The trial had begun.
A-in stood in the center of the great hall, his wrists bound, his face was pale as ivory. At the far end stood Tabia, his mother, and beside her, their master, Jura.
The hearing was held in the public court within the city's administrative hall. A crowd had gathered, citizens, servants, and slaves alike, each eager to witness the judgment of the accused. Murmurs rippled through the hall like restless winds, as the scribes seated in the upper wing began to record every word. Above them, upon a raised platform, sat the high judges, solemn men whose duty was to question the accused, the accuser, and the witness, that Ma'at's truth might prevail.
"I, Tabia, slave of Jura, do swear by Thoth, the Divine Scribe of the Gods, that I shall speak only the truth and nothing but the truth throughout this trial," said the woman, her trembling hands pressed together as she made her vow.
The trial commenced.
"Mother," A-in spoke bitterly, his voice quivering yet defiant, "will you swear by Thoth, who records every truth, only to cloak thy soul in lies? You have grown so desperate for your own life that you would bind yourself by oath and still betray it? Think, will the god who measures every word permit the tongue of falsehood to go unburned?"
Tabia stood firm, though her eyes flickered with fear. She answered not, as though her silence were a shield until her turn to speak.
"Ha!" Jura scoffed, folding his arms. "There! Hear how he dares speak to his own mother without respect. Mark my words, such insolence belongs to the heart of a murderer."
Shortly after, the interrogation began. Before A-in was placed a narrow wooden table, no higher than his waist. One of the guards approached and set upon it a blood-stained stone, the very object that had struck the mistress's head.
"According to the investigation," declared one of the judges, "this object was used to murder Hilda, wife of Jura. Is this true, Tabia?"
All eyes turned to her. The hall fell into heavy silence. Long she hesitated, as though the weight of her guilt pressed upon her tongue. A-in hoped foolishly that remorse might yet awaken within her.
"Yes, your honor," she murmured at last, her voice quaking so plainly that even the audience felt her dread.
"Then, point with thy hand to the one who struck the blow."
And once again, cruel as fate, Tabia raised her trembling hand and pointed toward her son.
"It was not I!" cried A-in. "Mother, how can you—!"
"Silence!" thundered one of the judges, his voice echoing to the farthest corner of the hall.
L "The accused shall not speak unless permitted."
A-in bit his tongue and clenched his jaw, his eyes burning with unshed fury. He could neither protest nor breathe freely, his heart pounding like a trapped bird in his chest.
"Tabia, slave of Jura," said the judge coldly, "tell us how the accused and that weapon are connected."
Tabia drew a deep breath and began.
"I saw A-in take the stone and strike the mistress upon her head—"
"Which part of the head?"
"The right side, your honour, above the temple."
"Proceed."
"He struck her with such force that she collapsed to the ground—"
"How many times?"
"Once, your honor."
"And that single blow took her life?"
"Yes, your honor."
A murmur spread through the crowd. The judges turned their eyes toward A-in, whose face had turned white with disbelief.
"A-in, slave of Jura," said the presiding judge, "you have declared your innocence. Prove it now before the court."
"My lords," said A-in, drawing a trembling breath, "what I shall speak is the truth alone, without deceit or falsehood. Before the incident, my mistress was chastising both me and my mother, speaking words so cruel they pierced the heart. She mocked the name of my father, and at that moment my mother, overcome with wrath, seized a stone and struck her upon the head. That very stone lies before you now. I swear by Ma'at herself that I never touched the mistress, not even a single strand of her hair. If only you would look upon my mother's hands—"
All eyes turned toward Tabia. Her eyes widened, and for a moment, her composure broke.
"Tabia, slave of Jura," commanded the judge, "the court orders you to show your hands."
She hesitated, then slowly raised them for all to see. There upon her palms were stains of blood, long dried but still visible beneath the torchlight.
"These stains," the judge declared, "belong to the blood of the mistress. What say you, woman?"
Gasps filled the hall.
"I—I tried to stop the bleeding!" she cried. "I was tending her wounds, not harming her. While I did my best to save her life, my son stood idly by!"
The audience turned their eyes upon A-in once more. He said nothing, for it was true, he had not moved to aid the mistress. To deny it would be a lie, and he had sworn to speak truth.
"I… I—" he faltered, voice trembling. "Believe me! It was not I! Why will none of you hear me?"
"How are we to believe thy words," said one judge coldly, "when you cannot even defend thyself before men?"
"I am defending myself!" cried A-in, his restraint breaking. "Yet you hear only what pleases your own pride! You call upon Ma'at, but know not justice, you worship truth, but despise it when it speaks!"
The judges rose, their faces red with indignation.
"Silence, fool! How dare you insult this sacred court?"
"Execute him!" someone cried from the crowd. "Burn him!"
"Behead him!" shouted another. "Hang his head upon the temple gate as warning to all who defy the judges of Ma'at!"
Chaos filled the hall. In their rage, none remembered that justice was yet to be served. The scribes hastily opened their scrolls to record the verdict that had already been decided in anger rather than in truth.
"Ten days from this hour," read the presiding judge, "before the steps of the Temple of Ma'at, A-in, slave of Jura, shall suffer death by beheading, as punishment for his crimes."
A-in's world fell into ruin.
Was this the justice of Ma'at? Was this divine truth or mortal pride dressed in holy robes?
His gaze drifted to his mother. She stood unmoved, already turning away. Jura smiled beside her, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"What are you smiling for?" A-in shouted, his voice breaking. "The true murderer of your wife stands beside you, walking freely under your very shadow!"