Kingdom Come {END OF AN AGE -- BOOK 1}

: chapter 14 | the witch wagon :

As the pair approached their deaths, Shelby's formerly calm stature--if you could call it so--began to crumble. The siblings had since removed themselves from the embrace, and they now sat beside each other, looking out at the people peeking out from their windows to see what was going on. Shelby leaned into Max slightly, her breathing becoming shaky and body trembling slightly.
Max himself was tense, but he forced his face to remain expressionless, his eyes stone cold. He recognized a few people as they passed through the market. Family friends; acquaintances; they all looked shocked at the sight of Max and Shelby Zion in the back of the dirty "witch wagon". Max deduced that it must've been a few days that they'd been locked up--away from the sun. The market was only this busy on sundays, though he assumed that there was a reason they'd chosen today to set their terrible plan to action.

The sun had already begun to set, though Max doubted that the lack of light would do much to postpone their execution. Max sighed, finally glancing up at the sky. Pinkish orange streaked across the sky, light, thin clouds shared the space, dotted carefully across the void like an intricate puzzle.

What a beautiful time to die. A terrible thought, he knew, but a true statement none-the-less.

The wagon hit a bump, both jolting Max from his distracted sky-gazing and causing his sister to yelp in surprise. He put an arm around her as the wagon stopped. His face now showed emotion--now that the end was this close. Even the most stoic man would show some form of fear or anxiety, just as Max did now.

"Stay behind me." He moved so that he was in front of her, glaring at the barred entrance to the wagon. Shelby scooted behind him, the scattered hay beneath her making a weird sound as she moved. There was a few moments of silence, before the door swung open and three guards jumped in. Two roughly grabbed Max, before throwing him onto his stomach. The other guard moved around them, and Max heard a scuffle before the guard let out a yelp of pain. Max would've smirked at the tiny triumph, but he knew what would follow before the slap even sounded. When it did, Max struggled, a new anger pulsing through him.

"You little bitch!" The guard behind him growled, before Max heard a shuffle of footsteps and watched as his sister was dragged out from behind him and forced out of the wagon, hands now tied behind her back.

Max felt something press harshly--a boot--against the side of his face, pushing it down into the floor of the wagon. He grunted, but stopped struggling. He felt the rope rub against his wrists uncomfortably as they tied them behind his back, before the boot was lifted from his face. He was lifted roughly to his feet, before being taken out of the wagon by the two guards.

Even though his back was turned to the crowds, he could hear their murmurs. His family had lived in the capitol for generations, and people had believed that their family was as likely to be magic as the king himself.

Max was lined up next to his sister, their backs still turned so they couldn't see the people or the gallows itself. He glanced over at Shelby, seeing that her breathing was unsteady and her brown hair was a complete mess, falling in her face. She wasn't looking at him, instead she was staring straight ahead, eyes distant.

Max let out a deep breath, before looking forward as well. He heard the murmurs come to a quick halt, and he tensed, the silence that followed seemingly breaking whatever dam had been holding back his fear at what was about to occur. His knees nearly gave out due to its weight, and the guards holding him growled a string of curses at him. One grabbed him by the back of the neck--a warning.

"Welcome, citizens of Requiea!" The official began, and Max heard his sister let out a whimper. It must've been strange to anyone who saw them--to anyone who knew them. Max was known for being rather stoic, while his sister was known for her confident exterior. Now the two were pale. Terrified.