“And you say that none of them claim you as their own?
No, none of them claim us. Many don’t even seem to like us. Well…they don’t like me. The Emperor in particular seems unhappy with me, though I do not understand why… I’ve done nothing offensive that I know of.”
Again he turns his attention to Lydia. “Cas Lydia, have you witnessed any evidence to substantiate her claim? Do her elders truly dislike her?
“Prince Lucian did stand by and allow me to counter-attack her during the interrogation. In hindsight, I find that rather odd. My Brother Darius has mentioned that during his time in Lumina most seemed quite cool toward the girl. And their Heir Apparent and his son Nero seem to dislike her a great deal. It is rumored that she has in the past referred to her Emperor as 'dumber than dirt'. ”
That's it; I bury my face in my hands. What could possibly be more embarrassing?
“Shi'ahn, have you worn your Fire Diamonds in Lumina?”
Well, obviously even though I can't see them, they can still see me - so much for Ostrich logic. When I look up I see that the Magni Dominar looks thoughtful.
“Yes, I was wearing them when we first found ourselves there.”
“Shi'ahn, what exactly does your dragon friend call you?”
It seems a rather odd question, but I see no reason not to answer. “Shi'ah'i. It is the closest her tongue can get to my name, much like Zah-Ha'Gor is the closest I can get to properly pronouncing hers.”
There is a look in his eyes I don’t understand, then his voice changes timbre again. “Very well, we will now move to the second line of questioning. Shi'ahn of Shiral, tell this court the results of your interrogation - what did you conclude?”
“That Lydia was entirely innocent of involvement in the abduction and torture of Novanus. She hadn’t targeted Alma specifically either - she had just waited for one of the blood of Lumina to be delivered to her.”
“And who promised her such a thing?”
“I don’t know; and I don’t think she does either - it was a black, shadow-like figure that flickered oddly, and its voice was like echoes with no source.”
“And exactly where did Lydia await her prize?”
“Where the strange figure told her to, he called it Hellgate Passage.
“Is there anything else, Shi'ahn, that you wish this court to know about your encounter with Lydia?”
“No.” Before my declaration has the chance to echo back, I change my mind. “Wait - yes. She is innocent of most of the charges against her, I’m certain of it; and she has suffered enough for the crimes she did commit, she truly has. Please take that into account.” In a moment the truth of my statement echoes back to us.
~~~
“Your testimony is accepted, you may step down. Lady Gwenllian, please take the stand.” As we pass, she gives me an angry look, quite clearly stating that she has found even more reason to distrust me. Alma glares nastily at me as I make my way to my seat.
“Lady Gwenllian, how were you able to determine the Lady Alma’s location?”
Gwenllian pauses, then continues carefully. “While searching for hints of Novanus’ presence, we picked up Alma’s distress signal.”
“It was coming from Mithridia?”
“No, far from it. We first picked it up not quite a quarter of the way into your realm. It moved, sometimes quite quickly and seemingly randomly, yet always further into your realm. We finally caught up when the signal stayed in the same area long enough for us to intersect it.”
“How did you become aware that Count Novanus was being held in Mithridia Castle?”
“William, Shi'ahn’s brother, sensed her presence. He insisted that we investigate. Shi'ahn had been assisting Princess Aurora in our search for Prince Novanus, and we already had Alma safely aboard, so I saw little harm in it.”
“And so you found her, along with Lady Celeste, Countess Aurora and Count Novanus, who, as I understand it, was strong enough to kill Maude de Mithridia, even though your realm claims that she nearly tortured him to death.”
“Shi'ahn provided him with food and drink after she and the others appeared in his dungeon cell, and he fed upon her life force to regenerate himself.”
“Did he feed upon the others as well?”
“Not as I understand it, no.”
“Interesting… do the two of them seem close?”
Gwenllian stifles a laugh, “Not at all – he can hardly stand the girl. She was the least valuable of those in his cell, that’s all. Why sap the power from someone useful when… well, when there is one who is of little if any value?”
