On Cosmic Tides

“His Majesty, King Edward Verilion of Merista. Protector of the Sky Throne, High Commander of the People’s Army, Chancellor of the Meristan Senate.” The king seated himself on his throne and waved a hand, allowing everyone else in the room to stand from their kneeling positions. Apparently only the King was permitted to sit during these trials. Laurel had nearly balked when Adam told her she would have to kneel to a mortal king as part of the theater for the occasion. But if she didn’t it was just more ammunition for her enemies.

The seneschal cleared his throat discreetly before continuing. “We are here to rule on preliminary motions in the case of the High Noble houses of Ravenal and Tanguy and the Merchants Guild, accusing the Eternal Archive of monopolization of a public resource for private gain.”

“Thank you, Peters. We will start with preliminary motions. Who has a motion for the court.”

Laurel recognized the cue after her hours of coaching. “I move to end the injunction on sect activities, on the grounds of public safety, and the unlawful restriction of a private entity.”

The smarmy man across the aisle from Laurel also stepped forward. He was dressed impeccably but still had an oily aura. The seneschal had introduced him as Barrister Jay Lasia, Master Scribe. “We oppose the grounds of public safety. The public was perfectly safe before the accused’s organization showed up. There is no evidence of a public safety concern.”

“We have already provided his majesty with such evidence and can continue to do so, including calling Madam Theresa Skycrest as an expert witness in matters of magic, and General Skycrest in matters of public safety. Interacting with the City Core is vital to the security of Verilia. Furthermore, the accusations leveled against us have no bearing on the rest of sect activities, up to and including recruitment, is outside the scope of this trial.”

Lasia attempted to speak but his teeth snapped together as the king raised his hand. “We are aware of this evidence and agree. Restricting City Core cultivation would have a negative impact on public safety. The injunction is removed. Are there further motions?”

Another hour of back and forth between the two sides played out. Laurel compared the day to the opening of a duel. Each side was testing the waters, comparing their preparations and getting a feel for the opponent’s style. She had drawn first blood with the injunction motion, but the day’s tally ended slightly in favor of the nobles.

After the king departed the remaining courtiers broke into side conversations. Laurel and Adam ignored their glances as they made their way out of the judgment hall. One young man decided to intercept them, the rest of his group trailing behind to watch. He was wearing green and purple, which Laurel hoped was referencing his family and not a fashion choice. He stepped in front of them, blocking the exit and staring at her expectantly.

Laurel stared back. Adam started shifting from side to side and the nobles behind their new obstacle looked perplexed. The young man broke first.

“I hope this serves as a reminder not to contradict your betters in public.” He looked down his nose at Laurel and didn’t bother masking his smile as he rebuked her.

“Who are you?” They did not have time to deal with children needing a lesson.

“How dare you –” the young man sputtered.

“Oh!” Laurel realized where she recognized the boy from. “You were at the university event. The one who didn’t believe in magic. She looked around the room, everyone was now watching the confrontation openly or trying to hide it. “I guess that didn’t work out for you.” She and Adam dodged to either side of the young man. They made their way out of the palace avoiding any further confrontation and were quiet on the way home.

That evening they all gathered once more in their lounge after dinner. Everyone eagerly gathered around to hear the results of the first day.

“Injunction gone.” Adam announced to some cheering from the kids. “It went about as well as we could have expected. Lost most of the rest but they were all procedural things we shouldn’t be too worried about.”

“How about your part Annette?”

“Things are going less well there. The Flats already hate the nobles and you’ve been healing them so they love us. With the injunction gone it will be even better. That said, the rest of the city either doesn’t care or is siding with the merchants.

“I had a nice profile run in one of the smaller middle-class papers. But the nobles have deep pockets and don’t like losing. Three separate articles on the trial and how we are hoarding something secret down here.

“What about the guilds?” Laurel asked. “We spent all that time joining and earning good will. How can the merchants even sue one of their members?”

It was Adam who had the answer. “It's more common than you’d think. It’s actually one of the best ways a guild will chastise a member, at least when they want to be seen doing so publicly. It wouldn’t be as much of a problem if the nobles weren’t also involved and brought the king into it. As for the others….”

