"They were innocent," Eleanor said, and she could hear the desperation creeping into her own voice when she spoke, but she forced herself to continue as calmly as she could in the hopes that the Inquisitor would listen. "Brother Percivus, those men were trying to help the Marquis, not harm him. If you would only listen to what actually happened…"
"Such men are insignificant pawns," Percivus had said, finally looking up from his plate to meet her eyes. His hazel gaze had been hard, pitiless. "Easily sacrificed in the opening moves of the game in order to expose the vulnerabilities of the masters who make them move."
That was when Eleanor had finally begun to understand. This wasn't about a search for truth at all. In Percivus's mind, he already knew that Master Baden and Master Hess were guilty; he only needed their confessions so he could move on to the executions… And he needed those executions to apply greater pressure to the other people he'd decided were guilty.
