She winked at Emily. “Let me be blunt. Emily has her enemies. I’m sure, reading between the lines, that you cherry-picked the councilors to ensure that her jury was packed with her enemies. But she also has her supporters, both magical and mundane. They would not have stood for a hasty arrest and execution. They certainly will not stand for a failed attempt to conclude matters before they had a say. Emily is not alone. And you know it.”
Emily felt a deep, unaccustomed warmth at Alassa’s words. She’d felt alone, as she’d stood before the court. She’d feared the worst as it became increasingly clear that the court didn’t care about her defense, let alone the legalities. And yet, Alassa and her friends had come to her aid. Void stood behind them, his face carefully blank. Emily was suddenly sure he’d summoned everyone, just to make sure the court remembered she had allies.
Master Lucknow took a step forward. “Do you believe she has enough supporters to protect her, if the matter is put before the full council?”
Alassa smiled. “I believe enough councilors will support her to make it impossible to convict her.”
She allowed her voice to harden. “The White Council was born out of compromise. One of those compromises was that its powers would be very strictly limited. The council has no right to issue a warrant, let alone carry out an arrest, without the agreement of the councilors and the governments they represent. The evidence should have been presented, in session, and debated before a vote was taken. The price for us surrendering a little authority to the council, as you may be aware, was that we would have a say in how the authority was used. But we weren’t even told, so how could we be outvoted? We weren’t consulted at all.
“It is not just her supporters who will vote in her favor. It is the monarchs and patriarchs and city fathers who will feel that they cannot allow such a precedent to stand. If you can arrest and threaten to execute a powerful noblewoman, without even a pretense at consultation, who can’t you threaten? Do you believe, for one moment, that anyone would allow you to create a precedent that could - that would - be used against them? Even her detractors would refuse to support you.”
“The emergency committee was pulled together to handle an unprecedented situation,” Master Lucknow said, coldly. “It will be dissolved the moment it is no longer necessary.”
“My father said the same, when he implemented laws to deal with social unrest.” Alassa rested her hands on her hips. “Those laws remained on the books, and enforced, until I took the throne. I do not believe the committee, once it has tasted power, will agree to dissolve calmly. Even if I did, it might be a long time before the emergency goes away. It might even become the new normal.”
She smiled, coldly. “Let me be blunt. I am a ruling monarch. It is my belief that this process is not only illegal, but wholly unjustified. I demand, as is my right, that you state the charges against her, that you list the evidence against her, that you let her speak in her own defense and, most importantly of all, that you put the decision to the full council.”
Master Lucknow took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Let me be equally blunt,” he said, icily. “The precise charges are immaterial. Emily is responsible for unleashing social unrest - including in your kingdom, Your Majesty - and introducing dangerous techniques that have upset the balance of power. It is the considered opinion of many powerful people, the ones who signed off on the emergency committee, that Emily needs to be rendered harmless as quickly as possible. The events in Alluvia alone...”
“I did not sign off on the committee,” Alassa reminded them. “I was not even consulted. And that alone is enough to render the committee, and whatever judgements it makes, highly illegal. One might even go so far as to call it judicial murder.”
“And yet, many of your peers disagree,” Master Lucknow said. “If you brought the matter before the full council, which way would they really vote?”
“They would not allow such a precedent to stand,” Alassa said. “And even her enemies would vote for her, against you.”
“This argument is going in circles,” Lady Barb said. She stepped forward, her armor glinting oddly under the light. Dark rings were clearly visible around her eyes. “Let me ask you a question. If you rendered Emily harmless, as you put it, would it solve the current problem? Or would it just make you look as though you were doing something without actually doing anything?”
Master Tor levelled his eyes at her. “I do not recall granting you permission to speak.”
Lady Barb gave him a sharp look. “You’re the legalistic one,” she said. “Are these proceedings remotely legal?”
“There are precedents for secret sessions,” Master Tor said.
“And also precedents against them,” Lady Barb added. “If you felt you could justify a trial, let alone conviction and punishment, you would do it in the cold light of day. You would not need to hide in the shadows, without oversight from the council. I am disappointed in you.”
She looked at Master Lucknow. “Answer the question,” she said. “Suppose you execute Emily. Right here, right now. Would that do anything, anything at all, to solve your problem?”
“It would keep her from creating further problems,” Master Lucknow said. “And that in itself would be a good thing.”
Except you’d make me a martyr, Emily thought. How is that a good thing?
Lady Barb snorted. “How long ago was it,” she asked, “that we were on the verge of total defeat?”
Emily had to smile. She’d asked the same question.
“You were there,” Lady Barb said. “We knew we were doomed. It was just a matter of time
