"The court calls forth the defendant."

  I walked out of the door and started walking. The grandstands above and around me were almost full, jostling crowds moving at a minor murmur. What was different this time was that I was called out before the prosecutor, or the panel of assessment. Oh shit, if Pina's not here, am I going to get a new prosecutor?!

  "Defense takes the stand," the bailiff intoned. I stepped up into place, laid my hands on the top of the lectern. I was wearing a nice rose-orange shade, a delicate multi-layered look. It had a nice hat that went with it, which I kept on with a scarf because it was chilly today.

  "Your Honor," i said, dropping a curtsy.

  "Lady Natalie," he said, shifting from one side of his chair to the other, leaning on the armrests. "I am to tell you at this time that due to the events of yesterday's session, we have finalized our decision to declare a mistrial. This was not a decision made impulsively, this outcome was considered from the time you cross-examined your first witnesses."

  This I'd read about. In Hearstcliff, a mistrial does not work like I assumed it would. Where I'm from, mistrial means we start over and try to get it right this time. But the spectators of Hearstcliff don't like reruns. They like novelty and spectacle. So a mistrial is less of a "do-over" and more of a "sudden death overtime".

  So here we are. Myself, the judge, the court reporter, the bailiffs and the not-a-jury panel of assessment. Oh, and like fifty thousand members of the viewing audience, live and in person.

  "In the case of the Kingdom versus Lady Natalie Harigold, of the charges including mass murder, grand larceny, rampage, destruction, obstruction, arson, poisoning, threatening and loitering, rebutted by an invocation of the Vendetta Defense, this court has declared a mistrial due to the actions of both the prosecuting and defense attorneys, both of whom have been relieved of their involvement in this trial and their offices to practice. As such the defendant shall address justice itself without the counsel of defense and without the examination of prosecution. The panel of assessment has been gathered to determine all of the facts once and for all. At this time, the court of the council and the kingdom does move to remind the defendant that they are addressing justice, and that any attempt to conceal, prevaricate, distract or mislead will be treated as perjury and obstruction."

  "I understand these terms, your Honor."

  I had an ace in the hole. I had come up with a gambit last night, after thinking about things that Yheta had said. Specifically about how marrying up could redefine his life's path. That to move from a count to an earl would assure him a role in rulership and governance rather than trade and investment. It got me thinking about succession, ascension, and relegation. If these bozos fucked with me, I'd go over their heads. As an earl I could simply refuse to acknowledge the authority of barons and gentles to rule judgement over me. If I did, they'd have no choice but to assemble a panel that did have that authority- which means getting a dozen people that outrank me. There are seven dukes, two protectors, four marquises, and one king and one queen. Of that fifteen people, twelve would need to travel here, from their own lands and their own jobs and their own comforts, and sit in a box for several hours next to each other in the open air during the winter. Either turn the whole kingdom upside down just to spite me, or grant me my release.

  It's a good gambit. The paperwork for it checks out. I was hoping it would not come to this.

  The judge nodded. "Very well. In this, the trial of Hearstwhile Kingdom versus the Ducal Princess Lady Natalie Francine Daria Harigold, second heir to Duke Matthew Reginald Renault Harigold and Duchess Thamsin Rithika Daria Harigold of the Central House of Harigold. Earl of Falloweast, Countess of Caintwell, Countess of Raintall, Protector of Zhudten, Dame of the Realm, Thirty-second heir of the throne of Hearstwhile of Freckentop House. We the court do pass the bounds of procedure and progress directly to the pursuit of justice, in the persons of this panel of assessment. The panel has been granted all relevant information, documentation and access to the witnesses, and they have assessed independently. It is now fallen to the defendant to speak truth and reveal." He paused, dramatic effect, and then turned solemnly to the side.

  "The first assessor."

  A woman in black robes and a black veil stood up. She was in the front row, far left. She glanced at pages in her hands, then back up at me. "Lady Harigold, how did the crew of the Glorious Curmudgeon die?"

  I blew out a breath. "For two days they had all consumed multiple meals consisting of sorcerously conjured meats and flour. I was able to maintain the conjuration until they were far enough from shore, and then dispelled it. The effects of consuming sorcery-conjured food are well-documented, but may be mistaken for an aggressive form of poison. The captain of the ship had rented out a tavern, the Swooning Spear, for two days to keep the rowdy crew separated from other patrons, for the safety of all. I convinced that same tavern keeper that the captain had also made arrangements to have food supplied and brought wagonloads of mutton, game and flour. It is my belief that the the barman did not believe my story but chose to accept it anyway because doing so would defray his costs and increase his profits. I repeatedly warned him not to give any of this food to anyone except the crew of the Curmudgeon. I imagine that the entire crew was dead within a few minutes, with no chance at all to reach shore and find a healer." Fuck that hurt to say. It was just so gods damned cold-blooded.

