Palace Ghosts

Chapter 11

I barely moved until the eleventh hour of the day. Everyone stayed in the courtroom making an uproar, and a general nuisance of themselves. Finally I heard a clock strike eleven times. In short order everyone was seated again. The Queen took her place with her usual cool calm. The Judge nervously sat down in his elevated perch, and the jury entered agitatedly. All was silent, everyone waited with anxious expectation.
"Jury, what is your verdict?"
"Guilty."
I wasn't afraid, I was angry. This judgement was completely unfair, and the crowd thought so too.
"Go to hell Judge!" a distinguished looking Baron yelled. The shouts began again, this time though things were being thrown at everyone in the front, except for Taviq the Queen and I.
"THE HANGING WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AT THE FORTH HOUR OF THE DAY!" roared the Judge, trying to make his voice heard above the angry mob.
But they would have none of it, their protests, dissent and denunciations were deafening. Taviq and I were roughly dragged away by several Royal Guardsmen. They led us through many out-of-the-way corridors, until we came upon a spiral staircase that went straight down. At the bottom of the stair we were locked into two separate cells.
"So, rough day?" I said to Taviq.

...oOo...

Despite the knowledge that I would be dead in the morning, I slept well that night. Perhaps it was because I was so mentally drained already, that it didn't take much for me to succumb to exhaustion.
Whatever the case, the next morning I was awakened to the sound of metal shod boots on the spiral staircase. I hastily stood up from the lightly padded cot, straightened my dress, and ran my fingers through my raven black hair. A key jingled in the lock, and with an unpleasant grating sound, the door was opened. Two guards grabbed me and began to escort me up the stairs. I could hear Taviq close behind.
After many twists and turns we exited the palace. The guards led us through the streets of Florian until we came upon the capital square. The square of Florian was where all public executions took place. The commoners and locals clamoured to get a good place to watch. I felt sick to my stomach at their lust for blood. The Barons and Baronesses began to gather. They looked angry and each of them had a steely gaze, and many had their arms crossed over their chests.
Taviq and I were led onto an elevated platform, on which two nooses dangled. Our hands were tied behind our backs, and our heads were thrust through the nooses. I took a deep nervous breath. The people jeered and shouted at Taviq and I. Many of the commoners started looking towards the Barons and Baronesses for leadership.
All they offered was stony silence. An official mounted the platform and unfurled a long piece of parchment. I could see the parchment from where I stood, it was difficult to read because of the distance, but I could make out the gist of what it said. The official would read out all our supposed crimes to the crowd, and then we would hang.
My stomach growled in protest, I was grateful that I hadn't been given anything to eat, or I likely would've hurled. My tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth, longing for something to drink. I wasn't scared to die, I was just surprised that it should come so early, and in the guise of a noose. The official cleared his throat and began to read the document. I never heard a word of what he said. The Barons and Baronesses began to boo and jeer at the man, frowning at everything he said.
The commoners watched the preceding in bewilderment. They hadn't seen or heard about what had happened in court the previous day.
"Release them!" shouted a Baron throwing a rotten apple at the official. The Baron's demand was taken up with gusto. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the official inching towards the lever which would drop out the floor beneath Taviq and I.
Across the square I could see the Queen, she looked pleased about the execution. Our eyes met, and suddenly I saw something in her eyes. Something that made me cringe, but before I could say anything, or do anything, the floor fell out from under me. I was in midair, a jerk, then blackness.

=f=

Darkness was everything, I didn't feel or see anything, I didn't know anything. Everything was simply calm, relaxed and dark. Black.
The experience was surreal, I had no worries, and no fears. Then suddenly things drifted into focus, everything was blurry, and simply a kaleidoscope of colour and light. I blinked several times, I felt like I was in a dream. Hazily things began to take form, and shift into objects. I saw the sun, it was faded though, it simply looked like the moon in greyish blue sky. My surroundings were dim and fuzzy, it was almost like looking through cheesecloth at dusk.
I realised that I was floating in midair, looking to my right and left I could see that the trapdoor was about waist high from where I was. To my right a bluish, vapoury Taviq floated too. He looked in awe at his surroundings, just as befuddled as I was.
"Taviq," I said, my voice came out faintly, and fell dead on the air quickly, but Taviq had heard.
He turned to face me, a smile on his face. "Nice to see you again Kianna," he said.
His voice sounded faraway, despite his closeness. I smiled at him. We turned our attention to the milling crowds of people, they were dim, and the ruckus they made was only faint. I felt like my ears had been clogged with water, like everything was simply a fuzzy replicate of what it used to be.
The crowd had turned into a mob, they were throwing things, and destroying anything that was government property.
"Kianna! It's me Rhys!" said a bluish ghost.
"Rhys! This is so strange, my eyes won't focus on anything besides ghosts," I said.
He took my hand in his, it was strange, his transparent hand felt solid, and cold, like a normal person coming in from a winter day.
"Yes Kianna, you'll get used to it though," said Rhys, consolingly.
I turned to face Taviq, and offered him my hand. He took it willingly, his hand was also transparent, yet it felt solid and cold. The three of us drifted through the crowd, actually gliding through people. I could see the Queen, Royal Guardsmen were ushering her into a litter. It took a moment for me to focus on her face, but she looked content, like all her hard work had paid off. Then, suddenly, I remembered what I had seen in her face, the injustice of the trial, the nervousness of the Judge, and the fidgety agreement of the jury.
"Taviq!" I exclaimed.
He turned to look at me. "Yes, what is it?" he asked.