"A mage?" said Soth. "What sort of game is this?"
"No game, Lord Soth. Only a search for the truth."
"But if I'm not mistaken, this"-he gestured to the man in the white and yellow robes-"is a mage. Surely you are aware of the fact that magic has been outlawed by the Kingpriest of Istar. What purpose can this mage serve in the Hall of High Justice?"
Lord Caladen waited for silence, then spoke. "Not all magic has been banned by the Kingpriest. Some magic, that which has as its purpose the promotion of Good, the quest for truth and knowledge, is still sanctioned."
"But I don't-" stammered Soth.
"If Istvan is telling the truth, then he won't be troubled by having this good mage cast a spell of truth over him, since it will only serve to prove that his words are truthful."
Soth too had been caught by his own words, just as Istvan had been before. If he argued the matter it would seem as if he had something to hide. But, if he readily agreed to the test and the spell proved successful, the truth would become known to all.
He couldn't risk it.
"I protest Lord Caladen, Istvan has already spoken-"
"And you have said that you would accept what the healer said as being the final word on this matter. Now remain quiet and let the healer speak." He nodded in the direction of the mage.
The mage pulled back his right sleeve to reveal a glassy blue stone in his hand. It was connected to a leather thong that was wrapped tightly about his fingers. He moved the stone closer to Istvan and it suddenly began to glow with a strange incandescent light. The mage began mumbling a series of words and guttural tones. After several minutes the mage nodded to Lord Caladen, then stepped back, leaving Istvan standing absolutely rigid, his eyes staring blankly at the far end of the hall.
"Istvan is now under the power of a truth spell and is unable to tell a lie, even if he so wishes," Lord Caladen said to the people within the hall. It was obvious he wanted to show that no trickery was being used and that the spell hadn't been cast simply in order to make Istvan say what the high justice wanted to hear. "Istvan, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer by saying the word green."
Istvan nodded.
"What color is the sky?"
"Blue."
"Very good."
"Now, Istvan, when Lord Soth brought Isolde Denissa to Dargaard Keep, were her injuries life-threatening?"
"No."
"How so?"
"Her injuries would have healed simply with the passage of time."
The hall was silent.
"When you assisted Lady Korinne in the birth of her child, did she survive that birth?"
"Yes. She was in fine health. In fact, the child's birth eased her pain considerably."
Dead silence.
"And what of the child? Did it survive the birth?"
"Yes. It survived. Only it was hideously deformed."
"If mother and child survived the birth, then how did they both come to die a short time later?"
"Soth entered my chambers and sent me from the room.
When I saw him again he reported to me that they had both died during the birth." The silence continued.
"Did anyone else enter the room after you allowed Lord Soth into the chamber?"
"No."
"What did the bodies look like when you saw them next?"
"Hacked to bits. It was hard to recognize any of the; pieces as being human."
Lord Caladen took a breath and nodded to the mage.
The wizard stepped forward and released Istvan from the spell.
Istvan looked about the room as if he were unsure of what had happened.
Soth had watched the proceedings with his mouth agape, unable to say a word. Now he simply stood defiantly, shoulders straight, lips tight, chin thrust forward- a classic portrait of the noble and gallant Knight of Solamnia.
However, the image of the great knight, of strength and gallantry, did little to mask the truth.
Soth was a murderer.
"Knights of Solamnia," said Lord Caladen, addressing the seven knights in the jury. "You've heard the words of Istvan the healer, words spoken under the power of a spell of truth. How do you judge the accused?"
The seven knights spoke quietly between themselves for several moments before Lord Walter Dukane, a Knight of the Rose, stood up and addressed the high justice.
"Guilty on all counts," said Lord Dukane. "By a unanimous vote."
Lord Caladen nodded solemnly, then turned slowly to face Soth. "Loren
Soth," he said, stripping Soth of the title of Lord Soth. "I hereby find you to be in gross defiance of the Oath and the Measure and guilty of the murders of your wife and child, crimes punishable by death. You are to be immediately held in custody and will be duly executed at a public beheading in the center of Palanthas at precisely noon tomorrow."
Soth, his face a rigid mask devoid of any emotion, was led from the hall by way of a side door.
At the rear of the hall, people shook their heads in disbelief.
Several others wept.
Chapter 23
A kender father stood on the front steps of his cottage on the outskirts of the village of Mid-O-Hylo, watching the fog-like clouds descend from the high mountains in the west and the low mountains in the east.
The light gray mist was covering the land in a shroud that, unlike other fogs he had seen, seemed very dark and gloomy.
"What's happening father?" asked the kender's young son as he ran up the path toward the cottage, his ponytail bobbing and swishing behind him.
"Something." "What something?" asked the boy.
"Something," repeated the kender. "But what something, I do not know."
"Something strange, I bet," said the boy, watching the mist continue to invade the lands surrounding the village, further blotting out the light from the sun.
"Yes," said the kender.
"Something weird, I'd say."
"Yes."
