"Lady Way Finder!"

Lady Ardena Kansura had expected a reception upon her arrival, having flown all the way from Satora to the colony town of Zenargast in Atrea. It was only her due as a Way Finder and member of a Satoran noble house to be greeted with such fanfare. What she had not expected was to see the colonial governor Commander Shiran Lurin, a gray-haired career officer, nearly dancing in place with agitation where he stood with an honor guard on the landing pad.

"Thank the Creator!" he said as she stepped down the ramp from the air ship. "You have arrived only just in time," he told her.

Ardena frowned, brushing a strand of stray black hair over one shoulder of her white cloak, the colors in stark contrast with each other. As a scion of a noble family, she had the beauty characteristic of aristocrats, for they could afford the magic to sculpt their bodies in the most pleasing ways. She was thus not unused to being noticed by men, but this was clearly not why Lurin and his guard stared at her now, with great concern in their dark eyes. Like her, they had black hair typical of the Satorani and the other human folk of southern Enkera (save Lurin's, grayed with age) but darker olive skin, her almond hue another mark of her noble heritage, untouched by a life of work in the sun.

"My pilot said you have a matter of great urgency that needed my help, and to make all possible speed here," she said, as her thrall Breh came on down the ramp after her. Commander Lurin nodded in eager confirmation.

"Well, here I am. How may I serve?"

"Last night, the elves who live near here were attacked, killing two of their number and setting many of their lodges on fire. They claim a human was responsible for it, and we are the only humans nearby. Thus, suspicion has fallen on someone in our midst. We need you to make a finding of the Way in this matter for us, my lady."

Ardena shivered in apprehension. Her mother had thought her mad when she chose to replace a an elderly Way Finder who had recently passed here in Atrea. It was a vast continent, with many great stretches as yet unknown to human settlement. It had seemed very romantic at the time, but perhaps she had been too hasty in her decision...

"I have a car waiting," Lurin said insistently. With a nervous sigh, Ardena seated herself along with Breh. They sped off down the streets of Zenargast, a humble settlement still under construction, and down the road they had built to the forest beyond. Trucks filled with soldiers surrounded them, rolling toward the line of trees.

"Come no further!"

The warning rang out from the autumn trees, glowing in red and gold.

Stop, ordered Commander Shiran Lurin over his mind link with the soldiers and felt them obey instantly, the trucks grinding to a halt at the edge of the forest, on the border of the Lurialis elves' land. Their road blended into one of the elves' deer trails, an island in a sea of golden grass. A grim party of elves awaited them, emerging silently from amid the trees, clad in clothing made of deerskin, with their hands near wands made of carved wood. They were paler than the Satorani humans facing them, with lighter shades of hair, living as they were in this cooler clime.

"Ferin," Commander Lurin greeted an elf man at the front of the group with red-brown hair and gray eyes which bored into the humans. The elves wrinkled their noses with their typical expression of disgust when they detected the humans' odors. With noses keen enough to identify an individual from their scent even from a distance, large eyes that saw far into the darkness, pointed ears that picked up even small sounds in the distance, and loose, straight hair that would not tangle in low-hanging tree branches, they had been created to serve as hunters.

When they came near, Ferin inhaled their scent, and his head whipped around to stare at Lurin's personal aide, a thrall named Renos. The first elves had been criminal thralls shaped for human owners centuries ago. Many among their free-born descendants had chosen to leave and make a new life far off in the wilderness of Atrea, but now their former owners had caught up with them. Encroachments by the human settlers disrupted the life they led, with the wild life they relied on slowly killed off. Some were forced to serve humans again, usually as bounty hunters or scouts, which sparked their ire.

This reaction was wholly different though. The wand sprang up into his hand from the leather sheath tied to his left wrist as he called it mentally, with the other elves' following suit. Swiftly he held it leveled at the thrall Renos, who froze, his dark eyes wide with surprise. Lurin raised his empty hands for calm, disciplined by his past training but at a loss himself to guess what this could mean. Without an order, his soldiers did not raise their weapons. Ardena stepped back in shock, with Breh rushing up in front of her to shield her from harm with his body.

"What is this?" Lurin demanded, warning the soldiers with a thought to hold their fire. Ferin turned his gaze to him, eyes flashing.

"Nose-dead human!" he spat. "Do you think we would not know the scent of the person who attacked us when he shamelessly comes up to our very faces?"

"What?" Lurin said in confusion, looking to Renos, the focus of their intent. "You cannot be serious. This man is a thrall-he could not leave Zenargast without..." his voice trailed off.

"Without permission," Ferin scowled, completing his sentence. Thralls were those placed by magic in a state of loving obedience to their owners, usually as criminal punishment, although some were also self-sold. His soldiers were the former, murderers sentenced to a life in enthrallment, serving their nation in the armed forces' penal units. As a thrall, Renos would not, and could not, have acted on his own, only by an order from his superior...Commander Lurin.

Lurin could only shake his head in denial; the elves' grim expressions hardened still further as they tightened their grips on the wands they held aimed toward the soldier thralls, who returned their gazes calmly, still making no move in response.

"This is the Lady Way Finder Ardena Kansura," Lurin said, gesturing to her. "She will scan his mind and see if what you say is true." Ferin rejected his offer with a scowl.

"We cannot trust any human Way Finder, especially one in his company," he added, glaring at Renos. "Our tribe's Way Finder will be the judge of this matter." Lurin nodded.

"I give you permission to scan his mind, on behalf of"-

"If this man attacked our camp, that means you have committed an act of war, fool!" Ferin said fiercely, interrupting Lurin, who took a step back from his vehemence. "His scent is enough cause to justify this-I do not require permission. You are surrounded and outmatched. Have your people retreat, or we shall fire upon you."

Fall back, Lurin mind-sent to them, relief flooding through him at having successfully managed to avoid violence. The soldiers obeyed at once, without question.

"I am taking him into our land," Ferin told him flatly. "You may come, along with your Way Finder. The rest must stay here."

Reluctantly, Lurin nodded assent.

Ferin kept his wand at Renos' back and warned him not to flee. Unnecessarily, as Lurin had already ordered him not to, and it was he whom Renos obeyed. Ardena instructed Breh to stay behind, causing him to frown in uncharacteristic emotion. Naturally though he obeyed as well, looking after them with deep concern.

