A Tale of Magic... (13 page)

At the end of the dark corridor, Brystal spotted Brooks pacing in front of a pair of tall double doors. His face was bright red and he angrily muttered to himself as he moved.

“Brooks!” she called out. “What’s going on? Why are we in the courthouse so late?”

“Justice Oldragaid found out who you are!” he said. “The guard must have read my note and tipped him off—
that bastard
! Oldragaid moved up your trial—he’s trying to sentence you before Father has time to intervene!”

“Wait, I don’t understand,” Brystal said. “When’s the trial happening?”

“Now,”
he said.

The guards pushed open the double doors and pulled Brystal into the courtroom. Her brother followed closely behind.

They were the first to arrive and Brystal was overwhelmed by her first glimpse—it was easily the biggest room she had ever been in. It was surrounded by massive marble pillars that stretched into the darkness of a seemingly endless ceiling. Wooden risers wrapped around the courtroom with enough seats for a thousand witnesses. The only source of light came from two torches burning, one on either side of the Justice’s chair, which was raised on a tall platform at the front of the room. An enormous portrait of King Champion XIV was hung on the wall behind the platform, and the sovereign scowled down at the courtroom like a judgmental giant.

The guards locked Brystal in a tall iron cage that stood in the very center of the room. The bars were so wide she could barely see through them. Brooks took a seat at an empty table to the left of the cage, and Brystal assumed the empty table to her right was reserved for the Prosecution Deputy.

“Try to stay calm,”
her brother whispered.
“And whatever you do, don’t say anything. It’ll only make things worse.”

A small door behind the platform opened and Justice Oldragaid entered the courtroom from his private chambers. Even if he wasn’t the Justice overseeing her trial, the sight of Oldragaid would have been chilling. He was a skeletal man with a pitch-black beard and large sunken eyes that had pupils the size of pinpricks. His skin was the color of pea soup, and his long fingernails made his hands look like claws.

Oldragaid was followed by four guards, and to Brystal’s horror, an executioner also emerged from the Justice’s private chambers, carrying a large silver axe. Brystal turned to her brother, hoping to find reassurance in his eyes, but Brooks was as alarmed as she was. The trial hadn’t even started and her fate seemed to be sealed.

The Justice climbed up the steps of the platform and took his seat. He glared down at Brystal with a twisted grin, like a cat gawking at a mouse in a trap. With three loud bangs of his gavel, the proceedings began.

“The case of
Bailey vs. the Southern Kingdom
shall commence,” he announced.

“Your Honor, I’d like to remind you that it is illegal to begin a trial without a Prosecution Deputy,” Brooks said. “And furthermore, it is
completely
unethical to have an executioner present in court before a defendant has been sentenced.”

“I am aware of the law, Defense Deputy,” the Justice sneered. “The Prosecution Deputy will be here momentarily. However,
you
of all people should not be lecturing
me
about ethics. It’s recently come to my attention that you have made deliberate attempts to conceal information from the court. That is a direct violation of your moral duties as a Deputy Justice, and violators must be reprimanded.”

Justice Oldragaid gave the guards a signal and they covered Brystal’s cage with a sheet. Her limited view of the courtroom was now entirely obstructed.

“Your Honor, what is the purpose of this?” Brooks objected.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, Defense Deputy, whenever a Deputy Justice is caught committing a violation in court, it is up to the presiding Justice to apply an appropriate punishment,” Oldragaid explained. “I’ve decided to teach you a lesson about the
importance of transparency
. Since you attempted to conceal the defendant’s identity from me, her identity will be concealed for the rest of this trial. You are not to speak a word about who she is until
after
the Prosecution Deputy has recommended penalties. Let one word slip, and I’ll charge you with
conspiracy to assist a criminal
. Is that understood?”

Brystal didn’t have to see the hatred beaming from her brother’s eyes to know it was there.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Brooks said. “I understand.”

“Good,” Oldragaid said.
“Bring in the Prosecution Deputy!”

The double doors creaked open and Brystal heard a new pair of footsteps enter the courtroom. Strangely, the Prosecution Deputy only made it halfway through the room before he stopped in his tracks.

“Brooks?” a familiar voice asked.

“Barrie?”
he gasped. “You’re the Prosecution Deputy?”

Brystal felt light-headed and went weak in the knees. She had to grab the bars of her cage to prevent herself from sliding to the floor. Justice Oldragaid was using her trial to get revenge on the Evergreen family, and it was more malicious and cruel than she could ever have imagined.

“This is my first assignment,” Barrie said happily. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the Defense Deputy on
Bailey vs. the Southern Kingdom
?”

“I—I—I was trying to keep it quiet,” Brooks said.

“Why is the defendant covered up?” Barrie asked.

“I’m not allowed to discuss it,” Brooks said. “Barrie, listen to me, this trial isn’t what it seems—”

“That’s quite enough, Defense Deputy!”
Justice Oldragaid commanded. “Thank you for joining us on such short notice, Prosecution Deputy. Now please step forward and present the charges against the defendant.”

Barrie took his place behind the table to Brystal’s right. She heard him remove papers from his briefcase. He cleared his throat before reading them aloud.

“Your Honor, three men witnessed the defendant conjuring a spell from an open book in a private section of the Chariot Hills Library,” he said. “The first witness was the librarian, Mr. Patwise Woolsore, the other two are officers in the King’s Royal Guard, and all three have signed sworn statements of what they encountered. Given the credibility of the observers, the defendant has been charged with one count of trespassing, one count of female literacy, and one count of committing magic. I’ll now relinquish the floor to the Defense Deputy.”

“Given the substantial evidence, and the nature of the crimes, we will not waste any time with the defense,” Justice Oldragaid said.

