The Book of Glass

Marked (3)

"No! You will not touch my daughter!" Ingrid shot up from where she was sitting in the group. "She will stay here!"

Cassius turned to Linus with a raised brow. "You can explain to Talbert why we are putting one of his citizens on trial. Soldiers, keep her mother with the others, and tie this one to the back of my horse," Cassius said with boredom.

"With all due respect, I'm sure you can work something out with Talbert?" Linus rose an eyebrow, but kept his head angled down in fear of Cassius' possible response.

Instead, Cassius just pressed his lips into a thin line and turned away. "Soldiers! Report!"

Ingrid screamed, anger causing her to pull and tug at the soldiers as they held her back, before finally throwing her down on the ground and knocking the air out of her. Emory gasped, watching as Ingrid took deep breaths, concentrating on staying conscious. Ingrid looked up to Emory, pain in her eyes. "Stay down," Emory mouthed. Ingrid slammed her eyes shut, angrily grabbing at the grass.

While the soldiers left the houses and shops of the village, Emory made eye contact with Ezekiel as he sat in the group of men. He was shaking his head, but wiped across his mouth in frustration. Calloused hands gripped Emory's wrists, binding them together with rope and lifting her up to her feet. When her shirt dropped, the soldier did nothing, and instead let her stand bare. Emory was led over to a dark horse, with light white speckles around it's back. She watched the horse as the soldier tied her to it, and tried to shield her chest from view while looking to Ezekiel with round, pleading eyes.

When Ezekiel looked back to her, he pointed out the line of girls coming out of the town hall, all of them looking at Emory with worry. She looked back to Ezekiel with confusion, and he moved to scratch his head, barely revealing a leather skin and a rock. He then looked around to the others, and they were all hiding similar objects among their clothing.

It became quiet as everyone listened to the soldiers reporting to their commanders on what they found in the houses. Most found nothing, and they all reported such.

"And the apothecary? Who searched it?"

Everyone in the village began muttering to one another as they looked to the building with the red door. Commander Linus narrowed his eyes as he glanced over the crowd of people. "You three," he gestured to a few of his men. "Go back to the apothecary. If there are soldiers in there, let them know they were asked to report back. If not, search the building and report back to us immediately."

"Yes, Sir," the soldiers said before heading toward the apothecary.

As they walked toward the apothecary, the crowd continued to whisper to one another, as did the soldiers. It was as if no one had seen the building in the first place. The muttering seemed to be too much, and Linus spun on everyone. "Quiet!" He commanded. Silence followed, and Emory watched from where she stood as Cassius furrowed his dark eyebrows together, looking to Linus.

The soldiers entered the building, and in the following minutes silence continued. Then, more silence follows. After a few more minutes, the commanders both grew impatient and sent one more guard to look into the building, but not enter. The soldier does as ordered, but as soon as he opened the door, he let out a short cry before falling back. Emory looked closer, noticing an arrow protruding from his chest.

The sound of swords being unsheathed met Emory's ears as the soldiers around her prepared themselves for whoever was in the building. Emory began tugging at the ropes, trying to pull free while their attention was somewhere else. She needed to get out of those ropes, because the one person she was in charge of was making herself a target.

High Commander Cassius called out, "Come out, and we will not attack!"

Silence. Emory's breath became fast, her movements more desperate.