The Sorcerer's Ascension (44 page)

"Aye, it was a horrible sound. I was delivering fresh fruit to the mansion that day and I heard the most awful shrieking. I dropped my wheelbarrow and ran for all I was worth. I never saw neither wife nor child after that day."

"And it was because of this that you and many of the people of Duskshire begged my clients to intervene on your behalf. Is that right?"

"Aye, m'lord, that's true. All know what an evil man the laird is."

"Thank you, Mrs. Tatum, I have no more questions."

"Prosecution, your witness if you please."

"My Lord I have no questions for Mrs. Tatum. However, I would like to call two other witnesses in order to refute her testimony," the young prosecutor requested.

"I will allow it, call your witnesses."

"My Lord, I call Mr. Tatum to the stand."

An old man hobbled to the stand bent over a crutch and took a seat.

"Mr. Tatum, do you know where your son is?"

"Of course I do, he got married and took work in
Wrenwood
, m'lord."

The subdued voices got a little louder.

"Can you prove that he is alive and well, Mr. Tatum?"

"Aye, he's standing right back there," the crowd burst into a dull cacophony of voices. "We rode in together, dear," the old man patiently explained, looking at his wife.

"How the hells do you forget your own son?" Maude demanded of the crone, jumping up from her seat.

"Well he been gone a long time!" Mrs. Tatum shouted back.

"He comes and visits us every winter and spring festival, dear," Mr. Tatum tried to explain over the vociferous voices of the assembled crowd.

"Quiet, I will have order!" Lord Highworth commanded.

"Mr. Tatum, do you know the other boy that your wife referred to as having gone missing?" the prosecutor asked.

"Aye, I do, m'lord."

"And what happened to him?"

"He took to the sea as a sailor out of Southport some thirty years ago m'lord. Got his own ship now, I hear his mother say."

"Thank you, sir, I have no more questions," the prosecutor said over the increasing murmuring of voices.

Maude glared at the old crone sitting near the back of the room with murder in her eyes. Borik just sat with his large head shaking in his stubby-fingered hands. Malek prayed to his god for deliverance while Tarth nit-picked the terrible fashion sense of most of those in attendance.

"My Lord, I would now like to call Lord Preston back to the stand."

The old laird returned to stand and took his seat once again.

"Lord Preston, I am almost afraid to ask this, but did you indeed have a wife and son those many years ago?"

"Aye, I did," the lord side quietly with a sniff.

"Will you please tell us what happened to them?"

"It was a few years after I had been confirmed as laird. My beautiful wife and son had traveled here to Brightridge to visit her mother. On their return trip, bandits waylaid their carriage. Her, my son, and all six men at arms were slain. When I heard of what had happened to them I was distraught beyond reason. I screamed in anguish for the better part of that day, dressed in black, and have been in mourning ever since, hardly able to bear to leave my manor for nearly forty years. My wife and I shared the bed that those beasts burned!" the heartbroken laird wailed and buried his face in his hands and wept.

Brrrrrrrrrt
!

"You thrice-damned lying sow, I swear I'll cut your liver out!" Maude jumped up ranting in uncontrolled fury. "If they hang me today I swear I'll come back as a ghost and haunt you till the day you die! Then I'll chase your departed spirit to the seven hells where you must surely be sent and take great pleasure in ripping your guts out and making you eat them every day for all eternity!"

A thunder of voices erupted throughout the courtroom as the gathered crowd responded to the horror to which the poor laird had been subjected, Maude’s murderous outburst, and Borik’s uncontrolled gaseous expulsions.

"Order, order in my court! One more outburst from you, my lady, and I will clear this court and render my verdict!" Lord Highworth shouted above the tumult, banging his gavel until the handle broke.

"One more outburst from him," Malek pointed at Borik, "and he'll clear this whole building rendering us unconscious!"

Guards finally brought order to the pandemonium that erupted. It took three large men to pull Maude's hands from around the old crone's lying throat. Servants opened windows and brought in large fans to make the air breathable again.

"Prosecution, do you have any more witnesses to call?" Lord Highworth asked.

"No, My Lord, the prosecution rests."

"Defense counsel, have you any further arguments?"

"No, My Lord, the defense rests."

"Is there anything that the defendants wish the court to consider before I retire to deliberate my findings?"

A hush fell over the crowd as the adventurers looked at each other. Tarth finally stood up, cleared his throat, his eyes sharp, and focused for once, the timeless wisdom of several centuries of long life plain on his sharp elven features. The assembled crowd held its collective breath, straining to hear the soft-spoken ancient being.

"My Lord, I would like you to consider just one thing when you pass judgment upon us," the elf, a rare and exotic race that human eyes rarely got to see, asked in regal dignity. He looked to each of his companions in turn who gave him a slight nod of the head, knowing that his words may well be the only thing between them and a shameful execution. "I beg of you, please use a silk rope when you hang me, I fear hemp will chafe something awful."