Annette picked up from where he trailed off. “The others don’t want to get on the merchants’ bad side. They are far and away the most powerful organization in the country that isn’t a noble house or a branch of government. The Fishers might not have a problem with us, but they aren’t going to publicly denounce the Merchant Guild without something in it for them.”

It was an understandable system to Laurel. After all, when sects and cultivators dominated the world’s power structures, some were subordinate to others. For protection, or resources, even just notoriety, smaller or weaker sects would give tribute. This was, however, the first time she was not sitting at the top of that hierarchy. She did not like that at all.

“Next they do testimony right? Do we know when that’s happening?” She looked at Adam for confirmation.

“No word yet, I’d guess another month.”

“Then I guess back to business as usual. And maybe we see if we can find something to make the Fishers or the others take our side.”

********

Laurel rose from the kneeling position and surveyed the battlefield. The judgment hall was the same as last time. Dripping in gilding and white marble, with an oak throne sitting at the front, now occupied by the king. The attendees were markedly different, however. Instead of a collection of mostly young or bored-looking courtiers, there were far more older nobles. Her enemies decked themselves in jewels and silks, to a one looking at her like their victory was inevitable.

The seneschal, Peters, announced the beginning of the proceedings. “Today we hear arguments from the accusers in the case 11134C.”

The same barrister as before stepped forward. “We recognize his grace, the Duke of Ravenal, to give our first arguments.”

“The accused, Laurel Stormblade, arrived in Verilia almost one year ago aboard a licensed merchant vessel called the Lion’s Tooth. Since then she has taken control of a valuable resource known as a City Core, for her own personal ends. She has maintained that control, and indeed spread the fiction that it is dangerous for anyone else to try and use this resource. Her material gains include reduced construction costs and time on a large estate in the lower city, the creation of several magical constructs, and an increase in her own personal power.”

The man went on to detail a mostly false story about how she was deceiving the military and the king for her own benefit. Just enough true facts were sprinkled in to anchor the testimony in reality. For all she was raging at the lies, she could only be impressed at how well crafted the narrative was. Dismantling it would take time and subtlety, before they even got around to the basic argument being flawed.

“...Charlatan-style healing in which she used fake medicines to simulate short-term effects…”

Adam’s hand clamped down on her wrist when she would have interrupted. She caught him subtly shaking his head out of the corner of her eye. The reminder was needed but still infuriating. Apparently interrupting a blatant lie was taboo and would undermine their own arguments later.

As the testimony went on, the observers in the balcony got more riled up. Laurel half-expected an angry mob to meet them outside once evening rolled around.

“....smuggled dangerous goods into the country without declaring them at customs…”

Just because the customs officer didn’t believe her, didn’t mean she hadn’t declared when asked.

“If she were truly looking out for the public good, she would have constructed more than a personal palace…”

Deep breaths and knowledge of what would happen to her sect if she lashed out or kill anyone were all that kept her from exploding. These people had ferreted out just enough details to tell a story, but not enough to show any kind of understanding. But it painted a bad picture. Then, of course, the additional testimony started.

*******

Adam watched, struggling to keep his expression neutral, as the little twat from yesterday stepped forward. Though at least they finally found out he was some scion of a vassal to House Tanguy.

“The accused flaunted the power gained from hoarding this precious asset. Flying around and terrorizing students by setting fires. Of course, when challenged she berated anyone standing up to her as a fool. Fearing for my own safety I declined to push the matter”.

Then another man was brought forward. With a start, he recognized the same shopkeeper he and Leander had gotten into a scuffle with a few weeks ago.

“The thugs of this so-called sect have been going around menacing normal citizens. Why, the scribe representing the accused caused property damage in my own shop, after being lawfully denied service.”

It was then Master Brinn’s turn as a representative of the Merchant Guild. He went on about the lack of competition and how this would hurt the economy overall. The bastard was a cold fish, his testimony lacking the passion of the others. A small thing for which Adam was grateful. He also noted with no small amount of pride that they couldn’t find anything wrong with their guild application and membership to bring up charges on. In all the trials like this that Adam had assisted in before, that was the first thing a guild would try to attack.

It was looking worse and worse for the sect. The reporters in the galleries were surely taking note of every heinous accusation, and they’d be in print by tomorrow morning, he was sure. He thought over all the arguments he’d crafted and the evidence he’d prepared. They had a strong case. Every one of the accusations leveled against them could be refuted. But it might not be enough. It wasn’t just a matter of proving their innocence. They had to do so in a way that was so beyond reproach, so obvious, that the king would need to make some of his most powerful guilds and nobles unhappy with the ruling. Their own testimonial date was set for one week later.

