Sofia
SOFIA
AGE 15
Despite no evidence beyond the occasional unreliable account of jungle-crazed scouts, some among the Dragonborn insist the dragons didn’t go extinct under the great king’s rule. Rather, they insist the dragons went into hiding as a means to protect themselves from the king. Many scholars have placed the blame for continued Dragonborn resistance on this belief, noting the false hope continues to fan the flames of resistance within the community.
-Tales of the So-Called Dragonborn by Jules Vond
S ofia shouldn’t have gone to the main square. The executions happened when the moons went dark every blink. Even if she hadn’t seen the list of names and sketches posted in the streets, she would have known when Mina was scheduled to be killed—to be murdered. But seeing the name inked on parchment broke something inside of her. There wasn’t sadness or grief left, only a burning hot rage.
Gabriel was on the list, too. Apparently even attempting to give up hadn’t saved his traitorous ass. It had only taken her two cycles and listening in the halls to find out what had happened. He’d been caught stealing leather cuttings from the stables to sell. What he was selling them for, no one knew, although their guesses ranged from funding the resistance army to buying his girlfriend an abortion. had stopped listening to the gossip after that. All she knew is that Gabriel had betrayed her and in doing so, sentenced Mina to death.
“You’re lucky you’re useful, dragon-filth.”
So that afternoon, she’d left the chief commander’s manor early. He was already gone, off to prepare for the executions. No one in the household questioned her exit, and she knew they’d all follow soon enough. To not watch an execution, even the non-mandatory ones that occurred every blink, was a form of treason in and of itself. Only a traitor to the crown wouldn’t want to see its enemies brought to justice.
Still, no one would have noticed if hadn’t gone. She could have hidden away in the alleys of the slums, but she couldn’t bring herself to not watch. She needed to look into the chief commander’s eyes as he sentenced the girl he knew was innocent and sent her to her death.
The square was already teeming with people when she arrived. Her small body pushed easily through the crowd, barely even noticed. She weaved through bodies until she was at the front of the mob, looking up at the wooden structure, which stood sentinel over the square.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the dark rust-colored stains against the wood and on the stones below. She didn’t even know she was picking at her cuticles until she felt a warm smear of blood. Her eyes flickered down, mind in a daze, as she saw the red staining her fingers.
It didn’t take long before the roar of the crowd changed pitch and the chief commander, general, and executioner walked onto the platform, a small procession of convicts behind them. Mina was at the front of the line, her body dwarfed by the iron cuffs that weighed down her hands and ankles. She didn’t bother to look for Gabriel in the line.
Mina’s hair was loose, unwashed and hanging in front of her face. But from where she stood, could still see the way Mina chewed on her lip and the sickly tint of her skin.
didn’t hear the chief commander’s speech. She didn’t feel the prick of pain along her fingertips as she continue to rip the skin there. All of her focus was on the slight tremor in Mina’s shoulders.
There were no thoughts in her mind of what she might do. Could do.
But as Mina was unchained from the others and brought forward, felt her body lurching forward, blood burning through her body like a fire. She slipped through the line of guards that stood between the platform and the audience, a thin waif of a girl not even noticed until she was through. She ran, small legs taking her up the steps of the platform, her eyes focused only on Mina’s own wide ones.
The girl’s mouth gaped and her eyes filled with terror, an emotion only understood when she felt the cold iron fingers wrapping around her arms and lifting her up.
“No! Stop! She didn’t do anything. I—” before she could finish, a gloved hand struck her across the face, the hands gripping her the only thing keeping her from falling over. The chief commander’s cold eyes flashed in front of her and she heard his voice, icy but soft.
“Take her to my personal interrogation cell, immediately. I will deal with her after this.”
The grip around her didn’t falter, lifting her like she weighed nothing and carrying her down the stairs. She thrashed and kicked, teeth gnashing at the invisible man behind her. They weren’t quite out of the square when her foot made contact with something soft and the man grunted, fingers loosening. She turned as she tumbled, scrambling back as she looked into the cold blue eyes of General Ocon. He sneered down at her as he reached for her again, taking little care as he pulled her forward.
“I don’t know why the chief commander seems to have a soft spot for such a wretched creature. I didn’t know his inclinations ran so young.” He leaned forward, cheek brushing against her own. “You must be good.”
“Fuck you,” she spit out, nearly biting his cheek before he pulled away.
She growled as he attempted to pull her up once more. She felt like a savage dog and she didn’t care. It’s what they saw her as anyway. She clawed at his face, a thrill of excitement fizzling through her as she drew blood and he cursed, slapping her across the face.
“I’m going to make you regret that,” he said, his voice a hiss like a viper moving in for the kill. Before she could respond, there was a whistle of air and the whack and thud of an axe on wood in the distance. Her blood went cold.
She heard the sharp intake of breath from the audience. There was no cheering or claps, a silence rarely known at these events permeated the air, and General Ocon’s sneer turned into a cruel and cold smile.
It was over. Mina was dead.
’s body gave out, muscles going loose under General Ocon’s grip. He lifted her easily and this time she didn’t fight, any energy drained from her.
He dragged her through the main hall of the prison, a pair of guards following behind as he brought her into a large room lined with torches. A single wood pillar stood in the middle of the room and the blood drained from her face.
As she was tied to the post, her mind pushed away from her body. By the time the sixth lash fell against her back, it was gone.
* * *
“I told you to throw her in a cell,” the chief commander’s voice was rough and cold.
“The bitch attacked me. She deserved every lash.”
“You lost control and killed her before we could execute her.”
“We can send announcements of death out, to ensure those that saw the outburst understand?—”
* * *
She was being dragged by her leg, skin scraping against cold stone floor. She couldn’t move. She could barely breathe.
When they stopped moving and her leg was dropped, she became aware of something cold and soft pressed against her skin. She opened her eyes to see the gray skin and glassy eyes of death staring back. She was next to a small pile of dead bodies—she was a part of the pile.
wondered if perhaps she was dead. Perhaps this was what being a ghost meant? Seeing through the eyes of your body after you were gone.
“Slit the throats before you bury them to make sure they’re dead.”
The footfalls drew distant and she tried to move again. She wanted to call out that she wasn’t dead, but the small part of her brain still working told her she couldn’t. So instead, she spent ten minutes slowly relearning how to move her toes again. And then her fingers.
She tried to crawl away, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Her vision went black.
* * *
Soil filled her mouth and she tasted rot and wet. Her body rolled down a small hill, stopping suddenly as she hit something spongy and hot. Another body followed behind, trapping her.
“You didn’t slit the throats.”
“It’s fine. They’re dead.”
“The general said?—”
“You can crawl in there and do it yourself if you care that much.”
“King’s balls, just throw the last two in. I need a drink.”
* * *
It was dark by the time remembered how to move her body enough to push her way out from under the corpse on top of her. On her other side, a man half-rotten gave way beneath her hands as she tried to crawl away. She didn’t gag. She barely reacted. She kept moving until she saw the stars above her. The smell of rot was replaced with incense, and wondered once more if she might have died.
“Manny! Someone’s alive in there.”
Hands grasped at her and she shifted, trying to move away.
“No,” she muttered.
“Shhh, I’ve got you.” The voice was soft and gentle, and even as she felt her body being picked up, her mind broke once more as she slipped back into blackness.