by C. R. Daems
"Good evening, men. I'm Jola and this is Mistress Tenzen," Jola said in a firm voice. "I have already sampled the food at the inn, and I thought I'd like to compare it to your menu."
That raised a weak but spontaneous laugh from everyone. One guard started to say something, but Tenzen raised her hand, which silenced him. Most of the other guards seemed content to watch. Jola had noticed most of them among the crowd at the judgment when she fined the marquess. Her mouth twitched in amusement when Tenzen caught her eye.
Jola ate a few spoonfuls of gruel before looking at the thin, middle-aged man across from her. "And what did a gutter rat like you do to get such fine accommodations? No lies please, it will put me off my food."
After the laughing stopped, the man answered. "I was a professional thief. One day I was robbing a house I thought was empty. The owner caught me." He frowned into his bowl. "I only pushed him to get away, but he died."
Jola felt the truth of his statement. "You're no gutter rat, so what did you do?" Jola asked the older man with thinning hair that sat next to him.
"I killed my wife. She had nagged me every minute of every day for twenty years. I just couldn't take it any longer," the man said, the muscles of his neck knotting as he spoke.
Jola sensed truth. "Was it worth it?"
"No, the guards are worse nags than my wife was!"
That brought more laughter from the room. Jola spent an entertaining hour with the prisoners. The guards watched in silence, but several had to struggle to keep straight faces. Jola thought that the guards enjoyed the diversion as much as the prisoners.
At last, Jola rose, raising her hands for silence. "This former street rat and her friend thank you for the fine food and stimulating conversation." As she rose and strolled from the room, followed by Tenzen, applause echoed.
"Was that for my education, Sister Jola?" Tenzen asked as they strolled back to their quarters. "If it was, it was certainly effective. I don't think I've ever eaten anything that disgusting."
"I have, and at the time was happy to have it," Jola said absently, deep in thought.
"You are a good addition to the Sisterhood of Astraea and the Judicators of Pyxus. It's difficult to understand people unless you have lived among them. Those prisoners recognized you and were comfortable with you. They appreciated the laughter you brought into their hard lives and respected you for it. And to pay for my education, I'll save you the trouble of confronting Lord Thomas. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
* * *
As Jola climbed the steps of the platform the next morning, a sergeant approached her, while another guard several paces behind him kept a hand clamped on a prisoner's shoulder.
"Mistress, the prisoner Dun said he had something important to tell you. I can return him to his work detail if you don't want to talk to him."
"Let him approach, Sergeant." Jola wondered what Dun had done to be sentenced to the mine. He didn't seem to fit in.
"Mistress, you were kind to us yesterday... "
"No, Dun. I merely sought justice."
"Mistress, I just wanted to warn you. I'm from Gotter, in Essam. The nobles there are taking over the province. Be careful. They're dangerous and they hate the judicators," Dun said in a whisper, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
Jola could feel Dun's worry and concern for her. Her viper seemed to agree; it emerged from her hair with its head draped over her ear, as if listening.
"Dun, what did you do to be sentenced to the mines?"
"I fought with a noble. He kidnapped and molested my wife."
"How badly did you hurt him?" Jola found herself getting immersed in Dun's story. She wanted to understand exactly what had happened.
"I broke his nose, Mistress."
"Which judicator judged your case?"
"There was no judicator. Some noble made up the order."
Jola knew Dun believed what he said. Even though she didn't know all of the circumstances, something seemed to have gone disastrously awry in Dun's case.
"Thank you, Dun."
Jola strode onto the platform, determined to resolve the mystery. Her red robe caught the breeze, fluttering around her; she saw flashes of the morning sun as her golden-scaled mask reflected its rays. Her viper coiled around her raised arm.
"Let it be known to all citizens of Pyxus that Judicator Jola has resolved beyond any man's right to question the issue before her involving the murder of Corporal Valdrin," Jola chanted. "I decree the following:
"First, Dun, Art, and Pet are innocent of all charges, including that of trying to escape.
