"Yeah, we came by Duskshire a few days ago, is that a crime now?" Borik demanded.
"Borik shut up and let me handle this!" Maude insisted. "Yes, sir, we have recently come from Duskshire where we, Maude's Marauder's, heroically liberated the fine people of that town from an evil, possibly undead, menace that kidnapped, enslaved, and oppressed the folk," Maude proudly proclaimed. "Under the adventurers’ guild charter supported by the King, adventurers are allowed to plunder dungeons, caves, lost cities, and liberate oppressed people being terrorized by unlawful evil wizards, tyrants, and undead and may lay claim to any treasure they find that belonged to said evil being; chapter twenty-three, paragraph four, subset a through f.
"I see, please bring Lord Preston forward," Captain Jorgenson looked over his shoulder and commanded.
A spindly old man wearing dark clothes and a black cloak rode forward on a black horse at the captain's bequest. His hawkish eyes opened wide when he recognized who stood before him.
"That's them, those are the ruffians that broke into my mansion, killed my guards, and probably stole everything not nailed down!" the old man screeched, pointing a bony, accusing finger at the party of adventurers, his eyes bulging in rage.
Captain Jorgenson nudged his horse forward and threw back a corner of the tarp that covered their plunder.
"Lord Preston, does any of this belong to you?"
"Yes, all of it! That is my silver; those are my tapestries, paintings, and chests. And those are my horses as well as the wagon that that filthy dwarf has under his backside!" Lord Preston cried out shaking in his fury.
Maude hissed at Malek. "I thought vampires burned up in sunlight, he doesn't look like he's burning to me!"
"And he doesn't have sharp pointy teeth either," Borik added. "In fact he doesn't look like he has many teeth at all."
"This does not look good," Malek observed.
"By the authority granted me by Duke William, Lord of Brightridge, bestowed to his Grace by King Jarvin, ruler of all Valeria, I place you under arrest for assaulting the
lawful
Lord of Duskshire, trespassing, theft of property, horse theft, attempted murder of a
lawful
Lord of Valeria, assault, and attempted murder of his Lordships personal guards!"
"Oh crap," Maude muttered under her breath.
Brrrrrrrt
! A rasping trumpeting sound suddenly emanated from under Borik's bench seat.
"I didn't mean that literally, dwarf, control yourself!" Maude shouted; glad to have something to take her fear and anger out on.
"It's not my fault! It just happens when I get nervous, I'm sorry!" Borik cried out in his own defense as Tarth held a scented silk handkerchief to his nose with one hand and flailed a flowing silken sleeve at the flatulent dwarf with the other.
"You will surrender your weapons and not resist. If your wizard attempts to cast a spell he will be shot," the captain promised as the guards pointed crossbows at the party, several at poor Tarth now gasping for a breath of fresh air. "I suggest that you cease that flailing lest my men mistake it for some kind of conjuration, elf."
Poor Tarth tucked his waving hand into his side and shot the captain a pleading look, leaning away from Borik and burying his face in his handkerchief. All four were disarmed, their hands tied together front of them as guards lead their horses by the reigns.
It took two days before the group crossed through the massive main gate of Brightridge. The guards had been professional and treated them reasonably well. The guardsmen fed and tem gave them water whenever they stopped for a rest. Their horses were stabled while the prisoners were led through a small iron gate at the base of the tall outer wall of the castle. The air became noticeably cooler as they descended several flights of stairs. A few torches stuck into sconces secured to the walls lit the gloomy passage in a wavering orange light. The odor of old straw, sweat, fear, and human waste permeated the air. A few cries of fellow prisoners sounded from behind locked cell doors.
The guards locked Maude and Tarth in one cell and Malek and Borik in another. Iron bars separated the adjoining cells while walls of solid stone and a heavy wooden door banded in iron with metal bars for a window separated others.
"I can't believe this happening. I became a priest of Solarian to help people, not rob them and get arrested," whined the cleric dejectedly.
"
Pfft
, you became a priest of Solarian to keep from having to marry that blacksmith's daughter that you were caught with in his own barn," Borik sniped.
"What do you think is going to happen to us?" Malek asked, changing the subject.
Tarth said, helpfully ticking off each charge on his long, slender, nail painted fingers. "
Hm
, well let's see. The penalty for stealing from a lord is hanging, for assaulting a lord is hanging, for breaking into his manor with the intent to rob him is hanging. For setting fire to his manor is hanging, and…, oh, for misusing chapter twenty-three, paragraph four, subset a through f of the charter of the adventurers’ guild, is hanging."
Brrrrrrrt
!
"Oh really, for the love of the gods, Borik, control yourself!"
"I'm sorry; all this talk of hanging makes me nervous!"
"You should be the last one to be afraid of hanging. As soon as the trap door opens, your flatulence will keep you aloft until you probably die of thirst!" Malek shouted. "I can see you now flying circles around the gallows with a noose around your neck like a falcon on a training lanyard!"
