There are quite a few bureaucratic delays but eventually she is in fact escorted to the dungeons and into an unscryable room in which sits Valia Wain, who has been trying to learn to read by looking intently at the first page of Acts which she's had read to her a couple of times and ought to really know by heart by now. 

"- Delegate Oriol."

"Select Wain. It gladdens me that you are Alive after the Unrest. I have, using your Letter as Instructions, placed myself on your Retainer, taking a Nominal Sum for the sake of Formalities. I have to my knowledge no Direct Conflicts of Interest save perhaps that I have Nominally counted the Work of the Convention as Work for the Crown, this being the Simplest way to Satisfy the Obligations of both it and my Ordinary Work. I have prayed to Iomedae from time to time but I do not believe this a Conflict, but I do not know the Ecclesiastical Laws of your Church and state it to avoid any Doubt."

"Are there any Questions on your mind? Ask especially the ones you might consider Foolish."

"....you said that this ought to be done, in defense of the Law. That sounds important but I do not know exactly what you mean by it."

"Certainly many Unlawful Acts were committed lately. Burning the City, putting its Residents to Slaughter, these are plainly Unlawful. Incitement of the Public to perform these acts is likewise Unlawful. There is a Pamphlet, titled 'Friend of the True People', which I consider plainly Unlawful; perhaps you will be the Last to Learn of it, though it Ardently Plagiarizes you. But your own Speech though perhaps Inspirational to a Certain Tendency is hardly Unlawful, and to my Current Knowledge you performed no other Unlawful Acts."

"I would have it that the Queen's Decrees be followed. They are Written Rules, Permitting and Proscribing conduct with Specificity. The Shifting Uncertainty of the Unwritten Law and the Turbulent Whims of Governors, under which we have all Labored, is to be Condemned as Diabolical; is this not what it means for a Realm to be Constitutional? I am not so Full of Buoyant Optimism to think that this would prevent your Arrest, though perhaps by rights it ought not have ever been. It should prevent your Condemnation, in that you engaged in no Proscribed Conduct. If not even this is possible, then a Constitution is impossible and all Law remains at the Ruler's Whim, unknown even to the Gods bereft of Prophecy."

"I did try very hard to make sure the speech followed all the decrees. I did not want to break the law, or any of the convention rules. I have broken the law, before, when it was Asmodeus's law, but I wasn't trying to do that here. I wasn't trying to cause the riots either. I - guess I think all governments are just powerful people doing what they want. But I hope in this I'm wrong, and several people have told me they think I am, so -"

"I would have at the very least, that when the Ruler rules by Arbitrary Whim, he must set down Openly and Notoriously the nature of his Whim before the Fact, that it may be at all possible to Predict. I believe the Queen to be attempting at least this much, in this Absence of much of Formal Law and the Courts."

"I wish to hear the ways in which you Endeavored to Comply with the various Royal Decrees; if I am not mistaken, you are Unlettered, and must have had them Read Out by an Associate, though you seem possessed of a Comprehending Mind capable of Authorship in Compliance yourself. Who, then, did you consult with?"

"I don't want them to die too."

"Nor do I." Well, more likely than not one is Victòria, but honestly this is simply true by now, Victòria is a pitiable child. "Your Impulse is Creditable; it took me longer to learn that Virtue."

And she holds up a finger and makes sure no one is visibly present, and quietly incants a spell to shield speech, one that trades off against a little bit of safety today, but this meeting is quite important.

"I have Magically Shielded our Speech. Say quickly all that you would keep Secret. It does not last long."

" - I'm still concerned that if we bring to the Crown's attention that I obviously had allies at all, they'll think to ask - they haven't done an interrogation yet -"

"They will think of at least what I think of; perhaps they will read your thoughts, if they care to," she says rapidly. "I have less information than them, and must come to have more. Have my oath that it will not be used to harm you or them!" She smiles a little. "I would prefer my spell be put to good use while it lasts, though I chose freely to spend it in any event."