"It reminds me a lot of the snowy crystal glass I found in the hand of that sleeping knight on our last trip to Thelgaard." The elder kender said nothing, his eyes fixed on the mist. The swirling tendrils of smoke-like fog seemed to have taken hold of him, quashing his usually carefree attitude.
It was an attitude that had served him well for all of his years, even when things had looked most grim.
For the first time in his life, the kender knew fear.
"Get inside the cottage," the kender told his son.
"But this is creepy, father," said the young one. "Can't we stay out and watch the fog some more?"
The kender began to step backward in the direction of his home. His son, however, remained where he stood, waving his hand through the mist as if trying to catch it between his fingers.
"All right," said the father. "You can stay outside and watch it if you like, but I'm going inside to watch it through the windows. It looks even spookier that way."
"Spookier?" said the youngster. "I want to see. Let me in."
The young kender gleefully ran into the house, followed closely by his somber father.
When they were both inside, the father shut the door and locked it tight for the first time since he'd installed the shiny brass lock that he'd found improperly appreciated in the door of a tavern in Caergoth.
He knew he was insulting the door's purpose by locking it, but he was much too afraid of the overspreading doom-filled pall to care.
Chapter 24
"Obviously, there has been some grace error in justice," said Caradoc, standing before the knights in The Drookit Duck, one foot on his chair and another atop the table.
"Injustice indeed," cried one of the knights. He couldn't tell which one of the knights had spoken, and therefore couldn't tell if the words were said in support or condemnation of Lord Soth.
Most of the knights were still in shock over what had transpired. They had journeyed to Palanthas on a matter of routine business, only to have their leader sentenced to death.
It seemed like madness.
After all, Lord Soth was the epitome of everything the Knights of
Solamnia stood for, a shining example of everything that was good and honorable about the knighthood.
But there were those among the knights who were beginning to question their lord. And with good reason.
They had seen the elf-maid Isolde Denissa after the ogre attack and although none had said so at the time, many thought it odd that Soth insisted he bring her back to the keep. And then there was the sentencing itself. Soth had been questioned in the Hall of High Justice and found guilty by seven fellow Knights of Solamnia. Unanimous decisions in such matters were rare, so the outcome of the proceedings had to be respected. And what of the high justice? Would he sentence a
Knight of Solamnia, a Knight of the Rose, to death, if such action wasn't warranted?
Caradoc considered the death sentence against Lord Soth. If Soth were gone, it might clear the way for Caradoc himself to take control of the keep. An intriguing possibility, but unlikely. As a base of operations for the Knights of the Rose, Dargaard Keep would likely be taken over by another Rose knight and Caradoc would quickly fade into the background as an anonymous Knight of the Crown.
No, his status was tied indelibly to the fate of Lord Soth and, even if
Soth were disgraced, it would be better to be his seneschal than just another Knight of Solamnia.
In the interim, the gathered knights had begun to mutter and grumble, and Caradoc sensed an insurgence gaining momentum. He could not let such thoughts take up root in the minds of his fellow knights. If he did, all hope of Soth returning to Dargaard Keep would be lost.
"There isn't one of us who doesn't owe his life to Lord Soth," he said.
"I know he's saved mine several times and I suspect the same holds true for all of us."
The majority of knights were leaning toward supporting Caradoc, but there were still a few who remained unconvinced.
"You, Knight Krejlgaard," continued Caradoc. "Did he not pull you from the darkest depths of the Vingaard River after you fell from your mount during a crossing?"
The Crown knight lowered his head and was silent.
"Meyer Seril, didn't Lord Soth provide food for your family when their entire crop was destroyed by locusts?" "Aye," said Seril. "That he did."
"And you, Derik Grimscribe, didn't our lord sponsor your petition to the knighthood when all the others felt you too weak for the order?"
"I'm ashamed to admit I had forgotten," said Grimscribe.
"Seems many of us have!" shouted Caradoc. "And we should all be ashamed for doubting-even for a second- the innocence of our lord. For I know, with a certainty and a strength of conviction I have never felt before on any matter"-Caradoc paused and lowered the volume of his voice-"if one of us had been found guilty of such a crime and sentenced to death,
Lord Soth wouldn't be wasting time debating our guilt or innocence."
The knights spoke among themselves and it appeared to Caradoc that he had managed to persuade the last few dissenters to see the other side of the sword.
"What have you got in mind, Knight Caradoc?" asked Colm Farold.
Caradoc looked right and left even though the tavern had been cleared and no one was in the room except for his fellow knights. Still, he spoke in a hushed voice. "I propose we rescue him."
"But he's being guarded by knights such as ourselves," said Farold.
"Tonight, he is. Yes," said Caradoc. "But perhaps not so tomorrow morning."
Farold nodded. "I'm with you."
The confidence and conviction exhibited by Farold seemed to inspire the others.
"I'm with you as well," said Meyer Seril.
"And I," nodded Derik Grimscribe.
Until one by one, all of Soth's knights were in agreement.
The morning sun was nowhere to be seen. It remained hidden behind a layer of dark and heavy clouds that caused the night's darkness to linger far longer than usual.
