Taming the Dark Lord

CHAPTER 26

Chapter 26 – Engulfed by Fire (1)

“Your parents personally told us that you saw the devil moving at night. And that you shared a conversation with it too, am I right?” The saint accused sharply.

“I didn’t!” The red-haired witch denied, her voice full of fear.

Debra smirked as she crossed her arms. “Still lying, I see. Our knight saw you wandering alone at night, strolling as if you’ve completely lost it, and only returned home just as the sun was about to rise. When asked, you act as if you know nothing about what you did. Isn’t that clear evidence enough? You have conspired with the devil, and let him have full control over you.”

“I don’t know.. I r-really don’t know.. I..” The witch stuttered. Her eyes were dull, and she couldn’t defend herself from the accusations that were thrown at her. She didn’t know that she sneaked out so late at night, and only found out when she was apprehended for it.

The red-haired witch closed her eyes defeatedly. She nodded in despair when Debra asked her again if she was indeed a witch.

“All right then. Hand this one over to the heretical inquisition and let them hang her.” Debra said as she snapped the manual shut.

The witch screwed her eyes tight at the saint’s remark. Her body shivered wildly as cold sweat trickled down her back.

On the other side of the room, the trial for the other witch also came to an end. The saint responsible for the questioning managed to have the witch confess her blood stained sins. “This is also done.” She said satisfyingly.

“Although we didn’t tackle anything substantive, we still did quite a good job. We’ll surely have an excellent score at the trial center.”

The saints laughed heartily. They were pleased to see how the trial unfolded.

In the middle of their joyous celebration, Amelia stood still in the corner, stunned into silence from what she just witnessed.

She couldn’t believe that it wasn’t just a mere sleepwalking on the witch’s part. Was she really possessed by the devil?

Dazed for a while, she suddenly realized that this was the medieval times, where medical treatment solely depended on magic. Modern day issues like sleepwalking were strictly taboo, and looked down upon.

No wonder the parents of these two girls quickly reported their daughters to the saints, worried that they might have been lured by the devil. The parents stared blankly as they watched their daughters be dragged away from their homes.

Amelia looked at the red-haired woman. She saw tears pooled the corner of the witch’s eyes, and her lips were quivering as she stopped herself from crying.

Amelia bit her lips and clenched her fists at her sides.

Debra clasped her hands together, the crisp sound lulling the chattering crowd into silence. “Well, you two take the witches to the inquisition, and remember to bring the confession.”

The two saints Debra appointed came to the front. The shackles that bound the witches fell to the ground with a clang, the sound echoing loudly against the four walls of the torture chamber. They dragged the two girls by their elbows and left the room, leaving a trail of smeared blood onto the pavement.

This was probably the last time Amelia would see them.

One of the girls weakly raised her head as she passed by Amelia. Amelia saw how lifeless her brown eyes were as it glided over her without any sort of emotion.

Those were the eyes of people who were about to meet their deaths.

Amelia’s heart scrunched at the sight. Unable to stand it any longer, her eyes darted around her surroundings as she lifted her right hand behind her back, her fingers moving slightly in mid air.

Magic that was not visible to the naked eye was slowly wafting through the air.

The red-haired witch bowed her head in sorrow. Someone had her arms gripped tight as she was pulled towards the spot where she was about to be executed.

The girl couldn’t pinpoint where her pain was coming from. She was hurting everywhere, overwhelming her senses with an intensity she couldn’t put into words. Her heart felt like it was shattering into minuscule pieces as realizations swept through her mind.

She didn’t want to die, and she was just 18 years old. She had a whole life ahead of her, and there were a lot of things she had yet to experience. The red-haired witch stared gloomily at the space before her, recalling the memories that brought her joy in an attempt to bring herself some sort of comfort.

But her fate was already set into stone.

She looked up at the skies, wanting to see how the world looked like for one, last time, when suddenly…

“Plop!”

The grip that was keeping her upright suddenly loosened its grip. The red-haired witch fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. She placed her palms to the ground as she forced herself into a sitting position.

She shook her head, slightly dizzy from the impact as she brushed her hair away from her eyes. She looked around her surroundings to make sense of what’s happening, and saw the saints, who are outrageously both Holy and conceited, fainted on the ground one after the other.