Page 180 of A Weave of Lies
That will could be overridden,a pernicious voice in her mind said.It could be wrestled out of the control of the men waving gavels as weapons. Turn it against them, and then—
“Halt,” Cardinal Velten said lowly. His single word froze the Venator guards in their stances—along with her trail of thoughts.
Plunged into a quiet, tense atmosphere, the entire room turned to him.
“I am,” Cardinal Velten said, smiling again after a chilling pause, “the superintendent of the Vandalesian Peninsula’s Inquisition, and I do not ratify this motion. There are regulations and due procedures that must be observed, Honourable Tribunals.”
Pinching his index and thumb together, Garza shook his hand in the air. “Theyareobserved. With all due respect, Your Eminence, this is no mere family matter you can step into. Inquisitor Velten stands accused of conspiracy and murder, if I must remind you.”
The cardinal still smiled on. “And yet, as it involves both of my sons, I do consider it to be a family matter. Accordingly, I will not ratify the order. Estevan will not be put to the question, and neither will this young lady over there.”
Cardinal Velten glanced at the tribunals, then turned his gaze to her. His dark blue eyes remained obscured, veiled against any attempt to read his thoughts.
One gesture of his hand sent the sword-bearers retreating to the back of the room. They stepped out of Semras’ line of sight, and she breathed more easily again.
“Far be it from us to question the purity of your familial piety, Your Eminence,” Tribunal Pajov said, squinting his bleary eyes, “but it seems youmight bedangerously close to putting family above the Radiant Lord. Per the accusation of Inquisitor Callum, Inquisitor Velten must be prosecuted with the full juridical power of the Inquisition. If he is blameless, the Lord shallconvey it through his resilience. If he is not … then he must be punished to the extent our laws demand.”
“We are not talking about another one of his petty scandals,” Whitmore added. “This is nothing like when you shielded your boy from consequences for the babe he sired out of a witch. This time, he stands accused of killing one ofus.His crime has weakened the Inquisition. Justice must be served.”
In the face of all the attacks, Cardinal Velten kept his cool. His smile never wavered. “Justice shall not come from the hands of torturers. In this day and age, this interrogation technique is but a relic from a past too violent to return to.”
Tribunal Garza sneered. “That is no longer your choice to make. Three tribunals are enough to reverse the decision of a cardinal, Your Eminence, and you know it. I suggest you do not try to override our decision, lest—”
“Of course, I do not mean to abuse the powers of my office—”
“Lest,” Garza repeated more loudly, “you find yourself questioned for breaching your vows to the Church. We must put no one above the Radiant Lord, Your Eminence. No one. Speaking out in your son’s defence now will not change our decision; it will only bring the legitimacy of your continued involvement with the Inquisition into question. Your authority on this matter is thus limited to how much you are willing to ‘abuse the powers’ of your office.”
This time, the cardinal stayed silent, his eternal smile frozen on his lips.
Cael stepped forward. “Honourable Tribunals, if you insist on proceeding ahead with the accusation, then I request to act as Estevan’s defence in his trial.”
From atop the high table, the elderly judges stared at Cael. He stood still, unflinching.
Semras sucked in her breath. She turned to Estevan, and their gazes crossed. For a brief instant, the world returned tobeing reduced to them, and only them. Just as it had been hours before, when they’d embraced each other at long last and forgotten about all the madness and violence and bigotry that threatened to separate them.
A throat cleared, and her attention snapped back to the tribunals.
“You realize that to act as your brother’s defender, you must exclude your own testimony on the case?” Garza asked.
“I do.”
“Very well, then,” the eldest tribunal replied. “We shall proceed with the trial now.”
“Now?” Cael paused. “I need time to properly build the defence of—”
“Did you not say that new information just came up?” Tribunal Pajov asked. “Then you must already have solid proof of his innocence. Or are you suggesting your evidence does not stand on its own?”
“… Of course not, Your Honour,” Cael replied blankly.
Semras paled. Panic fluttered in her chest. They were not ready.
The trial of Estevan Velten was happening now, and all they had to prove his innocence was evidence that would turn Leyevna into the culprit—or worse, lead both mother and son to the pyre.
Just as her Wyrdtwined had feared and tried so hard to avoid.
“Andaccordingtoyourreport, Inquisitor Callum,” Tribunal Whitmore said, peering at a paper in his hand, “the victim’s maid testified the accused himself had delivered the fatal medicine. Is that correct?”
“That is correct, Your Honour,” Inquisitor Callum replied.