They stopped in a clearing, with Ferin ordering Renos to sit down with his back to one of the trees, though he did not obey until Lurin motioned for him to. With elves surrounding them, their eyes never leaving, wands drawn, Ardena quailed slightly under their gazes, while cold sweat trickled down Lurin's back, though both concealed the disquiet they felt. One of the elves left at Ferin's instruction, returning with a woman clad in white deerskin garments which matched the color of her hair, and a delicately lined visage which showed her to be far older than all the rest. She stood straight and tall, looking at Renos with calm, clear blue eyes.

"This is he?"

Ferin nodded respectfully in reply.

She looked over at Renos for a moment, then turned her gaze to Ardena and Lurin. Taking in Ardena's own white clothing, she smiled quietly.

"You are the human Way Finder?"

"I am," Ardena replied, surprised by the utter lack of hostility in her expression. She herself was clearly a Way Finder as well, which in elven tribes meant also the chieftain.

"I am Mala Risuna," the woman introduced herself. "And what is your name, sister?" Touched by this honorific address from a fellow Way Finder, Ardena smiled, her body stilling as calm returned to her.

"Ardena Kansura," she introduced herself. Mala nodded, returning her smile.

"Let us do justice together, Ardena." Taking strength from her, Ardena approached Renos at her side, his expression intent.

"Tell them the truth without equivocation or evasion, withholding nothing," Lurin commanded Renos, while Mala and Ardena placed their wands on each side of his face. Usually, they would cast a binding spell first that compelled him to answer truthfully. However, since he was already enthralled to obey Lurin, that was unnecessary. Their joint mind scan spell settled over him, and both then linked to his mind, seeking within its depths to confirm that his replies were true.

"Where were you at half past eleven last night?" Ardena asked, naming the time of the attack.

"I was asleep in the dormitory," he replied simply. Flashes of memory swirled before their sight, showing the plain, gray, servants' quarters the bond servants and thralls took meals and slept while not working, an image of the floor mat which he slept on welling up for them. Together they probed deeper into his mind to detect whether this was his memory of the previous night, or some other time he had slept there. Nothing else came forth.

It was too neat, however-the memory seemed to be altered, its patterns smoothed-over. Despite this, his emotions and tone of voice seemed normal. At last they withdrew, so Mala could give her folk the bad news.

"There are no criminal memories detected within his mind, nor wards that might protect it," she announced, to their curses and protests. Mala quieted them with a stern look. Ferin spoke then, his face a picture of disbelief at hearing this.

"There are ways to shape the mind so it does not yield up all of its contents under scanning," he said grimly, and Mala nodded in agreement.

"True, but they are difficult to detect, and even more so to undo. His mind has been altered-that is to be expected in a thrall. I cannot tell if the alteration allowed him to hide memories from us. Can you, sister?" Ardena shook her head, and Mala continued:

"The only sure means would be to make him soul-travel. Upon return, the memories would then be detectable."

The memories over a life time were stored in the soul and would be viewed after death before the Creator. If the connection to them from the mind were altered in some way (perhaps by magical alteration, as suggested here) loosing the soul from the body, and returning it, would restore that which was lost. It was a difficult and perilous magic, though. If the soul's link with the body were severed, the soul could be lost, destroying them as a person. The body would be left a bestial shell without free will, driven by instinct like an animal while the lost soul wandered. A wandering soul would seek others to possess so it could live by feeding on the spirit it needed to survive. Ardena quailed at the idea-such a drastic thing was only to be done in last resort.

Lurin spoke up firmly now.

"You have scanned his mind, and found nothing. There is no evidence such a spell exists on his mind from your Way Finder or ours, and thus you lack cause to do anything more."

"Cause?!" Ferin shouted, turning on him. "I know him by his scent! He was the attacker that night! Scan my mind-it will show what I say is true." Mala and Ardena did so, each placing their wand on his face in the same manner as they had with Renos, linking with his mind to examine his memories. The memory welled up to their senses: leaping up from sleep in his lodge as one of the elves on watch yelled in alarm when fire erupted among them. Smoke from the burning lodges blanketing him, making him choke, blocking his sense of smell. Fighting clear of it, Ferin had cast a chameleon spell to conceal himself, disappearing against the fire-lit, shadowed backdrop of lodges and the dark trees beyond. His wand at the ready, he hunted silently for the enemy who had invaded the peace of their camp. Finally he caught the scent when another lodge went up in flame, the attacker also under a chameleon spell as he was. Yet this had not hid its scent, and he recognized that instantly as human. On the next morning, he detected it once again in furious surprise, brazenly coming to meet him. Rage stained his memories like spilled blood. The two Way Finders pondered this.

"It is sufficient to hold him, at least," Mala concluded, Ardena nodding in agreement. "We shall keep him here and look for more evidence. You may go back to tell your people of what has occurred," she added to Lurin, who nodded.

"Stay here, sister Ardena," Mala said. "We shall judge this matter together, on behalf of both our peoples." Ardena smiled, humbled by the attention of this serene, wise elder.

"I am honored," she said sincerely, nodding to Mala.

"I will have a tent set out for you," Mala told her. Lurin ordered Renos to remain where he was and then left their land to inform his people of these events, the elves parting for him reluctantly. A number of them stayed in the clearing, which Mala said was their site of justice. Elves kept watch in turn as the rest slept, Ardena doing so only fitfully in her tent, until at the break of morning she woke to cries of rage and alarm from them.

Leaping to her feet, she saw Ferin kneeling beside Mala on the ground, his face pressed to one of her hands as he wept. Her white hair was strewn out in a halo, neck bent at an odd angle. Pale blue eyes gazed up sightlessly, with a look of surprise embedded in them.

Renos was gone from near the tree where he had been, seemingly vanished into thin air.

2: Serpent in the Garden 2

"How did he do this?!"

Ardena drew in her breath deeply, mustering all of her power to keep herself from showing any fear or grief. Mala lay with her slim hands crossed over her chest where the elves had placed her in mourning. Though her eyes were now closed, giving her face a serenity its final expression of surprise had lacked, Ardena had still been hardly able to bear looking at it. Ferin seemed to have lost all reason now after his grief had given way to rage, and she feared what he would do. He was certain that Renos had done it, and with his disappearance, he did seem the most probable culprit.

