Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor 2)

A small crowd of lesser guests had already assembled in the newly instated courtroom by the time Glass arrived. Regol and Darla were among those standing to watch the abbess take her position before the court. Among the small sea of faces Darla’s stood out both for being a head above everyone else’s and for being dark with suppressed fury. Glass felt for the girl. Anyone who wore their emotions so openly was at a great disadvantage in every game that mattered beneath such a roof.

Glass set her chained hands upon the rail before her, and as she made contact with the wood a small tremor ran through her fingertips. She felt it in the soles of her feet too, as if some hefty statue had toppled in an adjoining room, or the mountain had shrugged its shoulders to slough off some huge weight of stone. Nobody else seemed to notice it.

Sherzal and the lords of the Sis kept the Inquisition waiting until well past midnight. Glass listened to the strains of music escaping the great doors to the banqueting hall, while the aroma of roasted meat reached out to rumble her stomach, waking her hunger despite her nerves.

A great fireplace stood behind her, stoked to a blaze, making her sweat, her habit becoming damp around the armpits. She imagined that from where the audience stood the flames would frame her, rising above her head, an intimation of things to come when Sherzal had her way.

A change in the tone of the chatter from beyond the doors heralded the start of proceedings. A minute later servants, three to a door, pushed the huge portals wide, and Sherzal emerged at the head of a broad column of lords, Tacsis behind her left shoulder, Jotsis behind the right, others of the great houses fanning out to either side, anxious to be in the first row.

Sherzal had changed out of her blacks into a gown of dazzling white. Silks from distant Hrenamon where somehow they still kept production despite the pressing cold, ivory buttons traded from the ice tribes, lace borne across the Marn. The emperor’s sister crossed to the chair that had been placed in isolation for her while the lords and ladies of the Sis took their seats, tiered as if in anticipation of some theatrical production, behind her. Two of Sherzal’s personal guards flanked her, both black-clad, a dark-haired man to her right, Safira to her left. The former novice met Glass’s gaze for a moment before letting her eyes drop. Was there a hint of shame there? Glass thought there might be.

Brother Pelter strode back and forth before Glass’s rail the whole time, on guard, awaiting his moment and perhaps feeling his own dose of nerves at performing before such a crowd.

The audience took several minutes to find their places and settle but slowly the conversation died to murmurs, and when Senior Inquisitor Agika rose to her feet silence fell. “If we could have the honourable Sherzal Lansis take the stand in readiness?” With a pale hand she gestured to a second railing on the opposite side of the judges’ bench, facing the lords.

Sherzal frowned. Her gaze darted to Glass, swept the judges, then fixed on Brother Pelter who echoed her frown.

Agika put a thin smile on lips unaccustomed to the burden. “Your complaint did initiate these proceedings, prime instigator.”

Sherzal scowled, then apparently deciding not to start the trial off on a note of contention, she abandoned the chair that was to all intents and purposes a throne, and stalked across to take her place behind the rail, the whiteness of her dress making the noise that crisp new snow does when stepped upon.

Brothers Dimeon and Seldom flanked Sister Agika behind the judges’ bench, the former almost as tall as Agika with her standing and him seated. Dimeon waved a hand at Pelter.

“The charges against the accused.” Brother Pelter faced the lords, the words eager to escape his mouth. “Abbess Glass of Sweet Mercy Convent, formerly Shella Yammal of Verity, firstly you are accused of wilfully denying the rights of a parent in favour of those of the Church, a clear heresy in line with the Scithrowl abomination. Secondly, you stand accused of permitting and encouraging the teaching of heresy at the very convent placed in your charge by the Church of the Ancestor.

“The Inquisition’s own prime instigator, the honourable Sherzal, sister to our emperor Crucical, is my first witness in this case. Additionally I have sworn testimonies from four separate watchers attached to the investigation at Sweet Mercy, which I personally supervised. And I will be calling upon the daughter of a lord highly placed among the Sis to give evidence relating to her years at Sweet Mercy under the abbess’s care. Joeli Namsis will give us a first-hand sworn account of heretical practice witnessed within the convent over recent—”

Glass adopted a puzzled expression. As Pelter drew breath to express further thoughts on the subject of her guilt the abbess rattled her chains to claim the room’s attention. “Isn’t it normal for a senior inquisitor to lead such high-level investigations, brother?”

“It’s me that asks the questions here, abbess,” Pelter snapped. He brushed a hand across patchy grey hair on a reddening scalp. “Senior inquisitors are required for the judges’ table. Any full inquisitor can lead an investigation.”

“But it is unusual for the investigation of a convent or monastery to be led by anything other than a senior inquisitor.” Sister Agika commented from the judges’ table without looking up from her notes. “One might even call it unique?”

“Who gave the order for this investigation, brother?” Seldom fixed Pelter with amber eyes and a raptor’s stare.

“The prime instigator initiated proceedings, as is her right.” Pelter’s glance flickered to Sherzal behind the second railing.

“Then she must have initiated them before the occurrence of any of the events that your charges relate to.” Glass spoke into Pelter’s discomfited pause.

“I ask the questions!” Pelter rounded on Glass, practically spitting.

“I didn’t ask a question,” Glass said.

“Enough.” Sister Agika raised a hand. “Perhaps you could present your first witness, brother, and have her address these points as well as any others you feel pertinent.” She nodded towards Sera, who came towards Sherzal, her hands glimmering with silver chain. As she reached out the emperor’s sister pulled back, scowling.

“As the prime instigator undoubtedly knows,” Sister Agika raised her voice, “all witnesses in an Inquisition grand trial wear the silver chains during their testimony to bind them to the Ancestor’s truth.”

Sherzal’s gaze flickered towards the gathered lords. With a forced smile she presented her wrists to Sera and the guard dutifully bound the thin chain around the royal wrists, wrapping them half a dozen times before leaving the ends hanging loose.

“Now, prime instigator.” Brother Pelter positioned himself before the emperor’s sister. “Honourable Sherzal. If I may—”

“You didn’t ask me how I plead.” Abbess Glass raised her voice just as she would on seeing novices misbehaving in the cloister.

Brother Pelter rounded on her, mouth working but managing to articulate no words.

“It is customary.” Sister Agika nodded.

Pelter gathered himself. “My apologies. I had assumed that you would try to cling to a claim of innocence and force us to the unpleasantness of putting an abbess of the Church to the sternest of questioning. Am I to understand that you wish to plead guilty and move directly to sentencing?”