L. Modesitt - Ordermaster

He paused, thinking. Just how likely was it that such a song could have been sung in Brysta about either Egen or Lord West? He doubted that the singers, wellborn students or not, could have sung such words about the ruler of the West Quadrant of Nordla-not without ending up either in gaol or suffering some other form of Egen’s displeasure. In that sense, Austra was much to be preferred to Nordla.

Yet … even without his debts to Ghrant and Hagen, Kharl knew he would have had to return to Nordla. Was it just because of Warrl? Or because he needed to see Brysta with fresh eyes? Or because he worried that he had not done enough for Sanyle and Jeka-especially Jeka?

“Your burhka, ser.” With the burhka came a small loaf of dark bread in a basket, still warm.

“Oh … thank you.” Kharl slipped the server a silver and a copper.

“Thank you, ser.” With a pleased smile, she gave the slightest of bows before leaving Kharl to his evening meal.

Across the tavern, the students were singing another song.

Kharl smiled again and began to enjoy the ale and the burhka.

Kharl made his way through the double doors of the Hall of Justice. He hoped to spend some time reading through the next-to-last section of Austran Justicer Cases , suggested strongly by Jusof because Jusof had wanted him to finish those cases before they observed the day’s proceedings in the Hall of Justice.

The mage used his sight shield to slip by the open chamber door of the lord justicer’s chief clerk because he really didn’t feel like another long lecture by Jusof on the law as a tool. Kharl had understood that the first time, and he doubted that he could keep from showing some impatience. Kharl knew Jusof was trying to help him, but sometimes what Jusof said lasted a full glass. Kharl suspected that was because Jusof was lonely, and because the older man knew that Kharl was honestly trying to understand the law for itself and not as a way to wealth or fame or both.

He released the sight shield as he neared the corner table, hoping that none of the student advocates happened to be looking his way.

“ … see that?” whispered one of the young men.

“See what?”

“That’s him … the mage … just appeared out of nowhere …”

“How’d you know? You were dreaming about Juhlya. Besides, if he’s a mage, what does it matter? They do things like that.”

“ … say he’s studying the law with Jusof …”

“A mage … studying law?”

“Maybe he figures he needs to, now that he’s a lord …”

“ … don’t know that a mage needs the law …”

“ … big fellow, for all the fine clothes …”

“ … carried Lord Ghrant three kays on his shoulders … killed two wizards and that scum Ilteron … gave him a small estate … then turned a whole mountain into glass …”

Kharl winced at the exaggerations. In the fight in Dykaru, which had brought him Cantyl, he’d been fortunate rather than skillful, and gladenough to have survived. As for the so-called glass mountain, the powers of the two white wizards had been the reason why part of one small hill was glassy. He pushed aside the whispered words, settled himself at the table, and opened volume nine of Austran Justicer Cases.

He’d actually read through two of the cases before he sensed Jusof walking into the library and heading toward him.

He closed the volume and rose, then walked past the young advocates toward Jusof.

“You must have been here early, Lord Kharl. I didn’t see you come in.” Jusof carried a large case under his left arm.

“Not that early. You looked rather intent when I passed.”

Jusof sighed. “That must have been when I was copying out Lord Justicer Priost’s decision on the rendering case … rather involuted, if impeccable logic.” The clerk turned toward the narrow staircase leading down to the main floor. “Are you ready to observe?”

“I am.” Kharl followed the clerk. “Do you agree with most of the lord justicer’s decisions?”

“It is not a clerk’s place to agree or not to agree. I would say that I would rather serve under Lord Justicer Priost than any others in recent years.”

“Austra doesn’t have that many justicers-just one here and one in Bruel. There are that many just in Brysta.”

“There are town magistrates and two subjusticers as well, in Vizyn and Dykaru. The decisions of the subjusticers have the same standing as those of the lord justicers, except that their decisions, in cases involving death, must be reviewed by Lord Justicer Priost. Some excellent decisions have been set forth by Subjusticer Dhorast. Those are in the library as well. As you well know, the powers of lords and magistrates are limited to low justice.”

At the base of the steps, Jusof turned and crossed the lower foyer toward the double doors.

The bailiff opened the left-hand door to the hall as the two men approached. “Good morning, ser Jusof, Lord Kharl.”

“Good morning, Henolt,” said Jusof.

“Good morning,” added Kharl.

Beyond the double doors was a long and narrow chamber, far more stark than the corresponding hall in Brysta-and smaller. The width was about twenty cubits, the length no more than forty, and the ceiling heightbut seven or eight. At the south end of the chamber was a single dais, raised but half a cubit. On it rose a podium desk of dark wood, possibly walnut, thought Kharl. The desk was empty. There was no podium for the lord, as there was in Nordla.

A center aisle split eight rows of low-backed wooden benches, and there was a space of about two cubits between the stone walls and the end of the benches. Between the first row of benches and the dais was a space of perhaps a rod, but in that space on each side, set out from the walls about four cubits, were two thin narrow black tables, behind which were straight-backed chairs. The two tables and chairs were parallel to the sidewalls, so that those who sat at the tables would face each other, and not either the lord justicer at the podium desk or the audience in the benches.

Both side tables were empty, and Jusof walked to the narrow black table on the right side, where he seated himself in the chair closest to the dais. Kharl slipped into the wooden straight-backed chair beside Jusof, his eyes running across the narrow hall. No more than half a score of people sat in the benches, and none in the first two rows.

From his case, Jusof took out a portable inkpot, two pens, and several sheets of paper, laying them out before him. “The case at hand this morning concerns Tellark, a tanner accused of murdering a tariff farmer.”

Even as the bells from the tower above began to strike the glass, the rear door opened, and the bailiff stepped into the hall. At the south end of the chamber, a small side door opened, and the lord justicer stepped out onto the dais.

“All rise!” intoned the bailiff.

Kharl rose with Jusof, his eyes on the lord justicer.

Priost wore a robe over his own garb, and the robe was almost shapeless black, trimmed in green. From what Kharl could tell, the lord justicer was neither lean and angular, nor large and corpulent, but a man of moderate height with black hair tinged with gray. He walked briskly, but not hurriedly, to the podium desk, where he seated himself.

“You may be seated.”

After a moment of silence, Priost cleared his throat. “Before we begin, is there one who would take the Justicer’s Challenge?” He looked around, waited, then went on, “There being none, bailiff, bring forth the defendant.”