The Fourth Age Shadow Wars: Assassins (The Fourth Age: Shadow Wars Book 1)

by David Pauly

  'Yes, it's true.'

  'May I ask why?'

  'I do not need the mealy-mouthed mutterings of some lawyer, no matter how esteemed his reputation. The rules for the trial of a prince are clear: Mergin shall have his say and present his witnesses, as well as documents to be considered by the Council. I shall then present my witnesses and documents on my behalf. Mergin will present his argument against me, and I shall present my argument for myself. The Council will then retire and vote, but I have little fear as to the outcome.'

  'Why do you say that, brother?'

  'Because the chief evidence against me consists of my misinterpreted statements here and in Ackerlea, the documents from the joy house, and finally my actions in Shardan, where I usurped the authority of the royal governor. All of these are easily explained.'

  'You may be correct, brother,' said Alfrahil, 'but still, you should let another speak for you. I beg you to accept the service of Renfrew, the finest lawyer in the realm. He is waiting even now for your invitation to meet him. You are not an expert in the subtle nuances of the law, and there may be surprises both in interpretation of the law and in the evidence that is presented against you. I need not remind you that the king serves as judge regarding the testimony, the admission of evidence, and, finally, what leeway each side may be granted regarding their actions at trial.'

  'Enough brother!' cried Daerahil, slapping his knee with the palm of one hand. 'While I appreciate your concern, I am more than capable of responding to Mergin's jibes and verbal tricks without the need for a lawyer. I can count upon the votes of the lords, Paladir, and yourself. My exoneration is assured.'

  'I hope so,' Alfrahil said.

  Daerahil laughed. 'Why, I trust I may at least be assured of your vote, brother!'

  'You may be assured of my love,' said Alfrahil, not wanting to tell Daerahil that his vote for acquittal would depend not on what lay in his heart but rather on what evidence was presented.

  Alfrahil soon left his brother's quarters and took a long walk upon the Citadel's battlements. He knew that his brother was too confident by half and despite everything did not take Mergin's cunning and animosity seriously enough.

  Retiring early, for he was weary of worrying about his brother, he returned to his apartments and found a note from Findalas. An urgent case in the Healer Hall would prevent her from visiting him as they had planned. Fuming slightly that he would be deprived of her company, Alfrahil ate his meal and drank more wine than usual so he could sleep.

  #

  Early the next morning, Alfrahil rose and changed into his magnificent silver and vermillion ceremonial robes. Then, accompanied by his guards, Alfrahil made his way to the royal throne room. The room was enormous, a hundred feet long and forty feet wide, with the ceiling fifty feet high. White granite covered the floor and white marble the walls. Normally the room was sparsely furnished, but now hundreds of chairs had been placed upon the floor for the witnesses to the trial, with still more chairs added to the upper balcony at the rear of the room. The banners of each province of Eldora hung down the walls, their colors stark and resplendent upon the pale background.

  Voices echoed and reverberated coldly in the chamber as Alfrahil entered and took his seat at the high table reserved for the Princes of the Realm. His father was there in the center with Jasper, the Prince of the Delta, on his left; Alfrahil sat at his father's right hand, and next to him was Paladir of Ackerlea. Making the requisite verbal courtesies, Creon tapped the ancient scepter of Alba three times, calling for the entrance of the Six Lords of Eldora. They filed in wearing robes less splendid, though still quite formal. In unison the Lords took their seats on the lower benches, immediately below the King and the Princes of the realm. Finally the King tapped his scepter twice, and the doors opened to admit Daerahil. He strode forward in the dark blue somber robes of an accused, followed by two servants holding sheaves of documents that they placed on a small dark table, next to an uncomfortable rigidly upright chair, inside a small railed area, where the accused were placed.

  #

  Daerahil bowed low to the assembled nobles and begged the King's pardon for forcing this trial to occur. Glancing over at the witness box, he saw that his finance manager, Fafnir, was there along with other witnesses that Daerahil could only presume were witnesses for the prosecution. A Dwarf and a man that Daerahil recognized as a code writer for the messenger corps would be the witnesses for the prosecution for the documents from the joy house. Another man in the livery of the governor of Shardan would speak about Daerahil's actions on behalf of the governor himself.