"Second, Subcaptain Earleek's guilty of murder, and sentenced to ten years in the iron mines.
"Third, Lord Thomas is to pay the king the twenty-silvers fine imposed by me as the presiding judicator.
"So say the Judicators of Pyxus."
Jola held up her hand, with her viper coiled around her arm like a vine. She had asked that all guards attend the sentencing.
"As a judicator, I'd remind the guards and prisoners that former Subcaptain Earleek's entitled to no special treatment, good or bad, and that I'll be passing here again and again. What he did was wrong, although he did it with the intention of helping both prisoners and guards." Jola paused for a moment, looking at each guard.
"My next comments I say as a Sister of Astraea. The prisoners here have earned their sentences and deserve their punishment. Some should never be freed. However, men who are healthy work better, live longer, and because they have something to live for are less trouble. Keeping them healthy requires decent food, a good night's sleep, and reasonable breaks for water and rest. Healthy men will eventually increase the productivity of the mine, which will benefit Pyxus." Jola paused for several moments, waiting for comments. Hearing none, she left the platform.
* * *
"I checked with Lord Thomas. Dun's order was signed by a non-existent judicator," Tenzen said as she pushed back her plate from breaking fast.
Jola leaned back in her chair, her eyes wide at the thought of someone committing such a crime. Something had to be done for Dun. She couldn't undo what had happen, but she could see that the injustice went no further.
"Can you free Dun? He doesn't deserve to be here."
"You're a judicator. You have the authority to free Dun and to reimburse him." Tenzen smiled.
"Me?"
"Yes, Judicator Jola. Your word is the word of the king."
Jola sat dumbfounded. She knew the judicators conducted judgments and imposed punishments, which were law. But she had never really grasped the words "In the name of King Nicolas" she repeated each time she began a judgment. She, street rat Jola, spoke for the king of Pyxus.
* * *
They rode away from Iron Hills the next day. Jola had signed a letter of pardon for Dun and authorized a payment of fifty silvers, and Tenzen had secured a promise from Thomas to improve the prisoners' food and to consider implementing Jola's suggestions.
Tenzen was at first quiet as they rode off toward the town of Northgate, located in the North Pass, an opening in the Pyxus Spine where the borders of Tyrol, Manito, Rador, and Kasava met. It would be a four-day journey over gently rolling hills.
"Sister Jola, I think this has been the easiest and most entertaining circuit I've ever undertaken. I'm impressed with how personally interested in each case you are and how you manage to engage the crowds. Even your viper seems to be involved. I don't think I've ever seen a viper that seemed to complement so well the personality of its judicator. When you're focused on questioning a person, your viper has its head on your head, or shoulder, or arm, staring at the person. When you challenge a person, your viper takes a challenging posture. When Lord Thomas shouted at you, it rose off your head as if say, 'my judicator rules here.' It appears as involved in the proceedings as you are," Tenzen said.
"My viper's more than my companion. It's a close friend, a friend I've come to trust and rely on. Besides, it would be boring for it to just hang around my neck like
a scarf," Jola said. Her viper's head appeared out of the neck of her bodice and slid up onto her shoulder to look at Tenzen, who couldn't help but laugh.
"Some of the sisters believe that each golden viper has part of the God Naga in it, and some believe that the God Naga has given the vipers intelligence. I've always thought that my viper was intelligent. Watching you two interact, I'd say it's enjoying itself as much as you are. Maybe it does have a part of the God."
* * *
The next two days, they traveled steadily from daybreak until near dark. Tenzen kept to their previous schedule, stopping early each night for practice. Jola could now calm herself within seconds. Consequently, although she wasn't Tenzen's equal, she was becoming a formidable opponent.
Around noon on the third day, as they crested a hill, they saw five men on horses spread out to block the road. Tenzen drew up ten meters in front of them and signaled for Jola to stop. The man in the center nudged his horse a meter ahead of the others. Only his lips showed through the cloth mask he wore, along with the others. He was dressed all in black leather, while the other men wore an assortment of dark-colored clothes. Their horses were good, but not warhorses.