~~~
“I see. Lady Gwenllian, you may be seated. Lady Alma, you may return to the witness stand.” Alma takes her place again, seeming eager to speak. “Lady Alma of Lumina, you may now give your testimony.”
Alma launches in enthusiastically. “There I was, sleeping happily in Lumina, then I awoke on the edge of some wretched gravel road! My transport crystal was missing, so I walked along the road for a short while, trying to determine where I was and possibly how I got there, and met that bitch. Oh, she seemed nice at first, until I mentioned Lumina - then she pulled a crossbow on me! She forced me - Me, a Lady of Lumina, to walk on the road in my nightclothes and barefoot, while she rode a horse! When I saw that our surroundings were changing unnaturally, I knew her to be a woman of power and ordered her to provide me with a mount, but the bitch refused. She continued to refuse me, and then she shot me, bound me tightly and threw me over the back of her horse. The indignity of it!”
The Magni Dominar looks down on Alma without a shred of pity. “Did you not have any weapons with you to protect yourself?”
“Of course I did, but they didn't work. She had something that negated them.”
“Where is this item?”
“I don't know. I never saw it after the rescue.”
“Interesting.” He raises his voice, “Bring forth the weapon in question.” Someone brings a small crossbow to him. “Animate!” It becomes a small biped, somewhat demonic in appearance. “Bow, were you indeed used by Cas Lydia to shoot the Lady Alma of Lumina?”
“I belong to Cas Lydia.”
The Magni Dominar’s voice resounds throughout the chamber. “Answer the question, bow. Were you used to shoot the Lady Alma of Lumina?”
Its voice becomes higher and squeaky, “It was just a shoulder wound… quite minor.”
“Bow, where were you when you were first drawn in the presence of the Lady Alma of Lumina?”
“Along the Hellgate Passage.”
“That will be all, bow. Assume your traditional form.” It becomes a small crossbow once again.
“Passage Master, come forward to give testimony.”
A very old being comes forth, “Yes, Magnus?”
“Does Hellgate Passage have any presence in Lumina influenced space?”
“No, Magus, it does not. It begins about an eighths span within our realm.”
“Does it lie along the lands of Mithridia?”
“It does.”
“Does it cross the chasm to access Mithridia castle?”
“It does not.”
“Lady Alma, at what point did you trigger your distress signal?”
“I allowed it to broadcast after the bitch shot me.”
“Passage Master, is there anything about Hellgate Passage that is unusual in the vicinity of Mithridia Castle?”
“The growing Mithridian presence in that area had greatly increased the length of the passage in their vicinity. It was easily the longest single world segment of that passage at the time.”
“Thank you, Passage Master, you may return to your place. “Cas Lydia, it is time for you to share your testimony.”
~~~
“First of all, my activities were not some random act of violence. Vespasian had attacked one of my brother Bran's worlds without any provocation, and then he killed Bran in cold blood after he had honorably surrendered! Vespasian is the one who had committed a crime, I w
as merely working my way toward exacting a perfectly justifiable revenge - without killing anyone. I wished to ransom someone for something from Vespasian - something he holds dear. I had been promised a lord or lady of Lumina, to be delivered along the Hellgate Passage. I had rather hoped it would be someone with whom Vespasian had close ties, but beggars can’t be choosers. Not knowing whom I would be given, I wandered the outer reaches of Hellgate passage until I came upon the Lady Alma. I spoke kindly with her until I determined that she was indeed whom I awaited, and then had her accompany me along the passage. I did indeed use a device to negate her technology, it had been provided by the one who delivered her to me. It’s true that I had her walk, but it was her manners that made me cross. Magni Dominar, she has a vile tongue and uses it unsparingly. In the matter of mere minutes she managed to insult not only me, but also you, our nobility and our entire realm more thoroughly and completely than I have ever heard before in a single narrative! I couldn’t get her to stop, and I couldn’t stand it anymore! So yes, I shot her, though only in the fleshy part of her shoulder. It was meant to shock, not harm, and then I tied and gagged her and granted her one of her demands - a mount to ride.”
