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of his brow, and even from where I stood below him, looking upwards
uncomfortably at his eminence, I could see the intellect that lay behind that
brow and blazed through his dark eyes.
The group of seven arranged themselves so that four remained standing, arms
folded on their breasts, behind the three chairs. Stilicho stepped forward and
took the central chair, flanked by the remaining two tribunes. But he did not
sit. His eyes swept downward to where I stood below him, and I saw something
stir in their depths, although I could not have described what it was. He
looked at me, deep and long, his eyes now expressionless, and then he moved
his gaze around the tribunal, ending with Seneca and Caius.
There was not a sound in the great room. When he finally sat, everyone else
sat, too, except me, my guards and the four standing tribunes on the dais
behind him. Stilicho pursed his lips and then spoke, addressing the room at
large.
"This is a military tribunal; as Commander-in-Chief, I sit in judgment. This
is also a civil tribunal; as
Regent of his Imperial Majesty, Honorius, I sit in judgment. The matters
before this body today are complex and involve both military and civil
questions. The prisoner before us stands accused of serious crimes." He looked
down at the parchment he had been holding and unrolled it. "I shall enumerate
them.
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"One: It is alleged by Caesarius Claudius Seneca that the prisoner, unknown to
him by name, did fourteen years ago, in the company of another man, also
unknown to the complainant, commit an unprovoked assault upon Claudius Seneca
in a public mansio, while Claudius Seneca was engaged upon the private
business of Valentinian, then Emperor. In the course of that assault it is
alleged that the prisoner broke the complainant's nose and mutilated his body
by carving a letter V upon his chest.
"Two: It is alleged by Caesarius Claudius Seneca that the prisoner, whose name
was still unknown to the complainant, was recognized in the town of Aquae
Sulis two years later and ordered to surrender himself to Quinctus Nesca,
uncle of the complainant and a magistrate of this province. The allegation
states further that in trying to avoid capture on the pre-stated charge, the
prisoner brought about the deaths of two of Quinctus Nesca's retainers and
murdered the magistrate himself, by strangulation, during the night that
followed.
"Three: It is alleged by Caesarius Claudius Seneca that upon his arrival at
the home of Caius Britannicus, former Proconsul of Numidia, and Senator of
Rome, he found the prisoner, under the name of Vulcan, being held by the
Proconsul prior to being brought here to Londinium to stand trial on charges
of brigandage and armed rebellion." He stopped and looked up, nodding towards
Caius. "Senator Caius
Britannicus is present here. Those are the charges as delivered to this
tribunal. Are there any comments?"
"Yes, my Lord Regent!" Seneca was on his feet, his face slightly flushed, an
arrogant sneer on his lips. "It is a minor matter, but one that requires
clarification. You neglected to state in your reading that Senator
Britannicus sustains the charges."
Stilicho gazed at him in silence for long seconds before replying, his face
devoid of expression. "I
neglected nothing, Senator Seneca." He looked down briefly, hesitated, and
looked up again. "No, that is not quite true, although the neglect has no
bearing on the matters before us. I neglected to mention before the start of
these proceedings that I have been informed of the sudden death of the Regent
of the Eastern
Empire, Flavius Rufinus. He will be missed."
There was a concerted hiss of indrawn breath at this and I turned my head
quickly to see the effect of the announcement on Seneca. I was delighted to
see the blood drain visibly from his face, and I began to feel more sanguine
about the outcome of all of this, although I was still mystified. Stilicho
ignored the effect of his announcement on Seneca and continued speaking, his
voice clear and crystalline, ringing throughout the tribunal.
"As the personal representative and Regent of the Emperor Honorius, I am
entitled, should I so elect, to decide these matters at my sole discretion and
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