Salleen nodded as if expecting such. ‘Very well. The court will confer.’
The judges leaned to one another, whispering a few words. Tallow, Tayshcrenn noted, remained silent for the moment. Salleen took in the opinions of the others then leaned to the Invigilator. They whispered briefly and Salleen nodded her wrinkled shaven head. She returned her attention to the chamber and tapped a knuckle for silence against the basalt slab of the table before her.
Tayschrenn kept his arms crossed. Death was, after all, death. There was really nothing he could do at this point.
‘Accused,’ Salleen began, and Tayschrenn realized that even his name was in the process of being systematically erased, ‘we have heard much testimony regarding your character and opinions, and we are agreed that its conclusions are disturbing. However,’ and she cleared her throat into a fist, ‘no direct evidence of wrongdoing or culpability has been presented, and so in the estimation of this court your guilt remains unresolved.’ She regarded him critically, and idly tapped her crooked fingers on the polished stone surface before her. ‘The burden of determining your sentence, then, falls to me, and the lack of conclusive proof drives me to offer the final decision to Holy D’rek. Therefore, it is my decision that you be presented to the Great One’s judgement at the Civic Pit on the Feast of the Sun’s Turn, in…’ she bent her head to confer with another judge, ‘in half a moon’s time.’ She rapped a knuckle to the stone slab in final punctuation, and added, ‘May D’rek have mercy upon your soul.’
The judges pushed back their chairs; the gallery of witnesses started up a loud murmuring and whispering. Meanwhile, Tayschrenn watched Tallow, and was rewarded by the faintest crooking of his lips as he rose; this couldn’t have gone any better for the new Demidrek, he realized. A rival eliminated and his hands completely clean of any perceived conniving or manoeuvring.
Likewise priestess Salleen: a death sentence levelled and all responsibility for said death sidestepped. An admirably bureaucratic solution to a thorny problem. He almost tipped his head to her in acknowledgement of the deft handling of such an unwanted and potentially damaging duty.
Two of the Fangs of D’rek now flanked him; the female gestured, beckoning him back to the small side door by which he’d entered. He nodded to indicate his cooperation yet hesitated, casting one last glance around for Silla – was she still present? Perhaps not, as he saw no sign of her amid the rising gallery of witnesses.
The guard urged him on with a hand at the small of his back. ‘Don’t make me use the blade,’ she whispered.
Coming to himself, he blinked, nodding again. Feeling utterly numb, strangely disassociated from himself and the chambers, he allowed the two custodians to usher him from the court.
Chapter 11
A ghostly predawn light revealed the waters south of Cawn empty of any approaching vessels and Tattersail found herself cursing the Napans for their tardiness, just as she’d fumed at Mock for his belated arrival yesterday.
Where were the blue-skinned bastards? Why weren’t they here? Now she wondered whether she’d properly understood the arrangements. Perhaps they, or Tarel, had got the wrong night. But the equinox – who could misunderstand that? She went to find Mock.
Since they’d been anchored for a few hours close to shore in a sheltered cove just outside the Bight of Cawn, the admiral had regained his sea-legs. She found him walking the
When she motioned for his attention the men and women quickly melted away. The admiral stroked his long moustache, eyeing her, looking pleased with himself.
‘Where
Mock shrugged expansively, quite unconcerned. He raised his voice, speaking to all within earshot. ‘If the Napans renege because they have no stomach for a fight then that’s all the better, hey boys? More loot for us!’
Cheers answered this, but to Tattersail they did not sound as enthusiastic as they might have. Keeping her voice low, she answered, ‘I don’t like it. We should withdraw.’
Mock almost laughed. ‘Withdraw? We’re in position. Cawn is ours!’
She refused to give up her misgivings. ‘But why—’
He came close, and in the way that so infuriated her motioned for her silence by pressing a finger to her lips. When he invited her to accompany him to their cabin, she bit down on her outrage and followed, fuming silently.
