/-Kaelynn's pov-/
"The King is dead! Dead! But he will come back soon! The undead will rise again! The Veil has torn! The demons will take your children, and your gold will not save you!"
I gasped.
The woman beside him continued. "You fed the land with blood. Now the land will spit you out!"
"Lies!" Many people stopped, throwing stones at them.
Some scoffed, walking past and muttering, "Forbid it. Forbid it." over and over.
A few spat on the ground.
"What are they doing?" I whispered, leaning forward.
Nephroma cleared her throat. "Preaching," she said. "Don't look at them for too long. They'll think you're listening."
"But…"
"Quiet," she hissed. "You're already strange enough. Curious girls end up headless.
Remember Amerthy from the west quarter? She asked too many questions. Now her head's on a spike outside the Castle Court gates. Her pretty mouth is still open."
I shuddered.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted, and Syrr slowed it near the side of the road.
My eyes caught movement. A man was slumped against a broken pillar. Goodness, he was as thin as a branch, draped in rags for clothes.
His head dangled. I think he might die soon.
"Stop," I said quickly. "Wait… look at him."
Evangra ignored me. Nephroma didn't move.
"Please. Just stop the carriage." I looked down at my dress, fumbling for the thin jade sewn along the hem. I yanked it free and held it up. "He looks like he's starving. Let me give him this."
Syrr sighed. But after a second, she pulled the brake. Before anyone could stop me, I grabbed the side of the chair and wheeled to the man slowly.
"Good day," I said gently.
"I'm Kaelynn."
He didn't move at first. Then his head lifted, slowly, shaking. His eyes weren't just tired… they were wary. He looked past me, up at the carriage where Evangra and Nephroma were staring down like hawks.
"They're with me," I said quickly, laughing nervously. "Don't worry about them." I held out the jade. "Here. Take it. You can trade it for food. Or a place to sleep."
The man didn't take it. He stared at the stone, then at me.
"Why'd you come down from that road?"
"What?"
"That road there." He pointed behind me.
"The Winding Road. Nobody uses that road except... except cursed folk."
My mouth fell open. "I just.. I just came to help."
Immediately, his face twisted into something short of human. "You're the cursed child, aren't you?"
The air left my lungs. He stood… too fast… for someone that thin.
"You are!" he shouted. "You're her! The witch! The one the prophecy talked about! Did you think we wouldn't know of the prophecy?"
"No…" I tried to say, but he was already screaming.
"She came from the Winding Road! She's cursed! A crippled dead… a demon runs through her veins!"
"No… please. You are mistaken…"
Several heads snapped in my direction. Their eyes followed the line from the man's finger to me, my chair, my dress, and the women standing behind me like guards.
"That's her from the lonely house down that road…"
"I heard that house was haunted. Only a witch can live there."
What? Where did they…?
"Cursed!" The man yelled louder.
"Syrr! Move, now!"
Nephroma's voice snapped me back to where I was.
Someone threw something. It slammed heavily on my face, sliding down in a thick yellow trail.
Eggs.
It was raining eggs!
I tried to lift my arms to shield my face, but the eggs kept coming.
Someone threw a rotting fruit. I couldn't move fast enough to dodge it. Its juices gushed right into my eyes, sending sparks of pain through my skull.
The rest tickled right into my mouth, sour and bitter.
"Come on, Princess." Evangra and Nephroma pulled me back with cold hands, shoving me into the carriage seat.
"My wheelchair…" I yelled, trying to pry their hands tightened around my waist. That was the last thing I had from my father to remind me of his… love?
But the carriage rolled forward fast.
"No…"
"Forget it." Syrr commanded.
My ears rang. I didn't know what to do or say. I just sat there bruised and humiliated, still holding the false jade in my hand.
It wasn't even real. All I wanted was to show him a little kindness. It wasn't just his words. It was the way they looked at me… as if I didn't belong to this city at all. And for the umpteenth time in years, I knew they were right.
The carriage rocked over the uneven road, and for a while, no one spoke. Then I saw them reach inside their sleeves. Evangra and Nephroma pulled out a long parchment scroll that was worn and stained at the edges.
I frowned at them. "What are those?"
"Instructions," Nephroma said simply.
"Instructions?" I asked again, shifting in my seat. "For who?"
"For you."
She didn't look at me. "Your behaviour this morning can get you killed at the Castle Court. Therefore we prepared instructions for you to follow. Your presence today is not right. It is mercy," she began. "Queen Isolde has granted you the honor of appearing at the First Recognition and Memorial. For your safety, you will not speak. You will not look anyone in the eye. You will not raise your hand, wave, nod, or answer even if spoken to. You will sit. You will smile. And you will do nothing else."
I swallowed, already regretting many decisions.
"Your voice is not wanted," Evangra continued. "You are not there to be seen, remembered, or acknowledged. You are someone who is supposed to be dead. The court does not know your face, and we aim to keep it that way until the Queen decides otherwise."
When she paused, I thought maybe she was done.
"Do you remember Hestel?"
I bit my lower lip. "She… used to braid my hair when I was little."
"Yes. Well, she spoke out of turn during last year's offering. Her tongue was cut out, and her children were sold to the ash mines."
My mouth went dry.