"I have no way of knowing," Ardena replied quietly to his question, and Ferin cursed, pacing agitatedly. The elves had searched the forest as only they could, but found nothing, in the same way they had failed to after the attack on their camp. For them, such a failure was quite disturbing.

"And if we scan your mind, doubtless the result will be the same as his," Ferin added. His last words prompted Ardena to look up in shock, the other elves staring daggers at her.

"You cannot think I had any part in her death!" she protested. Slowly, his face softened.

"I have never known Mala to be wrong in judging another's character, but then, such things as have occurred lately were also previously unknown." He sighed, with a shudder that ran down over his whole body, and she understood the heavy toll all of this had taken on him. Despite her present fear of him, she felt pity for his burden.

"Go back to your people, Way Finder. If you truly do justice, have them hand over this Renos if they know of his whereabouts, or help to find him. Otherwise..." he trailed off. "It seems that someone wishes our people in conflict, and will do most anything to stir that." Ardena nodded, chilled by it. The fact that Renos had come along to face the elves attacked where he could be identified, and the attack itself, all spoke to deliberate provocation. He was a thrall, and must therefore act on another's orders, but who, and why? Ardena stood up, her back straightening.

"I will do everything possible," she promised Ferin.

 

"We must find Renos."

Lurin nodded brusquely at Ardena's words when she had safely returned to Zenargast. He was dismayed and shocked by the sudden death of Mala, knowing it could only serve to raise tensions with them further, as seemed the likely reason for its occurrence.

"Yes, I am aware, my lady Way Finder. The first thing I did was to check the tracking map. He is no longer shown on it." The tracking map contained traces of every person's spirit in Zenargast, and it showed their locations at all times. If he did not appear, it meant he must be dead, or have shaped his spirit to another form to escape detection. Along with this they had looked up Renos' file, which said he had been a swindler who seduced and defrauded women, killing one who became aware of his activity, for which he was sentenced to life in enthrallment. Clearly he was more than capable of dealing deceit and murder. The thralls' quarters had no recorders installed within its bounds, so they did not have any visual record for him on the night of the attack. None of them were ordinarily able to leave it without permission, so recorders had been deemed an unnecessary cost. Both of them felt suspicions which they feared to speak, or even think.

"What is going on?" Ardena wondered plaintively. Lurin shook his head.

"Nothing good, it seems. Beyond that it remains an unpleasant mystery. I have reported all these events to Satorgast. They do not show him on any of the other tracking maps, and have no thought as to what may have happened." Neither of them could find any other avenue to pursue, so finally it had to be left for the morrow. Both agreed wearily that sleeping on it might help.

They both slept fitfully, minds preoccupied with anxiety over the issue.

 

"Fire!"

Now it was the Satorani who gave the cry, as fire balls sailed up and over Zenargast at intervals from different points, lighting up the night. It was inside the shield spell protecting them, and though many of the administration buildings were built of fire-resistant material, the rest were not. A fire was soon blazing up among them. Chaos erupted, with panicked free settlers running from their homes as the loud tones of the fire alarm sounded. They had no regular fire service as yet, so the thralls were quickly ordered to cast spells that sent water coursing out from the well to douse the flames. Sensors had scanned the area, but detected nothing. Commander Lurin had rushed to the wall, leading the thrall soldiers. Ardena watched all of these events at the window of her quarters in horror.

"There is a serpent in the garden..." Lurin whirled at the soft voice behind him. Seeing nothing at first, a figure became visible as it moved from the black shadow of the wall tower to his back.

"Halt! Put your hands up!" he cried, pointing his wand at it. The figure did not obey, but turned and cast a living flame into Zenargast, which spread and grew of its own. Lurin fired at it, but his fire dart merely splashed harmlessly against the shield around its body, glowing briefly to outline the body of the attacker, which stepped back into the darkness then and disappeared. The Satorani searched for it high and low, hampered while attempting to stem the living flame raging here in Zenargast, but found nothing. Lurin was sure the voice held a familiar tone, but to was unable to identity who the speaker had been, as it had spoken low and amid the tumult nearby.

Their rage and desire to have revenge matched that of the elves' before.

 

"I cannot agree with your assessment of the situation."

This blunt response was delivered by Lord Denar Lengarin, Satoran Deputy Foreign Ventures Minister for Settlements, who had taken the report on the attack from both of them directly after being informed about it. They had voiced their opinion that a deliberate provocation seemed to have occurred, ending in a call for caution when responding, though Zenargast had suffered heavy damage, losing six dead and fifteen wounded, ten severely.

"But, my lord"- Lurin began to object, but Lengarin waved him to silence, as his image on the sending screen stared back at them. Lengarin turned to Ardena.

"Lady Way Finder, you found no mnemonic evidence in his mind, nor any sign of shaping or a ward that might hide it. You also did not see who, in fact, killed the elf tribe's chieftain. I suggest the elves themselves may be responsible."

"What?" Ardena said in surprise. Lengarin raised an eyebrow.

"Mala was old and passive, by all report. Ferin, in your own account, is the opposite. Possibly he wished to become chieftain, which you say he now is in all but name. Moreover, if we are judged as guilty of aggression, he could lawfully seize our colony as punishment, thus ending our hunting of the game on which they rely. I note as well that none of you have even seen the camp to verify whether it was in fact damaged by any fire. Even accepting that it was, I do not find the idea the elves themselves had caused the destruction as part of a pretext to blame us impossible. You did not see the attacker's face, Commander, and the elves are known as make use of chameleon spells, which you tell me that this individual did as well." Ardena was incredulous, but Lurin seemed to waver on hearing such a wholly different view of things.

"I viewed Ferin's memory of the attack, my lord," Ardena protested. "He had clearly recognized Renos' scent as that of the attacker." Lengarin shrugged.

"Memories can be created to fool a mind scan with the very shaping that Ferin claimed that our thrall underwent," Lengarin countered in reply.

