Not Simple (6)

The horse handed by the heavy drawbridge and entered the birch forest. It ran, splashing grime in all instructions.

Apart from that, all of her senses have been paralyzed, so she couldn’t scent the aromatic spring within the mountains.

After they reached the northern gate, the troopers standing on the border have been horrified.

Talin gasped. “Didn’t Madam come? Open the gates now!”

Since nobody had the authority to cease anybody coming down from the north, the door opened.

The sounds of the horse galloping crammed LIly’s ears.

They have been going at a very good velocity. Irrespective of how a lot she tried, they couldn’t get any sooner than this. Nonetheless, it felt like she was crawling on the ground together with her palms and toes. It was as if the horse was pushed again by three steps when it took one step ahead.

The panorama, which gave the impression to be in place, was dyed into a unique scene from the very finish.

Her coronary heart was beating prefer it was going to cease. The surroundings of the execution sq. bought nearer.

As her imaginative and prescient turned clearer, confusion crammed Lily’s eyes. So did Talin’s.

Talin murmured, taking the reins and slowing down, “The sq.… couldn’t have been this empty…”

The horse walked into the realm.

On the day of executions, crowds flocked to the sq. from any property. It was solely pure that the group was so crowded that it took half a day simply to get out after the execution was over.

Nonetheless, it was empty, as if somebody had swept the individuals with an enormous broom.

The sparsely seated residents discovered Lily and Talin and bowed their heads. The sq. was so barren {that a} bunch of leaves rolled between them.

The horse stopped.

Lily’s inexperienced eyes frantically scanned the highest of the execution platform.

The shining guillotine blades on the rostrum mirrored the daylight in all instructions. An extended shadow fell earlier than the general public execution platform and the towering guillotine.

The world was clear. A few of the Cadis safety guards have been simply dealing with the ropes.

The Justice of the Peace who commanded the subordinates jumped up and saluted. “I greet you, Madam.”

As an alternative of Lily, who was frozen with a bewildered expression, Talin spoke, “Is the execution over, Marshal?”

“Sure. There have been few individuals to execute, so it was already over at midday. There was no felony to be beheaded… It was all hanging, so it was only a matter of time. Is there any downside?”

“Hanging?”

The Justice of the Peace nodded.

Blasphemy was a felony. The felony had limbs lower off earlier than the top was positioned on a spear. It needed to stay on the sq. till its pores and skin rotted and receded to disclose the white bone.

Nonetheless, there was not a single hint of blood in entrance of the execution desk, not to mention a spear.

It was a sight as if nothing had occurred.

Lily, who had been busy taking a break from her fast respiration, lastly got here to her senses and requested him, “The prisoners that have been sentenced to loss of life…” She swallowed her phrases for a second. One thing stopped her from talking, as if a lump of stone had blocked her throat.

She croaked, “Who have been they?”

The chief of safety checked out them and reported, “One was a thief who robbed residents within the capital. He used the cash to eat a lot that it’s stated that his new child little one starved to loss of life. One other two males have been in a gang, however they bought drunk and stabbed a disabled individual with a knife. Thankfully, nobody was critically injured and he was hanged.”

“…”

Lily had a tough time maintaining with the scenario. Her hand trembled softly as she let go of the reins she had been holding so tightly.

May it’s that Dandelion lied?

She dismissed the speculation shortly.

Dandelion couldn’t have thought like that, and it appeared like Talin and her maids knew. Judging by the response she had been attempting to carry on to the entire time, it was clear that the execution itself wasn’t a lie.

Talin was additionally confused. She jumped off her horse and stood in entrance of the Justice of the Peace. “Inform me extra concerning the execution at the moment.”

The Justice of the Peace stored hesitating about his phrases, attempting to determine if there had been any mistake. As he scratched the again of his head, Lily was troubled by impatience.

She, luckily, didn’t must rush and he reported first.

“That… The convoy of prisoners was nothing like earlier than. Final evening we escorted all of the loss of life row inmates to Cadis Jail, introduced them again this morning, and executed them on time.”

“And what’s totally different?”

“The lord didn’t come beforehand, however the lord got here proper earlier than the execution ceremony and oversaw a few of it. Usually you’d nonetheless be there, however that’s totally different.”

“You don’t even know why.”

“Yeah… That’s proper.”

Lily, who had been listening silently, discovered a spot within the Marshal’s phrases. “Are the prisoners you introduced with you an identical as those you executed?”

“That… nicely.”

The Justice of the Peace, whose voice was getting smaller and smaller, abruptly stopped speaking. As if he had found one thing, his gaze was fastened over Talin’s shoulder.

Talin and Lily regarded again reflexively. The knight’s expression wrinkled.

From a distance, the acquainted face froze.

“Uhm, sister…” Dandelion wiggled his palms gathered in entrance of him. “Did you come due to my letter? You’re now… Can I speak to you?”

A shadow fell on Lily’s face. “No. I didn’t come right here due to you,” she answered bluntly.