Chapter 12 – Chess

The life of a pawn depends very little on the pawn itself. Alone, it waits to die

unless its general can marshal his forces and escort the pawn across the battlefield. It

cannot retreat. It cannot move to the side. And even if this march is successful, the pawn

merely dies, replaced by a more useful piece. True, in a group, it may have some value.

Standing in formation with its comrades, it forms part of an intimidating wall, but its

importance only comes as part of this team.

I hate being a pawn.

When Maharin told me that the trial was going according to plan, I knew that was

exactly what I was. I wanted to scream in his face, yell at the top of my lungs, unload all

my anger, and make a huge scene in court.

Nothing came out. I just stood there with my mouth hanging open like an idiot.

After a few moments, Maharin turned away from me and strolled away.

The worst part of all this? I still had to wait three hours before getting my time in

court. Stupid trial recess. I didn’t see any of my team at lunch. They told me later that

they huddled up with Maharin to prep my defense or some crap like that, which left me

nothing to do but sit in the cafeteria and hit up the unlimited self-serve soda machine.

After my third cup, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one killing time with their

unlimited refills. There were others, though their drink of choice was usually coffee.

Most of them sat alone, mumbling to themselves about lawsuits, creditors, how she was a

mistake, or something about the stupid economy. One guy, though, seemed like the only

happy person in the room. He’d bounce about from table to table, chatting with people,
wishing them good luck, and generally being a welcome annoyance. His name was

Jonathan Bradford. I think he was 45 at the time, getting a bit of a gut, and as loud as

ever. And it wasn’t long before he ended up at my table. He introduced himself and said

to call him Brad. “So, what brings you here today?”

“Board’s trying to screw me, my lawyers are working their own angle, and all

because I saved someone’s life. How about you?”

“Screwed for doing the right thing. I hear you. I got the same thing, just

backwards. I’m suing my former employers for wrongful termination because I did the

right thing.”

“That sucks, Brad. Who fired you?”

“First Cornerstone Church of the Valley.”

“That’s the big one out there?”

“Ten thousand strong, except for the strong part. They’d rather do the wrong

thing than possibly consider that they’re wrong.”

Ah commiseration. “What got you fired from a church? Every time I hear of

that, some pastor got a little frisky or something.”

“Heh. Nothing that fun, you won’t hear about me on TMZ. My job’s to speak the

truth to my congregation, right?”

“Yeah, preachers preach.”

“Well, I told them that having magical abilities isn’t a sin. That something

happened, and the world changed. It wasn’t because of demonic influences or spiritual

warfare. So, whether they have powers or not, it doesn’t mean anything. You still have
you use whatever gifts you have to serve God and love those around you. Just like what

you did, Steve.”

“What?”

“You heard what I said. I know what you can do, what you did, and why you’re

here. It’s messed up that you’re getting into trouble for this, but unfortunately, it’ll

probably get worse before it gets better.”

“How do you know this?”

“How did you save Mr. Benjamin’s life?” Brad winked. He never was too open

about his magic. He patted me on the shoulder and stood up. “Chat with me anytime you

need to. I’d invite you to my church sometime, but I don’t seem to have one right now.”

I wasn’t quite done yet, however. I jumped up and chased after him. “Wait, so

they fired you just because you’re cool with magic?”

“It’s more than that. See, a lot of people use verses against magic or sorcery to

say how people shouldn’t have magic gifts. Or maybe if they have them, they need to

refrain from using them, maybe because it’ll cause others, or god-forbid children, to

stumble in their faith. I told them this. What we call magic today is different from magic

back in the old, old days. There’s no weird sacrifices or rituals or wands or potions.

That’s worshiping some weird demi-god, and that’s not cool. But this ‘magic’ is merely

what we don’t understand. Something happens, it’s beyond our comprehension of the

world, so the media’s labeled it magic. But the truth is, there’s an explanation for

everything.”

For a second I though he mumbled at the end, “You just might not like it.”

I don’t know if he did, but he was right.

 The explanation I wanted was why I got into this mess in the first place? And

why was Maharin the one talking with my legal team? Shouldn’t I be the one to defend

myself? This was beyond my comprehension for the time being, and there had to be an

explanation for it. And yeah, I probably wouldn’t like it.

I went back into the courtroom at 1:00. Maharin had his back turned, talking to

some of the lawyer guys. Stanbeck patted me on the shoulder and told me to sit tight and

that everything would work out. Then he walked away. No one else said a word to me.

The Judge seemed all business and pounded his gavel, calling us into session. “I

am aware that the defense wishes to call a witness.”

Stanbeck nodded. “Yes, your honor. I call our expert witness in the matter of

magic, Dr. John Maharin. He is the preeminent authority on these matters, a former

university professor, and now heads the institute in question.”

Dr. Maharin strolled into the witness bench. He looked the room over, eyeing

everyone from the prosecutors, to my legal team, and even those watching. For some

reason, everyone looked intimidated. Even my legal team seemed intimidated. Then

with a pleasant smile, he turned to the Judge. “First, I must congratulate you.”

Judge Moritz’s poker face cracked. “Excuse me?”

“In ten years, this proceeding will be a case study in every law school across the

nation, possibly the world. These are historic times.”

“Thank you, but case studies are usually from higher courts, not simple hearings.”

“But this is a special case. You have the opportunity to interpret laws which have

governed us for centuries, and are now possibly antiquated.”

 The Prosecutor stood up. “Your honor, the witness is wasting time. He has not

added anything to the case.”

But the Judge didn’t seem to mind. “I’ll allow it, but what is your point, Mister…

Doctor. Maharin.”