"I asked Delegate Ferrer and Delegate Rivera to help me write the speech. I told them that I wanted to make sure we followed all the laws and all of the rules that Archmage Cotonnet had made for the convention, so we couldn't call for any of the Evil delegates to be expelled or say they shouldn't get to decide the laws or anything like that. But we were pretty sure that saying they should repent was fine, and we were pretty sure that predicting that eventually their people would lose patience if they didn't was fine. I read the decrees on incitement to violence and it said not to list names, so I didn't. We decided it was all right to say that Delegate Ibarra had turned out to be a powerful evil wizard who said he worshipped Norgorber because other people had said on the convention floor that other delegates worshipped powers of the lower planes and hadn't gotten in trouble and were important nobles who'd know the laws. And because it'd be ridiculous if Delegate Ibarra was allowed to say it to us but it was slander to say that he'd said it. In the end we all agreed that the speech was allowed, and then I gave it."

Taking notes would potentially lose the client's confidence so this will have to use up a good portion of memorization capacity.

"Did any others discuss the speech with you, beforehand or after it was given? While the spell lasts, flag for me your secrets, and say them first."

"No one else discussed it with me beforehand. After the speech Feliu found me and said that it was promoting rebellion against Her Majesty and that if it was published there might be riots in the streets. I was very surprised. I said to him, I think, 'if you believe that it makes sense that you are upset about the speech', because I thought he was wrong but I did not want to contradict a senior paladin of Iomedae. And then I talked with Laia about it. She does readings at the temple of Shelyn and she asked if I wanted to read it, but I said no, because Feliu had said that there might be riots if the speech spread, and I didn't want that. I told her that I was going to work with the Iomedaeans to get a version of it approved that they were sure would not cause riots, and then I would do a reading for her, and that was the end of that.

I don't think I have any other secrets. I did not participate in any of the crimes of that night. I stayed late asking the scribe to reread me the judiciary committee notes, and then on my walk home to the temple I found Blai, who'd walked ahead of me and been attacked by a mob, and then I went through the streets healing dying people, and then Feliu found me to tell me I was being arrested."

"Feliu is a Paladin of Iomedae? A Delegate, or not? Do you have his name? And Laia is Songbird of Shelyn Laia Solandra? And which Scribe?" She rattles off fast questions.

Valia is coming off really innocent; Lluïsa hopes it's all true.

"Feliu is a paladin of Iomedae, yes. He's not a delegate, he said he was just here to observe. And yes, Laia Solandra the Songbird of Shelyn. The scribe gave his name as Clevas. He took notes for Judiciary; he wasn't a delegate but a servant of one." Lluisa's optimism is slightly contagious; against her best judgment Valia is starting to believe that it might matter, to the Law, that she did not expect riots and did not intend riots and in fact did her best not to let the speech spread once someone had alerted her they thought it would cause riots.

"I shall need to speak to them after this. Describe the Occasion of your Arrest; if it was by a Paladin, I imagine you were not Mistreated, but perhaps he gave you over to the Guard or Soldiers? Have you been Mistreated since? Were any Charges named?"

"While I was trying to get people out of the gutters in the middle of the night some men came to help. I didn't recognize them in the rain but it was the Archduke Xavier and some he commanded, and Feliu. They helped me get people out of the streets until we weren't finding any more alive, and then Feliu said, these men are here to arrest you for the riots. He said it was protective custody for now but in the morning I would probably be charged. And I said, I didn't riot, you mean for the speech, and he said yes the speech. And I realized it was like Pezzack, where - everything is only legal until it causes enough trouble for someone important enough - and - I don't remember very clearly, I'm sorry, I was frightened and very tired, but I went with them, and Feliu went with me, and they took me here, and Feliu stayed overnight to make sure I was not mistreated. They named no charges. I still don't know the charges. The guards haven't entered the room. I am not clear on whether I'd be permitted to defend myself, if they did..."

"I do not Expect that Anything will come of it but I will make the Demand that you be Released from Purported Protective Custody into that Secure Housing made available to Displaced Delegates, or else Charged; perhaps this will move them to make the Actual Charge they have Dithered upon. I will further raise a Concern about the Guards though that they have not Entered at all is Promising regarding the Scrutiny they are being Held under."

