From the moment Lan walked into the courtroom, he had known that he wouldn’t get a fair trial. Even though Lan knew that Dell would find a magistrate to side with him, he hadn’t thought that Dell would pick the one who often dined at his home. Which made this a lot easier.

With that in mind, Lan had known that even the Ledger wouldn’t be enough to get Dell off his back. It had been more than Lan had expected, almost cutting half of his so-called debt. While also allowing him to shake the Magistrate a little. The best thing it did was make Dell look foolish in front of his friend. Which made Dell a less valuable friend to have.

But now came the real reason he was dragged into a courtroom and why Dell had called for his family to be brought into the court. At the moment, Dell couldn’t take his father’s shop through Lan alone. Not even being his father’s son allowed that. But by making the inference his family was at fault and then having them step into the courtroom would immediately make them part of the Charged party.

‘My lord magistrate, as you can see, no one in my family is here. I think that speaks for itself regarding where I stand with them.’ Lan said, picking his words carefully. While in the court, anything he said would have more weight, and the only way that a family could be freed from a member's debt would be to openly disown them.

Severing family ties before the eyes of the Lords of Light and ending their connection to him. Obviously, it was something that none of them wanted to risk. And even with everything that had happened, it was something Dell could count on to be true.

So, if Dell had gotten them into the court, they would have to take responsibility for him or disown him.

This was why Lan had told them not to come. If they did not show their faces and he didn’t say anything that could lead to the voice believing that he wanted to break their family bond, then they could work around it.

And that was where the Law of expediency came in, without being able to pause the trial. They would eventually have to move on if his family didn't show. There was a chance that the Magistrate could try to order his family to show. But if they couldn’t be found, they would have an excuse if the Magistrate tried looking into them.

Or so Lan thought before the door opened and the custodian spoke up.

‘Uh.’ She started with a worried voice, ‘The witness is here...’

Lan turned horrified,

Why?

Why had they come? Lan thought in despair. He thought they had understood how important it was that they did not show.

With anger in his chest building, Lan looked to Dell, who smiled back triumphantly.

He had done something, but what, Lan thought. It wasn’t like threatening them could work knowing what he knew now. So what?. Maybe he had gone after Silas or his sister, Maya?

Before he could think of a way out of this, Lan started to hear footsteps, and even though they were far away, he knew it couldn’t be his father.

His mother? Why would she… before Lan could finish the thought, something hit him as the steps grew closer, and he turned to the door and waited in utter disbelief as Miss Tolly entered the courtroom.

Wearing a face that could boil ice, the short woman scanned the room before starting toward a third box that was brought out.

So this is what his mother had meant when she said she thought she could help, although he hadn’t even considered trying it himself. It was perfect. Not showing up was one way to avoid being dragged into this, but having someone speak on your behalf was far more common and held much less power with the voice.

‘What!, who the hells is that.’ Dell cried, pounding his fist on the box, ‘This tart has nothing to do with this.’

‘I am the closest friend of the Charged's mother and here to speak for his family.’

‘Lord Magistrate, I demand that the Charged’s family be dragged here by guards. They were just as much a part of this,’ Dell tried clearly talking to his friend and not the Magistrate.

‘If they were, then you should have Charged them or made sure they would be here.’ The Magistrate countered, leaving his rebuke unsaid.

Of course, Dell couldn’t have gone after them in this way. The moment he tried, the crafters' guild would have stepped in and would most likely have paid off the debt, which his father would work to repay.

No, this was the only way that Dell could get his hands on Lan’s father’s shop and, judging by the barely contained rage that twisted his face. It took Dell everything not to shout that fact out.

Looking back to Miss Tolly, the Magistrate started again. ‘You claim to speak on behalf of the charges family.’ He said, going on without waiting for Miss Tolly’s return barb. ‘What is the reason that they are not here?’

In the form of an answer, Miss Tolly pointed at Lan, can you blame them!’ she snapped. ‘Ten years without a word or care about what they were going through. Let me ask you this: if it were you, would you want anything to do with him.

Even without attempting to answer the question, the level of anger, some of which Lan was sure was real, and her conviction made it sound like she had answered. So much so that Lan was sure she would have passed a truth stone if one had been brought in.

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‘I understand your passion, Miss, but…’ the Magistrate tried.

‘He wouldn’t even show his face when they came looking for him, didn’t have time for them when he thought he would become a merchant, and now comes back after failing. I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t even answer the door when he came.

Miss Tolly went on for a minute more, lacerating Lan with her words and looking ready to go on much longer before the Magistrate raised his hand.

‘My lord Magistrate.’ Dell cut in, which only seemed to irritate the Magistrate even more. ‘This… woman has said nothing that would confirm the relationship between the Charged and their family.’ Dell said before Miss Tolly cut him off.

‘If this old fool thinks that I, the closest friend of the Charged’s mother, isn’t good enough. Then you don’t have to take my word for it. there are plenty of others.’ Miss Tolly shrugged.

‘What do you mean?’ the Magistrate asked as his eyebrows rose.

‘Once we found out, the village wanted to come give their statements.’ Miss Tolly said, and Lan had to actively work to not burst out laughing. A corrupt bias trial was one thing when only the Charged and his family were in attendance. If found out, it would leave a stain on the Magistrate themselves and would be dealt with accordingly.

But a corrupt bias trial with a village as a witness was a stain on the whole order of magistrates and would also be dealt with accordingly.

‘If there are going to be more of these so-called witnesses, I would like to question them myself.’ Dell said, knowing it was the last thing the Magistrate wanted to do.