  The assessor nodded. "Based on the defendant's relentless pursuit of this one crew, and her unwillingness to give up even after multiple dead ends and the the failure of direct attack, this station finds in favor of the defendant's Vendetta. If one has almost died in direct confrontation, and then chooses to spend two days lurking and skulking to kill those people with no possibility of recovering any loot, then this must have been personal." She nodded and sat down.

  "The second assessor," the judge intoned.

  The next assessor was tall and gangly, and wore a black sash over his lower face and mouth.

  "Lady Harigold. At Sidio's vault in Broghton, exactly how much money did you keep for yourself besides distributing it to the poor, and why did you choose that amount?"

  This one was easy. "I did not keep so much as a crown or a coop. Every coin and clip that was in that room was blown out over the city as far as I could send it. I was not certain I would get away with the whole thing, and that I would likely be arrested, detained or killed in the pursuit of my aims. And if I had even a copper coop in my pockets, that money would be returned to the owner of the vault, returned goods recovered from the robbery. I did not want that individual to get any of that money back, at all. So any money on my person would be a liability."

  "Based on the defendant's petty vindictiveness, even to eschewing personal enrichment, this station finds in favor of the defendant's Vendetta. Nothing declares that the action was driven by pain, more than prioritizing the taking from others more than the having for oneself."

  I am positive that someone here, or everyone more likely, has some kind of scrivened spell to tell if I'm lying about anything. The prosecutor challenged me on everything, but everyone here just nods as if they were expecting my answers and would know instantly if I deviated.

  "The third assessor."

  "Lady Harigold. Why have you not advised your family to increase their guards and defenses in the wake of these events?"

  My mouth gawped open. I shut it again. "A few different reasons. For one thing, I don't believe it occurred to me. Secondly, I suppose I assumed they would have done so without me telling them?... but thirdly, is that I do not believe that the person who had attacked us in the first place would do so again, not after the message I sent."

  "Based on the defendant's reasoned control and proportional responses, this station rejects the defendant's Vendetta. It is believed that vengeance persists, and it either forms a cycle of escalation or it burns out with the destruction of its source. If one is sending a message to accomplish a goal, one is not throwing away reason for personal reasons."

  Oh shit. I did not realize that this could happen. Picking at my motives just to make purely personal interpretations? Access to what appears to be perfect lie-detector magic and refuting all evidence-based procedure?!

  "The fourth assessor."

  "Lady Harigold. Describe your role the attacks and machinations between caravans and bandits during the year leading up to these events."

  I tried not to pout. "All right, so, I did personally attack some bandits to keep a caravan safe. And then I did use magical abilities at my disposal to spy on our business rivals to find where they were planning attacks in order to avoid those blockades and ambushes. My family did not initiate the trade war, or the armed conflicts. But I am the one that first got family members personally involved. And, frankly, I feel responsible for part of that. Maybe things would not have progressed along this precise outcome if I had not made myself personally present for these conflicts. And I think that anger at myself for my role in this probably played a part in how heated I got in pursuit of revenge- making my guilt at my part in this into part of the fuel for the fire."

  "Based on the defendant's own culpability in the escalation of violence and her failure to direct violence against herself, this station rejects the defendant's Vendetta. One must be wronged by another, not one's own actions, to require vengeance."

  One of the other black robes stood immediately.

  "The ninth assessor."

  "This station finds in favor of the defendant's vendetta for all those reasons. This station finds that the defendant's sense of guilt and culpability is on display here in her performance of this trial, castigating herself for all to see and extirpating her sins. The hatred of oneself is purged in a different avenue than hatred of another, and the defendant has demonstrated a sincere degree of both! They are not mutually exclusive!"

  The judge banged his gavel, but nodded that the assessor be seated.

  Three in my favor, two against. Could be worse.

  "The fifth assessor."

  "Lady Harigold. How do you reconcile that you acted on behalf of your family with the knowledge that you may never see them again because of this, that you may have acted against them and deprived them of a daughter instead?"

  "I can reconcile it because my family makes me happy and at the time nothing about happiness was entering my mind at all," I said. "I could see with great clarity the path to my revenge, but the ripples spreading outwards, and backwards, just did not exist at the time. Yes, a smarter decision would have been different, but when I chose violence I did not consider contentment."

  "Based on the defendant's dissatisfaction with her outcomes and malcontent with this situation, this station rejects the defendant's Vendetta. If you want more than just revenge, then revenge is not a good enough reason for mass murder."

  "That's not what I said!" I blurted out, but the next woman was already standing.

  "The sixth assessor."

