by C. R. Daems
"Did I do right, Sister? I'm supposed to maintain the dignity of the judicators, but I get so mad at their arrogance and superiority that I forget and revert back to Jola the street rat."
"If you do anything that reflects poorly on the judicators, I'll be the first to let you know. We don't give up who we are when we become judicators, nor should we try. Your actions were appropriate considering the circumstances, and demonstrated the consequences of rebellion."
"Where are we going now?" She knew they eventually were headed for Warring, at the southern tip of Essam, but was unsure which route they would take.
"I thought we would stop at Egon and Gotter. That gives us a chance to assess the mood in a variety of Essam cities and towns. Etzel clearly had discontent, although it wasn't anywhere near open revolt. I believe someone is instigating the current resentment. For now, the situation in Etzel is manageable," Tenzen said. "In addition, it'll give us more time to practice. I've a feeling that we'll encounter more open hostility as we travel further south."
* * *
Egon was a midsize town located in a valley, with towering mountains to its east and west. They rode through groves of fruit trees and past small, fertile looking farms as they neared the town. Tenzen continued to insist they make camp early each night to practice with dagger and sword. After dinner when they sat at the campfire in front of their tent, Tenzen told Jola stories of her childhood growing up in Ironwood, adventures on her early circuits, and life as a self-defense teacher at the monastery. For all Tenzen's deadliness, her warm, loving personality made Jola feel as if she were a part of her family. Jola tried not to think ahead to the day she would no longer travel with her sister, who had become almost the mother Jola had never known. Their trek to Egon took six days, but Jola wished it would never end.
Once in Egon, they rode through busy streets filled with farmers' carts on their way to market. The buildings were mostly wattle and daub, but seemed well cared for and solid. Tenzen's coin got them clean, airy rooms at the Happy Valley Inn. The local governor, Marquess Oergo, joined them for a goblet of wine and requested a judgment, which Tenzen accepted, beginning two days hence.
The next day, Tenzen and Jola wandered around the town talking with everyone they met, eating at two vendors' stalls, and shopping. Jola purchased a few ribbons for her hair, which her viper seemed to like. Tenzen went through stacks of leather at a stall until she found a piece to repair her sword belt. The mood in the town was sober. People in the market seemed tense, and Jola heard muttering when nobles passed.
* * *
Jola sat in an old chair with arms, which hadn't been elevated as custom dictated. The room was small and the seating limited. As she looked around, she saw that the people attending the judgment appeared to be limited to nobles and guards. Jola didn't like the feel of the mood in the room, so she motioned to the captain.
"Captain, the trial will be postponed for three hours while you move my chair outside, elevate it, and give notice in the town of the pending judgment," Jola said, and smiled at the captain.
"Mistress, I was told-" The captain stopped speaking when Jola raised a hand, and her viper raised its head off her shoulder. The captain turned pale and nodded.
"Three hours," she repeated. Tenzen nodded to her, and she followed her mentor out to stroll through the streets for a while.
When Jola and Tenzen returned, the chair had been moved and elevated as she had instructed. She also noticed that a fair-size crowd had gathered in their absence. As they approached the chair, Marquess Oergo stepped in front of them.
"Mistress Jola, I had asked the captain to set up that room for the judgment," Oergo said with a crack of authority.
"That's all right, Marquess Oergo. I'm sure you couldn't have known that cramped and crowded rooms make me nervous," Jola said, and continued to walk toward the makeshift platform. As do arrogant nobles. She heard Tenzen choke back a laugh that she converted to a cough. At the same time, Jola's viper decided to stretch itself out on her left shoulder, which just happened to be on the side where Oergo walked. He stepped aside reflexively, stopped, turned, and walked away. She reached the elevated chair and stood surveying the crowd before seating herself. There was still a fair number of guards and nobles; however, the number of merchants and other commoners present outnumbered them three to one.
"In the name of King Nicolas, I, Judicator Jola, do hereby call this judgment in session. Captain, read the dispute please."
"Mistress, Merchant Apsel, a metalsmith, created a pendant for Lord Vache's wife. He contends he wasn't paid the agreed upon price," the captain read.
