W.I.T.C.H
Chapter 11
Attitude Adjustment
Balsilide
15 Years Ago
Endarno sits at his desk, scribbling on a piece of paper. He frowns, crumples up what he's written, and throws it into the corner of the room.
It has been five years since he had graduated from law school. Five years since he had last seen Jez. Since then, he has dedicated himself to his work. He has become a very promising young lawyer. He had recently become partners with a Mr. Andru Walson, the best lawyer in Balsilide. Together, they were undefeated.
Yesterday, they had received a new case. A man named Heesam was being accused of killing his father in order to gain the inheritance. They had to prove he didn't
On the desk in front of Endarno were two folders. One of them contained Endarno's defense strategy. The other held Walson's. Both of them had very different ideas on how the case should be handled. Walson had repeatedly refused to use Endarno's strategy, and had used his experience and reputation to ensure that he got his way.
Endarno was now looking over these plans, but no matter how many times he ran it through his head, he always came to the same conclusion. Walson's plan, the one they were going to use, wouldn't work. It couldn't. Endarno was convinced that the only way they could win the case is by using Endarno's strategy. But Walson was a stubborn and arrogant man. It would be tough to convince him of this.
Endarno shoved Walson's folder off the table and stood up. Time to take matters into his own hands.
Balsilide
Five.
That's what Irma was thinking when she exited the fold and stepped onto Balsilide for the first time. Earth, Meridian, Kandrakar, Zamballa and now Balsilide. She had been to five different worlds.
Nothing excited Irma more then going to a new world for the first time. It was what she lived for. The new sights, smells and sounds, she loved them all. Who knew what hidden secrets this world held? She wanted to spend hours searching every street and every store. But one look at Will told her she wasn't going to get the chance. Her friend was all business.
"Right, where do we start?" Will said as soon as the fold had been closed.
The girls were standing in the middle of a darkened alley. The five of them wore cloaks to hide their wings and bright uniforms. As they entered into the fading sunlight, they discovered that they were in one of the seedier parts of the city. Old, crumbling buildings surrounded them on all sides.
"Well, if movies have taught me anything, it's that you can always get information at a bar." Cornelia said, pointing at a particularly run-down building. A sign dangling above the door read KNOR'S, and had a picture of a foaming drink.
"Fine." Will said. "I should be in an expensive restaurant with my mom, but a shady looking bar on a far away planet is just as good."
The girls followed Will towards the building and went inside. The bar itself was dimly lit, with a rather interesting and unique aroma. A dense musk filled every corner of the building, causing Hay Lin to choke slightly when she entered.
The bartender was a tall, hefty, fellow, with a grey mustache. A sign behind the bar told the girls that this was Knor. He eyed them up and down suspiciously.
"Aren't you a little young for the suds?" he said in a rough voice.
"We're not here for drinks." Will said, leaning on the bar. "We're here for information."
"Look," Knor said. "I don't know who you are, or where your parents are, but coming into a place like this asking for information can get you in trouble."
"These birds looking for information? 'Cause they found trouble." came a voice from behind. The girls turned around to see the largest, strongest man they had ever seen approaching them. He made Vathek look like Elyon.
"Now, Arst," Knor said, talking the large man. "I don't want any trouble in here."
"Yeah, we are looking for knowledge." Will said, unafraid of the brute. "Which is obviously something you can't provide. Now why don't you take a seat? I know walking and talking at the same time can be difficult for you."
"Will!" Hay Lin hissed. "Let's not make this guy angry, okay?"
"I'd hate to waste my fists on someone so small, so I'll give you one more chance." Arst said. "Run home to mommy before someone gets hurt."
A split-second later, Arst found himself soaring through the air, and crashing the back wall of the bar. He eventually landed outside, where he lay, groaning.
Will stood with outstretched arms. Her hands were still crackling with electricity from the blast she had just shot. She walked over and inspected the Arst shaped hole in the wall she had created.
"Too late." She said, looking down at the unconscious man.
"Now, who's feeling talkative?"
A flurry of hands shot up from all around the bar.
"Will, why don't you let me handle this?" Taranee said, stopping her friend.
"Why? I'm doing fine…"
Will examined the look on Taranee's face, and then surveyed the room. The rest of the patrons were cowering behind tables a look of fear on their face.
"Yeah, uh, all right yeah. I'm, wow, I'm really sorry everybody. I'm, I'm not usually like this. I've uh, just been having a bad day. Sorry."
Will retreated into the corner of the bar, apologizing to everyone in sight. Taranee turned to Knor.
"Now then, we're looking for the maker of this dagger, and something capable of shooting it 150 yards through the air." She said, pulling out the weapon.
Knor took the dagger from Taranee's hands and examined it closely.
"Hmmmm. Oh yes, this is an excellent weapon. How much did you pay for it?"
"We didn't." Cornelia said. "We found it in someone's back. We want to know who put it there."
"Yeah, you don't exactly look like the type of people who need daggers." Knor said, eyeing Will.
"Can you help us or not?" Irma asked.
Knor paused for a second.
"There are only three people who can make a dagger of this quality, and a device to shoot it." Knor said. "There's Quincy. She's very good. Or it could be Swog. He's also good. Or Bradam. It could be Bradam. Here, let me write down some directions."
"Is that it?" Hay Lin asked as Knor wrote.
"Sorry, that's the best I can do." Knor said, handing Taranee a piece of paper. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like the five of you out of here before you decide I need some more windows."
"Once again, really sorry." Will said as the Guardians left the bar.
They stood outside, analyzing the directions they had been given.
"Three names. Quincy, Swog and Bradam. It has to be one of them." Hay Lin said.
"Agreed." Will said. "We'll go after Quincy first, then Swog, then Bradam."
The Girls looked at each other.
"Will, are you sure you're okay with this?" Hay Lin asked.
"Yeah, you seem a little stressed." Irma added.
"I'm fine." Will said. She smiled.
"Really, I'm fine. I just needed to vent some anger back there. I'm sure he was okay."
"Well, whoever it is who made this dagger, I hope they know someone who's good at fixing walls."
"Ha Ha. Very funny." Will said. "Now let's get to work."
Balsilide
15 Years Ago
Endarno strides boldly into Walson's room.
"Walson! We need to talk." he says.
Walson is an older gentleman, with greying hair and wrinkled features. He wares thick, circular glasses. Despite his age, he is still tall, and physically fit. His room is a perfect combination of luxury and practicality. Books filled shelves line the walls, while golden drapes cover the windows.
"Can it wait?" Walson asks. "I'm in the middle of something and…"
"It's about the Heesam case." Endarno says, interrupting. "We're going about it the wrong way."
Walson slowly takes off his glasses and stands up.
"We've already gone over this, Endarno." he says with a sigh.
"I don't care. I'm convinced that I am right." Endarno replies.
"Endarno…"
"Your idea, you strategy, it's not aggressive enough. You'll never convince the jury that he's innocent."
"But we can lessen his sentence."
"Not good enough. We have to win."
"Endarno, listen to me!" Walson said, raising his voice. "You can't always win! Now I appreciate your energy, but in this case, you're wrong. You're just wrong."
Walson takes a deep breath.
"Look, Endarno, you're young, you're inexperienced. You don't realize what we're up against with this case. There's no way to win. You're just going have to rely on me for this one."
Endarno frowns. He has never had to rely on anyone to do anything for him, and he wasn't about to start now. He knows he can win this case. He just has to win it on his own. And he's used to being on his own.