Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (29 page)

Again he turns his attention to Lydia. “Cas
Lydia, have you witnessed any evidence to substantiate her claim?
Do her elders truly dislike her?

“Prince Lucian did stand by and allow me to
counter-attack her during the interrogation. In hindsight, I find
that rather odd. My Brother Darius has mentioned that during his
time in Lumina most seemed quite cool toward the girl. And their
Heir Apparent and his son Nero seem to dislike her a great deal. It
is rumored that she has in the past referred to her Emperor as
'dumber than dirt'. ”

That's it; I bury my face in my hands. What
could possibly be more embarrassing?

“Shi'ahn, have you worn your Fire Diamonds
in Lumina?”

Well, obviously even though I can't see
them, they can still see me - so much for Ostrich logic. When I
look up I see that the Magni Dominar looks thoughtful.

“Yes, I was wearing them when we first found
ourselves there.”

“Shi'ahn, what exactly does your dragon
friend call you?”

It seems a rather odd question, but I see no
reason not to answer. “Shi'ah'i. It is the closest her tongue can
get to my name, much like Zah-Ha'Gor is the closest I can get to
properly pronouncing hers.”

There is a look in his eyes I don’t
understand, then his voice changes timbre again. “Very well, we
will now move to the second line of questioning. Shi'ahn of Shiral,
tell this court the results of your interrogation - what did you
conclude?”

“That Lydia was entirely innocent of
involvement in the abduction and torture of Novanus. She hadn’t
targeted Alma specifically either - she had just waited for one of
the blood of Lumina to be delivered to her.”

“And who promised her such a thing?”

“I don’t know; and I don’t think she does
either - it was a black, shadow-like figure that flickered oddly,
and its voice was like echoes with no source.”

“And exactly where did Lydia await her
prize?”

“Where the strange figure told her to, he
called it Hellgate Passage.

“Is there anything else, Shi'ahn, that you
wish this court to know about your encounter with Lydia?”

“No.” Before my declaration has the chance
to echo back, I change my mind. “Wait - yes. She is innocent of
most of the charges against her, I’m certain of it; and she has
suffered enough for the crimes she did commit, she truly has.
Please take that into account.” In a moment the truth of my
statement echoes back to us.

~~~

“Your testimony is accepted, you may step
down. Lady Gwenllian, please take the stand.” As we pass, she gives
me an angry look, quite clearly stating that she has found even
more reason to distrust me. Alma glares nastily at me as I make my
way to my seat.

“Lady Gwenllian, how were you able to
determine the Lady Alma’s location?”

Gwenllian pauses, then continues carefully.
“While searching for hints of Novanus’ presence, we picked up
Alma’s distress signal.”

“It was coming from Mithridia?”

“No, far from it. We first picked it up not
quite a quarter of the way into your realm. It moved, sometimes
quite quickly and seemingly randomly, yet always further into your
realm. We finally caught up when the signal stayed in the same area
long enough for us to intersect it.”

“How did you become aware that Count Novanus
was being held in Mithridia Castle?”

“William, Shi'ahn’s brother, sensed her
presence. He insisted that we investigate. Shi'ahn had been
assisting Princess Aurora in our search for Prince Novanus, and we
already had Alma safely aboard, so I saw little harm in it.”

“And so you found her, along with Lady
Celeste, Countess Aurora and Count Novanus, who, as I understand
it, was strong enough to kill Maude de Mithridia, even though your
realm claims that she nearly tortured him to death.”

“Shi'ahn provided him with food and drink
after she and the others appeared in his dungeon cell, and he fed
upon her life force to regenerate himself.”

“Did he feed upon the others as well?”

“Not as I understand it, no.”

“Interesting… do the two of them seem
close?”

Gwenllian stifles a laugh, “Not at all – he
can hardly stand the girl. She was the least valuable of those in
his cell, that’s all. Why sap the power from someone useful when…
well, when there is one who is of little if any value?”

~~~

“I see. Lady Gwenllian, you may be seated.
Lady Alma, you may return to the witness stand.” Alma takes her
place again, seeming eager to speak. “Lady Alma of Lumina, you may
now give your testimony.”

