I never studied law, but I had watched several daytime courtroom shows that summarized the coarser points of the judicial process. Even the most outrageous cases presented always had some sort of summons—a proper notice of complaints, if you will—before your trial. And speaking of trial… I doubted that pop-up courtrooms in outdoor public spaces had any precedent here in Chairo. Relias, however, seemed quite unperturbed about the fact that he was abruptly being arraigned for all to see.

Councilman Pravum absently shuffled a few papers at the podium while waiting for the jeers of the General Assembly to die out. No one, no priest, soldier, nor anyone in my own party seemed all that surprised, but surely… someone would object to this absurd notion of a sudden trial, right?

Even Tetora’s tail remained eerily still.

Anyone at all? Am I still supposed to be silent about all this?

How about you, Relias, the accused?

Relias patiently waited for Pravum to continue, his hands clasped together loosely at his waist. As several minutes ticked by, an awkward silence sloshed around the Forums, each side waiting for the other to take the first misstep.

“You have nothing to add?” Pravum finally asked His Holiness as the General Assembly started to fidget and mutter about the lack of response.

“I’m simply waiting for you to list the charges,” Relias replied cooly. “Please, take as much time as you need.”

Pravum shot him a look of pure hatred before he unraveled a long scroll, purposefully allowing its holder to crash noisily onto the ground. “Sage Relias,” he shouted, his voice deepening. “Thou standest accused before this sacred Council and Assembly of grave and manifold transgressions. Thou art hereby charged with the following offenses." He paused and took a long, deep breath before continuing.

“First charge: Forsaking thine holy penitence and abandoning the sanctity of the Holy City of Chairo in its hour of dire need.”

Unlikely to be a big problem; he wasn’t doing much there in penitence anyway.

“Second charge: Sowing discord and inciting strife between the Holy Order of the Blue and the Holy Order of the Silver, where there should be unity and peace.”

There was strife there before he got involved.

“Third charge: Bearing responsibility for the involuntary manslaughter of Captain Garvith of the Holy Order of the Blue.”

Two consenting adults fought each other to the death in front of two Orders, and we’re going to blame the priest who told them to stop? Nah.

“Fourth charge: Exercising undue influence upon the Royal Family of Ecclesia, including King Saulus himself, coercing them to serve thine own ambitions.”

King Saulus wasn’t the kind of man that could be coerced.

“And finally, the fifth charge: Promoting a false claimant as the hero chosen by the Goddess Euphridia, thereby leading the faithful of our Church and the people astray with deceitful promises.”

Okay, this one’s personal.

Pravum paused to ensure that his young minion was recording the charges properly on his parchment. “How dost thou respond to these charges, Sage Relias?”

Relias tilted his head slightly. “Is that all of them?” he asked with only a slight hint of curiosity.

Pravum momentarily hesitated as he looked back at his cheat sheet before barking in a more common vernacular, “Isn’t that enough?!”

Relias nodded once to himself, dropped his hands, and stated, “I deny these accusations.”

“And I,” Prince Mito added quickly as he stepped forward, “Object to this farce of a trial! Know this, Councilman Pravum! Empowered by the will of my father, King Saulus, I will pardon His Holiness, regardless of the proceedings’ findings!”

Councilman Pravum glowered at His Highness, his face full of contempt. “Prince Mito, I would advise you, since I would not expect someone like you to understand, that all ecclesiastical matters fall under the jurisdiction of the Church. This trial will be conducted under canon law, and any decisions regarding Sage Relias are the prerogative of the General Assembly. Any pardons you would attempt to issue on behalf of your beguiled father before trial or even after sentencing would be irrelevant.”

“And canon law would include all doctrines, regardless of age,” Relias added, sounding oddly triumphant. “Though I humbly thank thee for thy vote of confidence in regards to my recent actions, Your Highness.”

Prince Mito nodded bluntly, teeth gritted and face sneering, not trusting himself to speak.

Pravum once again looked around at the other priests gathered. “General Assembly, for the first charge, I humbly submit into evidence the summons for Sage Relias to report before the General Assembly within the week, dated forty-seven days ago and signed by Father Thomas, Judicial Vicar.”

“Please note,” Relias added calmly, “that such summons were not delivered to me in a timely manner, and thus, I was unable to respond to said summons.”

“Because you fled the city!” Pravum screeched, slamming his fist down. “You apprised no one of your actions!”

As Relias maintained his unearthly calm, it was evident that Pravum was losing his grip on his emotions. Grudgingly, I had to admit that there was no way I could have done so well as His Holiness if I had found myself in the same situation. Maybe it was a good idea I’ve kept my mouth shut so far.

Relias shrugged. “I wish to submit evidence turning aside the second charge once you are ready, Your Excellency.”

Pravum continued to bristle. “What evidence could you possibly have that shows you weren’t sowing discord and strife between the Blue and the Silver?”

“The evidence is two-fold. First, I present Captain Garvith’s ransom letter,” he began, drawing a crumpled sheet from within his robes. “This letter demands a considerable sum for the return of the Chosen One,” he explained as he gestured to me, ignoring the mocking laughter from the proverbial peanut gallery. “The letter itself would compel any prudent-minded member of the church to seek immediate justice, as it demeans all our brothers and sisters by trivializing the Chosen One’s Purpose and assigning an arbitrary value to a sacred relic of the Church.”

