Micus asked, incredulous. “You would stand before this High Council and refuse to answer the questions put before you? I find that irresponsible, short sighted, and unwise.” Eirwyn shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Nonetheless,” she said, “I do not wish to discuss this.” Micus pursed his lips to contain his anger. He stared hard at Eirwyn, trying to fathom why she would choose to betray herself in the face of almost certain punishments. It made no sense. He could not understand how the elderly deva could hold her loyalty to Tauran above her duty to the law. The solars sitting on the High Council murmured among themselves. Micus could sense their growing restlessness, perhaps to the point of irritation, with the entire proceedings. He had asked much of them of late, and he suspected their patience with both him and his lack of progress was growing thin. Not only was Eirwyn exacerbating the situation, but she was also putting him in an uncomfortable spot. He felt betrayed. “Micus,”
