A great crowd encircled the raised platform in the center of the Core Ward. Pious troops were adorning the structure with the sacred symbol of the crucifix. Priests were chanting prayers to invoke God to stand watch over the trial. Matthew pushed his way through the crowd, unable to tell if his mother or father were standing on the platform. From where he was standing, he could see Lord Whelsey standing at the prosecutor’s lectern, but not much else was visible.
Sweat dripped into Lord’s Whelsey eyes. He glanced out from the podium to see the vast crowd gathering. In the distance, he could see Commander Verdas and his troops taking position along the outer perimeter of the crowd. Lord Drumpf, Commander Lance, and their troops were blocking the opposite side of the crowd. Behi