“Your Honor, I object!”
Brooks shouted.

“
Overruled!
And watch your tone, Defense Deputy!” the Justice warned. “Now, moving on. What penalty does the prosecution recommend?”

This was the moment Brystal had been dreading. With just two words, her own brother would either save her life or cement her demise. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and she forgot to breathe as she waited to hear his answer.

“Your Honor, due to the number of felonies that were committed in such a short period of time, I believe the defendant may commit more crimes if given the chance. We must remove all likelihood of it happening again, and furthermore, we must prevent all possibility of the defendant harming innocent lives in the process. That is why I must recommend you sentence them with a—”

“Barrie, you’ve got to stop!” Brooks shouted.

“DEFENSE DEPUTY, CONTROL YOURSELF!” Oldragaid ordered.

“I know you think you’re doing the right thing, but you’re not!”

“GUARDS! RESTRAIN AND SILENCE HIM IMMEDIATELY!”

“Oldragaid is hiding the defendant from you on purpose! Don’t recommend a maximum punishment! Trust me, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life!”

Brystal could hear Brooks fighting off the guards as he tried to convince their brother. He grunted and choked as they pinned him down and stuffed a cloth into his mouth.

“God, you’re pathetic,” Barrie told his brother. “Your desire to sabotage me is so great you’re willing to make a complete fool of yourself in court! But I’m not as daft as you think and I won’t let you jeopardize my career! Father said I needed to show strength if I wanted the court to take me seriously, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do!
Your Honor, the prosecution recommends the maximum penalty!
”

After hearing her brother’s recommendation, Brystal lost all feeling and collapsed on the floor of the cage like a marionette with severed strings. Brooks screamed at the top of his lungs, but the cloth muffled his words.

“Then without further notice, I hereby sentence the defendant to death,” Justice Oldragaid ruled. “The execution shall take place immediately. Guards, please remove the defendant from the cage and position her for the executioner. But first, please restrain the Prosecution Deputy—this may be unpleasant for him to watch.”

The guards seized Barrie and tied his hands behind his back. He tried to resist them, but they were too strong.

“What’s the meaning of this?” he asked. “Why am
I
being restrained? Unhand me at once! I’ve done nothing wrong!”

The sheet was removed from the cage, and with one glance at the blue eyes peeking out from inside, Barrie realized who the defendant was.

“Brystal?”
he said in shock. “But—but—but what are you doing
in there
? You’re supposed to be volunteering at the Home for the Hopeless!”

The executioner placed a thick wooden block on the floor below the Justice’s platform. The guards dragged Brystal out from the cage and positioned her head on the block. As the executioner hovered over her, the reality of what Barrie had just done began to sink in. He became manic and struggled against the restraints with all his might.

“Noooooo!”
he screamed. “I didn’t know what I was doing! I didn’t know it was her!”

Justice Oldragaid smiled and cackled at the trauma he was causing the Evergreen family. The executioner raised his axe above Brystal’s neck and practiced swinging it. From the floor, Brystal could see both her brothers frantically trying to fight off the guards holding them back. In that moment, she was almost grateful for Oldragaid’s vengeful tactics—if she was going to die, at least this way she would die looking at the people she loved.

“Brystal, I’m sorry!” Barrie sobbed. “Forgive me!
Forgive meeeeee!!
”

“It’s going to be all right, Barrie…,”
she whispered.
“This isn’t your fault.… This isn’t your fault.… This isn’t your fault.…”

WHAM!
The double doors suddenly swung open, causing everyone to jump and turn to the back of the courtroom. Justice Evergreen stormed inside with the rage of a hundred men.

“OLDRAGAID, STOP THIS BLASPHEMY AT ONCE!” he demanded.

“How dare you interrupt a trial in progress, Evergreen!” Oldragaid shouted. “Leave the courtroom this instant or I’ll have you removed!”

“THIS ISN’T A TRIAL, IT’S AN ATROCITY!” Justice Evergreen declared.

The executioner glanced back and forth at the sparring Justices, uncertain of who to take orders from.

“Carry on, man!” Oldragaid yelled. “This is my courtroom! Justice Evergreen has no authority here!”

“As a matter of fact, I do!” Justice Evergreen said, and raised a scroll of parchment high into the air. “I have just returned from High Justice Mounteclair’s home in the Western Countryside. He has granted me the power to commandeer this trial and overrule your sentencing!”

The Justice unrolled the scroll so everyone in the courtroom could see it. The document was an official order from High Justice Mounteclair, and his large signature was featured at the bottom.

“This is outrageous!” Oldragaid exclaimed. “Your daughter is a
witch
, Evergreen! She must be punished for her crimes!”

“And punishment she shall receive, but it won’t be from you,” Justice Evergreen said. “Mounteclair has sentenced her to live at a facility in the Northeast Plains of the Southern Kingdom until further notice. The facility, as I’m told, specializes in treating young women with my daughter’s
condition
. There is a carriage outside, waiting to transport her as we speak. In the meantime, the High Justice has ordered you to erase any mention of this trial from all records in court.”

Justice Oldragaid went silent as he contemplated his next move. When he realized how limited his options were, Oldragaid became furious and banged his gavel until it broke into two pieces.

“Well, it appears Justice Evergreen has used his connections to manipulate the law,” he told the room. “At the moment, I have no other choice but to follow the High Justice’s orders. Guards, please take the Evergreen witch to the carriage outside.”

Before she had the chance to say good-bye to her brothers, the guards raised Brystal off the executioner’s block and began dragging her out of the courtroom.

“But, Father, where am I going?” she cried. “What facility are they taking me to? Father!”