"Well, ladies, I'm afraid everyone who uses this road has to pay a fee, to keep it safe from robbers," the man said, to a chorus of chuckles from his companions.
"What's the fee you and your friends wish to collect?" Tenzen asked.
Jola sat quietly, assessing the group. They seemed to her like a typical street gang. The only dangerous one was the leader. The rest were followers.
"Well, those daggers, any silvers you are carrying, and a kiss for each of us," the man replied with a snicker.
"A kiss for each of you sounds like fun to me." Jola jumped down from her horse and sauntered toward them, untying her hair so that it hung loose. She dropped her cape and sword, and then removed her blouse to expose her breasts, nipples tensing in the chilly air. "Well, what are you waiting for? Are you all talk and no action?"
The man sat there, mouth open for several seconds, and then flung himself off his horse and walked toward her. Her viper coiled under her hair at the back of her neck. The other four men sat on their horses, transfixed by the sight of a semi-naked woman.
As the man in black reached her, he grinned and grabbed the back of her arms, jerking her against him. Just as suddenly, he jerked his hands away and stumbled backward, blood dripping down his hand from puncture marks. His face flickered through shock, anger, pain, and fear as Jola's viper dangled over her shoulder, its tail still in her hair. Then he collapsed, his body shaking with convulsions. She shook her head as she stared at the man. She wondered why he had chosen a life of violence. When she looked up, two other men had dismounted. One headed for her, and the other toward Tenzen. Jola stooped to retrieve her sword as the man approached. He smiled, his attention on her naked chest, ignoring her sword. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Tenzen had dismounted in the confusion and was advancing on the other man. Jola's assailant lunged at her stomach. She turned sidewise, changing her profile and letting his sword slide by only a few fingers' length from her stomach. With his sword arm stretched past her, she drew her sword up, severing his hand at the wrist. He stepped back, looked at the blood pumping out, and collapsed. She felt sad, looking at the men. She had not joined the Sisters to kill. Yet, two men lay dead at her feet.
A man also lay at Tenzen's feet. Jola's viper coiled around her neck, hissing, with fangs exposed. The remaining two men turned their horses and galloped away.
"I don't think they liked my kisses, Sister," Jola said, with a humor she didn't feel. What mattered, she realized, was that she and Tenzen had survived. She moved her viper to her face and kissed it. "I don't think they liked your kisses either, my golden friend. Don't fret, I like them."
"They were so mesmerized by your breasts, I could have left without being noticed. You don't believe in fighting fair, do you, Jola?" Tenzen said with a wry laugh.
"Fair? On the streets, a fair fight is when you win. We won, so it must have been a fair fight." Jola retrieved her shirt and began dressing.
"That was a clever move, although I'm surprised you could overcome your embarrassment enough to expose yourself."
"Embarrassed over exposing my body? Being seen naked embarrasses no one who's been a bonded servant. Bonded servants have no privacy, nor can they expect any. Only the wealthy have that luxury," Jola said, as she finished dressing.
"I may be learning more from you than you are from me. I come from a well-off family and have had a comfortable life. I'd never have gone to visit the prisoners, or sat with them and eaten that gruel, or undressed in front of five robbers. My instinct was to fight, even with the bad odds. Yet you found it as natural as breathing. You're teaching me to look at people differently, and I thank you, my sister."
"You're teaching me to look at wealthy people differently, and to defend myself. For that, I thank you, my sister."
They flung the three bodies across the men's saddles and strung the horses together before they left. Rather than stopping to camp with three dead bodies, they decided to ride through the night. Jola shuddered. It felt eerie traveling in the shadows of massive oak trees, trailed by three dead men.
Later, as Jola and Tenzen rode across a rocky slope, Northgate came into view through a small valley between the peaks. Jola shifted in her saddle. A judicator's arrival created talk, and a few spectators. Two judicators leading three horses with dead men over the saddles would create countless rumors and draw a crowd.
