Illustration: Mordecai is menaced by the stupidest-looking chihuahua imaginable. It has a fuzzy sweater, and a glittery collar labelled GIGI. The beast appears several storeys tall.

[PSI-3]

Hyacinth advanced upon her, pointing a finger, “Now, don’t you start with that!”

“Put that thing away,” said the General. “You are not addressing a man or a child.” She nodded at Milo. “Or whatever he is.”

“Milo, here,” said Maggie, softly. She handed him a glass of water and led him to a chair. He gratefully sat and disengaged from the proceedings. Maggie sat next to him and watched with queasy interest. When her mom got into an argument, she took no prisoners.

The General was a hard woman, and civilian life had done little to soften her. She was round where Hyacinth was flat, but it was not a comfortable roundness. She did not invite hugging. She seemed to have developed hips and a chest for intimidation alone, like epaulettes and shoulder pads. She wore her brown hair quite severely short and did not bother to style or even comb it, keeping it neat by sheer force of will. She saved her full uniform for pension days and mostly wore dark green and dark blue dresses in stiff fabrics that squared off her edges.

She did still wear her greatcoat and was wearing it now. It had been somewhat altered in the service of medicine. The brass detailing was gone, the ribbons and medals that had once been pinned to the breast were now sewn on with thread, and the medals lacked metal, being reduced to mere ribbons or nothing at all. There were still more than enough to be impressive. Her replacement buttons were impeccably matched to the greenish blue shade of the fabric and perfectly sized.

“Ill-advised attempts at intimidation aside,” the General continued, “you can’t deny that he did what they want him for.” She smoothed the flyer flat on the kitchen table and pointed with a rounded nail.

…in connection with a possible terrorist attack in Canburry Square…

“He’s not a terrorist!” Hyacinth said.

“Isn’t he?”

“He held the walls during the siege! He was on your side!”

“But not always.”

And that was why Hyacinth had prefaced this argument with don’t you start with that!

“He was a kid!” she cried.

“No, you were a kid. And you managed not to foment a revolution at the tender age of thirteen. Nor I, at the age of five.”

“It’s not as if they managed it,” said Hyacinth.

“I do not believe that was my point.” The General enumerated the following on her fingers, “He conspired to overthrow the government, he performed a malicious deconstruction in Canburry Square — and might I add, he incited a citywide riot?”

“You know very well why he did that. You saw what those two did to Erik.”

“And if that is sufficient excuse, then I imagine it will come out in the trial.”

“The trial!” said Hyacinth. “Do you imagine a coloured man can get anything approaching a fair trial in this city — in this country — on this continent?”

“I imagine the legal system functions, yes,” said the General. “As one does.”

“You’re delusional,” said Hyacinth.

“And what is it exactly that you intend to do, if not subject him to the woes of a trial? Break him out and do what with him?”

“Bail him out,” said Hyacinth. “And bring him home so I don’t have to tell Erik his uncle’s in jail.” She threw up her hands and acknowledged the dead end. “Then I don’t know what.”

“It’s not as if they are in any condition to run,” said the General. “Not the both of them together.”

“I know that!” And Hyacinth was not about to split them up, as if Mordecai would agree to that even if she suggested it. “Couldn’t you fix it?” she said. “You can alter things, can’t you?”

“Altering government documents is treason,” said the General.

“Well!” said Hyacinth. She flung a gesture. If they couldn’t do a little light treason for a good friend, then what were they?

“Altering human minds is against the Florentine Conventions. And is a mortal sin in several religions.”

“You know, I’m not hearing you say you can’t do it.”

“You are delusional.”

“What I am is stupid,” said Hyacinth. “I don’t need your permission. I would appreciate your help, but I’m going to go down there and bail him out, no matter what you say. And what I do after that will just have to depend.”

“What help of mine do you need?” said the General.

“Well, if things start to go a bit pear-shaped, you can turn into a giant goddamned bird. Or is that against the Florentine Conventions?”

