Sodar picked up the horned cornette knife lying at his side and crawled towards the edge of the ward. ‘Elder Tosan, please. Let me fix this.’ Sodar grimaced as he pulled his injured body along. ‘I can dispel the magic. There is no need for this.’ He reached the bottom of the fifteen-foot-tall glyph and began dragging the cobbler’s hooked blade through the soil, closing the open mouth of the V.
‘Stop!’ Tosan shouted, pointing the wand at Sodar. As the illuminated salt lines grew dim and lost their luminosity, however, Tosan lowered his hand. As soon as Sodar finished, he threw his knife to the side and held up both hands, showing he had meant no harm. Tosan eyed the priest suspiciously and flicked the rod at him. ‘Get back. You cannot undo the damage your actions have wrought, however many lines you scribble in the dirt.’ Tosan gestured at the dead bodies, both human and inhuman, at the burned homes and smoking cinders. ‘This is your fault. Your guilt and punishment have already been decided.’ Tosan looked to Annev. ‘And you. You escaped your cell, and stole artifacts from the Vault of Damnation. Do you deny it?’
Annev hesitated then decided to follow Sodar’s example. ‘I escaped my cell after being unjustly imprisoned. I entered the Vault seeking refuge from the fighting, and I borrowed these artifacts.’ He laid a hand on his dragon-scale cloak. ‘Which I’ve used to fight the demon spawn and protect others.’ He pointed to Tosan’s rod. ‘You did the same. You took up the hellfire wand to defend our village – but it is a dark rod, and dark rods only work if the user possesses magic.’ Annev looked to the ancients in the crowd. ‘Tosan has the same gift as Sodar! If you would stone the priest for using magic, then you must stone the Eldest of Ancients as well.’
Tosan’s face purpled. ‘How dare you put me on trial! You are a crippled Son of Keos, and the Lord of Blood marked you as his own before you were born.’ Tosan pointed at Sodar, though his eyes still remained on Annev. ‘He nourished you with lies and deceit. You have used magic to hide your sins, and now you seek to twist my virtues against me.’ Tosan looked to the eight ancients gathered behind him. ‘I possess no affinity for magic and could only use this by the mercy of Odar! It was by his power alone I was able to throw back the monsters who besieged us.’
The five Master Avatars returned with their armloads of stone and began passing them among the crowd.
‘But you used magic to pass through the Academy’s walls!’ Annev blurted.
The ancients and masters collectively stopped and stared at Annev as if he had grown a third eye. Tosan spluttered. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Master Brayan,’ Annev called out, ‘did Elder Tosan pass you when you fought in the basement?’
The bearded giant shied away, hunching his shoulders as all eyes turned to him. At length, he shook his head. ‘No. Master Carbad passed me on his way out. The monsters attacked shortly after that.’ He rested his maul on his shoulder and scratched his neck. ‘I held the archive room against the beasts until you arrived, Master Annev – but I never saw Elder Tosan, or Master Narach for that matter.’
‘Narach was killed,’ Annev said, drawing the crowd’s attention back to him. ‘I found his body at the foot of the spiral stairs.’ Annev pointed at the headmaster. ‘I didn’t see Tosan on my way out, and there are no other exits. The feurog got past Brayan and killed Narach. But Tosan fled. He used his magic to pass through the rock and climb to the surface.’
‘Lies!’ Tosan shouted. ‘Conjecture and lies. You have no proof of this insanity, this is a distraction from—’
‘There is a book,’ Annev shouted over the headmaster’s protestations, ‘in Tosan’s study! It teaches you to use magic and Tosan’s been reading it. He even wrote notes: “Ignis temperare. Mentiri deprehendatur. Terra trans—”’
‘Stop this!’ Tosan stepped forward and extended his arm, shaking the rod at Annev. ‘One more word, and I will burn you to cinders and ash!’ Tosan looked at the huddle of ancients and masters, his face bright with perspiration. ‘He’s casting a spell on us!’ Tosan snapped. ‘Do not listen to his words. They are filled with magic and will poison you to the truth. We must rip out his tongue. Immediately!’ The ancient pointed to the dark-eyed Master Aog who had just divested himself of his last brick. ‘Master Aog. Silence him!’
Aog stepped forward to comply but before he had taken two steps Brayan laid a hand on the Master of Punishment’s shoulder.
‘Hold!’ Brayan rumbled.
Aog looked at the hulking quartermaster, his eyebrow raised in silent inquiry.
‘I would ask the boy a question first,’ Brayan explained. ‘He says he saw Master Narach’s body at the foot of the stairs … but I held my ground in the archival hallway. No monsters came past me. I swear on my life and my honour as a Master of the Academy. How then do you explain Narach’s death?’
Annev looked between Brayan, Tosan and Sodar. He shook his head, not understanding. ‘I don’t … what are you implying?’
Brayan rolled his shoulders and took another step forward, placing himself squarely between Aog and Tosan. ‘Elder Tosan, Master Narach was with you when the fighting started, yet you escaped the Academy while he did not.’
Tosan stuttered. ‘I … we were attacked. I dared not use the hellfire wand inside the Academy. The walls would have collapsed on us. So I fled.’
Brayan nodded. ‘How did you escape, and where did the monsters come from?’
Tosan shook his head, angry now. ‘I don’t need to explain myself to you, quartermaster. I am not on trial here.’ He pointed to Annev and Sodar. ‘They are.’ Tosan turned to the ancients and masters. ‘Stone them!’
‘Hold!’ Brayan bellowed, raising his war hammer. He pointed his free hand at Tosan. ‘Your innocence has not been decided! Empty your pockets, Elder Tosan.’
‘What?’
Myjun stepped in front of Master Brayan’s seven-foot frame. ‘Demon-lover! Leave my father alone!’
Brayan blinked, and his face hardened. ‘Annev says he believes Narach was killed by the metal demons, but he did not see them commit the act. Tosan says he saw the metal monsters kill Narach, yet no such demons passed me.’ Brayan pushed Myjun forcibly aside and took a step towards Tosan. ‘Is there a bloody knife in those robes, Elder Tosan?’
Tosan cast round the ancients and the Master Avatars for support but no one spoke. All seemed to be considering the quartermaster’s words when Sraon spoke from the back of the crowd.
‘Search him!’
Ancient Denithal furrowed his bushy eyebrows and shook his head, but Ancient Edra and Ancient Benifew both nodded.
‘It might be best,’ Benifew said. ‘You have not answered—’
‘I am not on trial!’ Tosan screamed, waving the wand at the group. ‘Stone them!’ he shouted, spittle flecking his lips. ‘Stone them now!’ He pointed the rod at Aog then gestured at a piece of red slag lying at his feet. ‘Throw that cursed brick at them! Break the Sons of Keos! Shatter them.’
Aog blinked. Then he bent down, picked up the stone, and lifted his arm.