by M. K. Gibson
A villain knows the legal system of every location he is in and is prepared to use that system toward his advantage – p referably in a way that inspires shock and awe.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Where I Stand Trial and Drop Knowledge Bombs
I stood in the center of a massive tree stump beneath a canopy of trees. The stump was fifty plus feet across, and it was blackened on the edges, damaged from a fire long ago. The boughs of the nearby trees served as seating for those who bore witness to my trial. All around, luminescent pods from the trees provided soft colorful lights.
Being on trial to determine my life at least had a pleasant color motif. But the whole setup reeked of Valliar. I assumed Khasil had had her chance with a direct attack. Now, Valliar was using an alternative approach.
Before me, in the highest tree boughs, sat The Five of the Arboreal Court. The respective leaders of the five elvish tribes: K’annan of the Western Wilds, Allana’thas, Queen of the Northern Skyborn Forrest, Cellt’x Shaman of the Southern Wayfinders, Shallah, The She-Hammer of the Mountain Range, and lastly, Talisarian’de, Lord Protector of the Whispering Woods.
“Bring forth the witnesses,” Talisarian’de commanded. In unison, the armed elvish guards who stood watch rapped their halberds on the ground three times in quick succession. Behind me, my companions entered the makeshift courtroom. Hawker, Cairn, Wren, and Lydia. All of them took a seat on the ground level next to a large human male.
Interesting.
Hawker hugged the man in a way that showed a connection. The man was burly and had the swagger of a ruffian. Nothing about him said he should be in the presence of elves. So who was he? My guess was Hawker’s mentor. The one he mentioned who trained him and put him on a better path. But as I got a better look at him, his identity was undeniable.
How cliché.
“Jackson Blackwell,” Talisarian’de, Lord Protector of the Whispering Woods, addressed me.
“Yes?” I said, the high elf’s words bringing me back into the moment.
“You stand accused of being The Shadow Master, the mastermind of villains. How do you plead?”
I placed my hands behind my back and took note of all the androgynous elvish faces watching me. They were curious. Nigh immortal lives led to constant boredom. Despite their holier-than-thou shtick, they reveled in watching the suffering of others. It alleviated their boredom, if only for a little while. Hence this mockery of a courtroom.
Again, I could leave whenever I wanted. But that would only set me back. So I had to win these people over. And as they say, when lies will not work, let the truth set you free.
I looked at my allies once more and considered my words and my approach.
“Jackson Blackwell, I repeat, how do you—”
“I heard you, Lord Protector. I have just been ignoring you,” I said, as bored as possible. “Lesser beings do not deserve my full attention.”
Apparently my chosen approach was “asshole.”
“What did you say, human?” Shallah, The She-Hammer of the Mountain Range boomed.
“You see us as . . . inferior to humans?” asked Allana’thas, Queen of the Northern Range.
“No,” I responded. “I see you as inferior to me.”
“How dare you?!” K’annan of the Western Wilds exclaimed while Cellt’x, Shaman of the Southern Wayfinders, began chanting a spell.
“Silence,” Talisarian’de commanded. While in the Whispering Woods, the Arboreal Court obeyed the ruling leader. “Jackson Blackwell, your attempts to anger this court will not work. You have been charged with being The Shadow Master, the mastermind of villains. That charge stands open. How do you plead?”
I looked at Hawker and the rest of them. I watched watching me. They were waiting for a response. Waiting to see if I was the Bogey Man. Well, let’s give them a show they’ll never forget.
“Talisarian’de, I believe you have in your court a Truthseer? The maiden Alianna?”
“The charges stand open—”
“I know what the charges are, Lord Protector. And I will answer them. Everything and more.”
“Why would you want an elvish Truthseer here? Considering the circumstances and your contempt for my people and our kind, a Truthseer would not improve your chances of living,” the Lord Protector said.
“I wish a Truthseer to be present to ensure my testimony will stand uncontested. The one beauty of your people is your inability to speak falsehood. At least, not directly. A gift, or curse, from your maker Valliar. A Truthseer will know the truth from a lie and will be unable to speak a lie.”