He trudged out of court trying anything to not feel defeated. Laurel was quiet as she walked beside him, glancing over at Brinn. Of all the people who’d testified that she was a monster, he was an odd choice to pick as the one to focus on. The sun had already set, the early spring hours not yet enough to stretch sunlight into the evening. A few blocks away from the palace they were able to hitch a ride home.

Debriefing in the lounge had already become a sect habit. Esther, the absolute paragon of virtue that she was, had even kept some food aside for them, having rightly guessed they would miss dinner. A low table was dragged over to the central couches as they all got comfortable and braced for the news.

“It's bad. Worse than before.” Adam heaved a sigh and put his thoughts in order. He’d clawed his way out of the slums into university after his parents' deaths. Then the Scribes Guild, even without family connections. Then that had been wrenched away as well. He couldn’t go through losing his place again.

“Tomorrow’s papers will be all about how Laurel is an evil Laskarian immigrant. She snuck into the country, stole the City Core from the good people of Verilia, and used it to make herself stronger. Even when we prove them wrong, we’ll look like we are just reworking the facts to cover ourselves. I’m, I’m not really sure what’s going to happen.”

“How do guild’s work? Like is there one person in charge or something else?” Laurel yanked the conversation in the opposite direction.

Annette looked as confused as he was but answered readily enough. “Most have someone nominally in charge and a number of members with enough influence to sway them one way or another. The guild head will rotate, usually through those members.”

“We are going to need to call in some favors.” Laurel went on to describe her plan and Adam’s mood lifted. This could actually work.

********

The sect showed up in force when it was their turn to defend themselves. They’d picked up a new recruit during the trial, even with the attacks on their reputation. Cooper had joined them after seeing Laurel’s presentation at the university. Bookish to the extreme, the idea of mixing his favorite magical novels with the chance to see the library had been enough to lure him in over the protestations of his parents and the papers. He would join the others in the gallery as Laurel and Adam made their case.

Laurel projected her best sect master aura as she looked at everyone where they stood outside of the palace. Hopeful gazes stared back and she was struck all at once of the enormity of what they’d created. The building and the clothes were fine, but they could recreate that anywhere with enough time. Deeper than that, they’d forged a family of sorts. New, and still growing, but she was no longer alone.

“No matter what happens today, I am so incredibly proud of each of you. I was alone and adrift. I knew my duty was to recreate the sect but I didn’t have any idea how to do that. You all have reminded me how important companions are on the path of cultivation, and I am honored to have you in my sect. Even if we start over somewhere else, and build a City Core from scratch, you all will always have a place with me.”

She choked back the tears that were threatening to spill, and gave everyone a quick hug before it was time once more to march to battle.

“We are hearing the response to accusations by the Eternal Archive representatives.”

Laurel spotted Grimley in the corner where he gave a slight nod, and pointed him out to Adam. The man was still dressed outlandishly, this time in a bright yellow and black ensemble. Some digging in the last week had shown them all that despite the man’s questionable taste, he was one of the wealthiest merchants in the city. And as such he had a strong backing at the guild.

“If it pleases His Majesty,” Adam began as Grimley came to join them, “The accusations against the Eternal Archive have been reduced.”

The king looked down from the throne dais. “You have something to say for the Merchant’s Guild, Master Grimley?”

“Your Majesty, I have a formal retraction of accusations from the Merchant Guild. After further examining evidence, we have come to believe that the Eternal Archive has not been unduly profiting from access to the City Core. We once more recognize the sect as a member in good standing, and look forward to further collaboration.”

A murmur swept through the balcony. Grimley’s declaration took a most of the legitimacy out of the accusations. Now they had a group of nobles attacking commoners, which was a much harder story to sell. Telling the world the Guild intended to work with the sect meant not only was the support retracted from the nobles, but it was implicitly now transferred to the other side.

The court scribe read over the document and confirmed the truth of the matter to the king. “Very well,” he announced. “Let the record reflect the change in accusations. The defense may continue.”

