The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter Forty-Nine: The Trial Begins

The courtroom turned out not to be a room at all, but an open air auditorium. To my eye, the thing looked like the Roman colosseum. I felt like they were about to feed us to lions. Guards chained us to stone pillars with wide holes drilled in the tops. We stood on a small stage and looked up at the judge’s stand. Curving around from the stand lay the seats for the viewing gallery. The dawn was a hour away and the cold blue light of predawn poured across the auditorium. I’d seen this before. We were coming to the grand finale. 

The prosecution team entered, a group of noblemen in traditional Hyperborean garb. I looked at the chief prosecutor. I recognized the big man. It was Duke Xander’s brother, Vanni. I grimaced, of course the prosecutor would be somebody with a grudge against us. And he had motivation to upstage his brother. I didn’t like our odds. 

Amy looked as well. “Is that who I think it is?”

I nodded.

“Indeed,” Fiona added. “Do we know anything about his skill as a lawyer?”

“We don’t. We better pray he isn’t qualified. And we better hope he inserted himself into this case to mock his brother.”

“And if he is a capable lawyer?” Amy asked.

“We wait for Lynn to spring her plan, and hope it works.”

“I do no like being the bait.” Fiona said.

I nodded. “I don’t either. But I trust Lynn.”

“We all must trust her. We have no other option.” Fiona said. 

“Do we not have a lawyer?” Amy asked.

“We do not.” Fiona said. “The judge is our only defense in Hyperborea.”

“That’s comforting.” I said. 

The judge himself, because of course it was a man, was an elderly man with shocking white hair. He'd shaved everywhere save the top of his head, which remained long enough to roll down his shoulder. He wore a massive drooping moustache and a short goatee. He dressed in ceremonial armor that looked like it had escaped from a tomb or a museum. 

“We call this court to order,” The judge said. “All rise and swear an oath to the twice dead gods that you will speak only truth in these proceedings.”

He then intoned a speech in Old Hyperborean that I didn’t understand. A shiver ran through me. Would I have to lie before the gods? I’d been an atheist on Earth. But I had seen things here. I had felt things here. I wasn’t so sure that gods didn’t exist here. I’d have to try and avoid outright lies. 

“Do you swear?” He asked. 

The court as one responded, “We swear.”

I was about a second late on swearing to tell the truth. We hadn’t been briefed on the court procedure of course. And unlike Amy and Fiona, I wasn’t familiar with swearing before the Dead Gods. Still, nobody seemed to notice in amidst all the other voices. 

The judge looked at Vanni, “The prosecution is unknown to me. Step forward and identify yourself.”

Vanni stepped forward, “I am Lord Vanni Varrickson.”

The judge stared holes into Vanni, “You are not the chief prosecutor for the empire.”

“I have been granted permission by his majesty to prosecute this case.”

“Show me your writ of permission.”

“He did insert himself into the trial,” I whispered.

Vanni produced a scroll sealed with wax and walked to the judge. The judge reached down and took the scroll. He broke the seal and read the scroll, then nodded.

“The court recognises Lord Vanni Varrickson as special prosecutor for this case. Present your accusation.”

“Three foreign witches stand before you. Lady Amelia Myrddhin. Countess Fiona Myrddhin. And the famous She-Wolf of Ys: Lady Karen Myrddhin.”

I ground my teeth at being named Karen but stayed silent. The crowd burst into murmurs at my name. And the judge tapped his gavel to bring the court to order.

Vanni continued. “These three witches murdered Duke Duke Siggis Leifson. They did so at his own wedding to embarrass and shame the Empire of Hyperborea. They poisoned him, a cowardly act in the nature of women. And then they posed as investigators to hide their crime.”

The judge eyed Vanni, “And the evidence for these accusations.”

“The She-wolf admitted guilt. But before a confession could be signed, her lovers broke her out of her cell and they fled authorities. Either the confession or the jailbreak is proof enough. Together they are iron clad.”

“A confession not in writing is not a confession. Even when the accused is a foreigner and a woman.” The judge shook his head. “And an escape attempt is suspicious, but not proof. What else do you have?”

“They trapped his grace Duke Xander Varrickson and assaulted him.”

“We did no such thing.” I fumed to Leon. “We questioned him about your poisoning.”

“Order.” The judge rapped his gavel. “The accused will have their chance to speak.”

I grimaced. 

“Again, suspicious. But this is not proof.”

“They expected a show trial,” Fiona whispered. “But this judge has standards. We have some hope.”

The judge continued, “Do you have the murder weapon? Can you place the accused at the scene of the crime?”

“The murder weapon was poison, a woman’s tool.” The Vanni said.

“Do you have the poison?”

A pause. “No, your honor.”

“Can you place the accused at the scene of the crime?”

“Yes, your honor. They were all at the wedding reception.”

“That is something, at last. Can they account for themselves.”

“They can not your honor.”

“Yes, we can!” I yelled.

“Order.” The judge said, a small smile forming under his moustache. “Very well, we shall leave that until the accused may account for themselves. So, you can place the accused at the scene of the crime. Is there a motive?”

“To embarrass the empire your honor.”

“To what end? How does it benefit the accused to embarrass the empire?”

“They are Yssian. The rebel province loves to rub the empire’s face in their defiance of our rightful authority.”

“I am not compelled.” The judge said. “Do you have anything more convincing?”

“The primary accused is the She-wolf of Ys. She has already poisoned one member of the imperial royal family before this.”