"We found no sign of"-

In any case, the elven olfactory sense, keen as that is, can be clouded by other scents, including that of smoke such as the attack on their camp would have caused," he said, interrupting her. Ardena opened her mouth to remind him that Ferin's memory had shown otherwise, but he spoke up again.

"There is another possibility as well: Rastona." Both sat back at the name. Rastona had been the arch enemy of Satora for centuries, in direct competition with them for settling Atrea. The Satorani had often told stories of them committing just such deeds, though how much truth was in them could not be know for certain. Rastonani also told such stories about Satorani, for their part.

"It would be very difficult to imprint a thrall as their agent to use him within our midst," Lurin pointed out, which caused Lengarin to wave a hand impatiently.

"Of course, yes. Not impossible, however. They would surely benefit from any conflict between us and the elven tribes, particularly when it holds up a settlement of such potential." Lurin frowned, but said nothing. Lengarin leaned in now.

"Regardless of whether my theory holds true, you must find who did this and retaliate. Confront the elves, assess how they respond, seek their assistance, determine if any are guilty." His voice went flat. "Retaliate on any that you find guilty to the full measure allowed by the Way."

He broke the viewer connection, leaving them with this order ringing in their ears.

 

"Last night, our settlement was attacked. We seek your assistance finding the culprit."

The Satoran soldiers had stopped at the edge of the Lurialis territory once again, in greater force than before, as Lurin called out with an amplification spell at his car. In this case no one came forth, but he was certain they were watching, hidden within their forest, perhaps aided by chameleon spells.

"I assure you, we mean no harm," Lurin said, signaling the cars and soldiers on foot to advance, staffs and wands at the ready. Only penal units were sent into territories with such a high risk of danger, their lives being legally forfeit and considered expendable. When the first of these men approached the forest, a fire dart erupted from somewhere in the underbrush. Their shield spell activated, deflecting the blast. More fire darts spat from the forest onto them.

Living flame! Lurin sent out, and they responded as one, casting their spell into the forest to set it on fire. They had fought elves before, in other parts of Atrea. From that experience they knew it was the elven way to use their home terrain to best advantage, hiding themselves with chameleon spells and then firing at enemies from cover. Of course they knew it better than any outsider, and could hole up within indefinitely. The most effective response was fire. Elven forest tribes would never make use of it against each other, but humans did.

The shield spell protecting the border of their land collapsed quickly under the onslaught, and cries of agony erupted from the forest as the elves were consumed. The use of deadly force had been justified by the elven aggression with it. They now recalled the living flame once it had done its work, leaving only blackened corpses amid the burned trees.

At Lurin's order, they departed from the area.

3: Serpent in the Garden 3

"Dear Creator."

Ardena was shaken by what Lurin told her had occurred. First Mala, and now this. She could hardly bear it.

"We had to meet their attack in kind, lady Way Finder," Lurin said.

"I know. You have not done wrong," she told him. "Even so..."

He nodded solemnly. "It was a terrible thing, to be sure."

Ardena nodded without speaking, gripping the edge of her desk tightly as she stood behind it.

"We have no evidence against the Lurialis survivors, but those who were killed will be charged with attempted murder," he added. This meant that she would have to preside over a trial. It was lawful under the common law to try deceased persons, and confiscate their property if held guilty.

"I have already informed Ferin, and he nearly exploded in rage," he added.

"That is hardly a surprise," she murmured.

"Also... the Elven League has become involved. They will be sending counsel for the Lurialis." At this new Ardena shook her head. They would complicate matters. Lurin soon took his leave.

Ardena sat alone, gazing mutely out the window at the green forest beyond.

 

"This court is now in session, the Lady Way Finder Ardena Kansura presiding."

Breh served as her clerk, making the announcement when she entered, holding a staff which of office which he struck once upon the floor to call the court to order. Ardena sat down on the high bench in the small law court within the heart of Zenargast. It was under a recording spell which would capture everything that occurred inside for posterity.

"We have come in the sight of the Creator to do justice, in accordance with the Way. Draw near, give your attention, and you shall be heard," he said, as Ardena seated herself.

"In the matter of Terina Sator, Proprietor of Satora, versus the deceased members of the Lurialis tribe, the plaintiff charges the defendants as having committed attempted murder on thirty four counts against her servants and thralls," Breh intoned. Ardena nodded at this.

"Do you wish a full reading of the charge?" she asked of the advocate, whom the Elven League had sent to defend the deceased Lurialis. Ferin and the survivors were out in front beside him. It was a further cause of tension, with the Elven League involed, an organization dedicated to legally combating the human settlement of Atrea on behalf of native elves that had been accused, though not proven, of having ties with groups that used criminal violence. The advocate was a tall, slender elf with white hair that still showed a trace of its original red. Pure loathing showed in the eyes of the Lurialis when they looked at any human. They had not been permitted to bring wands in once allowed within Zenargast to attend court, which seemed especially justified now by their manner.

"We request every detail of what you accuse," he said gravely.

"Very well," Ardena said, glancing at Breh, who began.

"The plaintiff Terina Sator, Proprietor of Satora, charges that upon the 17th day of the Eighth Month of this 8735th year After Creation, the fifteen defendants, not having a respect of the Way in their hearts, did knowingly and in criminal intent attempt to murder thirty one servants and thralls of Terina Sator, by means of fire dart spells, with the LadySator having brought charges on their behalf through her servant, the prosecutor Murin Perald, against the defendant's estates as held by the Lurialis tribe, with forfeiture of their shares in the collective tribal property to Lady Terina Sator sought as the lawful punishment, the acting chieftain Ferin Adar being the tribe's agent, represented by the Elven League in the person of the defender Eril Strinal, under the common law."

How do the defendants plead to the charges?" Ardena asked when he had finished.

"Not proven," Strinal replied firmly. "We contend that the prosecution cannot prove who among the deceased committed aggression, and thus none can be found guilty." This was a wise choice-having such overwhelming evidence for the attack on the Satorani soldiers, raising doubt about who in fact had done so could undermine the prosecution case.

"Additionally, the defense counterclaims against Shiran Lurin, charging him with the malicious destruction of Lurialis property by fire, the attempted murder of fifty seven, the malicious wounding of two among them, and the murder of Mala Risuna, former chieftain of the Lurialis tribe, by means of the thrall Renos." An uproar arose at this, driving Breh to strike the base of his staff on the floor to restore order.

