Ordermaster (70 page)

"Guess I'll talk to Enelya first."

"She can come with us to Cantyl, if she wants."

"You givin' her a choice, but not me?"

   
Kharl did catch the attempt at humor this time. "That's right." He grinned.

   
After a moment, Jeka returned the grin, although hers was shaky. "You be careful."

   
"I will." He turned and hurried up to his chamber, where he washed quickly, donned his black jacket, then hastened down to the strong room to get more golds for Demyst. Then he locked up the chests and the strong room, and made his way up to the front portico and the waiting carriage beyond. Demyst stepped out into the rain and opened the door. He slipped inside after Kharl.

   
On the way to the Hall, Kharl gave Demyst the golds for the mounts. Then he studied the streets, and, when he could see it through the rain, the harbor. There were two iron-hulled warships moored at the outermost piers, and several wagons on the piers themselves. Kharl could barely make out the ensign on one-mostly blue. Although he did not recognize the design, he had no doubts that the vessels were Sarronnese, and that Luryessa, Jemelya, and the rest of the Sarronnese at the envoy's residence would be boarding those ships-if they had not already.

"Sarronnese ships/' suggested Demyst, looking past Kharl.

   
"They've closed their residence. If Erdyl's right, the Hamorian envoy is the only one left here in Brysta, except for us."

"How soon before the fighting starts, you think, ser?"

"I don't know. Another eightday. Could be sooner. Could be later."

"Even with guards, we can't really protect the residence."

   
"I know. We ought to have some supplies laid by so we could ride out in a hurry."

   
"Yes, ser. Already been working on that. Khelaya's been helping. Says she won't go with us, but she'll make sure we're ready to go. Any chance of catching a ship back to Austra?"

   
"No. Not that I know of." Besides, although Kharl wasn't about to say so, leaving now didn't feel right. Was that because he'd fled once before, and Ward and Arthal had died? Was he being stubborn and foolish? What could he do?

   
Offer his services to Lord West? When the lord had sentenced and executed Charee, knowing she was innocent?

"Ser?"

"Just thinking."

   
It was just half past the second glass of the morning when Mantar brought the carriage to a halt outside the Hall of Justice. After getting out, Kharl turned and looked at the driver. "This time, I'd like you to come back in a glass, Mantar, if you don't mind. I'm sorry about the rain, but I'll need you. If anything changes, Undercaptain Demyst will let you know."

"Yes, ser. Thought that might be the way it was."

   
Kharl readied himself, extending his order-senses, but he could detect nothing more than the usual minute trace of chaos that existed anywhere frequented by people. Once the two men stepped into the front foyer of the Hall of Justice, Undercaptain Demyst halted, stationing himself just inside the doors. Kharl walked on toward the two patroller guards.

"Just finishing the first one, ser."

"That didn't take long."

"No, ser. Never does."

   
Kharl slipped into the chamber, past the bailiff, who gave him a quick glance. Outside of those involved in the trial, the chamber was almost empty, except for a handful of men and a single woman in the front row on the left.

A sturdy man was being marched to face the justicer seated behind the

lower podium desk in his blue velvet gown-Lord Justicer Reynol, round-faced, gray-haired, and blocky. Behind him, on the upper dais, the single carved high-backed seat was vacant.

   
"... you have been accused of disturbing the peace and assaulting a patroller of the Watch. The first offense is a minority. The second is a majority against the Lord West. For the first, you are sentenced to five lashes. For the second you are sentenced to two years' hard labor in the quarries."

"No..."

"Any further outbursts will add another five lashes. Justice be done."

"All stand!" ordered the bailiff.

   
As the patrollers led the prisoner out, followed by two other patrollers who might have been witnesses, Kharl eased up the side of the chamber. He stood waiting at the end of the first row on the right side.

   
Fasyn, sitting at the side table, glanced toward Kharl. Beside him was Dasult.

   
The young scrivener murmured to Fasyn. "That the advocate for the next one?"

   
"... advocate . .. also lord and envoy from Austra ... sometimes watches cases ..."

   
The bailiff's staff thudded three times. "Is there one who would take the Justicer's Challenge? There being none, the Tenderer Werwal is here, accused of disturbing the peace, and a majority against the Lord, to be brought before justice!"

"Bailiff, bring forward Werwal, the Tenderer."

   
The doors at the back opened, and two patrollers stepped into the chamber, with Werwal between them.

   
As they marched Werwal in, Kharl noted that the eyes of the woman on the other end of the first row followed the Tenderer. Behind Werwal and the patrollers came Fyngel, the tariff farmer, and behind him, the slender figure of a captain that Kharl recognized too well-Egen. Ostcrag's son was surrounded by a mist of chaos, some of the chaos of having been exposed to magery and some the sullen reddish white chaos of evil. Kharl could also sense the chaos of a beating permeating Werwal.

   
Egen and Fyngel stood before the benches next to the aisle on the left side, less than ten cubits from Kharl.

"Does anyone represent the accused . .. Seeing no one-"

Kharl rose. "I would ask leave to represent the accused, your lordship."

   
The lord justicer stopped and looked to Fasyn, seated at the black table to the side. "Fasyn? Is he a registered advocate?"

Kharl could sense Egen's eyes upon him, but he did not turn.

