Fiyori stood a moment, staring down at the three lords. “Lord Renly, Lord Chilton, and Lord Bathton. You have been accused of treason against the Empire, specifically against the sovereignty of the Daughters of Elyon. I have seen the proof against you, and it is indeed damning. Lord Renly, you led a contingent of over one hundred guards to murder ten Blades you and the other two lords lured into a trap with the aid of Lord Chilton’s daughter, Hunter Falla.”

  Dunham, who had enough self-restraint not to let his shock show on his face couldn’t help but rock back on his heels as though he’d been punched. Had Aloric organized something without telling Dunham? Did that mean he didn’t trust his Seneschal? He’d need to find out somehow.

  Chilton, who didn’t look in the least bit cowed, roared, “Lies. Where’s your proof?”

  Fiyori glared down at the man. “We had the proof of your daughter, Lord Chilton. She was in my custody but was unfortunately murdered the day before yesterday.”

  He shouted back, “You murdered her!” He looked around at his fellow nobles. “The Blades murdered my daughter without trial or proof of any wrongdoing!”

  Fiyori nodded to two Magistrate’s Guards who led a quaking woman into the yard from a side door. She called down to her. “Name and occupation.”

  The woman’s voice shook as she whispered something.

  “Speak up.”

  “Me name’s Charla, and I be a servant in th’ kitchen’s here at th’ Court.”

  “Charla, have you been forced in any way to speak the truth of what you’ve done?”

  Chilton spoke up. “Of course, she’s been coerced. Look at the way she shakes.”

  “No, Milady. Me man took th’ money that noynob had his man give me to put th’ poison in her drink. I tol’ me man to give it back or me life or no, I’d say who done it, and he bashed me ‘bout and tol’ me he’d kill me. I figured I were dead one way or t’other, so I kicked him in th’ cockeggs and left him lyin’ in th’ dirt, I did. Came and tol’ yer guards what that noynob done. Fowk th’ bastard what kilt his own spawn.” She spat in Chilton’s direction.

  Fiyori had heard it all, but to clarify to the noblemen and women in the yard, she asked, “What is a noynob?”

  The woman was gaining confidence now. “A nob what’s a noble, a course.” There was laughter and hooting from out on the streets and angry grumbling from the nobles inside the court.

  “And how did you know the man came representing Lord Chilton?”

  “He done tol’ me, didn’t he? He were a friend of mine, weren’t he? Works fer th’ bastard, don’t he? Chilton’ll give ya more’n this if all goes right, he says. Then me man done took all th’ coin. Said me friend tol’ ‘im it were his and no mine. Sweiven’ liar.”

  She made an angry face. “Well, fowk that shit. I felt bad ‘bout th’ lass, so I come this mornin’ to yer guards an’ tol’ ‘em what he done. And here I be, now, tellin’ all these fowks cuz what he done were just as wrong as me puttin’ th’ powder in th’ lass’s drink. ‘Cept his man tol’ me it weren’t fer killin’, just makin’ her sick like, to teach her a lesson. Next I know, the chit’s dead, and me man took me coin.”

  “Lies!” Chilton’s face had gone beyond red to a light shade of purple. He started for the woman but two Magistrate’s Guards blocked his way.

  Fiyori glared down at him. “Lord Chilton. I’ll have you gagged if you utter one more word out of turn.”

  In the typical way of a self-righteous nobleman, he puffed his chest out and straightened to his full height. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Guardswoman Konil?”

  When Konil pulled a gag from her pocket, Chilton sniffed down at her, turned, and retreated to stand next to his friends. Konil glanced up at Fiyori who shook her head. The Blade returned the gag to her pocket and she and her partner resumed their places behind the three noblemen.

  With Chilton silenced, for the moment, anyway, Fiyori held up the three letters from the packet. “I hold here further proof in the form of three damning letters bearing the seals of Lord’s Chilton and Bathton and found in Lord Renly’s possession inside the tent he’d erected just prior to his attempt to slaughter ten Hunters.”

  This time, Bathton, not Chilton, bared his teeth as he shouted at Renly and shoved him in the chest, “You fool! You absolute bloody fool!”