"We also request that an independent judge be assigned to this case, or at least that a tribunal made up of judges selected by each side, and one mutually agreed on, preside over it."

I object to all said motions," Perald responded, "and move for my part to have our case bound over for trial."

Very well," Ardena said, hiding any emotion over this bombshell through long discipline. "We shall reconvene tomorrow morning at nine, and hear from you on these matters." Breh stepped forward once more, as Ardena stood, striking his staff on the floor once again.

"Court is adjourned."

 

"I have read your complaint, Master Strinal."

Ardena gazed down at him and Master Perald when they stood before her on the next day. In this matter, their previous roles were reversed, with Strinal hoping to present evidence against Lurin, Perald opposing it.

"The charge against him is quite thin. Your case hinges on the supposition that Renos Aran was the murderer of Mala Risuna, and thus, being under Lurin's control, he did so at his orders. However, there is no direct evidence of this. All Satoran thralls are instructed not to obey illegal orders, which an order to murder her would most certainly qualify be." She raised a hand to forestall him when Strinal opened his mouth to object.

"Assuming that his enthrallment was compromised in some way, and that Renos was in fact the murderer, this would mean he might not in fact be compelled to obey Lurin, but some other person. I will need direct evidence on this. For now, your charge is dismissed." Strinal's expression grew sour, even as Perald appeared relieved.

"As to your motion for an independent judge or a tribunal, I can assure you my enthrallment to the Way is still firmly intact, and that can be verified before we go further if desired. Otherwise, your motion is hereby denied." Strinal bristled to hear it, but was silent.

"Regarding Master Perald's case, I have reviewed his deposition of Commander Lurin, made in support of the charges against the deceased Lurialis elves. I am ruling there is sufficient evidence for this case to be bound over for trial. Will both sides be ready by the first day of next week?"

Perald nodded firmly in assent, Strinal more reluctantly, appearing sullen at her denial.

"Then we shall convene here for trial on the 28th at nine in the morning."

 

It will be all right.

Ardenatook dinner across from Breh at the table in her quarters, his soothing mind-sent words unable to lift the pall that hung over her thoughts. She had failed to banish dark suspicions from her mind, while at the same time fearing to speak or even think of them. Eating silently, the food turned to ashes in her mouth. Could her people truly have done such things, in defiance of everything they had claimed, and which she had been raised to believe?

NO, she told herself firmly, seeking to rid herself of the idea once again. Yet it refused to wholly leave her, no matter what she did. Ardena picked over the rest of her meal, her appetite long gone.

The rest of the week was an agony of wait and worry, with far too little to distract her mind.

 

"Are both sides ready to proceed?"

Both Murin Perald and Eril Strinal voiced their assent in turn. Relief came over Ardena. Trial began at last. She was in her element now, and need concern herself only with the facts before her, not mere conjecture on her part.

"Master Perald, you wish to make an opening statement?" He nodded.

"Proceed then."

I will show the court that the defendants could not honestly believe they were under attack by our soldiers, given their lack of any such offensive action. Rather, the prosecution contends they were spurred to fire by the hostile feelings they held for us. The memory of Commander Lurin confirms that no aggressive moves were taken. I will therefore request that you find the defendants guilty."

Thank you. Master Strinal?" The tall elven advocate stepped forward, raising his chin.

"I contend that, if any aggression did occur, it was by one warrior of the Lurialis alone, whose comrades followed this example, and, with the sight of armed human soldiers marching upon them, honestly believed this was justified by the first caster, and thus lacked criminal intent. Moreover, the person who fired is unknown, and thus no one can be held guilty. Thus, I ask that you find the case not proven." Ardena nodded when he was finished.

"Very well. You may call your first witness, Master Perald."

The prosecution calls Commander Shiran Lurin," he said. Lurin came forward in full uniform, helmet under his left arm. Breh met him in front of the high bench, touching his staff to Lurin's right temple, controlled by Ardena over their mind link. She confirmed that his mind ward had been lifted (it was in place, as with all Satorani soldiers, to secure against enemies' mind scans), allowing her access. His mind was then linked to the sending screen above Ardena on the wall of the courtroom behind her, to display his memories for verification of what he testified. None of the soldiers under him were to be called, as they all had seen what Lurin did either by sight or the mink link with him. In the same way Breh was also her familiar, their mind link allowing Ardena to verify everything which he saw when binding and scanning witnesses. Therefore, Lurin would be the prosecution's sole witness.

"Do you swear to tell the truth without equivocation or evasion, and withholding nothing?" he asked. Lurin nodded solemnly in reply to his formal query.

"I do," he said, and Breh cast the binding spell over his mind.

"I bind you to your words," Breh told him. Lurin took his seat on the witness stand.

"Commander, please tell us what occurred when you confronted the elves concerning the recent attack upon Zenargast," requested Master Perald, a plumb human man in his middle years with curly gray hair, dressed in a fine suit.

"I announced to them why we had come there," he said. The images of what had occurred were drawn up from his memories and displayed on the sending screen while he spoke.

"There could be no mistaking your purpose?" Perald pressed.

"No, I used an amplification spell to be sure they heard clearly."

Very well. And then?"

They cast fire darts toward us without warning," said Lurin grimly.

"You responded by casting living flame, collapsing their shield spell and killing the attackers, while your own shield spell remained intact, none of the soldiers being killed, or even injured." Perald raised his gray eyebrows.

"Why?" he asked simply.

"I have standing orders to meet any unlawful force with its equivalent, as the thirteenth precept of the Way permits us: 'In the matter of retaliation, equivalence is thus prescribed for you: life for life, freedom for freedom, wound for wound, loss for loss.'"

I see. Then why not cast fire darts in turn?"

"We had to remove their natural advantage of the forest cover," Lurin said. "At the same time, the living flame spell is deadly enough itself."

Quite so," Perald murmured. "Commander, if you please, focus upon the moment of the fire darts being cast at you and your soldiers. Hold that moment in your mind so it can be displayed on the sending screen for us to see." Lurin complied, and the images ebbed forth once more: the flash of flame as the first fire dart spell was cast, followed shortly by the rest, hurtling out for them, which absent their strong shield spell would struck his soldiers, burning into their flesh to injure and kill.