  'Well and good,' thought Daerahil. 'Nothing unexpected there, but who are those men to the far right of the witness box?'

  A captain of the Western Army of Eldora was present, along with a Shadow in his formal robes of pure white, indicating undying loyalty to the King and to Eldora. 'Why are they here?' wondered Daerahil. 'What could they tell the Council that I do not know?'

  For the first time, he began to have second thoughts about not having accepted Renfrew's offer of representation.

  Tapping the scepter once more, the king waited until all conversation had quieted and then said, 'I hereby declare this court in session. You may all be seated. In the matter of the Crown versus Prince Alfrahil, Lord Mergin will act for the crown, as prosecutor. Are you ready to proceed, Lord Mergin?'

  Mergin rose to his feet, bowed to the bench, and then, turning toward Daerahil, asked in a condescending tone of voice, 'My Lord Prince, will you insist upon on a trial, or will you admit your guilt to this Court? If you do so, the King shall be merciful, and your punishment much lighter than you deserve.'

  Daerahil stood. 'I will not,' he said. 'I am innocent of these charges. Smirk as much as you like, little man.' At this last comment, a gentle chuckle was heard from the gallery, where the remaining nobility of Eldora was gathered as public witnesses to the trial.

  'You will address the prosecutor as Lord Mergin!' thundered the king. 'One more such outburst and I shall hold you in contempt.'

  Daerahil glowered angrily but managed to hold his tongue. He gave a terse nod and seated himself again.

  'Lord Mergin?' said the king, and gestured with his scepter.

  'Very well, My Lord,' said Mergin implacably. 'I shall proceed.'

  Mergin first called the Dwarf named Otto to the small raised platform that allowed the witnesses to be seen by everyone in the court room. Otto was of medium height and middle years; only a bit of gray showed in his dark brown beard. His brown eyes were piercing in their stare at Mergin, a quality that apparently served him well in finding out secrets. He proudly wore a studded leather jerkin, though his axe had to remain outside the courtroom as no weapons were permitted inside. Mergin spoke. 'Will you tell only the truth in your testimony under penalty of death?'

  Otto replied, 'Yes.'

  'Please tell us your name and occupation,' said Mergin.

  'My name is Otto. I am a security engineer assigned to the City of Titania. Golbur, Lord of Edelhohle, sent me here, to help prince Alfrahil search a room in a joy house here in Titania.'

  'Did you find anything in your investigation?'

  'Yes, I discovered certain documents hidden in a secret compartment under the floor of the room where the madam of the house kept her accounts. I gave them to you personally, my Lord. What happened to them afterward, I do not know.'

  'Are these the same documents that are before you today?' asked Mergin, striding forward and handing him a sheaf of parchments.

  'They appear to be, Lord Mergin. They are in the original binding, and the writing looks the same.'

  'Does the accused have any questions of this witness?' asked the king.

  'No, my Lord.'

  'Very well, Otto, you are excused,' replied Creon. 'Call your next witness, Lord Mergin.'

  'I call Hemnar of the messenger corps.'

  Hemnar was called to the witness stand and sworn in, and asked to give his name and profession by Mergin.
>
  'I am Hemnar, a senior code breaker of the messenger corps.'

  'Do you recognize these documents that Otto has just identified?

  'Yes, you gave me those documents the same day that Otto found them; I spent several days translating them.'

  'What do the documents say?' asked Mergin.

  'The documents are financial records showing that monies paid by Prince Daerahil were given to one Fafnir, who is present here in the courtroom. Fafnir is a well-known banker and moneylender and is mentioned throughout these documents.'

  'What else do these documents say, Hemnar?' asked Lord Mergin.

  'The rest of the documents show that Fafnir has been financing known rebel groups in Shardan and that it is likely, though not certain, that some of Prince Daerahil's money was used to aid these rebels.'

  'Thank you, Hemnar,' said Mergin. 'I have no further questions.'