"On the General Floor, do you recall the remarks of the Archmage Cotonnet and the Archduchess Bainilus?"

"...the Archduchess said that it was wrong for Pezzack to rebel and only lead to everyone dying when if we'd just obeyed we could have lived. I was very angry with her. She may have also said other things but I was inattentive, if she did, because she was - because I felt like she was saying that it is better for Hell to rule than to fight even when you win. I don't think the Archmage Cotonnet spoke at all."

Lluïsa nods. "This Accords with my own Recollection. Notably, neither spoke any Hint that an Unlawful Speech may have been Given just then. My own personal notes are Unfortunately Damaged though I have sought out what Scribes I could Locate."

She sighs. "Have you heard Mentioned, or heard the Contents of, the Pamphlet titled 'Friend of the True People'?"

"No."

Lluïsa nods. "An Arrant Plagiarist did use your words in a Pamphlet of Incitement which is plainly Unlawful; it is on his Head that much Calamity sits. I will read the Language merely to hear your Confirmation that it is not at all from you, aside from those Segments Mangled and Plagiarized from your own Speech. I do offer Apologies for the Upsetting Contents."

She reads it, in a determined textureless monotone.

Oh no.

It suddenly makes much more sense that people concluded Valia wanted riots. They were told so. "Do you suppose that he's - wrong, or that he is lying to cause the destruction of the city?"

"I ardently wish that I knew the Minds of Inciters to Riot; if it is some Cultist or the like I hope that Cult is rooted out, but I have seen Riots come and go and am no Wiser as to their Cause. Certainly it is a Crime against the City and also, I would say, against Iomedae and all Her Faithful."

"It is the Case, then, that these Words are all Foreign to you save your own Mangled Quotations?"

“Yes. I didn’t say any of that or suggest anyone say any of that.”

"Your Instincts are Creditable, as I have said; the Lawyer's Art of Answering Narrowly is one Difficult to Impart. You need not Restrict your Speech to Simple Facts with me, but in Court speak Shortly and Bloodlessly; I will endeavor to Teach what I can of this."

"Of the Committee on Matters Pertaining to the Judiciary which you Chair I can confirm that you are Alive, I am Alive, Alonso called the Grey-Eye is Alive, Victòria Ferrer is Alive, Taldaris Ventura is Alive, and Remei Petit is Alive; to the others I cannot speak. I met Recently with those Delegates and saw them Alive in Person, though there was Doubt regarding your Survival until this Morning."

"I plan to speak to the Paladin Feliu, and to Laia Solandra, and to at least Attempt to speak to the Archmage and Archduchess, and even to Alexeara Cansellarion. I expect these last to be Fruitless but will at least make the Attempt; Laia Solandra I expect to find, and expect to make Greatly Useful Testimony."

And she'll need to talk to Valia's associates too, but that's no longer able to be spoken aloud.

"Is this an Agreeable Plan, or have I left out an Important Piece?"

“You said you would also try to learn the charges? And I want to speak if the Queen will permit it, to condemn my first speech. I told the Archmage this.”

"I plan to Demand your Release from So-Called 'Protective Custody', and in so Demanding to Elicit the making of Concrete Charges. I am certain your Desire to Recant your original Speech is Sincere and Well-Intentioned, but I would Caution against it; no matter the Eloquence employed, such a thing may Appear, or be Twisted into Appearing, an Admission of Guilt. Do not think that it is the Guilty who admit Guilt; it is mostly the Innocent, thinking all the while they Proclaimed their Innocence. If you have ever Feared a Diabolist Trap from one such as I, you would be well to Magnify such Fear a Thousandfold, and speak little that you not play into the Devil's hands! There will be Time for such a Speech after your Acquittal, in Consultation with Senior Clerics, as you yourself wished for. The Archmages have caused it to Rain Heavily and there is no Immediate Violence that requires Alacrity to Quash."

She tugs her high collar aside and down to show a bit of burn scar; just a little is enough to make the point, Valia will know what it is.

