Scales Of Justice

by C. R. Daems

  "He's innocent, of course, and the merchant is guilty of lying to a judicator," Jola said with a frown. "I'll probably have to order a few strokes of the cane to remind him the futility of trying to lie to a judicator."

  "Yes, you'll do fine, so long as you can remember which lord you owe your loyalty. You are certainly not boring to have around, unlike most of the fools I have to deal with. Unfortunately, I need them to do my bidding."

  "My villa will be a constant reminder, Your Grace," Jola said with a huge smile. As well as your two beauties, she added silently.

  * * *

  Jola, her personal bodyguards, and her guard of twenty left the next morning after an early breakfast with Chaney. Her two beauties had been especially attentive, as the breakfast table in the duke's private dining room was shorter.

  The captain of her guard, Maury, informed her it would take four days to Southgate. He expected to be able to find quarters for her in the small villages along the way. The captain described his duties in a friendly and candid manner.

  "Mistress Jola, you are my superior, and I am subject to your orders so long as you remain loyal to Duke Chaney. If not, I am to kill you-if your personal bodyguards fail in their duty." Maury bowed to her.

  "Captain, I understand. Thank you for being honest. You have duties, as do I."

  Jola found the next few days interesting. She knew not only the truth of every statement made to her, but frequently the emotions involved-except for those of her two personal bodyguards, who seemed dead emotionally. Chaney had also lacked real emotions, unless he was pleased or angry; he'd radiated little else. But no one could tell her emotions, or whether she told the truth. It was little wonder that judicators made most people nervous, especially nobles. Maybe that explained why judicators were loners, seldom married, and never seemed to have strong relationships, except with other judicators.

  They clattered into Southgate late in the afternoon, and proceeded to the castle that served as the residence of the Marquess Pirmin. He greeted them at the gate, and was effusive in his efforts to make Jola comfortable. He told her that the judgment would be held two days hence, and led her to a luxurious suite to use for her stay. That night, she was the guest of honor at a dinner that twenty nobles attended. She had become adjusted to being deferred to and treated well in most towns; however, here, they treated her like visiting royalty. It surprised her to find that it was fun.

  "Mistress Jola, you're here for a judgment on the case of Lord Kafele?" one of the nobles asked.

  She paused, with a bite of delectable poached fowl halfway to her mouth. "Yes, I've been asked to judge that case," Jola said with a smile.

  "What do you think about the merits of the case?"

  She put the bite of food in her mouth, and chewed and swallowed it before she answered. "I know nothing of the merits of the case until I can question the two parties involved. We wouldn't want to start a rumor that I've a bias before the judgment starts, would we?" Jola fluttered her eyes and noted a general nodding of heads.

  "No, Mistress, that could cause problems with the commoners," the young man said, apparently pleased with her answer.

  The next day, Jola decided to wander down to the market, accompanied by her captain and her two ever-present personal bodyguards. Chaney had provided her with a sizeable bag of silvers, which her captain carried for her. She thought that several additional guards, although unseen, were probably not too far away-just in case. She stopped at a variety of stalls and chatted with the merchants about what they had for sale. Most were cautious because of her guards, but friendly when they realized she was a real judicator. Her two vipers did cause a bit of excitement as they moved restlessly around her clothes and body.

  In one stall, she recognized a Kasavan warrior, Azizi of the Clan Anan, with whom she had trained in Mitra. As he turned to move away from the table, she moved so that he almost tripped over her. "Excuse me... you're the warrior Azizi, aren't you?" Jola asked, and noted Azizi's puzzlement, since she knew him well. He had spent an eightday coaching her on the clansmen's style of dagger fighting.

  "Yes, Mistress, I'm Azizi," he said, as his eyes took in the Tasman guards.

  "How did Clan Chief Obasi survive the confinement Judicator Tenzen ordered for stealing the Sangola?" She laughed.

  "He survived, Mistress." Azizi bowed and walked away.

  * * *

  The next day after a lavish breakfast, Jola was off with her guards to the judgment platform in the town square, where a sizeable crowd had gathered by the time she arrived. As she started to mount the platform, her two bodyguards also started up. She stopped them with a wave.

