Augustus noticed movement to his side. It was his bodyguard, Heratio, stepping forward. Augustus turned his attention seeing Heratio with an uncharacteristically serious expression. They locked eyes for a moment, long enough to snap Heratio back to his normal self, he stepped back to his previous position and gave Augustus a smile.

“Magistrate, did your bodyguard want to say something?” Said the freckled Ignacius.

“I will be asking the questions,” said Augustus with an admonishing tone.

Ignacius didn’t back down in the least. In fact, he seemed amused at Augustus’ response. “Then you should ask him a question. He seemed distraught just a moment ago. I think he wants to speak.”

Everything felt strange to Augustus. The issue at hand was a serious one, even more serious and inappropriate for this forum than the previous issue. That alone was enough to put Augustus on edge. But the tone the man took, the look on his face, the quality of his clothes all were alarming. Did Heratio know something? In any case, he surmised, when in the absence of information, he should take control while limiting other people’s control until the information is available.

“No, I will not. You have spoken out of turn twice now. I will warn you now, do not speak out of turn again, that is my order to you as a magistrate.” Augustus had throughout the proceedings shown some leniency when talking with the accusers and defenders, but he knew needed to reign that in with Ignacius. He questioned whether the audience would find it odd. But it was better to do it early.

Despite the warning, Ignacius didn’t falter, displaying his arrogant smirk.

Augustus looked the defendant, Keppe, over. Clearly, he had been tortured. However, that was not an issue as long as Ignacius could prove his accusation. It was standard practice to torture for a confession and the names of accomplices. Not that either of those things would be held as particularly strong forms of evidence. He was a fighter, perhaps Heratio knew him. Augustus concluded that was the most likely scenario, that Heratio recognized the man and felt distressed seeing the man was tortured. Heratio knew he shouldn’t speak and composed himself in time. With a vague grasp of the situation, Augustus decided to move forward and after an awkward pause of silence, he continued the proceedings.

“Ignacius, you may speak first, give us your details.”

“Certainly,” he said with a bow. “And I must say before I begin, I must apologize. I am sorry oh great magistrate, Augustus DeCastellian of the Castellian family, you are a dear brother to my own master. I would be infinitely remiss if I offended you.”

Everything became clear. This man, Keppe, was with Heratio when he attacked the Giovannus estate. Augustus lifted his hand to silence Ignacius. Worry slipped into the back of his mind, but he made every effort to keep it there, presenting the audience with an air of confidence.

“I must admit, Ignacius, I don’t remember meeting you before. I don’t recognize your face at all.”

“It has been only a short time since I entered into the direct service of your brother. After a tragedy befell so many of his attendants, he has been hard at work filling in his ranks. As such, I was blessed with the opportunity to serve him.”

“I can tell already, without you having spoken on the matter, that this has to do with the attack on Giovannus’ estate. By the seriousness of the crime that would be, it is inappropriate to bring it before me. This is neither the place nor am I the proper magistrate to be hearing this issue.”

The crowd was eerily silent. Those that had gathered here merely in the hopes to watch something interesting unfold were now intensely paying attention. They were getting quite the show.

“I was instructed to come here today by your brother personally and I have already paid the fee to have the issue heard. I will have to insist you do your duty and hear out the complaint. You wouldn’t want to both derelict your duties and rebuke the head of your family would you?”

As a magistrate, Augustus couldn’t just refuse to hear a grievance. He wanted to silence Ignacius, but doing that could cause more problems than letting him speak.

“I was merely offering advice. You there. Keppe was your name, was it not? I will offer you the same advice.” Keppe looked up, his face a blank, like an empty piece of parchment. His eyes stared through Augustus into some nether. “Do you even understand what is happening?”

Keppe’s mouth moved, but the voice didn’t carry through the air.

“Bannerman, tell me what he is saying.”

The bannerman moved over, putting his ear close to Keppe’s lips. “He says he understands.”

“Keppe, listen to me carefully. This is important. You can ask for a higher magistrate than I. In fact, I strongly advise you to do that. You deserve a proper forum. You deserve to have your crimes properly analyzed.”

Keppe moved his mouth again. “He says he has wronged the Castellian family. That he should face judgement by a Castellian.”

As Augustus thought he would, Keppe declined his advice. It was only natural, any delay would return him to Giovannus’ custody to continue being tortured. With a magistrate before him, he only sought the fastest route to his guilty verdict.

“Very well. Since I have my bannerman right next to you, and you have so clearly been tortured to the point where I imagine you would not put up a word of defense, I will ask you this now. Do you dispute any of the claims that your accuser will make against you?”

Keppe moved his lips. But as the bannerman listened intently to relay the words it was Ignacius who spoke, once again, out of turn. “That is quite irregular! You aren’t planning on just passing your judgement of his guilt without hearing me say my details, are you?”

“Ignacius, I have already warned you not to speak out of turn. An order from a magistrate while he holds court has been disobeyed!”

“Why must I be so silent? What is it that you want to keep hidden?” Ignacius turned, rather than facing the stage he began facing the crowd. His arms out from his body, as if he were baring his heart reading some soliloquy to the crowd. “I have quite interesting things to say.”

Augustus weighed his options. Ignacius, having clearly broken his orders, could be forcibly silenced. He could order other members of the crowd to contain him. But he offered the crowd something tantalizing, something they wanted. They might not follow his orders and after the first order is not followed, subsequent orders become less powerful. Things would get out of hand and his authority would deteriorate into nothingness.

Augustus rose out of his chair. “You will have your chance to speak. For now, be quiet or you should be gagged until it is time for you to speak!”

Ignacius bowed to the crowd, before making a motion with his hand as if he were turning a key at his lips. All while facing away from Augustus, a sign of disrespect.

“Bannerman, before I was interrupted, what did Keppe say to my question?”

“He said he disputes nothing, he is guilty of all crimes.”

“Ignacius, you will face me when you speak.” Augustus waited as Ignacius leisurely turned around, back to face the stage. “Now, Ignacius, tell us your details.”

“As you know, Master Augustus, your brother’s estate was attacked not long ago. Those inside, the servants, the guards, and the slaves, women and children, all slaughtered! You should have seen the charred remains, piled up like animals. My master, your brother, cried for them. He has a merciful heart, it feels the pain of the lower classes, and of even the slaves.” There was a performance in his speech. He Acted out emotions, displaying fear or compassion to emphasize each word. “Demons came upon my master’s estate that night. Or at least, that’s what I wanted to believe. I wanted to believe it couldn’t possibly be men, so heinous the crime, so brutal in nature. But, alas, I was mistaken.

“Many things were stolen that day, things of value. We prayed to the gods that justice be done. It was the great goddess Aurelia who delivered us a miracle. We heard news that an item was found, hearing the seal of Master Giovannus, one of the items that went missing. We found the person who sold it, attested to by the man who bought it. That thief is the man I have brought before you, Keppe. We found him in his apartment and we made him confess, and he did, and he said so much more.”

“I have heard enough to make my judgement,” said Augustus, putting up his hand to silence Ignacius.

“You may have heard enough, but has the crowd heard enough to satisfy them?” Ignacius turned around, signaling the crowd to respond. And they did, a raucous erupted.

“Silen–”

“He claims that the man there, Heratio, hired him!” Ignacius pointed boldly at Heratio.