I know the process for reporting crimes and assaults. I have dealt with them in the justice hall for fifty years, after all. 

I swore a formal complaint against Cahum Jareth, Boldek Jareth, Navix Jareth, and Selton Jareth. I told the investigators what each male had done to me specifically, and gave as many details as I could.

I only stuttered a bit when their questions caught me off guard.

Kellis had specifically requested that absolutely no relative of the Jareth Houses step foot in my suite. Instead, there was Kierce and a male wearing Trianu-plum pardus and a generic navy vestis. He had an Adrastos-turquoise hasha tied around his waist. 

He waited patiently while Kierce asked me even more questions, and diligently recorded all of my answers. There was no judgment in his eyes. 

And no recognition. I’ve served this very investigator coffee at least weekly for more than twenty-five years, and I don’t know that he even recognized me.

There goes that Jume-is-invisible thing again.

“I think we have enough, Jume, to swear a formal complaint in with Theo,” Kierce said, giving me a serious look. “And I’ll see that it gets taken as far as it can, but I’ll level with you. No one saw the attack, and there is no physical evidence, and the bruises could be explained by being attacked by Kascarshun demons. And it’ll be the word of five ancient male warriors with well-known reputations against you. It can get—it will get…ugly. How far are you willing to go with this?”

Kellis demanded to know if he was telling me to just let those jerks get away with what they’ve done to me. But I understood. I’ve seen it time and time again in the justice system.

Wealthy Dardaptoans were treated better in our courts, even though Theo tried to see that justice was met for all. With others on the justice bench, that wasn’t always what happened. There were many in that group that were old and wealthy and powerful and completely out of touch with the rest of us.

His phone buzzed. He looked at me. “It’s Cormac. He has questions about Meyka’s disappearance. I need to meet with him after this. As head of the Jareth House, he’ll have to be informed as soon as formal charges are made. The decision is yours.”

If I ever have to deal with a Jareth warrior again, it will be far too soon. But someone has to teach Cahum and his brothers and that evil, stupid guard a lesson. The brothers…I can halfway understand their actions. I had felt their utter desperation, after all. But that guard…that guard hates me. I am absolutely certain of it.

I have done nothing to him. 

“I want them to know that what they did was wrong. Even if no one else knows what happened, I want them to know that what they did will never be right. Wh-when does this end? When do the common Dardaptoan females get the same rights as wealthy, royal warriors have just from existing? What makes them so much more worthy of that than the rest of us?”