Ildefonse convened the meeting in his usual manner, then glanced sidelong towards Rhialto, who maintained his silence. Ildefonse coughed and cleared his throat. “I will come directly to the point. Rhialto claims an unjust confiscation of his property. He demands restitution and punitive damages; failing satisfaction, he states that he will take his case to the Adjudicator. There, in a nut-shell, is the gist of our business today.”
Gilgad sprang to his feet, face purple with rage. “Rhialto’s posture is grotesque! How can he deny his crime? He beat poor Boodis and tethered him among nettles: a vile and heartless act! I declared as much before; I do so now, and will never revoke the charge!”
“I did not beat your beast,” said Rhialto.
“Ha ha! Easy for you to say! Can you prove as much?”
“Certainly. I was walking with Ildefonse beside the River Scaum at the time of the incident.”
Gilgad whirled upon Ildefonse. “Is this true?”
Ildefonse made a sour face. “It is true, in every particular.”
“Then why did you not say so before?”
“I did not want to confuse a case already turbulent with emotion.”
“Most peculiar.” With a set face Gilgad resumed his seat, but Zilifant immediately sprang erect. “Nonetheless and undeniably, Rhialto destroyed my harquisade tree with his floating plasm and left a horrid stench about the premises; further, so the rumor goes, he boasted of his accuracy, and imputed the source of the odor to me, Zilifant!”
“I did nothing of the sort,” said Rhialto.
“Bah! The evidence is clear, straightforward and unambiguous!”
“Is it, indeed? Mune the Mage and Perdustin were both present at Falu during the experiment. They saw me create four lumes of plasm. One drifted through my delicate silvanissa tendrils, doing no harm. Mune walked through another and failed to complain of odor. We watched all four lumes dwindle to sparks and die. None escaped; none departed the area adjacent to Falu.”
Zilifant looked uncertainly from Mune the Mage to Perdustin. “Are these allegations accurate?”
“In a word: yes,” said Mune the Mage.
“Why did you not so inform me?”
“Since Rhialto was guilty of other offenses, it seemed unimportant.”
“Not to me,” said Rhialto.
“Possibly not to you.”
“Who informed you of my boasts and insults?”
Zilifant glanced uncertainly toward Hache-Moncour. “I am not sure that I remember properly.”
Rhialto turned back to Ildefonse. “What are these other crimes of which I am guilty?”
Hurtiancz responded to the challenge. “You cast a spell upon my hat! You sent out mocking pictures!”
“I did nothing of the sort.”
“I suppose you can prove otherwise.”
“What does the pattern of events suggest? Clearly, the act was performed by the same person who beat Gilgad’s beast and vandalized Zilifant’s tree. That person was not I.”
Hurtiancz uttered a sour grunt. “So much seems to the point. I retract the charge.”
Rhialto stepped forward. “Now then: what other crimes have I committed?”
No one spoke.
“In that case, I must now place counter-charges. I accuse the members of this association, singly and jointly, with the exception of myself, of several felonies.”
Rhialto presented a tablet to Ildefonse. “There-on I detail the charges. Preceptor, be good enough to read them off.”
With a grimace of distaste Ildefonse took the tablet. “Rhialto, are you sure that you wish to go so far? Mistakes have been made; so much we acknowledge! Let us all, yourself included, make a virtue of humility, and proceed with renewed faith into the future! Each of your comrades will advise and assist you in every convenient way, and soon your situation will repair itself! Rhialto, is not this the better way?”
Rhialto enthusiastically clapped his hands together. “Ildefonse, as always, your wisdom is profound! Why, indeed, should we undergo the sordid excesses of a full-blown legal action? Each member of this group need only tender his apology, restore my goods along with triple damages, and we will return to the old footing. Hache-Moncour, why do you not set the example?”
“Gladly,” declared Hache-Moncour. “However, I would thereby compromise the others of the group. Whatever my personal concepts, I must await a vote.”
Rhialto asked: “Hurtiancz, what of you? Do you care to come forward and apologize?”
Hurtiancz shouted something incomprehensible.
Rhialto turned to Ildefonse: “What of yourself?”
Ildefonse cleared his throat. “I will now read the bill of accusations brought by Rhialto against this association. In detail the charges occupy eighteen pages. I will first read the ‘Topic Headings’:
TITLE ONE:
TRESPASS.
