Lieutenant Agrat stood on the battlements, looking down at the Northern armies, stretching into the distance; as numerous as sand grains. A sight that could have sent panic skittering up the spine of any other soldier. She stared instead, cataloguing their formation, siege engines and command posts. She counted over a 100 siege engines being primed. It was a new day and another day of the siege.
Beside her, the supreme mage in charge of the battle mages stood in her light armour, muscular arms crossed over her chest as she stared down impetuously and contemptuously at the Northerners. She was probably mapping out areas where lightning strikes would deal the most damage if the fight finally did begin.
As they stood there, a translucent barrier began to rise, enclosing Lyraie and locking the Northerners outside the wall. The barrier looked stronger to Agrat, no doubt it was the work of the freshly substituted mages from the Capital.
The supreme mage; Franscilline, allowed a smile to grace her lips and a few seconds later, balls of fire flew from the Northern engines to strike the barrier. The ground shook but the barrier remained sturdy, shattering the balls and raining flaming dust. Even Agrat could not keep the smile from her face.
The soldiers lining the battlements cheered, beating swords on shields and yelling taunts at the Northerners. Apparently, it was a usual occurrence and reaction.
Agrat turned away as more balls took flight. She saw a messenger approaching. The woman stopped at intervals to hand letters over to some soldiers. It was just the day before that she spoke to Lilith through the same woman, but she'd not been admitted into General Sira's presence. To her suprise the messenger stopped before her and handed over a letter sealed with the General's own seal, before continuing. She winked at Agrat though and received a curt nod in return.
"From Sira?" Franscilline asked.
"Yes," Agrat answered as she tore open the letter and read the few words scribbled on the piece: 'My office in an hour'.
"An ominous summons if I ever read one," Franscilline said with a chortle after reading the message over Agrat's shoulder. "Search your conscience now, dear."
Agrat scoffed, pocketed the letter and started down the other side of the wall, footing sure on the rings of the ladder. She was certain the General had received the same information Lilith had given her the previous day. This was fixing to be the chance she needed to water the seed she'd planted earlier in the General.
The soldiers guarding the entrance to General Sira's tent saluted her as she walked in. The General was pacing at the end of her tent; a rare moment of emotional expression. On her table, letters were open on top of a terrain map of the continent and behind the General, her armour stood in menacing immobility.
Agrat saluted. "You sent for me, General."
The General's eyes glared as she turned to Agrat. "Have you seen these?" she asked, gesturing to the letters.
Agrat walked to the letters and held them up to read. The first letter was signed by King Cain of the Northern kingdoms. He wrote in reply to an insulting letter sent to him by Queen Evelyn. Agrat could feel the anger laced behind the words. She read through the other letters; from Raoling and Baercroft and they shared similar sentiments in reply to the Queen's letters. Agrat shook her head in disbelief.
"She rejects the idea of a war, then goes ahead to rile the enemies!?" Sira barked, unable to hold the silence any longer. Smoke curled from her shoulders.
"General," Agrat warned, taking a step back. Few Erosians were born without magic and many were enrolled in the schools of sorcery. As far as Agrat was aware, General Sira was among the few without practice. "You're smoking."
The General stopped pacing and regulated her breath. "What do I make of this?" she asked, walked to her chair and sat down, suddenly drained.
"She's enchanted," Agrat muttered.
"What did you just say?" Sira asked, eyes flashing with renewed energy.
"Surely you've heard of Adam's arrest and the circumstances surrounding it? Our Queen is not who she was, General. Lieutenant Moira saw it, spoke of it and was hanged, but Adam physically attacked the Queen, demonstrated use of magic, killed unlawfully in the royal palace and she sought to keep him from judgement," Agrat answered, laying out the facts carefully.
"Well, she bloody loves him, doesn't she?" Sira grumbled.
"That kind of love is not natural, General. I love Princess Lilith with all my heart, but I'll let that heart break than see its survival destroy our people. The Queen has a larger obligation than I do, yet she chose Adam."
"It doesn't make sense," Sira said after a few moments of reflective silence. She looked up at Agrat, fixing her with a glare as though she was the subject of her incredulity. "Why then would Lord Adam want to kill the Queen if she was already under his spell?"
Agrat shrugged thoughtfully. "The charges against him also accuse him of being a spy, didn't it? Maybe he received new orders?"
"Yes, but… I don't like this. We have a bloody war on our doorstep and the Queen is incapable of command. The bloody senate is sitting on the judgement of a single traitor! The kingdom has gone mad!" Sira boomed, her fist split the table in two, scattering splinters. The guards outside rushed in, alert, but retreated at a surreptitious signal from Agrat.
Sira stood before her armour, breathing hard. The fringes of her tunic were already smoldering, but she didn't seem to notice. "Earlier this morning I received a report that Baercroft have stopped their advance march and the activities between them and Raoling have increased drastically," she said, voice controlled, with her back still turned to Agrat. "They were travelling at a fast pace. Covering twice the normal marching distance in one day like death itself was after them and now they're relaxing. Bloody relaxing!" she turned to Agrat. "We're in the dark here, Lieutenant. This disparity between the military and the senate cannot continue if we are to make it out of this war intact."
