The Reformation Wars: A Knight's Trial

Chapter 8

About an hour later, Tom made his way to the knights' sparring chamber with a belly full of food and a heart full of gladness. His brow wrinkled in confusion, however, when he approached the doorway and found a pair of his fellow knights standing at either side of it as if they were guarding something inside. They let him inside without an issue, but Tom found himself perplexed. 

Once he entered the chamber fully, another sight gave him cause to raise an eyebrow. Peter Raska sat with crossed arms on a small bench, which really consisted of just a plank of wood bolted to the wall, and from there, he supervised all five of his students besides Juan Feliz. They sparred under his watch and appeared to throw their whole hearts into every strike, every block, and every shift of stance. 

Tom grinned at the sparring knights' enthusiasm. They all gave their best, wooden swords swinging at dizzying speed. And when one swordsman prevailed over another, a spirit of friendship remained between them, the loser of the round giving encouragement to the one who had bested him before rising back up to go at it once more. 

Tom sat down next to Peter. "They're remarkable." he commented with a smile, "You must be proud." 

Peter gave a grave nod and kept his eyes fixed on his students. "More than I can express. I only wish I had more time." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"I've gathered them here for their last lesson ever." 

Tom frowned. "I don't understand." 

"My trial's at noon today, in case you have forgotten. And as far as I'm concerned, the verdict has already been decided." 

"I wouldn't lose hope if I were you, Sir Raska. The so-called evidence against you is scanty at best." 

"But at the same time, the evidence for me is equally thin, and mostly only my word." Peter groaned. "Besides, Juan is convinced of my guilt, and his persuasiveness is unmatched." 

"Well, he hasn't persuaded me. Don't worry, Sir Raska; I won't give up on you lightly." 

"I'm grateful for that, but I hardly find any comfort there. The High Council has already examined all the others and absolved them." 

Tom frowned. "Even Sir Feliz?" 

"Indeed. His examination was this morning, and he both entered and exited the Council chamber in high spirits." 

Tom exhaled a long sigh. "Who do you think is the culprit here? I simply can't bring myself to a conclusion, because all candidates appear equally unlikely." 

"That's the difficulty." Peter said with a shrug, waving a hand toward the five sparring students before them, "I can't possibly imagine any of them are behind this. Each one them either isn't skilled enough or not malicious enough to be capable of such treachery." 

"I agree. And you are far too passionate about Monterayne's welfare for me to conceive you betraying her. As for Juan, I feel he has too much to lose." 

"My thoughts exactly. But we cannot merely say such things and then count the matter settled. The fact is, somebody did train this unmarked swordsman, and only seven men could have done it." 

Tom met Peter's gaze with concern. "I certainly hope the Council doesn't condemn you merely for being the last to be examined, or for unrelated faults." 

"I'm almost certain they will. And that is why I must return to giving my last lesson." 

Tom watched grimly as Peter rose to step into the midst of his students and give more particular instruction. The Raskan master started rearranging them and setting pairs against each other, apparently based on his intimate knowledge of their individual strengths and weaknesses.