The earl glanced at his two companions briefly then nodded.
“Approach,” the earl commanded, his steely gaze fixed on Oskar.
Oskar walked up to the earl and handed him the document. “This reveals Eberwyn’s involvement with the Disinherited and proves that he is trying to frame the Order of the Osprey. If ye compare the writing to Eberwyn’s testimony against the Order, ye will see that it is a match.”
The earl’s eyes narrowed. “Grave accusations indeed.”
As the earl and his two companions studied the document, doubt gnawed at Lily. What if it wasn’t enough? What if Eberwyn managed to slip through their fingers?
“Silence!” The earl’s voice boomed through the courtroom as murmurs began to rise. His eyes never left the parchment, his brows furrowing in concentration. The man’s eyes darted back and forth between the damning document Oskar had presented and another written document which she guessed was Eberwyn’s written testimony. She watched as the earl’s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.
“By the saints,” he breathed, his voice barely audible. “It’s a match.” He passed the documents to his companions to examine and then looked up. “This is written in yer own hand, Eberwyn. Explain yerself.”
“Yer Lordship!” Eberwyn barked, his face flushed with panic and anger. “This is outrageous! They are clearly attempting to frame me! Bailiff! Do yer job and arrest these people!”
The bailiff, the same skinny, pockmarked man who’d come to the aid of the people in the market following the fire, hesitated,glancing between Eberwyn and the earl, unsure of whom to obey.
“Dinna take another step, bailiff!” Magnus growled. “Ye have questions to answer too.” He turned to the three justiciars. “My lords, on the night Alfred Brewer was broken out of gaol, Lord Eberwyn replaced the town guard with this own men so he would be able to orchestrate the whole thing. He paid the bailiff and his sergeants to look the other way during the escape. This document proves it.”
Magnus strode forward and held out a rolled parchment. The churchman took it and unrolled it, his expression darkening as he read. He handed it to the earl.
“Preposterous!” Eberwyn spat, his face contorting with disdain. “Both those documents are forgeries—amateur attempts at deception concocted by these criminals.”
Lily held her breath, watching as the earl and his companions scrutinized the documents, their expressions inscrutable.
Finally, the churchman looked up and fixed his eyes on the bailiff. “What say ye?” he asked the man. “Is what this document appears to show true? Did ye and yer men take a bribe from Lord Eberwyn? Be careful how ye answer. Remember that only truth may be spoken in this place. God is watching. He will know if ye lie.”
The bailiff looked around nervously. His gaze flicked to Lord Eberwyn who was glaring at him.
He swallowed thickly and then faced the churchman. “I never took a bribe, yer Grace, I swear it. It’s as Lord Eberwyn says: those documents are forgeries.”
A faint flicker of triumph shone in Eberwyn’s eyes as the churchman and the earl nodded thoughtfully. Lily’s gut clenched. Was Eberwyn going to get away with this after all? No. No way. She wasnotgoing to let that happen.
“Wait,” she said, stepping forward with clenched fists. “I have my own testimony to offer. I’m a witness to Eberwyn’s crimes.”
The earl leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “And who might ye be?”
“My name is Lily Jones. I’m a visitor here and I have nothing to do with the Order of the Osprey. I got caught up in all of this by accident but I saw what Eberwyn did first hand.”
The earl regarded her with interest and gestured for her to continue. Taking a deep breath, Lily began recounting her experience as Eberwyn’s hostage, detailing how he had coerced Oskar to break Alfred from jail by threatening her, Magnus and Emeric, how she had escaped and then returned to free the others, finding Alfred and Alice Brewer in Eberwyn’s townhouse, along with the documents they’d presented as evidence.
As she spoke, her anger and frustration bubbled up, and she found herself striding closer to Eberwyn, pointing an accusing finger at him. “This man is a manipulative liar! Not a word he’s said in this courtroom is true! He’s the traitor and the one that should be on trial!”
Eberwyn’s face turned a deep shade of red, his eyes blazing with fury and a murmur swept through the courtroom as the spectators absorbed her words. Lily caught Oskar’s gaze, and he gave her a small nod.
“Ye give compelling testimony, my lady,” the earl said. “And I canna ignore the written evidence presented.” He fixed his gaze on Lord Eberwyn. “If I order a search of yer townhouse what will I find, my lord? If I order the bailiff’s sergeants in here and ask them whether ye gave them a bribe, what do ye think they will say?”
Eberwyn’s face contorted with sudden panic. Before anyone could react, he lunged at Lily with the speed of a striking snake.He grabbed her roughly by the arm, yanking her towards him, and pressing a knife against her throat. Her breath hitched as the cold steel pushed against her skin.
“Stay back!” Eberwyn shouted, his eyes wild and dangerous. “Or I’ll slit this wench’s throat!”
The courtroom erupted into chaos. Oskar strode towards them, fists clenched.
“Let her go!”
“Stay back, or so help me, I’ll do it!” Eberwyn hissed.
“I’ll kill ye!”
