Chapter 30: The World

Marriette stumbled to the witness box. She wished the stones would open up and swallow her. The Justicar asked his questions and she fought to stay true to Torrance. She refused to admit that Torrance wasn't her husband, but it was a hollow victory. She and the Justicar danced around the questions. He was getting angrier with her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. When he got to the question that he and king had told her to answer, Marriette realized they didn't want to kill Torrance; they wanted to destroy him. They wanted every memory of him fouled with their lies. She looked at Torrance, begging him to forgive her for disobeying him, but she wasn't going to lie. If she saved herself at the expense of everything she loved, would she be any better than the king?

"Though you may burn the world down around me, I will not lie." Marriette defied the Justicar as she begged forgiveness for condemning her friends to death.