Hundreds of acid voices swarmed about her, their derisive gibes poking at her ears as she shuffled her way through the crowd. Stumbling over a loose rock, she caught herself, steadying her breath as it dawned on her that they'd all been gathered here for one purpose: to kill her.
She couldn't see where they were taking her with the thick canvas bag slung over her head, and even if she managed to shirk the binds holding her wrists, she doubted she'd have anywhere to run. The rebels couldn't possibly risk a rescue; there were just too many people. And with this damn bag over her head, her allies probably didn't even realize it was her.
Resigned, she did her best to hold her head high through the mob's suffocating contempt, fighting the tug of the rope around her neck that propelled her
