After just a brief few hours sleep, it was a bleary-eyed group that set out to the courthouse to see the results of our labours in bringing the slavers to Vallus’ justice.
The courthouse was packed with people, and it was streets out as we began to see the statues lining the walkways that we started to have to part them to pass the first few. However as more caught sight of us, the ways parted. Our fame, it seems, continues to spread.
Inside the wide vaulted hall seemed cool and the voices from the centre echoed up clearly to the crowds gathered, through clever acoustics. The talk started dull, with frequent questions and appeals to King Acastus’ vanity, pleasing him that he could appear in control of these crowds. Vallus is indeed skilled, bringing in his opinion to sway popular matters that needed that and keeping him aloof and above ‘the mundane issues’ that he could sway in ways contrary to the good of the city.
As the matter of slavery was brought up though, it was the vile accusations of Gaius that floated through these vaulted halls. The man had the sheer gall to claim that minotaurs were not people and didn’t deserve the same protections as the humans of the city.
How can such prejudice drive anything but a culture of hate? A society that remains weak and divided? Perhaps that division is what Sydon wants- only united can we hope to match his sheer power.
Theo and Helikaon gave fine speeches refuting his stance and when the votes were tallied, Gaius was found guilty of his crimes and banished from the city.
Good riddance to him, but I get the horrible feeling we haven’t seen the last of him.