“Not that I am aware of,” she replied.

Brief silence.

“Well, are you coming or aren’t you?”

“I am coming…”

“Hosanna!” said Hyacinth, extending her arms.

“…because I believe you need to be kept on a short leash. And if it should be required that I turn into a giant goddamned bird, I will consider it.”

Hyacinth was already talking to Milo, “Can you watch Erik? Do you need to change?”

Milo nearly fell out of his chair. He held up five fingers and ran out of the room.

“I believe Milo would like either five minutes or five seconds,” Hyacinth said.

Well within five minutes, Ann appeared in the guise of a lacy orange parfait. “You are a horrible woman,” she told the General.

“You are not even a woman,” the General replied.

Ann opened her mouth and Hyacinth put a hand over it. “No, Ann. We don’t need a second round. Not right now. Please. For Erik.”

“Only for Erik,” Ann said, glaring.

———

There was no bail.

Once they had navigated public transportation, located the nearest police station and dealt with the problem of names — Hyacinth wasn’t aware that Mordecai even had a last name, the General was able to supply it, and it turned out that he had given no name at all, they just had to say “red” — there was no bail. Also, this was perfectly legal and there was no recourse.

“Check back in twenty-four hours,” the beleaguered man at the front desk informed them. “Although, if he still won’t give them a name, I can promise you they’re not going to let him out, no matter what the judge says.”

“He has a sick child at home!” Hyacinth cried. She put both her hands on the desk to prevent herself from leaping over it to throttle the man. “What am I supposed to tell him?”

“Ma’am, that is really none of my business. Nor is the matter of bail. It’s no good trying to convince me.”

“Can we speak to someone we can convince?” Hyacinth said.

“No.”

“Can we talk to him? We’ll get him to tell you his name!”

“No.”

“Why not?”

The man riffled his papers. “They’re questioning him.”

“What about when they’re done questioning him?”

“Then he’s going into an anti-magic cell to wait for a judge.”

“And the judge won’t let him out unless he gives him his name.”

“Right.”

Hyacinth pushed back from the desk and turned away. “This is idiotic!” she declared.

“It seems reasonable enough to me,” the General said. “I don’t know why he’s suddenly decided the police don’t need to know who he is.”

Hyacinth wheeled on her, “Well, why do they?” she said.

“They’re the police,” the General said. She leaned over the desk. “Will you please let us know when the time for the hearing is set?”

“It’ll be a few hours. Do you want to leave your address?”

The General regarded Hyacinth. “No, thank you, I believe we will wait. I believe we will wait outside, in fact.” The blonde harridan was gearing up to scream. The General wrapped a fist around her upper arm and escorted her to a bench in front of the station. There were some lovely flower boxes, which were still in bloom. The leaves and the trees were bright with reds and yellows. It was actually sort of a nice day.

Hyacinth threw her off and scooted to the extreme opposite side. “Did you know about this?” she said.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Did you know there wouldn’t be any bail?”

“No. I must say I have never needed to access the judicial system in quite this capacity before. I tend to keep better company.”

“You keep no company at all,” said Hyacinth.

The General nodded sagely.

Hyacinth bowed her head and clasped her hands between her knees. “What are we going to tell Erik?”

“Perhaps he won’t notice.”

“You are unpleasant,” Hyacinth accused.

“I never pretended otherwise.”

“He will notice,” Hyacinth said. “He’s noticing more things, and he remembers.”

The General frowned and considered with her hand to her cheek. “We could tell him he is at the store.”

“The whole time?”

“He won’t be awake the whole time.”

Hyacinth sighed. “I wonder what Ann’s told him.”

“Something ridiculous, I should imagine.”

They sat quietly for a time. The bench was slatted metal and utilitarian. The sun beat down on the thick material of their dresses. A clear, cold morning had given way to a summery afternoon.

