“We’re more interested in learning howyoufound out,” the Grand Chancellor stated.
Brutus paused, then straightened to his full height. “Not telling.”
“A shame. If you were willing to give us the name of your accomplice, we might consider leniency.”
Brutus snorted. “You wouldn’t be able to find her anyway. Trust me, I’vetried. Not even sure she’s still alive.”
“Then it shouldn’t be a problem naming her.”
Brutus raised his bound hands and waggled a finger at the Grand Chancellor. “Nice try, but I’m evil, not a snitch.”
The Grand Chancellor abandoned that line of questioning and focused on the next issue. “You are further accused of using a child to infiltrate the Kingdom of Bane. You are aware, I’m sure, that even evil mages have an age of consent? Children under the age of thirteen cannot consent to evil acts.”
“Unlessthey are your own flesh and blood, or an orphan. Then it’s up to the guardians to decide.”
The Good Wizard frowned and spoke up, “That only applies to taking an apprentice. Even then, apprentices are only allowed tolearnevil practices, they are not allowed tocommitevil acts until they are at least thirteen years of age.”
Brutus’ self-righteous hands slowly lowered.
“Didn’t think we would know that rule, did you?” sneered a good wizard on the other side of the stands.
Brutus’ eyes flicked between the gathering of wizards before him. Then he blurted out, “I demand evil representation.”
“Denied,” the Grand Chancellor replied.
“But—”
“Your own council has wiped its hands of you. As it turns out, none of them wish to be associated with a man who would send his son into enemy territory with no magical skills and no way to protect himself.” The Grand Chancellor looked over his half-moon spectacles at Brutus. “You understand your son could have died, correct?”
The evil mage said nothing.
“Onto the next charge. Finally, you are accused of creating an unregulated pocket dimension within the Grimnight Forest and manipulating the timestream within it.”
“What?” Brutus exclaimed, genuinely stunned by this claim. “I’m not capable of that!” Realizing what he’d confessed, he screwed his lips up in displeasure.
“Who would be?” asked The Good Wizard, though he already suspected the real culprit. He sadly scratched his incoming beard. Seventy years he’d been growing his original beard, only for an evil brat to chop it off to impersonate him!
The evil mage who had just claimed he wasn’t a snitch immediately put all blame on another. “My apprentice! It must be him. His name is Wilde, no surname. Orphan, I think.”
“You believe anapprenticeis powerful enough to create a pocket dimension?” the Grand Chancellor drawled.
“Yes! Well, I don’t know about the pocket dimension, but I’ve seen him manipulate time before! Now, if you want to blame someone for Treasure’s death,Wildeis the real culprit. Wilde stopped time, and the next thing I knew, Treasure had been stabbed. Really, it’s all Wilde’s fault he died.”
“Your son Treasure is alive,” the Grand Chancellor said.
Brutus stared at him unspeaking for a long moment. “He is? But he was … that branch wentstraightthrough him.”
The evil mage seemed more surprised than relieved to hear that his son had lived. The Good Wizard wondered if that had anything to do with his son also not agreeing with his father’s child-rearing methods. It wasn’t unusual in their line of work for sons to seek revenge against bad fathers.
“He is,” the Grand Chancellor confirmed. “When the apprentice created his pocket dimension, he interrupted the renewal of the KingdomDefense Spell. Until it is successfully renewed, all five royal champions remain necessary components for the spell. If Treasure had died, the defense spell would have already fallen, and your plan would have worked at the expense of your own son’s life.”
“But that’s exactly it! He’smyson! NotBrendon Banes’son! Treasure doesn’t count for the spell.”
As the one who crafted the spell, The Good Wizard knew its parameters best. He cleared his throat, waited until he had everyone’s attention, and then said, “The moment Brendon Banes acknowledged Treasure as his son and awarded him the title of Prince of Bane, he became a viable component for the spell. Regardless of their blood relationship, he is a royal son of Bane.”
“I … but … they didn’t defeat me!Iwon that battle! They were my prisoners, so fuck your spell—” he jabbed a finger at The Good Wizard—“it should have fallen!”
“Regardless of your personal opinion,” The Good Wizard sneered, “it still stands.” Though he didn’t know how much longer it would continue to do so with all five champions stuck in a pocket dimension. The council couldn’t see past the dimension’s barrier without taking the risk of stepping inside.
