Ellena's sad eyes hold mine for a moment until one of the men visibly tightens his grip on her arm. She flinches, dropping her head again.
At my side, Avery stiffens. "What is the meaning of this?" She hisses.
The bored man on the platform looks out over the crowd, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here. "This young woman was caught preforming..." He pauses dramatically despite his bored tone. "Majik."
The crowd collectively gasps, shifting and rolling as people try to get a better look at Ellena.
The second man tightly gripping Ellena yanks her arm outward and squeezes. Hard.
Ellena gasps in pain, her head bobbing up for a moment. But the crowd's collective eyes are on her hand where a small flame appears, burning merrily on her skin.
"Witchcraft!" shrieks someone in the crowd as the murmuring voices grow louder.
I glance sideways at Avery. Her eyes are locked solidly on the proceedings, her face inscrutable.
"Execute her!" yells a man from the crowd.
"Burn the witch!"
"Kill her!"
"Off with her head!"
Avery's fists clench at her sides. "This isn't right," she whispers, finally glancing at me. "Look at the poor girl."
The men shove Ellena towards the guillotine. She stumbles and drops hard against the boards of the elevated platform. The men grab her by the arms and yank her to her feet, roughly forcing her forward again.
I can't help but wince in sympathy, much the same as I did while writing it.
Avery's face darkens. "She can't be much older than you or I. And look at them. Pushing her around. Preparing to murder her. And for what? Because she has something we don't? Because the king is scared of her?" She shakes her head. "I won't stand for it."
I glance over at the proceedings where the men are violently shoving her head and body in place and tying her hands together. "What are we gonna do?" I ask, almost to myself.
Avery brightens. "Come on." She leaps down from the crates, landing lightly in a crouch. "We're going to rescue her."
I hesitate. "We?" I'm not supposed to be here. I shouldn't-
Avery grabs my hand and tugs me down. "That's what you said. Come on."
I stumble after her as she shoves through the crowd, tugging me along by her grip on my hand. She heedlessly elbows one of the people who was calling for Ellena's death.
I choke down the laugh bubbling in my throat, she did that on purpose.
Avery shoves roughly past the last layer of people between us and the platform.
The bored man has moved to a mechanism that releases the blade while the other men drape a sack over Ellena's head.
"I think I'm going to be sick," I murmur, feeling my stomach jerk in my chest.
Avery chambers the few feet up onto the platform. "STOP!"
All three men turn to look at her. The two rough looking men glance at each other and the bored man still looks bored. "What, girl?"
"Release this woman," Avery's voice sounds so authoritive that I clamber up the edge to stand just behind her.
"I don't take orders from you," drawls the bored man. He looks at the rough looking men and nods towards us.
The crowd has gone deathly silent, as if everyone is holding their breath as the two men crack their knuckles and start towards us.
I swallow a squeak, but Avery doesn't seem thrown. "Release her. Now. Or else."
"You should listen to her," I add, somehow keeping my voice from breaking.
The bored man laughs, the first real show of emotion from him. "What can you do?" He turns back towards the mechanism.
Avery sighs, shaking her head as the men approach us, hands outstretched. "You guys are going to regret this."
"Are they?" I whisper to Avery, shrinking behind her in a vain attempt to avoid the guards' hands.
Avery tenses and suddenly crouches, swinging a leg out into one of the guard's knees. He yelps as her foot connects with his knees and he topples over.
I scamper past her towards Ellena who's begun to try to worm backwards out and away from the guillotine.
Avery bounces back upright, shifting her feet so one foot is a little ahead and the other is a little behind and to the side. She fists her hands and takes a swing at the other man who jerks back in surprise.
"She's just a girl, idiot!" cries the bored man, his eyes on the incompetent guard.
I slip up to Ellena's side, yanking the sack off her head and tossing it aside. She worms the rest of the way off the guillotine in the same moment, hitting the boards on the platform.
Her bright magenta eyes look up and meet mine. I try to read the emotion swirling in their depths but fail.
"My friend and I are rescuing you," I whisper, nodding towards Avery who's now furiously pummeling one guard's stomach.
"You have my thanks," Ellena responds softly, her voice elegant with a hint of pain.
At her voice the bored-turned-angry man shield around. "The witch is escaping! Fools!" He stomps toward me.
"Uh, any chance you have any useful majik..?"
Ellena wearily lifts an arm, fire sparking into existence before sputtering and fading. "Fading sparks," she mutters, her arm falling back to the boards.
"I'll.... take that as a no," I sigh.
The man reaches me, grabbing my arms and digging me against his chest. "Get the witch!"
I struggle wildly as panic fills me. His grip tightens even has he starts screaming at the uneasy crowd. Unbidden, words from a book fill my mind.
I take a breath and stomp as hard as I can with my heel onto his foot.
He falters, his grip losing slightly.
I yank one arm free and smash my elbow into his chest as hard and fast as I can.
He doubles over, releasing me.
I step away, turn and slam my knee up into his groin to finish.
He moans in pain and collapses down to the boards.
Avery bounds up to my side. "THAT. WAS. AWESOME."
I laugh sheepishly. "I read it in a book."
Avery's brow furrows, but her gaze drops to Ellena. "Are you okay? You don't look okay. Can you stand?" She reaches down and pulls Ellena to her feet. "I'm Avery. This is..." She turns to me. "What is your name again..?"
"Uh.." My mind whirls as I consider the question. "It's, uh...." I swallow, deciding to give her my childhood nickname. "Ella."
Avery smiles, turning to Ellena. "Here lean on me."
Ellena complies, letting Avery sling one of her arms around Avery's shoulders. "I'm Ellena."
"Lovely names, both of you." Avery smiles, glancing at the stirring men. "But perhaps we should make our escape."
"That would be ideal," Ellena says softly, her body looking bruised and battered.
"You won't find me complaining." I glance at the angry man as he stirs. "Let's go."
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