By the time they reached the gates, the captain of the guard and two of his soldiers awaited them. After a brief explanation, the captain decided to guide them to their inn, the Four Corners, while Tenzen told him the details of the encounter. When she finished, the captain stared back at Jola with wide eyes and open mouth.
Jola wasn't sure whether he was shocked or fantasizing. It didn't help that her viper chose that time to poke its head out from between her breasts. Maybe it's developing a sense of humor. Jola giggled inwardly.
"It's all right, Captain. Judicator Tenzen will make sure I behave myself in public," Jola said in a subservient tone, as she dismounted and walked into the inn.
* * *
When Tenzen and Jola entered the dining room later that evening, a tall, thin nobleman was waiting for them.
"Senior Judicator Tenzen, I'm Marquess Romano. I'd be honored to have you and your assistant join me for dinner at my home." He fiddled with the jeweled pommel on his longsword as he spoke.
"We would be honored, Marquess Romano," Tenzen said.
They rode in Romano's carriage to his estate, a huge, fort-like mansion located on a hill and partly surrounded by mountains. The house, a combination of stone and wood, looked like it could withstand a siege. The compound included several other buildings for his armed retainers and servants, which looked to be numerous. An eight-foot stone wall with a parapet enclosed the estate.
Once inside, Jola counted forty-eight guests. Had he invited every one of his family, relatives, and friends to the dinner? Tenzen was escorted to the head of the table. Apparently not realizing that Jola was also a judicator, a servant led her to the other end where the less influential guests sat. Jola had to giggle at the situation, and at the tickling sensation her viper caused as it made itself comfortable inside her clothing.
After introducing himself to her, a rather good-looking, middle-aged noble, Baron Carlino, introduced Jola to the people around them.
"I'm pleased to meet you, and I hope you will forgive me if I don't remember all of your names. I'm Jola." She sat down and prepared to enjoy herself without the stress of having to act a part. She felt a little wicked, and hoped Tenzen wouldn't be too upset with her. It was worth it, she decided.
Most of her fellow diners pumped her for information about Judicator Tenzen, which Jola was happy to provide. She told them the story about the missing three swords, embellished it, and implied it was Tenzen who solved it. In turn
, they told her stories about recent incidents in Northgate, and much about Marquess Romano.
Finally, Baron Carlino said, "Jola, do you think you could get Judicator Tenzen to hear a case here in Northgate? The son of someone my wife's friendly with is in trouble for stealing. Everyone who knows him believes he's innocent, but the evidence seems strong against him. Judicator Tenzen sounds like a person who could get to the truth of it, if she could be persuaded to hear the case." He flushed and looked down at his plate, but continued. "My uncle doesn't seem interested in having a trial."
"I'll guarantee that the case will be heard, Baron Carlino," Jola said with an impish smile. She probably shouldn't have done it, but she couldn't resist. It was like stealing a piece of candy when she was a child. My viper made me do it. She suppressed a giggle.
"No disrespect, Jola, but how can you guarantee Judicator Tenzen will agree?"
"I can't, but I'll hear the case," Jola said. Everyone started to laugh at the joke until Jola's viper peeked out of her shirt. The silence slowly crept from guest to guest until it reached the head of the table.
"Mistress, I meant no disrespect. I didn't know. I've been calling you... " Carlino leaned back, trying to put some distance between himself and her viper.
"There was no disrespect, Lord Carlino. I didn't mention it. I guess it slipped my mind," Jola said, dismissing the incident, to chuckles and giggles, with a wave of her hand. "It has been a very enjoyable evening, thanks to you."
As the evening ended, the marquess sent for his coach to take them back to the inn. Jola had assured Romano that she was quite unconcerned about the mistake, and that Senior Judicator Tenzen was the rightful guest of honor. Strangely, he seemed more concerned over the upcoming trial. Several of his statements concerning the case grated over her skin like lies.
As they rode, she glanced at Tenzen from the corner of her eye. Her mentor hadn't yet mentioned that Jola had committed herself to a trial.
