I've been assigned to work in the kitchens, and I don't really like the work. Its hot and uncomfortable in the kitchens, and one of the other servants keeps slapping my face and calling me stupid, as if I'm a child that needs direction.
There are two men in the doorway, watching us with narrowed eyes and disgust clearly written on their faces.
The sound of a bell outside makes me jump, and the servants all start jabbering in tongues that I have no hope of understanding.
A little girl tugs on my sleeve, the shackles around her wrists making a pitiful sort of music as they dance with her movements.
" do you understand?" she whispers, her voice hoarse and low.
" they Hounds have caught a rebel."
I almost correct her- she should have said 'the' instead of 'they' but her eyes show so much raw anguish that I quickly think better of it.
We are ushered outside, and I find myself almost arm's length from Mara. she looks pale, though whether from exertion or something else I cannot say.
Looking around at the buildings around us, I feel my breakfast try to escape my stomach through my throat.
In the highest windows of each building are the corpses of people.
They are all suspended by two ropes wound tight around their wrists, tying them to the window frames.
In the center of the square itself, there are a group of soldiers, each one more nightmarish than the last.
Their eyes are covered by bloodied cloths, and their armor is not leather nor steel, but instead a simple cloth tunic, cinched with a thin belt of metallic disks. To my eyes, they look almost hungry in their blind staggering gaits, as if they are looking for more victims to torment and butcher.
One of the " people"- if one assign these illusioned beasts even a semblance of humanity- moves closer to me, and I involuntarily take a few steps back, even though there is no way that the monster could see me.
The little girl from the kitchen- the one who warned me about ' them Hounds" shrieks and tries to run, but the creatures are on her fast, pinning her down to the rough stone of the roads and looming over her like phantoms. She's unconscious in under a minute, and I'm not sure if she's breathing after a time.
I have to look away.
An older woman shakes her head.
" them Hounds don't have a merciful bone in their bodies." she mutters.
The crowd disperses, all muttering quietly.
A group of guards ushers us towards a large building, that has the viscous scent of rot hanging over it like a cloud.
Once inside, I wince at how dark it is, but then we are pushed into an open area, and seated. I blink against the sunlight, and wonder what we are doing here.
Beside me, I hear Mara gasp, and I turn to her.
She's looking down at the center of the area- where there is a ring of pale, reflective sand.
I follow her gaze, and feel my own heart sink.
Leona is standing in the center of the ring, feet planted firmly in the soft ground.
She looks so determined that I feel almost inspired, but then I realize what is going on.
She's going to make a stand, speak her mind, and almost certainly be murdered for her trouble.