The Arcane Trilogy: Better Call Paul - Book 1

Chapter 10: The Trial of Sheriff Mallister

The day of the trial was upon them.

Paul had made his way through to the Piltover state court rooms, a fairly large building that was dwarfed by the size of the council building and the mighty hexgate tower that loomed over the city of progress. The trial of Sheriff Mallister had the honour of being held in the main and grandest of the court rooms due to the level of significance that the case had. It wasn't every day that the Sheriff of Piltover was put on trial.

As Paul pushed open the doors to enter the courthouse, he immediately noticed the smaller size of the room when compared to the gargantuan council chamber. The audience was fairly packed, but the room felt very intimate, with the ladies and gentlemen in attendance squeezed closer together. As his eyes scanned over the room, he was drawn in by the enchanting eyes he had committed to memory. Josy flashed him a quick smile, that he nodded in response to. Josy had initially been confused why he had invited her to the trial, with specific instructions to sit at the very back of the room and as close to the exit as possible, with commands that did elude her understanding. However, she trusted Paul's cunning and knew from his tone of voice that he genuinely needed her help, and she wasn't going to turn him down considering everything he had done for her and her father. She was also on his pay roll, and what he had asked was not a ridiculous request to make.

As he forced his eyes away from Josy, he noticed the neatly combed blonde head of Angela Redwin waiting patiently at the prosecution desk, but he could not spy Mallister anywhere. As he approached, he did not feel the same sensation of nervousness that he felt in the Hoskel trial. He felt more confident with each step he took, his plan firmly etched into his mind. He only wondered if that feeling would remain when Mallister's imposing presence descended onto the court room.

"Mrs Redwin, how are we?" Asked Paul as he placed his paperwork on the desk, flashing a smile to Angela.

"I'm doing alright." She replied as she tried to squeeze a smile through her slightly uncomfortable demeanour. Paul picked up on this and placed a hand on her shoulder as he sat down into his seat.

"You'll be ok. Just remember what we discussed, and you'll do great." He replied warmly in an attempt to ease her nerves, knowing all too well what the sensations she would be experiencing can feel like. She simply nodded as she retuned back to her thoughts.

Just as Paul was about to return to his own, the doors of the court room swung open accompanied by an unnerving atmosphere engulfing all in attendance. Sheriff Mallister strode into the aisle, smartly dressed in his uniform, his gaze as stern and emotionless as before. A few brave souls watched the Sheriff enter, but no one dared look the man in the eye, choosing to follow his path once he had passed them. His lawyer followed his steps closely, however, Paul could not recognise the woman that followed him. Her blonde hair was tied neatly back into a short ponytail and she looked to be a few years older than Paul. She briefly glanced over to where Paul's desk as he tried to decipher her neutral expression, but she gave nothing away, almost acting as a mirror to the Sheriff.

A few moments after the pair had sat down, a voice snapped everyone's attention to the front of the room.

"All rise."

The anonymous voice was followed by a tall and thin man making his way out of a door that was tucked away in the opposite corner of the room, just next to the judge's stand. Everyone in the room stood, as proper court etiquette demanded, as the judge made his way up the small stairs that allowed him to look down on the proceedings.

As was a custom of the Piltover judicial system, each councillor put forward suggestions of who should overrule specific cases. Supposedly, the councillors would discuss matters relating to judge appointment every month. However, Paul could not tell from the information Hoskel gave him if many updates occurred at these regular meetings. When his former employer first spoke to him on the matter, he did not sound incredibly enthusiastic at being reminded of what he considered to be one of the more mundane aspects of ruling Piltover. As the judge sat himself down in his seat, subtly adjusting his long curly wig to sit properly over his shoulders, Paul was left to wonder which councillor or councillors favoured this particular judge.