What was her name? Miriam? Miranda? Mir… Mirrel, that was it. She'd been banished from the keep by Isolde.
Everyone had thought she would travel to Istar, but apparently she had gone straight to Palanthas instead.
Straight to High Justice Caladen.
'You may dismount now,' said Fenton.
Soth got off his horse and the knights moved in around him.
Mirrel moved in closer too, no doubt to get a better look at him in a state of disgrace.
Soth saw her standing there, just a few feet away, separated by a ring of Knights of Solamnia.
Lucky for her, thought Soth.
If not for the knights, she might have already been dead by his hand.
The mood inside the Hall of High Justice was somber.
Despite there being many windows along the walls of the hall, little light would shine in until much later in the day.
For now the hall was a shadowy place and that cast a pall over the proceedings.
Lord Caladen sat on a great chair that looked almost like a throne. To his left was a young Crown knight, or perhaps just a squire, whose job it would be to make records of the proceedings. To his right was Rose
Knight Drey Hallack, who served as an advisor to Lord Caladen on matters of the Oath and the Measure-a subject he had spent most of his life studying.
Farther to the right sat Lord Cyril Mordren, the High Clerist and Olthar Uth Wistan, High Warrior of the Knights of Solamnia. They would not be participating in the inquiry, but were present to show their solidarity with and support for Lord Caladen. An empty chair sat at the far right in honor of Solamnic Grand Master Leopold Gwyn Davis, who had recently died after a long illness. A Grand Circle of Knights was being organized to elect Davis's successor, but the gathering, which required at least three quarters of the established circles of knights to send two knights representatives to vote, was still many months away.
Over to the left of Lord Caladen sat seven Knights of Solamnia-two
Crown, two Sword and three from the order of the Rose-whose simple majority vote would decide the fate of the accused.
Seeing the Hall of High Justice set up for a hearing told Soth that things were far more grave than he had imagined.
If he had been called to Palanthas on a simple matter of a breach of the knight's code, an audience with the high justice alone would have sufficed. The presence of the seven-knight jury told him the charges were much more severe. The only other time Soth had seen a juried hearing had been when one knight had been charged with the murder of another.
Obviously Soth had been accused of murder. Luckily, although he'd been taken prisoner by his escorts, he was still considered innocent until his peers had cause to find him guilty.
Lord Caladen raised his right hand and the murmur that had been a constant background noise in the hall slowly died down.
Soth remained standing in front of the high justice, his shoulders squared and his chest thrust proudly forward.
He would concede nothing to his accusers.
'Lord Loren Soth of Dargaard Keep,' said Lord Caladen. 'You have been called to the Hall of High Justice to answer questions in an official inquiry into the death, and circumstances surrounding the death, of your wife, Lady Korinne Soth and her newborn child.'
A collective gasp swept through the hall as the rumors were finally laid to rest and the reason for Soth's summons was made known to all.
Soth felt his face grow hot as his blood began to roil in anger within him. It was only an inquiry, but he could still be found guilty as a result of the information that came to light. And even if he was cleared of any wrongdoing, his good name would be tarnished for all time by the mere accusation. When this was over, he vowed, those responsible would be made to pay.
A heavy, heavy price.
'A great tragedy,' said Soth, his voice even and noncommittal.
'One that has wounded me deeply.' He paused. 'I had wanted nothing more than to forget the catastrophe, and had begun the journey down that path.' He paused again. 'But of course, in the interest of justice I will answer any questions you may have. Then this matter will be put to rest in my mind, heart and soul.'
Lord Caladen nodded.
The sound of voices rose in volume until the high justice leaned over to the recording secretary and asked for silence.
'Silence!' cried the recording secretary.
Once again, the hall grew quiet.
'Lord Soth,' began Lord Caladen. 'There seem to be those who believe that Lady Korinne did not die while in the process of birthing her child.'
'People are entitled to their opinions, however vile,' said Soth.
'They say that instead of dying naturally during the birth, she was murdered by a blade after the fact.'
There was another collective gasp. This time it was peppered with whispers of, 'No.'
'An opinion entirely without merit.'
Lord Caladen brought his hands up in front of his chest and brought them together as if in prayer. 'Perhaps,' he said. 'Perhaps not.'
Soth was silent.
'Most interesting of all is that those who believe Korinne and the child to have been murdered have also made known their beliefs about who it was that wielded the deadly broadsword.'
'And who might that be?'
Lord Caladen drew in a breath. 'You, Lord Soth.'
The doors of The Drookit Duck burst open and a young man ran into the tavern, frantic and out of breath.
'You're liable to bust a button running like that,' laughed Caradoc.
'Are you the knights who arrived with Lord Soth?' asked the young man when he was able to speak the words.
Caradoc put down his tankard. 'We are. What of it?'
'Lord Caladen has just accused your lord of murder in the death of Lady
Korinne and the child.'
'What?'
'Lies!'
'A joke, surely?' cried the other knights, incredulous at the news.
All except for Caradoc.
Upon hearing the inevitable news, he simply lifted his tankard and took another sip of ale.
'I did no such thing!' shouted Soth, his voice strong and unwavering. 'I loved my wife dearly and would never have done anything to hurt her.' He glanced around the hall. 'What gypsy would make such a wild and unfounded accusation? Who dares make such an outrageously damaging claim?'
'Lady Korinne's former lady-in-waiting for one,' answered Lord Caladen.
Soth laughed contemptuously while shaking his head.
'Would you take the word of a simple maid over a Knight of the Rose, a man sworn to live his life by the strict code of the Oath and the
Measure?'
'No,' replied Lord Caladen. 'Young Mirrel's words were not enough to convince me to begin these proceedings.
There were others.'
The high justice gestured to a knight standing guard at the back of the hall. The knight left the hall and a
