14. Chapter 14 #4
Advocate Nottle was called up next and asked several questions, and he basically repeated Milo’s testimony from his own perspective. He was able to verify everything Milo had said with ease.
Judge Dalley only interrupted once. “Counselor, forgive me, I have a question that must be answered. Advocate Nottle, when Mage Tobitt was taken, was the outer ward anywhere near completion?”
“It was not, Your Honor. In fact, we’d barely started on it. He’d just finished warding the fortress, and I chose to help him with the outer ward as a favor. He was working on one of the watchtowers, I the other, but those were the only two we’d touched.”
“So Latimer abducted Mage Tobitt with the understanding he would leave a partially built ward behind?”
“Correct, Your Honor. It was very obvious he’d interrupted Milo while he was finishing the ward. It wasn’t something he could have missed.”
Was that damning? Rowan nudged Milo, brows lifted in question.
Milo once again whispered an explanation.
“It’s a huge no-no of magic. Never leave a half-completed spell dangling.
You can’t predict what will happen next and it’s usually an ungodly mess to straighten out later.
Andrew kidnapping me while I was mid-warding is a huge taboo.
Not to mention leaving all of you without a proper defense, which is also another huge no-no.
The Bastions are high priority, after all. ”
Ah-ha. So Latimer wasn’t content nailing himself into a coffin, but had chosen to balance it on a cliff’s edge? Man would end up at the bottom of the ocean at this rate.
The idea didn’t trouble Rowan overmuch.
All three judges shared speaking looks, and it was clear from their expressions they were Not Happy.
“Thank you, Advocate Nottle.”
He took himself back to his seat on Rowan’s other side.
The lawyers both made closing statements, and Rowan was surprised the trial was over so quickly. Then again…what defense did this fool really have? Obsession? Selfishness? Not a good reason for breaking multiple laws.
The judges leaned in and conferred with each other right there at the bench, something else Rowan had never seen done before.
When Raina or his father handed down rulings, they normally stepped out for a few minutes to think before coming back in, which Rowan thought was normal practice.
Or was this more a matter of them not even really needing to deliberate?
Troy chortled under his breath, much like a kid enjoying something naughty. “Any bets on how long his prison sentence is?”
“Twenty,” Milo said confidently.
“I’m thinking more like ten,” Nottle offered, hand waffling from side to side. “But maybe as much as fifteen?”
Rowan didn’t get a chance to throw his guess out there before the three judges straightened again. Judge Billinghurst had quite the expression, like a very disappointed mother.
Oh, this was going to be good.
“Andrew Latimer, stand for your verdict.”
He did so, then had to brace hands on the table to keep himself up. Knees shaking too much to support him, likely.
“First, you are stripped of your position as Advocate, and your license as a mage. You are barred from ever working magic outside of your own home again. You clearly cannot be trusted with it.”
Shiiiit, that last thing wasn’t something Rowan had expected. The loss of position and mage license, sure, but he couldn’t even use magic in public anymore? Now, maybe it was Rowan’s imagination, but somewhere a heavenly choir burst into song.
“Furthermore, we do not feel you are actually repentant. From Mage Tobitt’s account, you’ve been harassing him for months, and you broke several laws trying to bend him to your will.
The fact you only wanted him to do your work for you is disgusting to us.
Your sentence is ten years hard labor, followed by thirty years in prison with no possibility of parole. ”
Wait, so the first ten years would be hard labor? Oooh.
Rowan no longer regretted his missed chance of feeding Latimer to the Drachifel. This was so much better.
Milo did a little booty dance in his seat, quietly chortling. He had every right to be happy about the sentence.
Latimer collapsed in a dead faint.
Everyone paused and looked at him, collapsed on the floor, and went, “Huh.”
Well, he wasn’t Rowan’s problem.
Judge Billinghurst sighed, put upon. “Bailiff, call for someone to collect him. He can wake up in jail. Court is adjourned.”
Rowan said firmly, then turned to Milo. “Home?”
“Still have to register the girls as students and tie up those loose ends,” Milo reminded him. “But tomorrow, we can set out for home.”
It was nice hearing Milo refer to Gravegarde as his home. He clearly thought of it that way, which made Rowan exceedingly happy. He caught Milo’s hand as they rose from their chairs, walking out of the courtroom once more.
Today had been a very good day.
The future looked even better.
Notes:
AJ: See? Isn’t following the plot nice?
Rowan: Meh.
AJ: You still kinda want to feed Andrew to the Drachifel, I take it.
Rowan: Yes.
AJ: *sighs*