seemed to be identical bookends. She lifted her chin. "We are not guilty. We had no reason to believe that she was married."
Tuartha lifted a hand and two more forest guards stepped forward. The care woman from the previous night who had told her to leave was between them. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
The woman looked at Asha with fear in her leaf green eyes. "Lady Nritha came to me and asked me to tell her everything I could learn about your wife."
Tuartha scowled. "Did she use the term wife ?"
"Yes, High Lord. She did. She was most specific. She even wanted details on the ring."
There was a gasp from the gallery and those assembled. Attacking a Warder was one thing, but the wife of a High Lord being targeted was beyond what was acceptable.
The lady in question was standing with a sneer on her lips, but her brothers were a little more uneasy.
"What else did she tell you?" Tuartha's voice was not unkind.
"I was to wait until you took the goblins to the guest house and then signal her before I approached your lady to tell her that she had to leave. I don't know what happened next, but when your guards arrived this morning, I knew that Nritha had not been as successful as she had hoped."
Tuartha bent, lifted Asha from her spot in his chair and sat down with her on his lap. Several of the males in the audience laughed, but they sobered as Tuartha called power.
His voice took on a timbre that went far beyond his normal baritone. "Lady Nritha, Lords Arcor and Neral, I sentence you to banishment beyond the wards. You will live your lives outside the protection that my soul mate has offered." He waved his hand and they were escorted away with the forest guard binding them with magic.
The third man was held tightly by two of the guards.
"Eiran. You drew a blade and attacked my wife while she was holding a child. That is one of the vilest acts ever perpetrated in our city."
"That goblin bitch has no business in our city." He was considerably less dignified than the previous group.
"Guards, step away. Eiran has chosen his fate. Life in the human world." Tuartha gathered his power and speared Eiran with it, draining him of his power and shrinking him down to the size of a mythical leprechaun before flicking him through a portal.
The care attendant was the last one standing.
Tuartha looked to Asha. "For the care giver, she took no direct action, but if you wish to give her an admonition, you are welcome to."
Asha realized that this was the point at which she would become the High Lady in the eyes of his people. Their people.
She stood and went to the care giver's side. "You are put in a position where folk have no choice but to trust you."
The woman swallowed, her eyes welling with tears. "I am sorry."
"I believe that you are, but are you sorry for your part in it or that it was not successful? That is the question that burns in me."
Asha had never executed the spell she was about to engage, but she trusted that it would work if she didn't use too much power.
"I don't believe in torturing folks for bad judgement, they do that enough on their own. I will give you a set of moral training wheels that will assist your judgements in the future."
Asha gathered power in her hands and the care giver stepped back only to be stopped by the forest guard. "This should not hurt, but in the future, you will be unable to betray a trust. You will know when you are on the edge of betrayal and the truth will flow from you in a stream of words. As long as you deal fairly with folk from here on out, this should not interfere with your life or duties."
The ball of energy leapt from her hands and into the care giver. The energy covered her before absorbing into her flesh. The green of her eyes brightened in surprise and she smiled for a moment before doubling over, clutching her belly.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Asha leaned forward and the woman whispered in her ear.
The moment that the words were out, the woman regained
Tuartha lifted a hand and two more forest guards stepped forward. The care woman from the previous night who had told her to leave was between them. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
The woman looked at Asha with fear in her leaf green eyes. "Lady Nritha came to me and asked me to tell her everything I could learn about your wife."
Tuartha scowled. "Did she use the term wife ?"
"Yes, High Lord. She did. She was most specific. She even wanted details on the ring."
There was a gasp from the gallery and those assembled. Attacking a Warder was one thing, but the wife of a High Lord being targeted was beyond what was acceptable.
The lady in question was standing with a sneer on her lips, but her brothers were a little more uneasy.
"What else did she tell you?" Tuartha's voice was not unkind.
"I was to wait until you took the goblins to the guest house and then signal her before I approached your lady to tell her that she had to leave. I don't know what happened next, but when your guards arrived this morning, I knew that Nritha had not been as successful as she had hoped."
Tuartha bent, lifted Asha from her spot in his chair and sat down with her on his lap. Several of the males in the audience laughed, but they sobered as Tuartha called power.
His voice took on a timbre that went far beyond his normal baritone. "Lady Nritha, Lords Arcor and Neral, I sentence you to banishment beyond the wards. You will live your lives outside the protection that my soul mate has offered." He waved his hand and they were escorted away with the forest guard binding them with magic.
The third man was held tightly by two of the guards.
"Eiran. You drew a blade and attacked my wife while she was holding a child. That is one of the vilest acts ever perpetrated in our city."
"That goblin bitch has no business in our city." He was considerably less dignified than the previous group.
"Guards, step away. Eiran has chosen his fate. Life in the human world." Tuartha gathered his power and speared Eiran with it, draining him of his power and shrinking him down to the size of a mythical leprechaun before flicking him through a portal.
The care attendant was the last one standing.
Tuartha looked to Asha. "For the care giver, she took no direct action, but if you wish to give her an admonition, you are welcome to."
Asha realized that this was the point at which she would become the High Lady in the eyes of his people. Their people.
She stood and went to the care giver's side. "You are put in a position where folk have no choice but to trust you."
The woman swallowed, her eyes welling with tears. "I am sorry."
"I believe that you are, but are you sorry for your part in it or that it was not successful? That is the question that burns in me."
Asha had never executed the spell she was about to engage, but she trusted that it would work if she didn't use too much power.
"I don't believe in torturing folks for bad judgement, they do that enough on their own. I will give you a set of moral training wheels that will assist your judgements in the future."
Asha gathered power in her hands and the care giver stepped back only to be stopped by the forest guard. "This should not hurt, but in the future, you will be unable to betray a trust. You will know when you are on the edge of betrayal and the truth will flow from you in a stream of words. As long as you deal fairly with folk from here on out, this should not interfere with your life or duties."
The ball of energy leapt from her hands and into the care giver. The energy covered her before absorbing into her flesh. The green of her eyes brightened in surprise and she smiled for a moment before doubling over, clutching her belly.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Asha leaned forward and the woman whispered in her ear.
The moment that the words were out, the woman regained
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