Chapter 784: Judgement

A light buzz of a crowd surrounded Jadis as she waited with her many companions to be let inside the wing of city hall that served as a courthouse. A huge number of citizens had gathered in the square, far too many to fit inside the gilded courtroom where Vraekae would shortly be passing judgement on Cobbler. Most would remain outside, awaiting the verdict to be announced. Jadis had already spotted a racing line of runners who were prepared to deliver the news all across the city in a matter of minutes, and there was no doubt at all that there were Seraphim on the roof who were also prepared to fly to the four corners of the empire, carrying with them the trial’s results.

While most would have to wait outside during the final judgement, Jadis and those who were with her would be allowed inside to hear Vraekae’s words directly. There were also many who were not in Jadis’ party waiting to be let in, a number of whom Jadis had not seen at the initial trial despite her expecting them to be there. Among that number were the High Priests and Priestesses of the High Temples.

“How wonderfully refreshed you look this morning,” High Priestess Aurea commented with a bright smile. “You must have slept well.”

“I wouldn’t say it was the sleep,” Jay replied as she warmly greeted the blonde woman. “But I’m definitely feeling pretty good today.”

“I imagine the outcome of this trial will only further your good mood,” Aurea said as she stepped closer to Jay, making room for one of the many other priestesses standing in the crowd to pass by. “I am confident that the verdict should be entirely to the advantage of your goal to have Demons recognized as proper citizens of the empire.”

Jadis wouldn’t say that citizenship was exactly her goal, but she didn’t correct the high priestess either. A philosophical debate on the rights of sapient beings wasn’t on her agenda that day. At least, having one with Aurea in the middle of a bustling crowd, anyway.

“What makes you so certain?” Jay asked with one eyebrow raised. “Do you have a lot of legal expertise?”

“Not that much,” she admitted. “However, the other high priests and I have been discussing the trial with Myron for the past few days. He has predicted that Vraekae will clear cobbler of the charge of murder but will rule that her use of force against the deceased rioter was excessive and thus will sentence her to a limited term of service to the empire as penance. Six to twelve months, with no restriction on residence or movement, unless Cobbler commits a crime during said timeframe, of course.”

Jay blinked slowly at the detailed prediction. Myron was the High Priest of Metethys’ temple, a Golem with a strangely abstract body design. Jadis was pretty sure that she had seen him in the crowd during the trial, though he hadn’t been on the jury. Instead, he had been up in the observation balcony with a group of other priests. That the leader of the temple that was entirely dedicated to acquiring and studying information had rendered his own verdict on the trial was no surprise, though his calculation felt off to Jadis.

“Why would Cobbler receive any punishment at all? She only killed him as an act of self-defense. It’s legal to defend yourself with deadly force in the empire. Cobbler should be walking free if Vraekae clears her of murder.”

“Oh, I agree,” Aurea nodded emphatically. “However, standard application of the law is hardly the point of this trial, is it?”

Jay’s lips thinned as she sighed through her nose.

“No, it isn’t.”

“This trail is setting precedent,” the priestess continued quietly as she smiled and nodded at people passing by. “And not just when it comes to the law. If Cobbler is sentenced to a minor punishment, submits to said punishment, then fulfills all requirements without complaint or issue, she shows that Demons truly are no different from any other avatar, at least in their ability to follow the laws and social values of a nation. In this situation, a punishment is far more advantageous than simply being declared innocent and walking away.”

“You’re a lot more politically savvy than you let on, aren’t you?” Jay narrowed her eyes at the smiling blonde.

“I wasn’t chosen to be the High Priestess of Lyssandria’s High Temple in the mightiest nation on the continent because of my good looks,” Aurea replied with a wink.

As Jadis contemplated Myron’s prediction and Aurea’s assessment of the situation, she continued to hold multiple light conversations with the people around her. While she was strongly opposed to the idea of Cobbler receiving any kind of punishment at all, she at least understood the reasoning. Certainly, the idea wasn’t dampening her mood, and she was still feeling quite positive about the outcome of the trial. So too, it seemed, was the crowd at large.