To add to the chill in the air, a cold wind was blowing in over the Bay of Branchala, something more than a few residents of Palanthas interpreted as an omen, convincing them to spend the day indoors. Others simply refused to watch, not wanting their memory of the gallant knight to be tainted by the humiliating spectacle of a public execution.
Still, the majority of people had braved the wet and cold and ventured out to watch the beheading. Already, the streets were lined with citizens from all classes, from clerics and merchants, to tradesmen and laborers. Fruit vendors were doing an especially brisk business, suddenly finding eager customers for all their wares, even the most rotten of fruits, vegetables and eggs.
Soth was awakened at dawn and offered a final meal of bread and water, which he refused. Then he was led onto the back of a cart, stripped down to the waist and chained by the wrists to a heavy timber post that rose up from the center of the cart's wooden floor.
The knights entrusted with the task of preparing Soth for transport seemed to be unenthusiastic about their work. Indeed they almost treated the job with disdain, saying nothing to the disgraced knight and avoiding looking directly into his eyes. Here was one of their own, one of the greatest Knights of Solamnia, reduced to the level of a common criminal.
In their hearts, the question as to whether Soth was guilty or not was of little consequence. He was a Knight of the Rose and he deserved a better fate. But in their minds, the knights knew that the Oath and the
Measure had little sympathy for knights who strayed from the path. And to that end, it is even written in the Measure that knights must be more severely punished for their crimes than the common man because anything less would hurt the collective reputation of all knights.
For that reason, the Solamnic Knights tending to Soth on the morning of his execution wanted nothing more than to complete their task quickly and be done with it.
Soth understood this and made it easier on them by saying nothing as they secured him to the post.
At last it was done and his wrists were securely bound and fixed to the top of the post. Soth made a token effort to pull himself free, but knew that any decent squire could have done a proper job of securing him.
As the knights collected their things, one lingered behind. He was a young Crown knight by the look of his clothes, but nothing else about the man was familiar to Soth, most likely because he was recently petitioned to the knighthood.
He looked at Soth, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.
"Paladine have mercy on your soul," he said.
Soth looked at the young man and realized that he had probably been suckling at his mother's breast when Soth first became a Solamnic
Knight. The thought of this bey taking pity on him, angered Soth to no end.
He laughed at the young knight, then said, "No, boy.
May Paladine have mercy on yours!"
The knight looked shaken by Soth's words, stumbling as he got off the cart.
Soth continued to laugh.
Soth's loyal knights had been up for hours, making plans by lamplight until the sun's rays were bright enough to properly illuminate the secluded livery stable they'd moved their meeting to in order to avoid being watched or overheard by spies of the high justice.
What they planned to do would not be easy. Had Soth been taken prisoner by a band of ogres, or barbarians, or been placed under some spell by a pack of goblins, his rescue would have likely been a simple matter.
But instead, he was the prisoner of the Knights of Solamnia. His followers would have virtually no advantage because the knights they would be pitting themselves against were just as skilled as they were.
And to make matters worse, there would be more guards than rescuers, making the chances of freeing Soth unharmed very slim indeed.
They had discussed tactics long into the night and it was Caradoc who finally came up with something that might tip the scales in their favor.
"We are Knights of Solamnia, are we not?"
&n
bsp; "Yes, of course," the knights agreed.
"And it is assumed that we will accept Soth's fate and conduct ourselves according to the Oath and the Measure."
The knights were silent, awaiting Caradoc's next words.
"Well then, any attempt to free our lord would come as a surprise since none would expect us to reject the decision of the high justice."
The knights remained silent, considering it.
Finally, Wersten Kern spoke. "But what you're saying is that such a rescue wouldn't be expected because what it amounts to is treason, something that will likely mark us as outlaws and get us banished from the Knights of Solamnia."
Caradoc sighed. If Kern was having second thoughts, then some of the others were as well. That meant that Caradoc had one last chance to convince the knights of their task. If he failed now Soth would be doomed. "No, not treason," said Caradoc. "Our rescue will be an act of tremendous loyalty toward our lord. And in regard to becoming outlaws, how do you know mat our reputations haven't already been damaged through our association with Lord Soth? We can't even be sure that we'll be allowed to leave the city without being put on trial ourselves."
Kern pondered Caradoc's words, then finally nodded.
"Caradoc is right. We're probably already damned in the eyes of the other knights." A pause. "If that's the case, then
I think using the element of surprise is the best chance we have of rescuing Lord Soth and leaving Palanthas alive."
The knights muttered agreement.
"All right then," said Caradoc. "Perhaps we should begin working out the details."
The horse cart started with a sudden lurch, then rolled smoothly-if not noisily-out into the courtyard of the Hall of High Justice. There the driver stopped to pick up his escort of four mounted knights in highly polished plate armor, one positioned at each of the cart's corners.
With the knights in place, the cart left the courtyard and began its journey through the streets of Palanthas.
The layout of the city was like that of a gigantic wheel, with each road being a spoke leading directly to the hub.
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