A Game of Chi Book III: A Sword of Dust

Chapter 31: Crooler IV

CROOLER

Many people gawked at the sight of the Queen of the Seven Animal Kingdoms being led through the streets by a posse of loud and obnoxious protestors, but Crooler kept her head held high and looked straight ahead, refusing to give Rinona the satisfaction of victory. If I get out of this, she thought, I'll be stronger than ever. I'll know exactly who my enemies are, and who I can trust. And Rinona and Razcal are definitely not on that list. Crooler had spent very little time in the city below the Citadel's palace; while she knew Cragger had often spent time there with Laval, Crooler had been much more comfortable in the palace. She found the city noisy, dirty and uncouth. And yet here I am, she mused, using her peripheral vision to get a sense of the market stalls they were passing. I remember that the Lion Tribe has Market Day, Crooler suddenly recalled. I think I overheard Laval saying that to Cragger. And didn't Father say that Lagravis wanted to have it here too? A flash of guilt crossed her mind as she thought of her father. Why am I remembering this now? And besides, he deserved what he got. He was a terrible king, and a worse father. More and more people were following the group as they made their way to the basilica, but Crooler didn't care. The more people who despise me, the better, she thought. They're not going to be around for much longer. Whenever someone asked, Rinona or one of her flunkies gave the same answer: "The queen has been accused of crimes against the realm, and is being brought to trial to determine her guilt." It was just enticing enough to get many people to follow them, and wasn't biased enough to cause any arguments from the populace. I have to admit, if this was your plan, I'm impressed, Razcal, she conceded. But unless you have another card to play, I'm afraid you're at a disadvantage of one move.

Soon, they reached Grizzam's basilica, and despite herself, Crooler had to be amazed by the building. A beautiful glass dome reflected the sunlight in all directions, making the basilica dazzling to the eye. Stone pillars held the whole thing up, and a golden spire rose from the centre of the glass dome towards the sky. "When was this built?" Crooler demanded. There's no way it was done that quickly. "Just keep moving," Rinona told her, roughly pushing her forward. "Get inside." A raven and a lion held the wooden double doors open as Crooler, Rinona and the rest walked through. Inside the basilica were numerous benches, as well as a lectern on the far side, no doubt for Grizzam's sermons. There may be more room here than in the Citadel's throne room! Crooler thought incredulously. Does Grizzam really have that many followers? Just as Crooler thought of the white gorilla, he emerged from a side room, bowing his head respectfully at them. "Your Grace," he said, raising his head back up. "Glad to see you've made it."

"Spare me the pleasantries," Crooler retorted, uninterested in humouring the old fool. "I know you're behind this nonsense."

"If you're innocent and have nothing to hide," Grizzam countered, "you shouldn't be afraid." Crooler grit her teeth; this self-righteous and sanctimonious gorilla endlessly got on her nerves. "I have duties to attend to," she said. "Even the innocent resent being accused of heinous crimes and forced to stand trial." She felt Rinona's rough hands on her delicate shoulders, applying just enough pressure to make her wince. "Stop wasting time," Rinona spat. "Yes, let's make haste," Grizzam agreed. From the side room, Razcal emerged as well, smiling arrogantly at her. "My, my, what a crowd!" he exclaimed, looking at the animals gathered behind Rinona. I'm going to enjoy seeing the smile leave his beak, Crooler thought. This is all his fault. He killed my father, pretty much forcing me to go along with everything. And now he's caused all this.

"Your Grace, please take a seat at the front," Grizzam instructed. "We'll start the trial at once." Crooler nodded, walking to the frontmost bench and taking a seat. Rinona and Razcal sat on either side of her, ensuring she couldn't suddenly bolt away. Grizzam, meanwhile, walked up to the lectern, watching as the other animals began filling up the benches behind the queen. Suddenly, the doors burst open, and a familiar rhinoceros ran inside. "Your Grace! Are you alright?" Rukus exclaimed, looking uncertainly at everything around him. "I'm fine, Rukus," Crooler assured him, "but you're more than welcome to stay and watch."