The watching runeknights in the arena stands draw away as one. Gasps and the clatter of armor fill the air. I step back in shock too and hear gravel crunch as the rest of my guild follows my example. A few cry out in horror—probably junior ones, who were not yet aware of the full truth about my runes.

Benkal waves the sword through the air. The braziers dim momentarily. I clench my jaw and fists in fury. He's clearly done a good job of using my runes, despite the limited vocabulary he must have had available to him. Such an obvious display of dark power is bound to turn the dwarves here against me.

"Thief!" Ithis shouts out. "How did you come by those runes?"

"What does it matter?" Elder Brezakh shouts down angrily. "The only thing that matters here is the runes themselves! Where did you drag them up from, Zathar Rune-Finder? From what dark, grotty realm did you uncover these?"

"I made them myself!"

"Hah! So, the dark place is within your own heart then, is it? Is that what you're trying to say?"

His words strike uncomfortably close to the mark. My ruby burns. "You see darkness as evil—yet light always casts a shadow, and the brighter the light, the darker the shadow! Those runes are to be used to enhance our light only!"

"Is that so?" calls a new voice. I look to where it came from—it's the elder I struck at the gates who's speaking. He's returned, with a shallow dent in his helmet. "What about that shield of yours, of light and dark? It is designed to deafen your foes!"

"It is designed for defense like any other shield."

"Where did you find those runes?" Ithis demands again. "Runethane Halmak, we must know the truth about this! Those runes were not for purchase. The laws state that a designated script-searching guild can choose who to release their findings to for a determined period after uncovering them."

"Yes, uncovering them," Brezakh spits. "But you claim to have forged them. Which is it?"

Ithis is silent. They have us in bind here, I see. They're clever. There are, of course, no laws which relate to how newly forged runes can be used. The script-searching designation was just the closest thing available to us for legal protection. But under scrutiny, it isn't holding up.

"Be that as it may," Hayhek says, "the dictionaries are still our property. We included clauses to prevent their contents being copied freely. One of the clauses, I do believe, specified that any unauthorized use meant that the user must fight a duel—a more equal solution, we felt, than a fine, which any runeknight rich enough could ignore."

"Enough of this squabbling about dictionaries," says Brezakh. "My Runethane, proof of Zathar's wrongdoing is laid clear before us. Surely this outweighs anything else."

Runethane Halmak looks troubled. It seems clear to me now that he wasn't in on Brezakh's conspiracy—just like I left the running of my guild to Hayhek and Ithis while I forged, he's been leaving the running of his realm to the elders.

"Runes are tools," he says. "Tools are not evil."

"But these runes are tools designed for purposes most wicked. Zathar, when he made or uncovered them, surely desired them to be used badly."

"If we are so wicked," I protest, "then how come it is we who are reinforcing the Guardians Against Darkness, and not you? Guildmaster Nthazes trusts us."

"Infiltration!" comes yet another accusing voice. I look around the stands for it and spot Guildmaster Rothok. His face is twisted with fury. "You will turn against them when you have built up the numbers! You murderers!"

"We've done no murders," Ithis says. "We saved your dwarves, guildmaster."

"And then tortured them!"

"We fought one who attacked us. And he has not been so badly injured. He will recover, in time. We made sure of this."

"You should never have been down there!"

"We had to be there because you were conspiring against us. Runethane Halmak, we have not even touched on the starting reason for this trial: the plot to deny our guild coin."

"It is nonsense," says Elder Brezakh. "Runethane—"

"Silence, all of you!" Halmak roars suddenly. He lifts his diamond-jagged hammer aloft, holds it up as if ready to shatter the railing before him to shards. "Silence, silence, silence!"

At this command, silence falls. Everyone waits, eyes fixed on him, for him to say his next words. Slowly, he lowers his hammer back down, and then he speaks:

"Let's conduct this trial in something of a more orderly fashion," he says. "No more yelling at each other. You will speak only when I give you permission to. This goes for everyone, including the first-degrees."

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I nod. A second later, Brezakh does too, reluctantly.

"Now," continues the Runethane, "here's how I see things. Elder Brezakh, you accuse the Runic League of utilizing their runes to assist the deep darkness in some fashion. Zathar, you accuse Elder Brezakh of orchestrating a conspiracy to deny your guild honest coin. These are the main points of contention. Am I correct, Guildmaster Zathar and Elder Brezakh?"

"Yes," I say.

"Yes," says Brezakh.

"The issue of how the Iron Shields' dwarves were treated, we will deal with later. As I see it, they would likely all be dead if not for the Runic League's timely intervention. Any harm that came afterwards should be canceled out by that fact."

"My Runethane—" Rothok begins to protest.

"I said silence until I permit you to speak!" snaps Halmak.

Rothok falls into fuming silence.

"Let us first discuss these runes of darkness. Benkal, hold the sword before me so I can examine it more properly."

Benkal holds the blade out in front of the Runethane. As it moves through the air, it leaves a grayish streak, like it's robbed some of the color from the world behind it. How has he used my runes? My anger grows further. How dare he use my creations in such a fashion? How dare he use them against me?