The mental picture that Malek painted brought a laugh even to Maude. The sound of a key turning the lock of Maude and Tarth's cell door brought a halt to their jocularity. A plump man wearing well-made cotton spun robes entered the cell. He nodded his nearly bald pate to Maude as he introduced himself.
"Good day, lady and gentlemen, and…" he said with a smile which dropped as he gazed at blue-haired elf sitting on a stone bench frowning at one of the holes left by a quarrel in his robes. “Ahem, well then, I am Lord Tarsley, your assigned counselor. I am here to prepare your defense for your trial."
"I'm glad to see we are actually getting a trial," Maude said.
"Yes, we are quite civilized in Brightridge, in fact the King is coming to witness this trial and will institute its form of law throughout the kingdom if he approves of it," Lord Tarsley said proudly. "Now let me verify all of your names and then we will proceed to putting together your defense."
"I'm Maude Ballister, that's Borik Deepstone, Malek Barthalis, and
Tarthalis
Moonglow," Maude replied, introducing the counselor to her group.
"Now you are a cleric of Solarian are you not," Lord Tarsley asked Malek.
"Yes I am. I would never have knowingly committed these crimes."
"Oh good, so you are a cleric in good standing with the temple then?"
"Um well, pretty much I guess. It's been a while since I was sent out."
"You were sent out of your church?"
"Yes, but it was as a sabbatical to destroy the legions of undead that plague the kingdom, you see."
"Begging your pardon, but I do not see. I have seen no dead walk in my life nor do I know anyone who has seen such horror either. Have you seen any undead terrorizing the countryside?"
"Yes! In a crypt we were exploring," Malek shouted out excitedly.
"And why were you in the crypt?"
"To plunder its riches obviously, that's what adventurers do. Oh, and to bring glory to great Solarian by destroying the unnatural creatures of course," Malek added hastily.
"I see; you were attacked by undead guardians after breaking into the final resting place of someone's ancestors in order to plunder the valuables that were left to the departed by their loved ones. Is that a correct assessment?"
"Well, not the way you say it," the cleric said, crossing his arms and pouting.
"I think it would be best if you remain silent during the trial," Tarsley suggested. "Now, Maude, why don't you tell me how this all came about."
Brt
.
Several eyes turned to glare at the Borik.
Maude told the counselor about how a woman had approached them in the bar, made claims of how the townsfolk had been enslaved or disappeared, that the laird was a tyrant practicing necromancy, and was a vampire feeding off the people of Duskshire.
"And what evidence were you able to obtain to support these claims?" the counselor asked.
"We interviewed several people and nearly all of them supported the claims made by the people at the inn. Everyone knew of his wife and son but no one had seen either of them in decades. Screams were heard for days coming from within the mansion around the time they vanished."
"I see, so numerous supporting claims of evil doings by the people is what you went by to justify your actions and assume the authority granted to you by the adventurers’ guild charter."
"Yes, do you think there is any hope for our defense?"
"I should like to think so; you may have acted on poor judgment but with good faith. Many of the townsfolk are being summoned to appear to give testimony and much will depend upon what they say."
After several more questions, Lord Tarsley wrapped up his interview to go and work on his clients’ defense.
"I'll return if I have more questions once I interview the witnesses from Duskshire," he said as he turned to leave. "I'll also have the gaoler bring you new waste buckets; there is a stench in here that is foul even for a dungeon. We in Brightridge have higher standards in their care of our prisoners," he said with a sniff.
Borik received several more glares as the barrister departed. Three days later, Lord Tarsley returned to the cell holding his clients.
"I trust you have been treated well? You have not lacked for food or drink?" the barrister asked.
"No, all things considered we are well enough," Maude replied.
"Good, now I have had the opportunity to interview several witnesses from the town and they support much of what you have told me and that is good for our defense. I also sent two of my assistants to investigate the mansion and they have informed me that you did not actually kill or even seriously injure anyone in your raid and that is very good indeed. Overall, I think we may be able to provide an adequate defense given the unusual circumstances. It is apparent that Lord Preston was not a well-liked man, and we may be able to use that to sway the judge. Many townsfolk claim hardship and cruelty under his oppressive rule, if we can convince the judge of his cruelty it can only help to ease whatever sentence they may impose on any charge they find you guilty of."
"You think they'll find us guilty?"
"Of that I would be almost certain. Regardless of your good intentions, it still stands that Lord Preston is the lawful laird of Duskshire. My primary job now is to minimize the number of charges you will be tried for and gain you leniency for any you will be found guilty of."
"I see, thank you."
"The King has arrived as well, and your trial will begin on the morrow."
The counselor left Maude and her crew alone in their gloomy cells once again.
"Don't worry, we've been through some tough scrapes before and gotten away more or less in one piece. Lord Tarsley seems a decent sort and clever in his own right. He'll get us out of this I'm sure," Maude reassured her group. "Tarth, how are you holding up?"
The elf just sat in his corner, pale and trying not to touch anything around him. He would occasionally bring a corner or fold of his robe to his nose and wince but otherwise said and did nothing.