Contents
Chapter 36. Before: Maris
Overview
At a crisis tribunal, Vitrasian is charged with treason and summarily executed, igniting public shock. Luca’s grief erupts into violence as he kills two legionnaires, and a radiant halo appears above him, marking him as touched by fate. Meanwhile, Kastor’s death positions Luca to inherit his faction, but chaos disrupts the Forum.
Summary
At dawn, tribunal bells summon the Magistrates after Vitrasian’s public rebuke of the Citadel and the burning of her own study. Maris searches for Luca amid fears he may be implicated, learning his uncle died in the night, leaving Luca poised to inherit the faction but unable to take his oath immediately.
In the Forum, Vitrasian is brought in bound as the Consul frames her actions as treason meant to inflame the vulnerable, repositioning the Magistrates as protective victims after concealing crop failures. The gallery watches as accusations mount and the stage is set for a punitive display.
As the Consul calls the vote, Maris’s mother turns a white judgment stone. Luca breaks from the gallery, but before he can reach Vitrasian, a legionnaire beheads her. Luca collapses with her, sobbing as blood soaks his tunic, then seizes a short sword and kills both legionnaires in a surge of fury.
In the stunned silence, a golden halo manifests above Luca’s head, arresting the Forum. The omen brands Luca with divine favor, transforming his act from raw vengeance into a moment of portent, even as the political order reels and his path to Kastor’s seat is thrown into uncertainty.
Who Appears
- MarisNarrator; witnesses the tribunal, fears for Luca, and observes the city’s political fracture.
- LucaVitrasian’s novice; learns his uncle is dead, watches her execution, kills two legionnaires; a halo crowns him.
- VitrasianPhilosopher; publicly rebuked the Citadel, arrested for treason, executed during the tribunal.
- ConsulLeads the tribunal, frames Vitrasian’s acts as treason, orchestrates a decisive, brutal example.
- Maris’s motherMagistrate; first to turn a white judgment stone, signaling the Forum’s will to execute.
- LegionnairesGuards who execute Vitrasian; both slain by Luca in the aftermath.