  "That wouldn't look good, my beauties. I'll be right up there with the captain," Jola said, waving at the platform. They looked at each other, and then turned without a word and positioned themselves on either side of the stairs. Jola mounted the platform and surveyed the crowd. It was a mixed group of commoners and nobles, with a scattering of Kasavan clansmen. Most of her Tasman guards clustered in front of the platform.

  "In the name of King Nicolas, I, Judicator Jola, do hereby call this judgment in session. Captain, would you please read the charges," Jola chanted in a loud voice.

  "Merchant Aello has accused Lord Kafele of stealing jewelry worth two hundred silvers," the captain read.

  "Lord Kafele, are the charges accurate?" Jola looked down at the young lord, while noting that half the clansmen had disappeared, and that Azizi had moved up to the front of the crowd.

  "Mistress, Merchant Aello and I negotiated for jewelry he had in his shop. I agreed to pay the price of fifty silvers, which is what the articles were worth."

  Jola detected truth mixed with falseness. It would require more precise questions to determine which part was true and which false. But she didn't seek the truth today. Today the result had been predetermined.

  "Merchant Aello, what do you say to that?" Jola knew her questions permitted open-ended responses rather than easy-to-evaluate "yes" or "no" answers; however, the answers didn't really matter. This trial was a farce.

  "We negotiated a price for many of my articles, but never reached an agreement. Lord Kafele picked up six pieces, put them in his pouch and threw fifty silvers at me. He said that was all they were worth." Aello's eyes never left hers.

  "How much was the jewelry worth, Merchant Aello?" Jola appeared to stare at him, but surreptitiously scanned the crowd. She noticed that the number of clansmen had doubled. They now surrounded the platform.

  "One hundred to one hundred twenty-five silvers, Mistress. I must make a profit."

  Jola whipped out her dagger before the captain could respond and pointed it at Aello. "Merchant Aello, you've accused Lord Kafele of stealing. Maybe he's a better judge of jewelry than you." Jola noted that the captain had returned his half-drawn sword to his sheath, and her two bodyguards had relaxed again. The crowd, however, began to grow restless.

  "No, Mistress; the jewelry-" Aello gaped in astonishment as Jola flipped her dagger so that it lay along her forearm with the point facing behind her, stepped to her rear, and drove it into the captain's heart.

  "Sorry, Captain, you were honest with me, but I wasn't honest with you," Jola mumbled as she pulled out her dagger. She spun to see her Tasman guards falling everywhere as the Kasavan warriors attacked. A few guards managed to draw their swords, but were quickly cut down. As one of her personal bodyguards turned toward the stairs to the platform, Azizi cut his throat. Her second bodyguard, however, had killed the clansman who had attacked him. He pulled his sword from the clansman and stepped onto the stairs before Azizi could react. The guard smiled for the first time since Jola had known him.

  "Mistress, it appears your word is no good," he said, his sword in one hand and a dagger in his off hand.

  "I guess that means Chaney won't give me my villa and servants." Jola dropped Tenzen's viper on the floor and stepped back.

  "Duke Chaney to you, worthless scum," the guard said, as he tried to watch Jol
a and the viper simultaneously. She stood too close to the viper for him to kill it without giving her an opening.

  "No, I've declared your arrogant, self-centered fool to be a traitor, without titles or land. A common criminal, taking orders from commoners." Jola giggled rather than laughed. It seemed like more of an insult, and made her appear less dangerous.

  The guard showed his first real emotion. Anger radiated from him as he cursed her and charged. He slashed at her with his sword, while keeping his dagger hidden. She stepped to the side as he lunged with the dagger. She caught the thrust with her own dagger. For that moment, the opponents stood face to face, with their daggers locked at their hilts. Then, Jola's and Tenzen's vipers struck. His eyes widened as he crumpled to the ground.

  With a sigh of relief, she looked around to find the platform surrounded by Kasavan warriors on horseback. On one side, Azizi waited with a riderless horse. With her own viper wrapped around her wrist, Jola picked up Tenzen's viper as she ran and jumped into the saddle.

  "Your dagger work has improved, Mistress!" Azizi shouted at her as they galloped through the city streets.

