Slowly lifting her right hand, she pointed her forefinger at the jarl – who visibly flinched. The look she gave him would have withered most men, but he somehow managed to meet her stare.

‘You, Jarl Glaeverssun, presume to cast judgement on a king? I, Fleya Gudbrandr, sorceress of the Seal of Sigr, high priestess to monarchs of old, vassal to the gods, ask by what authority you dare do so.’ The jarl stuttered for a moment, but Fleya was in no mind to let the man speak. ‘This sentence is a travesty. This young man is no more guilty of killing King Mirvar than I am. I demand you free him immediately. My Queen! What do you have to say?’

Astrid stepped forward, her heart pounding. ‘I say—’

‘Enough!’ Glaeverssun yelled, having finally recovered a little. ‘This is a matter for the people of Stromgard. This is of no concern to you, witch! This man –’ he pointed to Erik – ‘has been found guilty in the eyes of the gods by the council of elders. You and your majik have no jurisdiction here.’

Fleya’s eyes fixed on the jarl’s, a hint of a smile briefly touching her lips.

‘Guilty in the eyes of the gods, eh?’

‘Yes!’

‘But his fate was decided by men. Men like you,’ she added with a sneer.

When she spoke again, it was to the crowd. ‘The Volken people used to have a means of deciding who was and who was not guilty in the eyes of the gods.’ The witch turned her eyes on the young queen now, giving her an almost indiscernible nod of the head.

Astrid spoke in a loud voice that sounded a lot braver than she really felt. ‘The witch is right. My brother demands the ancient rite of trial by combat, as is his noble birthright. If he is guilty of this terrible crime against our father, let the gods truly decide his fate!’

The crowd became an animated hubbub of noise.

‘There has been no such a trial in more than fifty years,’ Glaeverssun spluttered.

‘There has never been a public execution of a king accused of murdering his own father!’ Astrid countered, her voice strong now. ‘Extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary responses, and the people of Stromgard deserve to know the truth!’

The crowd began to murmur their approval. Glaeverssun watched, his eyes darting. His guards were outnumbered by about four to one, and it was clear the situation could quickly get out of hand.