Crystal Magic Adventure: A Tale of Discovery

Chapter 16: Panic Mania Part II.

Lila was still feeling numb as the guards apprehended her. She did not resist, she didn't even utter a single word as they pushed her out of the room she foolishly thought was safe. They tied her hands and covered her eyes with a strip of fabric. With her vision blocked, there was nothing to focus on except the jeers. As they left the tavern, the good people of Cimia were eagerly waiting for her. They called her a murderer, a betrayer, a backstabber, all kinds of accusations and vile insults. She even heard the barkeep wishing that she had choked on the breakfast he gave her.

Yet none of that mattered, Roland was dead. All his hard work, legacy, dreams, sweat, and blood... are gone. It was that beggar, wasn't it? She was right about him. He must taken action after Lila walked past him. Another innocent life was claimed by the consequences of her recklessness. She might have not been the one who killed him, but she was the reason they killed him.

The guards hurried her, hoping to avoid a public lynching and chaos that would cause. They entered a building and walked down some stairs. After that, they took her through so many turns and twists that Lila forgot which direction was which. After they reached their destination, she heard a jingling sound followed by the creaking of a heavy gate. They tied her to a chair and removed the cloth around her eyes. She finally took her first look at the dungeons. It was dark, damp, and made out of stone.

It reminded her of that damned cave. The only light source in the room was a candlestick on the wall. It revealed five men that stood in front of her, their shadows stretching towards her like the fingers of a giant hand. Two of them were clearly guards, flanking a tall man in ornate armor. The other two were clad in embroidered cloth robes. She only recognized Proth the Preacher out of the group. The light colors of his clothes stood out in the bleak room.

The unknown man in cloth spoke to her coldly,
"You are being accused of the murder of Roland the Carpenter. Normally, there would be a trial but numerous eyewitnesses are swearing on their honor."

He waited a moment for her to deny it. Seeing that the girl was unresponsive, he continued,
"The owner of the restaurant, Lucky Shot, swore on his honor that he heard you yelling how you needed to run away before being caught. The staff at the restaurant are also backing up his claim."

Nothing. Not a single word out of her. He added,
"The barkeep of your current place of residence claims on his honor that for the entire duration of your stay there, you never came back early except today, the day of the murder. And on top of that, he saw you shaken and pale when you entered the tavern."

No response. The man was starting to get annoyed by her silence at this point but he continued reciting the evidence.
"Nobody else was seen entering the carpenter after you left, until the discovery of the corpse. Your chances of being acquitted are slim. Confess your crime and your execution will be swift and painless. This is a show of goodwill, I advise you to take it."

Still nothing. All Lila did was stare at them emotionlessly. This time, Proth continued,
"Mine child, I know thou, yet I know not what pushed thou to commit the gravest of sins. Confess, so thou may find peace."

Lila did not show any emotion. She kept staring at them like usual, lifelessly. What was the point anyway? Even if she managed to prove her innocence, they would just find another crime to catch her for. Everyone she cared about died, so maybe they would kill a random innocent person next?

The group inspected the girl for a little while before the person in ornate armor broke the silence,
"Perhaps we should try my method. She will confess, one way or another."

"What? You may be the Captain of the Guard, Aerlath, but I must remind you that the City Hall forbade torture before we were even born."

"I will not torture him, dear Official, I will simply make her talk," Aerlath coldly answered.