There is silence for a moment, and we all hear the truth of her testimony echo throughout the hall. Then the Magni Dominar continues,
“Cas Lydia, tell the court who it was that you conspired with to abduct the Lady Alma.”
“I will not.” Gasps emanate from the audience, and I see Dominar Ultor’s talons clench the back of the bench before us. I'm certain it is made of a very solid substance, but his grasp makes it seem more like soft clay.
“I caution you, Cas Lydia, this is important testimony.”
"Do what you must, but I will not answer." Her father’s claws dig deeper, and fear for Lydia grows within my heart - to defy her Magni Dominar so! Why is she suddenly so uncooperative?
A strange black force emanates from the strange, writhing thing in Magni Dominar's crown, flooding toward Lydia, lifting her into the air. An advisor hurriedly argues that the identity of this third party is not necessary, but he replies, “This is a case of alleged high treason, and therefore the names of any and all collaborators are necessary.” The strange force surrounds Lydia, entering her lungs with her breath, and Magni Dominar begins to ask her questions. Her answers come forth in a strange, almost mechanical voice, but when he asks her the identity of her collaborator, she does not answer. The power surrounding her intensifies as she trembles, until darkness streams out of her mouth and she begins to choke. Suddenly she’s back on the floor, gasping.
"I see, you cannot divulge the name of the party." It does not need to be explained, I’m sure everyone understands - answering, or even attempting to answer, would kill her. I can’t help thinking that whoever did this to Lydia did not have her welfare in mind. I notice Dominar Ultor’s grip on the bench relax somewhat, but the bench itself will forever be a testimony to his strength.
Once she regains her composure, the Magni Dominar asks, “Cas Lydia, is there anything else pertinent to this case that you wish to share with the court?”
“Yes, there is. They tortured me! Oh, they left no marks, as they swore, but not all torture devices leave marks. The Prince Lucian has an extensive collection of electrical and 'reality' prods, and some of them are on the ends of rather long probes. He is exceedingly good at judging what falls just short of killing intensity.”
The Magni Dominar turns to stare at me while he responds, “Was she a part of this torture?”
“No, Your Majesty, she was not; she was brought in later, though I did not realize that until after I had counter-attacked her.”
“We cannot take your word on this, Lydia. Is there any way you could prove this allegation?”
“Yes… I… shared the experience with Shi'ahn as a part of my retribution.” The Magni Dominar’s gaze once again returns to me.
“Shi'ahn of Shiral, approach the bench.” I do, wishing for all the shir that I didn’t exist. “Shi'ahn, do you testify that Cas Lydia was indeed tortured, and that she shared the experience with you?”
“She was indeed tortured. As I have said, she has suffered enough!”
“Share with us the memory. Place your hands upon the bar before you and think of the experience.”
I can’t help it, I begin to shake – I don’t want to remember it! Every memory I reflect upon here seems so real, so… now, as though in thinking of them I relive them. The idea of reliving her torture is too much. I shake so uncontrollably I can’t grasp the bar, though I try as hard as I can. Cas’ voice breaks through my thoughts.
“Stop! Can’t you see what the attempt is doing to her? Please, accept an intermediary, someone with whom she will find it easier to share the memory.”
The Magni Dominar looks quite displeased at having been interrupted, yet he answers calmly. “She does seem incapable of the task on her own. Shi'ahn, choose someone to pass the memory to so that person may share it with this court.” The shaking recedes for the most part, as I think of whom I could share the true and complete horror of the memory with, and then it hits me - the perfect recipient.
“I choose the Lady Alma as my intermediary.” She looks extremely surprised.
“Lady Alma, please approach the bench yet again.” She does, but hesitantly.
When she reaches my side she whispers, “Are you out of your mind? Why do you think I have any interest at all in passing along this information?” Instead of answering, I reach out and touch her arm, offering her the entire memory as Cailli had preserved it in my mind – without my having to access it. She turns pale and reaches for the podium for support. The look she gives me now is different than I have before seen on her face, it is filled with both regret and respect. Without a word she grasps the bar I had been instructed to touch, and judging from the Magni Dominar’s response, passes along my memory. In moments the rest of the judges react with outrage.
