Karn coughed as the dust from the cart's floor filled his lungs. The tight confines made it difficult to breathe, and a haze obscured his vision. Shifting to find a more comfortable position, he leaned closer to the cart's edge and noticed slivers of light peeking through the gaps.
The first rays of the new day cast a golden glow over the Royal District, painting its majestic marble structures in an ethereal light. But the beauty was deceptive; beneath the surface of this opulent sector lurked the insidious tendrils of corruption, eager to ensnare anyone willing to succumb to its allure.
Lady Amber, though her face bore the signs of exhaustion, still carried herself with a grace and determination that spoke of her readiness to face the inevitable. By contrast, Karn's eyes darted around, always on the lookout for an opportunity, a misstep by his captors that might give him the upper hand and a chance at freedom. Every jolt from the cart's wooden wheels on the uneven cobblestone roads a gentle push to be ready for anything.
Ahead, the ancient wooden structure of the gallows loomed ominously, casting a shadow over the sprawling crowd that had gathered. Though the sun had barely risen, thousands had gathered, their faces a mix of anticipation and morbid curiosity. Men in ornate robes stood with scrolls in hand, theatrically recounting the supposed transgressions of the prisoners. Their words, designed to incite and entertain the masses, were a series of exaggerated or outright fabricated crimes. Many of these alleged misdeeds were, in fact, the dirty secrets of the late king.
The cart inched its way through the throng, and Karn's gaze fell upon several familiar faces. Among them were fellow students from the Royal District, their pride evident in their elevated chins and scornful glances. On the other end of the throng were others without the distinctive sashes denoting their sector – students from various backgrounds who harboured a shared disdain for Karn and Lady Amber, thanks to their close association with the former monarch.
“Kill the king lovers!” shouted a man.
“Burn the Amber sector to the ground!” jeered another.
The journey to the gallows was a gauntlet of judgment, and the weight of the gathered stares pressed heavily on the two prisoners.
The throngs of people seemed to stretch endlessly, their voices merging into a cacophony of anticipation. Karn noticed soldiers, shockingly in the service of the Duke and Duchess, brandishing their spears in support of the corrupt reign of the power-drunk couple. As the cart neared the stage, several of those soldiers approached, ready to assist the wardens.
The door of the cart creaked open, revealing Grail with a malicious grin stretching across his face. Grabbing Karn by the chain, he leaned in, his fetid breath warm against Karn's ear. "I can't wait to tell your little girlfriends about you when I’m on top of them," he hissed.
Rage welled up in Karn. He lurched forward, trying to ram his forehead into Grail's smug face. But one of the soldiers, clearly expecting some resistance, was quick to intervene. He grabbed Karn's arm, pulling him back and restraining him with an iron grip.
The altercation only served to whip the crowd into a greater frenzy. Jeers, laughter, and venomous shouts filled the air, a symphony of disdain and bloodlust. The atmosphere was thick with tension, as if the crowd waited eagerly for the spectacle to unfold.
The soldiers swiftly approached the prisoners, not wanting to risk another incident. "Secure their hands," one of them barked.
Taking thick ropes, they deftly bound each prisoner's hands behind their backs. The tightness of the knots dashed any lingering hopes of escape.
"There's no way out now," a soldier sneered at them, ensuring the prisoners felt the weight of their restraints.
As Karn moved through the crowd, he eyed the sea of faces. Then an awareness struck him – there was an insidious change in their behaviour. A dense energy surrounded them, one that he felt deep within himself. Their eyes... those eyes betrayed a darkness he'd seen before. The very essence of corruption he'd noticed corrupting event tomes, stared back at him from every gaze.
The sensation – of the ghost eyes' venom, which enslaved the innocent – now mirrored the tainted nature of this mob. Only, this toxin was one that consumed the willing, feeding off their hunger, their greed and anger. The once-pristine streets, now filled with this horde, felt like a gauntlet, leading him towards the haunting silhouette of the gallows.
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Each step grew heavier than the last, as if invisible chains weighed him down. It wasn't a physical restraint, but Karn felt it all the same – a force trying to immobilize him, to keep him rooted to the spot. A sharp prod from behind jolted him, the warden's boot urging him to move faster. Karn struggled, pushing himself forward with diminishing strength, every step feeling like he was wading through thick mud.
But just as the weight of his impending fate began to truly press upon him, a piercing scream cut through the chaotic hum of the crowd. Karn, and every eye present, turned to see a figure, covered in ash jumping off a horse, forging a path through the throng. She moved with a manic energy, and those who didn't make way for her quickly learned to regret it. With a swift gesture, she brought forth a tome, sending those obstructing her crumpling to the ground.