   
"Ah.. . Lord Kharl is the envoy from Austra, your lordship," Fasyn said nervously. "You have seen his credentials. There is no bar in the law to his representing the accused. That is, if the accused chooses to accept him as an advocate."

   
Reynol looked directly at the Tenderer. "Werwal, the Austran envoy and advocate has asked leave to represent you. You may accept his offer or decline it."

"It can't be worse than it is," mumbled the battered Tenderer.

"Yes or no? And be civil."

"Yes, your mightiness. I will take aid from any quarter."

"Be it noted that the advocate from Austra represents the renderer."

   
Kharl stepped forward. He did not wish to get too close to Werwal. The renderer had been very perceptive. He might not be that observant in his current condition, but Kharl did not wish to offer him that choice.

   
"You, the renderer Werwal," Reynol announced, "have been charged with obstructing the tariff farmer in the performance of his duties and in using violence against the Watch. Both are majority offenses against the Lord West. What you say or believe is not a question. We are here to do justice, and that justice is to determine whether you did so act." Reynol seated himself.

   
From behind Kharl and Werwal came the rap of the bailiff's staff. "All may sit."

   
The patrollers sat Werwal in the armless chair of the accused. Kharl reseated himself on the bench.

   
The first witness called was Fyngel, the tariff farmer who had once tripled Kharl's tariffs on Egen's orders. Fyngel avoided looking at Kharl as he described his efforts to inspect Werwal's property.

   
"... told him he had to let me see everything. He said that I'd already inspected his place, and I needed a warrant from the lord justicer for a second inspection. He barred the door. Wouldn't let me in. Told him I didn't need no warrant thing."

   
Kharl watched Reynol with his order-senses. From the lord justicer's reactions, Kharl got the impression that such a warrant was needed-or that Reynol thought it was.

"What did you do then?" asked the lord justicer.

   
"I went and told Captain Egen. Stopping a tariff farmer in his duties, that's for the Watch."

"What did you do after that?"

   
"I didn't do anything, your lordship. Heard that the Watch had taken Werwal, and I figured that was something for your lordship."

Reynol nodded, then turned to Kharl. "Do you have any questions?"

   
Kharl stood. "Just a few, your lordship." He faced the tariff farmer. "Has anyone ever asked you for a warrant before?"

"No, ser. Never needed one."

"Have you ever asked the justicers about the need for a warrant?"

"No." Fyngel looked puzzled.

   
"I would like to note, your lordship, that the Tenderer was acting within the precedents and the Code when he requested a warrant."

   
"So noted, advocate." Reynol looked to the patroller seated beside Egen. "Serjeant Feryt, please step forward."

   
The narrow-faced patroller with the two stripes on his shoulder stepped forward.

   
"Please explain what happened when you and your men went to the Tenderer's?"

   
"Not all that much to say, your lordship. We went there, like the captain said, and we knocked on the gate. There weren't no answer. We knocked again, and there weren't no answer then, either. So we broke out the hinges and went into the front courtyard. The Tenderer there, he had a staff, and he laid out Hionot and Jospak cold. Busted Calsot's arm so bad he'll be mustered out. Took the rest of us to lay him out." The serjeant shrugged.

"The Tenderer did not ask who you were?" asked Reynol.

"Not that I heard, your lordship .. ."

   
Reynol asked a number of questions, but all pertained to the injuries suffered by the patrollers, and Werwal's use of only a staff to attack the patrollers.

   
Abruptly, he stopped and looked, not to the serjeant, but to Egen. "Is that all?"

   
Egen stood and bowed his head briefly before speaking. "There is little more to be said about that, Lord Justicer. The Tenderer attacked the Watch in performance of its duties." He cleared his throat. "There is one other matter, Lord Justicer. Just yesterday morning, we discovered that vagrants had been using a hidden space behind the Tenderer's rear courtyard wall to hide from the Watch. One of those hiding there may have been a murderer

as well. The murderer who was there has been reported to have left Brysta, but the renderer allowed him shelter."

"That will be considered, Captain Egen."

Egen smiled and seated himself.

   
The captain and the serjeant had both been lying throughout-or slanting things so much that what had been reported might as well have been lies. Kharl could sense that. But how could he make that clear without revealing that he knew it through magery?

   
Reynol looked to Kharl. "Are you ready to address the charges, advocate?"

"If it please your lordship."

"You may begin."

Kharl turned. "Serjeant Feryt?"

"Yes, ser?" The patroller stood.

"You said that you knocked on the gate twice?"

"Yes, ser?"

   
"Did you say anything?" Kharl projected a feeling that the patroller should tell the truth. He hoped it was strong enough. He also looked hard at the serjeant.

"Wasn't nothing to say, ser. We were there to do our duty."

   
Kharl had recalled what Erdyl had told him. "When was this? What part of the day?"

The serjeant glanced toward Egen.

"You must recall what time of day it was," Kharl suggested.

"We were late, ser, by the time we got orders."

"Was it dark out?"

"Yes ... ser." The words sounded dragged out.

"It was dark. Did you have lanterns or torches?"

"No, ser."

   
"In the darkness, the renderer could not see your uniforms, then?" Kharl projected another compulsion at the patroller.

   
The man turned, opened his mouth, then swallowed. Finally, he answered. "No, ser."

   
"Was there any other reason why the renderer might not have seen you clearly? Any reason at all?"