A young female elf stood from among the gathered crowd. “I am Alianna,” she said. “And I will stand as the Truthseer.”
Talisarian’de nodded in approval.
“Alianna, no,” Hawker said.
But the female raised her hand. “Be still, my love. All deserve the law and the truth. Even scum like this.”
Several of the elves nodded their heads in agreement while others gave her odd looks. I caught several whispering among themselves. I read their lips and made out the words “human whore.”
Hawker grimaced, overhearing some of those elves, and sat back down. His mentor placed a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring way.
The elf woman made her way down the tree boughs with a slow elegance. She was beautiful, with elegant sculpted features, pale creamy skin, hair as black as night, and large blue eyes. She came to stand on the tree stump, just outside the outer ring of the old tree. I nodded my thanks to the elf.
“For the final time,” the Lord Protector said, “you have been accused of—”
“Yes, I know, I know. And I will answer the charge. But first I wish, under the Right of the Accused, to speak on my behalf.”
Talisarian’de narrowed his eyes. Obviously, he was not happy that I knew the judicial system of his people. A simple rule for all who walk outside the law: Know the laws and use them for your benefit.
“Elves of this court, I hold nothing but contempt for you all,” I began.
“Truth,” Alianna said.
Sigh . . . I looked back at her. “Could you hold the outcome for more dramatic moments? Otherwise, you are really going to break my flow.”
“Apologies,” she said.
“As I was saying, I do not care for your kind. Mostly because you are, in fact, villains yourselves. Although you do not claim the title.”
“I will not sit here and listen to this lesser being befoul the nobility of our kind!” Sharrah said.
“Yes you will,” I said, smirking at the muscular she-elf. “Under the Rights of the Accused, I am permitted to speak my entire case and mind uninterrupted. Under the law of the Arboreal Court, should any of the judges leave during that time, then it is the divine will of Valliar that the accused be exonerated, recompense be paid, and apologies be spoken at the four corners of the world. But feel free to leave.”
Sharrah sat back down.
“A thousand years ago, when some of you here were still alive, the Eld were attacked in a war known as The Rift. Elves were the ones who led that attack, at least indirectly. They feared the technological growth of mankind. That it may win out over the immortal magic of the elves. So the elves rallied the lands against the Eld and watched as their pawns destroyed them. Do you deny it?”
“No,” Tasliarian’de said through a grim mask.
“Truth,” Alianna said with sadness in her voice.
“See, now that’s how you do it,” I congratulated the Truthseer.
“What is the point of this?” Wren called out from his seat.
“I’m getting there,” I promised. “Kyle Hawker, you are, in fact, a descendant of the Eld. Your village, The Elder River Village, was built upon their ruin. You are a royal prince of the Eld, and these Elves orchestrated the deaths of your ancestors.”
“Truth.”
Hawker looked like he was struck below the belt. “But, Alianna . . . ”
“Don’t worry, she�
�s not old enough. She had no part in their fall. But they did,” I said, pointing at the Arboreal Council.
“Why are you trying to hurt him?” Wren asked.
“I’m not. I am here to speak the truth and speak the truth I shall, Ammalar. But since you keep choosing to interrupt, let us talk about you.”
Well, I suppose it’s about that time: the grand reveal.
“Kyle, do you recall your story, about how you stabbed one of the guards when you charged General Anders and got knocked out?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know that Wren was the one who knocked you out? That he was one of General Anders’ bannermen?” I said.
“What?” Hawker exclaimed, his head snapping to stare at the big man. “But I remember his face.”
“You mean the big guy with a hawk nose, long hair, and a scarred face? And if that man shaved his head and grew ridiculous facial hair to hide the scar, he would look like . . . what?”
“Lie!” Wren said, jumping to his feet.
“The ammalar lies,” Alianna said.
“Lift up your shirt, Wren,” Hawker demanded.
Wren looked at me, then at Hawker with hate in his eyes. Then, something in him broke. He hung his head and then lifted his shirt, exposing the year-old sword wound in his gut.
