Swordplay

Part 33

Here comes the rest of the previous scene. Sorry for posting it so late. I've taken a few days off for a short holiday, and now I'm struggling to get back into the swing. But I still love this story and will finish it on time. Promised.

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...Lavant nodded. "I know. He didn't turn to his mother once during the whole trial."

"I'm sure something is very wrong here. If only I had more time." She clenched her fists.

Lavant put his hand on her knee. "Whatever I can do to help, let me know. I've got employees for any job you can imagine. Magicians, tracker, muscles with persuasive power, strategists … one word and they'll all work for you."

For the first time since Druidus had entered the hall, Moira looked at her father. She smiled. "If I need them, I'll tell you." She closed her eyes, leaned her head against his shoulder, and waited for the judge to return.

It took much longer than she had anticipated, but finally, the accused, the judge and his assessors returned in the same order as before. The audience fell silent when the head assessor got up to read the verdict. Moira's heart beat in her throat and blood roared in her ears.

"After significant contemplation and due to the existing expertise about the criminal responsibility of the accused, we deem Druidus van Steen guilty." The head assessor sank back into his padded seat. Deathly silence filled the hall. Not even the people's breathing could be heard.

The judge got up, and the audience with him. The defender pulled up Druidus who was the only one who didn't react. Moira's hunch that he wasn't himself grew to certainty.

The judge cleared his throat. "Druidus van Steen. Killing your own father without showing even a tiny bit of remorse is worse than anything I've ever encountered in my long career as a judge of this institution. Therefore, I sentence you to death. A fitting curse will be spoken in two weeks from today."

Druidus remained motionless, but Aparta collapsed. One of her friends caught her at the last possible moment. Moira, too, felt as if someone had ripped the ground from under her feet. While the judge sat back down and another assessor got up to read the reasoning of the sentence, the audience jubilated. Only when threatened with consequences, the clapping, calling, and trampling died away.

How can one rejoice at the death of a person? A tear ran over Moira's cheek. "I can't even say goodbye."

Lavant put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "You should go to the drinking fountain. Druidus stopped there every single day to drink."

Moira kissed him on the stubbly cheek. While the judged called the audience to reason again, she hurried toward the exit. Right beside the water fountain in a corner of the corridor was a nerlaroma. Between it and a decorative pillar, not even two steps away from the fountain, was a niche just big enough for Moira. Conveniently, the light above the fountain was broken which would make it possible to get close to Druidus unseen. She wondered if her father was responsible for the broken light, when the hall's doors opened wide and the audience left. Moira pressed herself closer to the wall and waited. When most visitors had left the building, Druidus was led out. He walked over to the fountain. Immediately, the four gendarmes accompanying him formed a half circle around him. Except for one sideways from Moira, they turned their backs to him and scanned the passing people. Druidus bent forward and drank. His eyes found Moira. There was sadness in them that tied her tongue. She longed to jump from her hiding place to hug him and flee with him, but she knew she wouldn't stand a chance. She threw him a kiss. He smiled weakly and straightened up without a word. She nearly missed the slip of paper her dropped into the fountain. But his eyes moved from her face to the fountain and back several times, so she saw it before he turned to the gendarmes. While he was led back to the waiting prison van, Moira left her hiding place and grabbed the note. Druidus had to have prepared it in jail.

A heart with Moira's and Druidus' names inside dominated the upper half. Below was a wobbly drawing of a sword or dagger. Pensively, Moira stared at the slightly soaked paper. Her father and Franka met her.

Lavant gazed over her shoulder. "What does it say?"

"He drew a sword." She showed him the drawing. "It has to mean something. He seemed determined to make sure I'd find the note."

"But we know the sword was the murder weapon." Franka joined arms with Moira, and they walked toward the exit.

Lavant shrugged and followed them. "Maybe he really is as disturbed as his lawyer tried to make out."

"No way, his eyes were clear. He knew exactly what he was doing. But I got the feeling he couldn't talk about the things he knows."

"In that case, he must have known that this would be his only chance to get a note to someone outside of prison." Lavant scratched his chin. "You are right, dear. He wouldn't have squandered this chance on something unimportant."

Despite her worries, Moira's heart grew warm. Druidus had only had this one piece of paper, and spent half of it for a declaration of love. She bit her lip again to keep from crying. She had to find a way to prove his innocence.

Franka had an idea. "Maybe he is trying to point to the owner of the sword."

"It's possible," Moira said. "Will you take me to the Gendarmerie? I want to talk to Sabio about it."

"Sure." Franka dug the key to her carpisto from the bottom of her oversized handbag and jingled them. Moira hugged Lavant farewell.

When they reached the carpisto, Franka unlocked it and said over the roof, "By the way, I found it great that you made it up with your dad."

"Me too," Moira said and sat in the passenger's seat.