"My lady, if I may?" Perald asked, turning to Ardena, a hand on his wand. She waved to him in assent, and he dipped his head, drawing the wand.

"Thank you." As he cast a spell, that image from the memory became fixed in place, enlarging on the fire darts until each burst of flame could be seen. Perald cast another spell, illuminating each one of them in turn.

"Fifteen," he counted, as the court audience gazed closely at the image on the sending screen.

"Precisely the number of elves slain in the incident." Perald ceased his spells, and turned back to Ardena.

"My lady, I have nothing further."

"Do you wish to examine this witness, Master Strinal?" she inquired.

"Most certainly," the defender replied, rising slowly from his seat. He fixed Lurin with his pale blue eyes, the Commander shifting uncomfortably at the look, particularly after having a murder charge lodged at him by this man just the day before."

"'Let no one go beyond this, or they will be guilty themselves,'" Strinal recited softly. "The end of the thirteenth precept, Commander, which you left off."

It did not seem relevant to my testimony," Lurin said stiffly.

"On the contrary, I find it highly relevant," Strinal countered with a cool smile. "You came to the Lurialis homeland armed and in force, with every sign of being ready to do battle. Is it surprising that they should have deemed your approach to be aggression?"

We had come in the same manner only days before," Lurin retorted.

"Yes, by their invitation," Strinal said. "This time you came due to suspicion that the Lurialis had attacked your settlement-as vengeance for the death of chieftain Risuna, perhaps?"

"Objection, speculation," put in Perald from his seat at the prosecution table.

"Sustained," Ardena announced. "Master Strinal, confine your statements to the facts."

Of course, Lady Way Finder," he said, without looking over.

"Can you tell me, Commander, that the Lurialis could not honestly believe themselves in danger as your soldiers approached?"

No," he admitted," but we did not commit aggression. They did."

Ah, but perhaps not all of them. Being a career soldier, you must be familiar with contagious fire," Strinal said. Perald raised his voice once more.

"Objection, relevance." Strinal did turn to Ardena now.

"If you will permit me some minor leeway, I shall reveal the relevance," he said to her, seeming mildly annoyed by Perald's objection.

"Very well, but do be quick about it," she told him.

"As swift as the wind," he assured her. He loomed back over Lurin once again.

"Well, Commander? What is contagious fire?" Lurin was silent for a moment, and then spoke up reluctantly in answer.

"It is a phenomenon that occurs when one law keeper or soldier uses their weapon to cast a spell at someone, which is then followed by those around them in turn."

Which exactly fits your own memory of the event," said Strinal.

"It may have been the case," Lurin admitted.

"You provoked the Lurialis intentionally by your approach, is that not correct?" Strinal accused abruptly. Lurin scowled at him.

"I followed the standing orders of the Satoran Army, and no more."

And that, I submit, was more than enough to provoke them," Strinal said. "I have no further questions, Lady Way Finder." he said, without allowing Lurin any retort.

Very well. Do you have any redirect, Master Perald?" Ardena asked, as Lurin sat fuming.

"Yes, my lady. Commander Lurin, in your opinion, as a career soldier"-he looked pointedly at Strinal-"do you find the firing by the elves to be compatible with one having ordered the rest to attack, then casting first, with the rest following on their lead?"

That seems quite possible," Lurin agreed, looking happy to have another option presented.

"And to your knowledge, none of the Lurialis elves fall under binding spells compelling their obedience to a superior, in contrast with yourself?" Perald inquired.

"Objection, speculation," Strinal protested, rising to his feet.

"Commander Lurin is quite familiar with the Lurialis from his time in service here, my lady," Perald told countered. Ardena nodded.

"Overruled-Commander, you may answer the question."

"Not that I know of, no," Lurin said.

"Therefore, if the elves had fired in response to orders, it was by their own free will?"

Yes, that would seem to be the case." Perald smiled in response to his answer.

"Thank you, Commander. The prosecution has nothing further, my lady."

Ardena nodded to him, and then looked at Strinal.

"We shall recess until tomorrow morning at nine, at which time you may present your defense."

Strinal dipped his head in reply to her.

"I am quite eager to proceed."

4: Serpent in the Garden 4

"Lady Way Finder, the defense calls Ferin Adar."

The Lurialis chieftain stalked up to seat himself on the stand, scowling toward Perald and then Breh, who came forward to swear him in by the same process as Lurin.

"Chieftain Adar, what was the mood among the Lurialis after Mala Risuna's death?"

Ferin's scowl deepened.

"All of us were distraught over it, particularly since we brought the murderer into our camp."

You have no doubt that Renos Aran murdered her then?"

None," Ferin growled. "He was the only person in the clearing that night who possibly could have wanted to kill her. All of us loved Mala like our own mother, and to some she was indeed. The Way Finder Kansura"-he looked at Ardena-"also bore her no ill will, and indeed showed great respect when they met," he added.

"Tell us of the events on that night," Strinal said.

"Objection!" Perald said, rising. "What possible relevance does this entire line of questioning have to the case at issue?"

It goes to the state of the defendants' minds, Lady Way Finder," Strinal explained.

"Come to the point then," Ardena instructed him.

"Of course," Strinal agreed, turning back to Ferin.

"Please tell us what occurred, Chieftain Adar."

Our camp had been attacked the previous night, and I had the scent of the criminal responsible, which told me it was a human. I asked Lurin to aid me investigating the matter, for he was the leader of the only humans near us. He agreed, coming to our land with his soldiers." The memory of all he said welled up to display on the sending screen behind him.

"I recognized the scent of his thrall Renos as that of the criminal we sought, and took him into Lurialis territory. He was examined jointly by the Way Finder Kansura"-he glanced up at her-"along with our chieftain, Mala Risuna. They both looked into his mind, but found no memory confirming my evidence. Nonetheless, they found it was enough to keep him, and we retired to sleep." Fury came over his face.

"I was awoken by a cry of alarm in the night," he said. The images came up from Ferin's mind, in his view still amid the dark, but elves were endowed with vision which saw into the darkness, and even discerned heat, so the memory showed clearly the people around him. Each was surrounded by the orange glow of their body heat.

