Kilthanis stopped at the foot of the stairs leading up to the large marble edifice. His eyes had slight bags under them. It had been a hard night. To keep from waking Kelsey, he had eventually moved into a guest bedroom, where he tossed and turned. The Court’s decision just didn’t sit well with him, but neither did the promise he had made his lady.
He didn’t like what he was about to do. Lucas was his friend, for Gods’ sake. They had known each other for over fifteen years. But Kelsey was right. Based on those fifteen years, Kilthanis knew that Lucas’s decision could not be explained by a rational application of the law. Something more was at work.
But what could it be? Lucas was too upstanding to take a bribe. Not only was he respected for his legal mind, but he was also widely regarded as one of the most honest jurists in the Empire.
Kilthanis remembered when they had studied legal history together and had read about the days when justice in the outer edges of the Empire had been for sale. How angry Lucas had gotten. He felt it was a deep betrayal, not just to the God who all judges dedicated themselves to serve, but to the people who came before them seeking justice.
The Courts, Lucas had said, were the one thing that made the civilized people of the Empire better than the barbarians to the far north. Any person, no matter his or her wealth, was equal before the law. And the lowliest peasant could call the richest man in the Empire to account, thanks to the Law.
He supposed it was possible that the Emperor or his agents had tried to pressure Lucas into making the decision. Kilthanis knew the Emperor almost as well as he knew Lucas, and he didn’t think that was possible. But then, from all reports, the Emperor wasn’t himself since the death of his wife.
But even if the Emperor were to be so bold as to try and influence the Court, he doubted Lucas would stand for it. He’d sooner resign from the bench than cave in to pressure from the Emperor.
It was also possible, he reflected, that Lucas had merely given in to the same concerns that had likely swayed Lord D’Orne – the fear that the Emperor would ignore the Court. But Lucas was young enough, and enough of a firebrand, to welcome the challenge. He’d dare the Emperor to defy his order, betting that even he was not bold enough to risk the people’s wrath.
That didn’t leave many options, at least not any that appealed to Kilthanis. He’d rather it was the Emperor’s hand that caused this. Because the alternative was too terrible to contemplate.
And so here he was, about to march into the High Court and accuse its most respected member of improper behavior or undue influence. If he was wrong, it would most likely mean the end of his career.
If he was right, he would just wish it did.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes momentarily.
He opened them and began to walk up the marble steps.
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