Alma launches in enthusiastically. “There I
was, sleeping happily in Lumina, then I awoke on the edge of some
wretched gravel road! My transport crystal was missing, so I walked
along the road for a short while, trying to determine where I was
and possibly how I got there, and met that bitch. Oh, she seemed
nice at first, until I mentioned Lumina - then she pulled a
crossbow on me! She forced me - Me, a Lady of Lumina, to walk on
the road in my nightclothes and barefoot, while she rode a horse!
When I saw that our surroundings were changing unnaturally, I knew
her to be a woman of power and ordered her to provide me with a
mount, but the bitch refused. She continued to refuse me, and then
she shot me, bound me tightly and threw me over the back of her
horse. The indignity of it!”

The Magni Dominar looks down on Alma without
a shred of pity. “Did you not have any weapons with you to protect
yourself?”

“Of course I did, but they didn't work. She
had something that negated them.”

“Where is this item?”

“I don't know. I never saw it after the
rescue.”

“Interesting.” He raises his voice, “Bring
forth the weapon in question.” Someone brings a small crossbow to
him. “Animate!” It becomes a small biped, somewhat demonic in
appearance. “Bow, were you indeed used by Cas Lydia to shoot the
Lady Alma of Lumina?”

“I belong to Cas Lydia.”

The Magni Dominar’s voice resounds
throughout the chamber. “Answer the question, bow. Were you used to
shoot the Lady Alma of Lumina?”

Its voice becomes higher and squeaky, “It
was just a shoulder wound… quite minor.”

“Bow, where were you when you were first
drawn in the presence of the Lady Alma of Lumina?”

“Along the Hellgate Passage.”

“That will be all, bow. Assume your
traditional form.” It becomes a small crossbow once again.

“Passage Master, come forward to give
testimony.”

A very old being comes forth, “Yes,
Magnus?”

“Does Hellgate Passage have any presence in
Lumina influenced space?”

“No, Magus, it does not. It begins about an
eighths span within our realm.”

“Does it lie along the lands of
Mithridia?”

“It does.”

“Does it cross the chasm to access Mithridia
castle?”

“It does not.”

“Lady Alma, at what point did you trigger
your distress signal?”

“I allowed it to broadcast after the bitch
shot me.”

“Passage Master, is there anything about
Hellgate Passage that is unusual in the vicinity of Mithridia
Castle?”

“The growing Mithridian presence in that
area had greatly increased the length of the passage in their
vicinity. It was easily the longest single world segment of that
passage at the time.”