  Fiyori nodded, “Yes, Lord Bathton. I see where you and Lord Chilton admonished him to burn the letters. Pity he didn’t listen.” She turned back to the crowd. “In the normal course of events, I would convene a trial, read the proof for all to hear, and render judgment.”

  Since it involved three of the Empire’s nobility, Lord Dunham spoke up. “In the normal course of events? You cannot be proposing to damn these noblemen without due cause and trial.”

  Movement at the far end of the courtyard had everyone turning to look as Sábria, flanked by Shirin, Calit, and ten members of the honor guard, exited the entrance to the tunnel running between the Temple and Magistrate’s Court.

  Shirin and Calit stopped and signaled the honor guard to do the same. Only Sábria continued to the center of the yard to stand next to the three noblemen.

  The Lady Magistrate’s voice rose again, making sure everyone, including those outside closest to the gates, could hear. “There will be a trial, Lord Dunham, only I will not be its judge. Lady Sábria has asked for and been granted the Right of Revenge.” Shouting from various members of the nobility drowned out her words, and she waited for order to be re-established. She held up her hands, and eventually, people quieted. “Guards, move away from the combatants.”

  The three lords stared at Sábria with something close to panic in their eyes.

  When quiet was restored and the guards had moved a sufficient distance away, Fiyori formally announced. “During the Right of Revenge, Elyon is the Judge, and her Arch Priestess is the executrix of her justice.” Immediately following the announcement, translucent blue flames rose in a circle around Sábria, Chilton, Renly, and Bathton.

  The Goddess’s Ring of Revenge hadn’t been seen in living memory, and a gasp went through the crowd as some knelt, some shouted, and still others simply blinked in astonishment. Most of the noblemen, however, shouted with indignation, no doubt thinking if it could happen to these three, it could certainly happen to them, and that just wouldn’t do.

  With her adrenaline flowing and her nerves firing, Sábria somewhat giddily said as an aside to Elyon, Excellent timing, My Lady.

  Lord Dunham was immediately surrounded by other, incensed noblemen demanding he do something. Privately, he thought Sábria’s tactics brilliant. Even if the men had been found guilty in Fiyori’s courts, Emperor Aloric would have done something to set them free. Now, if the Lady succeeded, justice would indeed be done.

  Pushing through the crowd, Dunham hurried up the steps to the platform Fiyori stood on. “May I join you, Magistrate Fiyori?”

  “You may.”

  He stepped to the front half-circle railing and held up his hands. When the uproar settled, he began, “With the Flames of Revenge forming the circle, surely even those of you who worship Gods other than Elyon realize she has accepted the Arch Priestess’s request for the Right of Revenge, something the Goddess would never do if she was in any doubt as to the men’s guilt.” He was glad to see grudging nods from some of Aloric’s staunchest followers. “Then, Lady Magistrate?” He held out his hand indicating Fiyori should once more step forward.

  She did and looked at the four inside the circle. “This contest is over when either Lord’s Chilton, Renly, and Bathton are dead or when they kill Lady Sábria. Begin.”

  Shirin’s palms were drenched, and beads of sweat rolled down her back. She refused to show even a tiny amount of doubt over the outcome as all four within the circle drew their swords.

  Geller had trained all her Blades to fight multiple opponents, and when Renly separated from the other two and Sábria nearly ended his fight with one vicious slash meant as a warning not to try getting behind her again, the Prime murmured, “There ya go, Milady.”

  Shirin glanced at Geller, who looked as cool as though she’d just woken from an afternoon nap. Taking her cue from her, Shirin relaxed her shoulders, un-fisted her hands, which she’d held clasped behind her back, and pulled in a deep, relaxing breath.

  With a slight smile, Geller murmured in the same slow, measured tone, “There ya go, Commander.”

  Shirin felt more muscles relax as her mouth involuntarily pulled into a grin at her Prime’s audacity. She settled into a calmness she didn’t feel and noticed the same happening to the Blades around her. Thanking Elyon for her Prime’s canniness when it came to leadership under pressure, she turned her attention to what was happening in the circle.