"Apsel's a liar," someone shouted. Jola scanned the crowd but couldn't pick out where the shout had come from.
Jola stood, her viper coiled around her extended arm. "Let's get the rules straight. I'm Judicator Jola, and this judgment is now in session. I will, therefore, fine any person who speaks without my permission. Fines go to the king, not to me. He'll collect them, not me. Verbal or physical attacks on me will result in an appropriate punishment. Any such punishments will be enforced by your local governor; if not by him, then by Duke Serkan, who offered a troop of soldiers to escort us here, and if not by him, then by the king." Jola looked around the gathering, smiled, and reseated herself. The nobles seem to have forgotten that judicators are the law and have power over them as well as the commoners.
"Captain, call forth the parties." She waited, unmoving, while the two men came forward.
"Merchant Apsel, please tell me what you were contracted to make for Lord Vache."
"Yes, Mistress. I have a drawing of the pendant I made for Lord Vache," Apsel said, and handed it to the captain, who handed it to Jola.
"Did Lord Vache agree to this drawing, Merchant Apsel?"
"Yes, Mistress."
"He's a liar," Vache said.
Jola sensed truth from Apsel and falseness from Vache. "Twenty-silvers fine, Lord Vache-ten for interrupting the proceeding and ten for lying to me. Now, unless you'd like additional fines, would you please show me the pendant Merchant Apsel made for you?"
Lord Vache reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold pendant, which he handed to the captain.
"Captain, please give the pendant to Merchant Apsel." She waited until Apsel had the pendant. "Merchant Apsel, is that the pendant you made?"
"Yes, Mistress," Apsel said. He handed it back to the captain, who handed it to Jola. Sensing truth, Jola examined the pendant. It was a green gem in a gold cage on a gold chain-a beautiful piece. When she had finished examining it, she handed it to Tenzen, who examined it and handed it back to her without comment. Now that she had determined what the agreement had been, she moved on to the second objective, getting them to acknowledge it.
"Merchant Apsel, what was the agreed upon price?" Jola asked, as her viper popped out of her sleeve, appearing to examine the pendant with its tongue.
"Forty silvers, Mistress."
Vache's mouth opened and then closed, and his face turned red. Jola sensed truth from Apsel. "Lord Vache, it's now your turn. What was the agreed upon price?"
"Forty silvers if I liked the finished product, Mistress. I... " Vache started, but stopped when Jola raised her hand, which held the pendant and a viper. Jola sensed truth.
"Merchant Apsel, was that your understanding?" Jola asked with a mental sigh. This was a boring story that she hoped fervently would end soon.
Apsel hesitated a moment.
"Mistress... yes."
Jola sensed truth. Now she needed to find an equitable solution.
"Merchant Apsel, have you received an advance from Lord Vache?"
"No, Mistress."
"Could you resell the pendant for close to that price?"
"Yes, Mistress."
"Lord Vache, am I correct in assuming that you don't like the finished product?" Jola asked and then waited patiently. If he says 'no,' I think I'll send him to the iron mines.
"Yes, Mistress. No. My wife doesn't like it,"
Vache said to several snickers from the nobles in the crowd.
"I've reached a decision." At last, Jola mused, wondering how this disagreement had ever gone to a judgment. Worse, how did the town's nobles and commoners get involved?
She stood and waited for silence.
"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 Lord Vache and Merchant Apsel." Jola chanted the ritual words preceding a verdict. "I decree the following:
"First, their agreement is void.
"Second, the pendant is Merchant Apsel's property and shall be returned to him.
"Third, Lord Vache is to pay to the king the twenty-silvers fine imposed by me during the proceeding.
"So say the Judicators of Pyxus."
* * *
The next day, Jola and Tenzen strolled down to the merchants' street. Merchants, freemen, and a few nobles stopped Jola continuously. It appeared that the disagreement between Apsel and Vache had caused a great deal of tension between the nobles and commoners. The nobles felt Apsel had cheated Vache and couldn't be trusted; the merchants felt Vache had cheated Apsel and could not be trusted. Of course, Apsel and Vache had fueled the dispute with their biases and half-truths. Jola's decision was greeted as fair and provided relief from the tension. The nobles reluctantly agreed that Jola had warned everyone and that Vache had been stupid to ignore her. Besides, twenty silvers meant little to a noble.
