Focusing on the beads of sweat forming across his brow Isa began to whisper under her breath an incantation. “Every year I tell you lot the same thing. I'm not the one you should focus on, there is something much bigger going on.” She could feel the soft pressure of her father’s hand upon her shoulder. Turning to look at him, his face a wall of stone with only a slight glimmer of appreciation in his eyes. Shaking his head ever so slightly was enough to tell her that she should stop.
“You’ll give up the location of the others, if not, well you’ll find out what it truly means to go through an inquisition.” The voice of Commander Eldridge filled the small shop with a dreadful chill. Instantly the shopkeeper’s tone changed. “My family has no connection to them. I swear.” He stepped off to the side his hand sliding to a hidden button under the counter as the sound of an electric lock disengaged. On the far wall an inconspicuous shelf popped ajar just enough to be pulled open. “Vanderbilt, take your recruit and two others to take care of this mess.”
Isa felt disconnected from her body as she followed behind her father. Moving into a tight corridor that twisted around into a small storeroom. The dim beam of her father’s torch moved slowly around the room until it settled onto the huddled forms of five people. “Alright, on your feet the lot of you.” Her father’s voice was firm. Directing her and the others to begin pushing the refugees back out into the shop. Isa felt her heart skip when she saw that the five were no more than children. Giving her father a pleading look his response was direct “Let’s move if you know what is good for you.”
They had gathered the children in the middle of the shop, their ragged clothes more apparent in the light. Each of them wore dark cloaks that were stained in any manner of filth. “You know the consequences of witchcraft?” Commander Eldridge asked them as he stood smartly in the pressed uniform. “You have only this one chance in telling me the location of your coven, the punishment will be less severe.” He looked down his nose, waiting for them to respond. The children shivered, continuing to look down to the floor. “Very well, you’ll eventually loosen your tongues. Move them out.”
Feeling the pit of her stomach drop as she helped her father cover their heads in black hoods. The others were more rough in their handling of the children. They hurried the refugees out the door and into the waiting carriage parked on the street. “Next time you feel in being heroic, don’t. You will lose more than your ear.” The Commander swiftly struck out with his dagger, slicing the shopkeepers ear clean off from his head in one foul swoop. His screams filled the air with shrill that sunk into your very marrow. Flailing about on the floor the shopkeeper pressed his hands to the vicious wound. “Move out, let us begin the inquisition on these hell spawn witches.”
Standing out on the cobbled streets of London Isa tried to block out the shopkeepers continuing wailings Commander Eldridge walked over to her and her father. “Vanderbilt, your recruit performed decently tonight. I am willing in looking past the fact of her being a woman as this work is no place for them.” Isa remained motionless as she stood at attention when the Commander focused his sight onto her “Follow the instruction of your father and soon we will rid this great country from the scourge of witches. Remember that those children will conjure something that will turn your blood to steam or curse you and your family to horrors your nightmares have not thought of before.” Giving him a quick nod of understanding “Yes sir, of course sir.”
“You’ll give up the location of the others, if not, well you’ll find out what it truly means to go through an inquisition.” The voice of Commander Eldridge filled the small shop with a dreadful chill. Instantly the shopkeeper’s tone changed. “My family has no connection to them. I swear.” He stepped off to the side his hand sliding to a hidden button under the counter as the sound of an electric lock disengaged. On the far wall an inconspicuous shelf popped ajar just enough to be pulled open. “Vanderbilt, take your recruit and two others to take care of this mess.”
Isa felt disconnected from her body as she followed behind her father. Moving into a tight corridor that twisted around into a small storeroom. The dim beam of her father’s torch moved slowly around the room until it settled onto the huddled forms of five people. “Alright, on your feet the lot of you.” Her father’s voice was firm. Directing her and the others to begin pushing the refugees back out into the shop. Isa felt her heart skip when she saw that the five were no more than children. Giving her father a pleading look his response was direct “Let’s move if you know what is good for you.”
They had gathered the children in the middle of the shop, their ragged clothes more apparent in the light. Each of them wore dark cloaks that were stained in any manner of filth. “You know the consequences of witchcraft?” Commander Eldridge asked them as he stood smartly in the pressed uniform. “You have only this one chance in telling me the location of your coven, the punishment will be less severe.” He looked down his nose, waiting for them to respond. The children shivered, continuing to look down to the floor. “Very well, you’ll eventually loosen your tongues. Move them out.”
Feeling the pit of her stomach drop as she helped her father cover their heads in black hoods. The others were more rough in their handling of the children. They hurried the refugees out the door and into the waiting carriage parked on the street. “Next time you feel in being heroic, don’t. You will lose more than your ear.” The Commander swiftly struck out with his dagger, slicing the shopkeepers ear clean off from his head in one foul swoop. His screams filled the air with shrill that sunk into your very marrow. Flailing about on the floor the shopkeeper pressed his hands to the vicious wound. “Move out, let us begin the inquisition on these hell spawn witches.”
Standing out on the cobbled streets of London Isa tried to block out the shopkeepers continuing wailings Commander Eldridge walked over to her and her father. “Vanderbilt, your recruit performed decently tonight. I am willing in looking past the fact of her being a woman as this work is no place for them.” Isa remained motionless as she stood at attention when the Commander focused his sight onto her “Follow the instruction of your father and soon we will rid this great country from the scourge of witches. Remember that those children will conjure something that will turn your blood to steam or curse you and your family to horrors your nightmares have not thought of before.” Giving him a quick nod of understanding “Yes sir, of course sir.”