"Stupid bird-brained daft elf! No wonder your kind is damned near extinct!" Borik shouted as he lunged for the lithe elf's delicate throat. "I'll chafe your damned throat; I'll chafe it till my fingertips touch each other!"

"Control that dwarf, I shall retire to my chambers to deliberate! Escort the prisoners to their cells!"

Guards led the adventurers back to their cells, certain in the knowledge that their execution was imminent.

"Stupid thrice-damned peasants, I should have known better!" Maude raged, kicking over their water bucket and throwing straw about the small cell.

Other than Maude's ranting, no one said anything to each other. A little over an hour later, they heard someone unlocking the door to their cells. Several guards escorted them out of their cells and up to the large magistrate building above. It soon became apparent that the guards were not leading them back to the courtroom however.

"You taking us straight to the gallows are you? Borik asked without receiving a reply from the guards.

The guards deposited them in a smaller chamber and told to wait. It was the better part of an hour before anyone else entered the rom. A tall man strode in, dressed in fine clothing of silks and well-spun cotton. A signet ring adorned one finger and a great gold chain of office encircled his neck. He had auburn hair that fell just short of his collar and a beard cut to about an inch in length covered his strong jaw. The guards just inside the door snapped to attention as the stranger entered the room then took positions outside.

"Good afternoon, I am Jarvin Ollandar, I trust you have heard of me," the king of all Valeria stated.

"Of course, Your Majesty, please forgive us for not recognizing you. We did not expect such auspicious company, Your Majesty," Malek said diplomatically and dropped to one knee.

"Please, sit back down, all of you. I attended today's fiasco they call a trial. You are an unusual group of people, I must confess. Unorthodox to be certain but effective in your own way, and I feel that perhaps something unorthodox is precisely what I need."

The King paused and studied the rag tag group before him for a moment. Maude and her crew just sat in silence trying to figure out what the King could possibly want with them.

"In a few minutes, Lord Highworth is going to summon you back to the courtroom and sentence you to hang," the King informed them without a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Don't even think about it!" Malek hissed at Borik who sat up a few inches higher, clenching his buttocks together.

"However, he has graciously allowed me to offer you an alternative," Jarvin continued. "I have need of special people with special abilities to help me locate a valuable treasure. You may die in the attempt; in fact, the odds are you will most certainly die. I have lost two score and more of my own special guard trying to this exact thing, but considering your alternative I suggest you take the opportunity I grant you."

"Of course we will, Your Majesty! It will be our pleasure and honor to serve you!" Maude insisted, knowing that an infinitesimal chance at living beyond tomorrow was better than none at all.

"You will still be required to pay restitution for all the damage you caused as well as making a personal apology to Lord Preston."

"Of course, we fully accept and wish to give our most heartfelt and sincere apologies to Lord Preston," Malek gushed.

"Apologies?" Maude whimpered, almost choking on the word.

"Yes, Maude, time for you to fight your greatest foe, your own pride!" Malek shot at her.

"Very well, we accept," Maude said gloomily, conceding defeat.

King Jarvin ordered that their shackles be removed and were brought to Lord Preston to present their apologies and swear to make restitution. Borik nearly choked on his own tongue when told that the damage and civil penalties would cost them nearly fifty thousand gold crowns. Maude nearly choked on her apology but managed to deliver it with a minimum of sputtering and cursing under her breath.

King Jarvin had the party’s horses and property returned, minus everything they had plundered from Lord Preston's manor, and departed with the King and his guard contingent.

"Well, we managed to survive another seemingly inescapable situation," Malek said cheerfully as they rode with the King's guard on their way to Brelland.

"Yes, but I fear what we may face next may make us wish we had chosen the gallows," Maude said, taking a dark outlook on their future.

CHAPTER
15

Azerick attended the Academy on the sponsorship of Magus Allister. The first time he had come to the Academy he had seen very little of the grounds during the day, but now he took the time to examine it in all its splendor.

The Academy was actually three separate schools. One section was dedicated to the study of magic; one instructed students in martial training, while the other, and far larger, taught purely scholarly pursuits to the noble and wealthiest of Valeria’s citizens.
 
The martial training included tactics, small and large-scale troop movements, mounted combat using swords, bows, lances, and all manner of martial weapons.

The three schools maintained their own dining halls, training grounds, libraries, dormitories, and classrooms. The only part of the campus they shared was a large park that separated the three schools that called “the commons.” The campus was comprised of three massive central buildings where the students from each school took their meals, attended classes, studied in the library, and housed.

The Martial Academy also boasted an archery range, tilting lanes, a large field to practice maneuvers, and a stable. The Magus Academy had their own practice field as well, where they practiced ranged and area effect type spells. The Buildings and towers were all alabaster white. Several towers came to a point, sheathed with red, fire-baked clay tiles. Glass made up of dozens of huge hexagonal panes capped two of the Magus Academy towers and used as observatories. The two glass-domed towers housed two of the largest telescopes in the kingdom and used to study and track the moon and the stars.