A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Oliver stared at the man in wonder. Of all the surprises, to think, he'd see Lombard here, dressed as he was when Oliver had first met him. Even the loss of Lombard's arm didn't seem to do anything to cut into his authoritative appearance.

The Ministers of Logic and Information glowered at him, but Lombard thoroughly ignored them as he drew up to the bottom of the steps, and bowed to Hod with his helmet grasped under his arm. Hod nodded his appreciation. For General Tavar, Lombard gave a crisp salute. Tavar acknowledged it in the same way that Lombard had acknowledged the salute from the guardsmen.

"As I said," Hod went on, a smile on his lips, "we have proper leeway."

"Leeway for what, might I ask, Minister?" Tavar said, a frown on his lips. He didn't seem to have caught onto whatever Jolamire and Lazarus had.

"The motion ended in a draw, did it not?" Hod went on. "And the proper protocol for a draw would be to bring in the next Lord on our registry, would it not?"

"It would," Tavar agreed. "Though such a thing has been disputed, because of the potential unfairness… Still, I see no reason to rid ourselves of that option. The registry of Lords is randomized, after all. One's position in the call-up cannot be changed, unless in the most extreme of circumstances."

"Indeed," Hod agreed. "Lord Blackwell was fifth on the registry. He was meant to attend the Trial today, but for obvious reasons, he could not. For a trial, the Lord has to be physically present, but for a tiebreaker vote, it would require far too much time if that were the case – one can cast their vote by letter."
Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

At Hod's words, Lombard revealed a sealed piece of parchment, rolled up from within his sleeve, he handed it to Hod. Hod showed it to the fellow Ministers, and to the audience. "Here we have an unbroken seal of Lord Blackwell, do we not?"

"You brute!" Jolamire hissed. "You didn't ask for the vote – you prepared it in advance! There's a motion to dismiss in that, isn't there, Tavar?"

"How could there be? How could it be anything but fair, dear Minister of Coin? Do not forget, the votes were drawn anyway, were they not? I merely had an added vote on hand, in the case that we ever fell to a draw," Hod smiled.

"This won't stand!" Jolamire said gravely. "The King should have had the final say on this!" That was another option that one had for deciding the draw. They could defer to the King, and have him have the final say. It was an option often used if one wanted their verdict to be less argumentative. A decision from the King would lay all matters to rest, after all.

"The King has no authority in these halls," Hod told him. "A thing that you should all do well to remember." He handed the piece of parchment to General Tavar. "General, if you would."

Tavar regarded the Minister of Logic steadily, contemplating what had transpired. It seemed too cunning, too conniving… To be able to prepare a vote like that in advance, did it not go against their laws in some way or fashion? But no matter how he spun it in his head, Tavar couldn't see what rules had been broken.

If they'd chosen this option, indeed, they would have selected the next Lord on the list and had him cast his vote by letter. As it happens, Lord Blackwell was the highest on the list, even more than the next in line.

If the next in line was at position 0, Lord Blackwell was at position -5. In accordance with their laws, his vote couldn't really have had a stronger hold. Such was the conclusion that Tavar came to. Looking at the Minister of Logic, he wondered why he'd even bothered to think. In matters such as this, Hod would always be far above any of them.

Such was why he was the youngest Minister – by far – amongst their order, and why his position was tolerated, even when he acted impishly at many important occasions.

With all bearing witness, Tavar pressed both his thumbs against the seal and cracked it. He unfurled the parchment. He could tell from the scent of it that it had been written in a war tent. A nostalgic smell. Leather and armour oil, grass and sweat and smoke. The scents of war.

He almost had to pull himself back from the nostalgia in order to read it.

"On the trial of Oliver Patrick," Tavar read aloud, "Lord Blackwell expresses that he finds the defendant not guilty, regardless of circumstance. This letter makes it quite clear that Lord Blackwell's vote is to always be cast in the favour of Oliver Patrick's innocence, no matter where the contents of the trial might lead…"

It was a rather bold thing to put into a letter. The trial could have taken a turn halfway through, and pinpointed some other aspect of Oliver's life, and Lord Blackwell's vote would have meant something different. But in there also lay the letter's strength.

None could protest that the vote wasn't specific enough to their circumstances, that it would be ill will against Lord Blackwell to use it without having sent him the transcript of the trial first.

It was hard for Oliver to fathom how many people had really and truly stuck their necks out for him. He was still half risen out of his seat. What did this mean? Was this it? His heart beat its anticipation.

They waited for Tavar to say it but from the looks on Jolamire's and Lazarus' faces, it was all but confirmed. Hod's own expression softened, back into how people were used to seeing him, that playful expression, where his eyes seemed to be seeing a different world to they – a world where life was but a joke.

"Then… Unless anyone has any further complaints that they might make," Tavar said carefully, eyeing the row of Lords that stood in front of him. They shifted uncomfortably, but none could find good strong grounds in which to dismiss the vote. How could they? How could one expect to outmanoeuvre the Minister of Logic? "Then, I suppose, we have concluded this trial.

With six votes against five, Oliver Patrick retains his innocence and shall be freed without restriction."