Shackled at the ankles and wrists, Bradan looked at the guards who escorted him to the Torr a brithimh, the judgement mound that stood opposite the broch. Three stone steps were carved into the mound from the living rock, and at the top three low wooden panels, tipped by whalebone spikes, formed a hollow box within which the accused should stand. With his back straight and his face expressionless, Bradan took his place and looked around him.
Torr a brithimhSurrounded by armed guards, Melcorka stood slightly apart from the crowd that gathered on the shore of the loch, with the broch brooding over them all. She held Bradan"s gaze for a moment and looked around for Alva, but the child had vanished.
"If Alva is in any way hurt," she shouted, "I will destroy this broch and kill every person o