Agrat sighed dramatically, believingly. "I agree, General, but the way I see it, we cannot rely on the senate. They are wrapped up in their own world, lost in their own heads. Command needs to be active and swift. Reliable and born of good judgement, General. We can't expect that from the senate. Not now."
The General's shoulders slumped. "That's it then, isn't it? The army is ready, sitting idle, while the enemy sweeps them away. A headless beast."
"It shouldn't always be so. One of the things I've learnt from Lilith – the Princess. My wife – is sacrifice for the greater good. Queen Maeve did it over 4000 years ago when she sacrificed her relationship with the other monarchs for the independence and success of our kingdom. General Tharn and her 100 soldiers breached enemy camp at night, killing over half of the army and also dying in the process, because they knew it was for the greater good. They were branded traitors until the success of their mission was revealed.
"We have to make their sacrifice, General. Let us be branded traitors like Lieutenant Moira, but let Eros survive." Agrat's speech was delivered in a low, conspiratorial tone that got the General listening.
"Traitors? For what?"
"For seizing power."
General Sira scoffed and suddenly lost interest. "This is hardly the time for politics, Lieutenant."
"No it isn't, General. It is time for war and if the senate will not take command, we'll take it from them. Organise the war ourselves. Break out of this stalemate and attack the North when they least expect it."
General Sira shook her head and wiped sweat from her brow. "The kingdom is run by the Queen and the senate. The other Generals know it and we may be comfortable with the idea of treason, but will they? It's a lost cause, Lieutenant."
"Not if we have an ally in the senate. Which we do. Someone still sane enough to see reason and would be willing to pass the motion for military independence in the event of a war or matters of National security."
General Sira grew interested. "Who is this ally?"
"The same ally who held a funeral for Lieutenant Moira and who sided with the palace guards over her own mother."
"The Princess?"
"Yes. The Princess and seater in the senate."
"Your wife," Sira reminded pointedly.
"My wife. This has to be done, General. She alone in the senate will agree to it." Agrat said, a little disgruntled.
"So you've spoken about it?"
"I have. We've given it a lot of thought and consideration. This is the only way we know to ensure our survival and victory, General."
"Fuck," Sira muttered. She paced, stopping at every turn to glare at Agrat. Finally, she stopped, ran her palm down her face. "Call a meeting, Lieutenant. I want all the generals, lieutenants and supreme mages in attendance. Pick a secluded location. An hour."
Lieutenant Agrat saluted, turned with a barely concealed smile and left the General's tent.
#
The day after the military commanders convened in Lyraie and agreed on the radical proposition of military independence and a representative had been sent back to the Capital; Lord Adam's second trial began because the Queen had interrupted the first one, postponing it.
The courtroom was even more full than it was during the first trial. The circumstances and drama around the case had surely drawn more attention and garnered more popularity. More townsfolk from Lilitu, in their dyed wools and angular faces sat or stood beside their neighbours from Ridgeback. The noise continued to rise despite the presence of the judges and jury and guards. So far though, nobody had started a fight – or perhaps they were waiting for the arrival of the Lord on trial. The answer was soon apparent as a side door opened and a squad of Queen's guard led out a thrashing and snarling Adam of Baercroft.
The crowd surged forward in United rage but we're repelled by an invisible barrier placed around the accused and his judges. Lilith smiled.
She sat at the head table with the other 4 judges, as a representative and replacement to her incapacitated mother – the Queen. Apart from the smile, her face was schooled up in perfect emotionlessness. She was dressed in a simple white gown and had her curly hair packed in a bun.
Beside her sat Judge Elaida, then Averinne, Fashida and Rowen. The four judges and senators sat to Lilith's right. Normally grim women, their faces seemed carved from steel as they stared down at Adam and his tantrums. Lilith had no doubt that the sentence had already been passed in their heads and the entire hearing was just a formality.
Senator Averinne stood up in her greatness, raised her right palm and the crowd began to quieten. Lilith was impressed as the senator addressed the court. "Erosians, calm your hearts and minds. You yourselves elected us as judges to dispense justice to all irrespective of station, as is the law given to us by Queen Ama. Let us do our duty and do not insult the memory of our Queen Ama by insulting her institution." Her speech delivered in the monotone of a person reciting a regular remark, nevertheless had a calming effect on the people. "This court session is held today to judge the transgressions of Lord Adam of Baercroft, the Queen's concubine.
"The charges leveled against Lord Adam of Baercroft, accuse him of treason. The crimes of spying against the Throne for her enemies. Enchantment and murder. We didn't get the chance to hear from a witness earlier, so the court calls on the captain of the Queen's guard; Diana Luhan, to step forward and testify."
