The third and last part of the story related in the previous two posts

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Abada whirled on Khavar.

"Are you mad, Captain? In the space of ten minutes, you have given
away everything you own. Am I to see you next week in my court as a
bankrupt ushdar?"

Khavar shrugged nonchalantly. "I doubt it, Aabada. Next week, I shall
be guarding some dirt farm in Durva Province, and I understand that
there is nothing much to buy there, so little need of cash."

At that moment there was yet another knock at the door, and Khavar
held up his hand to stem the old jurat's rebuttal.

"A moment longer, good sir. I require your services as a witness one
more time."

He left the room and returned, accompanied by a red-faced Thresher in
his thirties, big-boned but running to fat around the middle. The
Thresher stopped abruptly as he caught sight of the jurat, and bowed
cautiously. Abada inclined his head slightly.

Khavar made the introductions. "Abada al'Jurat, may I introduce Hashem
al'Thresher of Lopolla. I heard that he was in Falwur making some
inquiries, and I invited him over in case I was able to help."

"Indeed you can, Captain," the Thresher rasped. "You were Saba's
commanding officer, were you not? Yes, you will be able to help me
finalize my report."

"And what report is that, Hashem?" asked Abada, disliking something in
the Thresher's manner.

"I have heard a rumour that the invasion by Bissel is in direct
response to a raid by Ketite soldiers. I came from Lopolla immediately
to gather the facts."

"And what have you discovered?" the Jurat asked.

Hashem licked his lips. "Abada, it is as the rumour suggested. This
invasion was precipitated by a border raid carried out by the officers
and men led by none other than Khavar here! However, Khavar was
evidently just a pawn in a greater game. The raid was planned by none
other than Saba, the same woman that some are now holding up as a
`hero'. Although it would be easy to believe Saba was unaware that the
Margrave of Bissel was being crowned on the same day as the raid, the
coincidence is just too great. It is clear that Saba is part of a
larger plot against the Beygraf, and sought to bring discredit and
dishonour upon him by forcing a war upon him against his will! She is
guilty of treason against the Beygraf!" Hashem's face was bright red,
and saliva sprayed from his lips.

"But she is dead," Abada pointed out.

"Yes, she is dead at the hands of the invading Bisselites, surely a
just punishment for her crime. But now her fellow soldiers wish to
raise her from the dead. With my evidence put before a reasonable
Jurat—" Hashem looked at Abada hopefully, "—I can arrest her the
moment she is resurrected. I will drag her in chains to Lopolla and
bring her before the Beygraf himself for judgement. She will hang from
a meat hook before the day is out!" Hashem's eyes gleamed greedily.

"Certainly that is an action that will bring you to the attention of
the Copper Palace?" Abada commented drily.

Hashem realized his naked ambition was written across his face, and
abruptly changed his manner, becoming once again the obedient
Thresher. "If the Black Scorpions were to learn of my initiative,
perhaps a promotion would be a just reward for my work," he said piously.

Khavar interrupted. "There is only one problem, Hashem."

The Thresher turned to look at him curiously. "What?"

"I planned the attack on Thornward that day."

Hashem's eyes widened. "YOU did? No! I have a copy of your official
report here, stating that Saba was the intelligence officer charged
with tactical planning for your unit." He started to dig through a
shoulder bag full of papers.

"In this case, you are mistaken. I didn't care for Saba's tactical
planning, and had recently demoted her while I took on the task of
tactical planning."

Hashem shook his head and threw up his hands angrily. "No! You did not
report that!"

"I didn't feel a need to after she died," Khavar interjected coolly.
"She was dead. Who cared that I had busted her down to ensign in
charge of the haywagon? However, I can see now that I was wrong to not
add that to my final report. I shall file a revised report with the
details of her demotion immediately."

Hashem blinked. Slowly he drew himself up. "Very well, Captain, if you
were the one who planned the attack, then I place you under arrest on
the charge of treason. Come along, I have an Archon standing by to
teleport us to Lopolla tonight."

"No," Khavar replied.

"What?" Hashem was dumbfounded.

"I said `no', you buffoon," Khavar growled. "You have no evidence, you
only seek to place me under arrest and then use my arrest as proof of
my guilt." Before Abada could intercede, the captain strode over to
the sword rack and pulled the presentation blade from its sheath. With
a yell, he swung wildly, knocking the Thresher's turban from his head.
By instinct, Hashem drew his own blade and parried another two wild
swings from Khavar.

"No! Stop it!" Abada cried. Having seen Khavar wield his family sword
with deadly precision only a few minutes before, he watched, appalled,
as Khavar ineptly cut and thrust as if he had forgotten how to use a
sword. It suddenly occurred to him what Khavar was planning, but
before he could intervene, Hashem lunged. Khavar parried, but the
cheap presentation blade shattered, and Hashem buried the point of his
blade in Khavar's chest. As Khavar fell to the ground, Hashem made to
crush his skull with another swing, but Abada interceded.

"Enough, Thresher," he commanded. "You have already killed him."

As Hashem fell back and leaned against a wall, breathing heavily,
Abada kneeled beside the mortally wounded officer. Khavar looked up at
him and smiled.

"Forgive me, Jurat," he whispered. "Two weeks in the stocks for lying
to a jurat. Saba was… best officer I ever… Like a daughter…" His eyes
closed.

Abada sighed and brushed off his hands as he rose. Hashem had
recovered some of his bravado.

"So Khavar was the traitor! I shall return to Lopolla at once and
write my report!"

Abada carefully looked him over, and the Thresher wilted a bit under
the old Jurat's steady gaze.

"Return to Lopolla? I think not, Hashem. You have made grave
accusations against a Kaman officer. You must show yourself in my
court by noon tomorrow and substantiate these charges with the
evidence you have managed to gather."

Hashem's eyes widened with panic. "But… but… my evidence. Yes, I was
in the midst of gathering it! But I do not have all the pieces yet."

"Nevertheless, you must substantiate these charges of a treasonous
conspiracy against the Beygraf."

"But he attacked me!"

"Self-defence is not a defence in Ket," the Jurat reminded Hashem. "If
you did not have evidence that Khavar was guilty of treason, then you
could not place him under arrest, If you were not placing him under
arrest, then the skirmish I witnessed was simply a fight between two
Citizens of Ket. The penalty for murder of an army officer is life in
the mines. However, I will be lenient and allow you until noon
tomorrow to present evidence against Khavar in my court. If you
cannot, you will stand trial for murder."

He moved past the horror-stricken Thresher to the door.

"And now I must go report this tragic event and see that Khavar's body
receives a proper cremation. And I also have a donation of ten
thousand lances to make to a worthy cause…"