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"I believe they knew what I was looking for, my lord."

The hall grew quiet.

Captain Ralf Sedding followed.

He testified that the order to transport eleven villagers for trial had been issued beneath Fitzwalter's personal seal.

Not the King's.

When he'd questioned the order, he'd been told to carry it out without further discussion.

Then Robin stepped forward. She placed Osbert Crane's signed statement before the commissioners.

"My lords, this document was hidden by my father before his arrest." Her voice carried clearly through the hall. "It identifies the men responsible for altering the levy records."

She looked toward Fitzwalter.

"I'll stake my life on its authenticity. Although I suppose the Crown has already put a price on that."

A few people murmured.

Fitzwalter remained composed. I had to give him that much. He was an experienced liar. He denied the accusations without raising his voice.

He claimed the documents had been forged by Robin to clear her father's name. He described Peverel as a disgruntled clerk, Hugh as a thief caught stealing from the castle, and Sedding as a coward attempting to excuse his failure to deliver the prisoners.

Then he turned his attention to me.

"My lords, I ask you to consider the man presenting these accusations." He paused. "Guy Bisbane has taken this woman as his mate."

The hall grew restless.

"An Omega," Fitzwalter continued. "A declared outlaw."

He looked directly at me.

"You've allowed your mating bond to compromise your judgment. You can no longer pretend to be impartial."

I waited until the murmuring subsided.

Then I answered. "I won't deny the bond, my lord."

I looked toward the commissioners.

"Robin of Locksley is my mate. She bears my mark, and I bear hers. I've never attempted to conceal that fact."

I turned back toward Fitzwalter. "But Robin didn't compromise my judgment."

He stared at me.

"My mistake was believing you were an honorable man." The hall fell quiet. "For three years, I served under your authority. I trusted your explanations and accepted your decisions."

I placed another document on the table.

"Then I discovered a garrison dispatch that had been withheld from William of Locksley's trial. It placed him fifty miles away from the crime he was accused of committing."

I looked directly at him.

"That evidence should've been presented before his conviction."