The Mask Wearer by Bryan Perro Read Free Book Online Page A

May I also add that Amos is not foolish and that many would gain by listening to what he has to say.”
    Yaune quickly dismissed Barthelemy with a gesture of his hand. “Let the will of the father prevail! We will see to it that justice is done. I will subject the boy to the game of truth. We’ll play for the fate of the young sorcerer. I will put two pieces of paper in my helmet. On one will be written the word ‘innocent,’ on the other the word ‘guilty.’ ” Yaune looked at Amos. “You must draw one of the papers at random. If you choose the paper with the word ‘innocent,’ I’ll spare the life of your sorcerer friend. But if you choose the paper that says‘guilty,’ three of you will be put on the pyre—the young sorcerer, your father, and you. Those who dare come to the defense of Yaune the Purifier’s enemies are traitors who deserve death. This will teach your father that it’s better to follow the rules of the master than one’s own convictions. Bring me two pieces of paper so I can get started!”
    As Yaune wrote on the pieces of paper, Amos nodded discreetly at Beorf.
    “I abide by the rules of this realm and I’ll gladly play the game of truth,” Amos said. “Allow me, though, to see what you wrote on the two pieces of paper before you put them in your helmet.”
    Yaune seemed surprised by this request but quickly pulled himself together.
    “Enough nonsense and foolishness,” he declared. “I am a knight. I do not lie or cheat. Approach the dais and let the truth shine on everyone’s life.”
    The uneasiness shown by the lord of Bratel-la-Grande strengthened Amos’s belief that he had written “guilty” on both pieces of paper. He could see it in the old man’s eyes. As for Urban Daragon, he was perspiring heavily as he hoped that his son would come up with a way to spare them from the pyre. Barthelemy too was anxiously watching the scene, sure that he would witness the death of his friends the next morning. And Beorf, who was holding his breath, could not believe that Amos was putting his own life and that of his father on the line to save him, a humanimal that everybody despised. The crowd was calm, certain of the outcome of thegame. Never had the lord of the realm made a mistake, and no one doubted that there would be a big fire in Bratel-la-Grande the following day.
    Amos calmly dipped his hand inside the helmet. Then, in a flash, he grabbed one of the pieces of paper, popped it in his mouth, and swallowed it.
    “What are you doing, you fool?” Yaune hollered.
    Amos smiled. “It’s simple enough,” he said. “I took one of the pieces of paper and ate it.”
    The crowd snickered, angering Yaune. “But why did you do that, you stupid boy?” he raged.
    Amos answered solemnly. “Now that I’ve eaten the paper I chose, no one here knows if my friend is innocent or guilty. To find out, all we have to do is look at the paper that remains in the helmet. If the word ‘innocent’ is written on it, it means that I ate the paper with the word ‘guilty.’ Therefore you’ll burn us early tomorrow morning. On the other hand, if the word ‘guilty’ is written on the paper in the helmet, it means that I ate the paper with the word ‘innocent.’ So we’ll be saved! Now I’d like Barthelemy to come up and read the verdict of your game of truth.”
    The knight approached and took the remaining paper out of the helmet. At the top of his lungs, he shouted, “Guilty.”
    Amos spoke again. “This proves that I ate the paper with the word ‘innocent’ written on it—unless, of course, your helmet contained two pieces of paper with the word ‘guilty.’ But I don’t think that the leader of the Knights of Light is a cheater. Therefore the truth has just been declared.”
    The crowd applauded wildly, while Yaune hastily got up.
    “The truth spoke. Free the boy in the cage,” he said, his face red with anger. He leaned in close to Amos’s ear and whispered, “You will pay for