“Your honor, laws are written with the best of intentions, but it is quite impossible

for legislators to predict changes in technology. For example, the Federal Government

set limits on computers, limiting the amount of processing power in electronic exports.

Not long after, they found that a Playstation, a simple child’s toy, easily exceeded this

limit. Today, even my cell phone possesses more power than this.”

“We are not speaking about technology. This case is about legality of treatment

and medical practice.”

“No, we are speaking today about the basic human right to be allowed to do what

we are physically able to accomplish. There are no laws governing the will of a man to

test his own limits. If he wishes to climb a mountain, this is not illegal, nor should it be.

In the same way that technology allows a man to fly, magic allows mankind a whole new

set of avenues.”

“Yes, but a mountain climber may still be fined for negligence if his actions result

in financial or human cost.”

“That is true, and if there was negligence performed, this would be a malpractice

case. But there was not. Mr Benjamin is alive and well today because of the actions of

Dr. Shao. The best medical professionals assisted and supervised the procedure. And

you must remember the oath of doctors to treat those in need. A man was dying and Dr.

Shao saved him using every skill he possessed. Is that not the duty of every doctor?”
 They were sure letting Maharin talk a lot. I thought there was supposed to be

questions directed by the lawyers or something, but what do I know?

Maharin was just getting warmed up. “The facts of this case are simple. Legally,

Dr. Carter was the surgeon, Dr. Shao assisted. Truthfully, Dr. Shao was the surgeon, Dr.

Carter assisted. The legality issue is only important because of obsolete laws created by

those with little knowledge of the medical advances now possible. The prosecution

challenges this legality because their job is to protect the commerce of those in control.

Well, that’s their job. They do it very well. Unfortunately, their job impairs progress, and

this is a progress which will occur whether you rule in our favor or not.”

“What exactly do you mean? This ruling only affects Dr. Shao.”

“Do you honestly believe that across the whole globe, there will only be one

doctor with the magical abilities to enhance his abilities? Or perhaps there are others

who will heal and then be regarded as gods. A ruling that Dr. Shao is allowed to

incorporate his magic into his practice allows this to be regulated by the government and

placed into mainstream society. A ruling against magical healing arts pushes honest

practitioners into the wild. Now, if they were all charlatans, this would not be a major

concern. Truth would be told eventually. But the truth in this matter is that Dr. Shao did

heal the patient. He did repair a condition that was untreatable by any other means. And

if you push the truth into the outlaw realms, the public will follow that truth and become

outlaws as well.”

Whispers started to rumble in the courtroom. The Prosecution huddled together.

My legal team huddled together. I just sat and watched. I guess this was Maharin’s plan,

and I was just his pawn to get it done. There were more discussions that afternoon, but
nobody remembers them. Hell, I sure don’t. I do remember having to come back a few

days later for a ruling.

Those were a couple of crappy days. No one knew if I could work or not, and my

lawyers weren’t very forthcoming, probably because they didn’t know anything either. I

guess a super defense team only cares about the verdict.

Apparently that’s all anyone else cares about as well. During the original

hearings, there was like nobody watching from the seats. For the verdict, the place was

packed, and not just the room, the whole courthouse was packed. I had to squeeze

through a crowded hall just to get to the room. Reporters barraged me with questions.

“How do you feel about being on trial?” “Were you unfairly singled out?” “What do you

think of your chances?”

I couldn’t really answer anyone without being overwhelmed. Then again, I

seemed to be able to move the pile of humanity and get through. Inside, I saw Ryan,

Kevin, and Rachel. They’d come to offer moral support, and a little “insurance” just in

case… or at least that’s what Ryan called it.

I didn’t ask if he used a fireball to move people around to get inside. Maybe he

should have used one to get people to shut up. I know they weren’t supposed to be

asking me questions while I sat in the defendant’s penalty box, but I guess reporters don’t

really care. I could barely hear the bailiff when he said, “All rise.” It took a few loud

whacks from the Judge to quiet the room.

“Order! Order! You will all settle down or I will hold you in contempt.”
 Just then, I noticed Maharin stroll into the room. The crowd didn’t seem to give

him any trouble. In fact, aside from myself, I don’t know if anyone noticed him. Oh, and

Rachel, she threw a nasty glare towards him.

Once the room settled down, the Judge cleared his throat and read from piece of

paper. “I thought long and hard about this case last night. Dr. Maharin is correct when

he says that although simple, this case and this decision will affect a vast array of

policies, especially affecting magic and the workplace. The words I speak today will be

analyzed for the next decades in every single case involving legality of magical abilities.

But I also must be true to the words of our legislature.

Now the letter of the law is simple. In his scope of practice, Dr. Shao cannot

pierce the skin for any therapeutic technique. But what does that truly mean? If he

accidentally scratches a patient, is it a crime? No, it governs the use of tool or

instruments used to perform surgery or injections of any kind. I see none of that in this

case, and so my ruling is simple. The defendant is not guilty. All of his therapy was

performed by his hands, the literal definition of Chiropractic. Therefore, case dismissed.”

Instantly, the room erupted in noise. Some cheered, others yelled things that I

couldn’t quite make out, but would have gotten them kicked off most message boards.

The prosecution hung their heads. My team shook each other’s hands. They didn’t shake

mine. Maharin sat in silence, only showing a slight smirk.

A few whacks of the gavel settled down the crowd once again. The Judge set

down his paper and said, “Now, I know this isn’t the last you’ll hear of cases like this. I

wouldn’t be surprised of the Appellate panel looks this over. It might even get Federal

recognition. But my thoughts are now part of the record. I’m done here. Any questions
you might have are answered in my brief. As for you, Dr. Shao, I’m afraid that over the

next few years, you might be asked to answer a lot more questions like these.”

Damn.