The Teacher

Trial Prep

Finn sat back down on her chair and waited. Gloria had started being able to pull books out of her bag, but she didn't have that on her now. Finn would do what she could if she needed to help, but she was hesitant to cast any spells with her own magic so weak right now. After a moment Gloria sighed. 

"I'm still learning and I don't have my bag to pull the book out of. Is there a way I could borrow one? Or -" she was cut off by a stone lectern growing from the ground in front of her. She blinked and Finn smiled when she saw the magical lines she associated with the Chronicler slide effortlessly from the girl into the lectern. Gloria lifted the lid and smiled in triumph.

"That is perfect thank you!" She held out the heavy hard cover tome she had pulled out of the lectern and Amahle took it gently. She pressed the lectern closed again and set it in front of Gloria.

"You are the Chronicler, part of that is protecting the Chronicles." Amahle smiled so her chastisement wouldn't be seen as more than education. "For living Chronicles that means you don't give them to anyone for any reason. Not even Finn."

Gloria blinked and looked to Finn for confirmation. Finn nodded. "But I thought a living person's Chronicle could be hidden by them. Kept from being read."

"Of course," Finn answered. "But there are limits. You can always summon the Chronicle but that person would have to know you were trying in order to prevent you from getting it."

"You kept me from reading yours." Gloria admitted and then turned red again and looked to the ground.

Finn raised an eyebrow. "I'm a little different since I grew up with the previous Chronicler and was doing the job for a few years. I know a few tricks to keeping mine away from even you that no one else would."

"Oh." Gloria said and looked to Amahle. "So now what?"

"Now, we call Elizabeth here. Don't worry, she won't be able to cast anything more than strong language while she's on trial. You are safe." Amahle stared into Gloria's eyes a moment before she returned to her spot and glared at Finn. Finn ignored the animosity - smiling reassuringly at a startled Gloria - and stood to open the door. She'd felt the house line itself up already and so the door would open to reveal Elizabeth. What she wasn't sure of was whether the witch would step from the room on her own of if Finn would have to stretch a little and help the house squeeze the woman out.

"You two don't like each other." Gloria blurted and Finn smiled as a round of chuckles rippled around the bonfire.

"Don't look into it right now." Advised the blind woman who had been meditating to begin with. She faced Gloria as the rest of the people in the clearing turned to face the door. "I'm Galina." Then she also turned to face the door. Finn opened it up and glanced inside before she moved back to sit on her mound of dirt again.

Elizabeth stepped out from the non-descript room imperiously and cast her gaze at everyone around the clearing, her mouth a moue of distaste as her eyes skimmed over Finn. "It is unacceptable to keep anyone waiting that long for a trial."

"It's been a little over a week Elizabeth, which is more than fair considering what we know right now. We could have simply passed judgement on you where we found you, I'm sure Finn would have obeyed that order without hesitation." Pietro spoke firmly, his eyes flinty as he regarded the older witch. Finn suppressed a frown, she didn't need anyone to know that she'd been so close to her limit then, and wasn't that much recovered now.

"You know nothing." She smiled cruelly at Gloria. "This child couldn't even light a candle, and you have the fool standing where the Chronicler should." She sneered when Gloria took an involuntary step back. "Anything she's provided you with has been coloured by Finn's opinions of me."

A loud scream shot out of the darkness, preceding a small owl that landed on the lectern and snapped it's beak at Elizabeth. Finn watched as Gloria focused entirely on the owl. She smiled when Gloria reached out and pet it's wing as though to make sure it was really there. Archimedes really was a good sport to come in when his Mistress could not. The bird turned his gaze to Gloria and made gentle chittering noises at her until she stepped back to where she had been before Elizabeth spoke. 

"We shall see." Amahle allowed and then directed Pietro forward. He had a larger vial of the milky liquid that he held out to Elizabeth.

"Your choice Elizabeth. You can drink this, or we can do the full trial." 

Elizabeth sneered. "I vouched for you to join this Council. Do you think I wouldn't do my due diligence before that? I'll not drink your tainted potions."

Pietro blinked and backed up a step, confusion rippling across his features before he schooled them back into an expression of calmness. Gloria touched her lips and looked at Finn but Finn only shook her head. 

"Silence." Drake spoke up from where he leaned against his tree. "Answer only what is put to you, or speak not at all. Those are the only choices I leave you with."

His voice was as thick and heavy as Finn remembered and it took her a moment to shake off the effects it had on her. The rest of the Council was in the same state, visibly shaking themselves and glancing askance at the dark embodiment of conflict. Elizabeth lost her imperious stance as she cowered to the voice. Finn had never been the focus of Drake's commands, but she had read his Chronicle. She knew he could make entire armies bend knee to him when he commanded it. She glanced at Gloria, then stood and helped the younger woman back to her feet when she realized Drakes voice had actually made her lose her balance and fall. Archimedes, not a mortal owl, had fluffed his feathers and now hissed at Drake as he began to preen them smooth again.

Finn sat back down and waited for the actual trial to start. The preliminaries were always somewhat different - some people took the potion, some just wanted to go straight to the punishment and would accept the judgment even if it wasn't completely accurate. Finn hadn't expected Elizabeth to let things go smoothly, but she also hadn't expected Drake to involve himself.