Wonderful. Excellent work, Harper. You survived four days in medieval England only to accidentally speed your own witch trial.
“That’s just logic,” I said quickly. “If the barons are gathering and drafting demands, the likely outcome is?—”
“The likely outcome,” the Baron interrupted, “is that King John crushes the rebellion and executes the ringleaders. That is what every reasonable man in this room expects. That is what the king himself is preparing to do. Yet you know otherwise.”
My mind raced through terrible options.
Divine revelation.
Druidic prophecy.
Insanity.
Or the truth.
“Because I’ve read about it,” I said quietly. “Where I come from, the Magna Carta is famous. Every student learns about King John and Runnymede. It’s taught in schools.”
“Schools,” the Baron repeated.
“Places where people learn history.”
“What kind of place teaches women history?”
The question came from the cold-eyed man, clearly intended to expose the impossibility in my story.
“Places in my time,” I said. “Women are educated where I come from.”
The Baron looked slowly around the hall at the other men. I could see the moment my words truly landed. Not the specifics. The implications.
I wasn’t merely claiming to come from somewhere impossible. I was describing a future where the entire structure of society was different.
“Guards,” the Baron said.
Two men seized my arms.
“Take her back to the tower. We’ll determine what to do with her after Runnymede. If the charter succeeds as this woman claims, we may have further use for her. If not, we’ll have more pressing concerns.”
They were dragging me toward the door when Geoffrey moved. He didn’t shout. Didn’t make some dramatic heroic gesture. He simply stepped between me and the exit.
“I want to question her further,” he said to the Baron. “Before you decide her fate. She’s mentioned strategic knowledge. We should understand the full extent of what she knows before making decisions about her execution.”
The Baron stared at his younger son as though Geoffrey had abruptly started speaking Italian.
“You wish to question a woman accused of witchcraft? Why?”
“Because,” Geoffrey said carefully, “if she truly is a spy sent from some enemy we cannot conceive of, then we are already compromised. And if she is not a spy, then she may be the most valuable person in this castle. A witness to the future.”
“She’s dangerous,” the cold-eyed man snapped. “She should hang.”
“After the charter is signed,” Geoffrey said. Something in his voice made the Baron pause. “Give me time to determine exactlywhat she knows. Either I’ll discover she’s a fraud, or I’ll gather intelligence that may prove useful.”
The Baron studied Geoffrey for a long moment.
“You’re thinking like a strategist,” he said finally. “Very well. You have a fortnight. But if she causes trouble, attempts escape, or behaves suspiciously in any way, she hangs immediately. Understood?”
“Understood.”
The guards loosened their grip slightly as the immediate threat of execution receded.
