the ravine floor. His throat cut.”
“Was there anything else unusual?” the archon asked, squinting down at the hoplite. “Anything to indicate that Xander and Halcyon had been in a lovers’ tryst?”
“I did find something odd. A strip of linen on the ground near Xander.”
“A strip of linen?”
“Yes, Lord. I do not know how else to describe it. A tourniquet, perhaps?”
A subtle movement caught Evadne’s attention. It was Straton; he had flexed his fingers and tapped his knee, and it seemed the archon noticed this as well. A wordless signal between the two men. Instantly, the mystery of the linen was forgotten as the archon said, “Very good, Iason. You are dismissed.” He wrote on the scroll before him, and it took every ounce of Evadne’s control not to raise her voice, to draw attention to the fact that Straton had just swayed the archon. “I now call forth Symeon of Aphra.”
Iason melted back into the crowd and another hoplite stepped forward. He also refused to make eye contact with Halcyon.
“Symeon of Aphra, you have known both Halcyon and Xander for seven years now,” the archon said. “What can you tell me of their relationship?”
Symeon replied swiftly, without doubt. “They were lovers, Lord.”
“And what evidence do you have, Symeon?”
“The two of them were very careful. But one day, I witnessed their affection. Last spring, behind one of the tents, Xander caressed Halcyon’s face, as a man does to the one he loves.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes, Lord. Xander and I shared a tent, and there were nights when he would steal away. I can only surmise that he went to be with Halcyon. They were also absent from camp for days, a few weeks ago. Some of us believed they had gone to a priest, to be secretly married.”
The commander shifted on his bench. Evadne darted a glance at him; his face was emotionless, but there was a gleam in his eyes. It almost looked like a warning, and the archon must have understood, because he promptly dismissed Symeon and called forth the final witness.
“I lastly summon Narcissa of Cantos, captain of the Scorpion Squad.”
A third hoplite approached the rostrum. She was tall and lithe, her long brown hair held captive in a braid.
Evadne recognized her. She was the warrior who had whipped Halcyon, and then knelt and cared for the wounds she had wrought.
At last, a flicker of emotion in Halcyon. Her brows pulled close together before she closed her eyes, as if she could not bear to look at her captain.
Narcissa, like the other two warriors preceding her, did not spare Halcyon a glance.
“Narcissa, you have been Halcyon’s captain for five years,” the archon began. “Tell us what you know of her.”
“Halcyon was one of the finest warriors of the legion,” Narcissa answered. “There was no one who could outrun her, and only few of us could disarm her.”
“So she is very strong?”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Is she prone to violence?”
“Yes. On some occasions.”
Evadne’s heart plummeted. Halcyon was not prone to violence. Halcyon was good. Halcyon was loyal.
“How would you describe Halcyon?” the archon pressed.
“Competitive. Private. Conscientious.”
“Does it surprise you that Halcyon would make such a grave error, if you believe her claim that killing Xander was ‘a mishap’?”
“Yes, it surprises me,” Narcissa replied. “As I said, Halcyon is conscientious. She rarely makes mistakes.”
“Did you ever suspect that Halcyon and Xander were lovers?”
“I confess the thought crossed my mind from time to time. Particularly when the two of them seemed to become inseparable. But Halcyon had never been one to tell me who she favored. As I said, she was private. She was focused on her training, entirely.”
The archon wrote in his scroll and dismissed Narcissa.
Narcissa finally looked at Halcyon, just before she turned away, but Halcyon’s eyes remained closed, her long lashes lying flush on her cheeks. Her face had gone pale again.
Evadne’s stomach wound in an anxious knot as the archon directed his attention to her sister.
“Halcyon of Isaura, I will now ask you questions, and by the wrath of the gods, you must answer them truthfully. Do you swear it?”
Halcyon opened her eyes. But she focused on nothing; her gaze was distant. “I swear it, Lord.”
“How long had you and Xander been shield mates?”
“Four seasons.”
“And did you choose Xander?”
“No. Lord Straton chose me for him.”
“Were you and Xander lovers at any point in time?”
Halcyon hesitated. “No. He was a brother to me, and I was a sister to him.”
Evadne knew Halcyon was speaking truth, despite her confliction. But whispers spawned in the