The Inquisition (Summoner, #2)(9)

‘Regardless,’ Arcturus said, turning to face the crowd and speaking louder. ‘There was an altercation between the four gentlemen, resulting in Didric attempting to kill Fletcher with a concealed blade. I ask you again, Lord Cavell – do you deny it?’

‘It was self-defence. The madman was choking me,’ Didric said, waving his hand as if it were barely worth mentioning. ‘In fact, it only proves that he already had the intention to kill me, not to mention an even greater motive to do it, given what transpired that night.’

‘I am glad that you brought up self-defence,’ Arcturus said, pacing to the other side of the room. ‘For that will be very relevant later in the case. Now, given that Rotherham and Fletcher were friends and had even fought side by side, why would you be so surprised that Fletcher was later found in possession of the book?’

‘I didn’t say that, Calista did. She hadn’t been involved in the fight, so she didn’t know. I guess that was her reason for following, not ours,’ Didric replied smoothly, the good side of his face half crooked with a confident smile.

‘So why did you follow him then?’ Arcturus asked.

‘Curiosity. A boy going to a graveyard in the middle of the night is suspicious, don’t you think?’

‘Nothing to do with getting revenge for him beating you in that fight the night before?’ Arcturus pressed. Fletcher tried to hold back a bitter laugh, but the garbled snort that resulted earned him a severe look from the judge.

‘No,’ Didric responded, leaning back and crossing his arms again.

‘Well then. I guess we’ll just have to trust you on that. I find it curious that you and Jakov would not mention your fight to Calista, given the several hours you must have been together, but I’ll leave that for the honourable judge to consider,’ Arcturus said.

The judge huffed, then, after a shrug, scribbled something in his notes.

‘So then, at the graveyard,’ Arcturus said, tapping his chin. ‘Despite you having almost disembowelled him the night before and there being no love lost between you, Fletcher invites you to watch him attempt to summon a demon? There was no argument, no bad blood, when you surprised him there?’

‘I am a forgiving person, Captain. I didn’t threaten him and he certainly didn’t threaten me – not with two armed guards behind my back. Obviously, he was planning to set the demon upon us, so he acted all nice until he had the demon under his control.’

‘Ah. Control. I’m glad you brought that up. Tell me, what is the first thing you learn in summoning lessons at school, after infusing and your introduction to the ether?’ Arcturus asked.

‘Demonic control …’ Didric admitted, a flash of doubt crossing his face for the first time. Fletcher couldn’t help but smile. This line of questioning was obviously not one the bully had expected.

‘Do you really think, within a few minutes of summoning a demon, that a novice such as Fletcher could make it attack you? Without provocation, no less?’ Arcturus demanded, waving at Fletcher as if he were an incompetent. For the first time, Fletcher was glad of his filthy appearance. It certainly didn’t paint him as an expert summoner.

‘As I’m sure the judge is aware, controlling a demon is nearly impossible for someone who has just summoned their first one, especially when that person has had no previous knowledge of the art,’ Arcturus continued, raising his eyebrows.

‘Yes, this is true,’ the judge said, after a moment. ‘That does merit some thought.’

‘Maybe there was something in the book that taught him how to do it properly,’ Didric suggested, though his face had lost some of its colour.

‘I have here a copy of the same book, for evidence,’ Arcturus said, striding back to his desk and pulling out a thick sheaf of papers from a satchel he had brought with him. He slammed it on the table with a weighty thump, releasing a puff of dust. ‘I can assure the judge that there are no instructions on demonic control within its pages. Shall we take a recess for you to read through it, your honour?’

The judge looked at the tome in horror; it would take days for him to read it all. Fletcher couldn’t help but grin at Didric’s crestfallen expression. The arrogant boy had shot himself in the foot by preventing a real lawyer from speaking on his behalf. Only a summoner of Arcturus’s experience would have thought of that line of argument.

‘I’ll take you at your word, Captain,’ the judge said, clearing his throat. ‘I agree that it does cast some doubt over the prosecution’s version of events, but one might also argue that Fletcher is naturally gifted. I will, however, take it under due consideration. Please move on to your next point.’

‘Certainly, sir. I will now question each witness in turn. I also ask that they do not speak until I tell them to,’ Arcturus said, clasping his hands behind his back and stepping in front of the three witnesses.

‘Now, I want you to go into as much detail as possible. Let’s start with you, Private Calista. Tell me, what happened at the graveyard? What did Fletcher use to summon the demon?’

‘I … can’t really remember,’ Calista said, momentarily taken aback. ‘It was two years ago, you know.’

‘I do know. Just like you know exactly what he said and how he said it, on that night. But you don’t remember the tools he used? You witnessed a demon-summoning, but it didn’t seem a memorable event to you?’ Arcturus asked.