The Queen has declared, inexplicably, that the arson investigation is to be sealed and the instigators released. Calio's best guess is that they are going to be followed to their co-conspirators, or maybe that their co-conspirators are Galtans and the situation politically embarrassing. It doesn't really matter; the Queen's every random whim is Law, after all.

The guards warn him, as he goes into her cell, that the Queen's very fussed about the delegates. He is well aware.

"Rise and shine, pretty little arsonist, we've got word from Your Majesty."

This is the part where they kill her. 

—no, that's too hopeful. This is the part where the guard does whatever he wants to her, and she tries desperately to fight him off, and then they kill her. For the arson, and also for the fighting him.

She feels like if she were smarter she'd have some sort of clever idea for how to get out of this but she doesn't have any ideas at all.

"Yes, sir?" (She's trying not to sound terrified and not even slightly succeeding.)

He takes her by the arm and starts dragging her out of the cell. "Well, here's a riddle for you. Her Majesty is the most Lawful and the most Good ever to reign in Cheliax. So what do you suppose she ordered done with you?"

It's like one of those awful tests in school, where every answer you gave was always wrong somehow, so they always had an excuse to punish you. If she says the Queen is going to have her tortured to death they'll say that clearly she thinks it would be right for the Queen to torture her to death, if she says the Queen is going to release her they'll torture her for implying that Lawful people are okay with breaking the law — the way he's grabbing her is painful but he hasn't hurt her yet, she shouldn't fight back until he actually starts hurting her—

"I — I don't know, sir—"

"Well, have you betrayed your Queen and your country, or not?" They're going to head up the stairs.

"Of course not, sir." 

(Probably she has but only because the Queen is Evil? —no, Valia said they read her mind, and the guard already told her that 'the Queen is Evil' is the sort of thing that gets you tortured. Even though she is. She hasn't done anything that would be a betrayal of the Queen if she's Good, and of course the Queen is Good, so she hasn't betrayed her Queen or country, so they don't need to torture her any more than they were already planning to. Not that that's going to stop them — she should just stop thinking about this. (She does not stop thinking about this.))

"And do innocents who have not betrayed their Queen and country have anything to fear from the law?"

They arrested Valia. Probably if she were a better person she'd point that out but now that they've gotten to the part where they torture her to death it turns out that she's actually pretty scared of it. She'd point it out if she thought it might help, but this guy isn't half as nice and friendly and trustworthy as the woman who was asking her questions earlier.

"Of course not, sir."

They reach the top of the stairs. "Well, then," he says, "I suppose you are a free woman, by the grace and mercy of Our Lawful Just Queen."

Blink blink.

Probably it's a lie. The Asmodeans wouldn't have tried a lie that obvious, because no one would have believed it, but maybe some people here do. She might've believed it, if she hadn't known about them arresting Valia.

"—I — appreciate her generosity," she says, hoping that no matter what's true it won't get her tortured.

Can she see the door from here?

Right over there.

She attempts to leave through the door, waiting for the part where he drags her back to the dungeons, or where she opens it to find a crowd of people with stones ready to execute her.

They'll have to wait until she commits another crime but she's a Calistrian, and surely will get around to it.

???????????

...she hadn't been expecting they'd let her go even before they found out about the arson. But she sure does seem to be outside, and there aren't any crowds of people standing ready to execute her, and no one grabs her as she walks away—

—is the Queen actually Good???