The Final Redemption by Michael Manning (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📕

dangerous power. My expression was aloof and disinterested,while Penny’s was challenging. She met every eye directly, with astare that dared them to speak to her only if they had a deathwish.

“We make quite the villains,” shewhispered to me as we took our places.

I nodded, “I’ve already had somepractice at it, but you seem to be a natural.”

“I had to fend off suitors for ayear,” she informed me. “I learned quickly.”

That earned her a smile from me, andas I returned my attention to the crowd, I could see them watchingus. I could only imagine the things they must be wondering as theystudied our expressions.

There were a lot of preliminaries tomy trial. Each member of the assembly was named, along with adeclaration of all those notables who were absent. In particularthe Lords of Tremont, Cantley, and Surrey had not yet hadreplacements selected since they were executed. Stephen Balistair,had replaced his father, Martin, the late Earl of Balistair, andDavid Airedale had replaced his father, John, as CountAiredale.

Once they had finished naming andlisting, the first order of business was a reading of my charges.Duke Grumley represented an anonymous coalition of lords who wishedto press the case against me, so it fell to him to present thelist.

He made it take longer than it shouldhave, but it boiled down to the unlawful murder of Andrew Tremontand his servants in the capital on one hand, and the terribleslaughter of innocent lives at the Tremont estate on theother.

Ariadne sat in the traditional seat atthe back of the room, some distance behind the High-Justicer’schair. The courts acted on the authority of Her Majesty, andtechnically, if she wished, she had the power to dismiss them anddispense justice according to her own whims. In practice though,that was very unlikely, since it could potentially precipitate acivil war unless the monarch’s power over the lords themselves wasabsolute. That was definitely not the case in thesetimes.

As soon as the charges were finished,the new queen sent a young messenger down to whisper in EarlWinfield’s ear. Listening for a moment he nodded and addressed theassembly, “The Queen wishes to declare her support for LordCameron’s actions in the capital. Her Majesty had alreadydetermined Duke Tremont’s guilt and stripped him of all rights andprivileges; therefore, neither he nor his men enjoyed anyprotection of law.”

Treason was a crime that the monarchhad always reserved rights over, for immediate prosecution andpunishment. That had been Ariadne’s justification when she hadDorian kill the coconspirators Balistair, Cantley, and Surrey. Shewas extending it now to me, pronouncing me her agent after thefact.

“Lord Grumley, do you wish to amendyour charges in light of this fact?” asked theHigh-Justicer.

Grumley was a stout, barrel-chestedman with a maroon coat and a lot of grey hair. He swallowed beforeanswering, “Yes, my lord, I would like to withdraw the charge ofunlawful murder against Andrew Tremont and his servants in thecapital.”

Well, that was easyenough, I thought.

“We still wish to press the case thathe unlawfully murdered the inhabitants of Tremont Castle and allthose within several miles of that estate,” continued DukeGrumley.

Gerald Winfield, the Duke of Winfieldand High-Justicer turned to me then, “Lord Cameron, do you wish topresent your own defense, or is there someone to representyou?”

“Lady Hightower will represent me,Your Lordship,” I replied. Since her father’s passing, Rose was‘the Hightower’, even though her actual last name was Thornbearnow. It was a situation similar to my title of ‘Cameron’ eventhough my own surname was Illeniel.

Winfield addressed her directly, “LadyHightower, are you prepared to present a cogent defense? The lawsof Lothion are sometimes complex. It is not a subject to be takenlightly.”

He was alluding to the fact that,since she was a woman she probably didn’t possess the necessaryacumen to handle such a difficult task. That thought made mesmile.

“I feel capable of the task LordWinfield. I do not feel likely to swoon just yet, but perhaps weshould move forward quickly before the strain overwhelms my weakconstitution?” she suggested helpfully.

He stared at her coldly for a moment,but said nothing.

Taking his silence for acquiescence,she continued, “I would like to move to dismiss the remainingcharges against Lord Cameron.”

That was unexpected. “On what grounds,Lady Hightower?” asked the High-Justicer.

“At the time the assault on the CastleTremont occurred, Andrew Tremont was already dead, my lord. Beingwithout a sworn vassal to the crown holding their trust, the peoplewere therefore no longer under the rule of law. Being not under thelaw, they also no longer enjoyed its protection,” she explainednimbly.

There were a few gasps inthe crowd, and I have to admit it took me a minute to unravel herchain of logic. Her premise essentially meant that since the peopleof Tremont had lost their lord and had no formal tie to thegovernment of Lothion, they had no longer been protected by iteither. This rested largely upon the fact that at the beginning ofLothion’s legal system, all rights and powers were vested in thenobility, granted to them by the king. The people living on theirlands had no rights whatsoever originally, except those theirrespective lord chose to give them. What they did receive wasprotection from exploitation or harm at the hands of anyother lord of therealm.

Any lawless peasants not sworn to aspecific lord were fair game. They could be slain, captured, orrobbed at will by any peer of the realm.

While it sounded barbaric on the faceof it, the original intention was to discourage brigands andbanditry. Lawful citizens lived in towns and owed allegiance to alocal lord, and it was his power that shielded them from any otherlordling’s whims or cruelty.

So, since Tremont was deadfor treason, she’s saying that his people were effectively lawless,free for the taking, I noted tomyself.

Ariadne was smiling from her place,and I could sense Penny’s admiration from where she stood next tome.

Everyone was either happy, or dismayedat the logic of it. Except me, I was upset, but for a differentreason.

It isn’t fair. Peopleshould enjoy the protection of the laws of Lothion whether or nottheir asshole of a lord is dead. Myalter-ego had ordered the murder of what happened to be over athousand people. It hadn’t actually been my decision, nor had itbeen fully Brexus’ intention,