She did hear a few rumors about the nobles down south. Mostly, they dealt with the nobles getting favorable treatment-or appropriate treatment, depending on the speaker. When Tenzen decided to return to the inn, Jola intentionally meandered into the poorer part of Egon. There, the houses were one-story and mostly dilapidated. The people for the most part worked hard, but were unable to rise out of their poverty. They were cautious at first, equating judicators with nobles. But Jola's friendliness and affinity with them soon dispelled their fears, and a crowd developed. Jola learned first-hand about life in Egon from the perspective of the poor. The good citizens of Egon, including commoners, guards and nobles, looked down upon them and used them. However, Jola believed it was no worse than in other cities.
"Mistress," a thin man said hesitantly. He was dressed in moderately good used clothes.
"Yes, Freeman... ?" Jola thought that the man didn't look like he belonged in this part of town-something about his bearing.
"Freeman Gemeth, Mistress. My family and I were forced to leave Gotter. The nobles have become the law."
"What do you mean, Freeman Gemeth?" Jola had finally found someone who'd lived in Gotter, not someone who'd heard from someone who'd heard from someone...
"They kept coming into my shop, taking things, and leaving only a few coppers for items worth several silvers. When I complained to the Marquess, the nobles claimed I'd cheated them. A few days later, the same young nobles set fire to my shop. The guard implied that I had set the fire to blame the nobles. I heard talk that they might lock me up. I had no option but to take my family and leave."
"Thank you, Freeman Gemeth. I'm going to Gotter, and I appreciate the information. I hope to be able to resolve your grievance while I'm there."
Jola continued to wander and talk with the residents, and found several more individuals from Gotter. The stories varied, but all described an atmosphere of unchecked abuse similar to Pet's story at the iron mines.
The following morning, Jola and Tenzen rode out for Gotter, the last stop before Warring. After Tenzen heard what Jola had learned in Egon, she told her they would take a few extra days traveling to Gotter. She wanted to continue stopping early each day to practice. Jola knew her sister expected trouble and wanted her mentally and physically prepared.
They encountered few travelers on the road between Egon and Gotter. Those they saw appeared subdued. As evening approached on the fifth night, they were only a few leagues short of Gotter when Tenzen decided to stop for the night. They practiced, ate and retired early.
Jola awoke feeling agitated. It took a moment to realize the cause. Her viper had detected emotions of anger and hate, and woken her. At the same moment, Tenzen arose with her sword drawn. Jola drew her sword and followed Tenzen out of the tent. Within seconds, six men came crashing through the underbrush into the clearing. Two nobles led four soldiers in Tasman uniforms.
"There they are," a soldier shouted.
"These are the rogue judicators we're seeking. Kill them." A noble pointed his sword at Tenzen and smiled.
Tenzen raised her sword toward the advancing soldiers and flipped her viper into the noble's smiling face. His scream distracted the soldiers enough for Tenzen to kill the closest one. Jola cut off two of the advancing soldiers before they could attack Tenzen. She ducked under the first man's swing at her head, while bringing her sword up into his armpit for the kill. The second soldier hesitated, backing up a couple of steps.
The remaining noble turned and ran toward his horse. Taking advantage of the soldier's hesitation, Jola flung her viper with all her strength in the retreating nobleman's direction. The viper landed short but slithered after the running noble. He managed to make it to his horse and mount. As he turned his horse, the viper struck the horse's leg. The horse bucked, throwing the man over his head. The animal staggered a few steps before it collapsed. The fallen noble didn't move, so Jola dismissed him.
Jola and Tenzen now had only one opponent each. The men rushed them, but the fight only lasted a few seconds. Jola quickly killed her opponent. As she looked down at him, she wondered who would care that he had died-friends, wife, children. When she finally looked up, she noted that Tenzen's opponent had only been wounded. Jola walked slowly over to him and watched him unsuccessfully struggle to rise. His injured leg wouldn't support him. Jola could smell the fear that radiated from him.
