Breaking Glass

(19) Family Tree Re-Arrangement

Chapter Nineteen

<Please vote and read the author’s note.

Thomas appeared at my side. “I’ll take her from here, gentlemen, ye are dismissed,” he said to the two guards who were escorting me roughly.

The two guards looked at each other for a moment, and one finally nodded. They both released me and Thomas grabbed the crook of my elbow, taking me the opposite way of where I was going. “Thomas, where are we going?” I asked.

“Someplace,” he replied. Then he cleared his throat and slowed down. “ ye dae know they were taking ye to the courthouse?”

 I blinked. “Really?”

“Yes,” he said, nodding

. We arrived at a wee wooden house. He opened the door and nudged me in. Once we were both inside, he slammed the door shut, and all the noise from the pandemonium outwith subsided.

I took in the inside of the house. It was bleedin' quaint and tastefully decorated. “Who’s house is this?” I asked, picking up a jar.

 “Mine,” he returned. “But it does not matter, we will not be staying bleedin' long.”

 I furrowed my eyebrows. “Why?”

 “Rose, dae thou know what thou just caused?”

 “Well, yes… Unrest in the City. Why is that so horrible?” I asked, pulling out a chair.

 “Dae thou know what the punishment is for that?”

“No, Thomas, I am not concerned with the laws of this city.”

 “Death.”

 I cleared my throat. “What?”

 “Yes, Rose. The punishment for causing any sort of social unrest is death by hanging,” Thomas said coarsely.

 “Well- well-“

“Thou are not a special case just because yeh are the daughter of the Mayor,” he interjected. “And if it did give yeh some advantage, y'r da would not give it to yeh. And we both know that.”

 “I know, Thomas,” I said. “So what dae we dae now?”

 “We need to get yeh out,” he said. “Out of the city. As soon as can be. They will come looking here soon. We are only about a couple a’ hundred meters from the rally.”

 “There is a rally?” I asked.

 “Yes, last I knew the townsfolk were trying to kill y'r da.”

 “Wait,” I said. “They were trying to kill him?”

 “Yes, why does that surprise yeh so much, my dear?”

“I didn’t… I didn’t know they would try to kill him!” I sprung up from my seat and lunged towards the door, but Thomas stopped me as soon as I got there.

 “No, Rose yeh can’t.”

“Why?” I asked. “If they kill him, I’ll be the reason. I can’t hae another parent brown bread. Not now.”

 “Rose, they are not going to kill him,” Thomas said soothingly. “The guards will protect him. They were trained for this.” Looking down, Thomas puckered his lips. “I should know, I trained ’em,” he muttered under his breath.

 “But Thomas-!”

“No, absolutely not. My job is to protect yeh now. And I shall risk my life on it.”