decide?’ The legate asked the question very quietly, but everyone heard it.
‘I…’
‘You’re a native of Ytren. You know the laws and customs; you must have heard of other divine judgements,’ the legion commander continued. ‘What are the chances of a lenient verdict from the gods?’
‘That… That’s hard to say. Really.’ The captain conceded. ‘From a Ytren perspective, both men showed cowardice and brought shame upon themselves, but as a result, they were also humiliated. Furthermore, the wounds they sustained will prevent them from taking up arms for some time. So one could say they have already received part of their punishment. I think a more lenient sentence is quite possible.’
‘All right.’ Xives had to stand up, as his chair scraped across the floor. ‘What do we need to do to invoke the judgement of the gods?’
‘Not much. All we need to do is say that we want the gods to decide on guilt. Olaf must agree; that is the law.’ Alrik sighed. ‘He won’t do it very willingly, but he’ll have no choice.’
‘When do we have to do this?’
‘When Olaf announces the trial, which will probably be this evening.’
‘And I thought we’d have a bit of peace and quiet.’ The legate left, and the others followed him.
Only Einar and Tahon remained in the library. They exchanged glances.
‘And I’d thought it wouldn’t be… Hmmm… any worse.’ Ceet forced a smile.
‘Yeah, Father was furious, and the Legate wasn’t exactly brimming with optimism or joy either.’
‘Speaking of which, I reckon they’ll be looking for us any minute now.’ The beastman twitched his ears. ‘And it seems they’ll be after you first,’ he added with a wry smile.
‘You don’t need to have ears as sharp as yours to know that,’ Einar retorted sharply. ‘Besides, they’ll be looking for you soon too.’
‘Right,’ Tahon agreed. ‘So perhaps we shouldn’t keep them waiting.’
Toinen nodded and left the library. In the corridor, he looked both ways, wondering where to find the rest of his family. His father and Bragi were probably in the
