Daydreammer

Chapter: 8

A loud clanging noise woke Shelly up with a jump. The jailer was standing in the open cell door, scowling at her.

"Get up, girl. The elders want to see you again," he barked.

Shelly's heart pounded. She scrambled to her feet, pieces of dirty straw sticking to her clothes. The jailer stared at her sternly as two guards with swords joined them.

"You better behave this time," the jailer warned in a rough voice as they marched Shelly down the dim hallway. "The council leaders won't like it if you act up again." He wrinkled his nose at her messy look. "Or this unkempt state you're in."

Shelly shivered, realizing how her disheveled appearance could make the elders judge her even more harshly. How could she get them to listen and believe her incredible story?

Finally, they reached the big doors to the elders' chamber. A thin beam of daylight filtered through a tiny window slit up high. As the jailer pulled open the heavy doors, Shelly heard rude mutterings from inside.

"Good heavens, did you have to bring her in looking like such a fright?"

Shelly froze as all the elders' eyes looked her up and down in her rumpled state. Shock and anger boiled up inside her at their disdainful looks. The eldest council member, Obadiah, raised his hand.

"Enough. Her untidy state is not what matters here." He gave Shelly a hard look. "We must determine what threat this girl and her inexplicable arrival could bring to our peaceful village..."

Shelly felt her face grow hot under the elders' scrutinizing glares. She clenched her fists, mustering her courage. "I keep telling you, I'm not a threat! I don't even know how I got here or where 'here' is exactly."

"Silence!" Ermentrude, the severe-looking woman, barked. "You'll speak only when addressing the council properly."

Shelly opened her mouth to protest, but Obadiah held up a hand. "The girl's odd manner and attire mark her as an outsider, this much is clear. But we must still discern if she is merely a hapless traveler..." His eyes narrowed. "Or an insurgent sent to make trouble for our peaceful hamlet."

The other elders murmured in agreement, throwing distrustful looks at Shelly. One wizened man stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Perhaps we should try a truth rite to shed light on her origins and intent?"

A hush fell over the chamber at this suggestion. Shelly felt a chill run down her spine at the ominous phrase. What did that mean exactly? She opened her mouth again, but Ermentrude silenced her with a glare.

"A prudent idea, Elder Matthias," Obadiah said with a solemn nod. "Though we must take great care - truth rites can be...unpredictable when used on outsiders unfamiliar with our ways."

He turned his piercing gaze back to Shelly. "Make no mistake, child. We will uncover what you are, one way or another. Cooperative or not, the truth shall be made plain."

Shelly felt her stomach clench as the elders began rising and some complicated ritualistic preparations seemed to be underway. What new unsettling trial awaited her now?

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