Laurel watched Adam swell with confidence, they could do this. “We will next address the accusations of using public resources to gain personal magical power.” A swell of movement and noise started at the back of the courtroom and crested towards where they stood. A gray-haired man with scars and the appearance of someone used to hard living joined them at the front. He gave Laurel a wink before stepping forward. “We call Beram Harris to describe his most recent journey from the Laskarian Empire to Merista.”

Beram gave an awkward bow towards the king and cleared his throat. “Right, well I’d been living in Laskar for a few years to earn money for the family. Decided it was high time to head home so I got a berth on the Lion’s Tooth.

“Normal enough passage. Good weather. About half-way we were run down by pirates. Would have been a bloody fight but Laurel started a tornado on the deck of the other ship. Let the Lion do enough damage to get away.” He went on to describe the rest of their journey and the casual magic Laurel employed.

Afterwards, he stepped back behind Laurel and gave her shoulder a light pat. She’d not thought much of what Beram had been up to since leaving the city, but thankfully remembered where he was heading. Calling in a favor with the army and Captain Sidetrip had taken a few day’s flight. That the man had agreed to the time and effort to help her out after only a few weeks together was deeply touching.

Theresa next testified to both the public service Laurel had been doing with the City Core, and the lack of qualified candidates to otherwise help. Ridge and the soldiers Laurel had been teaching also showed up to describe how she had voluntarily assisted the military. Reynard in particular had jumped at the chance to redeem himself. It wasn’t entirely his fault that they were on trial, but the information he had spilled in the tavern had done them no favors. After finding out the man had sworn to do whatever it took to prove their innocence.

Adam continued calling witnesses and presenting evidence for the rest of the day. Laurel herself was reduced to mostly an aesthetic set piece. If it worked, she didn’t really mind. They produced memberships in good standing for the Hunters, Fishers, Rangers, Mercenaries, and a handful of more specialized groups. The Scholars in particular were extremely supportive after they found out the library would be closed if Laurel was not able to maintain the sect in the city. Adam still grumbled that they were untrustworthy but let it happen for the good of the sect.

“All arguments have been heard. We will announce a ruling in one week’s time.” The king officially ended proceedings and the sect and all their friends made their way back to the manor for a subdued celebration. All they could do now was hope and wait.

*******

There was silence in the courtroom. Leander had elbowed his way to the front of the gallery in between two people holding pens and notebooks. Somehow it was even more crowded than the last time he was here. According to Annette, the upper city folk were split between whether or not they thought Laurel was bad. He wasn’t sure why it mattered, since Laurel could probably fight anyone who came to the house to try and mess with them. But the adults had all been worried. He had even overheard them discussing what they would do if they had to move somewhere else. Which sounded fine to Leander, the Flats kind of sucked a lot of the time.

But the adults didn’t want to leave. Laurel thought this city was the best chance they had to make a World Capital, which was something important, though he couldn’t remember why. So they were doing their best. Everyone helped out with the trial. It had been his idea to find some kids from the Flats to talk about being healed. Even Lucy had done her part by fetching things for Adam. Leander had also taught her how to look cute and sad when one of the reporters came by. A skill he’d mastered to get food from bakeries at the end of the day. Everyone got quiet when the king came in.

“We have heard all arguments and we render these verdicts.

“On the charges of smuggling, intimidation, hunting without a license, and betraying the public for personal power we find insufficient evidence.

Leander jumped around at the news, before Annette grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him back to the group.

“On the charge of theft we find no evidence. On these charges we also remind all supplicants that this court does not appreciate wastes of time.

“On the charge of hoarding a public resource we find no evidence. However, the City Core is a new kind of resource. The amount of potential for public benefit has led us to the conclusion that this resource falls under the royal domain. The Eternal Archive will continue to safeguard the City Core and develop its powers. However, this will be done under the oversight of the royal council. Additionally, the council will accept applications from any entity that can show the benefit of future projects using the Core. Prices and schedules will be set by the council for any private use of the Core for building improvements or other ventures.

“These are our verdicts. Let the issues be closed.”

Cameras flashed as the king rose and exited the room. The reporters took this signal and practically flew down the stairs to talk to Laurel. In the meantime, the sect members in the gallery looked to Annette.

Her smile seemed to confirm but he wanted the words. “We’re good,” She said. “We’ll have to make some concessions for the nobles and others going forward, but we’re safe.”