“My guess is, during the battle he felt guilty and tried to save you,” I said. “He was the one who hid you under the bodies of your dead kin, keeping you alive and keeping his conscience as clean as possible. No wonder Vammar chose him for one of his disciples.”
“I . . . yes.” Wren said as tears formed in his eyes. The big man sat down and sobbed.
“Truth.”
“You bastard,” Hawker said, staring at Wren.
“You’re a monster,” Cairn said to me. “Do you enjoy manipulating others for your amusement?”
“Sometimes, yes.”
“Truth,” Alianna confirmed.
I stared at the elf until she turned away from my gaze. “But what I am doing now is exposing the truth. The ones you all don’t want to hear. Like you, Cairn.”
“I have nothing to hide.”
“Other than being a woman.”
“I—I’m not a woman.”
“Lie,” Alianna said.
“I figured the Twilight Guard, for all their progressive ways, wouldn’t balk at a woman in the guard. So your story seemed off. You’re not the first female warrior posing as a man I’ve come across. But your patchy beard isn’t makeup or cosmetic, is it? You’re a half dwarf, half human, aren’t you? And remember, the Truthseer will know.”
“I . . . oh gods . . . yes,” Cairn said, tears pouring from her eyes.
“Abomination!” Allana’thas, Queen of the Northern Range yelled in an exasperated voice.
“Xenophobia. Another of the elvenkind’s least favorite traits of mine. You abhor the mixing of bloodlines. You see it as a dilution of your purity. An elf and a human, that you can almost forgive. But a human and a dwarf? No, those children are almost always terminated for fear of what they could be. The power and ingenuity of a dwarf coupled with the will of a human? Children like that would be strong and courageous. Free to pass over the earth as well as under it. And if they continued to breed, then elvish reign as the top life form in the realms would end.”
“They . . . they discovered my secret and sentenced me to die. I only survived because—”
“Yes yes,” I said, waving my hand in a “let’s get on with this” motion.
I didn’t have time for her to sob out a convoluted backstory, so I finished it for her. “Your dwarvish strength and facial hair, coupled with the height from your human blood, allowed you to pass for a young human male. So you adopted the name of Cairn and set out to make your way in the Twilight Guard. That is, until someone discovered your secret. But because the forces of Grimskull were on the move following the destruction of the Elder River Village, you were lost in the shuffle and ran away.”
“Carina,” Cairn said. “My name is Carina. How do you know all this?”
“So your secret identity was to change Carina to Cairn? Seriously, how did none of you idiots see this sooner?” I said. “And I know these things because I pay attention. I learn. I use knowledge, and people, to my advantage.”
“What of me?” Lydia asked. “What dark secrets are hidden in my past?”
“You? Your surname Barrowbride means you were married to someone at some point. And since you eventually became the leader of the thieves’ guild, it means you probably either killed him because he was abusive, or you started stealing to get out of poverty. Regardless, he’s gone, and I would very much like to ask you out at a later time. When I am not on trial, that is. Plus, you have a thickness I normally don’t find attractive, but for some reason, I am enamored of you.”
“Truth.”
“See?” I said pointing to Alianna.
“We can discuss my past over wine,” Lydia smiled.
I smiled back. “But the important question you should be asking, Lydia, is this: If the Elves of the Whispering Woods, devoted followers of Valliar, have lived this close to the Forgotten Bastards, why did they never move against them when they became a cult of Khasil, Valliar’s sworn enemy?”
“That is a good question,” Lydia said as she looked at the Arboreal Council. “Why did you let Khasil’s will spread like that? All the people she hurt and killed using the Bastards as her instrument. Why didn’t you do anything to stop it?”
“You are a guest here. Do not presume you have the right to question us,” Talisarian’de said.
“I’ll translate that for you, Lydia,” I said. “Because you’re human. And the poor people who made up your ragged group were just that—poor. Your wealth may have grown some, but your political influence means nothing to them. Aiding you brought them no net gain. Plus, since Khasil is the sister of Valliar, he would not move directly against her unless his elves were in trouble.”