"I learned this Lesson in Flesh; no other made this Mark, but I myself, in Fulfillment of a Contract Term I had thought Reasonably Clever. You are not such a Foolish Child as I was, and I expect you shall see the Wisdom in Restraint."

"Well, of course to say anything at all makes it much less likely that I will be found innocent, but is it not the most loathsome of cowardice, to allow an evil to stand because in admitting it I would condemn myself? I understand that your duty is to the Law, but mine is to Iomedae."

"Would you allow the Evil that Select of Iomedae Valia Wain be Held Responsible for Inciting the Mob? It is surely a Great Evil I speak of; the Public would have less Trust in Iomedae whose Select they would think an Inciting Rabblerouser and no Foe of Hell. The Public would come to Believe a Falsehood, most Injurious to its Morale. Pezzack may rebel! It has once before, and my own Understanding is that you are its Beloved Daughter; will they be Angered to hear what the Capital has done with her?"

"Allow yourself to be Acquitted of Wrongdoing as is Just, having done no Wrongdoing, and give what Speeches you will afterwards. On the very Court Steps, if you are so Seized with Fervor that you cannot wait for Counsel! But after. Do not spend Valia Wain to purchase a Speech in Court, when you can have Valia Wain and a Speech outside Court."

“I am not sure I agree but I’m trying listening to other people more. So - as you say.”

A smile. "I will Debate the Matter at Great Length with you after this Affair is Settled."

"You mentioned the Archmage; it may be Useful to know his Mind. Have you any Useful Gleanings?"

"He wanted - I'm not sure what he wanted. He wanted me to think about the lessons of the situation. I suppose that really only makes sense if you think I'll survive it. I found it annoying, mostly."

"I would as well. I am sure you will take your Own Lessons, perhaps the First being that an Archmage may often be Insufferably Didactic. And I intend to Cause that you should Survive; perhaps Meditate on an Archmage's Inscrutable Lessons after such is Assured, if you should even Care to give it Thought at all."

"Would you have anything Read before I Depart to Construct your Case? I would ordinarily give Documents for you to Read but that being Impossible I may at least serve in this Manner. For my own Part I do not recall a time when I was unable to Read and do not know what would be most Useful to one Unlettered."

"Well I was thinking that if I had the first page of Acts memorized maybe I could learn to read from that, going over it again and again, only I don't have it memorized. And if that worked you'd think I'd have learned when I was seven, and I didn't. So if you know some better way of learning that'd be good too."

"Is there any Poem or Passage of Words which you have Memorized?"

"Prayers to Asmodeus. I won't practice on them."

This draws a laugh. "They would be Well Forgotten. I shall Write for you..." she pauses for a bit to think.

"'Select of Iomedae, Valia Wain of Pezzack, exhibits great quickness and joy', this Phrase perhaps not True as regards Joy today but Ideally it will be True in the Future. More importantly this phrase uses Each Letter at least Once, though some only Once, and I shall write the Letters very Distinctly that you may Study their Shapes. It is perhaps not Ideal but if you can Memorize the Phrase it may be Useful to Look upon."

"Thank you. I'll try. And - I hope your defense of the Law succeeds. I think it is honorable. Lord Cansellarion explained to me that even once a soul has turned towards Good Pharasma's judgment of it may be slower in changing, and I hope that this is so of you."

"I shall Attempt a Good Showing before Pharasma the Judge, I suppose, but a Good Showing before the Mortal Judge you Face has Priority on my time for now."

Really it'll just be the last devil's trick, the final subtle error she missed, claiming her for Hell, but that would just depress an Iomedaean who absolutely does not need to hear it.

"Then go with the blessings of whatever gods you look to for them."

She writes out a few copies of her haphazard pangram before leaving, to cover variations, and then departs with a brisk nod and an "Iomedae with you, Select Wain."

She tries to study the letters, but they are as incomprehensible as letters always are. 

It probably doesn't matter. A lawyer is the kind of person who'd think law comes from decrees not from armies. Everyone else knows better.