  "I had a very good teacher. I wasn't sure you would understand that I was in trouble."

  "It was obvious from your Tasman guards. The two that shadowed you were very dangerous men. They didn't look like your friends."

  "Do you think they'll pursue us?" Jola hoped the danger was over. The ordeal of prison, playing a part, and plotting an escape had left her exhausted.

  "Yes, Mistress, but it won't matter. Our desert horses will outdistance them. We can make it to Mitra in four days if you can hold up," Azizi said, his face puckered with concern.

  "If I can't, you've my permission to tie me to the horse." Jola gave a small giggle as she imagined the sight. She would gladly be tied to a horse to escape Chaney.

  They rode for what seemed like twenty hours, but she knew it couldn't have been that long, as the sun hadn't yet set. She had managed to blank out everything but staying in the saddle. When they did stop, Jola was too tired even to dismount.

  "Mistress, may I help you down? The horses need rest and water. We'll stop here for several hours before we continue on, and you could use a couple of hours' sleep as well," Azizi said as he looked up at her.

  "Yes, please." It was the last thing she remembered before Azizi shook her awake some time later. When he did, she jerked awake and reached for her dagger. Azizi gently stopped her by placing his hand over hers.

  "Mistress, you're safe among friends."

  "I'm sorry. I've been among enemies too long." She looked around at their little camp. "Are we safe?"

  "Yes, but we must keep moving. We've time for you to eat and relieve yourself. Then we must push on." He handed her a bowl with a hot, stew-like substance. It burned her mouth, but it tasted wonderful. Twenty minutes later, she was ready to go.

  "Why were you and your men in Southgate?" Jola realized it wasn't luck that the clansmen were there.

  "We hoped to find word of you. Judicator Tenzen survived the encounter with Chaney's troops, but didn't think you did. She thought she saw you killed, but was too injured to do anything but escape. However, there was a rumor that one judicator had lived and been captured. We decided it wouldn't hurt to look around."

  "Sister Tenzen lived? Thank Naga. Where is she?" Tears welled up and streaked down Jola's cheeks. "I thought she had been killed in the fight."

  "She is in Three Springs recovering from her wounds. They were serious."

  "Can we go there instead of Mitra?" Jola's heart thudded with excitement. Suddenly she was no longer tired. She hadn't allowed herself to think about Tenzen. The pain had been too much to bear, until now. Damn Chaney and his delusions of grandeur. May he rot in the iron mines.

  "Mistress, we'll do so willingly, but you have the authority to order us if you choose," Azizi said with a sly smile.

  "In the name of King Nicolas, I, Judicator Jola, do declare you in the service of King Nicolas, and grant you authority to enter any and all provinces to assist me and Judicator Tenzen in getting to Lappin. Thank you, my friend. I'll never forget what you've done for me."

  * * *

  The next days were a blur. Jola learned to sleep while riding, or at least to blank out hours of riding. At some point, in what seemed like a dream, Azizi informed her that Tasman had mounted a pursuit, but that they had wisely chosen to turn back. Kasavans would not permit another province's soldiers on their soil, and few sane soldiers wanted to fight Kasava warriors in the desert.

  When they reached Three Springs, Jola was welcomed by a captain of the guard, who escorted her to the castle. Tenzen was waiting there to greet her.

  "Sister Jola." Tenzen paused, and Jola saw her blink back tears. "When I heard you were alive, I couldn't believe it. I saw you slashed from behind, slump over your horse and fall. I thought you were dead. I was too weak to do anything. I had hoped you would escape when I attacked the nobles." She held Jola in a hug.

  "Escape? When you were being attacked?" Jola held tightly to Tenzen and tears streaked down her face.

  "I see you found my viper." While they hugged, Tenzen's viper had slid off Jola's shoulder to its friend. "Now tell me how you escaped."

  While Jola talked, Tenzen led her inside and introduced her to the Three Springs baths. Minutes later, Jola was luxuriating in the hot, steamy water. It was the first opportunity she'd had to bathe since her escape from Southgate.