Captain Diana Luhan stepped forward from her post and stood at the centre of the room. She looked up at the judges and saluted, before turning to stare at Adam. "I am sorry to disappoint the court," she said to the judges and to the astonished gasps of the crowd. "But I'm no witness to the actual attack, but was only present for Lord Adam's capture and arrest. With the court's permission, I'll present a better witness," she continued.
Senator Rowen nodded grimly.
"Miriam Rawn of the Queen's guard. Step forward," Diana called.
Miriam stepped forward eagerly and bowed to the judges.
"Were you a witness to any of the crimes allegedly committed by Lord Adam of Baercroft and are you willing to testify?" Senator Elaida asked.
"Yes, honoured judges. I was a witness to Lord Adam's attack on the Queen, the murder of two of the Queen's guard and I am willing to testify."
"Then, child, tell us word for word and moment by moment what you saw and heard," Lilith said.
Miriam bowed again and began. "There was a commotion coming from Lord Adam's room when we got there. I was in the company of two other guards. We saw two of our comrades fall to Lord Adam's attacks. Dead. 'Adam, what are you doing?', the Queen asked and Lord Adam's angry voice answered, 'I hate you and I'll see you die'. He attacked the Queen again, using magic. He shot a ball of fire at the Queen before we were upon him. One of us struck him down before he could recover his strength and suddenly, she was being hurled across the room by something invisible. I thought it was Lord Adam's doing until the Queen spoke. 'Don't touch him,' she said. I pointed out that he deserved to die for attacking her and killing two guards and a nurse, but the Queen accused me of defying her. She ordered my arrest but the Captain and my comrades refused to heed that order because it was clear the Queen wasn't in the right state of mind to make such decisions.
"Then to our surprise, the Queen grew even more irrational and threatened to burn us all just to get Lord Adam free from the clutches of the law and I confess that she would have done it too had our Princess not intervened and talked her down. That, honoured judges is my testimony as I saw and heard it."
Senator Averinne sat up. "You accused the Queen of being irrational," she said and the crowd began to mutter.
"Honoured judges, I have no other words to explain my Queen's attitude that night. She wasn't happy to be saved from death, but turned on us; people who'd sworn to protect her. With due respect to the Court and to the Throne, it hardly seemed like the decision of a rational mind," Miriam answered, unflinching.
"What is your relationship with enchantments, child?" Lilith asked.
"I've witnessed and experienced two or more instances."
"Where and when?"
"As you yourself must know, my Princess, it is a game played by guards to pass the time. A few of us are enchanted to entertain the rest of the Watch as a form of punishment for losing in our game of cards."
Lilith leaned forward. "And with that knowledge, how would you judge the Queen's actions that night?"
Silence descended like a wet blanket. The court seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the solitary guard's pronouncement. Lilith hoped that the guard would show a little more caution and wisdom than she'd previously displayed. She didn't relish the thought of seeing such fine specimen strangled by court politics, besides, she showed her an acceptable dose of respect.
Finally, Miriam spoke. "I am sorry to disappoint the court in this query. I am without magic myself and I am hardly the person to ask a professional assessment of matters related to it. As a passable judge of human character though, I can honestly say that the Queen's behaviour was not usual, under the circumstances."
Lilith smiled faintly and the court seemed to breathe freely again.
"Thank you for your testimony, Miriam Rawn," Senator Elaida said, dismissing the guard. She looked into the crowd. "Any other witnesses to this crime before we continue?" nobody stepped forward or answered. "Anybody with a contradictory testimony?"
As expected, Adam struggled against his guards, shouting his desire to testify. The senators ignored him.
"Based on the testimony provided, we find Lord Adam of Baercroft guilty of murder. That leaves the charges of enchantment and spying unresolved. Are there any witnesses or proof to these charges?" Senator Rowen spoke over Adam's tirade.
There was no evidence presented and no witness stepped forward. Mutters began in the crowd, rising with each minute as though they understood what was about to happen.
Senator Elaida stood up and addressed the court. "Under the law, the punishment for murder is death dealt by the family of the victim or the court in the absence of such party. This sentence has been passed, but the case is not yet over by law," the crowd resumed their displays of anger through violent tirades, "As such, we'll postpone this case again to be resumed a week from now. If further evidence is not provided then, the charges will be dropped and Lord Adam of Baercroft will be handed over to the bereaved families. The court is adjourned!" By the end, senator Elaida was yelling for her voice to carry over the din.
Scowling guards forced Adam to submission and dragged him out of the court. The senators followed, all but fleeing the mob. Lilith remained sitting and nodded to the mages still maintaining the barrier and they dropped it. The mob surged forward unhindered, yelling their rage.
Lilith stood up and met them halfway, palms held open and raised as she walked into their midst. Hands grabbed at her clothes as she passed, but she didn't stop until she settled down on one of the pews and looked at the angry people around her. She lowered her hands, oblivious to her near state of nudity. She smiled at the mob and began her campaign.
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