  Again the king asked if Daerahil cared to question the witness, and again Daerahil declined. Hemnar was then excused.

  At Daerahil's refusal, there rose a distinct murmuring from the assembled ministers and other wealthy members of the gallery, and even the lesser lords of Eldora whispered amongst themselves.

  'Your majesty,' said Mergin, 'I have here an open warrant for the arrest of Fafnir for conspiracy to commit treason, a charge supported by Hemnar in this Chamber today. As this is the highest charge in the land, I would ask that he be immediately taken under guard to a cell, there to wait for his day in Court.'

  Daerahil leapt to his feet. 'I protest, your Majesty! Fafnir must be allowed to testify on my behalf, as he is the author of these documents and can clearly demonstrate my innocence where these books are concerned.'

  The king paused for a moment before responding. 'The law of Eldora is clear. Once charges of treason have been brought, the accused shall be immediately isolated, so that his treason may not spread. I am sorry, Prince Daerahil, but Fafnir must be removed at once. You may have some additional time to familiarize yourself with the documents in question; however, so that you may present us with any testimony Fafnir might have otherwise given.'

  Daerahil blanched at this. The documents were in a code he did not know and could not hope to translate even if he had weeks and not mere moments to do so. He sank back into his chair.

  Next Mergin called the army captain to the stand and bade him state his name and rank.

  'Kerer, my Lord, Captain of the army assigned to the defense of Estellius.'

  'What can you tell us of the men who tried to slay Prince Alfrahil on that day?' asked Mergin.

  'They were eastern veterans who had travel and reassignment orders allowing them to replace a normal crew on a ballista,' said Kerer.

  'Was there anything out of the ordinary about their orders?' asked Mergin.

  'Yes,' replied the captain. 'They were signed by Prince Daerahil himself.'

  'I signed no such orders,' said Daerahil vehemently as he rose to his feet. 'I demand to be shown these documents!'

  'Alas,' said the captain, 'the documents were stolen from my office by one of the cohorts of the assassins. He set them ablaze and then took his own life when we tried to capture him.'

  'How convenient. So you have no evidence to present before this Council, just unsubstantiated allegations,' observed Daerahil scornfully. 'My Lord King, I urge you to strike the testimony of this witness, as there is no evidence to support his claims.'

  'The truth of the witness' testimony is a question for all of the Judges in this Court to determine, but I will instruct the Judges to discount his testimony as to the contents of the orders if you can show bias or deceit. Do you have any questions of this witness?'

  Daerahil was not about to make the same mistake twice. 'Captain Kerer, do you have any personal disagreements with me or any reason to speak falsely about me today? Were you not indeed under my brother's command? Is your first loyalty not to him?'

  'No, my Lord Prince, I actually served under your command faithfully, and I have only the greatest respect for you and for what you have done for the veterans under your command. It is with great reluctance that I am here today, but I must tell the truth as I know it.'

  Defeated again, Daerahil sat down, but first asked that the guard captain remain in case he should want to recall him for further testimony.

  'We now turn to the actions of Prince Daerahil in Ackerlea,' said Mergin, and called one of the guardsmen from Ackerlea to the stand.

  'Who are you and what is your position?'

  'My name is Elard. I am a sergeant of the guard of Ackerlea.'

  'Did you see the accused on his most recent visit to Ackerlea?'

  'Yes.'

  'Did he say anything surprising in your presence?'

  'Yes. He said that the two princes of Eldora should not be at risk on the same day and that he wished he had been born before his brother.'

  There was more murmuring at this information, but Daerahil knew that he could refute this evidence quite easily, as Hardacil, his aide de camp, was present in the court room and had heard the statements and would testify that they had been made in jest. Therefore he did not ask any question of the guardsman.

  Next, Mergin called the messenger from the governor of Shardan, who testified that Daerahil had usurped the powers of the governor and his men, forcing the governor's men to retreat to their barracks as Daerahil assumed command of the province. Again, the facts were not in dispute, only the reasons behind them. As Daerahil planned to develop those reasons later in his defense, he did not ask any questions of the messenger.