"Read me the poem, Benkal."

"Yes, my Runethane."

He recites the words grafted to the blade. It's a short, simple piece, and elegant in its simplicity. In terms of structure I can only praise it, yet as for the contents—it speaks of a cruel being who seeks to extinguish every light there is, one by one. A crude story. Maybe that crudeness has worked to his favor, focusing all the power of the runes on one purpose: obliterating light.

"An interesting poem," Runethane Halmak finally says. "It certainly shows that Zathar's found runes have the potential to do great damage to our realm."

I nearly scream, manage to bite my tongue just in time. An angry outburst at this moment would do far more harm than good.

"If I may speak?" says Elder Brezakh.

"You may."

"What you say, my Runethane, is most correct and wise. Zathar's runes do have great potential to harm the realm. What is more, we have it on good authority that the runes of light used by the deep dwarves need no kind of darkness to accentuate them. You know this as well as I do, my Runethane. Their light is pure. Thus, Zathar's argument that shadows are required to make light brighter is nonsense. It is perfectly possible to have a room lit so bright that there be no shadows in it."

Runethane Halmak nods. "Yes, you're right. I do recall the deep dwarves saying something similar when they first taught us how to forge weapons of light." He looks down at me. "Your response to these arguments, Zathar?"

I curse under my breath. I must think fast—potential for harm—deep dwarves not needing shadows—how can I persuade Runethane Halmak that Brezakh is wrong? His arguments, bolstered by the blade of shadow, are strong ones. How can I smash them?

I start by talking about what I know best: runes.

"Yes, it is true that the deep dwarves need no kind of darkness to accentuate their light. That is their way of doing things, and all the power to them. But a runeknight must forge his own path. Mine is not a path lacking shadow, but is a path where light overpowers shadow. Both ways are powerful, and both are directed toward the same end."

Runethane Halmak nods. "That is well-said. Yet even so, we learned the ways of the deep dwarves to create our own weapons of light. They are perfectly strong. Why could you not do the same? They surely know more of shadow and its defeat than you do."

I hesitate a moment. "Forgive me, my Runethane, but as regards those weapons being strong, Guildmaster Nthazes has told me otherwise. I'm sure that your own weapon is powerful. But as to the overall quality of your dwarves' weapons—he admitted it was somewhat lacking. He has voiced no similar claims about the weapons created by my Runic League."

"Hah!" Runethane Halmak barks. "Is that so?"

The beating of my heart accelerates, and I begin to feel a little sick. But I keep on talking:

"I am sorry if you feel insulted, my Runethane. It is not my intent to cause any kind of offence. But I am afraid that Nthazes did say this. That's why he was so keen for my new script of light to be created. He needs more strength to wield against the darkness—strength that only my guild, with my new runes, can provide."

"You are very confident in these runes you have dug up."

"I did not dig them up, my Runethane. I forged them."

"That cannot be the case."

"It is the case. You can search my guildhall all you desire, and you will find no hidden tablets or anciently preserved armor. Indeed, I'm sure you already have searched it."

"Indeed," he muses. "Indeed we have."

"And since we are on the topic of the acquirement of runes, my Runethane, I really do think it is important we learn how Benkal came across my darker runes. I do not want weapons such as the one he's made to be created. I never want my runes to be used in the way he has, well-meaning as he claims to be. That is why I have forbidden sale of the dictionaries containing them. I am not irresponsible with my creations."

Runethane Halmak folds his arms. "I suppose that is fair. And I don't want thieves in my guild—Benkal how did you come by these runes?"

"They were given to me," the blonde-bearded dwarf answers, with no hesitation. "A worried member of the Runic League came to me with them. He told me that he was beginning to regret his choice of guild, and that someone needed to know the truth about Zathar's plots."

It takes all the strength I have to clench my jaw shut. Betrayed! If Benkal is telling the truth, that is—if he is, I will execute the traitor personally!

"And who was that member?" asks the Runethane. "We should hear from him too. Do you see him in the arena, Benkal?"

"He had cloaked himself most thoroughly, my Runethane. I could not see his face or even tell if he wore armor underneath the fabrics."

I scowl. A very convenient situation. My anger cools a touch. He's lying, I think. Otherwise, he'd certainly appeal have that dwarf step forward.

Ithis raises his hand. "I am just a lowly fifth-degree, my Runethane, but if I may be permitted to speak...?"

"What of?" says Halmak.

"All members of the Runic League are bound by law not to reveal our runes without permission. And all who purchase our dictionaries, as Hayhek mentioned before, are bound not to let others copy from them, on pain of being forced to fight a fair duel against a member of the Runic League."

"But with no obvious culprit, it is impossible to bring into effect the clause you mention, no? Unless the member of your guild in question steps forward now and admits what he's done."

"When I wrote the contract, my Runethane, I took into account the possibility that this kind of situation might arise. There is a sub-clause, if you care to examine the documents in my desk—it states that if the revealer of the illegally copied runes cannot be found, then the user of the runes will fight a fair duel in his or her stead."

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