Page 173 of The Shattered Rite
“Strange,” she said, voice mild, as if nothing had changed. “I would have thought they'd look away from the truth.”
The glow deepened briefly, a heartbeat of molten light, then slowly faded back into her skin like embers banked after a storm.
She folded her hands neatly in her lap, her useless eyes still unblinking.
The panel said nothing.
Not for a long, heavy breath.
Then, finally, the woman judge’s voice cracked the silence—far less certain now.
“That will suffice.”
Eliryn smiled.
Cold.
Knowing.
In her mind, Vaeronth rumbled softly.
Approval. Not of her defiance. But of her truth.
Well said,he whispered.
I wasn’t trying to be defiant,she thought.I just couldn't be anything other than honest.
That’s why it worked.
The next questions moved forward. Garic answered his flawlessly. Whitvale stumbled once—only slightly, but she heard it. And so did the judges.
When her next turn came, Eliryn didn’t lash out. She didn’t need to. She answered with calm clarity. She could feel the panel recalibrating. She wasn’t just a relic to be examined. She was a threat they’d misjudged.
By the time the trial ended, Garic’s quiet support remained beside her like a constant. And Whitvale, for all his precision, no longer felt as composed.
When the final ink dried, the judges rose.
None of them looked at her.
Eliryn smiled faintly, bitterly.
Cowards.
Vaeronth’s voice was quieter now. Not approval this time. Something more like… pride.
You didn’t lie,he said.Even when they hoped you would.
Then maybe I’ll pass this trial after all.
You already have.
The scrolls were closed.
The trial was over.
None of them had died. Not this time.
But the Flame had seen them.
