Laura’s POV

“OW! Watch where you poke that thing!” Laura snarled at the Palace Tailor for the third time since she got on the torture stool. She swore the hellion was doing it on purpose; there was no way a man vetted by her father could make such a simple mistake so often. One prick in his skin meant a trip to the headsman.

“Hold still!” The Tailor growled back at her. He stuck the needle into the hem of her hydra leather skirt with just a little too much force and snagged her skin yet again.

She didn’t have the patience to put up with this. So what if she wiggled a little...or a lot. He was the professional and he needed to deal with it. Besides, she looked great already.

“You are dismissed!” She commanded.

“But I have not even started on the embroidery on your left side. If you go out like this then—”

“It will be fine. When an oversight in one’s dress is done on purpose then it is not unfinished but avant-garde.” She laughed softly to herself. “Trust me, this time next month half of the court ladies will be wearing dresses just like this.” She stared deeply into his eyes to impress her point upon him. When he capitulated and altered the design appropriately, she left the crafting wing for the Forum hall.

“You look striking, my Lady. Lillian called as she materialized from the shadows behind her.

“What have you been able to glean?” Laura asked the previously unseen cultivator.

“It is both better and worse than you feared. The nobility is definitely planning on causing trouble and the Senate plan to annex the Adjudicator for themselves…”

“But?”

“Ahem, ” Lillian cleared her throat. “The problem lies with the Hierocrasy of the Almighty. They have it in their deficient craniums that the Adjudicator is an agent of the Almighty and plan to get their filthy mitts on him by any means possible.” She sniffed in derision.

Laura paused her step when she heard those words. This was not good. She had been relying on the church leadership to be so blinded in their own vices to interfere. “The hierocracy has never bothered with politicking openly in the Forum before. It goes against their image. They would rather sneak around like rats in the dark!”

“Yes, my Lady. I have already deployed the Bruisers to guard his dorm building.”

“That...that is excellent forethought. Thank you Lillian for standing at my side and thank you for being where I can not.” Laura bowed to about shoulder level and clasp her right hand over her heart. This was the greatest sign of respect a member of the Imperial family could give to anyone, not from their bloodline.

Lillian staggered in surprise at her leader’s abrupt motion. Her cheeks colored and she looked away. “This is too much, my Lady. You must maintain your dignity. Do not cast it away for one such as I!”

“Nonsense! You are my closest friend and I have placed a terrible burden upon your shoulders. My grace is the least that I can offer you.”

The pair traveled in heavy silence to their destination.

…

“That is why we, the Hierocracy of the Almighty, should be the ones to shepherd and protect the nascent Adjudicator so that he may better fulfill his role when he is ready.” The cocky Bishop swaggered back to his bench in the clergy section.

“That conniving son of a...grrrr,” Laura growled under her breath. This was their third attempt in the last hour to suborn Jack. They didn’t even know his name, just called him the ‘nascent Adjudicator’. Laura didn’t know why they wanted him, she just knew that it wouldn’t end well. The Sentinel had taken extra care to make sure to target the clergy specifically during the events following their botched ritual. She had been the only one spared by the cosmic entity they had poked with a sharp stick. It had only been after the Sentinel had given her specific instructions that it created strategic cuts on her body at her behest because the person closest to the source of devastation walking away wouldn’t have been suspicious at all.

Inhale. Exhale. Whew, she performed her favorite breathing exercise several times before she could unclench her jaw. Next on the podium was a speaker for the nobility. They had been painting Jack as some kind of horrible monster and had laid all the blame for the failed summoning ritual at his feet. Blah blah, miscreant. Blah blah, make an example. It didn’t help his case that he had gotten into a brawl with a noble brat that very same morning.

When the noble had finished raving, her father spoke for the first time since sitting down on his throne of arbitration, thus starting the Forum assembly.

“I will now hear the testimony of Princess Laura!”

That was it. No, how was your day dear? No, you look pretty in that dress. Sigh. Laura was disappointed in herself for expecting more from him, this ice, cold man. So she shook off her funk and alighted onto the speaker stand.

“One month ago, I was tasked with the duty of creating a great Working. The purpose of which was to open a hole in Space and Time to summon the Adjudicator. The ritual took the combined efforts of several major factions and was performed yesterday morning at dawn. Many of you have heard bits and pieces of the story that make it sound like a failure but we were successful in summoning the Adjudicator, Jack Hearth.” Protests erupted from around the world at the conclusion of Laura’s pronouncement.

“How many of our finest died because of your failure!”

“That is not enough! How are you planning to compensate our losses!”

“Silence!” The voice of the emperor resounded throughout the circular chamber. As was typical of him, he did not raise his voice yet he made himself heard all the same.

“Continue!”

Laura bowed slightly in acknowledgment and continued. “While the ritual did successfully summon the Adjudicator, his master the Sentinel was aware of our actions the entire time. The entity piggybacked on the ritual and altered it to serve its own purposes.” Gasps and whispers of shock echoed throughout the room. Laura just waited for it to die down before she continued.

“The Sentinel punished us for our daring and left a warning for those few that were still conscious. ‘Do not seek to control my Champion. For if you do I will rip your entire Empire apart brick by brick. That concludes my report on the ritual.”

The Emperor stared off into space for several long seconds before redirecting his regard back to the here and now. “Report on the whereabouts and status of Jack Hearth!”

Oh Almighty, Laura thought. He called him by name! Jack’s hazy public persona was his only real protection at the moment. Those in power were still treating him as a hypothetical and not as a person. He had been more of an object or political tool than a person to them. That was gone now.

“Ahem, Jack Hearth is currently enrolled at Laurentius Academy as a Magi. His course work goes over the basics of gathering and using the power he already possesses. His current affinity is for Fire but may change as he learns our ways. He has been assigned a bodyguard from my honor guard to both guard and guides him.” At this point she was utilizing every internal spell she had to keep her vitals stable and her voice calm. Any signs of panic or guilt would result in her father reassigning Jack to someone else. She could not show fear.

“Do you possess copies of your ritual diagram?”

She almost blew her cool right there, this was the question she had been waiting for, it was time to cover her but before the angry old men in the stands above her could set her up like a cat’s paw. Her father would most likely hand her over to them if she couldn’t find enough evidence to exonerate his efforts.

“I possess several copies of the diagram, prototypes, research papers, and an appendix that lists all the sources of research that we, ” she gave a flourish to a cluster of several people that were part of the research team, “reviewed in the research and development of the working. I served as the administrator and chronicles for this project, as such I have them right here.” She activated a Spatial ring, causing a stack of parchment the height of her hip to fall to the ground with a pulpy splat. She was gratified by all the appropriate ‘ooh’ and ah's that reached her ears.

“Very well! You may resume your seat.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She bowed at the waist in the appropriate bow for acknowledging her sovereign in public, then whipped around to retake her seat.

This time he addressed the crowd “I have made a decision. Matters will remain as they are until this time next month. This time frame will serve to show where the Adjudicator's allegiance truly lies. Dismissed!”