Tidal Waves

1. Introduction

The radiant yellow sun's rays beat down on the top of Raven's head as she was forced up a set of wooden stairs. She nearly tripped on her dress as she was being roughly escorted towards her death. Displayed before her were hundreds of citizens, women, men and even children, all eyes watching her.

The guards tightened their grip on her arms as she thrashed around, trying to break free from their grasp. "Release me!" she demanded. She tried to resist their brute force, but the guards grabbed her by the hair and forced her back into submission.

As they made their way across the planked platform, a tall wooden stake came into her view. There was also a guillotine and noose on the platform. The two guards stopped in their tracks as they approached the stake.

The two guards hoisted her up while two others tightly bound her wrists and ankles to the thick wooden poles, disregarding her kicks and attempted punches. Her dark Victorian dress flapped in the wind as she was successfully restrained to the stake.

"I'm not a witch!" Raven objected at the top of her lungs as she squirmed in her restraints. The crowd watched her with distraught expressions. "You're all insane-"

"Quiet, witch," a man dressed in a red coat spoke as he approached her. The man was holding a paper scroll in his hand. Behind him were two more men escorting two pirates to the noose and guillotine.

Once the other two boys were restrained to their execution device, the man stood before the crowd and unraveled his scroll to read aloud.

"I hereby condemn Raven of Azarath to death for the practice of witchcraft, as well as Suren Darga and Damian Al Ghul of Infinity Island to death for the practice of piracy, thievery, and manslaughter," the man spoke as he rolled his scroll back up. "Are there any last words?"

"You're all fools to disregard my prophecy!" Raven shouted, pulling her wrists against the bindings in an attempt to break free. "You'll all be sorry when the world ends! When the tides rise higher than mountains, and the strongest winds tear us all apart! When the sun-"

"My God will someone kill her already? I'm getting a headache," one of the pirates spoke up. She turned her head and made eye contact with the one strapped into the guillotine.

Raven's eyes met his glare. "Excuse me?"

"You are annoying," he simply said, his gaze unmoving from hers.

"Why you-" Raven started but was cut off by the officer.

"Shut it, both of you!" he said and struck the light against the flint. As soon as the stick was lit, he tossed it to the bottom of the wooden stake and watched as it slowly combusted. Raven screamed as the scorching flames began to gradually climb up the wood.

After this, the officer looked over towards the guard stationed at the guillotine. Once he gave a nod, the guard placed his hand on the lever to free the shiny blade above the pirates head.

Before he could pull it down, a shot rang out in the town and the guard fell to the stone ground. Blood immediately began to pool around his head.

"Took her long enough," one pirate spoke as he watched their crewmate swing from a rope to the platform.

"Seize her!" the officer said. Before the guards could grab her, she used both of her pistols to take them out. People in the crowd began to scream and flee the area as they watched her mercilessly murder the guards.

"One minute later and I would've been headless, Ducard!" the pirate in the guillotine scolded as she undid the restraints on his hands and got him out of the execution device.