“Nevertheless, please tell me again,” Mirilin replied, with far more patience than Alberich would have shown. The man began his tale with ill grace, but the moment he got to “—an’ I stepped inter the street, an’ this bastid comes whippin’ up ’is ’orses—”

The light went out.

Although the man clearly was unaware that anything had happened at all, the onlookers saw what Alberich had. A gasp—not of surprise, but of satisfaction—went up, and Mirilin cut the rest of the man’s speech off with a wave of his hand.

“Sir, you are lying, and this man is telling the truth. He owes you nothing.” Mirilin glanced meaningfully at the constables that waited just beyond the barrier. “Now, the penalties for perjury are substantial in a regular court, but since this is a Heraldic hearing, and I have discretion, I shall allow you to leave in peace—providing you do leave quietly. I suggest that you find a more honest means of employing yourself from here on, because you are now in the official records as a perjurer, and the next court you bring yourself before will take that into account.”

The man followed Mirilin’s glance and set his jaw angrily, but didn’t even try to dispute the judgment. Instead, he shuffled off, quickly getting himself out of the door (or at least, as quickly as a splinted and wrapped leg would allow) while the coachman thanked Mirilin effusively.

But Mirilin waved him off with a slight sign of irritation. “Do not thank me for simple justice,” he said. “Now, please, we have a heavy docket to see—”

The coachman took the hint and followed in the path of his accuser.

:That was the Truth Spell, Chosen,: Kantor said with satisfaction. :And it is nearly the only sort of magic that you will ever see a Herald using. There’s mind-magic, of course, which is things like Mindspeech, ForeSeeing and FarSeeing, but unless you are the Herald doing the mind-magic, well, you aren’t going to actually see anything. Mirilin is better at the Truth Spell than Selenay, but he wants her to have the practice in setting it, because when she needs to use it, she’ll be doing so with many more eyes on her.:

:Is that all it does?: he asked. :Just show which person is telling the truth?:

:There is a more powerful version that can compel the truth, but it’s not likely to be used here,: Kantor replied, as an old woman with a cat came hobbling up to the table. :That’s saved for things that are a great deal more serious, and not all Heralds can invoke it. You have to have a very strong Gift, and it usually has to be one like Mindspeech.:

:Will I—: he began, and stopped.