  "Lady Harigold. Are you aware you could reject this court's findings and declare yourself immune to charges from this august body? That you could declare that you, as a highborn scion of a Central House, cannot be judged or made to answer to minor nobility? And that, moreover, it would be exquisitely difficult for this council's agency to bring together enough dukes, marquises and protectors to form a panel against you?"

  "I am aware of this, and I have noted it. In fact it was under consideration as a tactic before this mistrial procedure began, and I'm not sure I've reconsidered the idea in light of these unexpected changes."

  "Based on the defendant's habit of nesting contingencies and backup plans, this station rejects the defendant's Vendetta. If she truly does have extraordinary visions and information, as well as previous awareness and details, then this entire circumstance was a scenario she already had a plan for. If you stand back and allow a harm to be done to you, you cannot swear Vendetta to harm them back!"

  Three in favor of my defense, four against. That's okay, this could easily turn around for me.

  "The seventh assessor."

  "Lady Harigold, two things can be true. Can you give us any assurances that your actions, while technically mostly in line with a vendetta procedure, do not also profit your House or faction greatly at some point in the future?"

  "Wait, like... at any point in the future? In perpetuity? Can you narrow that down any? I've got more information than most people but that's not an unqualified omniscient foresight! I can't make positive declarations about open-ended future! And, to the interest of answering your question directly without anything at all left out or distracted: no, of course I cannot guarantee that!"

  "Based on the defendant's conveniently inconsistent prophecy, which appears to tell her exactly who has wronged her in such a way that she cannot be asked to explain herself to us, this station rejects the defendant's Vendetta. This station finds that every crime has a root in profit and ambition, without exception."

  "The eighth assessor."

  "Lady Harigold, do you see any conflict between the repeated assertions from witnesses and history that you are a peaceful and kindly child, and the degree of violence inflicted?"

  "No I do not. For some people gentleness is a feature of their character and a reflection of their preferences. For other people, gentleness is a reflection of their environment. All my life the people around me had earned kindness and patience and peace. When that changed, I moved appropriately."

  The fourth assessor leaped to his feet. "Absolutely not! One cannot simultaneously embrace the violent and malicious methods used in these crimes and also the benevolence and honor to invoke the Vendetta defense on behalf of others!"

  "You cast your vote already," the eight said, shoving him on the shoulder. "And she damn well can. People are more complicated than your ledgers, you coot. And if someone attacked me like they attacked her, I'd damn well lash out too! I'd probably not restrain myself as much, either!"

  "Seconded," the tenth assessor said, standing briefly. "I also cast my vote to support the Vendetta Defense."

  Five to five. Two assessors to go, because the ninth has already cast her vote.

  "The eleventh assessor," called out the judge.

  This was a portly figure in a veil, who stood with the aid of two canes. "If you found that the message you sent was not effective and your mysterious enemy attacked your family again, would you break out of prison and chase them down again?"

  "No I would not," I said, after a minute of consideration. "That's the first thing they'd look for. I would attack from a more oblique angle, something they do not expect, rather than throwing magic blasts until they were dead. If it did not work the first time I've no reason to think it would not fail the second."

  ""Based on the defendant's clarity of thought and purpose, this station finds in favor of the defendant's Vendetta. A course of revenge is more than a rationale for spree killing. To separate the two indicates an honest motive and not a mere random violence."

  "The twelfth assessor," called out the judge.

  Six in my favor, five against. This last guy would either win me the trial, or end this in a tie.

  "Lady Harigold," he said. "Why did you stay to watch the tavernmaster and his family die?"

  "Because it was my fault," I said. "I tried to tell them not to, I tried to eliminate collateral damage. Because I decided that killing those pirates, from that ship, was more necessary than keeping my hands clean. But if I'm going to make a decision like that, I cannot turn my back on it. I needed to see, to bring that guilt away with me. Not wondering, not imagining, but to see my violence. I don't know if they have anyone to mourn them. So I have to."

  "The difference between a vendetta and an assassination, is the mess it leaves behind," he said. "This station finds in favor of the defendant's Vendetta."

  I gasped, clasping hands to my mouth. Seven to five. My favor. I won.

  "We conclude this mistrial procedure, and this court releases the panel of assessment. Your wisdom is appreciated. Let all know that Lady Natalie Harigold's vendetta is just and true, and she is exonerated of all present charges related to this."

  I leaned on the lectern. I won. I was going to go free.

  "Now then, Lady Natalie, it's time to settle up," the judge said.

  "What?"

  "Now that we've resolved your kingdom-wide rampage, I'd like to address your jurisprudential rampage. Lady Natalie, I would like for you to guess how many charges of contempt I've tallied."

  "Um, five?"

  "Come up some."

  "Fifteen?"

  "Warmer."

  And that's why I went back to prison instead of walking free. Oh well. I would have missed Gedes.