  'Finally, my Lord King,' said Mergin, 'I would ask that this court take notice of Prince Daerahil's formal reprimand for supplying aid to veterans' groups in direct contradiction of the King's will. With that, I rest my case in chief against the accused. Thank you, my Lords, for listening to the evidence presented today.'

  Taking his seat, Mergin smiled malevolently at Daerahil, who now rose and stated, 'I cannot translate the documents from the joy house, but the translations of Fafnir are here at hand, and I would ask that they be admitted into evidence, my Lord King.'

  'Gladly, Prince Daerahil,' said the king, 'but first you must have someone testify that the documents are authentic as to their content. Can you provide any such authentication?'

  'Father, you know I cannot, and it was for this very purpose that my witness was taken from this chamber earlier today.'

  'Silence, Prince Daerahil,' thundered Creon. 'You will address me as my Lord or my King. As to this matter, if you are so foolish to rely upon accused traitors in your defense, then you deserve to face the consequences of such reckless behavior. Perhaps there is another legal argument you care to make?'

  Daerahil now cursed the fact that he did not have legal counsel, for he was so angry at the unfairness of these proceedings that he could not think straight and was forced to say, 'No, my Lord.'

  'Then proceed with your next evidence or witness,' said the King.

  'I shall first testify on my own behalf,' said Daerahil. 'My Lords, I can but swear to you that while Fafnir did indeed invest my money and gave some portions of it to the Veterans of Eldora, I am unaware of any link between Fafnir and rebels in Shardan.'

  'I trust you can provide documentation of that,' said Creon.

  'I have no documents to support my claim,' Daerahil admitted. 'But I speak as a prince of the realm.'

  'A prince on trial for sedition,' Mergin interjected.

  'Continue, Prince Daerahil,’ said the king before Daerahil could respond to Mergin.

  Daerahil called Captain Kerer back to the stand. 'What evidence do you have to support your claims that the assassins in Estellius were connected with me in any way?'

  Stammering for a moment, the captain responded, 'I only know that I saw the orders with my own eyes, Prince Daerahil.'

  'You claim to have seen my signature on the conveniently missing orders. Had you ever seen my signature before that day?'

  'No, my Lord,' replied the capta
in.

  'Have you seen it since that day?''

  'No, my Lord.'

  'Then for all you know, it was a forgery, similar to the one on the message calling me to Ackerlea. I now ask Prince Paladir to examine this message that I present and ask him to tell what he knows.'

  Prince Paladir rose and, glancing down at the message bidding Daerahil to Ackerlea, told the tribunal that he had been drugged and his signet ring used on a message directing Daerahil to Ackerlea.

  'Why is this relevant?' objected Mergin.

  'Because if someone could gain access to the signet ring of a Prince of Eldora to authenticate a false message, then it is even more likely that someone gained access to the simple offices of a guard Captain of Eldora,' Daerahil said. 'Furthermore, it is highly likely that these same people were responsible for the message that the captain claims I signed.'

  Muttering broke out from the assembled members of the court, and Daerahil saw several of the Lords of Eldora nodding their heads in agreement. Daerahil knew he had struck the first real blow against the evidence presented that day.

  'If you have no further questions of the captain, then he is excused,' said the king stonily.

  'I have no further questions of him, my Lord,' replied Daerahil. 'I admit I said those words about wishing that I had been born before my brother, but they were uttered in jest, as rumor would have me actually wanting to usurp my brother's place. Finally, that day in Ackerlea, when the first rumor of strife went up about the vile attack on my brother, what I said in all seriousness was: 'Eldora cannot afford to have both of its princes at risk.' May the gods protect my brother and my father from harm, but I must put my duty to Eldora and its people over even their safety. This is what I meant, and by no means did I wish my brother any ill.

  'Finally, I admit to overreaching my bounds within Shardan and taking command from the provincial governor, but his troops were ransacking and looting the province. My Lords, I have brought documents supporting the condition of the provinces before and after I took over, and if I have committed sedition in this action, I must admit my guilt. I ask that these documents be admitted for consideration.'