Murmurs again ran through the room. There was my reputation again, doing us all kinds of favors. 

“That is interesting,” The judge said. “Anything else?”

“They burned down a church, your honor.”

“More murmurs. I held my tongue. The judge looked at me.

“I believe that the accused shall dispute that when their time comes. Anything else?"

Vanni shuffled about. Then shook his head.

The judge nodded. “All of this is suspicious. It is interesting. But it is not proof. And all of this could be explained by the simple fact that they may not trust the imperial courts. Many of these things are crimes in themselves. But they are on trial for murder and high treason against the empire. And you have nothing to prove those charges.”

“How can we be on trial for treason?” Amy whispered. “We aren’t Hyperborean.”

“We are to them. Ys is Hyperborea in their minds.”

“I should have remembered that, shouldn’t I?” Amy answered me. 

As I looked at Amy, I noticed something. A woman in common dress pouring wine for the Hyperborean nobles. She dressed as a commoner, but I recognised Ada Gertrudsdottir’s face. What was she doing? This had to be part of Lynn’s plan, but what was the plan?

The judge continued. “If that is what you have, so be it. The court will now hear from the accused.”

Vanni returned to the prosecution’s desk. He smiled at us, and I didn’t like the smile. I shook my head. Vanni for his part, picked up the goblet on the desk and downed the wine it contained. He wiped his mouth and gestured to the judge, still staring at us. 

“Now we make our case.” Fiona said.

“I assume you’re speaking for us dearest?” Amy asked.

I nodded. 

“Your Honor. Lords and Ladies.” I projected my voice as I spoke. “I did not confess. But I was tortured, as they attempted to force a confession.”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the audience. 

“They beat me. They burned my skin with cigarettes. The punched needle through my skin. They broke my arm. This was how Hyperborea attempted to solve their mystery.”

The murmurs began to build.

“Order.” The judge looked at me. “Such interrogation techniques are legal in Hyperborea. This does not prove you innocence.”

“Does the ambassador from Agartha agree?” I asked. 

“The ambassador is not judging you. I am.”

“Perhaps not,” I said. “But the ambassador is certainly judging these events.”

“Continue please. As I said. Such interrogations are legal. How do address the claims of the prosecution?”

“Regarding the church fire, we did not burn it down. The fire started by accident. A Hyperborean extremist faction tried to kill us and force Hyperborea and Ys into war.”

“Indeed. Is there any proof to this?”

“You can question the surviving priests.” I said.

The judge nodded. “Let us leave that aside for the moment. You are not on trial for setting fire to a church after all. Continue with your defense.”

I nodded. “The prosecution’s evidence all relates to what we did after the poisoning occurred. Not before and not during. The people at my table can account for my presence during the entirety of the evening. They can also account for the presence of my fiancees and Count Metternich. Duke Delmar was at the head table. Anyone at the head table can account for him. If all the prosecution can offer is what I did after they arrested me, then I would argue that they have no case at all.”

“Under Hyperborean law, they are not required to prove you are guilty. You are required to prove that you are innocent.” The judge said.

“How to you expect us to prove a negative, beyond showing that we can be accounted for through the entire dinner?”

“You could have used agents.” The judge shook his head. “You need a more compelling case if I am to acquit you.” 

“May I ask what evidence you would find compelling, your honor?”

“That is for you to provide me, not for me to provide you.”

“What verdict has his majesty instructed you to give?” I asked. 

Amy hissed at me. I flinched. 

The judge stiffened. “I give my own verdicts.”

I cringed. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. 

I nodded, “My apologies.”

“Continue.”  

“We are Yssian, your honor. We are in Hyperborea to attend a wedding meant to avert a possible war with Hyperborea. Ys cannot survive a war with Hyperborea. Not only do we have no motive to disrupt the wedding. We have motive to prevent the disruption. Our independence and continued existence depended upon this wedding. By contrast, factions within the Hyperborea nobility are pushing for war with Ys. And they were also at the wedding. They have ample motive and ample opportunity to commit this murder.”

“They are not on trial.”

“Regardless, if they are guilty, then we can’t be.”

The judge said nothing for a long moment. Finally he spoke.

“Proceed.”

“Not only do those nobles have motive for the murder, but they have motive to pin the murder on us. They have demonstrated that by torturing me.”

“This is interesting. Do you have any evidence of this?”

I scrambled. I didn’t know what I could say without implicating Lynn. My mind rushed through everything I knew. Then my mind settled on the ring, the signet ring. 

“Your honor,” I said. “The culprit stole the ducal signet ring. Only somebody concerned with stopping the proper succession would do that. The succession of the ducal house means nothing to us. We aren’t going to become dukes or duchesses in Hyperborea. And the culprit killed the duke’s brothers. So we know it wasn’t them. Clearly this must be an internal matter, Hyperboreans fighting amongst each other.”

The judge stroked his moustache as the crowd again began murmuring. Meanwhile I stood, my mind casting about, wondering when Lynn would enact her plan. I watched the judges eyes. They flicked to look at the hardened face of Duke Xander. I noticed him shake his head. It was a subtle gesture, but I caught it. This was it. The judge was being ordered to find us guilty. 

There was no way were getting out of this. 

I paused. No, that wasn’t true. There was no way that all of us were getting out of this. 

I knew what I had to do. I’d seen myself do it, after all. 

I glared at Duke Xander and announced, "I am the guilty one. I poisoned Duke Siggis. Nobody else was involved. I acted alone."