  Bathton was the weakest swordsman among the three, and Chilton the best. Sábria swatted away Bathton’s attempts to come at her and mainly concentrated on Chilton and Renly. She stayed resolutely near the edges of the circle, using the flames as substitutes for the wall she’d use were she fighting multiple opponents in an alley or street.

  When fighting a single opponent, a swordsman would watch her opponent’s chest and shoulders, hoping to catch a hint as to their next move. When fighting multiple attackers, it was best to not focus on anything and to allow your eyes to become unfocused enough to catch even the slightest movement from any of them. She parried strikes from each man, one right after the other. It was obvious they’d never practiced together, and they tended to get in each other’s way more often than not.

  Sábria constantly moved to the left, keeping Renly between her and the other two. Anytime one of the others moved in to attack, Sábria immediately went on the offensive, flicking her blade in practiced half-moves, opening cuts in their faces, arms, or shoulders, and forcing them back. She never committed to a full attack on the other two as she had to protect herself from Renly’s blade, first and foremost.

  As she started to her left again, Chilton recognized the defensive strategy, and out of frustration at Bathton’s clumsy maneuvering, he grabbed the man by the shoulders and thrust him at her, hoping she’d tie up her sword by impaling the fool.

  Instead, Sábria sidestepped, lifted her sword over her shoulder, and, in one swift movement, slashed Bathton’s throat open. Instead of resetting, she immediately attacked Renly, forcing him into Chilton, who nearly fell as he backpedaled to get out of the way.

  Standing with her arms crossed and her feet shoulder-width apart, Geller grinned and leaned into Shirin. “I taught her that.”

  The Prime had taught Shirin everything she’d taught Sábria, but hearing Geller’s relaxed reporting of events helped calm her rapidly beating heart. Even though she didn’t feel the least bit relaxed or chummy as she watched her best friend in a fight for her life, Shirin forced herself to smile at Geller’s comments since she could feel the Blades constantly turning to see how she was reacting to the fight.

  Renly had the habit of keeping his sword in the upper right quadrant of his body, so Sábria attacked his lower left, forcing him to respond on his weak side. When he brought his sword down to block her attack, she immediately whipped her blade up in a tight circle and, with a flick of her wrist, sliced off part of his left ear. She’d been aiming for his throat, but an ear would do for now. When he stepped back and automatically lifted his sword to the same ready position, she attacked his lower left again.

  “Look at her.” Geller nodded in approval. “Now watch. She’ll pretend not to notice Chilton shifting his weight, and when he’s committed to moving, she’ll stab where his belly’s gonna be. Renly’ll be thinkin’ she’s gonna go fer his head again when he stops her lower left attack, so that’ll give her time to go fer Chilton.”

  And that’s precisely what happened. When Renly brought his sword down to parry her low thrust, he reflexively jerked back to protect the left side of his head, which was now covered in blood from his partially severed ear.

  Chilton had seen the previous exchange, and when Sábria attacked Renly’s lower left again, he moved in, thinking her right side would be exposed as she followed up with an attack to Renly’s upper left. Instead, an agonizing bolt of pain surged through him as Sábria’s blade ripped lengthwise through his torso. The tip entered his lower right belly and came out the lower left.

  Using a boot on his groin for leverage, she yanked the entire length of her blade straight out the front of his body, bringing portions of his entrails with it. The nobleman dropped his sword and frantically tried to stuff his guts back into place. That lasted about as long as it took Chilton to fall to his knees and then onto his face, dead.

  “Oh, she’s good, ain’t she?” Geller practically preened with pride.

  In other circumstances, the sight of a man being disemboweled in front of her might have had Shirin’s gore rising in her throat, but the only thing she felt was a roaring sense of relief. “Because of you, my friend. Because of you.” Tears welled in Shirin’s eyes, and she desperately fought them back. Her cheeks puffed out as she blew a strained breath out of her mouth and fought to pull in another through flared nostrils. This wasn’t over yet, but two opponents were down, and with only one left, the odds were now in Sábria’s favor.

  Renly stared at the bloody bodies of his co-conspirators as he backed away.

  Sábria lowered her sword tip to the ground and, holding the hilt in both hands, leaned on it to catch her breath. She warily watched the man, knowing how quickly a skilled fighter could lunge forward and deliver a killing blow.

