When Magic Speaks - NaNoWriMo 2020✔️

7

Wiss fought hard as she was dragged into town, the soles of her feet scuffing the gravel as she vigorously resisted. She knew she wouldn't be arrested, Taun would never allow that. She did know she'd be given yet another stern talking too though - she feared that after one more lecture she and her grandmother would be given the boot out of town. She was furious - furious that Kitt abandoned her and furious at the town. They had been cruel to her and her family time and time again, it was no wonder her parents up and left. 

Taun kept his grip around her arm secure - he wasn't as aggressive as the other guards, though. As the group made their way back through the streets, the overlapping whispers and mumbles of the townspeople filled the air like a giant swarm of crows. They were ruthless, unforgiving and unnecessarily cruel. The words they spit at her as she passed, Wiss was disgusted. It eventually reached the point where a handful of townspeople began literally spitting at her. In their eyes, Wiss Quilm was a monster. She was a monster for possessing magic, for not fitting into their mold. That and they'd probably put two and two together from that attack on the two boys. It was her, it had to be her. Wiss hadn't noticed just how furious she was until Taun leaned over, poking into her peripheral vision.

"Woah," he stammered, staring into her eyes as if he saw something there. "I can practically see the flames bursting in your eyes."

His mind wasn't exactly playing tricks on him. Wiss only now noticed the familiar tingling heat behind her eyes and attempted to blink it away. She was furious, and rightfully so. Once the town hall clocktower came into view Wiss finally stopped resisting. 

Hural was a town which possessed a cruel heart but had never faced real trouble until the Quilms and Knightengales came along. Meaning, they possessed no proper means of dealing with troublemakers. There was no jail, no cellar, only a holding cell inside town hall. Lucky for Wiss. Hural managed to make her feel superior and disgraced all at once.

As the front guards swung the heavy wooden doors open, the smell of mothballs and strong coffee filled the air. The brown-noser secretary behind the counter had become all too familiar with Wiss and her reputation, raising her chin at her with yet another disapproving glare. Wiss barely glanced at her as she was propped down in one of the chairs against the wall. 

Wiss couldn't help but smile to herself. She knew that on some level these men, these highly educated, trained guards were afraid of her. They wouldn't have treated her this way if they weren't. Two guards stood on either side of her as they stared into the back wall while Taun and the other remaining guard called for their superior. Eventually a short round man framed by round glasses to match and a collar much too tight for his neck circumference, emerged from behind the desk. Mayor Morth. He too knew much about Wiss, in fact, he probably knew too much. For being slow in speed, he excelled at getting the information he desired by any means necessary. Everyone knew it, he wasn't exactly skilled at keeping secrets, either. He shot Wiss his own disapproving gaze as Taun whispered something to him. As frightening as his actions were, he himself was not a man who struck fear in one's heart. Wiss held nothing back as she glared at him, staring daggers into his dumb little head. Eventually Taun returned, excusing the other guards as he lead Wiss to an interrogation room (the only interrogation room, in fact). This room smelt like a cabin, the wooden walls leaking a strong odour of wet wood. The wooden table in the room's centre, empty and spotless, waited for them as they entered. The two of them took a seat, immediately eyeing one another. Taun laid his arms on the table, interlocking his fingers.

"You haven't spoken a word since we found you out there."

Wiss scoffed. "There isn't a whole lot to say."

Taun stared at her, his gaze soft. He was patient, he always had been. You had to give him that. "Maybe. But there is a lot we need to discuss."

"No, there isn't."