Bk1: Ch9: Pg17
Cliste: Possessed? Are you serious?
Arayanna: Completely.
Cliste: Hmm.
1b.
Cliste: There is precedent for a not guilty plea due to possession.
Arayanna: Really? Will that help us?
2a.
Cliste: Unfortunately, no.
Arayanna: Why not?
2b.
Cliste: Maeye could be found innocent of murder, but then will be drowned for being possessed.
Arayanna: Drowned?
Cliste: Yes. It is based on an old superstition. The belief is when the body dies and the evil spirit escapes, the river will carry it away.
Cliste: Safe to assume that is not an acceptable outcome?
Arayanna: Definitely not.
3a.
Cliste: Alright. I will accept your case, although I must tell you...
Cliste: If things occurred as you said, the outlook does not look good.
Arayanna: Please. Anything you can do to help.
3b.
Cliste: I will go to the prison and meet with Maeye, and then I will interview the witnesses.
Arayanna: What should I do?
Cliste: Rest. You look exhausted.
Cliste: Where are you staying?
Arayanna: The Travelers Court.
Cliste: Alright. I will meet you there this evening and we will discuss our next steps.
Arayanna: Thank you.
4a.
Cliste: Maeye?
Maeye: Yes.
Cliste: I am Cliste Di'Doir. Your friend, Arayanna, has hired me to be your solicitor in your trial.
4b.
Maeye: Trial? It's that bad?
Cliste: Yes, this is very serious.
Cliste: Will you accept my assistance?
Maeye: If Aray trusts you, then I trust you.
4c.
Cliste: Excellent.
Cliste: Let's begin. Tell me everything you remember...
5a.
Cliste: Hello. Did you get some rest?
Arayanna: Not really.
Cliste: Well, I guess I did not expect that you would.
Arayanna: What did you find out?
5b.
Cliste: Maeye explained about her possession and what happened at the Beef & Burgundy.
Arayanna: And you believe her?
Cliste: Oh yes. She was very...
6a.
Cliste: Maeye, could I meet this Ji'Ohna?
Maeye: I am not sure. I will see what I can do.
6b.
6c. Maeye eyes open - all white, ghost overlay
6d. Cliste hair flying scared. Maeye hovering over her all ghosty.
7a.
Cliste: ...Convincing.
7b.
Waitress: What can I get you?
Cliste: If you don't mind sharing, I'll just take a glass.
Arayanna: I do not mind at all. It will help me feel less guilty when I wake and the bottle is empty.
8a.
Arayanna: So what else did Maeye say?
Cliste: Apparently the man Maeye murdered in the Beef and Burgundy, one Talhat Ragin, was part of a group of three young men that raped and murdered
one Ji'Ohna LASTNAME, who's spirit now shares residency in Maeye's body, just over fifty years ago.
Cliste: Despite this being a fairly clear case of possession and justified revenge, we cannot use that defense, for the reasons
we have already discussed.
8b.
Arayanna: So what do we do?
Cliste: There is one other course of action available to us.
Arayanna: What is that?
8c.
Cliste: Trial by combat.
Trial by combat? This will be interesting!
Yes! I can’t wait!!
That’s one way to make an impression while in jail haha
LOL! Never thought of that. I guess there weren’t any guards in view! 🙂
Trial by combat? You should have opened with that. Who do we have to crush?
Right! This part is going to be fun. 😀
I hope Maeye won’t feel guilty after the fight. Especially if it is a deathmatch.
I actually had a whole page of Maeye and Aray arguing over whether or not Aray should do this, but I scrapped it. We need action, dammit!!
will not comment on plot, because it’s captivating and (my guess) far from over…
but setting and scenery and camera and lighting… that is just best i’ve seen in this comic… one of the best of all comics in fact… You put an enormous work into this, Feori… and we are thankful for that!… 🙂
Thank you very very very much for noticing. 😀
Wish i could remember how i ran across this so could thank them. Been reading the archive over the last few days, quite impressed with your world building, characters, and art. I look forward to seeing what comes next.
I am like 90% sure I found Prentil on TopWebComics years ago when I was voting on another comic and took a look at the list. Saw Aray and Maeye (and not a lot of fabric! lol) on a banner and said “okay.”