"Where the thrall Renos had been, no one was to be seen. Mala lay nearby, already dead. I can be grateful that it was quick at least." He inhaled deeply.

"One moment he was there, held by a binding spell, the next free and vanished, with Mala dead. We hunted for him in the forest, but to no avail."

"You were quite certain that Lurin must have been responsible?" Strinal asked quietly.

"I was not certain, no," Ferin admitted. "Yet he was the most probable suspect, as Renos was under his command. I personally did not believe Lurin would stoop to such treachery."

Others did, though," Strinal surmised.

"Yes, many felt him guilty, by the reasoning that I have said."

Thus, with this belief in their minds, they would feel justified seeking to kill Lurin, in lawful retaliation for Mala Risuna's murder?" Strinal pressed.

"Indeed. The very thing was commonly discussed over the next day. I cautioned all of them not to act on it, but cannot say that no one would regardless of that." Strinal nodded.

"I thank you for your admirable candor, Chieftain Adar. No further questions."

Ardena found herself admiring the skill of Master Strinal once more, for in so ably establishing that many elves honestly and reasonably deemed Lurin guilty of Mala's death, they could have lawfully sought to end his life. Clearly this knowledge lay upon Perald as well, judging by his expression.

"Do you wish to cross-examine this witness, Master Perald?" she queried when he remained silent, his face a picture of undecided frustration.

"No, my lady," Perald said at last. He knew that asking questions of a witness that had answers he did not know was something no lawyer should do, and could lead to further blows to his case.

"Lady Way Finder, the defense rests," Strinal announced following this.

"We shall recess while you prepare final summations, and reconvene at nine again tomorrow for them. After that I will retire to consider the case."

 

"I fear this has all been a plot to steal the elves' land."

Ardena voiced her suspicions at last while lying beside Breh in their shared bed later that day. He frowned in concern at the words she dared not speak to anyone else.

"If all this was a plot to steal the Lurialis elves' land, why not just kill them?" Breh asked her, reasonably enough. She pondered this.

"Perhaps because it would draw too much suspicion, so close to our settlement. It simply makes no sense for them to have attacked us. Doing so was pure madness."

Fear and rage can lead people to foolish things," he pointed out.

"True, but..." Ardena trailed off.

"What you describe him as doing is also hard to believe," Breh added. "Passing unseen among both elves and humans, to sow chaos among us. Few of even the most adept spell crafters could hope to achieve such a feat."

I know," she acknowledged. Perhaps it was merely a paranoid fantasy of hers, one common in a world such as theirs, where people could torture, kill, impersonate or control others' minds with magic. Yet it did not seem to be her imaginings alone. Breh aided her as the voice of opposition here, but too many things were unanswered in this. Ardena could find no explanation for it otherwise.

Troubled, she settled back into his warm arms.

 

"Master Perald, I will hear your final summation."

Ardena faced the prosecutor in court the next day with a heavy heart after airing her suspicions to Breh. Perald nodded.

"Thank you, my lady. I submit that, even if the elves reasonably suspected that Commander Lurin was responsible for the murder of their chieftain, they had insufficient cause to seek his death in retaliation, for the reasons elaborated: that, if the enthrallment spell placed on the thrall Renos, which included that he follow the Way and would prevent any such murder at his hand normally had been in truth been comprised, that would mean he could have been under another's command, not that of the Commander. Thus, the elves were not justified in attacking Lurin and his soldiers while attempting to kill him. I therefore ask that you find the defendants guilty, and forfeit their lands to Lady Proprietor

Terina Sator in punishment." Ardena nodded as he sat down again.

"Master Strinal?" The tall elf rose and strode forward to stand before the bench.

"Lady Way Finder, we contest the prosecution's claims. Though other possibilities existed, the Lurialis were justified in their behalf that, as his thrall, Shiran Lurin would be the most likely to have ordered Renos to attack their camp and later murder Chieftain Mala Risuna, as they were also justified in suspecting him of, given the circumstances. While they may have been wrong in suspecting him so, nonetheless it was sufficient cause by the common law. True, it would have been best if such claims had been aired in a court of law, not on the field of battle, and bloodshed avoided. I submit that it was also the fault of Commander Lurin, in provocatively bringing his forces to their territory, that violence occurred. There can be no undoing the deaths the Lurialis have suffered, but the fallen should not be held guilty." He dipped his head, and then walked back to his seat.

"Thank you both for your excellent arguments," Ardena said to them, torn over how to decide between them.

"Court will stand in recess while I decide on the verdict."

 

Ardena sat alone in her chambers, having sent Breh to wait outside, not even allowing him any access to her thoughts over their mind link. This decision would by necessity be hers alone. Weighing the evidence over and over again, Ardena at last gave up in frustration, unable to tell which case was true or not. With a sigh, she sent for Breh to call everyone back in.

Opening the door to her chambers, she strode out.

 

"I have a verdict."

The court rose at Breh's bidding, with every face staring up at Ardena in anticipation.

"In considering this case, I have been mindful of the fact that, with the defendants being dead, and the manner of it, we cannot know beyond doubt what was in their minds at the time the incident occurred." The spirits of the dead could be called up from beyond to answer questions if their bodies were intact, or by channeling them with belongings they were had treasured. Although they had burned, the latter might be an option, though neither side had proposed it. That itself was suspicious, suggesting both were afraid of what they might reveal going against them.

"Because, I cannot determine whether or not the defendants were guilty based on the evidence presented, and find the case against them not proven." The elves before her erupted into whoops of joy, as the humans looked taken aback by it. Perald's round face colored, and he exploded in fury.

"Young fool! No one with your inexperience should be put into such a high place, and would not have been except by your family background! I have practiced law more years than you have even been alive! Your judgment will be appealed!"

That is your right," Ardena said coldly. "I have been trained in finding the Way for most of my life, and may remind you moreover that a thing's age is no measure of its worth. This is an insult to not only me, but all my fellows of similar birth and youth whose rulings have followed the Way, no matter their age. Regardless, you agreed to show due respect when allowed to plead before me, with failure to do so punished by a discretionary fine. I order that you pay me a thousands marks for this most blatant contempt, which besmirches the decorum of the legal profession, and forbid your pleading before this court ever again. We stand adjourned."