“As I said, she has suffered enough.”
Alma nods to me in understanding, and the Magni Dominar says, “I understand your… hesitance, now. Shi'ahn, I must ask you, do you wish to press charges against Cas Lydia for her attack against you?”
“No, haven't you listened to my testimony? She has suffered enough. If anyone should be blamed for my pain it should be Prince Lucian!”
“Very well, you may all return to your seats.”
~~~
That apparently ends the questioning. Magni Dominar does something I don’t understand, and although none of us have moved and everything still looks about the same, it is obvious by the feel and sound of our surroundings that we are now in the Hall of Answering. Once again the acoustics seem odd… they echo a great deal, but not quite properly… yet at the same time they somehow seem right. Chaos is indeed a strange and fascinating place!
“The charges have been made, and it is time for them to be answered.” Lydia pleads guilty to the charge of kidnapping a Lady of Lumina, and her answer reverberates throughout the hall. It’s a very interesting effect which grows in volume and then abruptly stops, rather like a backwards echo. It is definitely magical, but seems also as though something else may be involved as well. Could that be why the acoustics seem unusual? It seems linked, though again I cannot discern exactly how.
She also pleads guilty to harming the same individual, but not guilty of collusion in the kidnapping and torture of Prince Novanus, willful violation of the Luminarian treaty within Lumina or it’s surrounding realm of influence, nor of high treason. To the last charge, a huge reverberation, very loud and lasting, follows her plea of not guilty. On the surface, I take this to mean that she feels very strongly about having not committed high treason against Chaos. There is also an undercurrent… I feel certain that her denial is the truth – I feel it to the very core of my being.
Once again we are moved, this time to the Hall of Judgment. The Magni Dominar and judges, whom Darius informs me are actually the heads of the Dynasties and greater and les
ser Houses, deliberate for about an hour. They do not, however, do so in what would be considered a normal method. They all sit there, absolutely still, and seem to commune. Eventually they are decided, and the Magni Dominar announces their verdict.
“Cas Lydia ni Uisnach, you are found guilty of kidnapping a high lady of Lumina, of harming this same lady, and of willfully violating the spirit of the treaty between our two realms, although not within the realms of Lumina. Of all other charges you are found innocent, most importantly, of high treason.” I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, and he continues. “For your punishment, you are stripped of all titles, lands, and privileges in this realm, and banished for a period of one hundred years as measured here, in the Royal Court.”
A hundred years! It seems terribly harsh to me.
Lydia is led away, her head bowed in disappointment, and we all process into the throne room, where the highest-ranking members of all the houses present are to go forward and pay homage to the Magni Dominar. We of Lumina are advised that we are all expected to pay our respects.
~~~
The throne room is far different from the halls of justice. Where those chambers had been somewhat austere, built for function, not form, this… this is entirely different.
Darius informs me that it is said to be among the most ancient permanent structures in the universe, created so long ago that none remember having lived in a time when it did not exist. It was created by the SeshHaud. Ancient or not, it is utterly fascinating – wildly different from anything I’ve ever experienced before. I had noticed earlier that nothing here seems to work quite like it does at home, but this… The acoustics are unstable, as though instead of the distant walls and ceiling being made of good solid stone they are instead comprised of scintillating snakes, constantly moving, constantly altering the way both light and sound reflect off them. If it weren’t so fascinating, I think I might feel kind of sick – like William, he's looking rather green just now.
I wonder how large this hall is? I can see walls in the distance, but the strange, changing nature of this place prevents me from stealthily sounding even such a simple thing as the size of the room. My eyes must be playing tricks on me, I could almost swear that the hall becomes larger as more people arrive – how many are here, I wonder? Thousands, tens of thousands? Millions, more? I understand now why only the heads of Households are required to greet the Magni Dominar, allowing everyone here such an honor would take very long indeed.
Between Darkness and Light Trilogy Page 22