“Thank you, Passage Master, you may return
to your place. “Cas Lydia, it is time for you to share your
testimony.”

~~~

“First of all, my activities were not some
random act of violence. Vespasian had attacked one of my brother
Bran's worlds without any provocation, and then he killed Bran in
cold blood after he had honorably surrendered! Vespasian is the one
who had committed a crime, I was merely working my way toward
exacting a perfectly justifiable revenge - without killing anyone.
I wished to ransom someone for something from Vespasian - something
he holds dear. I had been promised a lord or lady of Lumina, to be
delivered along the Hellgate Passage. I had rather hoped it would
be someone with whom Vespasian had close ties, but beggars can’t be
choosers. Not knowing whom I would be given, I wandered the outer
reaches of Hellgate passage until I came upon the Lady Alma. I
spoke kindly with her until I determined that she was indeed whom I
awaited, and then had her accompany me along the passage. I did
indeed use a device to negate her technology, it had been provided
by the one who delivered her to me. It’s true that I had her walk,
but it was her manners that made me cross. Magni Dominar, she has a
vile tongue and uses it unsparingly. In the matter of mere minutes
she managed to insult not only me, but also you, our nobility and
our entire realm more thoroughly and completely than I have ever
heard before in a single narrative! I couldn’t get her to stop, and
I couldn’t stand it anymore! So yes, I shot her, though only in the
fleshy part of her shoulder. It was meant to shock, not harm, and
then I tied and gagged her and granted her one of her demands - a
mount to ride.”

There is silence for a moment, and we all
hear the truth of her testimony echo throughout the hall. Then the
Magni Dominar continues,

“
Cas Lydia, tell the court
who it was that you conspired with to abduct the Lady
Alma.”

“I will not.” Gasps emanate from the
audience, and I see Dominar Ultor’s talons clench the back of the
bench before us. I'm certain it is made of a very solid substance,
but his grasp makes it seem more like soft clay.

“I caution you, Cas Lydia, this is important
testimony.”

"Do what you must, but I will not answer."
Her father’s claws dig deeper, and fear for Lydia grows within my
heart - to defy her Magni Dominar so! Why is she suddenly so
uncooperative?

A strange black force emanates from the
strange, writhing thing in Magni Dominar's crown, flooding toward
Lydia, lifting her into the air. An advisor hurriedly argues that
the identity of this third party is not necessary, but he replies,
“This is a case of alleged high treason, and therefore the names of
any and all collaborators are necessary.” The strange force
surrounds Lydia, entering her lungs with her breath, and Magni
Dominar begins to ask her questions. Her answers come forth in a
strange, almost mechanical voice, but when he asks her the identity
of her collaborator, she does not answer. The power surrounding her
intensifies as she trembles, until darkness streams out of her
mouth and she begins to choke. Suddenly she’s back on the floor,
gasping.

"I see, you cannot divulge the name of the
party." It does not need to be explained, I’m sure everyone
understands - answering, or even attempting to answer, would kill
her. I can’t help thinking that whoever did this to Lydia did not
have her welfare in mind. I notice Dominar Ultor’s grip on the
bench relax somewhat, but the bench itself will forever be a
testimony to his strength.

Once she regains her composure, the Magni
Dominar asks, “Cas Lydia, is there anything else pertinent to this
case that you wish to share with the court?”

“Yes, there is. They tortured me! Oh, they
left no marks, as they swore, but not all torture devices leave
marks. The Prince Lucian has an extensive collection of electrical
and 'reality' prods, and some of them are on the ends of rather
long probes. He is exceedingly good at judging what falls just
short of killing intensity.”

The Magni Dominar turns to stare at me while
he responds, “Was she a part of this torture?”

“No, Your Majesty, she was not; she was
brought in later, though I did not realize that until after I had
counter-attacked her.”

“We cannot take your word on this, Lydia. Is
there any way you could prove this allegation?”

“Yes… I… shared the experience with Shi'ahn
as a part of my retribution.” The Magni Dominar’s gaze once again
returns to me.

“Shi'ahn of Shiral, approach the bench.” I
do, wishing for all the shir that I didn’t exist. “Shi'ahn, do you
testify that Cas Lydia was indeed tortured, and that she shared the
experience with you?”

“She was indeed tortured. As I have said,
she has suffered enough!”

“Share with us the memory. Place your hands
upon the bar before you and think of the experience.”

I can’t help it, I begin to shake – I don’t
want to remember it! Every memory I reflect upon here seems so
real, so… now, as though in thinking of them I relive them. The
idea of reliving her torture is too much. I shake so uncontrollably
I can’t grasp the bar, though I try as hard as I can. Cas’ voice
breaks through my thoughts.

“Stop! Can’t you see what the attempt is
doing to her? Please, accept an intermediary, someone with whom she
will find it easier to share the memory.”

The Magni Dominar looks quite displeased at
having been interrupted, yet he answers calmly. “She does seem
incapable of the task on her own. Shi'ahn, choose someone to pass
the memory to so that person may share it with this court.” The
shaking recedes for the most part, as I think of whom I could share
the true and complete horror of the memory with, and then it hits
me - the perfect recipient.

“I choose the Lady Alma as my intermediary.”
She looks extremely surprised.

“Lady Alma, please approach the bench yet
again.” She does, but hesitantly.

When she reaches my side she whispers, “Are
you out of your mind? Why do you think I have any interest at all
in passing along this information?” Instead of answering, I reach
out and touch her arm, offering her the entire memory as Cailli had
preserved it in my mind – without my having to access it. She turns
pale and reaches for the podium for support. The look she gives me
now is different than I have before seen on her face, it is filled
with both regret and respect. Without a word she grasps the bar I
had been instructed to touch, and judging from the Magni Dominar’s
response, passes along my memory. In moments the rest of the judges
react with outrage.