“The renderer did not ask who you were?” asked Reynol.
“Not that I heard, your lordship …″
Reynol asked a number of questions, but all pertained to the injuries suffered by the patrollers, and Werwal’s use of only a staff to attack the patrollers.
Abruptly, he stopped and looked, not to the serjeant, but to Egen. “Is that all?”
Egen stood and bowed his head briefly before speaking. “There is little more to be said about that, Lord Justicer. The renderer attacked the Watch in performance of its duties.” He cleared his throat. “There is one other matter, Lord Justicer. Just yesterday morning, we discovered that vagrants had been using a hidden space behind the renderer’s rear courtyard wall to hide from the Watch. One of those hiding there may have been a murdereras well. The murderer who was there has been reported to have left Brysta, but the renderer allowed him shelter.”
“That will be considered, Captain Egen.”
Egen smiled and seated himself.
The captain and the serjeant had both been lying throughout-or slanting things so much that what had been reported might as well have been lies. Kharl could sense that. But how could he make that clear without revealing that he knew it through magery?
Reynol looked to Kharl. “Are you ready to address the charges, advocate?”
“If it please your lordship.”
“You may begin.”
Kharl turned. “Serjeant Feryt?”
“Yes, ser?” The patroller stood.
“You said that you knocked on the gate twice?”
“Yes, ser?”
“Did you say anything?” Kharl projected a feeling that the patroller should tell the truth. He hoped it was strong enough. He also looked hard at the serjeant.
“Wasn’t nothing to say, ser. We were there to do our duty.”
Kharl had recalled what Erdyl had told him. “When was this? What part of the day?”
The serjeant glanced toward Egen.
“You must recall what time of day it was,” Kharl suggested.
“We were late, ser, by the time we got orders.”
“Was it dark out?”
“Yes … ser.” The words sounded dragged out.
“It was dark. Did you have lanterns or torches?”
“No, ser.”
“In the darkness, the renderer could not see your uniforms, then?” Kharl projected another compulsion at the patroller.
The man turned, opened his mouth, then swallowed. Finally, he answered. “No, ser.”
“Was there any other reason why the renderer might not have seen you clearly? Any reason at all?”
Feryt did not answer.
“Serjeant?” Kharl intensified the projection of order.
“Captain Egen made us blacken our faces.”
“Did you announce that you were Watch patrollers?”
The patroller serjeant swallowed again. He did not speak.
“You must answer the question,” Reynol admonished the serjeant, “and you must answer with the truth.”
“No, ser. The captain said he’d know well enough who we were.”
Kharl looked hard at the serjeant. “You have said that the renderer was supposed to know that you and your men were patrollers. Yet it was dark. You carried no lanterns, and you have said that you had all blackened your faces. You never announced that you were Watch patrollers. How was the renderer to know that you were patrollers?”
“He shoulda known.”
“Can you tell me how?”
“He shoulda known,” the serjeant repeated, helplessly.
Kharl turned to the lord justicer. “I have no more questions for the serjeant. I do have questions for Captain Egen.”
“Captain, would you step forward, please?”
Egen rose.
Kharl could sense the anger and the chaos within Egen. He ignored it. “Captain, your serjeant has said that the renderer was supposed to know that they were patrollers. Yet it was dark. They carried no lanterns, and they did not identify themselves. Their faces and uniforms were hidden. Was what the serjeant said correct?”
“I did not tell them to act that way,” Egen lied. “They were supposed to tell him who they were.”
“So you gave them proper orders?”
“Yes.”
“You were not there?”
“No. That was their task.”
“Then you were not there to enforce your orders?
“I just said that I was not.”
Kharl nodded, then cleared his throat gently. “There is also the question of the space behind the rear wall. Captain Egen, you said that the hidden space was behind the rear wall. Most rear walls are solid. Was there any evidence of an entrance to the renderer’s courtyard?”
Egen paused, as if he thought about lying. “No. But the renderer should have known about it.”
“You said that the space was used to hide a murderer. Was this murderer ever charged?”
“He escaped Brysta. There was no point in charging him.”
Kharl fingered his chin, turning back to Reynol. “Perhaps I have missed something, your lordship. While there may indeed have been a murder, I do not believe that the renderer can be charged with aiding a murder that has never been brought to the Hall of Justice.”
“Your point is taken, advocate. That charge is dismissed.” Reynol looked blandly at Egen.
Kharl could sense the growing anger and frustration in Egen.
Kharl addressed Reynol. “A Lord of a land has right to know what property a man has in order to set the tariff properly. The Lord also has the right to use force when his officers are opposed. That is the law. The renderer would not contest that. But he must know who the proper officials are. He must be able to identify them. Otherwise, he could lose everything to brigands posing as officials. Both the Code and the precedents allow a man to protect what is his against unlawful acts. The Watch has the duty to identify themselves. They did not do so. The accused did not know that he was opposing patrollers. He thought he was defending his property against brigands. That is not an offense in any land. Also, the renderer had the right to ask for a warrant from the tariff farmer. He may have been unwise, because such a warrant would be granted. But turning away the tariff farmer because he had no warrant was not an offense against the Lord.”
“There seems to be a reasonable doubt in the eyes of all involved in this.” Reynol glanced at Egen.
Kharl could sense the growing anger in the young captain.
“He still turned away the tariff farmer and attacked the Watch, Lord Justicer,” Egen replied.
“What do you say to that, advocate?”
“The renderer did not use force against the tariff farmer, your lordship. He asked for a warrant. The tariff farmer did not show one. He did not show his medallion. The renderer was not wise, because the right to tariff is well established, but foolishness should be punished far less severely than defiance or a crime against the Lord.”
“Your points are taken, advocate.”
“Your lordship,” Egen said. “At the very least, the renderer used force against others and disturbed the peace.”
“Your point is also taken, Captain Egen.” Reynol coughed, then spoke. “Werwal the renderer. Step forth.”
Werwal was yanked into a standing position, not gently, but Kharl was not about to make a point about that.
“You are hereby sentenced to five lashes for disturbing the peace. You are ordered to make your premises open to Fyngel the tariff farmer, and to pay all tariffs imposed. You are also sentenced to pay one gold for the time and costs of this trial.” Reynol paused. “Consider yourself most fortunate, renderer.”
“Yes, your lordship.”
“Take him away. The sentence is to be carried out immediately, and he is then to be released.”
“All stand!” The bailiff’s voice boomed through the chamber.
The patrollers led Werwal out of the Hall.
Almost as the renderer went through the doors, Egen stepped up to Kharl. “Lord envoy, you are a most effective advocate.” The captain’s voice dropped slightly. “Might it be that you have had other … means? Magery, perhaps?”