‘I would agree to that, but with the condition that he only get to ask one question per person, as pertaining to the Rule of expediency and as this is not a criminal trial, I believe that witnesses are not meant to be treated like the Charged which by Master Dell’s statement he will try.

‘You dare to think to know what lies in my mind, you stupid fool. I should have had Ganin break!’

‘That will be all!’ the Magistrate snapped before gathering himself with a deep breath as he seemed to remember that he was meant to be on Dell’s side. ‘Although I believe that Miss Tolly’s testimony is compelling. Master Dell’s request seems reasonable, and so I will allow him to ask a question.’

Lan allowed it without challenge. Without a truth stone, Miss Tolly and the others would need to be very unconvincing to have their testimony discarded. But Dell had no other choices left.

In an almost anticlimactic way, Lan and his family would rip what Dell had spent ten years trying to take from them out of his grasp just when his hand had almost closed around it.

Lan couldn’t think of a more fitting ending, no grand display, just the hollowness of failure.

Despite having to already know this, Dell turned his attention to Miss Tolly.

‘You are here to act as a witness for the Cross family and were no doubt told about it by them. So, would it be safe to say that they put you up to this?’ Dell asked, leaving the question open just enough for the Magistrate to interpret a poorly worded answer. Too bad he was trying it against Miss Tolly.

‘Of course they didn’t!’ she snapped, ‘the moment I found out about it, I made up my mind to come. In fact, I had to insist on coming in their stead.’

‘A likely story, but why did they come to you with this information if not to try to get you to come.?’

‘I may never have been the best at math, but I am sure that was a second question.’ Lan cut in before Miss Tolly answered.

‘Yes, but seeing as Miss Tolly was already here when you asked for the consideration, I will allow more questions within reason.

With a look of triumph, Dell turned back to Miss Tolly, who looked back with all the amusement of walking out of your house only to find that a horse had left a gift for you at the step.

‘Forgive me, but although you said a lot, I don’t think you answered the magistrate's question.’ Dell said, shifting to a new question that Lan was sure was meant to throw her off her guard.

‘You need no forgiveness. I don’t find it hard to believe that you don’t think much.’ Miss Tolly snapped back, and for a moment, Lan thought Dell would burst a vessel as the veins bulged in the side of his head. ‘If you had been listing, you would have heard the Magistrate say that he found my answers compelling. Isn’t that right?’ she added, turning on the Magistrate.

‘Uh, yes, I did say that. But I think Master Dell was heading somewhere?’ the Magistrate added, shooting a glance at the man glaring at him.

‘Did the charged parents tell you that they had disowned him?’ Dell asked again.

‘Yes.’ Miss Tolly answered as if even showing Dell that much courtesy pained her.

‘And when did she tell you this?’ Dell asked, making Miss Tolly frown, which for a moment looked to give him hope as his eyes shone and Lan started to feel a little worried.

Dell was undoubtedly just looking for something he could use to trap Miss Tolly. And if he could make it seem like she was lying, then just as she could be used as a reason for his family to not show themselves, she could be used as a reason to have them brought here, and the moment they were, Dell would turn the subject back to the repayment with them now part of the charged.

‘Yesterday…’ Miss Tolly said with a look as if trying to understand just how stupid Dell was.

‘Yesterday.’ Dell said congenially with a nod before his eyes grew wide, and his head snapped over to Lan. Realisation bleeding onto Dell’s face as it dawned on Lan that the old snake had only now figured out that he had planned this with his family.

That, no matter what he had planned, it would not have worked from the start as they would not be made to come.

As if able to read his mind, Lan saw Dell realise why he had called for the Law of expediency.

What Lan had hoped would seem like a childish attempt to control some part of the proceedings was actually the trap snapping shut around him.

With cold detachment, Lan watched as the deeper implications worked their way onto Dell's face.

This trial would not be paused or stopped until it was over and over that day. Those in the courtroom were the only players in this game, and Lan had set the pieces.

‘I have no more questions.’ Dell said, his voice cold as his expression grew dark, and he looked at Lan once again.

Once more, Lan was sure he could read the man’s mind.

‘How could anyone change so much?’ the hate in his eyes seemed to say, and Lan understood it.

His plan would have worked if he had moved just a few weeks earlier. Hells if Leaha hadn’t talked Lan into speaking with his family. Lan would most likely have kept it from them or at least sent a letter that wouldn’t have had the effect of speaking to them, and who ever Dell had sent would have brought them.

But he had, and Dell knew that he had been beaten by his failed apprentice. For a moment, Lan saw the look he had seen only once before, which had driven the man to lash out at Lan with his own hands.

The look of utter defeat.

The look lasted for a moment before it slowly reformed into one of void black hatred. A hatred that spoke of a reckoning to come. Even if Lan had managed to keep his family away from Dell for now, he had done so by making himself the only target, and Dell’s cold and burning eyes told Lan of the pain and suffering to come.

And yet Lan didn’t care, nor was he far from done.

With no other questions left, Miss Tolly was allowed to leave the courtroom, and despite her attitude up to that point, as she passed by Lan’s box, she met his eye for a moment and gave him a smile that only he could see before the frown returned.

Feeling both thankful and happy that his mother had someone like Miss Tolly as a close friend, he turned to wait for the Magistrate.

‘Shall we call the next witness?’ Lan asked Innocently.

‘No!’ the Magistrate cleared his throat, looking to the seething Dell. ‘I think I have heard enough… to clear your family of any debt tied to this matter.’