A commotion to one side of the crowd drew Callum's attention. A couple of guards were carrying a cloth covered body on a stretcher. A grief stricken middle aged couple followed the guards onto the platform.
Alister spoke out, "Betty was at our home this morning and Callum offered her a ride into town on his wagon. She was hale and in the company of Callum the last time anyone saw her alive. Yet Callum arrived in town alone!"
Alister had to stop as several anonymous shouts rang out.
"Guilty!"
"He killed her!"
"Murderer"
"Hang him!"
The random interruptions only ended when Strongshield stepped forward and glared at the crowd. His reputation and stare enough to force the crowd to unconsciously step back and fall into silence once more.
"Only my accursed brother and the gods know exactly what happened. But I discovered her body shortly afterwards as I too journeyed into town after caring for the farm animals he neglected. Her body had been assaulted either before or after her murder!"
"He killed our baby! He had his way with her and murdered her! He doesn't deserve to see another day!" The middle aged man spoke up in a voice that cracked with emotion.
A flashing red notification popped up in Callum's vision. Usually notifications were a calm blue color, so Callum's attention was instantly grabbed.
"WARNING: Your reputation in the Hillshire region has reached 'Anathema' level. Effects: You are shunned, citizenry will no longer have ANY business with you. Random citizens will assault you on sight. Citizens may directly seek your death."
The crowd of almost 2,000 surged forward at the same time as the notification popped up in Callum's vision. Only Strongshield's presence deterred the crowd despite their clear intentions of meting out their own 'justice' upon Callum.
Callum was the next to speak out. He was strengthened by the surety of his own innocence and enraged by the betrayal of his own brother. Everything Alister had said was a complete falsehood. And Alister had known it was a lie even as he spoke those lies.
"My brother lies! I left by myself and haven't killed anyone! I swear this on my ancestors that I did not assault or murder her or anyone else!"
Once again the crowd broke out in shouts. It was hard to hear the individual shouts but many spoke up against him. The crowd clearly favored Alister's version of events and thought Callum was lying!
Callum couldn't yet figure out why his brother was lying. But it was clear that his brother had betrayed him. And if Betty was dead and the two Murray brothers were last to see her, then Alister was the likely culprit. It didn't make any sense though.
Why would his brother murder to set him up? To inherit the farm? Hardly, his brother detested farmwork and it wasn't worth much coin these days. Eventually, a truthteller would be brought in and Callum would face justice. Unless . . . unless something else was going on.
Callum remembered something he hadn't thought of in sometime. Caldwaters and Alister used to be drinking buddies at the local taverns. Being ostracized let that small detail slip his brain as he had plenty of other issues to focus on over the past six months. Hard to be social when you're detested.
And it was Caldwaters who had discovered his parent's abandoned carriage and their dead guards. Caldwaters and his men had goaded him into resisting the whole trip into town. Why else leave him his hatchet and not search his bag? Unless they wanted to entice him into resisting so that he could be killed 'resisting' arrest.
Thorne had been around long enough to smell a setup. He had his own ideas of what was going on. He'd prefer to have this decided in a courthall, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from preventing a miscarriage of justice. His honor demanded it!
"Well, does anyone else here have anything else to add that can shed light on this poor woman's demise? Bear in mind, I will bring in a truthteller within the week. I will have them perform a telling on all witnesses that step forward now," Thorne shouted out.
Two individuals that seemed to be about to speak up quietly melted back into the crowd. Thorne snorted upon seeing their actions. Clearly they didn't want to face a telling.
"Do the two brothers stand by their previous statements? Know that you both will face a telling as well." Thorne questioned as he carefully studied the two in question.
"I stand by my statement. My brother left with the woman and now she's dead!" Alister stated. No trace of deceit graced his confident mein.
"I am innocent!" Callum resolutely said. He wasn't sure what was behind his brother's actions. But he resolved to find out.
Callum didn't know if he was crazy for thinking there was a link between Alister, Caldwaters, and his parents' death. The why was still something that eluded him. And he was still shocked at the directions his thoughts took him. Was he crazy to think so?
Was it paranoid to think that there was a conspiracy to have him killed? Alister might have reason to seek his death if he truly believed he murdered their parents. But that didn't explain the others who risked a telling in the future just to see a now destitute farmer dead.
Regardless, he was facing death until Strongshield turned up. Callum silently sent a prayer to whichever gods were listening. Thanking them for Strongshield's presence. Or else, he'd likely be already dangling from a noose or possibly shorter by about one head's height.
But if they were conspiring together, why did Caldwaters and his brother look so sure of themselves despite the former paladin's plans to bring in a truthteller? He must be going crazy. Was that a symptom of zeroing out his mana? Yes, yes he must be crazy!
"We have reached an impasse. Nothing said here constitutes proof that one Callum Murray had anything to do with the murders of his parents or the young Betty. I will take Callum into my personal custody until a truthteller is found."
"This is a lawful court of the land. You can't storm in here and declare a guilty man innocent. Even if you are Strongshield!" The mayor said as he seemed to have recovered from his pallid complexion as his prisoner was about to slip out of his grasp.
"LAWFUL! LAWFUL!?!? You miserable sack of shit. This isn't a court, this is a clownshow! You're a contemptible fat little man. And I've had enough of this injustice!"
Strongshield roared. He was losing his patience in putting up with this parody of a court. He took a second to calm down before he continued speaking.
"Don't speak to a paladin about what's lawful. I haven't declared him innocent. His innocence or guilt will be determined once a telling has been done. We will leave and return within the week once we find a truthteller."
The mayor's eyes seemed to dart around. It was clear that he didn't like what the paladin had planned. But the paladin was too well connected and had too strong of a reputation for the mayor to act against him. He also was right, even if the mayor chose to ignore that small detail.
A tall gaunt man in robes leaned over and whispered into the fat mayor's ears. A vicious smile graced Blanchett's face as he listened to what the stranger had to say. He spoke out once more.
"Very well, as the presiding Lord of Hillshire, I Baronet Jean Blanchett do invoke 'Exile' upon Callum Murray, an individual known to be an anathema in our community. His 'Exile' will be carried out immediately by our astral mage."
As the mayor spoke, the robed man pulled out a copper disk from thin air. He proceeded to silently mutter and wave his hands in some arcane fashion. A swirl of darkness with purple highlights slowly appeared in front of him.
Callum stared in shock at the portal that was slowly forming in front of the mage. He had suffered too many shocks to coherently respond to this latest one. Wisps of blue streamed towards the portal as it grew in size. Soon it grew to be 10 feet (3m) in diameter.
Before he knew it, the guards removed his manacles and bundled him towards the portal. Strongshield could only stand by as the mayor did have the right to exile anyone who reached anathema level of reputation. Even if exile by portal was unusual.
Callum was thrown into the vortex. Shortly after Callum went in, the portal winked out. The sound of wind rushing to fill the void left by the portal was the only noise in the plaza as the crowd was stunned into silence.