Wow, what a way to make me sound like not a person but an object to admire. Like some pretty paperweight…

He reached into a deep pocket on his right hip. “Secondly, I present the Turri Accords, which attempts to bring together Blue and Silver despite their differences.” He turned then to address Pravum directly. “I believe you should have received a copy several days ago, though I am uncertain if the General Assembly has yet been made aware of them. Given your knowledge of Captain Garvith’s demise—the catalyst for this agreement—I can only surmise that you have a significant reason for withholding their existence from our esteemed colleagues?”

For the first time, I heard the General Assembly express genuine doubts as they spoke in sharp and angry whispers. Councilman Pravum cleared his throat. “The Turri Accords are also evidence for the fifth charge; I would ask the General Assembly to consider them at that time and not any sooner!”

“Councilman Pravum,” one of the more official-looking priests called ominously from the left side. “We will hold on reviewing the Accords at this time, but we will all require time to review the copy in detail prior to any deliberations.”

“Of course, Father Thomas,” Councilman Pravum conceded. “All will be made clear soon. That, I promise you.”

The judicial vicar narrowed his eyes but took a seat, squishing one of his grapes between his fingers before eating it.

Even I got that one.

With a flinch, Pravum stepped aside from the podium. “I would call upon Crown Prince Victor to testify regarding the fourth charge.”

Prince Victor smiled, giving everyone, including his brother, a small wave, seemingly enjoying the embrace of everyone’s attention. “It’s simple. My father, bless his soul, has become a little… softer with his thinking, so late in his years…”

Councilman Pravum nodded his head several times. “I have nothing but respect for King Saulus. Given your father's recent decline, Crown Prince Victor, do you believe that he can continue his Purpose as King of Ecclesia?”

Prince Victor sighed softly. “That’s actually why I’m in Chairo, you see. I was here to ask for the General Assembly’s help. I hoped the Council would convince him to step down and enjoy his twilight years without the ever-increasing burden of leadership. His decisions have been rather strange as of late… I fear that someone might take advantage of him.”

How many times did the two of them rehearse their lines?

Councilman Pravum folded his arms. “It seems to me that you submitted such a query with General Assembly… say, about six months ago?”

“That sounds about right, Your Excellency,” Prince Victor agreed lightly.

Finally, Tetora’s fur twitched in irritated patches across his body, his tail slowly swaying back and forth. Aleph’s face grew longer with increasing contempt, and I could see Vernie clenching her fists.

Relias, not to be outdone, turned to Prince Mito. “As I recall, neither you, your father, Lord Reginald, nor Duke Chadwick had any idea where Crown Prince Victor has been recently. Wouldn’t a prudent prince, concerned about his father’s well-being, stay in touch with at least one of those tasked with supporting the King’s court?”

Prince Mito scoffed. “Well, I certainly would. Especially after the demon attack at the most recent banquet.”

“Demon attack?” Prince Victor squeaked, paling. “No one informed me of such events!”

“Well, how could we?” Prince Mito replied snidely. “But worry not, brother, for the Order of Gold saved us all!”

The scribe started to write something on the side of the tripod we couldn’t see, but Pravum stopped him, whispering something sharply in his ear. Flinching, the young man pulled away only to give me a rather odd look. He broke off his gaze when I caught it, pulling himself behind the stand altogether.

Prince Victor, appearing somewhat slow on the uptake, continued to glance pleadingly at Councilman Pravum but was only given a surprised shrug in response. He furrowed his brow for a moment before lighting up. “I find it hard to believe a demon could make it so far to the east! A simple inquiry should prove—”

“I agree!” Prince Mito interjected. “Your Excellency, you should send an Inquisitor right now. There were many witnesses; almost all the noble families had representatives present at the time. And I’m sure those very same witnesses would be willing to talk about how our father calmly and carefully handled the situation surrounding it.”

Well… I mean… I guess in the end, sure.

Father Thomas was already summoning someone to follow up on the princes’ testimonies. In less than two minutes, three men, two dressed in white robes and one dressed in utilitarian gray, sprinted into the magic circle behind us just as a nearby dark mage had powered it up.

Guh, I can’t imagine running through them while translocating…

“Councilman Pravum,” Father Thomas called again, standing once more. “Unless you have additional evidence, I believe all of this thus far is simple hearsay until we can confirm otherwise. Therefore, I suggest you move on to the final charge.”

The General Assembly muttered their agreement, even as a few noted they were running out of snacks.

Seriously, guys?! You’re not going to even pretend this was all a set-up?

“Of course,” Councilman Pravum said with an audible swallow. “For the fifth charge, I first would call Councilman Procul, along with Lobo, Marrok, and Valko—three humble hybrids who were unduly accosted in the Wastelands by that imposter calling herself the Captain of the Holy Order of Gold!”

The entrance to the High Temple behind him burst open, and the summoned four made their way down the steps to the podium. Councilman Procul, an expressionless man with brown hair shaped in a bowl-cut, took point. “I humbly ask the court to show compassion for the hybrids, permitting me to relay their testimony on their behalf. Their injuries were grievous from their encounter with that woman and her dark mage accomplice. Even I would fear to speak so openly in the presence of my tormentors.”

While I didn’t recognize their names, their silhouettes were unmistakable. My breath caught in my throat fitfully as I recognized them—the three damnable, dog-eared mercenaries who attempted to assault Nora and me no less than a week after we arrived.