Free The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell

wished to address the court before we call the next case.”
    “Yes.” Tobin’s father rose and met his eyes. Cold, all the way to the bottom. The trial had been real after all, but his father had been the judge, and the judgment had fallen against him. His heart beat faster. Father, please!
    “I will not suffer a traitor to take my lands—to sit in my house.” His father’s eyes never left Tobin now, filled with anger, determination, and grief. “I deny this man. He is not my heir. He is no longer my son. And if he ever comes onto my land, I will have the servants beat him off like a thief. Let the Speaker take my words and make them law.”
    Exclamations of surprise rippled through the room, but Tobin barely heard them. His eyes filled and he lowered them, grateful that he could no longer meet his father’s gaze. He could feel it, though, proud and anguished. It never left him until the guards led him out of sight.
    Tobin let the tears fall as he walked down the corridors in the guards’ grasp. Jeri and his mother should have told his father the truth. They should have told him. But if they had, would his father have abandoned Jeriah to face the Hierarch’s wrath alone? This went beyond anger, touching the unyielding core of his father’s honor. But now—
    The guards opened a door, shoved him through, and closed it behind him. Tobin tripped over the fringe of a finely woven rug and looked up, startled.
    This wasn’t a cell. Expensive rugs covered the floor, their colors bright in the sunlight streaming through the windows. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a tall, lean priest rose from behind a desk and gestured for him to take a chair.
    “Sit down, Sir Tobin. Should I be saying ‘Sir’ Tobin? No, I see I shouldn’t, but sit down anyway.”
    Tobin sank numbly into the chair and the priest reseated himself and gazed at him over steepled fingers. He had the lined, ascetic face of a scholar, but he moved easily, like a man much younger than he appeared to be.
    “Let’s get the trivial things out of the way,” he said. “My name is Master Lazur, and I don’t care if you’re guilty or not. The conspiracy is crushed, the leaders dead, so it no longer matters. I have no desire to prosecute your brother, either.” He smiled and waved off Tobin’s attempted protest. “If that’s the man you’re protecting. If it’s not, fine. As I said, I don’t care. There are more serious matters at stake.”
    As Tobin wondered dazedly what could be more serious than treason, the priest leaned forward and said, “Tobin, you just lost your home, your family, your rank, and your honor. Would you be interested in a chance to win them back?”

The Knight
     
    “W ho do I have to kill?” asked Tobin, astonished.
    Master Lazur’s eyes widened.
    “That was a jest,” Tobin told him swiftly. “I didn’t mean…”
    Master Lazur had composed his expression—but still something gave his thoughts away.
    “You do want me to kill someone!” Tobin rose to his feet. “I’m not an assassin. Not for anybody—not for any reason. Find some other traitor to do your dirty work.”
    The priest neither moved nor spoke as Tobin went to the door and yanked it open. The two guards outside glanced at Master Lazur and shifted to block Tobin’s path.
    They were both armed, and he wasn’t. He couldn’t get out. Several seconds passed. One of the guards reached out and closed the door. Tobin stared at it, his back to the priest. He felt almost as foolish as he was furious.
    “Come back and sit down,” said Master Lazur quietly, “and listen. When I’ve finished, if you still want to leave, I’ll let you. Surely it will do no harm for you to hear me out?”
    Tobin returned to his chair and sat down, glaring at the priest.
    “It isn’t as bad as you think.” Master Lazur was smiling, a charming smile of genuine amusement. Tobin didn’t respond, and the smile faded.
    “I’d best start at the beginning.” The priest rose and