Mars the Divine (Empire of Time Series) by John Argo

Page 8.

Chief Blue said: "It appears he flew to the tower, at just the right time to meet you, whether you knew he was coming or not. How would he know when to find you here unless you told him you would be there."

"Or," I added, "If someone in the Dome told him besides myself."

"That would imply a traitor among us," said Chief Brown. "Care to speculate who that might be, if you wish to press that charge?"

"I have no idea. I just know it wasn't me." I knew that if I pressed any charges, I would have to name someone, and this whole matter would become vastly more serious. Pressing a false charge could lead to my being disciplined, even expelled for life.

Chief Blue said: "We follow Sacred and Ancient Direction in our correct thinking, which dictates that we follow only the facts. That is to say, inductive reasoning does not allow us to assume that for which we have no evidence. So far, the simplest explanation is that you arranged to meet him at that time, in that place."

Chief Blue added: "There is very little privacy in Dome life, and that time and place was one of the least likely for you to be seen. Oh, by the way, did you leave the bolts undone for him to enter by that bolt hole?" He held up a bent, rusty little hand-jack. "We found this on a wall below the opening. "

On and on they went, hour after hour, twisting words and thoughts, withholding water, depriving me of sleep, while the Abbot and the Council members took turns silently watching and listening in. All the while, I pushed aside all thoughts of what Timony had told me. I was so harried that I had no time to think about it.

At last, after three days, the Abbot spoke up. "I have discussed this with the Council, and we have come to a decision. Chiefs, in all of your interrogations you have failed to establish any firm case against Brother Farr. You have tried hard to attack his honor and his credibility, but you have not succeeded in demolishing his argument that the Heretic broke in to communicated with him, and that they spoke of old times, and that your people burst in prematurely, causing the death of the Heretic before he could be captured and questioned. For that failure, we hold you responsible, Chiefs. In turn, we also find that Brother Farr's story does not entirely ring true, but we do not have sufficient grounds to discipline or terminate him. Therefore, you will remand the monk into my custody, and I will pursue this matter as a Temple matter until and unless I develop new information that would cause it to again become a civil matter."

That was pretty much the end of it—for the moment.

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