  The baths had two women as attendants, who waited on her for two glorious hours. She soaked in the steaming water until she turned a rose color and her fingertips wrinkled. Then, the women plunged her into a cold bath before giving her a massage with oil whose fragrance reminded her of wild desert flowers. By the time she was taken to her room, every part of her body tingled. Her room was a warm terracotta color, with plush rugs that depicted desert landscapes. The furniture was made from a light, almost white, wood, and a round beehive fireplace dominated one corner. At the far end of the room, two large louver doors led out onto two small terraces. Jola lay on the bed, delighting in its soft comfort and the peace all around her-content now that she knew Tenzen had lived.

  She raised her head at a small knock.

  "Mistress, I don't mean to disturb you, but Duchess Kambiri wanted to know if you would like to join her and Judicator Tenzen for dinner," a small young girl asked from the doorway.

  "Yes, I would very much like to join Her Grace for dinner. Can you wait while I get dressed?"

  "Mistress, there is no need to rush. I will come back for you in thirty minutes."

  When Jola arrived at the dining room, everyone had just begun to be seated. "Mistress Jola, I hope you have had a chance to refresh yourself and rest. I would have seen you immediately upon your arrival, but after an eightday in the saddle, you would, I knew, rather bathe and see your sister than be entertained," Kambiri said, smiling knowingly.

  "Thank you, Your Grace. I doubt I would have been coherent upon my arrival. I love Kasava, but do not have the endurance of your warriors."

  "Come, let us eat; you must be starved if you have been living on a warrior's diet." Kambiri laughed. She motioned for Jola to take a seat next to her. Consistent with the Kasava people, the dinner was simple. Jola described the battle she and Tenzen had fought with Chaney's troops, her imprisonment, and the deception that had brought her to Southgate, where Azizi rescued her. At the end of the meal, Kambiri invited Tenzen and Jola into her private study.

  They settled into comfortable chairs across the desk from the Duchess. Once they were seated, Kambiri served a strong, bitter chocolate drink she called "caffa."

  "Mistress Tenzen, now that you have recovered from your wounds, and your sister has returned, you must be in a hurry to depart for Lappin. I would ask a favor before you leave. We had an instance yesterday that requires a judgment. It appears to be related to your news about Essam and Tasman."

  "What are the charges, Lady Kambiri?" Tenzen asked. Jola knew that Tenzen wan
ted to leave the next day, since they needed to get to Lappin as quickly as possible.

  "I have three nobles who are accused of poisoning two of our three springs. In Kasava, that's a crime punishable by death on the sands. However, the young nobles are entitled to have their liege or his representative present during the judgment. That would seem impossible now that you have charged Duke... Chaney with treason."

  Tenzen sat silent for several minutes, and then turned to Jola. "My sister, you caused the problem. Would you like to suggest a solution?" Tenzen relaxed back in her chair. Jola knew that Tenzen had passed the responsibility to her. Jola wasn't sure whether it was part of her training, or whether it was because Tenzen was still recovering.

  "Lady Kambiri, I'll try the case tomorrow if all the necessary people are available," Jola said. Kambiri raised her eyebrows in evident surprise.

  "Thank you. I'll have the necessary people ready at first light." She paused, and Jola sat quietly while the noblewoman gave her a long look. "If you don't mind my asking, how are you going to try the nobles without a representative?"

  "With all due respect, Lady Kambiri, a liege lady or lord is there to listen to the case and plead for an alternative sentence if he or she feels the judicator's judgment is too harsh. They're only observers-they can talk to us about our verdicts, but can't change them. In this case, it's a courtesy that we can't accommodate because these nobles have no liege lord." Jola looked to Tenzen, who smiled. Then she looked to Kambiri, not sure how she would take that blunt assessment. Kambiri only laughed.

  "Out of the mouths of babes comes the untarnished truth. No need to look worried. Justice would not be balanced and fair if nobles or commoners could change your decisions. You are young, but you have been well trained." Kambiri nodded to Tenzen, and then rose, signaling the end of the discussion.

  * * *

  "In the name of King Nicolas, I, Judicator Jola, do hereby call this judgment in session. Captain, would you read the charges, please," Jola said to the captain standing in front of the three noblemen, who were surrounded by six guards.