“Truth.”
“Blasphemy!” Multiple members of the Arboreal Court called out at once.
“Blow it out your narrow asses,” I said. “It isn’t a secret about the gods and their familial relationships.”
“Also truth,” Alianna said.
“Now you’re getting it,” I congratulated the Truthseer.
“What are you doing?” a voice cried out. It was the large man, Hawker’s mentor. “Are you trying to destroy everyone and everything around you? Please, stop this. Let me set you on a better path.”
I eyed him over and drew a few conclusions.
“Might I know who I am speaking to?” I asked.
“Zachariah Graywalker,” the man named himself. “Battle-mage and ally of all the good races of this world.”
“Uh-huh. And you are the one who set young Kyle on his path of redemption? The one who trained him?”
“Yes.”
I nodded. “I see. And did you ever bother to tell him that you were his uncle?”
“No,” Zachariah said, not even trying to act surprised.
“You’re . . . my uncle? Are you one of the Eld?” Hawker asked.
“Sorry kid, wrong side of the family,” I said. “You see, your mother—” I started.
“What about my mother?”
Hell, I didn’t have time for this. “Look, sorry for the bluntness. But your real father is Baron Viktor Grimskull. This guy is his brother. Oh, don’t look at me like that. Gods above and below, you’re practically twins. Your dad is the big bad guy. He impregnated your mother when she was his concubine and then ordered the death of her entire village twenty-one years after she fled. The reason you have a big dark hole in your heart is because some of the dark magic that flows through Grimskull is also what flows through you. Now, act shocked later. I have a trial to conclude.”
I turned to face the Arboreal Court and prepped for my closing arguments.
“When I leave here, I am going to continue my quest to bring down Baron Grimskull and end his tyranny, free
ing the East from his influence. I am going to destroy his power base, removing General Anders and his Archmage, Chaud. Yes, I am considered a villain by some. And I give counsel to the worst people. But I make the world a better place. I give the people a villain who provides medicine, money, food, and clean water. I control them so that others have a better life. You look at me in contempt, but I have done good for the people across this, and many, realms. I am in fact the greatest force for good this world has ever known. So make your judgment and be done with it. But if you cross me, I will end you all. You ask if I am The Shadow Master? You’re goddamn right I am.”
The entire outdoor court sat in stunned silence. All at once, eyes swept towards Alianna, who looked down and shuddered.
“Truth.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Where I Reacquaint Myself with an Old Ally and Perform Certain Necessary Acts
Walking through the Whispering Woods as a free man felt good. I even whistled “Walking on Sunshine” while I did it. Katrina and the Waves was lost on these people.
Granted, my freedom wasn’t as enjoyed by the rest of the Woods. Almost every elf in the kingdom refused to meet my gaze and most actually avoided me at every turn. I guess outing them as the racist, classist assholes they were didn’t win me any favor. You know, I never got that with people in general. When you show someone exactly what’s wrong with them, they never say “thank you.” Instead, they act all high and mighty and defend their faults.
Eh, life goes on.
I passed by a common room and saw my companions sitting by a fire and enjoying glasses of wine. Their conversation stopped when they saw me. Cairn—excuse me, Carina—was wearing a green dress that accented her red hair. She had even shaved her beard and was wearing cosmetics. Next to her Lydia wore a low-cut, night blue dress with black laces. Hawker sat next the fire with Wren, while Zachariah was in the corner of the room. I guess his being outed as the brother of the vilest man in the East wasn’t exactly what he had planned that day.
As I walked by, all eyes were on me. I stopped to look at them.
“I don’t care if you like me, or even trust me. But I am going to continue the quest. I’d . . . I’d like you all there,” I said. “I know you have questions, and I will answer what I can. Do not let what I said in there cloud who you all are. Separately, you all are broken in your own way. Together, you are whole. The forces of the universe brought you all together for a reason. Your pasts all overlapping? That cannot be coincidence.”