Trial of Injustice

Gann paused beside a heavy iron-studded door, summoning a small globe spirit to give enough light to make the inscription beside the door readable. "According to the prisoner manifest that last guard had, Casavir's cell should be directly ahead, through here."

Marin tilted her head to one side to listen for any sounds of guards on the other side of the door, but it was difficult to hear anything above the pounding of her heart thumping painfully in her throat. Trusting to luck she nodded to Gann, who gently lifted the protesting latch and pushed the heavy door open.

The room was empty... as was the iron-barred cell that stood beyond. Marin's shoulders slumped as she took in the scene, wordless dread creeping over her. Gann entered behind her, looking around in surprise. "That's weird; they wouldn't have carried out the..." he caught himself at Marin's stricken look and quickly amended what he'd been about to say, "I mean, I don't think they wouldn't have done anything yet. You heard the guards back there; they were talking about tomorrow being an unpleasant day for him."

Marin took a deep breath, willing herself to remain calm. "He has to be here, somewhere nearby. Damn it, I can feel he's so close I can hardly think straight..."

Gann caught her arm, steadying her. "Then trust to your feelings, and let's find him."

"Brothers and Sisters of the Arcane, we will now resume after the court's recess." The ancient arcanist presiding over the trial peered over the rims of his thick spectacles, continuing only once all in attendance had settled down. "As you know, we are here today to rule on a case of murder most foul. The Brotherhood has made its case. You have heard tearful testimony from the sole-surviving eye-witness. And through all of this, you have seen for yourself how the perpetrator of this most heinous of crimes has remained unrepentant."

The attention of the gathering swivelled to the lone figure of the paladin, who sat silently as he had throughout the trial, gazing into the distance, back straight, jaw set, his stony-faced expression unreadable. The arcanist glowered, making a final attempt to provoke a reaction from him. "Undeniable evidence has been presented against you, and yet you have refused to enter your plea. Will you not do so now? I entreat you, take but a moment to reflect upon your deeds... purify your soul by admitting your guilt so that you may face your deserved punishment and meet your god with a clear conscience."

Casavir ignored the arcanist, a muscle twitching in his jaw the only outward sign visible. In this parody of a trial he would not give them the satisfaction of saying anything. If he was to face death at the hands of the Host Tower for his actions, he would face it stoically. His cause was just; if he held steady to that then nothing they could do could take anything away from him... his love for her, her love returned... What the gods bring together let no man rip asunder...

"If that is your answer, then so be it," said the arcanist. He turned to face the assembled court, fervently declaiming, "In the face of overwhelming evidence against the accused, and with such a display of dispassionate disregard for life from the accused, there can only be one verdict. In the matter of the Brotherhood versus Casavir, minion of that accursed witch of Crossroad Keep, I call upon the jury to hand down their judgements."

The spokesman of the jury rose to his feet to deliver the guilty verdict with a venomous tongue, but Casavir ignored him as he had ignored all the proceedings. There was no point in listening to lies.

A curious tingling swept his skin then, challenging his resolve to remain detached. The sensation was not unlike what he used to experience when Marin was near; her fiendish ancestry reacting to his holy aura, amplified by the heady intoxication her presence evoked in him. It had been growing steadily stronger ever since that strange dream three nights back, at times manifesting so powerfully during the proceedings of the trial he'd half-expected the door to open and for her to appear. That dream... had it only been a dream? Was she really alive, and did she know he was too? It had seemed so real; he'd felt her life-pulse fading as he'd held her broken body only for her to step from the shadows, swearing she'd find him... or was he finally losing his mind to the tolls of imprisonment?

But it wasn't just that dream; his captors had left him well alone for almost two years, until now. Yesterday one of the jailers had informed him of the charges levelled against him and today he faced this farce of a trial before all of the Host Tower's finest, most of whom had not known of his survival or incarceration, until now. Something had happened...

The arcanist was smiling smugly at the unanimously guilty verdict delivered, as was the whole of the courtroom. "The convicted will rise for his sentencing."

Rough hands grabbed Casavir and hauled him to his feet. Shaking off the guards with a single shrug of his shoulders he closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. The faint touch of a fresh breeze brushed against his face, taking him back to the peaceful moments they'd enjoyed together as they'd walked the fields after the siege. His resolve strengthened, he slowly straightened, and calmly opened his eyes.

And shivered at the sight of a hooded figure slipping in through the dungeon door, leaving it slightly ajar.

No one took notice of the newcomer but him; his skin tingling as he watched her descend the few steps to the chamber's floor. Could it be...?

A jolt of electricity coursed through his body as their eyes met, his pulse quickening at the familiar features and twinkling eyes. She gave him a broad grin and a mischievous wink, and then with a roguish flick of her tail she vanished into the crowd.

"Wait!" cried Casavir, leaping forward and knocking the guards aside. They recovered quickly but the arcanist intervened, waving them back as a satisfied smirk crossed his face.

"Ah... the accused would finally speak... who are we to deny the confessions of a condemned man?"

Casavir thought quickly, his heart pounding painfully in his throat. Her sudden appearance could only mean trouble was not far behind. He had to give her as much time as possible, else both their lives were likely forfeit. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "As a servant of the god of justice, I can hardly defend myself against false accusations."

A tide of jeering broke forth at his words, and it took the arcanist several attempts to restore order. When he had done so he scowled grimly at the paladin. "The point of your confession, sir knight, is to concede your guilt and submit yourself to the mercies of this court."

"I do no such thing," declared Casavir defiantly. "You have kept me chained in the dark for your own nefarious reasons these past two years, but it is you who are condemned to dwell in darkness for all eternity if you do not turn from this path. To live without love is to die slowly inside, and I see before me a congregation more soulless than the King of Shadows and all his minions."

"Enough!" spluttered the arcanist, but Casavir's rising passion swept his protests aside.

"You have asked how the blood of Sydney Natale came to be spilled, and I tell you her blood stains your hands. Through the machinations of the Host Tower and your endless pursuit of power you sought to lure my beloved into a foul ambush, seeking the death of a shining beacon of goodness before any other desires. Had my lady fallen there to Luskan's tainted ambitions, I ask you who would've stood against the King of Shadows and saved all the lands, including Luskan? I swear in Tyr's name, justice will come to all who..."

Shrieks of surprise and outrage exploded from the gathered mages as a globe of darkness fell on the chamber, engulfing all in blinding blackness. A light hand rested on his shoulder in a familiar fashion, thrilling him, and her voice suddenly spoke softly in his ear. "It's a lovely little speech, my love, but I really think we should be going."

Above the pandemonium rose the arcanist's voice. "What nonsense is this!? Devilish sorcery will not avail you!" With a flick of his wrist the darkness gradually receded, revealing the courtroom chamber as it had been, barring one point of detail.

"Find them and stop them!" roared the arcanist, pointing to the empty docks where Casavir had stood. "Use lethal force if you have to, but they must not escape!"