In mere moments, she stood upon the stage, her wild, ash-streaked visage familiar to all. The Duchess Norcas, the very embodiment of madness and despair, had arrived.
The creaking of the wooden steps of the gallows was drowned out by the frenzied clamour of the crowd below. Each step Karn took seemed to amplify the anticipation of the masses, hungering for a spectacle. Lady Amber, with her head held high, followed closely behind, though her face was a mask of anguish and terror. The Duchess Norcas stood atop the platform, her manic gaze flitting between the two prisoners with an almost perverse satisfaction.
She stepped forward, her voice laced with venom. "A simple hanging is too merciful for the likes of them!" she declared. "They’ll be hung, drawn, and quartered!" The sadistic glee in her voice sent shivers down his spine, yet the crowd roared in harmony. A fevered excitement washed over the onlookers, each vying for a better view of the impending show.
Lady Amber's face paled, her lips quivering. The realization that their fates had just taken an even grimmer turn was evident in her horrified expression. Yet Karn remained stoic, allowing himself a brief moment to scan the crowd in defiance.
Among the countless jeering faces, one stood out. Baron, from the university, stood taller than most, his features twisted in malevolent delight. The two had exchanged many callus words. Now, Baron's eyes seethed with pure hatred.
As Karn and Lady Amber were led to the nooses, the weight of the moment bore down on them. The reality of their impending fate, combined with the unsettling transformation of familiar faces into those of vengeful strangers, was almost too much to bear. The taint of corruption, it seemed, had cast its dark shadow far and wide, consuming all in its path.
A sudden weight settled on Karn's shoulders as the rope slid around his neck. He swallowed hard, acutely aware that the drop awaited him in mere moments. He desperately searched for the comforting presence of his book and the aid of those within. However, that familiar touch was missing. As in the previous weeks, he was confronted with its stark absence, amplifying his sense of isolation.
Grinning maliciously, Warden Grail stepped up next to him, his hand resting on a hefty wooden lever. "Ready for the first drop?" he sneered.
As Grail gloated, other wardens, now doubling as executioners, secured the noose tightly around their prisoners' necks. Lady Amber whispered, her voice trembling, "May the spirits have mercy on us."
The square held its collective breath for a brief moment, and then, with a malicious grin, Grail pulled the lever. The trapdoors beneath Karn and Lady Amber swung open, plunging them downward. The sudden drop snatched their breath away, and the nooses snapped taut, bringing them to a cruel halt with their feet uselessly twitching.
Instead of gasps of horror or pity, a triumphant cheer erupted from the crowd, a wave of gleeful sadism washing over the square. Every face seemed lit with cruel delight as the two figures struggled on the gallows.
All the voices blended into one, yet a single cheer cut through the clamour, Baron’s voice somehow laughed loudest of all, pointing, and jeering with unrestrained malice. His taunts were joined by others, the collective scorn echoing around the marble-clad buildings, each voice competing to be the cruellest, the most vindictive.
Karn's vision dimmed, specks of darkness clouding his sight as the noose strangled every bit of life from him. The world receded to the distant sounds of laughter and the cruel weight of the noose. All hope was extinguished, and darkness swallowed them whole.
The cold ground met Karn's back as he fell with a thud, the weight of the world pressing him down. For a moment, it felt like a reprieve. The absence of the suffocating force around his neck was briefly mistaken for salvation. Desperately sucking in ragged breaths, his eyes darted to find his would-be rescuer. Instead, his vision only captured the frenzied anticipation in the eyes of the crowd. The realization hit him with a nauseating dread: this was just the beginning.
Beside him, Lady Amber's form twitched, her soft whimpering carrying the undeniable note of pain. Her face was a deep shade of purple, matching the angry marks that wrapped around her delicate throat. The same burning sensation that Karn felt around his neck was mirrored in her eyes, that look of agonizing discomfort and desperation for air.
Before Karn could register the next sequence of events, the warden's meaty hands clamped down on him. Grail, with his insufferable grin still intact, roughly yanked Karn up. Gasping and staggering, Karn's legs felt like jelly beneath him, every inch of his body screaming in protest.
"Thought you could get away that easily?" Grail's voice dripped with disdain, his breath reeking of sour ale. "We're just getting started."
Karn tried to reply, but his voice was a raspy whisper, stolen by the noose's cruel embrace. Instead, he shot Grail a defiant glare, though he doubted it carried the strength he intended. The crowd's jeering grew louder, echoing the warden's sentiments and baying for further punishment.
“Get the horses!”