two left the alley, a muscular woman drove her fist into the satyr's erect penis. A loud shriek could be heard and for a moment the streets stood still. The hustle and bustle continued when the bystanders realized they were not in danger and whatever the sound was, would not interfere with their lives.

Long stiletto heels rained down on the satyr in a flurry of clear, neon pink, black, and yellow. The pointed heels punctured the satyr's stomach and limbs, causing blood to pour forth. The women were ruthless as they cursed him. Every once in a while one would swing her leg back and give the satyr a good kick to his testicles.

Eventually, the mob grew tired. They lifted the satyr up and tossed him into a nearby fountain.

They checked on the boy and gently consoled the child. The boy accepted the hugs and kisses that rained down on him. While the group comforted the boy, two officers came and collected the satyr out of the fountain.

After the scene unfolded, Tyr explained, "The city has ways to deal with people like that. It's complicated when things happen in the guild areas because each guild has their own rules. In areas that the city governs, like this, it's harder for people who have more importance, like you and I, to act how we wish. You aren't as important as I am, but one day you might be. I don't want you to get involved in an altercation unless you are forced to." He did not know if he would marry Macha, but he did not want her history to get in the way of any intentions he might have in the future.

"But why didn't the police arrest the women for beating up the satyr?" This seemed like something the police should do.

The question elicited a chuckle from him. "Probably two reasons. One: they would have to do more paperwork. Two: Did you see how big those women were? Look at the two scrawny police officers who went to get that asshole out of the fountain. Would you want to fight with them to defend a jerk?"

The edges of her mouth curved up, but she quickly brought them back down. The situation was not funny despite Tyr's comment. "Do you think the boy is okay? Should go and check up on him?"

Tyr observed that the boy was holding the small-framed man's hand. "I think he'll be fine."

As they continued on to the courthouse Macha wanted to clarify what he explained earlier. "So you make all the laws for the land the Obsidian Dragons owns?" She did not understand how Jarnvid ended up being in trouble if that was the case. He could have put the drug factory on the land that the Carnelian Kumas owned.

Tyr shook his head. "No. There are blanket rules that Freyr's parents and Freyr created to rule over the whole city. Freyr doesn't make too many of those laws because there would be a lot of pushback. Other than the blanket rules, I make the rules for the land that the Obsidian Dragons owns." It was understandable that Macha did not understand the finer details of how the system worked.

They reached the courthouse and dismounted. Tyr put Macha's hand on his arm as they ascended the stairs. Today they dressed in matching clothes. He wanted the other nobles to understand she was his woman and to treat her accordingly.

Tyr wore a grey and black houndstooth ao ao wool coat over his navy suit. Macha explained that the grey fabric had a blueish tint in it so the navy blue suit would match. She wore a skirt made of the same fabric as his coat and a navy blue blouse. Since it was winter, she wore tights and carried a shawl in case she became too cold.

Today the courthouse was crowded. Each noble family had their own loge that they sat in. Tyr led Macha to the Valois one, which was next to the Rosenkrantz box. The loges had been arranged according to wealth, so despite not wanting to see Ullr, Tyr would be forced to during the trial.

Luna sat with Krystof in the Lichnowsky box, which lay on the other side of the Rosenkrantz box. When she spotted Macha, she gave a friendly wave.

Other loges lined the walls and on the ground floor the civilians could stand and observe the trial.

Macha thought they had set the courtroom up more like a stage than the ones in her world. The set up made it easier to see what happened, but the decor seemed too lavish for such a serious proceeding.

As she looked around, her eyes moved to Ullr. He sat in front of a familiar-looking man and she stopped to stare. This familiar face ate away at her and she wanted to remember where she met him. The man turned his head, and she remembered. It was the same man who attacked her at the bar when Luna went missing. She quickly tried to hide her face behind Tyr, but it was too late. He recognized her already.

Magni wanted to witness Jarnvid's fall, so he came to the courthouse today. It was early for him, but to watch Jarnvid sentenced to be executed would be worth rolling out of bed. The word at the dinner table had been that it was an open and shut case. There would be no way Jarnvid would get out of this. His family attended the trial today and put him in the back behind them. They always treated him as if he were less than them.

An uncomfortable feeling pricked at the back of his neck. He looked around and discovered a pair of almond-shaped eyes staring at him. Standing up he yelled, "You bitch!" He recognized the little tramp who broke his finger sitting next to Lord Valois.