The General undid the top two buttons of her coat as a concession, but refused to yield otherwise.

Neither one of them was wearing a hat. Hyacinth found hats uncomfortable. The General found hats unnecessary (except on pension days).

The police station was busy, with officers and civilians going out and going in. There was a little bell above the door that announced each arrival and departure. Horses went by. Bicycles went by. An occasional car went by. The bus route was on an adjacent street.

Hyacinth was stroking one arm of the bench and wondering if she could get away with stealing any part of it. Not now, obviously not now, but in the future if it should become necessary. She was also beginning to consider having that damn bell.

The General laid both hands across her thighs and boosted herself up. “I’m going to have a coffee and a magazine. Do you want anything?”

“My gods, you really do think this is going to be okay, don’t you?” Hyacinth said. “You think we’ll tell Erik he’s at the store and tomorrow they’ll set him a bail and he’ll come home.”

“Well, he wasn’t a very good terrorist,” the General said. “Or a very good rebel. Now, if we had a war in progress, I’d have him taken out and shot, but we can afford to be lenient these days.”

“You’re not in charge of this!”

“A pity, isn’t it?”

Hyacinth rested her elbows in her lap and her head in her hands. “Yeah.”

“We will be able to speak to him at the hearing, Hyacinth.”

“I suppose that will have to be enough.”

The bell went again. Hyacinth looked up, frowning murderously. She was going to fuse that thing solid…

Her mouth dropped open and she snatched at the General’s leg.

Two young men with gold repairwork in their faces were going into the station in the company of a police officer. The darker one, the one with slightly more damage, (the one she had patched with pieces of that ugly brooch) saw her and his eyes widened. Then the door closed.

“That’s them!” said Hyacinth.

“Them?”

“That’s those guys Mordecai hit with Julia!”

“I believe you should say ‘allegedly,’ under the circumstances.”

“That’s allegedly those guys Mordecai hit with Julia!”

The General folded her hands in her lap, frowning.

“We’re screwed,” said Hyacinth. She lifted both hands in surrender and began shaking her head. “Okay, we’re screwed. That’s it, we’re screwed.”

“Please be calm.”

“To what purpose should I be calm, sir?”

“If you get yourself arrested, we now know that you will have to wait at least twenty-four hours to get out.”

Hyacinth dropped back onto the bench and clutched her hands in her hair. “Okay, this is bad.”

“I don’t see how it is any worse than before. These men were not unknown to the police. They are simply here now.”

“It’s worse because I forgot about them!”

“Ah. I see how that would change your understanding of the situation, yes.”

“They’re going to say he did it.”

“Well, he did do it.”

“That will get them a trial. A real trial. And they’re going to find a whole bunch more people who’ll say he did it…”

“Well, he did do it.”

“…and he’ll have to be in jail the whole time and of course they’ll convict him, they’ll convict him of anything they’d like to charge him with. Malicious mischief. Inciting a riot. Destruction of property…”

“Domestic terrorism.”

“We have to get him out of there,” Hyacinth said. “We can’t wait for bail. There probably won’t even be any bail. Oh, gods! I wish I’d paid more attention when David got into making bombs!”

The General clapped a hand over her mouth and pushed her back against the bench. “Hyacinth,” she said, in moderate tones, “I believe you are saying — very loudly, I might add — that you would like to blow up the police station?”

“A very small part of it where there aren’t any people,” Hyacinth replied, much softer and somewhat chagrined. “Just as a distraction.”

“There is a saying about two wrongs and a right that I would like to reacquaint you with.”

Hyacinth pulled back from her and retreated to the far side of the bench. “Three rights make a left,” she muttered. She took the tie out of her fraying ponytail and put it back in more securely.

“Let’s just not be hasty. If you are bound and determined to go outside the law on this matter, a few days' consideration and an application of strategy would greatly increase your chances of success.”

Hyacinth sat forward, “Are you saying you’ll help…”

The bell went again.