Since the initial trial day, Jadis had been keeping track of public sentiment. More so as a product of Maeve’s investigation into the true culprits behind the riot, but she’d been paying attention, nonetheless. Quite honestly, there wasn’t much else productive for Jadis to do with the rest of her days. Maeve was handling the brunt of the information gathering, with Eir and Severina helping in their own ways. The option of using an oracle ritual to visit D was still available, but they had collectively decided against using the valuable resource for the time being. They at least wanted to give traditional methods a chance before going to what Jadis thought of as the nuclear option, though a part of Jadis was interested in speaking to D for other reasons.

Regardless, Jadis had learned that the general feeling in the city was a mixed bag, though there were more positive rumors regarding the Demons that Jadis had “converted” than negative. The sources of the rumors were, as always, untraceable, and there was quite a spread of them that ranged from idle speculation to insane conspiracy theory. Jadis’ personal favorite was the one that alleged that she was, in fact, not a true Nephilim, but Lyssandria’s curse cast upon the Demons in retribution for all of her avatars being wiped out millennia ago. She had just taken a while to get the ball rolling, apparently.

Aside from spending her time sifting through the reports with Aila and listening to way too many theories about whether Alex was really a Demon or not, Jadis also used the intervening days to make a quick flight to the Hall of Memories. There, she had picked up a few of the Demons who were being kept under watch by Techne and some of Meli’s extended family and had brought them back to Eldingholt. Specifically, Sunny, Grape, and Lapis.

Sunny was one of the original hatchings that Jadis had taken from Glanum, the sole one with a golden eye color. In fact, every time Jadis looked at the Demon, she was reminded of the skull blob sniper Demon, since their eye colors were virtually identical. Fortunately, Sunny had become far more friendly in recent weeks compared to the initial apathy she had displayed while she was still inside of her shell. While she had hatched, Sunny had not yet chosen a class as the only two options open to her were Dead Head and Divine Corruptor of Flesh. She had opted to delay her choice instead of picking a class that would potentially put her at odds with everyone who wasn’t a Demon, operating on the hope that Jadis and Alex would find a solution for her.

Lapis was in a similar position to Sunny, what with her class already having been chosen. Arcane Corruptor of Flesh didn’t lend itself towards much other than possessing bodies, dead or alive, so the small, blue-eyed Demon was forced to spend most of her time carried around inside of a glass bowl, similar to Alex’s humble origins. Again, Jadis was still trying to think of a way to help her, though the ideas that had been floated around thus far had not worked out.

Grape was the only one of the three who had the actual potential to have her own body, just like Crash or Cobbler. Sabina had even built a custom designed wooden body for her with the intent that when Grape accepted her Demonic Botanist class, the transformation would allow her to merge with the body and give her a useful form. However, the purple-eyed Demon had not yet made the choice and had instead delayed picking her primary class for one specific reason.

That reason being, she was a lot easier to sneak into places when she was the size of a cabbage.

“Looks like we’re being let in,” Jay told Aurea as her Dys self had a good view of the doors. “Are you going to sit in the balcony with the rest of the priests and priestesses?”

“Perhaps,” Aurea murmured as she scanned the group that was moving with and around Jadis’ other bodies. “I may have another seat in mind… Ah!”

Tossing Jay a smile and a wave, the beautiful priestess scampered off in a decidedly girlish fashion. Jay followed Aurea with her eyes, intensely curious as to what could have caused such odd behavior in a woman who normally presented herself in dignified, aristocratic way. When she saw the blonde reach her goal, Jay very nearly had to pick her jaw up from the floor.

“Good day to you, Noll the Savage,” Aurea purred as she wrapped her arms around the surprised therion’s large bicep and pressed herself firmly against his side. “I’m so delighted to see you! Did you receive my letter?”

“Uh, yes,” Noll mumbled in a strangely subdued tone. “I was going to send you one back, but Jadis brought me back from Volto yesterday.”

“And you didn’t come visit me last night?” Aurea pouted coquettishly. “I told you, my door is always, always open for you, my Savage Noll.”

“Nn, hm. Well,” Noll grunted and cleared his throat. “It was late.”