Fuming, Perald wrote up a promissory note in the amount fined, and handed it to Breh before storming from the room.

"Thank you," said Ferin, approaching the bench then.

"I did only as the common law and the Way told me," Ardena replied.

"Of course. I am glad of it though." He strode away with his tribe mates, and Ardena shook her head. Had he suspected even then that she had also been compromised? If so, she could hardly blame him. She turned back to her chambers and shut the down, hoping only to hide from the world.

Ardena, Commander Lurin is here to see you, Breh sent some time later.

Show him in, she replied with a mental sigh.

"My lady Way Finder, there is something I must tell you," Lurin said upon entering.

"We have searched in the area of the elves camp, and the forest surrounding it." He paused, and gazed at her somberly. "Ashes from human remains that had been burned with living flame were found near the clearing you described in which Mala was killed." Ardena put a hand to her mouth in shock at hearing this. In the same manner as the elves bodies had been destroyed by fire, preventing their spirits from being called up and questioned, so it seemed Renos had been. Ordinarily it was common practice to dispose of corpses by cremation anyway, to prevent them being used for unwanted magical purposes. She felt horror rise within her at the thought of not having condemned the guilty, although it had been the correct decision with the evidence then presented to her. Master Perald would surely use this new evidence as part of his appeal, and might well succeed in having her verdict reversed using it.

"The body had not been dead for any length of time," Lurin broke in obliviously. "We can only surmise that someone within the Lurialis tribe killed her, and then Renos, to blame us for the murder. Or else..." He went silent, leaving the last sentence hanging.

Or else, Renos did kill her, and then was killed himself to cover up the fact, she finished. Ardena shivered. Or was even ordered to kill himself. A thrall would obey that order, like all else, with alacrity. She closed her eyes, and voiced another suspicion.

"Is it possible that Renos was sent to be your personal thrall so that, after the Lurialis camp has been attacked, they would be confronted with him when you came, to provoke violence?"

Lurin stiffened at her suggestion. "Many things are possible, Lady Way Finder," he said, "but I cannot believe our government would countenance it." Such provocations were frequently suspected, though usually not proven. Satora, once again, mostly accused Rastona of them.

"Is there any reason which they might?" she asked him, pressing despite her reluctance. She must know, one way or the other. He was silent a moment.

"The area has been found to be rich with ore, and mining is planned," he said at last. "The best among the ore veins our dwarven prospectors located is that running under the elves' land, but they all refused to lease or sell the mineral rights for any price, fearing the hunting grounds which they depend on for their living might be damaged or destroyed, and greater influence by us from doing so."

And there it was, a motive. People had killed for much less.

"Thank you, Commander," she told him quietly, sick inside at the thought of it.

Feeling nauseous, Ardena exited her chambers for the outside and fresh air. Upon stepping out from the courthouse, she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Her nerves were steadied by it. Even so, the feeling of nausea remained. Perhaps it had not been only hearing of the grisly discovery before which had made her feel ill. Then a thought came to her.

When had her last moon flow been?

 

"You were right in your guess, my lady Way Finder."

The healer sat back from Ardena, having completed the scan of her body, and smiled.

"Indeed, you are with child."

Although she had expected to hear it, the news still fell heavily on her. Ordinarily she would have been overjoyed, but that the moment all Ardena could do was wonder how she could bring up a child in any part of Satora, which had such corruption at its heart.

In asking, the answer came to her.

 

Lurin had told her what the attacker said, before he set fire to Zenargast: There is a serpent in the garden. It was a Kerani human saying, meaning that something viewed as pure had some hidden corruption. She could easily see that the fair garden of Atrea, seen as unspoiled, virgin territory by the humans, had such a serpent there lurking within...and it was them. Her people had brought it, and the Satori family, Proprietors of her home land for generations, were corrupt at the core. The white hand of Sator is ever unstained was their motto, on the emblem which they used, proclaiming their purity and uprightness. It was unstained, Ardena understood now, only through the fact that they used others as their hands, such as Renos.

She could not bear to remain.

 

"You foolish child."

When she told her mother, Lady Varena Kansura, the older woman looked at her in disbelief.

"Can you truly be so naive, Ardena? Do you think Satora, or any nation, has acquired its riches solely by lawful means? This is how it is done, how it has always been done. Do you truly intend to simply turn back on me, on your family, on your nation and everything, which you have known on? If so, do not expect we will welcome you back when you realize your mistake," her mother warned.

Her mother's words destroyed what faith Ardena had left in her nation. It was a lie. She was the fool, the Way Finder raised from childhood to find the Way, to shape the common law, whom they used for their purposes. With tears in her eyes, she looked back at her mother in the viewer.

"If it is done that way in Satora, I want nothing more to do with it," Ardena told her grimly. "I will pray that you realize your mistake, mother, along with the rest in Satora who have strayed from the Way." Breaking the connection, her head fell into her hands as she wept.

The sudden enormity of her decision crashed down on Ardena now. Her home land, friends, and family... all had been left behind. It was quite probable she could never see them again. Feeling weak, she sat down on the bed.

"Hold me," she whispered to Breh. At once he seated himself and took her in his arms. He was here at least, and it comforted her.

 

"My lady Way Finder, I beg of you, reconsider."

Ardena had formally renounced her Satoran citizenship, abrogating the covenant she had made with them. Many young dissidents, finding their native lands unsatisfying, had ventured into unclaimed territories, in Enkera and now Atrea, to find communities more to their liking, or founding their own. She had never dreamed she was to be among those who did so.

"I cannot remain here, Commander," she told him. Ardena had been given an air ship, supplies good for a year, and money enough to sustain herself at least that long. Beyond that it was up to her, while Breh, of course, would also be there with her. It was still terrifying, yet it had to be done.

"There must be places where people do not claim to follow the Way, while doing no such thing in truth. I will seek them out, and live there. You will do well to be wary. Satora has an evil within its heart that will come forth sooner or later." Lurin looked disquieted at this, but said nothing.

"May the Creator be with you," she told him, turning away to the air ship with Breh.

"And with you," he replied quietly. He watched as they got in, the hatch shutting, and then the craft soared up into the sky.

To a new life.