"Baron Bertrand Vemorel," she announced, "you stand accused of the following crimes. Treason against the Imperial Crown. Bribery of imperial officials, including three members of the late Emperor's privy council…"
"...Collusion with foreign powers hostile to the interests of Iondora, specifically the merchant-princes of the Veldt Confederation and the separatist lords of the Eastern Reaches. Repeated and documented use of the assassination guilds to eliminate political rivals, including—"
She began to read names. A trade minister who had opposed Vemorel's shipping monopoly. A rival baron who had discovered irregularities in his mine contracts. A foreign diplomat who had threatened to expose his smuggling operations.
The list went on and on, each name accompanied by dates, sums of money, the coded messages used to communicate with the assassins, the confirmation notices posted to the guild boards after each kill.