“All the more reason to come…”

Syd’s ears burned as she desperately fought the instinct to turn and stare at her mentor acting like a blushing schoolboy as the bombshell priestess openly flirted with him. She happened to be standing right in front of Noll with a few of her companions and, doing her best to not draw attention to herself, she turned to look at Eir and Cora who were on her left. Both of them looked like they were about to explode with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement, their fingers clutching their sleeves to physically stop themselves from saying anything. Looking to her right, Syd saw Kerr using all her willpower to hold back what looked like an intense laughter response, while Thea was staring straight ahead, completely stiff, and very, very, very quiet.

“Oh. My. D,” Dys whispered under her breath.

“What? Is something wrong?” Aila asked, turning her head to look around.

“Did someone spot the fruit package?” Sorcha squeaked in a voice that was far too noticeable.

“No, no, just… no,” Dys shook her head. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, we need to finish this trial.”

“What about Bridget?” Sabina asked from where she walked on Sorcha’s right. “Why are we crossing her?”

“What am I crossing?” Bridget asked with concern in her voice. “What—wait. Is that Aurea biting—”

“Later!” Dys cut Bridget off before quickly ushering her and everyone else inside the courtroom.

Once inside, Jadis and her lovers quickly made their way to their seats at the front of the room, just behind where Cobbler would be seated. Said Demon had not yet been escorted into the courtroom, but the hour had not yet come so the guards were likely waiting for the crowd to settle. As they waited, Dys lifted the large leather pouch that she had carried with her under one arm and set it on her lap. Unwrapping it, she revealed a metal and glass cage, inside which was a purple-eyed Demon.

Jadis had wanted Grape to be there if not for the full trial, at least for the verdict. No matter the outcome, the whole reason why Cobbler had jumped into a fight that she had no business being involved in was to save two people that she cared for. One was Gert, Bridget’s cousin, who sat proudly at the end of the same aisle that Jadis and her companions sat in. The other was Grape.

While they had engineered the plan to sneak Grape into the courtroom, it had not been without permission. Jadis had notified Vraekae of her intentions and had received the magistrate’s explicit blessing to secretly bring the Demon. It wasn’t as though Grape was unwelcome, after all. It was more that Jadis wanted to avoid causing any kind of commotion with the rest of the crowd, especially not when the focus was supposed to be on Cobbler. So, she had secretly carried Grape in a bag so that no one would notice her, at least not until they were already in the courtroom. The glass cage was for anyone who spotted her after the fact, again to avoid arguments and disruption to the trial. Jadis knew that Grape wouldn’t cause trouble herself.

After ten or so minutes, the proctor called for silence, then announced the arrival of Cobbler. The yellow-eyed Demon entered the room, led by the same guard as had previously escorted her, a man that Jadis knew was in Vraekae’s direct employ. After she had sat down as directed, she turned to look at Dys, her bulbous wooden head spinning around and her back bending at unnatural angles. Jadis winced at the gasps of horror that came from a multitude of people in the crowd as Cobbler’s face area split open around her single eye, allowing several black tentacles to slip out and move about in what Jadis knew was a friendly greeting directed at Grape.

“That is fucking disturbing,” Kerr muttered quietly.

“Why… Do you… Say that…?” Alex asked with sincere curiosity.

“Never mind…”

A moment later, Cobbler was forced to abandon her impromptu conversation with her clutch-sister as her guard put a hand on her shoulder. The jury had taken their seats, and the proctor had announced Magistrate Vraekae’s entrance.

Jadis had not been sure what to expect of the final sentencing, so she had asked others what would happen. As Aila had explained, the hearing could involve any number of procedures, from the magistrate’s direct responses to the notes given to her by the jury to an additional series of questioning of witnesses, affidavits, or even the inquisitors. Then there was the sentencing, during which character witnesses and intent would be called into question, which could lead to extended debate and deliberation. There was a real possibility that the trial could go on for hours, or even additional days.

“By my power as Magistrate of Eldingholt, duly appointed by Emperor Somerulf Alfhilderunn, I hereby dismiss the charge of murder made against Cobbler of no surname.”

