BEGINNING OF RIOT
1366 Words
The town crier’s gong echoed through the dusty streets.
“Hear ye! Hear ye! The judgment of a woman accused of stealing five million yen from the council vault and aiding two guards in their escape will take place at noon!”
People poured out of their homes, whispering among themselves. By midday, the community square was overflowing with men, women, and children pressing forward to see the trial. The council banner fluttered in the wind.
Lady Venn stood in the center, chains biting into her wrists. The guards flanked her, faces blank and unmoving.
Lord Morin sat high upon the council platform, his expression cold and unbending.
“Lady Venn,” he began, voice cutting through the tense silence, “you are hereby charged with theft of five million yen from the council’s treasury and the concealment of two traitorous guards. Do you have any final words?”
She shook her head weakly, her lips trembling. “My lord, I was only holding it for my husband. I swear I didn’t—”
“Silence!” he thundered, slamming his palm against the wooden armrest. “The law has no patience for liars.”
A low murmur ran through the crowd.
She’s the wife of a councilman,” one man muttered.
“How could she do such a thing?” another replied.
“She doesn’t even look like someone who’d steal,” someone else whispered.
As Lord Morin raised the scroll containing the written judgment, something small passed from hand to hand among the people. A folded paper no one knew who gave it first.
It slipped quietly through the crowd, fingers brushing fingers as it was passed from one villager to another. Curiosity grew.
When it reached the center, a young woman opened it, eyes widening as she read the words scribbled inside:
“The woman is innocent. The council hides their own the true thief is her husband.”
Her breath caught. She looked around, confusion mixing with fear. Others leaned closer to read, gasping softly as realization spread like ripples through water.
Then Lord Morin’s voice rose again, deep and final.
“For the crime of theft and deceit against the council, Lady Venn is sentenced to death”
“Don’t kill her!”
The cry burst from the young woman’s lips before she even realized it. The entire square froze. All eyes turned toward her.
Lord Morin’s gaze snapped to the voice. “Who dares interrupt the council’s decree?”
The woman trembled but stepped forward, clutching the little paper in her hand. “My lord… she’s not guilty. The real thief” she hesitated, “is her husband!”
The crowd erupted in murmurs, people turning to one another in disbelief.
“What’s she saying?”
“Her husband? But he’s a councilman!”
“Maybe that’s why they hid it!”
The noise swelled like a rising storm. Lord Morin rose to his feet, his face pale with anger. “Silence!” he commanded. “Who gave you that lie?”
The woman lifted the paper high. “It was passed through the crowd, my lord. Read it yourself.”
A guard took the paper from her trembling hands and brought it to the platform. Lord Morin unfolded it slowly, scanning the words. His brows furrowed;Lord Morin faltered for a moment; the color drained from his face. Then, forcing himself steady, he held up the scrap and said, “This is just a letter passed to shift the blame onto Lord Venn.”
A woman in the crowd shot back, voice sharp with anger: “You lie you’re only passing this because she’s a woman.”
“Silence!” Lord Morin snapped. “No one is keeping calm anymore.”
Another voice, harder and colder, rose from the throng: “You better hang Venn the real criminal or you’ll face another war from us.”
The scene turned chaotic. Guards struggled to keep the crowd back as Lady Venn raised her tear-stained face. Her heart pounded when her eyes caught sight of a man in the distance cloaked, face veiled.
Her blood turned cold. She remembered that face.
FLASHBACK
She was in her shop that morning, folding fabrics when he walked in again the same veiled man.
“What do you want, my lord?” she asked, bowing slightly.
“The money I gave you,” he said calmly, his voice smooth but heavy. “What did you use it for?”
“I I’m sorry, my lord. I wanted to tell you I was married, but you left before I could.”
“And you still accepted my money?” he asked, leaning closer.
“I’m sorry. My husband told me to,” she said quietly.
“So,” he said, his voice growing colder, “your husband knows about me.”
She nodded slowly, afraid to meet his eyes.
“Then you must also know,” he continued, “that the money I gave you equals what the council lost. Anyone found with it will be accused of the theft and they’ll hang for it.”
Her eyes widened. “Please what do I do?”
“The guards will come soon,” he said softly. “They’ll find the money in your husband’s room. He’ll blame you to save himself. And because you are a woman, they’ll believe him.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
He looked at her for a long time, then sighed. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll help you.”
End of Flashback
When she blinked back to the present, the veiled man was still there standing at the edge of the crowd, silent and still. Then, before anyone could notice him, he turned and disappeared into the chaos.
Moments later, Lord Morin’s guards freed Lady Venn and marched Lord Venn forward in chains. The people shouted, some in anger, others in awe.
The husband who had watched her kneel in shame now stood trembling in her place.
Lady Venn’s hands shook as she pressed them together, whispering under her breath, “Whoever you are… thank you." After the execution the people started marching home happy and satisfied.
“What just happened?” Morin barked.
“I told you not to let this matter escalate,” he snapped, throwing a stack of documents toward Emmanuel.
Emmanuel caught the papers with a tight breath. “Sir, I don’t know who set this up,” he said. “We’re trying to find the person who passed the note, but nobody left the hall before the trial ended.”
Morin’s jaw tightened. “This trial has stirred the women they’re talking about. If we don’t tighten the rules now, they’ll turn this into a riot. And if word reaches the state, we’re finished.”
Emmanuel bowed his head. “Understood, my lord. I’ll double the patrols and search every house again. We’ll find the source.”
Morin nodded once, hard. “See that you do.”
Emmanuel went to his room after his father’s query.
“Ha!!, throwing everything within reach, shattering glasses and frames. “What just happened?” he muttered, scratching his head in frustration.
He grabbed his comm. “James, any feedback?”
“Yes, sir,” came the faint reply. “I just found Jason. He’s badly hurt. We took him to the inn.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there,” Emmanuel said, cutting the line.
He quickly threw on his coat and rushed out into the night.
When he arrived at the inn, he found one of his informants waiting. “Where did you find him?” Emmanuel demanded.
“At the heresy place, Catherine,” the man said quietly. “It looks like someone beat him and left him there.”
“What about the other guard?”
“We’re still looking for him, sir.”
Emmanuel nodded. “Alright. Good job. You can go.”
The informant bowed and left. Emmanuel sat by the bedside, staring at the bruised guard lying still. The minutes dragged on until finally, Jason’s lashes fluttered. He opened his eyes weakly the first thing he saw was Emmanuel sitting beside him.
- Writer