"You could live, if you were willing to answer a few questions." She returned her sword to her belt and reached down to pick up her viper, which had returned.
"What questions... Mistress?"
"Your name." Jola gently and slowly brushed the dirt off her viper. She could see the terror in the man's face as he tried to push himself backward.
"Ilario... Corporal Ilario, Mistress."
"Corporal Ilario, why did the nobles want us dead?" Ilario stared as Jola's viper wound its way up her arm.
"There is a trial tomorrow in Gotter. Several nobles are accused of raping two women. The judicator we're accompanying favors the nobles." Ilario stuttered, his eyes glued to her viper as it twisted into her hair.
Tenzen attended to the soldier's wounds while he continued to talk. The presence of two vipers so close had beads of sweat dripping down his face. He claimed that only his captain knew all the details about the Judicator Shalea. The Duke of Tasman had assigned a captain and twenty-five soldiers to protect her. During their trip to Gotter, Judicator Shalea had judged the freemen and merchant cases fairly. But nobles had always been given favorable treatment.
Tenzen prepared breakfast as Jola collected the horses, gear, and weapons. The soldiers had standard-issue gear. The noblemen's gear looked well made and expensive. They found nothing that related to the person pretending to be a judicator. After breakfast, they tied the dead men to their horses, and the horses to a tether that included Corporal Ilario. With Tenzen in the lead and Jola at the rear, they proceeded on the road to Gotter.
Tenzen and Jola had dressed casually for the trip into Gotter. After what Jola had learned from recent Gotter residents, they wanted to appear less conspicuous. They hadn't anticipated leading a procession of dead men into the city. As they approached the city gate, a captain and several soldiers intercepted them.
"Halt!" the captain shouted as they approached. "What happened here?"
"Good afternoon, Captain," Tenzen said. "If your men would look after the horses and the wounded man, we would like to talk to you alone."
"Why?" The captain frowned at Tenzen while his eyes scrutinized the
m.
"It concerns judgments and judicators," Tenzen replied, and moved her horse away, forcing the captain to make a decision.
"Sergeant, you and the men watch those horses and the wounded man." He followed Tenzen. When she had gone forty meters, she stopped and waited for the captain and Jola.
"Captain... ?" Tenzen asked. He was a tall man, with rust-colored hair and a handsome, clean-shaven face. His uniform was well kept and clean. For now, he seemed patient. Jola doubted that would last for long. He appeared to be a no-nonsense individual.
"I'm Captain Marek of the Gotter city guard. Who are you?"
"I'm Judicator Tenzen and this young woman, Judicator Jola. We've come from a meeting with Duke Serkan, who indicated that there is unrest here in the south." Tenzen implied that they had the duke's support. "He was right. We were attacked this morning by two nobles and four Tasman soldiers. I doubt His Grace authorized their travel in Essam."
"Mistress, Marquess Stassio authorized the entry of a large group of Tasman soldiers into Essam. The nobles are from Essam," Marek said. His eyes shifted back and forth between the two women. "Since members of their party attacked you, I've reason to have them removed. And I can provide you an escort until they're gone."
"Captain Marek, are you interested in justice?" Tenzen asked. "Judicator justice, equal for commoners and nobles?"
"Justice hasn't been equal lately, Mistress. Rumor has it that the nobles who raped two local women will be set free, by the judicator accompanying the Tasman soldiers. I've talked to the women. They were indeed raped. Unfortunately, my authority is limited in this matter. If these nobles are set free, there will be riots in the streets." Marek's voice rose, and his face tensed in stony anger.
"If you'll have your guards restrain the Tasman soldiers, I'll do the rest, Captain." Jola spoke for the first time. "And you can forget that you know I'm a judicator."
"Sister Jola, I'll take care of the Tasman judicator. I want you to ride to the Kasavan border. The Kasavans will assist you in getting to Northgate so you can return to Tyrol," Tenzen said in her best senior-to-junior voice. Her lips pursed in a stern, no-nonsense look.