  Turning away from her, Renly threw his hands up in frustration. The sword pointed skyward, and then, as his hands dropped to his sides, its tip rested against his polished leather boot. After a time, he turned to face her. “It wasn’t my idea, you know.” He paused, waiting for her to respond.

  Needing to breathe more than she needed to speak, Sábria silently watched him.

  “They thought they were so clever, making me go for the Hunters, but I knew.” With a wild look in his eyes, he laughed and jabbed his finger into the side of his head. “I kept their letters. ‘Burn them,’ they said. ‘For your own protection.’ Ha! I kept them and left the seals intact.” His finger came away wet, and with a bewildered look, he stared at it as though just now realizing the absence of a good portion of his ear. As he stepped forward, his boot slipped in a puddle of blood. He went down on his butt and then lay back, laughing at his own folly.

  Sábria straightened and began pacing back and forth to keep her muscles warm. “Why?”

  He sat up and grinned. “Why? Because you made him look a fool to Lord Clemins.”

  Sábria squinted and shook her head. “Clemins? What does he have to do with any of this?”

  That brought on another maniacal bout of laughter. Sábria privately thought the man was losing his sanity as he stared death in the face. Then she realized that for him, she was the face of death. Something twisted inside her, and she had to sternly remind herself that with the blue flames encircling them, it was either his death or hers.

  “You don’t even remember, do you?” He lifted a shoulder. “I suppose it doesn’t matter now, does it? He detested you because you forced him to prostrate himself to the great Arch Priestess in front of a castle full of noblemen. Lord Clemins withdrew his daughter’s hand in marriage because of it, and Chilton blamed you. Claimed she was the only woman he ever loved. Even more than his first wife, who died giving birth to that blasted fool of a daughter. Blamed her, too, for killing his first wife.” He giggled at the ridiculousness of it all.

  “Wait, you mean he was one of the noblemen who openly defied my proclamation, what, some fourteen or fifteen turns ago? That’s what this is all about? That?” She stared at him, incredulous. She did some mental math. Falla would have been eighteen at the time with four turns for her father’s hatred to infect her before she joined the Blades.

  “He despised you.” He squinted and cocked his head as though tasting the word for accuracy. “No, I think detested was the better word, after all.”

  “That doesn’t explain your part in all of this.”

  “My family and Bathton’s owed his family a debt, and he called it in to uphold our families’ honor. That’s what he said, anyway, and my father agreed. So did Bathton, only he hated you just because women shouldn’t hold power over any man. His words, not mine.”

  He stood and waved around the ring with both arms wide. “All this, just to uphold our families’ honor.” Without warning, his eyes flashed, and he charged, bellowing a challenge and swinging in a seemingly wild, random attack that had Geller lowering her arms and taking notice.

  The Prime quickly muttered as though speaking directly to Sábria. “That’s not random, Milady.” She watched with bated breath and then muttered again, more forcefully this time. “Fowk. Move!”

  Sábria backpedaled, frantically meeting his blows, but only just. He thrust and sliced, slashed, and thrust again, not giving her any chance to go on the offensive. His adrenaline was up, and with an insane rage burning in his eyes, he backed her around the circle once and then again a second time.

  There was a definite pattern to his attack, though, and that’s what worried Geller the most.

  As he’d planned, Sábria backed into Bathton’s prone body and went sprawling onto the hard cobblestone yard. Her sword, with its grip slick with sweat, went flying, and she had to pull her arms in and roll several times as he came at her again and again, hacking down at her body, legs, and head.

  Sparks flew into her face as the steel tip struck quartz embedded in the cobbles. Minor burns bit into her skin, but she frantically thought that was the least of her worries as she dodged and rolled yet again. At the last moment, she realized she was too close to the flaming circle and had nowhere else to go. Blue flared up her sleeve as her tunic erupted in flames. She desperately rolled into Renly’s legs and jammed her flaming arm up between them.

  In a panic, Renly threw himself backward, but not before his trews caught fire. He batted at his legs, giving Sábria the time she needed to roll away from the circle and smother the flames by pinning her arm between her body and the hard cobblestone pavers.