Or, Jadis stared dumbly at the elf, Vraekae could just drop the verdict on the table like a cast iron pan.

“For those of you who wish to examine the reasoning behind my ruling in further detail,” Vraekae continued over the stunned silence of the gathered crowd, “I have prepared a report.”

The elf held up a stack of papers that was at least four inches thick, causing Jadis to cringe at the thought of how long it would take to read that much legalese.

“I have included the written opinions of the jury, with addendums,” Vraekae said as she set the thick stack of papers down. “A copy will be made available to anyone who asks for one at no cost for the next sixty days, after which the ruling will be held on file at the imperial academy for public viewing and a copy can be purchased at material cost.

“As to the second charge of causing the death of a citizen while engaging in self-defense, I find Cobbler of no surname to be guilty as charged. Cobbler did knowingly engage in a violent act of self-defense that led to the death of Karel Houben. As magistrate, I have chosen to proceed with full sentencing at this time. There will be no further consideration given to intent.”

“What?” Jadis couldn’t stop her selves from gasping out loud at Vraekae’s statement.

Fortunately, her gaff was covered up by the commotion caused by the rest of the audience and the jury having a similar reaction. The disturbance was quickly quelled, though, by the proctor shouting out commands for silence. As soon as the voices of the crowd were settled, one voice rose up out of the renewed stillness.

“Point of order,” Inquisitor Silus stood up behind his desk.

“Go ahead,” Vraekae acknowledged the Seraphim’s request.

“It is the court’s duty to take all aspects of a crime into consideration, including the intent of the defendant, especially when it comes to sentencing. By what right does the magistrate claim to wave the law’s expected application?”

“By the defendant’s own request,” Vraekae announced, causing Jadis’ expectations to flip on their head for a second time. “Cobbler has willingly and freely given up her right to defend her intentions. She stated in a missive sent to me two days ago that she is submitting herself to the court and to the law and will accept any sentence rendered. As such, I find that there is little point in discussing the matter further.”

Jadis desperately wanted to ask if what Vraekae had said was true. So far as she was aware, abdicating Cobbler’s right to argue intent had never been a part of the plan. In fact, arguing that the Demon had only been acting in defense of others was central to the question of whether or not standard imperial law could be applied to Demons in general. Why give up the best opportunity to display Cobbler’s innocent personality and sympathetic intent?

Unfortunately, Jadis didn’t have the opportunity to ask those questions. Inquisitor Silus accepted the magistrate’s answer and retook his seat, after which Vraekae continued uninterrupted.

“It is my ruling that the actions taken by Cobbler were a valid application of personal defense and the defense of others who were in imminent danger of great bodily harm. While the force used was excessive, the purpose and the intent is self-evident,” the magistrate stated in a tone that did not allow for any argument. “However, the law of self-defense applies only to imperial citizens. As argued during this trial, the question has been raised as to whether or not the law can be applied to a Demon. The precedent of treating a Demon as a citizen has been set by Emperor Somerulf’s act of granting Bonded Alex clemency. As the emperor’s appointed representative, I see no reason to break with his clear intent to offer mercy to those Demons who seek to break away from Samleos and his destructive kin.

“Cobbler of no surname,” Vraekae addressed the Demon directly. “I sentence you to nine months of limited service as penance for the unintentional death you caused when you defended yourself and others from attack. This service will be directly to the empire and will take no more than two hours daily from your livelihood.”

Sweeping her crimson gaze over the gallery, Vraekae’s eyes rested briefly on Jay, meeting her stare.

“As magistrate, I wish to make it clear to all that if Cobbler’s acts had not resulted in Karel Houben’s death, I would not even entertain the idea of punishing her. The only reason she is being given any sentence of penance at all is to act as a reminder to all that the killing of fellow citizens, even during an act of self-defense, is not treated lightly by the empire. We are at war. Enemies abound both outside and within our borders. If we wish to survive as a community and as a nation, we cannot allow ourselves to be led astray by the words of those who mean us harm. We must stand united with our neighbors, both outside, and within.”

Vraekae’s gaze shifted, falling back onto Cobbler.

“Even when that neighbor is a Demon.”